It's Not Always Black & White

Pink Paislee 2012 Creative Team

2011-12-31T13:31:00.001-08:00

I'm very excited for this:

After taking a half a year off, I'm ready to dive back into scrapbooking!

This and That

2011-01-19T13:10:00.000-08:00

So I went to Target last week when they had the "itso storage" on sale. To my delight, they had pinks and cute polka dot patterns that matched the girls room to a T! I am slightly obsessed with organization you see. It is perfect for their closet! Here is a picture of what the system looks like (this is a stock picture):

I'm looking around my house wondering what else I can organize?? LOL!

I also wanted to share a yummy recipe I tried today. It is extremely healthy!! I used a Maple Praline syrup to top it off.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1.Grind the oats in a blender or food processor until fine. In a large bowl, combine ground oats, whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2.In another bowl, combine buttermilk, milk, oil, egg, and sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix wet ingredients into dry with a few swift strokes. Stir in nuts, if desired.
3.Lightly oil a skillet or griddle, and preheat it to medium heat. Ladle 1/3 cup of the batter onto the hot skillet; cook the pancakes for 2 to 4 minutes per side, or until brown.

And the kids loved them!

I've been super busy working on CHA projects for Pink Paislee. Can't wait to share my creations with you all :)

Have a great weekend!

Mix It Up!

2011-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since I'ved posted here. {insert ashamed face here}.

With 2011, I've taken on some different designing opportunities so posts will once again be a regular thing for me again :) Not only will I be posting scrapbook related posts, but I've also taken a huge interest in cooking over the last year so I hope to share recipes and photos here as well! And if you ever have a good recipe to share, please do so!

So now on to explaining what "Mix It up!" means...

Mix It Up! Combines 2 paper collections on 1 project. Embellishments are easy but mixing and matching papers is a little tougher.

It can be hard, I admit, to mix two different paper lines together. I always feel safe staying within the confines of one line, knowing that they will coordinate perfectly. But when you play around it is interesting to see what papers from different lines actually do compliment one another.

I love this idea mainly because I need to be challenged myself!

So with this assignment in mind, I automatically thought “Sweetness + Parisian Anthology.” The soft blues in Parisian Anthology bring out the blues in Sweetness. Not only that, but since I have the ability to change the colors in Parisian Anthology (with some inking), I can make a host of colors that would blend perfectly with Sweetness.

I first chose the colors I wanted to pull from Sweetness. I chose the yellow, pink, and green. I then randomly inked the paper “Beautiful Butterfly” and softened all the lines of the colors together. The inks I used were Tim Holtz distress inks in Tattered Rose, Shabby Shutters, and Scattered Straw. To go one step further in pulling out colors, I chose to mist the papers from both lines to draw them in and make it a cohesive flow. I used Tattered Angels mist in Coffee Shop to achieve this look.

I also combined embellishments from the Sweetness line and the Parisian Anthology line once I saw how well they went together.

If you are looking to be challenged, try mixing and matching some different lines together and see what you come up with. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Happy Creating!

Old School Sneak Peek

2010-07-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

I can't believe CHA is next week. For those of you who read my blog and don't scrap CHA stands for Craft & Hobby Association. Anyway, Pink Paislee has managed to create three new lines...along with gorgeous letters and accesories. You will love it all!

You can look here to see all of the 'Old School' release. It is a must have for all those back-to-school shots and school activities.

If you leave a comment on the blog about what you love most in this release, along with an 'old school' memory, you could have a chance to win 1 of the new 12×12 Old School collection packs!

Also check back throughout the week as there will be more sneak peeks and giveaways :)

An Inspiration Station Official Stop!!

2010-04-29T18:57:00.000-07:00

Good morning Pink Paislee fans and welcome to one of your stops!

Today I bring to you a layout made especially for Mother's Day. Below you will find step-by-step directions to create a layout of your own.

1. Cut the Bayberry Cottage paper "Porch Swing" 9 x 9 1/2". Attach it 3/4" from the top of your cardstock. (I used white cardstock).
2. I printed (3) photos that were 3 x 4" approximately. I staggered them down the center of the layout, making sure not to go over the edge of the patterned paper.
3. Next, I punched (4) scalloped circles out of the same patterned paper and placed one in the top left hand corner, a partial one at the top right hand corner, one to tuck underneath the top photo, and one to tuck under the middle photo.
4. Tag a flip note and tuck it under the middle photo, also placing a die cut tag on top of that. Stamp an image on the tag (I used the Bayberry Cottage stamp set) and place a cork center on the stamp.
5. For your title, place it between the top and bottom photo...slightly overlapping the middle photo. I used the Weathered Wood letters in Blackberry, along with the Bayberry and Ocean Expressions Alphabet.
6. Tie twine or ribbon underneath the title. Make a bow and attach it to the twine under the title. Place a cork circle over the bow and add a jeweled brad. (I used the Bayberry Cottage Bella Brads).
7. Punch (3) butterflies from the same patterned paper and add them to the punched circles at the top, and also to the end of the title. Bend the wings slightly for effect.
8. I then used a partial rub-on design from the Bayberry Cottage Press-ons to add some element to the right of the top photo. I rubbed it right over one of the punched circles.
9. Lastly, write your journaling around the perimeter of the patterned paper.

I hope you have the time to re-create this layout. I had a lot of fun making it.

How does a blog hop work? Simply leave a message on my blog pertaining to Pink Paislee and you will be entered to win a prize package worth $25.00. Winner will be chosen on Monday or Tuesday, and will be posted here as well as the Pink Paislee blog. Here is a photo of the prize package you could win.

Goodluck!!!

5 for Friday

2010-04-25T18:01:00.000-07:00

I am so relieved that the weekend is almost here. The end of the school year is such a hectic time for us. I could really use more hours in my day!

On this Friday I bring to you a layout using not 5 but 8 different Pink Paislee products. I had a really hard time stopping at 5… I know the blog title is “5 for Friday” but just work with me here!

I mainly used the Queen Bee Collection for my layout. These are the 8 products I chose:

Artisan Element Frames

Artisan Element Tape - Black Dot

Expressions Weathered Wood letters - Blackberry

Queen Bee paper - Worker Bee, Bees Wax, Honeycomb, and Bee Hive

Queen Bee - Punch Outs Die Cuts

Queen Bee - Cork Buttons

Queen Bee - Bella Brads

Fashion Script Alphabet - White

Thank you for taking the time to stop by the Pink Paislee blog today. I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Spring Fever

2010-04-06T05:12:00.000-07:00

Is it me, or is our mood boosted 100% by great weather??? Usually, when it is our school districts spring break, the weather is "so so" in Indiana. This week we have 70s and 80s and I'm loving it!!! I acutally got a sunburn yesterday!

I've been keeping my time with reading, school functions, spring cleaning, and a little scrapping. Actually, I've been cleaning my crafting area so I have done little creating, but I'm getting motivated! A clean space always motivates me! Here is a layout I recently finished:

It's all about my iPod and what I'm listening to right now. I always find it interesting to look back to see what I liked during a certain period of time.

I also recently finished this book by Kristin Hannah:

It has been a long time since I've read a book that wasn't 'paranormal' in nature so I was pleasantly surprised at just how much I loved this book. I am on a site called 'goodreads' which allows you to keep track of all the books you've read, and all the books you'd like to read. You add friends to your list and can read their reviews and what not. It is a great site if you like to read. If you sign up, add me as a friend :)

Taylor and I just saw this recipe on ABC...it is for 'Monkey Bread Muffins'. YUM!

From the kitchen of Trisha Yearwood

Servings: Over 8
Difficulty: Easy
Cook Time: 60-120 min

"Monkey bread is usually baked in a large tube pan and served by pulling off a 'lump' of bread at a time. My niece Ashley tried this idea for making monkey bread in individual servings by downsizing the biscuit pieces and using our Hot Maple Syrup in the mix. The muffins are a lot cuter and less messy!"

-- Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients
1 12-ounce can biscuits (10 in each can)
3 tablespoons Hot Maple Syrup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Cooking Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place cupcake liners in 12 muffin cups. With kitchen shears, cut each biscuit into 4 pieces.

In a small bowl, combine the maple syrup and melted butter.

In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans. Dip each biscuit piece into the maple butter, and roll in the sugar mixture. Place 3 or 4 coated pieces in each muffin cup, pressing to compact.

Bake the muffins for 15 to 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks. Serve warm.

NOTE: To make traditional monkey bread, grease all surfaces of a 10-inch tube pan. Drop the coated biscuit pieces evenly inside the tube pan. Pour the maple butter over the biscuits and bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes. Let the bread stand for 5 minutes before turning out onto a cake plate. Pull off one lump at a time.

Serves 12

Here is Trisha Yearwood's recipe for maple syrup:

Ingredients
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups light brown sugar
2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
2 cups water
2 teaspoons maple flavoring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract

Cooking Directions
Mix the sugars, syrup, water, maple flavoring, and extracts in a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until the sugars dissolve. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, as the syrup reaches the correct consistency.

Serve warm over pancakes or waffles. Store any leftover syrup in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Change it up by making bacon waffles. Cut bacon to fit each waffle grid. Close the cover and bake for 1 minute before adding waffle batter. Scramble some eggs and you have a complete breakfast.

Makes 4 cups

If you make this, let me know how it turns out! We are buying the supplies this week. :) Have a great day!

New Layouts and Good Books

2010-02-08T03:29:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share some layouts that I made for CHA. These are the 3 new releases from Pink Paislee (including some of the new Artisan line). I also made some minis that I will share later this week.

I just got done reading this book:

I can't describe into words how I felt while reading this book. I wanted to put it down, didn't want to read on, because what happened to Precious was so UN-REAL and unimaginable. But if she could write about it, without any shame or regret, then surely I could read her story. The story ends leaving me wanting to find out everything I can about her, her son, her daughter with downs syndrome, where is she now? I highly recommend this book. It is all written from her perspective.

Another busy week lies ahead for me. The girls both brought home straight A's again this quarter. This makes me so very happy and proud. They both try so hard...love them :)

Chad just spent a week in Atlanta, for some more railroad training. My Grandmother came to stay for the week. She is so amazing and always such a huge help.

I'm working on a women's bible study incorporating faith in scrapbooking. There are SO MANY women at church who scrapbook. I'm really looking forward to seeing God work through these women spiritually and creatively!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Be Still My Beating Heart!

2010-01-23T08:05:00.000-08:00

The last sneak I want to show you is the new Artisan line from Pink Paislee: Albums, letters, shapes, and tapes, oh my. I was fortunate enough to design with 2 of the albums and some of the tapes, but believe me I must get my hands on the rest. They are divine in every way! Make sure to leave a comment here on the Pink Paislee blog in order to have a chance to win some of this beautiful line! All winners will be announced Saturday night, since CHA starts on Sunday :)

Here are some more photos to leave you drooling:

On a "non scrappy" note I wanted to share this adorable shower curtain and rug I got for the girls' bathroom. Mind you I was at Target specifically for medicine as I am sick sick sick, but really, who goes into Target without a cart full of non-necessities? Seriously?

It looks too sweet hanging in the bathroom. I absolutely *heart* it!

Some Lovely Queen Bee!

2010-01-21T03:35:00.000-08:00

We have been busy little bees around here the past few months putting the final touches on this collection. I just love the final result and I am thrilled to finally show it off to everyone. This collection is so versatile. You might not see it at first glance but I think you will change your mind (once again) after seeing what our amazing team has created.

An earthy, lush, shabby and floral experience awaits you with this one!

After seeing this collection in greater detail we think you will agree that it is good to be queen!

Want to win these papers before you can buy them? Then tell us what you think of these products. Click on this link: Pink Paislee Blog to leave a comment. We want to hear from you!

365 Degrees...

2010-01-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Ok…we have some of you seriously worked up about our new ribbon pleats, cork shapes, flip notes and mini paper pads. I also noticed I have some friends out there who love those houndstooth letters as much as I do!! I am so glad you are loving some of our new items. One thing I want to point out is that our ribbon pleats are pre-stitched; all you have to do is add adhesive and place it right on your project. You can shape them, curve them, wrap them into flowers (or circles as you will see below) or twist them. Totally up to you! We got a lot of comments on those so I wanted to make it clear that the stitching is included. You don’t have to sew a thing ;-) I also know that our Bayberry Cottage collection color palette shocked some of you and we know it won’t be for everyone. Those colors are not for the faint of heart that is for sure! Even the members of our team were timid at first and then later they told me it was their favorite…so we say….don’t be afraid to try something new!

Now let’s move on to another new collection we are calling 365° Degrees. As this collection developed it changed from a travel theme to something more along the lines of the daily journey to self discovery. In fact for a few months we called this collection the “Pacific” project because we really meant for it to be a travel themed line. In the end we felt a tug to make it more personal so we revamped the name and focused on the journey we embark on each day in our own lives.

Everyday we create moments that matter; our new 365° Degrees collection will give you the “creative” tools to design your own life! Our new motto is this “It’s your life. Decorate it.”

So…let’s “discover” this gorgeous new collection:

Allright…..we want to hear from you again today. What is your must have item from the new 365° Degrees collection? Leave a comment on the Pink Paislee blog for a chance to win these papers before you can buy them in stores. By the way…these new items will be shipping to stores in early March.

Check back tomorrow as we reveal more products (and projects from the team) featuring the new Queen Bee collection.

Introducing: Bayberry Cottage

2010-01-18T05:32:00.000-08:00

Straight from the Pink Paislee blog!

One of the first collections making its debut is Bayberry Cottage. There really is a bayberry fruit that inspired the name for this collection. We just fell in love with this soft plum color once it was combined with aqua, cream, black and lime green. The results are bold and totally refreshing for spring and summer! So…let’s dive right into it!

So what's new?

-How about our new petite paper pads? Cardmakers can rejoice because we created tiny papers in these gorgeous prints. Yes the pattern is smaller and oh so cute! Each pad includes 30 sheets (3 each of 10 designs) MSRP $4.99

-Our new Flip Notes just made journaling easier and dare we say it…prettier! Each pad includes 24 sheets (2 each of 12 designs) MSRP $2.99

-We are quirky for cork and you will be too! New printed cork shapes that you can use as flower centers, buttons or page embellishments. Stack them, ink them…whatever you want! MSRP $3.99

-Ribbon Pleats. For the girl who doesn’t want to get out her thread and needle (that’s me) - We have hand dyed and pre stitched the perfect ribbon pleat for your projects. Each strip measures approximately 12″ but you can cut them down to size. Another bonus…they are flexible enough to be shaped into circles, flowers, you name it! Each package includes 2 strips. MSRP $3.99

We brought back our best selling borderline stickers and punchouts in new designs and we are so glad we did! We round out the collection with our clear stamp set and new opaque gem brads. What is not to love?

SO.…..We hope you enjoyed the first peek! Be sure to tell us what you love the most! We do plan on spreading a little love this week so leave a comment on this blog post for your chance to win these papers before you can buy them! We will be having a little blog candy drawing everyday this week! (The giveaways will be on the Pink Paislee blog!)

More tomorrow…stay tuned as we will take a closer look at the new 365° Degrees Collection!

Introducing: Bayberry Cottage, 365 Degrees, and Queen Bee

2010-01-17T17:26:00.001-08:00

WOW is all I can say. So excited to be able to reveal by projects to you using the new Pink Paislee lines! This is just a taste of what is to come! Be sure to check the Pink Paislee blog this week as we will be revealing more and more of the new lines. There will also be some paper giveaways...so check back every day!

And thank you to everyone who prayed or thought about Hanna as she had her appointment in Indianapolis this last week. The results are in and there is no need for surgery *YAY!* Just some medicine and a HUGE change in routine. Hanna is such a good girl...she always tries her hardest to please.

On another note, I started reading a very cool book series: Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter. BUT. I accidentally started with #7 instead of #1 so, yeah, I feel pretty stupid. So I have since put #7 down and am starting on #1 like I should have last week! ;) Yep, I'm pretty much a nerd.

For Those of You Wondering....

2010-01-12T03:02:00.000-08:00

of the sad state of affairs that my blog is in, I'm trying to renovate, LOL! The problem is, I started doing this when I knew I had no time to finish :P Now, 4 out of 5 family members have some kind of illness and I am taking Hanna this week to the Peyton Manning hospital in Indianapolis for some x-rays and an MRI of her abdomen area. She has been having problems for quite some time now, so, if you're the praying type, any kind of prayer would be much appreciated!!

On a brighter note, I received my Pink Paislee box on Saturday containing the 3 new releases for CHA. And OH MY. You will not be disappointed. And I know I say this everytime but these have to be my favorite releases EVER! The embellishments, the colors, the papers....OK, enough teasing for now ;) I will be showing my projects very soon! It's been interesting working on these projects while sick. Yesterday I nearly stabbed myself several times with my exacto knife, and poked myself with my paper piercer and drew blood, LOL! Don't work with dangerous tools when you're sick! ;)

Have a great week everyone!

Vampires, Etc...

2010-01-07T03:52:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about the vampire plot line but ever since Twilight was released I'm not satisfied with my book selections unless they are vampire/paranormal related. Fortunately I have some book buddies who have the same addiction as I, lol. I just finished The Sookie Stackhouse series, True Blood:

I loved this series, I mean REALLY loved this series. It is the kind of series that you dread ending. It is also a show on HBO and just entering it's 3rd season. I currently have the 2nd season pre-ordered on Blu Ray (can you say addiction???!)

I am on the tail end of this series:

Reading all these have sparked my love for reading all over again!

I have built in bookshelves at home but for some odd reason I have been using them for frames and knick knacks, lol. So I recently cleaned them off and are using them for their intended purpose, *gasp*, books! So now I faced the dilema of figuring out where all the picture frames will go. While browsing my favorite store, Target, I got inspired by these frames for a collage on the wall:

I love the month of January, it is always 'project renew and organize.' It never fails!

Congratulations to the 2010 Pink Paislee design team!

2010-01-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

From Rebecca:

WOW! What a tough agonizing decision this has been for us. I can’t say anything about this process that hasn’t been said before. We saw so many qualified artists that we wish we had room for everyone. We read all of your blogs; looked at all of your galleries; and spent hours upon hours making the official list and then throwing it away and starting over again. It just wasn’t easy. Congratulations to all of you for finding the time to devote to this wonderful hobby. I was amazed how many of you recently posted your top 10 layouts of 2009 on your blogs. It was definitely inspiring to see!

Thank you for continuing to love Pink Paislee and for creating with our products. It is an honor to provide fresh products and fresh inspiration to our fans.

As you can see from the list below we went WAY beyond the numbers we had originally planned for. We just could not narrow it down any further. We have big plans for this team and they will definitely have their work cut out for them. In 2010 look for new blog topics, studio spaces, artist profiles, challenges, and much much more! We hope you will join us on the creative journey for another year!

I'm so happy to continue on with Pink Paislee for another year!

Pink Paislee blog post!

2009-12-19T05:21:00.001-08:00

Good morning! I wanted to share a blog post I did for Pink Paislee this morning:

I always try to get the most out of my supplies. Doing so requires a little ‘out of the box’ thinking, which isn’t always an easy thing!

One of my favorite sheets of paper from the Pink Paislee line is the Postcards paper. I often times use it for obvious reasons; using one of the rectangles in my title, using a piece to write down my journaling, or just using the pattern on the opposite side to aid in my design. Well I love it so much that I wanted to use nearly ALL of it to create a layout. The Cupid Postcards paper, along with Cupids Bullseye paper, and Cupids Eternal Love, were the only 3 sheets of paper I used from the Cupid line.

Six sections from the Postcards paper, along with three (4 x 6) photos cut down to size, make up a good portion of the layout. I made sure to use contrasting pieces from the paper; Three “title” sections and three “journaling” sections. To break up the title, I hand cut a flower from one of the sheets of paper and added it to the side of the title along with a Cupid Bella Brad for the flower center. I combined the Cherry Expressions Glitter Alphabet chipboard, Berry Expressions Glitter Alphabet chipboard, and the Expression Whimsies Alphabet in Chocolate for my title.

The “love” stamp comes from the Cupid Impressions Stamps. I’m always looking for a place or two to throw a stamp ;)

I would love to hear of interesting ways all of you use papers from the Pink Paislee lines!

Happy Creating!

Happy December!!

2009-12-01T03:16:00.001-08:00

Has it really been over 2 months since I've updated this thing????! WOW. Seriously embarassing, LOL!

Life has been great here, really. School, PTA, soccer, vacation, kids, husband...everything has just been keeping me busy lately! How about I share a couple of snippets from the past couple of months??

Here are some pictures from Soccer 09 and our Myrtle Beach Vacation:

I've gotten some assignments completed for Pink Paislee:

I've made several cards, but I can't share those yet ;)

Some Label Tulip Sneaks!

2009-09-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate enough that Jennifer, the owner of Label Tulip, asked me to be the guest designer for the month of September. Their kits are wonderful with a rich mix of vintage and color. The kit was so inspiring to use...

Make sure to check out this months kit and add-ons!!!

Wednesday Blog for Pink Paislee

2009-09-09T10:41:00.001-07:00

I love the look of rub-ons and have many packages in my stash but I never really feel as though I get great use out of them. There are always some rub-ons leftover on the sheet, very rarely do I ever use ALL of the rub-ons.

So that is why on this Wacky Wednesday I bring to you a fun solution to using up those Press-Ons!

I cut a white piece of cardstock 4 x 10″, using a notebook punch along the left hand side. I centered the entire package of Amber Road Press-Ons onto the sheet of paper, rubbing all on but the two black decorative borders. I cut them in half, then placed them on either side of the Press-Ons I just used. This gave a nice definition to the design. Doing this, I got away with using as much patterned paper.

Here are some close-up shots of the design:

I hope you have the opportunity to try this on your own!

A New Bathroom

2009-09-04T15:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to write a quick note to say that nothing, and everything is going on here LOL.

Our bathroom is coming along nicely. Plumbing is almost finished and the shower base is installed. Our cabinets in "mocha" are set to go into production at the wonderful Harlan Cabinets. We're going tomorrow to get the rest of the fixtures and what not...too bad hubby hasn't been home much to help in the process. I'm sure he is upset, lol.

The girls have started soccer which puts us at the soccer field 5 times a week. They love playing otherwise I wouldn't be so crazy as to practically live there ;)

I will be holding a 'mom's night out with scrapbooking' at the elementary school again. The date is November 6th and if you want details let me know. We will have 2 kits to purchase, both containing Pink Paislee goodness.

Have a great week!

Family

2009-08-19T05:22:00.000-07:00

This last lay off from the railroad really taught me the importance of my family. My husband Chad, my 3 girls, mean so much to me! Anyway, we were getting ready for a wedding several weeks ago and I had a brilliant idea, LOL. We were all dressed up, outfits semi-matched, we had 4 open spots on the camera, and no tripod (hehe) but decided it would be the perfect time for a family photo! We haven't had one taken in YEARS. It isn't the 'perfect' photo but that's what I love about it. It's natural, it's my family!!!

So Chad is almost home from his 2 week training period in Atlanta. He's ready to come home and start his new job as a track engineer. I'm more than ready for him to come home. The girls and I really miss him.

The start of school is tomorrow. It's really bittersweet. I love summer, with no schedule, and being able to spend more time with the girls. The structure of the school year is also good...just wish there was more summer to enjoy!

Stamping Sunday {Mix It Up}

2009-08-09T05:24:00.001-07:00

I had the pleasure of doing the blog post over at the Pink Paislee blog today!

Happy Sunday!

Since I am not super technique savvy I thought maybe I would show everyone how versatile the new Impressions clear stamp sets from Pink Paislee are.

I started out by making a Halloween layout featuring the new Twilight paper (I used a circle from every sheet of paper in the collection), Press Ons, and Borderline stickers. I also used the new Expressions Glitter Alphabet in licorice.

I punched 8 scalloped circles from the paper and randomly stamped images on the circles. I used the crowns from the Cupid collection (actually just the tip of one of the stamps was used), I stamped stars with the stamps from Mistletoe & Co., the compass is from the Amber Road collection, and the remaining images are from the Twilight collection.

It was interesting to look through the stamp sets to see how each could mesh with the other.

There are no boundaries when it comes to crafting. Mixing items from different lines can give a different look and just gives you more for your money.

Have a GREAT week!

Mistletoe & Co. + Cupid + Expressions Letters

2009-07-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

This past week has definately been an exciting one on the Pink Paislee blog. There have been sneak peeks all week along with chances to win some of each new release! In case you missed some of the sneaks allow me to indulge you :)

Expressions {chipboard letters & cardstock letter stickers}

An example of Mistletoe & Co. as well as the new letter sets:

Isn't Cupid soooo sweet??!

Hope everyone has a GREAT week!!!!

{Pink Paislee} Sneaks + Giveaway!

2009-07-21T07:28:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peek of the new {Twilight} collection from Pink Paislee:

Here is a link to see the entire line in all its goodness:

http://pinkpaislee.com/pink-paislee-blog/

Love what you see? Be sure to tell us about it for your chance to win a complete paper pack and some extras!! Today we want to hear which embellishment you love the best!!!

And here is a little sneak of a layout I did using the {Amber Road} collection...

He got the job!!!

2009-07-15T05:33:00.000-07:00

Chad got the phone call, Monday afternoon, that he received the position of Track Worker through the railroad! After being laid off for 7 months this is going to be an adjustment (in a great way!) He will start in 2-3 weeks after some tests, a physical, and a weeks worth of training in Georgia. We couldn't be any happier and owe a huge THANKS to all of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers!

Now that he is going back to work we can focus on the bathroom that we have been hoping to add. I found some cool colors and decorating ideas but have no real concrete ideas yet. I only know I want the colors to match our current bedding which looks like this:

Target link for BLOOM bedding.

I like the cabinet in between the mirror instead of one long mirror on this one.

I love the dark wood here.

Our bathroom is going to be long and narrow like this, with a walk in closet on either side as you walk into the bathroom. I'm going to lose closet space in the process but I'm alright with that. I don't own that many shoes, purses, and clothes so it is no big deal!

The cool colors in this picture remind me of a spa. I also love the arrangement on the counter!

I will be sharing some Pink Paislee sneaks soon so stay tuned! Have a great week!!!

After a long break...

2009-07-06T05:08:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-04-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

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!!

2009-04-02T19:36:00.001-07:00

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!

2009-03-28T17:09:00.001-07:00

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

2009-02-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-02-18T18:06:00.000-08:00

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???

2009-02-07T06:40:00.000-08:00

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!

CMK February Kit Sneak!

2009-01-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well, it is more than a sneak, how about an actual layout??!

At Create My Keepsake the design team will post 1 layout on the 25th that consists of items from the kit ONLY. Make sure to visit the blogs of all the CMK design team members to see a wide variety of layouts made with the kit. Then, throughout the following month, we will have projects, layouts, and challenges for you the entire month on the CMK blog!

So here is my layout I made with the February kit:

If you haven't ordered this kit yet, you should!!

Pink Paislee 2009 Creative Team!

2009-01-04T12:55:00.000-08:00

The announcement for the Pink Paislee 2009 Creative Team was made the other day on their blog. I am thrilled and humbled to say that I am actually returning to this dream team! There is a huge list full of talent, and it will be an exciting year for sure. Some of my all time favorite projects are ones done for Pink Paislee assignments.

I am excited to see what Holly and Rebecca have in store for 2009. There are little sneaks throughout the Pink Paislee blog....just teasers! Looks like there will be some new additions....chipboard letters, brads, flowers, and other goodies!!

Our bathroom is almost finished. I hope to have pictures of it soon. Without Chad working we need to work with what we have here but that is OK :) Hopefully it won't be more than 8-10 weeks before he can return to work. Say a prayer for us!!

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T06:21:00.000-08:00

So what did you do to ring in the New Year??! We had a pretty low key night, dinner and cards with friends, just a really relaxing and fun time. Our girls stayed up to watch the ball drop, a first for them.

It is official. We are preparing our house to sell. We have loved living here for the past 8 years but we need something bigger, something we can grow into. The house we found is a 2 story with a basement, which is perfect for us.

Our plans have momentarily been put on hold though due to Chad's job (and lack of work). He got bumped off his position at the railroad this week. It makes me angry because he works SO HARD for them and there are so many guys there with more time that can sit on the board, marking off for the weekends, and call in sick all the time, blah blah blah where Chad has never missed a day in 2 years. But, what can you do? I've got to trust again that God has a plan for us, whether I like it right now or not lol. My only hope is that it will pick up in 2 months or so like it normally does.

I have created some new things for Create My Keepsake but cannot share them yet. I have to say, the CMK January kit is gorgeous, check it out. My favorite one to date.

I plan on taking many more pictures this year than last. And updating my blog as well lol. But these ARE NOT resolutions so let's just keep that straight. I don't ever carry through with resolutions so they have been banned, hehe.

I hope 2009 not only brings happiness for you all, but also with a new President coming on board, I pray that he can get this economy of our's back on track. He certainly has a huge job ahead of him.

12 Days of Christmas

2008-12-15T18:18:00.000-08:00

Pink Paislee is having a '12 Days of Christmas' blog feature this month. Each design team member has a different day where we post some ornaments using Pink Paislee, along with step-by-step directions for you to re-create them! The women on this team have amazing talent. I had so much fun making mine. I'm not much of a project girl but I'm happy with how they turned out :)

We are in the midst of painting our entire house. We are 75% done! We've painted all the woodwork, doors, and 3 rooms. Next we are hitting the bathroom. There is nothing like having a home that needs no repairs, no cosmetic adjustments, nothing! I've never had that feeling since I've been a home owner LOL.

Create My Keepsake is having a design team call for the winter/spring 2009 term. Here are the details. Lisa's kits are amazing!

I'm off to eat more Christmas cookies...I dare not step on the scale this month LOL.

Christmas Already??!

2008-11-21T04:26:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I've had my Christmas tree up for 2 weeks now, LOL??! Yep, I have two trees up actually. One is mine, decorated in chocolate brown, golds, and coppers, while the girls' tree is full of color and all our "family" ornaments. My mom is so thoughtful and put the trees up while I was Christmas shopping in Cincinnati :) Love you mom!

Recently I ordered these two prints through Art.com:

They are for my family room. It needs a LOT of help, lol. I wanted something neutral so I could throw in any accent colors I wanted. I just hope I like them just as much in person as I do on-line ;)

Who is going to see Twilight in the movie theatres???! After reading all four books I am soooooooo anticipating seeing this movie. It doesn't hurt that Edward (one of the main characters) is VERY easy on the eyes!

I recently bought the soundtrack to the movie as well. It is an awesome compilation of songs. I definately recommend it if you're a Twilight fan.

Last, but not least, I wanted to share a layout with you all from the Tinsel Town collection released by Pink Paislee. I made this layout for the Pink Paislee blog and it features a sketch from Pagemaps.

Happy Friday everyone!!!

This and That

2008-11-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

Have you noticed it's been 3 weeks since my last update lol??! That is because nothing overly exciting has taken place at least not anything that was owed it's own post, so there ya go, LOL!

I'm gearing up for scrap night next week at the elementary school that the PTA is putting on. I'm getting ready to stuff 34 kits full of Pink Paislee paper, rub-ons, chipboard, letter stickers, Kaiser jewels, and Creative Cafe buttons, YUM!!! I think it will be a great fundraiser! And for those of you who have asked, yes, we will be doing another one! Probably featuring Pink Paislee's Sweet Cakes and Tinsel Town, think Jan/February.

I also wanted to share a layout I did for the Pink Paislee blog recently. Every line Rebecca and Holly have put out is easy to work with and extremely versatile, but this may be my favorite new release from them!

I also wanted to share some random photos from the last several weeks since I've been MIA!!

These are from our trip to the Fort Wayne Zoo:

This monkey was adorable!

Taylor and Cookie, the dog we owned for about A DAY, lol. Long story there...

Taylor, Hanna, and my cousins Kennedy and Elliot at the Toledo Zoo.

My Grandpa & Grandma and all the kids.

Chloe trying to catch fish in the pond.

I have lots more to share but no time left to upload.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

The winner of the PaperCraft idea book is....

2008-10-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

22
Timestamp: 2008-10-06 19:23:41 UTC

Katie Scott!!!!

Anonymous said...
here's the link to my card based on your sketch: http://kissandtellscrapbooking.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/10/card-inspired-b.html I can't figure out how to post a comment / hopefully this works - katie Scott

12:13 PM

Katie, congratulations! Please PM me your addy and I will get the magazine out this week :) :) :)

I LOVED seeing everyone's cards....you are all so inspirational!!!

Happy World Card Making Day!!!!

2008-10-04T04:49:00.000-07:00

Hope you're having a wonderful Saturday :)

Today I have 2 things for you!

First, I have a fun little Pink Paislee card that I made just for WCMD. I have included step-by-step instructions for you to play along! Each design team member of the the Pink Paislee team will also have a card up on their blog, including instructions on how to re-create it.

If you get the chance to create a card today based on any design you see from the team we want to see it! Anyone who posts a link to a card inspired by our team will be entered into our “card pack giveaway.”

So….create a card using the instructions from one of our team members and you will be entered to win!! All you have to do is leave a comment with a link to your creation (posted either on your blog or your online gallery) and you will be entered to win the fun Paislee Prize Pack! We will even throw in 1 of our Pink Paislee show t-shirts!

You have until Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. CST to link us to your card! We will announce a random drawing winner Sunday night!

Here is a link to the Pink Paislee blog with links to all the designer's blogs:
Pink Paislee Blog Post

And after that, scroll down for a Papercrafts giveaway!!!

Here is mine:

Supplies you will need:
Cardstock
Pop Fashion paper (Mary Janes)
Pop Fashion stamps
Black alpha script letters
a flower
Pop Fashion topsider borders
Pop Fashion Accent rub-ons
Pop Fashion topsider shapes
jewels
(and I used a little black glitter on the butterfly wings)
All Pink Paislee products used can be viewed here:
Pop Fashion

1. Cut your base paper 6 1/4 x 8, score down the middle. Round the corners. (You can use white cardstock, I used notebook paper).
2. Cut your patterned paper 4 1/2 x 4, attach 1 1/4" from the left.
3. Cut a border top-sider 4" long and attach on the right side.
4. Add a stitching rub-on along the side of the topsider.
5. Take one of the shape topsiders (I used the oval one) and sand the edges. Mount the topsider onto light pink cardstock, leaving a small rim around the edge. Repeat with rasberry colored cardstock, and rough up the edges.
6. Add a stamp to the middle of the topsider (I used the Pop Fashion stamps).
7. Add 5 jewels along the center of the stamp.
8. Add the stamp 'priceless' to the bottom middle, or any other sentiment stamp you wish.
9. Add the word 'so' to the left side, sand the edges of the letters.
10. I took 2 flowers, layered them, and glued them to the right side of the topsider.
11. I then stamped a butterfly image onto rasberry colored cardstock, cut out the image, added black glitter to the wing tips, and slightly bent the wings before placing the butterfly onto the flower.

12. Add small black flowers from the alpha sheet to the dots in the paper, sand the edges first.

Feel free to substitute any product for the above card. If you're able to make one anytime this week, I'd love to see a link to it :)

So who's up to win a copy of Cards, Gifts, & More: Paper Crafting 3 Ways????! This was just released on August 12th. All you need to do is leave me a comment and you will be entered to win one!

This is from the PaperCrafts site:

Holiday Details Card Making

WHAT
World Card Making Day is a holiday especially for card makers around the world to:

Celebrate the creativity of handmade cards and the personal connection that they create between friends and family
Kick off (and get a head start on) the holiday card-making season

WHEN
The first Saturday of each October, kicking off the holiday card-making season, the most popular time for creating and sharing handmade greetings.

WHO
The card-making community worldwide, including hobbyists, beginning card makers, manufacturers of card-making products, retail sellers of products, educators, and press are invited to come together to celebrate this holiday and creative passion.

WHY
It is a day to connect with fellow card makers both near and far, to applaud the creativity that powers the craft, and to provide an opportunity for card makers to connect and find resources that will empower, inspire, and encourage them in their card making.

HOW
Use this site to find unique ways to celebrate this holiday, including:

See more details here:
World Card Making Day with PaperCrafts

HAPPY CREATING!!!!

New Releases From Pink Paislee!!!

2008-09-25T03:44:00.000-07:00

Each time I think, how can Rebecca and Holly possibly top the last releases from Pink Paislee??? Well, lo and behold, they've done it once again with Sweet Cakes and Tinseltown. The colors in Tinsel Town are not your traditional Christmas colors and I LOVE it!!!!! Check out these new lines:

TINSEL TOWN POSTCARDS:

TINSEL TOWN PRESS-ONS:

TINSEL TOWN RIBBON:

SWEET CAKES POSTCARDS:

SWEET CAKES PRESS-ONS:

SWEET CAKES RIBBON:

So, what do you think????!

I also have some exciting news, I was asked to join the Design Team for Clear Scraps. I adore their albums!!!

In November I am teaching a class at the elementary school here in town. We have almost 30 ladies signed up. We have only a few extra kits so if you're interested in hanging out and scrapping, let me know! We will also have snacks, drinks, and a raffle :) The kits are featuring my one and only favorite, PINK PAISLEE!!! We hope to have 3 more of these events throughout the school year.

Why didn't I know how awesome American Eagle jeans are??? I bought a pair several months ago, they fit so well. Here are a couple of things from AE I hope to purchse soon...

Have a great week!!!

***Oh yes, keep an eye on my blog next Saturday. I will have a giveaway from Papercrafts (a new idea book!) to celebrate World Card Making Day (yes, there is such a thing!) And a mini tutorial of a card using Pink Paislee goodness.***

Scrap Pink!!

2008-09-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

Save the date, September 26-28 as CMK will be celebrating with an on-line crop!!!

Scrapbooks etc. is partnering with Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to hold a “Scrap Pink” fundraising campaign in September 2008 at stores across North America.

CMK will host an online crop the weekend of September 26–28, 2008. At this event, scrapbookers like you can create layouts and projects based on the challenges and inspiration posted by our design team on September 27th. We will also host a "Note to Self" Online Class during this event.

Find more details here:
Crop Information

The on-line class, "Note to Self" will be awesome. Trust me. The kit Lisa has put together is FULL of new CHA releases and is PERFECT for a mini all about YOU!

Here are some sneaks of the kit:

Mre details and ordering information regarding this on-line class,hosted by me,can be found here:
"Note to Self" details

Hope to see you there!!!

On a sad note, our sweet dwarf bunny Bella passed away 2 nights ago. Hanna has been crying non-stop, this has broken her little heart and I can't bear it. We said a prayer last night for Bella and I think that helped. I will miss her too :( She was a part of our family.

I was the guest designer this week for The Design Experiment challenge blog. The challenge was to scrap a fear. It was the perfect challenge for me. Here is my layout:

Have a great week!

A new update (it's about flippin' time!}

2008-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

How have you all been???

Me? Ok.

It has been a rough couple of weeks that's for sure.

My friend of 12 years died 2 weeks ago. She lost the battle with cancer. I'm so glad that her suffering has come to an end, but at the same time I'm going to miss her. We had grown apart the past couple of years. It has been an eye opening experience being at her side again, though she couldn't communicate with me that well her mouthing 'love you' and squeezing my hand were enough.

I also lost my aunt several days ago. She passed in her sleep, peacefully, and with no pain. I thank God for that. Her funeral is tomorrow so the family and I will head to Ohio tomorrow.

It has been a surreal couple of weeks, I'm ready for some happy times!

I have the privilege of being a guest designer next week for the challenge blog 'The Design Experiment.' I can't tell you the challenge just yet, but it is a GOOD ONE. It was very therapeutic for me, I loved working on this challenge. ;)

I also get to work with the fall survival kit at Homegrown Scrapbooks. If you've never checked out their kits YOU NEED TO!!! They are PACKED full of goodies. More to come on this....

And I have some Pink Paislee layouts to share. Man, I never get tired of working with this stuff!!!!!

I have felt quite creative lately. Not sure why but I'm not complaining either.
Scrapbooking has become fun for me once again!

This week I will share some fun summer photos with you.

Right now I'm off to make supper for the girls =)

Finally Relenting to Technology!

2008-08-10T17:37:00.003-07:00

I am now a proud owner of this adorable little IPOD Nano!

I have wanted an IPOD for quite some time now, but already had a fine functioning
MP-3 player. The problem? Mine is a Phillips, and they make barely any accesories for it. Even Phillips makes a docking station for the IPOD. What the???!

I also purchased a docking station for this today at Target. I can't wait to get it charged and full of songs.

Since all 3 girls will be in school I am considering taking up running again. I was an avid runner MANY many years ago. I play softball every summer but with my heart condition I thought it would be a good idea to keep the ol' ticker strong all year long, know what I mean?

Here are some snapshots from our Tennessee vacation last month, the first one is Chloe and I. We were eating at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Their food is WONDERFUL.

Then this is me, Taylor, Hanna, and Chloe at Gatlinburg. The girls were showing off their treats from the candy shop!

And me at the Ripley's Aquarium....isn't this hot??!

We played crazy golf on the side of the mountain. Chloe cheats, big time. Doesn't she look sweet and innocent, hehe?

My mom and the girls as we begin our descend up the side of a mountain. The 'beware of bear' signs were a little intimidating.

Playing in the waterfall at the end of the trail. I can't even fathom how God can create such beauty.

I just thought this view was breathtaking.

And that little black image is a bear. Yes, a real live bear we witnessed along the trail. Chloe was convinced that we were it's next snack!

I'm off now to put the kiddos to bed, night everyone!

IKEA!

2008-07-31T06:02:00.000-07:00

I WISH wish wish we had an IKEA here in Fort Wayne. That place is seriously a goldmine!

I stopped there on our way back from Chicago 2 weeks ago. We are re-doing Tay's room and I found so much there to work with.

Here are some of the goodies I picked up:

This frame is GORGEOUS, now I just need to figure out what to put in it LOL.

Her bedding is this color with some purple, chartreuse, and orange. I love the rich colors!

I found these silk flowers and bought a little glass vase for her computer desk.

And I WANTED to get this really bad, but I was already over my spending limit ;)

I want to make a trip to the Michigan one soon...it is only 2 hours away! I need a u-haul this time though, lol.

Recently, I made this layout for the Pink Paislee blog. I think it is my favorite to date....Chloe looks so sweet!

On a sad note, Chloe fell the other day and had to get staples in the back of her head :( This is the first time any of my kids have had to get this done. It was heart wrenching to say the least! She was running around after we got home so I think she's fine ;) Chad has nick-named her "staples"...she thinks it is funny.

Have a blessed week!

I heart Chicago

2008-07-22T12:13:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time in Chicago!!!

Here is a little Chicago break down:

Driving with my best bud Krista from Fort Wayne to Chicago, jamming to the best of the 80's and monster ballads, hehe.

Backing up traffic 30 vehicles back because the stupid toll machine wouldn't spit out a ticket...yikes.

Hanging out with Miss Tammy Tutterow and her sweet daughter Anna...apparently I am very "Hoosier" and had no idea lol.

Walking the floor of CHA and meeting such wonderful people! Especially the cute guy in the AC booth who hooked me up with some new yummy Thickers, YEAH!

Spending 1 hour driving downtown with Krista (love Chicago traffic...NOT!), eating supper at a cool jazz bar, riding the ferris wheel at the Navy Pier with my eyes closed the whole time, and running back to her car to avoid a $24 parking fee (which we had to pay anyway, that sucked).

Working the Pink Paislee booth with all the lovely ladies there (and Barry too!) it was so cool to share in everyone's excitement regarding the 2 new Pink Paislee releases ;)

Meeting the owner of Homegrown Scrapbooks (her crew was incredibly sweet and funny!)

Meeting up with all the CMKers (Lisa & her sister, Carrie, Krista, Norma, Audrey, Karen) and eating my supper off of a cutting board lol. I was given the LARGEST serving of mashed potatoes I had ever seen in my life. They also have dessert that is HUGE, I mean large people.

Hitting IKEA on my way home....I LOVE THIS STORE. Why can't Fort Wayne have something cool like this?

This is Krista and I down by the Navy Pier:

The ferris wheel that I was TERRIFIED to ride in....thanks Krista, I certainly DID NOT conquer my fear of heights!

Me and the ever-so-adorable Lisa Tilmon. This girl is awesome...and her southern twang is CUTE cute cute! (Thanks for the picture Carrie!)

Me, Carrie, and Lisa...Carrie is a DOLL, love you to pieces girl!

Audrey, Norma, and Carrie...I LOVE you girls! And LOOK at that dessert!

Carrie, Juliana, and Me...very true and lovely women!

I will share more later...thanks so much to Krista and Carrie for sharing your lovely pictures with me!!

CHA Bound

2008-07-17T07:56:00.000-07:00

I'm off to CHA! I will be working the Pink Paislee booth (#Booth 4125, Hall F) lunch time Friday and Saturday. Stop by and say HI!

I will be w/o internet connection from now until Sunday....not too sure I can handle that LOL! But I guess it will be a refreshing break. Hopefully I'll have some fun updates after I return.

Thought I'd leave you with my last 2 Pink Paislee booth projects, one featuring 'Pop Fashion' and the other featuring 'Office Lingo.'

Have a great weekend everyone!

Winner of my Blog Hop!

2008-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

By random number generator, this person has been chosen:

Mel said...
I love those new font stickers-they're just awesome.....

8:43 AM

I need you to contact me so I can forward your address on to Rebecca....I've tried to contact you and am having no luck! Congrats and hope to hear from you soon Mel!

I'm also going to share another project with you =)

I made an 8 x 8 Vintage Halloween album using a tabbed acrylic album from Clear Scraps. I love their albums!

This album uses the Vintage Moon collection featuring gorgeous new papers, stamps, top siders, a new font letter sticker, and amazing rub-ons!!!

I am a lucky girl for sure!

I highlighted my hair today too. I told my hairdresser to put more blond in it....it is pretty dramatic but I think I like it =)

Have a great day!!!

Pink Paislee Blog Hop!!!

2008-07-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

Starts NOW!!!! All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog to be eligible to win 1 of 12 Pink Paislee prize packs!!!!!!! But make sure you do it by the end of the day on the 11th....winners will be announced on the Pink Paislee blog on the 12th.

For more details check out the Pink Paislee blog (and see some amazing sneaks!)

Wanna increase your chance to win? Just hop on over to all the other design team member's blogs and leave a comment there too! You can find all the links to their blogs on the side bar :)

How about a look at one of my projects using the new lines??

I made this Clear Scraps wall hanging for my girls' room using 'Pop Fashion.'

I used several sheets of the new paper...I also used the new top siders, stamps, rub-ons, and letter stickers. And don't ask me which line is my favorite because they are both equally gorgeous in my book!

Here is a detailed shot:

I love these pictures of Taylor and Hanna....Tay had been bugging me FOR A YEAR to buy her Heely's. Well, due to an unfortunate series of events that just wasn't possible. That is until this summer, I gave in and got them both a pair. While Tay can glide around with ease, poor Hanna just kind of trips and stumbles lol. Oh well.

Hope you all have a great week and GOODLUCK!!!!!

{Pink Paislee} Blog Hop & Giveaway

2008-07-08T13:51:00.001-07:00

Make sure and check my blog tomorrow, Wednesday the 9th, as there will be sign-ups for an AWESOME prize package....

You could win ONE OF 12 PRIZE PACKS FROM PINK PAISLEE!!!!

All you will need to do is leave a comment on my blog, tomorrow, under the appropriate post to be entered.

I will also be posting a 'Pop Fashion' or 'Vintage Moon' project. I really can't decide which one!!!

Hope you can stop by!!!!

Sorry my posts have been so short....we've been on vacation, I am just getting over a sinus infection, and am cranking out some lovely CHA projects.

After this short break, I've got some WONDERFUL Tennessee pictures to share with you all!!!

{Pink Paislee} CHA Preview!!!

2008-07-01T13:17:00.001-07:00

WOWZAS, the 2 new releases from Pink Paislee are stunners!!!!!!

Make sure to check out the Pink Paislee blog here, to see sneaks each day, win fabulous prizes, and see some amazing work using the new product.

I've already started creating with the new stuff and let me tell you that it is AWESOME!!!!!!!

Hope to see you there!!!

Summer

2008-06-18T03:28:00.001-07:00

Why does summer always seem to fly by????

I remember when I was young, having 3+ months of summer vacation. It is undoubtedly shrinking and I don't like it LOL!

We finally got our pool open! The water was a chilly 68 degrees on Father's Day but we all swam anyway. It was pure torture getting in but once we were there it wasn't too bad. Tay is obsessed with swimming and only asked me 40 times that day before I finally relented!

Taylor is also going through a funny face phase....I can't take her picture without this mechanical cheesy grin everytime:

This girl knows no fear...

And my Dad made it over to my house for a Father's Day cook out. We don't get to see him very often and the girls really enjoyed the time they got to spend with him.

We made our first trip to the Fort Wayne Zoo. I recently purchased a pass and hope to make it there several more times before summer's end. I am so mad that gas is climbing at such an astronomical rate....it may put and end to the season pass, darn.

The sky view ride over the construction site for the new 'African Veldt' is much better than last year. Instead of bulldozers, dirt, and trees; there were bulldozers, dirt, trees, fake rock, the start to a wooden trail and hut, and a ground hog. Yep, a ground hog was the only visible animal. The kids thought that was great *chuckle*. I am very afraid of heights and it was almost unbearable sitting there, dangling from this little suspended car. Of course I rode with Hanna and my friends 6 yr. old and they are hoopin' and hollerin' and shaking the thing, with no fear whatsoever lol. Really made me look like a chicken.

I got this layout done for the Pink Paislee blog, it is based on a sketch from the Pencil Lines website:

I also got some layouts done for Mosh Posh using their 'sold out' June kit:

I received some really cool product in the mail and am just waiting for some 'playtime'....Lord only knows when that will happen. I will soon be the new owner of a box of BRAND SPANKIN' NEW Pink Paislee product, due to be introduced next month at CHA Chicago!!!!!

Have a great week!!!

{Last Scrapper Standing}

2008-06-01T04:07:00.000-07:00

First and foremost, thank you for all your prayers regarding my friend. There is slight improvement and she has been moved to the cancer wing in the ICU so visiting hours have been prolonged. Thank you again!

Wanna do something fun?! Create My Keepsake is having a design team contest!! There will be several new design team members added along with a guest designer for the month of July!! Now I personally know that Lisa has some very cool sponsors lined up for the next term so sign up now!!!!

I'm also very excited as my plans to attend CHA are finally coming together. I will be driving up with my good friend Krista, and I am SO happy that I won't be going alone LOL! I'm such a chicken, hehe. We will be staying in a gorgeous hotel with the ever-so-sweet-and-talented Miss Tammy Tutterow. I had soooo much fun attending last year and am even more excited this year as I get the opportunity to work in the Pink Paislee booth. Can't wait to meet everyone!

Speaking of Pink Paislee, Wednesday was my turn to do a blog post here. I did a layout featuring the Pink Paislee Vintage Pop alpha stamps (goodness I love these!) Here is the layout I did:

I'm having a garage sale this week to fund my trip to Chicago, haha. If you love scrapbook supplies, and live in NE Indiana, I suggest you stop by!

Have a wonderful week!!!

MIA!

2008-05-22T03:45:00.000-07:00

I have really neglected my blog the past 2 weeks.

Do you ever get really bad news about a friend who you've had a "falling out" with? I had a dear friend, who I just found out has terminal cancer. One day she was in the hospital due to a double ear infection and a sinus infection and the next day she is told she only has weeks to live. I will admit, this has really hit me hard. Never has anyone "close" to me been consumed by cancer. We hadn't talked in several years and now when I look back at why we originally had gotten into an argument, it seems quite silly.

I went to see her last week and it broke my heart. She seemed so helpless, in so much pain, and I wanted nothing more then to tell her it was going to be OK. She was going to be OK. But of course, I couldn't tell her that.

Please pray for her, I am choosing to keep her name confidential to give the family privacy. I will tell you she has a husband, a son, and a lot of people who care about her.

On a different note, I actually scrapped! Seems like there was a long stretch where I was not able to get into my scrapbook room. It feels good to actually get something accomplished! These layouts are for CMK, our May sponsor is
Inque Boutique stamps. These are WONDERFUL!!!!

And look what little Miss Chloe has been up to....

I also have several Pink Paislee layouts to share:

Pink Paislee's new release will be debuted in the beginning of July. You will want to stay tuned because they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

I also did an on-line mini class for Mosh Posh. Here is the album cover:

I had so much fun doing this and I hope Kristen offers more things like this in the future.

I hope you all have a lovely week!

Bella & Zoe

2008-05-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

The girls have been BEGGING and PLEADING for a pet. I finally caved, lol. We went this weekend to Petland and purchased 2 cuddly dwarf rabbits. They are super sweet, soft, and lovable. And the girls just adore them!
This is Zoe:

And Bella:

Chloe is very gentle with them :)

Unfortunately, I seem to be allergic to them. But they have found a "home" here and I could never break the girls' hearts. Hello claritan.

I love this warm weather!

2008-04-29T19:02:00.001-07:00

What have you been doing to celebrate this gorgeous weather??!

Here are some pictures from a cook out we had on Friday:

Doesn't Chloe look like my mom's side??

My little monkey...she fell on her head twice :(

Just me and the girls!

Saturday was Tay's first game. She did awesome. I have no pictures though because it was FREEZING!!! So more of those to come in the future.

Chloe's obsessions right now are bubbles and swinging. Oh yes, and the park. I hear about the park, um, everyday.

Here she was having a great time blowing bubbles.

And here not such a good time as several of the very large bubbles got in her eyes.

Taylor is growing up so fast. Doesn't she look like a little lady here? She is all of a sudden worried about her hair, her clothes, etc....does this really happen in
2nd grade?!!

Well, that's about it for now. I've done several layouts but need to snap shots first. Hopefully tomorrow :) :)

Priorities....

2008-04-24T17:05:00.000-07:00

That is what has kept me from posting for 2 weeks now.

Softball started for me, lobb ball started for Taylor, school carnivals, family cook outs, landscaping, spring cleaning, yada yada yada....

One thing we did this past week was to take a trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Chad had to take a "forced" vacation (long story) and since we had not money or time to plan anything extravegant we decided a short day trip 3 hours south was a quick answer.

The girls LOVED it. I had so much fun watching them having fun. I have to admit that by the time we hit the 4th floor I was really ready to go lol.

The picture looks crooked, yes, because I was standing on a hill, lol.

The dinosphere is my favorite. Basic Grey Archaic paper and buttons will go beautifully with these phots ;)

I found it only fitting that they had a 'railroad' history section.

The blown glass is amazing.

Hanna and Chloe loved the Curious George area.

This part of the museum touched us the most, especially Taylor. She had so many questions, I need to take her to the library so we can research these 3 amazingly inspriational children.

We also ate lunch at Applebee's. We rarely eat out since it is so expensive. Our bill was $45!!!!! I about died! The kid's meals were $4.99 each. I really need to check the prices next time before we order. What happened to $2.99 kid meals???

On Saturday Taylor attended the Young Author's Conference. We are so proud of her and her and the story she wrote.

And little Chloe is wearing pig tails for the very first time. Love this cute little thing!

Be sure to stop by Create My Keepsake for our NSD crop. There will be lots of cool projects, challenges, inspriation, and prizes.

And Mosh Posh will be celebrating their 3rd anniversary in the month of May. The celebration will be marked with a 'member's only' kit, challenges, and prizes. Lots of fun for sure.

Kristen is also having a DT search. I really encourage you to try. Her kits are gorgeous!

I will be doing my best to keep this updated. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to check back!!

Now I've really got to go, Grey's Anatomy starts again tonight :)

I finally made it out!

2008-04-10T09:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, Taylor finally made it over the flu, thank you for all your kind thoughts! The last day she had the flu Hanna came down with the stomach flu. Then Chloe the next day, or should I say night, as she threw up in my bed. Dang. Then 3 days I came down with a cold, which Chloe caught yesterday RIGHT after she got over the stomach flu. NICE.

But I did leave the house today if it was to only go to Walmart, lol. How sad is that?!!

It was my turn to post on the Pink Paislee blog. It entailes scrapbook trends that are in right now. Here is my layout:

I really love it. Not only the pictures of Taylor, but the colors, the fun product, and of course the lovely Pink Paislee goodness.

My sweet friends Beth and Susan Opel just found out the most amazing news, they are moving to Utah!!!! Beth will be working for Creating Keepsakes Magazine as the Senior Writer and Susan will be working for Papercrafts Magazine as the Associate Creative Editor . Congrats my friends!!! I'm so proud of you and God does know his plan for you!!!

Have a great week everyone :)

Spring Break + Flu = Bored & Cranky Kids

2008-04-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, Tay's got the flu. So much for Science Central,
the Field Museum in Chicago, and the other various fun little places we were going to go for Spring Break. Sigh. She can't help it that she's sick. We've been stuck in the house for several days now and I don't know how much more Princess Monoply I can take LOL!

My Baby Turns 3

2008-03-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

This tiny precious girl will be a big 3 tomorrow! I know we always say this, but time really does fly. I try to hang onto every moment I have with my girls. Happy birthday Chloe!

It is official, Chad returned to work on Friday. They are really behind at the tracks so this should be a good thing for our family! We feel so blessed to be getting a paycheck and insurance again. God has provided indeed!

So I found this REALLY CUTE scrap supply on a blog one night and of course, I cannot find it at our local Michaels. This is when the OCD in me comes out and I search relentlessly until I find what I *think* I JUST HAVE TO HAVE. I would be so happy with even just the papers and journaling tags. I have some wonderful girls over at Create My Keepsake who are looking for these goodies at their local M's. Thanks girls!

I also came across this blog a while ago. Suzanne makes the MOST delicious looking meals. Ever. Check it out: Suzanne's Blog.

Isn't this kit adorable?? Kristen at Mosh-Posh did an awesome job mixing manuf. in this kit. And the colors are so warm. If you have never joined a kit club now just may be the time to do so!!!!

Have a great week!!!

Some Random & Weird Facts About Your's Truly!

2008-03-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

So my good friend, Nicole Samuels tagged me a couple of days ago and I am JUST getting around to posting some random facts about ME on my little ol' blog.

It's been super busy around the Albertson household!

The idea is to post "7 random facts" about yourself. Hopefully I can come up with that many, haha!

So if you don't know, know ya know ;)

1. I make "popcorn balls" with my popcorn. Yes folks, that's right, popcorn balls. What ARE those you ask?? Well....you take a piece of popcorn, bite off all the ends, until all you are left is a "ball" of popcorn. People often wonder WHY I would do this and what I do with the "balls" once the ends are removed. One by one they are placed in a bowl until it is full then I eat them. I eat them! Do they taste any different? No, not really. All I can say is that my Dad did this with his popcorn when I was little so it kinda stuck. Imagine the look on people's faces when I say the extra bowl is for popcorn balls, hehe.

2. Number two is also food related. When eating a snickers or milkyway, I bite around the candy bar until all the chocolate is gone. Then I eat the rest. I also do this Reese Peanut Butter cups and up until recently with peanut M & M's as well. Quite weird.

3. I smell my laundry when I take it out of the dryer, I smell my laundry as I'm putting it away, AND I smell my laundry while I'm wearing my clothes. Ever seen those commercials for Febreeze when the people are looking all crazy smelling themselves, the floor, their cars....that's me.

4. I play softball for a church I used to attend. I never considered myself a fast runner but apparently I am (according to those watching me). I got the nickname "wheels" by my team mates and the refs. And I kind of like it ;)

5. I know just about EVERY Veggie Tale song there is to know. Is that weird or just scary?

6. I love to play cards and drink beer. Classy lady huh?! When I was in high school I belonged to the "euchre club" and yes COOL kids were in euchre club. In fact, at parties I would play BETTER with each beer, lol. Men feared me and women wanted to be me. (Not really but I thought it sounded good!) I was also in Honors English, Honors Math, and Advanced Social Studies. Funny thing is I SUCK at math. Though I hardly ever drink beer anymore OR play cards, sometimes I wish I had a cold one and a good game to partake in!

7. I am an english fanatic. I have a hard time containing myself from correcting people when they talk, pointing out grammatical errors in letters, etc. etc. etc...but I will correct my husband everytime and he hates it.

Now I'm going to tag Susan Opel, Beth Opel, Rebecca Cross, Carolyn McAfee, Kate Obrien, Amy Wagler, Danielle Flanders

Happy Easter everyone!!! I'll share some Easter pics tomorrow...

A Light At the End of the Tunnel, Perhaps....

2008-03-13T04:40:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, Chad has been laid off from the railroad since October. We never imagined how tough the job market would be...I have a new appreciation for those out of work and their families.

I have thought about this non-stop and have come to the conclusion that God wanted me to learn a lesson in this, as he usually does when he puts us in difficult situations. I feel as though he bestowed upon me "contentment." To really appreciate what I have, that I've been blessed with wonderful family, friends, a caring and providing church, beautiful healthy children, a roof over my head, and food on the table.

You see, I'm quite impatient. Chad is the laid back, passive one so he has always said, "something will happen when it happens." Well not me! Everyday I prayed to the Lord, explaining to him that I know he has a plan, and will reveal it to us on "his time"....but how long would that be?!!

Well, the wait may be over. He may be going back to work within the next 2 weeks!!! God has provided once again, and I just wanted to shout a huge

THANK YOU

to everyone who has been praying for us, thinking of us, helping us, and mentoring us. Couldn't have made this through without you!!!!!

I want to share some layouts I did for the kit club Mosh Posh. I just love these Sassafras Lass papers!!!!

The weather today is going to be beautiful....55 degrees and sunny. It has been a long winter. I'm ready for spring!!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!!!!

How's It Going??

2008-03-02T11:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, feels like soooooo long since I've updated this old thing.

I guess there has been nothing terribly exciting or worthy of blogging about happening in my life lately LOL! Let's see...

Last week I had the flu. It was horrible really. Body chills, headache, 104 temp, hacking cough, fever blisters under my nose and hives under my eyes, lol. I was looking pretty hot let me tell you!!

I went to a crop Friday night. I rarely scrapbook with other women. We had a great time....lots of food, talking, laughing, and oh yeah, a little scrapping :D I think I have gotten my good friend Colleen over to the dark side. She hadn't scrapped in YEARS. She just called me and asked if I would go with her to Archiver's tomorrow. She's addicted!

Speaking of scrapping, I was asked to join the design team for {Pink Paislee}.

I am beyond THRILLED to joing the other girls who were chosen to design for Pink Paislee. Here is a list of the offical design team:
Tammy Tutterow (DT Coordinator)
Linda Albrecht
Tina Albertson
Michelle Clement
Davinie Fiero
Danielle Flanders
Nicole Harper
Mara-May
Anabelle O’Malley
Nicole Samuels
Katie Watson
Lots of new faces here and lots of familiar friends as well!

I joined a flock at church, it is a small group that meets on Sundays. It is amazing sharing my faith and stories with fellow christians.

I have also been nominated as the new "secretary" for the Harlan Elementary PTA. I think they picked me because of my obsessive compulsive disorder, HA!

Here is a layout I did recently:

I CANNOT believe my baby will be 3 in 4 weeks!!!!

{Making Memories}

2008-02-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

This company is fastly becoming a favorite of mine. They hooked me with the Funky Vintage release then reeled me in with Noteworthy. I am really looking forward to the supplement to Noteworthy (Noteworthy II). It is on my "must have" list. I have been in a bit of a slump lately but managed to whip this out in 20 minutes LOL! The fastest I've done a layout in a longggggg time.

I think I'm getting sick. Of course no time is a good time but I've got stuff to do, ya know what I'm talking about?

Tomorrow morning is Chloe's 3 year check up (which is good because I think she's sick too). So I'm missing my much coveted small group tomorrow. Chad was supposed to take her but he has an INTERVIEW {insert hallelujah music here} so I will take that trade!!!

Tomorrow evening we have the Learning Fair at Taylor's school. She made a firestation out of a shoebox...it looks too cool. The first hour I have to work the PTA table, then off to tour the "art hallway" and eat sloppy joes. Yum.

Wednesday is my surgeon's check-up appointment. I'm hoping to goodness gracious that he tells me I can finally pick up Chloe! I miss that! Then I have to stop at the grocery store. Ugh.

Wednesday evening is a BIG big PTA meeting which I should try to go to for sure.

Thursday Chad has another interview. We feel so blessed.

So let's hope this "airborn" or whatever it is called kicks in. Fast.

Live From CHA!

2008-02-11T05:16:00.001-08:00

How cool is it that we can see some live feed from CHA? I snagged this clip from the {Pink Paislee} blog. I would rather be THERE than HERE but I guess this is the next best thing LOL! And how cute is Tammy Tutterow at the beginning of this??!

Like I said, I would love to be in the booth with Rebecca and Holly just to see the excitement for their new lines....

Nothing much is new here.

Chloe is almost potty trained. Seems like it has gotten harder with each one.

Still no job.

Had "Mom's Night Out" on Saturday. Watched "Fools Gold", Matthew M. is HOT HOT HOT.

Chad's birthday was yesterday.

Incision is healing well.

Still scrapping.

Just a Quick Post!

2008-02-04T08:22:00.001-08:00

I've been happily churning out projects for the {Pink Paislee} booth (http://pinkpaislee.com/blog/. Sorry, my link button isn't working, grrrrr.....Anyway, I wanted to share my projects! I will be back later to make a "real" post!

Knee Deep In Projects...

2008-01-26T05:43:00.001-08:00

I won't be posting any Friday challenges for the next 2 weeks. Deadlines have creeped up on me and I'm frantically working on DT projects and CHA projects. Don't get me wrong, I am thoroughly enjoying myself LOL!

Wanna couple of new sneaks from {Pink Paislee}???

Yummy isn't it??! Rebecca and Holly will be in booth 424! They are downstairs in the new exhibitor section so be sure to check out the full release.

I had a dr. appt. the other day and I now have to wear a brace for the next 4 weeks to smooth out my incision. Still getting better each day though...

The girls are doing great in school, Hanna loves kindergarten SO much. We are really lucky, both the girls have wonderful teachers this year. Softball tryouts start for Taylor in March. I was hoping to get out and practice with her but there is a nice blanket of snow on the ground AND I have another 4 weeks of healing. That should give us about a month to warm up.

I REALLY hope Chad finds a job soon. I knew it would be hard when he got laid off, but I never thought it would be THIS hard. But it is. Not only on Chad and I, but on the kids too. They are so young to understand the situation so I only pray that our luck changes soon.

And I recently discovered that K & Co. has come out with a CUTE CUTE line called "Wild Saffron." I haven't bought K & Co. in YEARS but have plans on adding these to my collection:

Well, hope everyone has a great weekend. I'm getting together with my good friend Krista to do some much needed scrapping. Anyone want to come clean my room now LOL?!

Friday Challenge #1

2008-01-18T05:17:00.001-08:00

I've decided that I need to be challenged more in my scrapbooking. So on Fridays I will be posting a challenge, specific challenges, and I would love for you to play! The first challenge is:

Write a Letter To Someone You Love

This can be to a child, to your husband, to a relative that has passed, a friend that has hurt you...the intent is not to give the person the letter, but more for it to be thereaputic to you, and getting down the story. This was an emotional challenge for me as I tend to scrap "rainbows & sunshine" so to speak LOL! And though my love for my father is unconditional, I felt compelled to write a letter to him as I stared at this picture. Most my questions will never be answered but it was still something I HAD to scrap about. Sometimes I forget that scrapping has to do with telling a story, whether good or bad, and it felt SO GOOD to do this. So I encourage you to give it a try....stretch yourself! And who doesn't need a challenge??!

If you participate I would LOVE to see your work. Please post a link to your layout here on my blog (if you wish to share) I know some of you will want to keep the journaling private which is totally fine! You could even use an envelope somewhere on your page and tuck the letter away.

On a different note, I wanted to share a "sneak peek" of the new line "Office Lingo" from{Pink Paislee} slated to be released at CHA winter 2008!!! Rebecca and Holly have been working so hard and I am anxious to see the full reveal. I know they will be a HUGE success!!!

I am recovering quite well from my surgery. It was a bumpy first couple of days but things are starting to return to normal {except for the lifting bit}. Thanks to all you prayed and sent me well wishings.

Scrapping Therapy

2008-01-15T10:53:00.000-08:00

The surgery went well, thank you to everyone who has thought of me and kept me in their prayers. I am now the proud owner to an 8" long incision going down my abdomen. The hernia had been repaired, my muscles have been pulled and sewn back together, and I'm trading off a rather large scar for having some of my excess skin removed (YAY!) I'm healing, slowly but surely and this has been a lot harder than what I imagined. The hardest part is not being able to hold and carry around Chloe, who does not understand AT ALL why her momma can't hold her. This has been the only thing that has actually brought me to tears regarding the surgery. The pain I can handle, this I cannot.

Today I decided to do some much needed scrapping. I could only stand for a while but it felt GOOD, really good, to get some creative juices flowing. And Chloe just loved that I did a layout about little ol' her, even if it does showcase her OH SO COOL comb over {insert hysterical laugh here}. Wanna see??

I know she'll kill me when she's older but I love this photo!!! And I desperately needed a smile today.

I'm also tossing around the idea of starting weekly challenges on my blog. I'm ready to be stretched creatively, and not only scrap the happy times but also the not-so-happy ones as well. Stay tuned for more information on this...

Surgery Tomorrow

2008-01-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

I probably won't be able to post for a couple of days as I go in tomorrow morning for a hernia repair. This is my first surgery so I am quite nervous. I will update in a couple of days...hope everyone has a great week!

My {Sweet} Husband

2008-01-06T17:22:00.001-08:00

Chad and I have been married 9 years now and we have definitely had our differences. I'm the clean, organized, tidy, and uptight one and he is, well, not! I have been stressing to him these past couple of days of his need to step up around the house because of my upcoming surgery, and I will go crazy if I am laid up in a dirty house. I figured he was "half" listening to me while he watched t.v. and relaxed on the recliner.

Well today I got home from church and the dishwasher was running. Strange, I hadn't turned it on before I left that morning. I did a double take and the kitchen table was immaculate, the counters were cleaned, and all the pots and pans were washed! I also heard the faint sound of the washer and dryer going. What??! I couldn't thank him enough as this now gave me time to play a board game with the girls. He continued to do 4 more loads of laundry, vacuum, and sweep the floor. I am now stunned at this point because he has gone above and beyond his call of duty! A girl could get used to this!

About 2 hours later (after I got done playing a painfully long game of LIFE with the girls) he calls me into our bedroom. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the CLEANNESS of it all but there it was, spotless! You see, I have a spot in our bedroom, on my jewelry chest where I harbor all kinds of junk. Receipts, pictures, loose buttons, change, barrettes, ticket stubs, chap stick, pens, basically whatever comes from my pockets or purse that I don't know what to do with. (I know you have one of those spots too!) He had cleaned this off. Everything was gone. He asked me if I wanted to know where he put everything (or thrown it away) and I said DON'T TELL ME. If I don't know, I won't miss it, and I don't want to know what you threw away. He did tell me that I had receipts dating back to 2005 on there LOL! That is terrible!

Chad really left my jaw dropping when he cooked supper AND did the dishes afterwards. I love it! I just hope it continues!!! See, I guess I can be surprised after 13 years together after all!

I also wanted to give a shout out (and a little sneakie) to Rebecca and Holly who are the geniuses behind {Pink Paislee}. I stole this image from Rebecca's blog because I want all my scrappy friends to admire the total CUTENESS of these stamps!!! They will be releasing a big line of scrapping goodness at CHA Winter in February so be on the look out!

PS, the above layout is based on a sketch by Valerie Salmon, and was taken from her sketch blog, Got Sketch? Her website is FULL of amazing inspiration!!!

Happy New Years Eve!

2007-12-31T12:50:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is rested from the holidays and enjoying their time with family and friends. I know I am! But I am quite exhausted to be honest and am looking forward to some down time. We are having friends over tonight for supper, cards, and perhaps some beer drinking LOL! I'm not much of a drinker but a Miller Lite (cause I'm a classy girl) sounds good for tonight. PLUS I love playing cards after a couple of drinks....always makes it more interesting!

I haven't scrapped in I don't know how long and I really miss it! Plus, if I want to make room for more scrap goodies I should really get on the ball, huh?! I work much better when given an assignment or a package of specific product to use. Otherwise, it seems too overwhelming....anyone want to give me a challenge and/or assignment?! Please!!!

For Christmas my mom got me these totally unique, unusual, works of art from Etsy. The artist's name is Pinkytoast, and I am in love with her prints. I picked out my 2 favorite, my mom ordered them, framed them, and gave them to me. I am hanging these in my scrapbook room:

I am trying to add different things for an "artsy" feel....I need all the inspiration I can get!!! Aren't these cool??! Here is a link to her site:
Pinky Toast
Taylor is begging me for one of the little mirrors!

How You Doin?

2007-12-26T14:06:00.000-08:00

What a whirlwind it has been this Christmas season!!!! I've barely had a chance to catch my breath let alone blog! Anyway, did you all have a great Christmas??? I did! Lots of family get togethers, present opening, and I stuffed my face with cookies, ham, and casseroles LOL!! Don't ask how much weight I've gained ;)

I will be having surgery in about 2 weeks. I'm pretty nervous as I've never had any type of surgery before. I am having a hernia repaired that I got from my 3rd pregnancy (if you have ever seen the way I carried you would understand!) It has been 2 1/2 years since Chloe's been born so I am long overdue for this. I'm pretty sure it is an outpatient surgery, and I will find out next week at my appointment.

This month at CMK our design team sponsor is PRIMA and we received some gorgeous papers, journaling tags, tape, brads, and lots of yummy flowers!!! It is bittersweet as this is our last sponsor with the current design team, and with our awesome leader Rebecca!!! But I know 2008 will bring more amazing sponsors and the opportunity to work with Lisa (the new CMK store owner.) I have other opportunities that have presented themselves so I am quite excited! I wanted to share some work from our sponsor Prima...

I received an awesome stamp about a week ago from Stampin' Up, it punches the side of paper to look like notebook paper. Where have I been, under a rock?! This thing ROCKS!!!! I'd like to thank my friend Julie Kurtz (Stampin' Up rep) who was gracious enough to order this little beauty for me. Thanks Julie!!!!

Have a great week everyone!

Some Exciting Things Happening AT CMK!!!

2007-12-15T11:31:00.000-08:00

Rebecca Cross (owner of Create My Keepsake)has decided to sell her store to launch her new manufacturing company Pink Paislee!!! I am so thrilled for her and know her designs and products will be fabulous. While I will miss her as the "boss" I know that she won't be far. She will still be a regular at CMK!

The new owner, Lisa Tilmon, has just posted details for their new DT search. I was fortunate to be asked by Lisa to stay on as the CMK DT Coordinator! It will be great to work with her. She is so on top of the game and will be awesome as the new store owner and kit designer.

DEADLINE
Sunday, January 6, 2008

REQUIREMENTS
CMK Design Team members will be asked to:
Commit to a 5-month term beginning February 1, 2008 with participation through June 30, 2008.
Design four (4) projects—2 layouts, 1 card, and 1 altered item. During three months of your term you will work with manufacturer product from our sponsors, and during the other two months you will work with our monthly CMK kit. The projects you create each month will be used to showcase manufacturer products or the monthly CMK kit in our galleries, in our monthly newsletter, and in other promotions as desired.
Develop one design inspiration every six (6) weeks that will be posted in our forum so everyone can learn new tips, techniques, and trends to try for themselves. You will be asked to provide a sample and quick tips so that everyone can learn how to create “the same look.”
Participate in 1-2 online CMK crops/events during the 5-month term.
Post question/poll threads in the daily forum and create a monthly contest challenge on a rotation with other design team members.
Post additional projects in their own personal design team gallery.
Participate in forum discussions on a daily basis to help facilitate the growth of our online community. The community involvement is very important to us here at CMK, so we ask that each member try their best to devote a few minutes to our forum and gallery every day.
Promote CMK to friends, family, and colleagues to help facilitate the growth of our online store, our newsletter registration, our gallery and our forum.

BENEFITS
Create My Keepsake will provide the following to you as a design team member:
FREE products either from our manufacturer sponsors or our monthly CMK kit so you can develop and design your required monthly projects.
An additional 10% savings on all personal purchases.
One free shipping opportunity each month.
Recognition on our Design Team page along with links to your work in the gallery.
Recognitions in our forum and gallery along with the freedom to use the CMK design team logo on message boards and resumes.
Access to the private Design Team forum so you can trade tips, techniques, and project ideas with each other.

GUIDELINES
Design Team Guidelines:
Applicants must be at least 18 years of age on February 1, 2008.
Applications are open to everyone. International applicants are welcome. This is not an exclusive assignment. We accept applicants from other design teams including local, online, and/or manufacturer.
Previous design team experience is not required.
Submissions will be judged by the owners of Create My Keepsake and two additional judges for a total of four judges.
We will be selecting four individuals for the 2008 Winter/Spring CMK Design Team. We will be looking for designers with all different levels of scrap booking, paper crafting, and photography skills.
Candidates must submit the application and 3 original project samples by January 6, 2008 at 12:00 pm CST.
We will make our selections no later than January 12, 2008. Selected team members will be notified via e-mail to confirm their acceptance.
The formal announcement will be made in our forum on January 14, 2008.

HOW TO APPLY
So does this sound absolutely fabulous? We think so!!
Here is how you can apply:
Upload an original layout into the {2008 Design Team Layout Gallery} that features at least four products from the same manufacturer. Upload an original card into the {2008 Design Team Card Gallery} that features common product used in a unique way. Be sure to upload an image of your card and a close-up image of the unique piece. Upload an original altered item into the {2008 Design Team Altered Item Gallery} that features a mix of product from your favorite manufacturers.
Copy the questions from below, answer them, and e-mail it to us at createmykeepsake2008@gmail.com
First & last name:
CMK username:
E-mail address:
Phone number:
When is the best time to reach you?
How did you hear about our design team search?
How long have you been scrap booking?
Do you have a preferred layout size?
Are you comfortable working with several different product lines?
Are you currently designing for any manufacturers? If so, which ones?
Are you currently designing for any other online teams or kit clubs? If so, which ones?
Are you currently teaching or designing for your local scrapbook store?
Do you have a personal blog? If so, please provide the link.
Do you have an online scrapbook resume? If so, please provide the link.
How do you stay current on the latest techniques and trends in scrap booking?
What subjects or individuals do you tend to scrapbook the most? Kids, pets, etc.
Tell us a little bit about your daily life and what a typical day is for you.
Is there anything else you would like us to know? List it here.

We just can’t wait to see your designs! We have great things in store for 2008, and we are looking forward to adding design team members who are passionate about scrap booking and paper crafting! Thanks so much for considering our offer!

To read more about the call, visit this link:

Create My Keepsake DT Call

On a personal note, we are currently bunkered down, waiting for 6 to 15" snowstorm! I can't wait for all the fluff. I hope it sticks around until Christmas!!!

Almost December 1st...

2007-11-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

Where has the time gone?! It is unbelievable that in 4 weeks we will be celebrating Christmas! With school programs, church plays, Christmas parties, baking cookies...who has time for anything else, LOL?

I just got finished taping my first webisode for Mosh-Posh. I think it went pretty well! Be sure to check it out in a week or so ;) Here are some sneaks of some of the projects I completed for the December kit:

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Happy 6th Birthday Hanna!!

2007-11-19T10:28:00.000-08:00

Hanna turned 6 over the weekend!!! I cannot believe this little girl is already 6. We had a great time celebrating with friends and family. Happy Birthday Hanna!!!

We received some good news pertaining to Chad's job (or lack there of) and are very hopeful at this point. I always think I'm going to "jinx" a situation by talking about it or getting too excited about it. A lady in our bible study helped me to look at things like this in a new light though. She explained that good news is meant to be shared, something that should be shouted out, rejoiced. So I'm trying to get over my paranoia and just accept the good, ha ha. Anyway, I will hopefully be able to post more about this subject soon ;) Just wanted to shout out a huge THANK YOU to all of you who have been thinking about us, and praying for us while he has been laid off. It has meant so much to both of us.

On another GREAT note, I found out last weekend that I am officially a MOSH POSH girl!!! It is a wonderful kit club (actually the first one I ever belonged to) and I cannot wait to get started.

I also received some other good news (no, I'm not pregnant LOL!) but I can't divulge any information now ;) It is TOP SECRET!!!

Toodles for now!!

What is up with these toy recalls???

2007-11-08T09:27:00.000-08:00

I just heard of yet another toy recall! Now "aqua-dots" has been pulled from the market. What??? I was actually going to get this for my oldest daughter. Now I'm leary to buy any toys this season. I just recently mailed back $250 worth of Mattel toys because of the lead scare. SO, what are you buying little ones for Christmas this year? I think we will stick with board games, books, play-doh, and anything else that has proven to be safe for the last 10+ years. It seems like nothing is safe now. My little Hanna has a certain obsession with a little toy called "littlest pet shop."
I just love this toy and will probably be buying a bunch of them for her. I'm not sure who likes them more, her or me!!!

Anyway, I wanted to thank all of you who sent me well wishings from my trip to the ER. I haven't had to go back and have only had minor problems.

I wanted to share a recent layout I did of Taylor, as she is getting older I rarely get the chance to take really good pictures of her. Well I just love this shot.

She is so sweet and innocent in this picture and MAN does this girl ever love watermelon! Lots of color infused in this layout. I have been in a bit of a scrapping rut lately. I seem to be pushing a lot of product around the table but not able to finish anything really concrete. Maybe this weekend I can come up with something!

I'm feeling ispired again....just got an e-mail from Scrapbook Trends requesting 2 of my Dream Street layouts for their latest idea book, "Embellish It." Their idea books are always amazing and I am thrilled to be able to contribute to it! In fact, it seems as though lots of familiar faces will be in that book! Congrats to all my CMK girls!!!

Speaking of this weekend, we have a girls trip planned with some of my family members. We are spending the day Saturday at a new mall in Toledo. Afterwards we are going to have a nice meal together. With Chad being laid off and the everyday business of life I am so thankful to have a get-away. I really need it lol!!!

We spent 2 hours at the dentist this morning. I HATE GOING THERE. And it wasn't even for me but for Tay and Hanna. They are little troopers and always do a great job but entertaining little Chloe is a suicide mission, HAHA. She was a maniac in there! At one point, the theme song from Shrek came on at the office and Chloe pauses long enough to gasp, "MOM, that song from Shrek!" The dental assistants were amazed that a little 2 year old would know that, I just sighed because that means my "little 2 year old" watches WAY. TOO. MUCH. SHREK. It was embarassing.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

2007-10-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

My mom and I took the girls and my sister to "Fashion Farm" last Friday for a day of pumpkin picking, hayriding, maze finding, art display! It was such a cool little place. The neatest thing about this farm is the tour they have where pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes have been put together, painted, and formed to make fairy tale stories and other fun things. They even had a "Dolly Parton" pumpkin LOL! It was great! Here are some of my favorite shots from our trip:

I spent an interesting day in the ER today. I started with chest pains early this morning. Chad and I dropped the girls off at a friends house and went to the hospital. I have mitre valve prolapse so anytime I have a heart problem I need to go. Well, I was there for around 7 hours while they ran tests. When I first came in I had elevated levels of something (I forgot the term!) in my blood which meant the heart was in distress. They needed to wait 4 more hours to run the test again and the levels has fortunately went down. WHEW! Had I of known that they would be checking my pulse regularly ON MY ANKLES I would have shaved for crying out loud. I kept apologizing, hoping I wasn't cutting their hands with my prickly beasts. So it is good to be home now!

I also wanted to share some of my Papertrunk layouts. Carrie's product is just wonderful to work with and she is such a sweetheart :) :) :)

Thank You Paper Trunk!

2007-10-11T16:51:00.001-07:00

So my amazing talented friend Carrie Postma (owner and designer of Paper Trunk)has graciously asked me to be one of her guest designers for the month of October! She has designed 2 fabulous paper lines as well as a stamp line. You can check out her company here Paper Trunk Blog I am thrilled to work with her product this month! And for some reason the picture I posted above came out wonky! Gotta love computers, hmph.

I managed to score a publication with Scrapbook Trends for February 2008. I thought I had been blacklisted LOL! I haven't had a pub with them for A WHILE now. So that made me happy!

Nothing much new here on the homefront. I just got back from one of Hanna's soccers games...I am STILL thawing out. It was FREEZING! And of course I went to the grocery store several hours earlier in flip flops and capri sweats LOL! Yes, I went to the game dressed like this too. Not.Too.Bright.Tina!

The RAK Winner Is....

2007-10-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

ABIGAIL!!!!

Please e-mail me at tinalyn33@hotmail.com so I can get these goodies out to you!

They Call Me Moose Track Fudge Stripe...WORD To Your Mother

2007-10-01T06:18:00.001-07:00

I found this on my friend Carrie Postma's blog:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car):
Oreo Blazer
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie):
Moose Track Fudge Stripe...WORD!
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name):
T-Alb...not very "fly" if you ask me.
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal):
Orange Monkey
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born):
Lyn Fort Wayne....huh???
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first):
Albti....*snicker*
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink):
The Green Diet Pepsi
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers):
Kenneth Albert
9. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names):
Marie Taylor
10. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter):
Thompson Tahoma
11. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower).
Fall Poppy
12. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”):
Strawberry Undie....hehehehehe
13. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree):
Toast Willow
14. YOUR ROCK STAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour” and the year):
The Scrapbooking Sunshine Tour 2007

This is hilarious!

I Love This Time of Year!

2007-09-25T13:11:00.000-07:00

There is something about fall that just makes me smile! I love the cooler fall weather, the changing colors of the leaves, having bonfires and roasting marshmallows...I am really amazed with any season change really as it reminds just how amazing God really is!

We went to Hilger's Farm Market over the weekend and I got some fun pictures. Too bad we would have had to mortgage our house to actually participate in any of the activities LOL! So we just enjoyed walking around. They had a farmers restaurant, a sunflower maze, pony rides, hay rides, and of course a HUGE market full of pumpkins, ghourds and indian corn.

The girls are really excelling in soccer. Hanna keeps telling me, "Mom, I will try harder next time, I promise." I don't know what it is in society that tells our children they have to be #1 and that winning is the only way we can receive any glory. It is frustrating! I always hold her face in my hands and tell her as long as she tried to hardest, and had fun, that mommy will be proud of her no matter what. Bless her little heart for wanting me to be so proud of her!

I created this layout yesterday (about Chloe and how she persists that a hot dog is not a hot dog, but chicken) and I crack up everytime I look at it. In fact, I showed it to Chloe and asked, "what are you eating in this picture Chloe?" Wanna know what she said? Anyone wanna wager a bet?! Yep, she said "chicken mommy!" Love that girl!

I'd love to hear of any funny stories or experiences you've had lately! Post one here on my blog and I will pick a winner by next Tuesday to get a fun little RAK from me! It will include some new American Crafts chipboard, some Heidi Swapp journaling spots, and an adorable little Rhonna Farrer (Autumn Leaves) stamp.

I recently put a stat counter on my blog just out of sheer curiousity as to who was reading my little ol' blog. Suffice to say I am amazed at the amount of page loads! Thank you so much for "stopping by" to read about my ordinary life!

Taylor Turned Eight!!

2007-09-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

We had 15 little girls at our house on Saturday for a birthday party!!! We played bingo, did make up, hair, and nails, and the girls loved it!! I didn't know how it would go having 15 screaming, running, giggling girls in my house for 3 hours. I was pleasantly surprised (well, yes they still did all 3) at how well it went. The girls were all so sweet and loved getting dolled up. Hanna's birthday is in 2 months but I'm not sure I'm ready for another party LOL!

And little Chloe really did it tonight. She got into my liquid chalk for stamping. Oh yes she did! She stamped herself, my scrap table and chair, the carpet, a bunch of buttons and an adorable crocheted flower(GASP), she also chalked up my mattress in my room and my bedroom floor. Chad immediately grabbed her, threw her in the tub, and was really mad that I made him step aside for a picture, hehe. I was stunned and angry but never get any of her antics on film.

Later, as I'm trying to clean the black mess, Chloe comes into my scrapbook room. She puts her hands on her hips, squats down, and proclaims, "YUCH mom, that disgusting!" OH little girl it's a good thing you are so darn cute....she then hugged me and told me she loved me and did the same to Chad. He suggested that she is like that candy called "Sourpatch Kids." Have you seen the commercial before? It states, "first their sour, then they're sweet." That would be my Chloe!

I'm ready for the fall shows to start. There is nothing on! I have been watching "Rock of Love" with Bret Michaels. It is something like the bachelor except the chicks are expected to be able to hang like a rockstar. It has been quite entertaining!

I also finished a mini album from our monthly sponsor at CMK. Creative Imaginations sent me this adorable BE heart mini album. I will only share a couple of pages. There are 10 total. I love making mini albums. Hope you have a great week!

Got Kn{owl}edge?

2007-09-09T05:20:00.001-07:00

Well if not, you should!!! Create My Keepsake now has monthly kits and this one is perfect for back to school. I love the mix of product. To check out Rebecca's kits just click here Got Kn{owl}edge? It is packed full of goodies from Jenni Bowlin, Scenic Route, and has the cutest custom stamp (journaling lines with a cute nerdy owl!)

Create My Keepsake is also hosting a contest this month in conjunction with Creative Imaginations. Details are here Creative Imaginations ContestYou have the opportunity to win some cool prizes! They also sponsored our Design Team this month. I worked with the new "Blue Bell" line by Karen Russell. It is beautiful! Here are some projects I did with her papers and embellishments:

The scan came out a little dark, but, what do you do?!! I can't take a picture of a layout to save my life, so....I did a really fun mini album with this line too and will post it once I get pictures! I also worked on a boy layout of my cousin Elliot. He is such a cutie, and I used pink and butterflies! Never thought I'd do that on a boy layout ;)

Chloe is finally starting to potty train. I mean really POTTY train!!! (Insert hand clap here). I'm thrilled. I'm sick of buying wipes, and pull ups, and diapers. Does that mean I can buy more scrapstuff? (Yeah right!)

Well, I'll catch you all later. I'm having family over for my SILs birthday. Fun times!

One of Those Days

2007-08-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

Ever have one of those days where you wish you could just crawl back into bed and throw the covers over your head? Yep, I had one of those days today. It started out fine, normal, I just had a lot on my mind. So I took the girls to the grocery store, loaded the Trail Blazer full of goods, and was on my merry way. So I get home and my first intention was to unload all the groceries. Well, I got side-tracked. I'm a mom, I multi-task, and obviously a little too much sometimes. I get the girls lunch, make sure Hanna's book bag is ready for school,and make some phone calls. Yes, the groceries are still in the truck. So I leave to drop Hanna off at school. I come home, get Chloe ready for a nap, and get several more phone calls. By this time, I have completely forgotten about my milk, frozen burritoes, and corn dogs. Fast forward a couple of hours, the girls get home from school, my mom stops by, and my SIL drops off her 2 boys so I can babysit for several hours. I am now getting supper ready for 5 rugrats. I take a bag of doritoes (for yummy taco salad) and open the bag. A LARGE FAMILY SIZE bag. Can ya see where I'm going with this? I dumped them, like a big clumsy idiot, I dump the bag onto my kitchen floor. I stared at it for a couple of seconds, in disbelief of what I just did, then turned to the kids and asked "who wants doritoes?" They all look at me, look at the floor, back at me, and all raise their hands. Good. We're all eating dirty floor doritoes tonight. Glad we're all in unison on this. My nephew asks for a glass of milk which I happily oblige to though when I opened the frig, there was no milk to be found. Wait a minute, where in the heck is it??? Then it hit me, HELLO Tina, you're groceries are still in the car! I gasp, then sigh, I mean I REALLY sighed, enough for my nephew to turn to Tay and ask, "what the heck is wrong with your mom?" Nothing besides 2 gallons of milk, hamburger, 2 packages of hot dogs, frozen food, and my "can't live without it" coffee creamer ALL GONE. WASTED. Because I'm good like that people. I clean up the dinner fiasco and put a video in for the kids. Veggie Tales songs are blaring, kids are screaming, jumping, and hanging from the lamp. I so didn't care at this point either! I'm sitting on the chair, feeling defeated, tired, irritable, and out walks little Chloe. Anyone who knows her knows she is terribly sweet but oh so much trouble. She managed to unscrew the lid to a GIANT sized bottle of Aquaphore. Essentially a big expensive tub of vasoline. It is in her hair, on her legs, on her clothes, on MY FLOOR and COUCH , everywhere. So I throw her in the tub. As I'm sitting there feeling sorry for myself, Chloe looks up at me with her big brown eyes and says "I wub you Mommy!" OK, now my heart is melted. I grin from ear to ear and scoop this little ball of sweetness up and plant a million kisses on her. My life isn't so bad afterall.

Scenic Route!

2007-08-21T12:34:00.000-07:00

I just love their new releases "Sumner" and "Ashville." Scenic Route was our DT sponsor at Create My Keepsake for the month of August. CMK is having a contest featuring Scenic Route this month as well. If you're interested, details can be found here: Scenic Route Contest The prize packs are amazing!!! There will also be a live chat with Layle Koncar on August 29th. Hope to see you there!

Chad is still working alot at the railroad. We miss him a lot! Taylor and Hanna will be starting soccer in a couple of weeks. They love it. I love it except for when it rains the night before and Chloe runs loose in a muddy field *insert eyes rolling*.

The girls start school tomorrow. The summer sure went fast!

Let's Catch Up K?

2007-08-01T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm still here lol. Just lots going on in my life right now.

Well, I attended my first CHA in Chicago last week. It was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! I met Elsie Flannigan and Becky Higgins. Both were totally sweet and down to earth. And of course I'm a HUGE fan of Elsie's work and new line so it was such an honor to "meet" her :) I met so many of my on-line friends. All the girls on my 3 Bugs DT, Kris & Rick Turner (the owner's of 3 Bugs), Creasa Brown and Lydie, Gretchen McElven, the fabulous Opel Sisters, Rebecca Cross, Kim Musgrove, Carrie Postma, Barb, Vicki Boutin, Greta Hammond, some wonderful girls from Scrapsupply, my friend Andrea Deer released a new line for Scrappin' Sports and More (she rocks!), my pals from Fort Wayne Carrie and Sue were also there, not to mention all the girls I ran into that I may not have "known" but had good laughts with, and so many talented designers who's work I really admire. I also "stalked" from afar Jennifer McGuire (she was across our booth working for Hero Arts), and yes I know no shame whatsoever. I think my friend Lydie turned me into a "scrapstalker" but that's a whole different story! I totally stole this photo of Beth, Susan, and I as I DID NOT bring my camera, GASP!

This was my first "break" away from my kids, well aside from giving birth LOL! It has really refreshed me. The last night of CHA a bunch of us girls went down to Navy Pier for a rockin' meal and some drinks. I felt like such an "adult" haha. I love the city life but I would never want to life there.

I was also thrilled to come back and get my comp copy of Card Creations 5 which I was lucky enough to have a card featured on the cover. Mine is the one with the flowers, butterfly, sun, and fun little cut grass.

We are gearing up for Harlan Days (a local fair) and the start of school. Can't believe it is that time again! It is bittersweet really. We will get back into a routine but now I have to wake up EARLY...sigh.

At Create My Keepsake we had Crafter's Workshop as our July sponsor. If you've never checked them out they have some kick butt templates. I made this rainbow with their "circle circle dot dot" templatelayout is a total throwback to the 80's. Rock on!!!
I'm also hosting a manufacturer challenge at Create My Keepsake. Gotta make room for all the new CHA goodies! So come on over and hang out! The site is also hosting a HUGE contest this month where you can win LOTS of the new Scenic Route goodies. You've seen the new Scenic Route right? Yep, it is gorgeous!!!

My Class Kit Debuts At CMK!

2007-06-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am so excited...a mini album I designed is debuting as a class kit for Create My Keepsake. Here are some pictures:

And here is some information about the kit:

On occasion we will prepare special project kits or holiday themed kits just for our kit members! This month our Design Team Member Tina Albertson has prepared a special project kit just for you! This kit is perfect for your little prince or princess. It would also make a great gift album for any new parents. We have 2 versions available (boy and girl) and quantities are very limited.

The project kit comes complete with all the materials you will need to finish an entire mini album. All you need to add is adhesive and a journaling pen! Here is what you will receive:

(2) Bazzill Bling Black Tie cardstock
(6) Scenic Route Hampton patterned papers that are doubled sided
(1) Pack of Scenic Route Hampton Coordinating Chipboard
(1) Creative Imaginations Bare Elements Nicole Chipboard Album (6"x6")
(2) Heidi Swapp coordinating bling stickers
(1) set of step by step instructions complete with color photos!
*Please note...photos are provided for the girl version only. The boy kit contains exactly the same products except they were assembled using the blue and green papers and chipboard sets from the Hampton Collection.

Project Kit is: $23.00

More information can be found at: http://www.createmykeepsake.com/home.php?cat=643

Another Cool Find At Target

2007-06-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought that deco scissors would make such a big comeback LOL??? Anyway, I was perusing Target's dollar section as I do each week when I came across these scalloped scissors. They are "smaller" than the large ones found at Dollar Tree and the "normal" Fiskars size. Of course I had to pick some up...love me some scallop!!!

We have been having a lot of fun outside. Chloe loves it and cries everythime it is time to come in. Chad told the girls the other day that is was OK to turn on the hose to play in the sand. UM, hello???? What was he thinking? This was the result of that mess:

Chloe loves the swingset. She has graduated from the baby swing and is obsessed with flying on her belly using the "big girl" swing :) :) Love that girl!

And this is "Sammy the Seal" as Hanna calls him. She asked if he could stay the night in the house, haha. I gently informed her that pool floats have a home in the barn, not in her bed. She was sad and disappointed but is ok now :)

Visual DNA?

2007-06-04T04:56:00.001-07:00

I saw this cool thing on several blogs now. It is called "Visual DNA" and I just had to try it. You get to go through several options to choose your "likes" and "dislikes" and then the site puts it into this cool little slideshow for you:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

So this is my "visual DNA", my favorite would have to be the "this is gross" slide, haha!!

We bought Taylor a "big girl bike" at Walmart last night. Surprisingly enough she taught herself how to ride w/o training wheels on her old itty bitty bike. Her poor knees were slapping the handlebars. So we picked her out a purple and pink girly girl bike complete with sparkly tassles, ornaments on the spokes, and a "must have" zippered pouch on the front to store all the treasures of a 7 year old :)

Have you seen the new kits at They are simply fabulous and Rebecca is adding more kits for the month of July.

I have been having fun using the new "Love, Elsie" line by KI Memories. Here is a fun layout I did last night:

Toodles (OMG haven't said that in FOREVER, haha) for now!!!

Is It REALLY Almost June???

2007-05-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

WOW. Where did May go? Seriously. This has been a crazy busy couple of weeks. The girls have had games 2-3 times a week, I've had a game every Monday night, we had a garage sale, went to Fox Island, to the Toledo Zoo, and are wrapping up the end of the school year for the girls. I am thrilled for summer!!! Best news yet, our pool will be open this weekend...YAY!

Here are a couple of photos from our Fox Island and Toledo Zoo trip:

I've also been super busy scrapping!

Hope everyone has a great week!!!

I've Been Tagged

2007-04-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

My good friend Rebecca, owner of www.createmykeepsake.com has tagged me! Here is how it works:

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves.

People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

I have LOTS of quirks but will be brief, haha!

My ceiling fan runs in my room 24/7, all year long.
I make "popcorn balls" with popcorn, a long story but I'm surprised Chad still agreed to marry me ;)
I crack my knuckles.
I still sleep with a nightlight on.
I am scared to sleep alone in the house at night.
I don't like generic brands of pretty much anything.
I own an absurd amount of storage containers (and yes, I label everything!)
I have never flown.
I sing in the shower and while driving.
I enjoy watching reality t.v.

Now I'm tagging:

1. Susan Opel
2. Beth Opel
2. Sue Fields
3. Carrie Postma
4. Rachel (happay)
5. Andrea Deer
6. Michelle St. Clair
7. Carolyn

Some Of This & Some Of That

2007-04-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

Have you ever done a kit swap at an on-line site? Well not like this one! I host the kit swap at Create My Keepsake and these ladies continue to WOW me each month!!! I received this gorgeous kit from my friend Roree today! Sign ups for the next round will take place next month. Come check it out in the "roundtable" at the CMK forum :)

I have one more Hambly layout to share. I have scrapped these photos over and over, they are my favorites. I love the Urban Lily with the Hambly graph overlays. I am going to have to get some more of those!!

And I have such a busy week ahead of me!
MONDAY
*Mail paypal items and IRS payment.
*Pick up (2) birthday presents.
*Call about re-financing the house.
*Call all the women helping with the Teacher Hospitality meal at Harlan.
*Schedule nursery duty at church.
*Taylor and Hanna both have practice.
*I have practice for softball.
TUESDAY
*Get groceries.
*Clean house, grandparents are coming over.
WEDNESDAY
*Taylor has practice.
*I have practice.
*"Serving Up A Little Humor" at Harlan Elementary that night with Taylor.
THURSDAY
*Make chicken for 60 teacher's at Harlan.
*Make brownies for ladies at church.
FRIDAY
*Pick up food from amish ladies.
*Drop off food at Harlan Elementary in the teacher's lounge.
*10:00 am, get food and all preparations ready.
*Drop off Brownies at church.
*1:00 pm, clean up food in teacher's lounge.
*Hanna has practice.
SATURDAY
*Make Buffalo Chicken Dip for friend's birthday party. (35 people)
*Birthday party from 1-3 PM
*Birthday party from 2-4 PM
*ANOTHER birthday party from 3-?

Sorry. It really helps me to make lists :) :)

I'm a Cover Girl!

2007-04-14T05:14:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I received an e-mail last night from the editor of PaperCrafts magazine letting me know that my card "Love & Bloom" will be on the cover of their Card Creations 5 Idea Book!!! Thanks Brandy!

On other notes, Taylor and Hanna started t-ball and lobb ball this week. After that nice hard rain, Chloe had a fun time romping in the mud with her brand new little pink sketchers. I should have figured! Hanna had a lot of fun and is looking forward to playing. It will be a busy summer at the ball diamond with Taylor, Hanna, and me playing each week.

Chad's job is going well. He has been working a lot of hours and is still training. This week he has been in Defiance all week. So he gets different shifts each week, and different city locations. It has been such a nice change from construction, and we are this much closer to finally having insurance again...YAY!

I have had the pleasure of working with Hambly Studio product this month at Create My Keepsake. I do have to say that I think I am now addicted!! I NEED more Hambly LOL! I would love to share some of my work with you...

And I did a fun game with Google. You take your name like this "Tina needs" and google it. Write down the first 15 things you "need" LOL. Here is mine:

Tina Needs...
1. your help to build it (OK)
2. to win this (really?)
3. love (I do need this :)
4. to move on (from what exactly?)
5. a home desperately! (what's wrong with mine? LOL)
6. your HELP (I need help a lot :D)
7. a break (oh yes, I can vouch for that)
8. to be kept as an indoor cat (ouch)
9. to get over herself (well, I never realized!)
10. some funds so she can buy the rifle she wants (HA, I am such a hunter ya know)
11. a weave (do you think?!)
12. to shave a bit (hey, how'd they know that???)
13. to get a laugh eery 10 minutes or she gets nervous (what????)
14. to make a choice (everyday!)
15. to go away and get a life (how rude!)

OK, now go play and post here so I can read all about YOU!!!

Chloe is officially 2!!!

2007-03-31T13:55:00.000-07:00

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

2007-03-26T04:44:00.000-07:00

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?

2007-03-20T14:27:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2007-03-17T07:33:00.000-07:00

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...

2007-03-13T19:42:00.000-07:00

...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

It's Not Always Black & White

Pink Paislee 2012 Creative Team

This and That

Mix It Up!

Old School Sneak Peek

An Inspiration Station Official Stop!!

5 for Friday

Spring Fever

New Layouts and Good Books

Be Still My Beating Heart!

Some Lovely Queen Bee!

365 Degrees...

Introducing: Bayberry Cottage

Introducing: Bayberry Cottage, 365 Degrees, and Queen Bee

For Those of You Wondering....

Vampires, Etc...

Congratulations to the 2010 Pink Paislee design team!

Pink Paislee blog post!

Happy December!!

Some Label Tulip Sneaks!

Wednesday Blog for Pink Paislee

A New Bathroom

Family

Stamping Sunday {Mix It Up}

Mistletoe & Co. + Cupid + Expressions Letters

{Pink Paislee} Sneaks + Giveaway!

He got the job!!!

After a long break...

CMK May Kit Reveal!

Pink Paislee Blog Hop!!

April CMK Kit Blog Hop!

Create My Keepsake Blog Reveal

American Idol!

Spring, Where Are You???

CMK February Kit Sneak!

Pink Paislee 2009 Creative Team!

Happy New Year!!!

12 Days of Christmas

Christmas Already??!

This and That

The winner of the PaperCraft idea book is....

Happy World Card Making Day!!!!

New Releases From Pink Paislee!!!

Scrap Pink!!

A new update (it's about flippin' time!}

Finally Relenting to Technology!

IKEA!

I *heart* Chicago

CHA Bound

Winner of my Blog Hop!

Pink Paislee Blog Hop!!!

{Pink Paislee} Blog Hop & Giveaway

{Pink Paislee} CHA Preview!!!

Summer

{Last Scrapper Standing}

MIA!

Bella & Zoe

I love this warm weather!

Priorities....

I finally made it out!

Spring Break + Flu = Bored & Cranky Kids

My Baby Turns 3

Some Random & Weird Facts About Your's Truly!

A Light At the End of the Tunnel, Perhaps....

How's It Going??

{Making Memories}

Live From CHA!

Just a Quick Post!

Knee Deep In Projects...

Friday Challenge #1

Scrapping Therapy

Surgery Tomorrow

My {Sweet} Husband

Happy New Years Eve!

How You Doin?

Some Exciting Things Happening AT CMK!!!

Almost December 1st...

Happy 6th Birthday Hanna!!

What is up with these toy recalls???

Thank You Paper Trunk!

I heart Chicago