Who's your ALTER EGO?

For this challenge the design team of Candy Shoppe Designs SWITCHED with the DT at The PINK NINJAS challenge blog.

Our challenge was to create a layout based on our "Alter Ego".

Man I had a hard time with this one! So much so that I just finished it last night! (yikes)
But I like what I did.
Here is my sweet hubby eating some yummy chicken and noodles I made. I'm getting good at this domestic thing :)

Here's my take on the challenge. We had to use paint or ink splatters (I used blue Glimmer Mist) and our title needed to be in pink.


TFL! I hope y'all have a wonder Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so much and I hope you are too. Love ya!

I have lots to show...

But can't yet.
Sorry, I have to wait til my work is posted over on the Candy Shoppe Designs blog before I can post it here. But I DO have lots to show you.. stay tuned. It'll be sometime next week and then a few more LO's will be posted in December.
tee hee :)


In other news, here is my gorgeous sister in law, Cherith who is 29.5 weeks pregnant with my niece, Sage. How awesome are these pics!



Her baby shower is tomorrow night up in Ft. Wayne and I've made her an 8x8 album for the baby and a card.
I lost the original card I made.. it's somewhere in this mess of a scraproom. I must have buried it under stuff while getting ready for my retreat. So I made her a last minute card today. It's simple but I like it.
I used my Cuttlebug to make it.. Love that thing (STILL).
The color is off.. it's pinker IRL. But you get the picture.

I'm SO not a cardmaker but I like it :)

And this little guy went to his first roller skating party today with his preschool class. How cute is he!!


His teacher, Mrs. T. He LOOOOVES her!

Caleb & his girlfriend, Maddie. She's five. Caleb loves older women. tee hee


He is SO dang smart!
A year ago he could barely talk and now he says his whole Pledge of Allegiance, all the months, days of the week and counts to 100, says ABC's backwards and forwards and says countless nursery rhymes. And my favorite each night is when he tells me "Good night, sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite". LOL
He is just too cute!

Well I am off to spend time with my boys. Have a great weekend!

HOLY CRAP!

Did you SEE that game!?!?
OMG! GO COLTS!!
9-0 BABY!!!!

Oh and here' a pic of my sweet little guy tonight after we put up the Christmas tree :)


Have a great week, everyone!

FYI

Due to someone in Alabama that keeps spamming me with weird comments like this

"Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Check out this blog candy!!":

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Posted by Anonymous to Scrap Happy Mama at November 15, 2009 7:38 PM"

I am no longer accepting anonymous comments.
So if you'd like to leave me a comment and don't have an Open ID or Google account, pm me through Facebook or email me :)
Thanks!

In other news, I attended my monthly Not Just Scrappin' crop with my local friend Jenny yesterday and once again, gabbed too much. I only got two layouts done but they are super cute. Well I think, anyway.. tee hee :)
I'll post pics of them later, they are for Design Team assignments.

Well, I'm off to put up our Christmas tree and watch the Indianapolis Colts kick the butts of the evil New England Patriots!! :)
Have a great weekend!

Team Edward or Team Jacob??

First of all, I'd like to acknowledge the person from Ozark, Alabama that is spamming my comments with Viagra ads.
No thanks, my hubby has no problems. WTH?
Move on to stalking someone else now, please.

Now the reason for my post. Are you a fan of Mr. Cullen or the magnificently HOT Mr. Black?
Well you can show us by choosing a side.. Team Edward or Team Jacob.
Check out the newest challenge at CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS. Can wait to see what you come up with!

Here's my "creation". I'll admit, not my favorite layout. But this is what happens when you have to scrap out in the living room instead of your scraproom and your 3 year old likes to play with Mama's scrap stuff WHILE she's scrapping, LOL. The kid would not leave me alone.



This challenge is sponsored by the awesome kit club COLOR ME MIKI. Check out the kit you could win! It's loaded with Pink Paislee BEWITCHING.. yum!!


Well, TFL.
I'm off to pick up said 3 year old from Preschool. Love that kid!

Have a great weekend. I know I will. I'm going to an all day crop tomorrow with my local scrappy friend, Jenny Boone :)

Do YOU want to be a Lollipop Girl?

Candy Shoppe Designs is having a call for their awesome Design Team. Check it out!
I love love LOVE being on the DT and can't wait to see who makes the team this next round.
But unfortunately, I have to sit this one out. We're moving sometime between Feb 1-April 1 and my scrap room will be packed up but you can bet I will be back. This has been an AWESOME experience for me and Lynnette is THE best!
Good luck to those who enter!

Well hey there!

We've been feeling somewhat better so I was able to scrap Friday night. But my work is for the awesome Candy Shoppe Designs design team so I can't show it yet. But soon.. YAY! :)

In the meantime, I can't wait for this!!! I loooooooooooooove Jacob!! Team Jacob all the way!! :)

Back for a bit...

Well, it doesn't seem like we are on the mend yet here in the Brannies household. Hubby is still up most of the night coughing.. week 5 of being sick is here. Caleb is finally back in school.. He is much better but still congested.. at least no more fever, though.
Praying we get better soon.
My step Dad went into congestive heart failure last week. We have alot going on. Please keep us in your prayers.

My new niece will be here in twelve short weeks. Here is the first page of the 8x8 album I made for her.
Her name is done in Heidi Swapp ghost letters with Making Memories pp underneath.



More to come later, I need better lighting (and time to take pics).

TFL!
Have a great week!

Retreat Projects

As I mentioned already, I got to the retreat late and left a day early because of sickness. So I didn't do near as much as I had planned.
But here are a few things I worked on...

Treat cups for Caleb's preschool Halloween party on Friday:



"Mama's Best C'mas Gift" (Caleb's 1st C'mas - not quite six months old):


Too {Two} Cute to Spook - Halloween 2008 (Caleb was two):


Here are some retreat pics.
I tried to stay out of them as much as possible because most of you know I hate having my picture taken. And I forgot my camera *gasp*.
I'm not in the group shot, that was taken on Sunday after I left .. there are several people missing. I think there were 57 ? ladies at the retreat this year. (up 20+ from last year!)

These ladies won the decorate your door contest. I didn't participate, I was having a hard time even scrapping as it was! (sick)
Isn't this the coolest!? They used real tree limbs!

Hilarious!!


Outside our meeting hall.. gorgeous!

My treat cups in progress:


There are lots more pics, just waiting for people to upload them.


Anyhoo....
I still feel like a train ran over me.. I still haven't even bothered to put away the stuff from my retreat. Oiy, what a task! LOL
And you don't even want to know what a mess my house is. Doug was so sick while I was gone that he didn't keep it kept up and I haven't felt like doing much other than dishes and laundry since I got home. Sure hope I feel better soon, it needs cleaned! LOL

TFL! Have a great week, y'all! Hope you are well!

Out of Commission

I literally can barely breathe at times. We are all three VERY ill here (and this is round TWO).
I had to leave my retreat early yesterday to come home and take care of my boys (and I was sick, too.. but not as sick as them.. until today. Ugh)

I'll be back with pics from the retreat once I am feeling better.
If you pray, please say a little prayer for the Brannies family tonight.
Thanks

In about 60 hours....

I'll be at my first scrapbook retreat EVER!
I'll admit, I'm swamped. Between all 3 of us being sick, preschool drop off/pick up/errand running and packing for my retreat, I've been too busy to do any layouts or projects for a few weeks now.
But starting Friday at 1pm, IT'S ON, BABY!!!

I can't wait!!

"See" you when I get back!!
:)

Watch Your Effing Language!!

Okay so I'll admit, I am weird about cursing. I hate it when people do it around me.. especially my hubby. He works in an industry around men (white collar, upper middle class men.. not who you would expect) that do nothing but curse constantly and he's picked it up.
And unfortunately, it's wore off on me a bit.
I try SO hard not to curse. I mean, SO hard. Cause I HATE it. I just think there are other ways to express yourself.
But alas, I have succumb to cursing a bit and unfortunately, it wasn't hubby that taught Caleb his first curse word. It was me *sigh*.

When Lynnette first presented this challenge to me I backed out of it. We're allowed one "pass" during our term and this was the one I was going to pass on. It just didn't feel right.
But then I thought about it and realized ya know, scrapbooking, like life, is not just about candy coating things. We need to scrap the good AND the bad. So here ya go.
Here is my WATCH YOUR LANGUAGE challenge.



Check out the challenge requirements and all the awesome work from my fellow DT members over on the CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS blog :)
The prize is AWESOME and the challenge is being sponsored by Memorable Seasons.. check them out!

In other news, I finally went to the doctor. I had a cold that turned into Strep and a sinus infection. I am now on antibiotics and should be well enough for my scrapbook retreat that is ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!!!
OMG!!!! I am SOOOOO excited but admit that I'm not sure what all to take.
How does one fit an entire scraproom into a small SUV? LOL

Have a great week, ladies!

What I'm currently working on...

Well we are all sick now in the Brannies' household.
Caleb's on antibiotics, Doug goes to the Doctor today and I go to the Doctor on Friday.
But I've still been trying to get ready for my retreat and scrap a few things.

So in addition to a few DT layouts that I can't post here yet, I've been working on these little treat cups for Caleb's preschool Halloween party.
I plan to put each childs name on the "sign", just not sure yet if I'm going to use my Cricut to cut out the names or use rub ons.
Then when I'm all done I'll stuff a few pieces of candy inside the cups :)

I have just a few started and 13 more to make, LOL.. And I don't have enough of this paper so I'll be mixing it up and using different paper.

I'm excited, I think they are coming out cute!!
TFL!!

Be sure to check Candy Shoppe Designs the end of the week for your next challenge. It's a very CHALLENGING challenge, LOL.. tee hee.. I'm such a dork ;)

I love being a Fiskateer

We all have message boards that we frequent. I've been on several and have never really found a true "home" anywhere..
Until I found the Fiskateer board. WOW, these ladies are AMAZING!

I highly encourage you to check out the board and become a Fiskateer. You'll get some awesome rockin' orange scissors and most importantly, make LOTS of great friends from around the world!

See ya over there!

Hi All!
We are super super sick here in the Brannies' household. Caleb came down with a cold Wednesday night and now I feel like a Mack truck ran over me. So nothing scrappy to report (other than I've been selling off my scrap stuff like mad.. WHOO HOO!).
I skipped my monthly crop yesterday. But that's okay because my three day scrappy retreat is in TWO WEEKS!!!!! WHOO HOOOOO!!!

In other news, have you seen the new October Afternoon lines? OMG, LOVE THEM!!! How cute are these farm animals!?!








You can bet I will be getting at least a few sheets of that paper. I have a project in mind for it. YUM!

Have a great weekend. I'll be in bed where I belong *sniff sniff*
Love you all,

A Little Share... NSBR

Hey all.. We went to the pumpkin patch today with Caleb's preschool class. I just wanted to share photos and now I need to go b/c I have a friend coming over to scrap.
Have a great rest of the week!

Love ya!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Well LQQKIE here!

I just got an email from MAKING MEMORIES that they saw my "Superstar" layout and they've chose it as one of three projects for the October "New Ideas" section in their gallery. Click here.
How exciting!!! MM is one of my very favorite scrappy companies!

There seems to be some voting going on.. I'm not sure what that means.. If I win something or if you just vote because you like the project. But hey, if you like my layout, please feel free to vote for it :)


Thanks y'all. Have a great Sunday!
Love ya,

Are You "Fashionably Geek"?

Hey girls, Please go check out the Fashionably Geek challenge at CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS
Enter the challenge and you could win some AWESOME candy from our sponsor this month, EAD Designs.
They have some really cool VINYL rubons as well as tons of vinyl art for your scraproom walls, home decor, etc.

So I'll admit, I was pretty much a geek in High School. I was in show choir, got great grades, etc. So this challenge was for me, LOL.

The challenge rules are pretty simple. You have to use BLACK as your base, some sort of plaid on your layout, WHITE title and an apple somewhere on your layout or project.

Here's my take on the challenge.

(CLICK TO SEE DETAIL)

SUPPLIES:
Background Paper: Fancy Pants, Patterned Paper: October Afternoon. Mix of Detours and Nightlight lines, Cardstock Stickers: October Afternoon, Felt Apple: Imaginisce, Hat Pin: Heidi Grace, Alphas: Thickers by American Crafts, Other: red paperclips.
**A journaling block all about his first day of Preschool is hidden behind the plaid paper and attached using one of the red paper clips :)


I had all this October Afternoon paper from last Fall that I never used.. I thought it was time to get it out. You'll be seeing ALOT of "older" product from me for several months. I am determined to use up my stash :)

That's it for now. Please be sure to go view the CSD blog and check out the challenge. I can't wait to see what y'all come up with!

Love ya,

YUM!

We drove down to south Indy this afternoon to check out a house we might rent and it so happens that the Archivers is less than 4 miles away (uh oh!).
So while my boys went into Home Depot, I went to what I call "Scrapbookers Heaven" :)

I was SUPPOSED to just be there to buy a few sheets of Halloween paper for a preschool project I was asked to do.. But I got sucked into the $1.99 area of the store, LOL.
So I sat my butt down on the floor for over an hour just going through all the bins to see what kind of bargains I could find.

I didn't buy hardly anything but here is what I remember being in the bins. I can't believe some of this stuff is so cheap! Almost everything in the bins is stuff from Winter CHA. Crazy!


They had all four of these Making Memories Paperie spiral journaling books. I use these ALOT on my layouts. Love them!



These Pink Paislee sticker books in 2 or 3 styles.



Making Memories Passport canvas alphas



These Pink Paislee chipboard alphas in brown, blue and pink.
The brown is very versatile.. I won some on the Pink Paislee blog when they first came out.. I love them!


These Pink Paislee chipboard shapes in Fascinating and Enchanting and I THINK, Fetching.


Tons of various Pink Paislee rubons



These Umbrella Thickers were half off. I think they had pink, too.



I also saw some Making Memories felt alphas in green, TONS of stamps and AC mini albums and just soooo much yummy stuff.

I hope this helps someone that has an Archivers near by.
Their $1.99 stock is always changing so if you need any of this stuff, run to your nearest store now. LOL

Have a great weekend!

Well hey there!

Hey everyone.
Things have been crazy around my house. SO many decisions to make that have to be made quickly. I can't go into it right now.. Just keep our family in your prayers if you will.

I do have scrap pages to show you but I have to wait til they post on the Candy Shoppe Designs blog.
And, I decided to keep the album I made for my sister-in-law/baby off here.. I don't want her to see it before she gets it in person, LOL
I'll try to remember to take pics and post them after I give her the album :)

Lynnette is going to be posting winners from some of the recent challenges over on CSD. Keep looking over there.. you could win one of those fabulous prizes! Don't forget there is a Studio Calico kit and a Bad Girls kit up for grabs. Be sure to check the challenges out!

I'll be back next week. I've got another project to work on, hoping to get it done over the weekend.
Have a great weekend, everyone! Hope it's dry and sunny where you are :)
Love,

Our New Home...

We are hoping to move to Kansas City. But that's pretty much a pipe dream b/c of this economy. So Greenwood it is!
I love Greenwood. Doug and I talked about moving there years ago.
I am excited to be moving but so sad at the same time to leave my local friends and scrap girls. But I know that I'll still be able to go to the monthly crops.. it'll just be a drive, LOL.
And I know that this is the best move for our family right now. I think I am most excited that Caleb will be in a WAY better school system :)


View Larger Map
See up there where it reads Anderson/Pendleton? That's where we live NOW. We are moving about 60 miles south to Greenwood.
Much closer to Indy.. shopping.. excellent school system called Center Grove ..
And here's where the Archivers is.. tee hee

View Larger Map

Just some recent stuff that makes me smile :)

Enough said.

Model Aeronautics Museum.. notice his name on the plane.

33 pounds down, 17 of those on this awesome program.

We're moving soon. It's bittersweet, We're leaving our first home.. the home we built for US. My first mortgage, first HOME, Caleb's ONLY home.
But we're moving to a top school district, closer to Indy, an Archiver's right down the road.... Need I say more? LOL

Let's Get to Hoppin', Ladies!

Would you love to win a kit from the awesome Studio Calico?? I know I sure as heck would!
Well, you CAN! Just by hopping with us!

Your mission is to complete the Blog Hop Challenge over at CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS.
Each of the Design Team members will give you one step that you'll need to complete the challenge. And here is mine:
STEP 7- Add ribbon to your layout somewhere, somehow. It can be 1 piece, 2 pieces, etc. As much or as little as you wish and yes, fiber, lace and pom pom ribbon count :)

Here is the layout I did for this blog hop challenge. I used light green lace to the left of my photo. I just LOVE lace and I LOVED scrapping "girlie" again :)




What could you win for following Step 7 and the other steps on your project? Check this out!



This Lollipop Guild kit from Studio Calico contains:

PROJECT: ATC Stamp (Studio Calico); ATC Tin - Measurement (7gypsies)
EMBELLISHMENTS: Stamp Alphabet Rub-ons (Hambly); All Mixed Up Overlay (Hambly); Just Chillin' Girl Mini Papers (12 sheets)(Making Memories); Just Chillin' Girl Glitter Die-Cuts (Making Memories); Vintage Style Loomed Yarn Flower Cut-Outs (Kitschy Digitals); Chandelier Crystals (Heidi Swapp); Word Keys (3)(Tim Holtz); Ducks In a Row Wild Cards (October Afternoon); Blush & Rouge Bling (Basic Grey); Pink Medium Pom-Pom Trim (Maya Road)

How awesome is that!! You don't know how much I love Studio Calico kits. I wish I could win this one myself!! LOL :)

So what do you do next? Head back on over to Candy Shoppe Designs for the rest of your instructions.
And have an awesome day!!

Hey Hey Hey!

First off.. Let me just give a holla to the Indianapolis Colts! You ROCK!!!

Secondly, check out Candy Shoppe Designs on Wednesday the 16th.. We're having an awesome Blog Hop, I can't wait!


Yesterday was my monthly crop. And I was a total slacker. I didn't get much done, I was laughing my butt off all day. I mean, literally laughing SO much.
I worked on an 8x8 album I'm making for my soon-to-be niece, Princess Sage.
I'll show pics from that in a day or so, I'm still finishing up on it. But that's all I did.. ALL DAY. LOL

Thanks NJS girls for making me laugh. I loooove you all! And I can't wait to spend 3 whole days with you next month at the retreat! WHOO HOO!!! :)

Speaking of the retreat, I need cardstock.. BAD. Like black/brown/red/blue.
Anyone know of a store that has some on sale this week? I checked out HL's sales ad, it stinks this week.
So if you know of something, please email me or comment. Thanks chicas!

Have a great week.. I'll be back for sure on Wednesday!

Get ready to hop!!

My little guy is all about hopping these days. What about you? Do you like to HOP?

Well, on Sept 16th Candy Shoppe Designs will be sixteen days old. So that calls for a celebration!

CSD will be hosting a SUPER Sweet 16 Blog Hop Challenge and you're all invited. Bring your friends, too. Spread the news :)

And check out this tiny sneek of the awesome blog candy you could win!

How YUMMY is that!?!?

Now, start spreading the word. You don't want to miss this!

Hi Ladies (and gent)

I hope y'all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!
We have no plans. Hubby took Caleb to a free model airplane/aeronautics show today while I scrapped a layout for the CSD design team.
I scrapped "girlie" again and I actually really really love my layout!
But I can't show it yet.. Stayed tuned.. it'll be posted in about 10 days :)

My 12 hour crop is next Saturday. I can't wait!! My brother and his wife just found out they are having a baby girl (who will be named Sage.. how cute is that!) so Aunt Jenny is making the baby her very first scrapbook album. And my sister in law asked me to make her a picture frame or two for the babies' nursery.
So that's what I'll be working on at the crop.
I'm excited!!

Well, have a great rest of the weekend/holiday. If you have time, check out Candy Shoppe Designs. There are several challenges going on right now and each challenge you do this month earns you a point towards the grand prize from the Bad Girls Kit Club :)
Later taters!

Check this out!

Do you love altering items? How about clipboards?
Check out this awesome challenge at CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS!
Remember, each challenge you do earns you points and at the end of the month you can win the grand prize of a BAD GIRLS kit!! Yum!
See ya over there! :)

Striptease 101, baby!!!

Check out Candy Shoppe Designs today.. There's lots of Lollipop Girl lusciousness goin' on!!!
And.... a new CHALLENGE!!
And an awesome SKETCH!!! :)

Here's my take on the STRIP TEASE challenge....

(click to see detail)

I was so worried when asked to do this challenge.
We were given a color palette that FREAKED me out: GIRLY colors.. hot pink and purple!
But I worked through it and I love my layout! And my "strips" are strips of lace on the top of the layout and under the photo along with a strip of paper folded accordian style under the pic.

Supplies Used:
Pink Shimmer Cardstock: Paper Adventures
Patterned Paper: Making Memories
Foam Alpha Stickers: American Crafts Thickers
Flowers: Prima & Imaginisce
Butterfly: Prima
Bling: Hero Arts
Others: Waxy Flax, Lace (unknown)

TFL and please take the time to go over to the Candy Shoppe Designs blog and check out the work of my fellow Design Team girls. Each one is SO incredibly talented, I know you'll love what they've come up with!
While you're over there, join in on the Striptease challenge or some of the other challenges for your chance to win a kit from the BAD GIRLS kit club!


Peace & Love,

MY AWESOME NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So anyone that knows me knows I can't keep a secret. So for several weeks I've been DIEING over here to tell you that I was asked to join the AWESOME, FREAKIN' COOL new Design Team for CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS.
A Challenge blog with AWESOME sponsors (this month is the BAD GIRLS kit club.. how flippin' ROCKIN' is that!!!).
And my fellow Design Team members? Well, I don't even feel like I belong beside them, their work blows me away!

You HAVE to go check out their (and my) work over on the CSD blog.
And check out the AWESOME prize this month.. A kit called "Postcards From Paris" from the fabulous BAD GIRLS KIT CLUB.

You know you want it. Sooooo, Go play!!!

Dang I'm excited about this!! LOL

For our first assignment we were asked to create an "All About Me" layout using our new Lollipop name.
My hubby actually chose mine.. I'm "Candy Apple Red".
Fits me to a "t", don't ya think?
Here's my layout >


It's way more themey than I'm used to doing but, I like it.

TFL.. Remember, head on over now to Candy Shoppe Designs to become a "Sweetheart Girl" and then get your groove on doing the first challenge. Have fun! Can't wait to see what y'all come up with!


Peace and love,

A few more days til I can announce my great news, I can't wait!!!

Til then, here are some pics of Cay on his first day of Preschool (Monday).
There has been a tad bit of crying b/c he's so tired. He is still getting used to taking his nap an hour later than normal. But other than that, he is totally loving it!
And Mama is loving the extra 2.5 hours I get to myself. I'm doing some work for hubby, things that he needs done to be more productive at his job.

I also cut Caleb's hair myself a week ago. It was getting really long on top. I saved the hair but forgot to take pics. Bad bad Mommy! :(
I guess I can always use these pictures...

At home ready to go:

He just walked into class.. didn't even kiss me goodbye, LOL:

He loves his teacher:

Ready to go home for a nap.. Let's go home, Mama!


TFL!! Have a great weekend, everyone!

I'm alive!! LOL

I've been SO bad about blogging lately, I'm so sorry.
I'm still here. And I've been making lots of creations for my new DT gig. I can't wait to show you!! :)

My baby starts preschool on Monday. I'm sad but, I know this will be an awesome thing for him.
And this week he started asking and answering questions.
Each day we find that the things we thought were Autism are going away. All I can say to that is Praise God!! LOL

Here are a few cards I forgot to post last month. Simple and easy. Love the embossed star one :)



TFL and have a great rest of the weekend!

I'm SO excited! People DO read my blog. YAY!! LOL

I just received the news of this award via email from my friend Cheryl.
Thank you SO much, Cheryl!
Here's what the email had to say:


"Congratulations, Scrapbook News and Review, the leading paper crafting magazine on the internet, has noticed and is impressed by your blog. We appreciate the time, effort and creativity that you share with the crafting world and to show our approval, we've included this unique blog award for you to proudly display.
This award is possible only if you've been nominated by our staff or readers and have been approved by our editors. We encourage you to display it proudly and link it back to Scrapbook News and Review Magazine. We thank you for all you've given to the blogging world and encourage you to keep doing so. We'll keep watching and enjoying."

Thanks so much SNR and Cheryl! I will display my blog award proudly :)

Oh my gosh, it's Friday already!!

This week has just FLOWN by! And I've been crazy busy!!
No scrappy layouts for you, sorry. I have a bunch to share but I have to wait til I can.. tee hee :)

Caleb just turned three and is starting Preschool in a little over a week! So all week I've been selling stuff like mad to scrappy friends and on 2Peas to make some money for some school clothes (used but nice condition) for him and for tuition.
I can't believe my little boy is going to SCHOOL!! How crazy is that!
They grow up SO fast *sigh*

Here are some pics from my crop last weekend. I took alot more but it's so expensive to have them sent from my cell phone to my email so I'll just post three. These ladies are all good friends now and just SO sweet! I *luv* them :)

Kelly & Shannon.
Kelly drives all the way from Fishers to scrap with us :)
And Shannon cracks me up! She's the reason why I don't get much done at the crops, LOL.


Melissa (co-founder) & Barb.
Barb drives all the way from the west side of Indy for our crops! And she also won a contest I had going on. She won a Fiskars trimmer. Way to go, Barb!

Here is Melva sharing her laptop and Cricut with some of the other girls. Mama Melva is SO sweet!

Well, I'm off to make dinner. Hopefully I'll get some scrapping done this weekend. Have a great one, y'all!

A Few New Things...

Hi all!!
I got three layouts done over the weekend. Here are two I did at my crop yesterday:

Cardstock: Bazzill
Shaped paper: Fancy Pants
Film strip transparency: LYB
Fuzzy brackets: SEI (inked with Staz On)
Black Thickers: American Crafts
Metal photo corners: Making Memories
Misc Buttons and fiber

(Thanks Melissa Brinduse for the metal photo corners.. I think they really finished the layout for me.)

Kraft paper: Hobby Lobby
Chipboard star: Scenic Route (inked with Staz On)
Chipboard Alphas: Thickers by AC
Patterned Paper: Making Memories
Metal Hinge: unknown (opens up to reveal journaling under picture)
Unknown misc buttons, fiber, ric rac and burlap

(Thanks Jenny Boone for the pics you took of Caleb (baseball) and the kraft paper!)

The third LO I did is for a new venture I'm starting on Sept 1st.
I've decided to not return for a second term on the DT at If It's Groovy so that I can pursue this new venture.
I loved IIG and am thankful to Deb and all the great fellow designers I made there. Thanks for making my term fabulous. And of course, I'll still follow the IIG blog and do the challenges :)

I'll post my new work on my blog on Sept 1st. And I'm sure I'll do a few more things before then that I can post. See ya then!

Have a great Sunday!!

August If It's Groovy DT Layout

Hi all, sorry I've been away for a while. This has been a crazy busy week for us.
I have an awesome, exciting announcement to make but am going to wait a bit.. I'll keep you guessing.. tee hee.

Here is my challenge layout for the If It's Groovy DT. I'll post the other work I did for the DT later in the month after Deb has posted it on the IF IT'S GROOVY blog :)





The challenge theme this month was "Office Supplies" so I used a binder clip, my EK Success notebook paper border punch and staples.
I also used some really OLD specialty mulberry paper that I've had since I first started scrappin' and made a cloud and stitched on it. I think it's cute :)

My monthly crop is next Saturday.. I can't wait! I have a ton to work on.

I'll leave my relatives/friends that care with some pics of Caleb taken Saturday at Monkey Joe's bouncey place in Indy. He had SO much fun!!

This was a super big slide he went down by himself several times. He LOVED it!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Thirty Five

It used to be such a scary number to me.
I used to see it and think, I can't have kids after I'm 35.. as if my ovaries all the sudden will go bad.

Well today I am thirty five...
And I don't feel a day over 25 and I'm actually at PEACE today. Knowing that when the time is right, we'll have another baby.. another blessing.
No, we aren't trying. It's not time yet. I am on my weight loss journey. 18 pounds down and so many more to go. I'll get there.

Thank you God for thirty five.

August Design Team Sneaks

Hello all!
I'm excited to announce that I've been asked to stay on the Design Team for IF IT'S GROOVY for another term. (Thanks Deb *grin*)

And I have to confess.. Being honest, this Summer has been crazy for me. Between vacations, Caleb's Birthday, guests from out of town coming in, my best friends' visit and just trying to focus on spending more time with my two favorite boys, I've had little time to scrap or blog. With the exception of my one day a month that I crop with friends, I've cropped here at my home just a few times this Summer.
Some would say I'm a slacker but I assure you, I'm not. I'm NOT blocked this time.. Or lazy. I just haven't had the time.
Some of my close friends know that in the past couple of months we have come to realize that Caleb might be slightly Autistic (communication only) so I've been trying to spend extra time with him during the day.
And potty training.. oh my goodness! He has no interest. So I gave up on trying and haven't been pushing it. He'll be four before he's potty trained but I guess that's the breaks. How do you make a child that can barely ask/answer questions understand potty training? It's been tough. It hasn't "clicked" with him yet.
Yet the kid can now count to 80 uninterrupted, knows his ABC's forwards and backwards. Knows all his colors, shapes and numbers and can recite several nursery rhymes. Sometimes, it makes no sense to me.
Anyway, I don't want to get into all that but let's just say my world has been rocked a bit. We will know FOR SURE if he is Autistic in Sept or October. We are waiting for his eval at Riley Child Development center in Indy.
In the meantime, I'm trying not to read too much on the internet b/c it is all freaking me out and just making our anxiety about it worse.
He has a few signs but there are also signs of Autism that he doesn't have at all. So we are praying that he is just stubborn and doesn't want to conversate just yet, LOL.
Here is a picture Carli took Tues night of Cay & I.

I don't allow my picture to be taken very often. I've never liked pictures of myself and I've gained a ton of weight since having Caleb and I'm just embarassed of myself. And I have a major butt chin that I hate.. so you'll rarely see pics of me (if you haven't noticed that already, LOL).
But I like this one. I am kissing him and he is just so happy to be with his Mama :)

My birthday is Sunday.. I am hoping for some scrappy time but we'll see.. I might opt for a play day and dinner out with my boys instead.
So have a great rest of the week, everyone! I'll see you back here after the 1st!

Carli is in the house!!!

My BFF (since we were 12!!) is here from Grand Cayman. It's been a great time catching up with her .. I've missed her! *sigh*
One of these days (hopefully SOON) she's moving back to the states. It can't come soon enough, she is my rock and the only friend that has ever loved me through thick and thin (literally). She's never judged me for my mistakes and "gets" why I am the way that I am and loves me anyway.
Alot of my pics didn't come out but here's one that did. I plan to get some of her and I soon.

Here's Cay and "Auntie Carli". He just loves her. She took me to the Doctor Friday (that's another story *sigh*) and he just sat on her lap out in the waiting room the whole time I was in with the Doctor.. he was SO good for her which shocked me! LOL

And here's my little guy. He has the prettiest blueish-brown eyes.



We are off to the bounce/gymnastics place.. We're signing Caleb up for soccer/gymnastics soon and want to get him used to the place.

Have a great day, everyone!

Hi All!

Hi everyone, I'm still Ms. Busybody.
My BFF #1 Carli is here from Grand Cayman and is coming over tonight to visit. I can't wait!

And in scrappy news did I tell y'all I sold four of my Cricut carts to my fellow croppers so now I'm going on a three day scrapbooking retreat in October with the Not Just Scrappin' gang!!!?? WHOO HOOOOOOO!!! Never would we ever be able to afford to go on my own.. Even though it's cheap (only $109), that is alot of money to us right now. So, I feel SO blessed to have sold some stuff and be able to go now!! YAY!!
There will be about 50 of us gals.. I can't wait! It's going to be a blast!!!

I've never been away from Caleb for more than 6-7 hours so this should be interesting. But, I'm really looking forward to it and am anxious. I'm wondering how I'm going to fit everything in our car, LOL.

And last night I sold a few pre-made layouts and about 300 sheets of scrapbooking paper for some extra money for some ATG gun adhesive.
I'll be set for about a year with the adhesive I bought. WHOO HOO!!!
Now I just need to get a rolling crate.. wonder what I can sell to buy that... LOL.
I love this trading and selling scrappy supplies I don't ever use. It's COOL :)

Have a great day, everyone!

Backwards ABC's & a recipe for you!

Caleb started reciting his ABC's backward yesterday.. Just totally out of the blue. And FAST, too!
At first I thought "oh my, he's super super smart".
But then I realized, this is just another sign that he might have Autism.
Anyway, check it out.



And here is the recipe for a dish my friend Koty made for the crop on Saturday.
It is sooooo yummy and relatively healthy.

Oriental Cole Slaw
1 bag cole slaw mix
1/2 bunch of green onions chopped
1 package Ramen noodles (UNcooked)
3oz bag salted sunflower seeds
1.5-2oz bag slivered almonds
Mix together in bowl

Dressing:
Mix in bowl 1/2 packet Oriental Ramen noodle seasoning pack
1/2 packet Chicken Ramen noodle seasoning pack
1/6 cup vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Then pour on salad and mix.
YUM!!

Now I am on a diet so I tried the dressing with olive oil and it did NOT taste the same at all. It wasn't very good. So I don't recommend it.
Doug isn't a salad person and he LOVES it! So give it a try :)

My Crop Layouts

Here are the layouts I made yesterday at my crop.
I always take alot of supplies but never enough, I'm always missing something that I need so my crop layouts never really please me. But these are okay, I think.
As my hubby says. "You don't go there to scrap, you really go there to chat with your friends!". And, he's right. That's what I do.. chat. ALOT. LOL
I also have two cards to show but those will have to wait til August 1st. And I really LOVE one of them :)

Full of So Much Wonder
Paper: Paper Loft & Basic Grey June Bug
Chipboard Alphas: Bo Bunny
Flowers: Basic Grey June Bug & DCWV paper posies
Other: unknown twine, white Bazzill cardstock, Colorbox chalk ink

My Daddy, My Friend
Paper: Basic Grey Archaic
Kraft Paper
Border Strips: Basic Grey Archaic
Daddy/baby Chipboard Dinos: Basic Grey Archaic
Alpha Stickers: Pink Paislee
Buttons: Fancy Pants
Journaling spot: Colorbok
Other: Magic Mesh, unknown twine, Colorbox chalk ink; Heidi Swapp distressing tool

TFL and have a GREAT week!!

Hi Hi Hi!!

I am home from my all day crop where I was able to complete two layouts and one card. I know, not much for eight hours but hey, I'm a talker, LOL.

Here are some pics of some of my crop buddies (taken on my crappy cell phone camera).

Koty & Lefa.
Ironically, I used to date Koty's brother in HS.
He was my show choir dance partner for a year and prom date senior year.
It's ironic that we now scrap together, LOL.

Quinette.
She comes with her Mom Melva who is just the most awesome Mommy in the world!
I love those two girls!

Mindy Lou Who.. She is a sweetie and makes the best cakes and cake pops. She also let's me use her Cricut machine all the time cause I'm too lazy to cart mine to the crops, LMBO :)

I'll have pics up tomorrow of some of my work!! Come back and see me then :)
Byeeeeee!

Okay, finally some promised pictures

Hi Everyone! I've been busy. Way busier than I'm used to.
And I've just had NO time to keep up with my blog (and other things).
So pardon the tardiness in posting Caleb's birthday pictures.
Here are a few (unedited) pics. I have a million more but I'll spare you, LOL.

Now I'm off to do my daily chores and plan out some "kits" for use at my 12 hour crop tomorrow. I find that if I don't have a plan, I get nothing done except talking, LOL.

Have a great weekend, everyone!
*****************************

6/26/09 The day before his Birthday. Escapes in Muncie. They have really cool tubes, ball pits and stuff for the kids. This is Caleb up really HIGH in the tubes (Doug's sister Erin is behind him).

Caleb coming down the slide with Aunt Erin.


The day OF his Birthday. Free spray park fun!

Playing with cousin Ryan.

Still pretty leary of the spraying water but he warmed up to it.

Party time!! 6/28/09
The baking of the cake. This was my first time EVER baking a cake (the other is for the cake balls I made).

Caleb and I made the kids little treat bags and cake pops. They were SO yummy and everyone complimented me on them. Thanks Mindy for the recipe!! :)

The set up. Even though later we decided to eat and have him open presents outside. It was just too nice to pass that up, LOL.

Caleb's elbow in the cake, LOL.

Opening presents...

Cousin Ryan LOVED Aunt Jenny's cake!

Some of the party guests:

Looking at one of the cards. The Backyardigans card, I'm sure. LOL

My Mom & Step (adopted) Dad.

My little brother and his wife (who is pregnant with "Baby Bean").

TFL!!

Real quick....

I am just CRAZY busy lately and WAY too addicted to Facebook! Well, FARMTOWN on Facebook, LOL.
(Darn you, Danielle!!)
Sorry I haven't been around... I promise some new work on Sunday or Monday. My crop is this weekend.
I DID make a new card but it's for the If It's Groovy DT so I can't show it til Aug 1st *sigh*.
Anyhoo...
I'VE BEEN TAGGED by Angi!
So here's some stuff about me .. whether you like it or not! tee hee :)


8 Favorite Shows:

1- Law & Order (all 3)
2- Heroes
3- Survivor
4- Big Brother
5- Jon & Kate plus 8 (and it PAINS me to admit this but I'm more addicted now because of all the dang controversy!)
6- Criminal Minds
7- Little People, Big World
8- Ruby

8 Things I did yesterday:
OMG.. I have a HORRIBLE memory.. I'm not sure I remember! LOL

1- Cleaned Caleb's room in the morning.. then again after nap.. then again before bed!
2- Played PlayDoh and loved it! LOL
3- Took a nap.
4- Did dishes.
5- Did laundry.
6- Make egg salad sandwiches.. Caleb loved it!
7- Watered my flowers.
8- Had a huge YUMMY sweet tea from McD's!!

8 Things I am looking forward to:

1- My 4 year Wedding anniversary on Thursday :)
2- My crop on Saturday.
3- My Birthday in three weeks.
4- The scrap retreat I *might* be going to in October.
5- Meeting my new niece or nephew in January.
6- Finally finishing Caleb's first year (scrapping).
7- The pumpkin patch with Caleb.
8- Christmas! I looooooove Christmas!!!

8 Favorite Restaurants:

1- Cancun (Castleton)
2- Olive Garden
3- Red Lobster
4- Hong Kong Cuisine (Fishers)
5- Applebees (only one thing there I love)
6- Bob Evans (yes, go ahead.. laugh)
7- Arby's
8- Any seafood place I've never been before...

8 Things on my wish list:

1- To lose a ton of weight.
2- Hubby to lose weight.
3- That Caleb is not autistic.
4- That the company hubby works for weathers this hard depression and hubby remains employed.
5- A good, TRUE friend that lives close.. preferably someone to scrap with. My BFF's are too far away!
6- Guidance on which church to commit to.
7- Patience while potty training!! LOL
8- Maid.

8 People I Tag:

Bethie J
Michelle S
Cheryl
Allissa
Zoa
Jenny
Sarah
Tracy

Going to do some hoppin'...

Blog hoppin', that is.
Check out the SNR 4th of July Blog Hop for some awesome FUN!

And have a great 4th, everyone!

My Birthday came early this year...

I love my hubby!!

I hadn't had any new scrappy goodies in over a month and he knew how much I needed a few new things to take to my crop next weekend so he took me to Archiver's last night after Caleb's Peds appointment and let me get some stuff that matches the outfit Caleb is wearing in his new pictures (see below posts).
Our anniversary is the 9th, my Birthday is the 26th. So this is my present. But I'm cool with that.. I'm the kind of girl that wants nothing more than new scrappy stuff for her Birthday, Christmas, Valentines Day, etc.. LOL
I'm easy to please.. just get me a gift card to Hobby Lobby and I'm on cloud 9! LOL
I could be in need of clothes or shoes or anything that is really NEEDED but I'd rather have scrapbook stuff instead, LOL.
<------ major scrap addict :) And just when I didn't think it could get any better, I was informed that I had a $21.64 credit at Archiver's from something I had my sister in law take back Dec 2007.. I had completely forgotten about it and (YIKES) hadn't been into Archiver's since to use it. What a nice surprise!! MORE scrappy goodies for me. WHOO HOO!!! So what'd I get, you ask? Check it out!! EK Success border punch.. makes the "ripped notebook paper" look. How cool is that!?

Element and chip stickers from the Basic Grey Lime Rickey line:

And the line I'm using to scrap Caleb's new pics.. Basic Grey Junebug:

I got two sheets of this one. SOOOO cute!!

This was in their $1.99 spot. SO cute!

K&Co Actopus to Zelephant paper. I wanted the flash cards and diecut titles from this line but they didn't have them:

I also got two sheets of dark blue Bazzill cardstock, a die cut sheet from the Making Memories Giggle Kids boy line, a $1.99 Basic Grey owl stamp and like four or five $1.99 items from the Hot Spot.. just some older Christmas product that was pretty cute.

OMG, I'm in heaven!
I can't wait to use this stuff at my crop!! :)
New stuff for me is SO rare anymore unless I win it so, I get so giddy when I get something new. And this stuff is so awesome and is even better since I got to SEE it and FEEL it myself before choosing to buy it, something that is rare for me since I usually have to buy my stuff online. YAY!

So what's everyone up to this holiday weekend? Hubby is going to organize out in the garage and we might go to my parents tomorrow night but we're not sure. They let the fireworks off right by our house, we can see them from our backyard so, we might just stay here.
We have church on Sunday, too. But other than that, we are staying home and just relaxing.

Have a great 4th! I hope it is awesome for y'all!

Cosmo Cricket is having a Design Team Call!!!

And everyone knows Cosmo Cricket is my NUMBER ONE favorite scrapbook company so I thought what the hay, I'll try out!

Here is some of my work using Cosmo Cricket :)
Some of these are old.. I've been using CC since the very beginning.
I believe I have every single paper pack they've come out with with the exception of Everafter and Girl Friday.
I can't get enough of their product!!

TFL!

July IF IT'S GROOVY Design Team Work

Above are my July projects for IIG.

Here is the sketch I used for the bottom card. It's by the talented (and local) Valerie Salmon :)

Thanks for looking!

I'll post Birthday pics later in the week! And hopefully I'll get some scrapping done soon. It's just been too nice and I've been WAY too busy to scrap. But ya gotta love Summer, huh? :)

Jenny :)

More Picture Overload...

He LOVED this balloon. The scrapbooking Mama/photo lover in me came up with the idea. And, it ROCKED! LOL. Cause we were able to refill the balloon for $3 and use it at his Birthday party, too!

I have a TON of pics from his party and all the stuff we did for his Birthday (cheap and FREE stuff, gotta love it! LOL).

Will be back later! TFL!!

Picture Overload!!

Shhhoooo, I am partied out!
You probably won't see any scrappy stuff from me until after my monthly crop in two weeks. I'm just tired and need a break. This whole party planning, housecleaning and entertaining of guests all month has pooped me out! LOL
But it was SO worth it. My little guy had an awesome party and had SO much fun!!

Here are some more of the pics taken by Nikole. There are a ton more.. I'll post them later.
And I'll be back later with pics from his party, spraypark and bounce zone!
TFL!