Um...slacker?

Yes, that is me! Such a bloggin' slacker! Life has been busy, you all know the routine :)

Thanksgiving was wonderful...so much to be thankful for. I have my health, a wonderful loving family, a nice home to live in, there is nothing I could want or need that isn't supplied to me. I have a wonderful God who is my strength. Yes, life is good!

Me, my mom, Peggy, and my friend Krista went shopping on Black Friday. Target was a flippin' madhouse!!! Women clanking carts into other carts and giving each other dirty looks, sheesh. So I told myself the next woman I see do this I am going to say something, hehe. 20 seconds later it happens again, CLANK, and then the scowl. So big mouth me blurts out, "well, what do you expect? There are 300 women, and 200 carts in a tiny area and you don't think you're going to run into each other?" I mean honestly...if you can't come out in a good mood and come to expect how BUSY it might be then maybe you should stay at home! I think it is great to go out early and search for bargains and I do so with a smile on my face the whole time. I'm not there to grab the last cabbage patch kid :) I love a good deal as much as the next person but they are just material objects...I just don't understand people getting upset over these things is all :)

We got our Christmas lights up over the weekend. This time of year always goes WAY too fast. It is so busy and chaotic that sometimes it is hard to celebrate the season, KWIM? I have the tree up and the lights on it, but no ornaments yet. I'm waiting until we have time together as a family to start that. I have been working hard on PTA things and tomorrow is "Dad's Night" at Harlan so hopefully I will have some time after that.

I haven't had much time to scrapbook :( There are lots of ideas swirling in my head that I REALLY want to get down on paper. My space is a total disaster area and should probably be cleaned before I tackle any new projects!!!

And I about knocked myself out today, seriously. I put the ladder up to the attic (well, I thought it was up) and it came crashing back down, straight on my noggin. Yep, I saw stars and kept telling myself not to pass out. It was bad...REALLY BAD. I have a nice lump on my head and will definately make sure that sucker is ALL the way up next time, hehe.

On a GREAT note I am done nursing!!! And Chloe has slept ALL night 3 nights in a row now...that is wonderful!!!

Chad and I spent Saturday night at friends house playing Texas Hold Em'. Can you say new addiction???! I kicked butt!!!!!!

We are also currently looking for land so if you know of several acres for sale in the Harlan/Grabill/Leo area...let me know!!!

Well, I'm off to make my speech for Dad's Night tomorrow!

I will leave you tonight with some jokes from Taylor :)

What did the boy octupus say to the girl octupus?

I want to hold your hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand, hand

What's the best food when it's cold outside?

A burrrrrger

Wishing I were scrapping

Well, I'm doing EVERYTHING and ANYTHING but scrapping. Cleaning, organizing, painting...all 24 hours before I have 15 women in my living room for a tastefully simple party! It should be a good time...lots of food! That is always a good thing :)

I need to scrap, I have a couple of deadlines and a couple of calls that I want to submit to. Haven't had the time to that in a while. I got some of my Create My Keepsake DT layouts done though. We had MME as this months sponsor. Love their stuff! I also have the privelege of working with Heidi Grace this month for Luv2scrapook. Next month we have AMM and KI Memories to work with from Luv2 and 7 Gypsies for CMK. I love these 2 sites!



Well, I better go. My kids won't go to bed and I'm losing my voice. They are driving me nuts tonight!

Family Time

We've had a lot of that lately. Family time. I love spending time with the girls, outside, exploring, enjoying each other. Chad made this HUGE pile of leaves on Sunday for the girls to jump in. Of course it has been YEARS since I've taken the plunge into a pile of crunchy leaves so I took the leap, lol. BIG mistake. First off Taylor had to help pull me up and I spent the next hour picking bits and pieces of leaves from my underwear. Yes people, crunchy pieces of leaves were in my underwear. The girls thought it was the funniest thing in the world though :) So mission accomplished.

Ahhhh, darn blogger won't allow me to load the rest of my fall pictures :( I will atempt to do so later!

I Love Fall!

Wow, the leaves are changing SO fast here! What a beautiful sight, I love the array of warm colors :) A total fall fan here! This week we are going to Kurtz Pumpkin Patch to get our pumpkins. The girls love going into the pumpkin field to pick out "just the right" pumpkin!



I have been busy working on some 3 Bugs In A Rug layouts with their new releases "Smitten" and "Maverick." They are even better in person! Love their stuff! And I'm not quite sure what is going on with my scrappy style lately, but I love it. I am feeling the need to lean more towards clean lines and vibrant color. I love this hobby for the fact that it is always evolving!

Nothing much new here. Had a girls' night out on Saturday night. We had a SO MUCH FUN! 4 of my friends are teachers and they had some very interesting stories to say the least. We ate at Logan's, walked around Jefferson Pointe, and hung out at Starbuck's until midnight. I can't wait to do it again :)

Taylor is still kicking butt in soccer...I enjoy watching her play so much!

I just finished re-doing the girls' bedroom too. Their walls are now sky blue, and their bedding reminds of some yummy Scenic Route paper! Seriously, the colors are delicious!!!

OK, another special shout out to my friend Beth Opel. At Memory Trends, they will be announcing SOY (Scrapbooker of the Year) and she is a shoe in! A brilliant scrapbooker...I hope she wins!

Wanna win a stamp?

Haven't blogged in a while, life has just been busy :) So I thought I'd offer up a little RAK! I have ONE Autumn Leaves journaling stamp that I would love to give to someone :D It is the stamp in the lower right hand corner of this picture. If you'd like a chance to get this puppy in the mail, it's simple! I have a number between 1-100. Get the closest to this number and it is yours :) I will close this September 22nd, a week from Friday!

Taylor's birthday is tomorrow, she is going to be 7. I still can't believe and she is just getting so BIG. She is in a special program at her school where they work with advanced students so she is coming home with lots of homework. I think it is great that they are challenging her. I'm so proud!

She has also started soccer so I can officially say I'm a "soccer mom", lol. I love watching her play, she is pretty darn good!

Got a request from PaperArt Magazine for a 3 Bugs card I made :) Maybe I should make cards...that makes 3 within 3 weeks :D

Some father daughter time

We had a family reunion in Ohio on Sunday and the girls had the opportunity to go fishing with daddy. Chad took the girls on Saturday to buy them their very own fishing poles :) They were so excited and spent the rest of the day out front practicing how to cast out their line. They had some special time together on the pond just relaxing and fishing. Taylor caught 4 fish and Hanna caught 2! I don't think I could have done better, lol. Here are some memorable pictures from that day.

Seems like there is a lot of buzz in the scrapbook world this week. Calls waiting to be received, announcements to be made, people's nerves shot...what are you waiting on this week??? I'm also SO very PROUD of my friend Beth Opel who is a finalist for the CK Scrapbooker Of the Year. She is amazing both as a scrapbooker and as a person. Got my fingers crossed for you girl!

And I've been busy in my scrapbook room :) Lots I can't share but here is some I can!


Have an awesome weekend!!!

Sometimes I don't know WHERE to start

With my house that is. Closets need cleaned out, stuff needs organized, the kids need to try on last year's clothes to see what fits and what doesn't, stuff needs hauled to the attic, to goodwill, school supplies need bought...SHEESH! So frustrating, ya know? So that is what has been occupying my time, that is why I have been slacking on my blog. And I'm not even half way done. Oh well!

I did cancel my surgery for next week though. I'm going to wait about a year, when Chloe will be a little bit more dependent. I just CAN'T go not lifting her for 4 weeks. I can't. Period. But I still look ok. I mean, I know the hernia is there and yes it feels gross but most people can't tell it's there. So that is ok :) I did squeeze out a layout I've been wanting to do for a while about my comfy silver jeans. Love them!

We've been super busy too. I played 4 softball games on Saturday...yes I said 4 AND I'm super sore to prove it. I also managed to catch the ball with the hand NOT wearing the mit so my hand is nice and swollen. Yeah, smart, I know! We had a family reunion for Chad's side of the family, went to Harlan Days, Shipshewana, and the lake. Love summer. Not ready for fall yet.

Is summer really almost over???

Where had time gone? It seems like the kids just got of school and we were preparing for our vacation to Colorado. Now we've been back 1 month already and the kids start school in 4 weeks! It just doesn't possible. There are so many things I wanted to do with the kids before summers end, so I better get crackin'.




I think I'm going to cancel my hernia surgery. I've been thinking a lot about the whole thing. I can't lift anything for 4-6 weeks afterwards...how can I get Chloe out of her crib? Into her car seat? High chair? Cart at the grocery store? It just isn't possible now. I think I will wait another year and I am ok with that. I wasn't exactly thrilled to have surgery in the first place, lol.

I've been scrapping like a fiend lately! I feel the urge to get some of that old stuff used up before I go crazy on the new stuff, KWIM? So I've been challenging myself and it feels good. I have also had the opportunity to work with Fancy Pants and KI Memories this month. Love it!

Hope you all are doing great!

One of those days

I am having one. You know, those days where everything that can go wrong DOES. I am so bugged at this point that I am just ready for bed. I'm afraid to do or say anything else in fear that another catasrophe will happen. *sigh*

Better news is, we've (I mean I) have been letting Chloe cry at night when she wakes up. Last night was night 3 and she slept all night, cried at 4:30 am, and woke up for good a little after 6:00 am. This is the first night I've slept almost the entire night in over a year :) Now that is happy news.

I have lots of ideas for some scrap projects just swirling in my head, but I've had no time to create. I really WANT to. Maybe I can forget about all 8 loads of laundry for one more day...

I love Lil' Davis!

Lil' Davis was a sponsor this month for Create My Keepsake, and let me tell you their stuff is awesome! Some of this stuff I would not have normally purchased. But now I think I need more, lol.




Life has been pretty boring lately, which can be ok sometimes! We did open our pool and have been swimming a lot. LOVE having a pool :) Anyone want to come over?

Whew, what a trip!

We had a great time in Colorado!!! It is almost surreal to be home. Now back to reality with housework and yardwork UGH.

I ventured to the top of Pike's Peak on a cog railway. This was a huge venture for me considering I am terrified of heights. And I have mitro-valve prolapse so I wasn't sure how the ticker would do at that altitude. But here I am, so I survived, lol!!! It was amazing, but I am afraid I gripped poor Chloe with white knuckles :) The view was out of this world. At one point we could see the state of New Mexico and Kansas at the same time. I glance really quickly just to say I did then buried my head back into Chloe, haha. She was standing up trying to climb out the window! At the base of the mountain the temp was 75 degrees. At the top it was 30 and snowing, yikes! We were 14,000 feet up. Man I love to experience new things.

The car ride wasn't TOO bad. The kids hardly fought on the way there but they made up for it on the ride back :) The condo was beautiful and had a gorgeous view of the mountains from the balcony.

Some more interesting tidbits:
Missouri has WAY TOO MANY adult stores off of I-70 :(
Tigers think babies are tiny treats :P
Babies holding objects out the window when you're 10,000 feet up is NOT a good idea
1 hour in Archiver's is not enough time...just a tease
Kansas is flat and more boring than corn fields in Indiana
DO NOT detour in downtown St. Louis just to see the arch...you'll sit there forever in traffic
DO NOT tell your husband when you and a friend get lost 5 miles from the condo trying to find a scrapbook store ;)
Colorado lightening storms are nothing to mess around with
Why is there never soap in rest stop bathrooms? Always carry hand sanatizer!
There are always those idiots at the zoo who, when the sign says please do not tap on glass, insist on doing so anyway. And who also make monkey sounds like an idiot...yeah dude, they really think you're communicating with them...

Can't wait to scrap some of these wonderful pictures I got and share them with you all!

Colorado, Here I Come!

Yeah! Can't wait to hit the road tomorrow! I've finished all my Design Team projects, I'm packed, and ready to take lots of pictures! But I will miss you, my friends out there in cyber world who care enough to check out my little ol' blog :D

I'll leave with some work I just finished up. Talk to you when I get back!

How do you deal with the let down?

Well, the big call for the CK Idea Annual book has come and gone. I had high hopes for some of my layouts. CK just doesn't like me for some reason, seriously! Just can't get my foot through the door darn it! But I just keep plugging away. Sometimes I think it is fun to have the suspense and see all the fun toots throughout the day. I'm truly happy for all my talented friends :) I think there needs to be more magazines in circulation so I can up my chances, haha!!! Oh well, what am I doing tonight? Probably submitting more work ;)

We're leaving for Colorado soon. I hate last minute details. I have high anxiety as it is and I'm always afraid I'm going to forget something and what not. I wish I could just CHILL OUT for a minute...but I know that won't happen! I know I will have some awesome pictures to post on my blog when I get back. So keep checkin'!

And I will end on a Chloe note :) Love this dear child SO much! But she has resorted to biting and pinching when she is a). tired b). sick of the girls being in her face and c). if she is not getting her way. The entire family has bite marks on their bodies. Not pretty!!!

Have a GREAT weekend everyone!

Not much new here

I've been pretty busy with LOTS of household stuff...yuck. I did get a page picked up by Memory Makers for their new idea book coming out in October...so that brightened my day!

I'm TRYING to get ahead, lol

It seems like my "to-do" list grows by leaps and bounds each day. I never seem to be able to get ahead, KWIM? I can't figure out a good system to keep things running smooth around here *sigh* I go to bed telling myself tomorrow will be a productive day but it never happens.

We went to the zoo today...Chloe's first trip there. It was a lot of fun!!! We did encounter some vicious ducks and I am saying MEAN ducks. They were pecking at our legs and would snap at our hands everytime we tried to get food from the machines to feed them. Chloe just kept saying, "duck, duck, duck"...it was too cute. Hanna flipped out over the man eating ducks and flinched everytime one even looked her way, hehe. She is my little "DQ" of drama queen as we call her. I will post some fun pics tomorrow!

I got some fun projects done for the CMK design team. This months sponsor is Imagination Projects. LOVE their stuff!!!

What a great weekend!!!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. The girls, Chad, and I went to his aunt and uncle's for a cook out and water fight...the girls LOVED it!!! I got some awesome pictures too!

I also got an e-mail from Cards! requesting a card that is already being published with PaperCrafts. Anyway, I e-mailed Alisha back and asked if I could send some more cards with the same sentiment. She said to send them over and she would look over them! YAY!!! Now that makes me smile :) Wish me luck...here is my favorite one I submitted to them:

Cheap people suck!

OK, not the nicest title I realize. BUT-you would not believe this guy I had in my garage. So, he has a handful of items, MAYBE totaling $10. So he asks if I will take 25 cents for everything. I, thinking he is joking, laugh and say yeah right. Dead serious, no smile, he asks if I will take 50 cents. Again, thinking he is joking, laugh and say maybe tomorrow. Since at this time, he is not smiling nor laughing at his own joke I see he is completely serious...you've GOT to be kidding me! I told him that I paid $15 for the baby pj's alone and that I will not take less than $1.00 for those and certainly will not part with $10 worth of stuff for 50 cents. So then he says, alright, 75 cents for the whole lot...what is wrong with this man??? I tell him no, he gets ticked, says FINE and throws it all down. As he walks away he says, this was for a church donation anyway...he goes to church? What a christian like attitude!!! And his wife is still shopping like nothing is wrong. My mom and I looked at each other in disbelief. Then my mom blurts out, "ok Tina, now you can go mark everything down." That made me laugh. I am one to bargain for a deal but that man was CHEAP. Sheesh!



I did manage to squeeze out a page for Crop Addict. I'm hoping to work on stuff tonight.

Happy E-mail Day!

Wow! After a rough day of running a garage sale, keeping track of 3 kids, and feeling sick, I opened up my e-mail to find that Scrapbook Trends wants one of my back to school layouts for their September issue! I'm super excited...plus I'm kind of not "tooting" anymore...I just feel weird doing so. That is why I'm sharing on my blog!!!

My Luv2scrapbook update

Well, Karen, the current owner of Luv2scrapbook has decided to sell her business to another scrapbook "mini" chain. Sometimes you have to make difficult decisions in your life. I'm sure it was a very hard thing for her to do. This was her life, and she was so successful! I will miss her! I just hope Luv2 stays just the way it is. The employees are awesome, the store carries the best product, and I love my new DT buddies!!! So lets hope for a bright future. And yes, I will be taking this journey with some great friends :) Thank you girls!!!

Big Changes...

I'm not sure how much I can divulge in this post but lets just say there are big changes for a company I work for and love. Some of these changes may be good, some not so good. I'm not one to deal with change very well. But I am keeping positive in light of everything. If you tell yourself bad things are going to happen, they will. I will update soon on this topic...