Scrap Happy Mama

Merry Christmas from The Brannies Family

2011-12-19T21:41:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from our family to yours. May God bless you and your families. Thank you for your continued readership and support. I promise next year to scrap and share more. I'm just going through alot right now but things are looking up.
Have a great CHRISTmas! And remember the TRUE reason for the season.. Christ himself.
Love you!

Stamp A Stack

2011-12-10T23:08:00.004-05:00

Today I attended a Stampin' Up! "Stamp A Stack" event at my friend Heather's house. I made twenty Christmas cards.. five each of four designs. LOVE them!!
Here they are! (cell phone pics, sorry)

Some detail:

Have a great rest of the weekend! Thanks for looking!

Cookies 'n Santa

2011-12-03T17:13:00.004-05:00

Well I still have no scrappy goodies to show you. We went to Wichita, KS the week of Thanksgiving and I came back sick. I've spent the last five days trying to get better. I was so sick I didn't even feel like putting up the Christmas tree but thank the Lord, it's almost done now.. just needs ornaments!
While in Wichita I visited a LOCAL scrapbook store. WOW, what fun that was! They had a few things I've been unable to get at Archivers.. WHOO HOO!
It's a fun little store. So if you are ever in the Wichita area, check out Scrap Funattic in Andover. Loved it!

Today, we took Caleb to "Cookies 'n Santa" at Fishers Town Hall. We were first in line, thank God. Because Caleb has a hard time waiting in lines. He sat on Santies lap and said "I WANT AN ORANGE AND BLACK LEAF BLOWER". It was SO cute. Last year he wanted a hand mixer.. this year, a leaf blower. What is with my son and appliances/tools? HA!
Too cute :)
Well, I happen to know that good old Santa (aka his Aunt Erin) has already gotten him that leaf blower. He's going to love it! :)

Well next week I have a Christmas "stamp a stack" class I'm taking at my friend Heather's. I'll be back to share pics of those cards then.
Have a great week!

Blog Your Heart & A Few Christmas Things :)

2011-11-13T20:04:00.008-05:00

Hello everyone :)
This is going to be a lengthy post.. just warning ya.

I didn't end up scrappin' at the twelve-hour crop yesterday. I stayed home with my boys and cleaned out the garage, had a friend over and tried on clothes that I hadn't been able to wear in YEARS. I haven't seen my husband much in the past month and felt like I really needed to stay home with he and my son.
There's always next month, anyway...

So I want to share some things with you.. some personal things.
Ali Edwards or some other scrap celebrity started this challenge called "Blog Your Heart". Which is perfect for me because I'm one of the most honest people you will ever meet. I am TOO honest at times.
TMI? - yeah, that's me sometimes. But oh well. I am who I am.
But even though I'm honest, I don't generally tell strangers that read my blog a ton of my business. Yeah, I share pics and stories related to Caleb's Autism and a few things here and there about my weight loss surgery. But I don't share super personal things on here. Well, today I am.
Anyway, here is what's going on with me -
On the weight loss front, I've now lost over 184lbs. Yes, I'm very very proud of myself. People say I should be so happy now. And I am. I LOOK happier and I am able to do SO much more now. But has the weight loss "fixed" everything? No. The surgery helped but, it didn't fix my brain. It's just a tool. Not a magic pill.
I still have to work very hard to lose weight (and keep losing). I mourn the loss of food. It was my best friend for a LONG time. I can pretty much eat anything now without getting sick so I really have to stay diligent about eating the right foods and exercising. I still battle depression. I've thought about selling all my scrap stuff and giving scrapping up. Scrapping doesn't really cheer me up anymore like it used to. And with my scraproom upstairs and a kid that won't stay upstairs with me for longer than a few minutes and a husband that's never home, it's really hard to scrap here at home.
But I know this is just a temporary thing and as soon as I do that I'll regret it. So I'm getting therapy and praying ALOT and hopefully I'll get through all this ---WITHOUT MEDICATION--forget that, anti-depressants don't work on me. Not to mention, we are thinking about having another baby next year and I don't want to be on any meds that could affect the baby. Sometimes I worry being on an SSRI while pregnant with Caleb CONTRIBUTED to him being Autistic.
So there you have it. Say a prayer for me if you will.

On the scrapbooking front.. I went to a Stampin' Up! workshop at my friend Heather's today and here are a few things I made. (cell phone pics, sorry)

mini card

8x8 page - obviously I need to put a pic on this

If you're interested in Stampin' Up! and don't have a local demonstrator, check out Heather's website. She is awesome :) (and please tell her Jenny Brannies sent you, tee hee)

Anyway, that's it. Thanks for "listening" to me "blog my heart". I hope you all have a GREAT week!
I plan on scrapping at Archivers with a few friends this next Saturday night. Hopefully I'll be back with pics of my work next weekend.
Byeee!

Halloween & Fall Cuteness

2011-11-09T12:44:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd pop on here and say HI and post a few more pics from Caleb's Fall photoshoot with CJS Photography as well as some Halloween pics.

Halloween this year ROCKED!
Unlike last year, Caleb was open to his costume (although he wouldn't wear ANYthing else even though I tried to talk him into it after I saw his costume was too short). And thank God, too. Because it cost me a whopping $3.00 at a rummage sale a few mos ago.. I love bargains!
He also LOVED going from house to house saying "TRICK-OR-TREAT" (often before the homeowners would open their door, though. Mental note: work on that for next year, LOL)

This was the first year he was really into it. It made hubby and I both so happy to see him so giddy about it all. YAY CALEB!!
Another great thing - he doesn't even care about the candy! He ate the lollipops and that was all he cared for. It's all in the trash now which, is great for Mommy & Daddy. No more temptation for us :)

Here are a few pics I took with my iPhone 4S and Instagram. LOOOOVE Instagram!!

And here are some (unedited) pics from my DSLR.
They aren't that great. I was really into being "present" and helping Caleb trick-or-treat this year instead of being the photographer like in years past :)

See how short his costume was? Yep, he was like Steve Urkel but SO darn cute! tee hee

After we trick-or-treated, we went over to our neighbors house and had a bonfire, wine and more fun. It was a blast! :)

And here are some more pics from Cay's Fall photoshoot. I just LOVE them! Can't wait to scrap them!

Regarding scrapping: I have scrapped the past two Saturday nights with friends at Archivers but I've only worked on kits.. no REAL scrapping so far. I find when I'm not in a creative mood or simply don't have the time to get all my scrap stuff together for a crop, working on kits is best.
I'm going to a Stampin' Up! party Friday night and Saturday I'm going to an all day NJS crop. I'm really hoping I'll get some stuff done there but we shall see.. I have NO DESIRE right now to go edit and print out pics and get all my Fall stuff together for this crop so we'll see what happens. I might just do more kitting. Leaves me free to talk more to friends at the crop, anyway.. tee hee :)

Well, have a great rest of the week. Thanks for looking!

Tuesday Morning goodies :)

2011-11-08T16:19:00.004-05:00

For those of you with a Tuesday Morning near you and a Prima flowers fetish (like me!), RUN to TM asap!
Check out what I got there today (thanks Teresa for making me aware of your Prima finds).

Lots of flowers. I looooove polka dots!

$2.99 Tim Holtz Grungeboard. I have a ton of GB but I'd never seen either of these sets before so I snatched them up.
Prima 6x6 paper stack. Last one. Love it!

I'll be back later with another post. I have lots of pics from Caleb's Fall photo shoot and Halloween to share :)

Fall Professional Photo Shoot

2011-10-27T17:34:00.008-04:00

Hi all, I'm sorry I haven't blogged in awhile. I went to Vegas with hubby for an Autism conference and since I got back, Caleb has been a real handful. I think with Mommy and Daddy both being gone and my MIL watching him, he has regressed a bit on some things.

I also recently joined the local YMCA and have been there alot .. especially in the pool with Caleb. He is normally scared to death of water so when he LOVED the pool, I was SHOCKED! So of course, I take him there any chance I can :)

Regarding scrapbooking, hubby has been gone ALOT. I SO need a break. I'm hoping to crop with a few friends this weekend at Archiver's :) :)

Here are some pics of Caleb that were taken last Friday at a park right by our house - Fishers Heritage Park at White River. Thank you so much to CJS Photography. You did an OUTSTANDING job! I can't wait to scrap these.
And there will be more to come!

Til next time,

Another School Layout

2011-10-09T11:14:00.004-04:00

I scrapped at Archivers with Michele last night. Another school layout *sigh*.
I know, I'm sick of them, too. LOL
I have ONE more to do and then I'm done for a while. YAY! Then I'm going to scrap pumpkin patch pics :) Double YAY!

First Day of Preschool 2011-
Background paper, chipboard, fabric, clear & cardstock embellies - Little Yellow Bicycle; Small blue alphas - Prima; "2011" - American Crafts Thickers. Also used blue pen to add dot circles and lines to my paper.. it definitely brought the layout together. It's amazing what such a simple thing adds :)

Thanks for looking. Have a great weekend!

Family & Field Trips

2011-10-06T16:49:00.005-04:00

I have been CRAZY BUSY!! I mean, unbelievably NUTSO busy!
In addition to be sick (all three of us have sinus infections), hubs has been out of town all but one day the past few weeks, we've been doing alot of church things (small groups, etc).
Also, Caleb had a field trip to the pumpkin patch w/his school, etc etc.

Sunday we had a family get-together at my parents house. They live on a few acres with a pond and it's really just GORGEOUS property. And since we were altogether for the first time in over a year and a half, they had a professional photographer come out and take pics of all of us. It was my Mom's idea for us to wear Colts gear (which, if you know my Mom, that's pretty shocking! She's not a football fan, LOL).
Here's a pic of the three of us :)

I'd love to say I've been scrapbooking my little heart out but other than some Christmas cards and a few kit layouts, I haven't done much.
And life isn't going to slow down anytime soon.
Next week the inlaws are going to come in from Kansas City and watch Caleb while hubs and I travel to Las Vegas for an Autism conference. I'm hoping to sneak a date night in on Saturday night.. praying it works out :)
I'm going to scrap at Archivers this Saturday night with a friend.. hoping to get something done and maybe, just maybe, I'll have something to show you on Monday :)

Til then, have a GREAT week!

Busy!!

2011-09-19T10:59:00.008-04:00

We've been very busy lately (and SICK) so I haven't had time to scrapbook. Hopefully once I get over what it is that I have, I'll be back to scrappin' again.
September 9th my friend Michele and I took Caleb (and her son) to the VIP kids carnival in Zionsville. It's JUST for special needs kids. LOTS of Autistic kids there. Caleb had a BLAST!! All the rides were FREE and he rode his first REAL amusement rides ever! Here are a few pics. It was raining so they aren't the best. But I'm still going to scrap them :)

First face painting:

Mommy won Caleb his first pet (goldfish). Unfortunately, Mommy also killed it (but Caleb didn't really care or understand anything about that).
This is Caleb & Michele:

And then Saturday we did a walk for Autism called "Answers for Autism". I have pics from that as well but they are on my cell phone and I cannot find my USB cord. I'll upload those later and I know I will also be scrapping them :)

I hope to get at least one layout done this week. We'll see.. It's going to be a busy one.
Hope yours is GREAT!

School Days

2011-09-11T09:21:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I cropped a few hours with friends Michele & Heather at the NJS crop in Anderson. We didn't stay as long as normal and my mind was elsewhere so I only got one layout done but, I actually like it :)
I know I did a school layout last week but that was from THIS year. The layout below is from his first day of school LAST year.
Expect more to come as well. I still need to do another layout from each year. I took LOTS of pics and also have pics that his teacher from last year gave me of him playing in the classroom :)

"School Days"
Kraft & navy blue cardstock: Bazzill; patterned paper, cardstock star, journaling box & banner flag: October Afternoon; plain chipboard Thickers sprayed with navy blue Glimmer Mist; EK Success border punch; fabric apple brad: Paper Studio (Hobby Lobby)

The journaling box is tucked under the photo on the left and just talks about how we moved to Fishers when we found out Caleb was on the Autism spectrum and how great the school system/early childhood program is. How much he loved his teacher Ms. Heather and school, etc. in the 2010/11 school year.
**********************************************************

Have you seen this new "Hoot Hoot" paper stack from Hobby Lobby? LOVE IT!!!
I've been really into owls the past few years so last night this one caught my eye. And of course, I HAD to get it.. there was one left and it was 40% off! This will be perfect for Fall layouts!
I loooove Hobby Lobby!
And.... I may or may not have bought some Christmas decor there last night :) :) tee hee

Well, that's it for now. Have a great week!

Ready!

2011-09-03T13:56:00.004-04:00

This cute little boy started his third year of Preschool on Monday.
We were thrown a curveball in early August. He didn't get the school/teacher we were originally told he would have but so far, the new school/teacher is working out which is a BLESSING because I have been SO worried. Change is hard for most Autistic kids.. Caleb is no exception. But he's been coming home happy and seems to love it :)

I went and cropped at Archivers last night and here's a layout I did about his first day of school. Not too thrilled with it.. it just doesn't feel DONE but I am learning to leave my layouts alone if I ever want to get caught up on Caleb's albums (I'm about two years behind at this point).
Besides, who am I scrapping for?
ME! (and Caleb/future generations).
Not to be on design teams, not to impress anyone else, etc :)
Sometimes I think I forget that.

"Ready!"
Kraft cardstock: Bazzill; Red paper: Core'dinations; patterned school paper & diecuts: Simple Stories; Red corrugated alphas: Jillibean Soup; EK Success border punch & tag punch

Journaling reads: "This is your 3rd year of preschool.... You are a school pro by now.. You {heart} it so much! On this day we went outside an hour before the bus came... you were so excited! You kept asking "Where's my bus, Mommy?" You are so cute!"

No crop this next Friday night for me as we have other (really fun) plans.
But Saturday is my monthly NJS crop. I (hope) I get at least 2 layouts done there.
Til then, have a GREAT Labor Day and, a great week!!

Chicago & Baby PMS

2011-08-28T09:50:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone! I hope you had a great week!

Last weekend we went on a very impromptu trip to Chicago. We basically woke up on Saturday, hubby asked where I wanted to go/do.. I threw some things out there and voilah!, Chicago, here we come! Other than Caleb being a little sick and uncomfortable (tummy issues), it was a great weekend. It was definitely a fun little trip and I have a bunch more pics that I'm sure I'll end up scrapping :)

*****************
Friday night my friend Michele and I went back to Archivers for their Friday night crop. All I did was talk (and shop) so I didn't get much done. But here's a layout I completed.
You gotta love finding an SD card (while searching my camera bag in Chicago) from almost four years ago full of pics of your super cute 16.5 month old. An SD card I thought was gone FOREVER. Love it!
So of course, I had to scrap some of the pics. This is Caleb in one of his "Baby PMS" modes. Where one minute he was the happiest kid and then all the sudden he was crying. I don't remember the reason why he was crying (I wish I did... bummer). There's something to be said for scrapping pics soon after you take them, LOL. Ah well.. still scrap worthy :)

"Baby PMS" - cardstock: Bazzill; scallop strips: Sassafras; "baby" alphas: AC Amy Tangerine; "PMS" alphas: cut out from Making Memories "Jack" paper; chipboard accents: Little Yellow Bicycle

****************
Monday Caleb starts his 3rd year of preschool.. he is SO excited. And I have lots of tagging to do for an upcoming consignment sale.
And I have TONS of work I need to do on this horribly messy scraproom. Lord help me, LOL.

I am pretty organized but very MESSY!

Where I sit:

Where friends sit when they come to scrap:

Have a GREAT week!

Another One!

2011-08-20T09:15:00.005-04:00

I'm on a roll! LOL

Last night my friend Michele and I went to a crop at Archivers for a few hours. Here's what I came up with.

"Happy Day"
Background pp: Basic Grey; Clouds, banner and strip paper: Jillibean Soup; Twine: My Minds Eye; Buttons: Epiphany Crafts; Mat cardstock: DCVW; Other: Sapphire Glimmer Mist

Thanks for looking! Have a great weekend! We are off on a (very) impromptu trip to Chicago :)

Monthly Crop Layouts

2011-08-15T14:53:00.010-04:00

YAY!!! I FINALLY scrapped!!!
Other than one I did for my friend Michele, these are my first layouts in over SEVEN MONTHS!! So I'm rusty.. be kind, please (but don't lie to me if they suck, LOL)

So my monthly crop was Saturday and I'll admit, I talked more than I scrapped :)
My friend Michele went with me and we just couldn't stop gabbing. She got like 10 layouts done and I got three :(
(I hadn't been to an NJS crop in over a year so I had alot of catching up to do with some of the girls.. LOL)

Anyway, here is what I accomplished. I apologize for the really cruddy pics. I still haven't figured out my PSE 9 editing software that I've had since Christmas (yikes!)

"Two of a Kind" - this one I let the patterned paper do all the work. Very simple layout about my son and his best friend at his Birthday party.
Paper: Fancy Pants & Bazzill; Alpha stickers: Doodlebug; Photo Corners: WRMK; used my Cuttlebug to cut the stars

This was my paternal Grandmother, Grandma Martin. She died when I was nineteen. I didn't know her well at all because I was estranged from my Dad until I was eighteen but I've heard alot about her from him and other family.
This layout took me four hours. I am NOT kidding. I stuck all the bling on by hand after the batteries in my Imaginisce bling tool died. What a PAIN IN THE BUTT!! I will definitely be buying Prima bling swirls from now on. It's worth the $6.99 to just plop it on there in a few minutes and be done with it, LOL.
Anyone want to buy my bling tool? Great idea but FAIL. Definitely NOT worth the time it takes. Even when the batteries ARE working. And my right hand is STILL hurting from using that tool!

Paper, bird diecut, flower stickers, all paper for roses & "Treasure" sticker: Colorbok "Flea Market" line; photo corners: Making Memories; other: lace doilie, Imaginisce bling

This is a scraplift of a local friend, Sarah Mullanix. I changed it up a bit, added the 5, etc. Love these pics from his Birthday party :)
Paper: Scenic Route, Imaginisce & Bazzill; Alphas: Doodlebug, The Paper Studio & Sandylion; Other: bakers twine, Love Elsie ribbon

Michele and I left the crop early to go to Big Lots for cheap, GREAT scrappy goodies and when we came out of the store, it was storming REALLY bad. What a crazy drive home that was (the crop was about 52 miles from home)
On the way home we heard about the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair.
God bless the families affected and the men and women who bravely pulled people from under the steel mess. I am very proud to be a Hoosier right now.

Speaking of the State Fair, we went last week. We rode the train from where we live in Fishers all the way down to the fair in Indy and Caleb was just SO happy with the train ride. I think that was his favorite part :)
Here are a few pics from the fair. This was a very impromptu trip.. we didn't know we were going til thirty minutes before we went. So after I shot the first picture below, my camera batteries DIED. I kidd you not. And I was stuck carrying around my camera ALL DAY at the fair. What a pain, LOL.
So the rest after this first one are from my cell phone:

Thanks for looking. Have a great week!!

Flea Market

2011-08-10T11:39:00.003-04:00

Okay so I won't lie. I've never been a big fan of Colorbok. Their stuff has just always seemed really cheap to me.
So imagine my surprise when I fell in LOVE with the Flea Market collection at Joann's yesterday. And, it was 40% off! (as is ALL of their scrap stuff right now.. except storage).
I have the PERFECT pictures of my paternal Grandmother I'm going to use with this collection. And I think I will scrap them on Saturday at my crop :)

The above picture doesn't do it justice. You HAVE to go to Joann's to check it out in person. Unfortunately for me (but great for my pocketbook), alot of the embellies were gone already (Castleton/Indianapolis location). But I managed to snag two different paper pads (which are to die for), the fabric labels, the journaling spots (they call them diecuts) and the fabric strips.

So go check it out. If you love vintage-y birds, flowers and pink, you won't be disappointed.

I'll be back next week to post my scrappy layouts from my crop :)

If you love The Girls' Paperie and have a Tuesday Morning near you...

2011-07-28T17:34:00.004-04:00

RUN, don't walk to your nearest store! The Girls' Paperie is no longer in business so it's hard to find the older lines but Tuesday Morning has bagged kits for $19.99 that are worth double+!

I got the "Toil & Trouble", "On Holiday", "Tinsel & Twig" and "Paper Girl" kits. (thank you Daddy for the birthday money) :) :) :)
You get ALL the embellies and stamps for each line plus the paper!!! Can you believe that!?!
("Toil & Trouble" actually came with two of several of the embellies and "Tinsel & Twig" did not come with ANY paper but, it was still worth the price. The stamps alone retail for $10).

Anyway, check it out :) And if you are the Indy area, the Carmel location has the most kits left. E. 96th street has a few but Carmel definitely has the most (all except the "Toil & Trouble".. I took the last one of those).

Okay, I'm done enabling.. I'm off to try and scrap a little bit. Have a great night!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

2011-07-26T14:39:00.004-04:00

Today is my 37th Birthday!!

And guess what!?, I'm okay with turning 37.
I've lost alot of weight and am starting to feel really good about myself. Better than I've felt in five years.
And my surgeon has given me the go-ahead to start trying for baby #2 next Spring. So I am anxiously waiting for that :)

Anyhoo, my friend Michele came over today and I scrapped my first LAYOUT in over seven months.
Not of Caleb though.. of Michele's son, Elijah.
What a cutie-pie he is, that Elijah.. SOOOOO precious, too. He is "Aunt Jenny's" favorite one-year old :)
It's a very simple layout using the Imaginisce "Animal Crackers" line and my Mickey/Disney Cricut cartridge.
Here's a cell phone pic (2) of the layout that Michele took.

And then here are some flowers I've been making a ton of (again, cell phone pics - sorry)

Sunday, Michele and I are going to take a mini card class at Archivers. (YAY) and on Aug 13th we are attending a twelve hour crop with my old NJS gang. Can't wait! I can't wait to get some layouts done! I got Caleb's birthday pics back today from the printer and can't wait to scrap them.
I hope everyone is having a great week. Until next time,

5th Birthday Pics

2011-07-21T11:51:00.013-04:00

Well, I'm probably not going to get any scrapping done this week like I thought. Hubby went out of town and this weekend is a no-go. We have friends coming over for dinner and fun .. then of course church. And with only five days til my birthday, I'm hoping we get to go on a date for that :)

But I did make tons of handmade flowers with my friend Michele yesterday. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pics before I let her take them home. But I made them with this as well as just tearing paper into a spiral (I actually like the torn look better).

Here are some pics from Caleb's 5th Birthday party on June 26th. We had his party at this spray/fun park.. he loved it!
Hopefully I'll get to scrap these soon :)

"Woody" piggy bank from The Petrey's

I asked him what he wanted for his birthday several times and each time all I heard was a TRAFFIC LIGHT. So that's what he got (along with several other things.. mostly Cars 2 stuff)

Playing with the military vehicles he got from Mimi & Poppy (my parents)

The $15 balloons that last two days

Daddy pushing him and a few of his guests.. loved it!

My step-dad going down the slide. As you can see, Caleb thought it was hilarious!

"Woody" cake from The Cakehole in New Palestine, IN. I didn't get to eat any but heard it was scrumptious!

My Mom trying to recapture her youth

Step-dad & Mom

My friend Michele's little boy, Elijah. Caleb and Elijah have the same birthday, four years apart

Caleb and his Best Friend Jason Jr.
Jason was SOAKED from the spray park and Caleb hates being wet so he told him to stay away so Jason poked him on the nose.

And apparently that amused Caleb, LOL

Well that's it for now. Have a GREAT weekend and, STAY COOL!

I'm going to scrapbook soon....

2011-07-18T13:00:00.002-04:00

Saturday Daddy took Caleb to the Indy Children's Museum so I worked on organizing my scraproom. I have friends that come over to scrapbook but we always end up scrapping on the floor or the table b/c my room was/is still a mess!

But I got alot done. WHOO HOO!

And yesterday, we went down to IKEA where I bought another VIKA ALEX storage unit as well as a shelf that attaches to my IKEA desk. That will free up some desk space for me :)

I still feel like I don't know where certain things are and so I'm going to have to spend some time labeling. But before I do that, I really just want to make a few layouts with some of the new paper I've bought in the past month. Other than cards, I haven't scrapbooked since December, I think? I really have the bug.. I miss it horribly.

Stay tuned. Barring unforseen circumstances like hubby going out of town for a week (like last week) or me going back into the hospital, I think some scrappy layouts will be posted soon :)

It's been a LOOOONG time!

2011-07-09T14:34:00.004-04:00

Geez, it's been forever since I've been on here. I even forgot my login password, LOL.

Well, I haven't had any scrappy news to report. I went back into the hospital after the last visit I posted about. That time I had fluid on my lungs and was in there for three days. Then a week later an xray showed I had Pneumonia. I had that for two weeks. I was back to living downstairs that whole time and the scraproom is upstairs :(
This was all a result of the first hospital visit. They pumped me full of too much fluid.

So I pretty much quit scrapbooking. I never have time anymore. After losing 130+ pounds, all I want to do is shop and do things outside with Caleb. We also bought a membership to the Indianapolis Children's Museum so we are staying pretty busy.
I am hoping once the colder weather comes in, I will get back to scrapping. I am still BUYING scrap stuff... just rarely use it. I do take classes from time to time at Archivers though.. love that place. (and it's only 3 miles away!!!)

Caleb turned FIVE on June 27th. We had a party the day before at a local spray park. He wouldn't get in the water but he did enjoy the regular park next to it.
Here's a pic from that day. I'm sure I'll post more of the pics later or scrap them so you can see them.

Til then, have a great Summer! I know we sure are having fun!

Sometimes I just have to wonder....

2011-05-12T11:17:00.002-04:00

Why ME, God?

I almost died over the weekend. On Wednesday the 4th, I went to the hospital to have yet another Endoscopy done to fix yet ANOTHER stricture. Well, my surgeon wasn't available and with hubbys work schedule like it is (he has to watch Caleb all day), I had to have it done by another surgeon.
Well, she tore me.
Which turned into a leak. Then renal failure, another surgery to fix the leak, three days in the ICU and then another four days in the bariatric unit. I finally got home Wednesday night and I am wiped.
No scrapping for me this month. It's all I can do to walk at this point. I am in SO much pain. Thank God for Lortab! (even though it just barely numbs the pain sometimes)

Please keep me in your prayers.

Just a quickie...

2011-04-23T17:45:00.003-04:00

My little boy has been in the hospital for two days (nothing super serious) and well, I am bored out of my mind! So I thought I'd give a quick update.
The only scrapping I've done this past month is some card making. I've made tons and tons of cards for friends.. Thank You's and lots of Happy Birthdays :)
I fully planned to scrap but life always gets in the way. I've had two more Endoscopys and hubby has been gone a lot. And little Caleb has been sick, blah blah blah....

So, I guess maybe May will be my month???.... Hmmmm, we'll see.

Um yeah...

2011-03-31T10:11:00.003-04:00

Okay. So I'm not really back to scrappin' like I promised. But I've made a few Thank You cards this week using the button studio from Epiphany Crafts. Love them! I'll post them soon :)
No layouts though. And I REALLY REALLY need to get back to cranking out the layouts. Who knew having an upstairs scraproom would be such a pain in the tukus! I can't scrap when I need to be downstairs monitoring what my 4.5 yr old curious boy is doing :(
And Daddy is out of town this week (pretty usual these days.. gotta make $$).

I'm also busy getting all of Caleb's "baby" clothes ready to sell at the Just Between Friends consignment sale that's coming up in a few weeks. That takes LOTS of time.

I just love this picture. It's from last year but it shows you my many chins. Yeah, I look horribly fat but that's okay. It shows the love I have for my son. So I love it. And guess what!? SEVENTY POUNDS of that fat is GONE!
WHOO HOOOOOOO! :)

This weekend we are going on a mini vacation/road trip to Michigan. Hopefully next week I'll get to scrap (fingers crossed).

See ya later alligators!

Well Hey There!

2011-03-18T11:48:00.005-04:00

Hey hey hey!

I'm feeling a bit better after having two Endoscopys. The last one opened up the hole from my new stomach pouch from 3mm to 11mm so I'm not near as sick as I was. Thank you God!!
I'm still very weak though as I'm not getting enough nutrients/calories/protein in. They are talking about giving me a feeding tube but I am hoping to avoid that.
But on the upside, my infected incision finally healed and I have lost 52 lbs as of Wednesday! WHOO HOO!

So anyway, yesterday Caleb and I went to Archivers and I got some of the new Crate Paper TOY BOX line.
Oh my, it is SOOOOO cute!
I got the paper pack and the chipboard. I can't wait to play! This is SO Caleb. I should get several layouts out of this :)

Also, cute Caleb started playing Soccer on Wednesday. I couldn't get very good pics b/c of the lighting (indoors) but, I think I'm going to print a few of the better pics out on my POGO printer and scrap them next week using the new Toy Box line.

I am SO excited that I actually feel like scrapping again! YAY!!
I hope you all have a great weekend. It's going to be nice here the next few days. YAY SPRING!

Not doing so hot...

2011-03-01T16:59:00.002-05:00

I thought I would be back soon but, who am I kidding.. things never work out for me like that.
I few days after I came home after surgery, I developed a "Seroma" under one of my incisions. Well, it became infected and basically, I am in alot of pain. Not to mention, this surgery isn't all sunshine and roses like the doctors want you to think.
I can't drink more than a small sip of water every few minutes or I get sick. I've been miserable pretty much every day since the surgery. I know in time it will get better and hey, I've lost over 30 pounds already and it's only been three weeks.
But at this point, to anyone who is even considering this surgery. I say DON'T DO IT. Maybe I'll change my mind in a few months.. we'll see.
Right now there is no scrapbooking in the near future and that really bums me out.

I do want to send some love to my friend Charlotte who sent me two boxes of Prima goodies this week. She is so awesome. I love ya girl. And thanks to all who messaged me love. Please keep praying for me. I'm really worried about this infection.
Thanks,

Well....

2011-02-17T19:41:00.002-05:00

I made it through my surgery. I am still alive, praise God.

Ten days ago I had gastric bypass surgery.
My hospital stay and recovery have been very rough, definitely much worse than I expected. But, this too shall pass and I will get through this.

I did end up resigning from the Crop Chocolate design team. I just do not know that I will be able to fulfill my obligation to them. I wasn't able to in January and February doesn't look any different.

I WILL be back. I have tons of ideas brewing in my head and a weight loss album to make. Don't count me out yet.
I am now on a search for butterflies for my wl album.
The butterfly is the symbol of beautiful change. And that's what I'm going through :)

"See" you soon :)

LQQK!

2011-01-23T10:41:00.002-05:00

Today I am the featured artist at Crop Chocolate dot com. Check it out!!
And... goooooo PACKERS!!

I'll be back. I have a Jan 31st deadline on a DT assignment. I'll try and post those before my surgery on February 2nd. Please keep praying for me that my surgery goes well. I'm scared.

I'm going to be gone awhile...

2011-01-05T11:33:00.004-05:00

Hi all.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. We sure did. We went to Kansas City to see the inlaws and had a great time.

"Santa" brought Caleb the mixer he wanted. Although I think he mistook Caleb for a little girl, LOL. But Caleb loves it. Even if it's pink, LOL.

I just wanted to let you know I won't be back on here until mid Feb or the beginning of March.
I'm having surgery soon and will be out of commission for a while. I won't be able to climb the stairs to go up to my scraproom for at least a month.
Please check back here .. I promise once I'm back, I'll have lots of great projects to share :)
Love you all!

A Few More Things...

2010-12-16T09:09:00.007-05:00

It all started with a trip to Archivers on a Friday. They were doing Make 'n Takes and I signed up to make a cute little pail for $5. I loved it so much, I bought all the supplies to make 4 more! Each one different, of course. These were for Caleb's teachers and I didn't want them to all to look the same.

This one has some cute chipboard and gems attached to the handle. I HAD closeups that somehow got deleted off my computer and the pail has already been given to his teacher, can't retake them (Grrrrr).
Products used:
DCWV Homemade Christmas stack paper
Bazzill cardstock
DCWV Christmas chipboard pieces
unknown gems
Bakers twine- Hydranga Hippo's Etsy shoppe (green), Making Memories Vintage Findings (red)
unknown "Goodies" sign .. I think it's from MAMBI but unsure
Stampendous short pail

This one is like the one I made at Archivers only, I tweaked it a bit.
Products used:
Jillibean Soup paper
Canvas star
Hero Arts snowflake stamp
All Night Media alphabet stamps
white Staz On ink
Icicle Stickles
Bakers twine - Making Memories Vintage Findings
regular brown twine I had in my stash
Stampendous short pail

And then here is one that was on the Making Memories blog yesterday.
Products used:
Making Memories Noel felt poinsettia blossom
All Making Memories paper: Noel Words, Noel Snowflake Argyle & Noel Green Snowflake
"Noel" charm - unsure; very old
Other: green ribbon, gems, metal jump rings, Pumice Stone distress ink
Stampendous short pail

*** Technique: Accordian flower. Very simple. Hand fold a piece of 1.5"-2" x12" paper several times into an accordian. Some people have fancy scoring boards, I did mine by hand so it's a bit "irregular", LOL.
Glue ends together then pinch to make a circular flower. Hot glue both top and bottom. Secure with circle centers.

And then here's the 12x12 layout I did of my little guy meeting Santa for the first time.

All product Making Memories Noel except for baker's twine (Hydranga Hippo's Etsy shoppe), kraft paper, gold star brad, staples, Stickles and distress ink.

Journaling is important to me. It reads:
"Being Autistic, we didn't know how you would do sitting on a strange man's lap.
So we waited until you were four to introduce you to Santa.
I was worried. I thought you might cry. Especially because there were so many people around and it was a little over-stimulating for you.
But you went up and sat on Santa's lap like a big boy.
You were quiet at first... Until Santa said the magic word - TOY.
Then you came to life and told him that you wanted a Buzz Lightyear computer and a (hand) mixer for Christmas!
We're so proud of you. And we're sure "Santa" will get you all your heart desires for Christmas this year. - December 4, 2010"

MERRY CHRISTMAS from my family to yours. Love you all!

Making Memories Guest Designer

2010-12-15T13:11:00.006-05:00

I was FLOORED when I was asked to be a Guest Designer for Making Memories this month. Not only are they my #1 favorite scrapbooking manufacture (I own more of their products than ANY other brand) but, they wanted me to do a Christmas project. And I LOVE Christmas. So I said yes. DUH!
I had a bit of a problem finding the Noel line since I don't have an LSS here anymore and Archivers just had a few sheets of the paper. I guess it's a pretty popular line and being so close to Christmas, they were sold out of alot of it.
So MM was kind enough to send me some Noel product to work with and then guess what!? I found more of the line!
Where, you ask? Well, none other than my most favoritest store in the world! SUPER TARGET!! :)
Apparently they now carry Making Memories products. WHOO HOO.. You go Target! You ROCK!
Also, CROP CHOCOLATE had a deal on the Noel paper and Vintage Findings the other day. I got a few things :) LOVE CC!!

Anyway, here is the link to my projects on their blog. Check them out and leave me some love over there if you like them :)

Tomorrow I will post some more items I've made in the past few weeks :)
Til then, have a great Wednesday!

Soon...

2010-12-07T22:08:00.001-05:00

I'll be back on here posting some of my work. I promise :)
Check back next week :)

Update

2010-11-09T22:42:00.004-05:00

Hey folks.
Really busy lately.. crazy busy. Hubby is only home two days a week right now and Caleb is a handful. I try to keep him busy so he's not missing Daddy too much so not much scrappy time for me.

However, hubby was home this past Friday so I went to Archivers for their make 'n take weekend. I made a Christmas card and a Christmas pail. OMG, the pails are SO cute!
So I bought three more and am going to make some as Christmas gifts (which is what I've been working on tonight - YAY!).
I'll post pics later. I don't want the recipients to see.. I don't think they read my blog but I'm not sure. LOL
But they are C.U.T.E.
Lots of Jillibean Soup paper and some cool techniques. I also used paper from this stack >
which is new at Joann's.
Speaking of Joann's, I got five paper stacks for $5.99 a piece last weekend. Can you freakin' believe that!
Um, let's see...
The Midnight Spell stack, the cardstock that matches it, The Amber Autumn Premium stack, and the cardstock that matches it. And then the Summer Dream stack (this one doesn't really THRILL me like the others do).

I see that a few of them are still on sale online so, go go. Go forth and buy ;)

Til next time...
I'm off to bed. Night.

2010-10-18T23:35:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share Caleb's recent Pre-K picture.
Isn't he just the cutest? :)

I'll be back next week.
I have a new Cricut Create machine coming any day now (don't get me started on what happened to my Expression.. GRRRRRR!) and I plan on making some cute layouts with it this weekend :)
Til then.. have an AWESOME week!

Update

2010-10-13T20:29:00.004-04:00

Hey all!

Well, I really haven't scrapped much in about a month.
You see, Mother Nature has decided we're going to go from Summer to Winter this year and skip Fall altogether.
I think yesterday it was in the high 80's??
So that means when my little guy isn't at school, he's outside playing which means Mama is downstairs watching him. Which means, yep, no scrappy time for Mama. Boo hoo.

BUT, I did take a class last night at Archivers!
The Tim Holtz inspired "Vintage Holiday Card workshop".
I'll admit, I didn't like this one nearly as much as the mini card workshop. Maybe because I was sweating to death?? LOL
I heard some of the ladies around me talking about how they must be having hot flashes because they were menopausal and I told them no, it REALLY is hot in here, LOL.

Anyway, I'll take pics of my cards later but here is what they were supposed to look like.

Of course, I always do my own thing which included taking that God awful Grungeboard "sword" off the snowman card and adding snowflakes instead (tee hee).

The big Santa card is definitely my favorite.
I'm not a big Tim Holtz fan (I don't coo over him like most women do) BUT, I really like that stamp set and am contemplating buying it. With my 30% off coupon, of course.

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well. I really miss scrapbooking.
I sure hope Fall arrives soon so I can use the awesome scraproom my hubby put together for me. I guess I should be praying for some cold air and rain. Lord knows we really need the rain around here.

Til next time,

Finally Scrapped!!

2010-09-16T11:13:00.005-04:00

Here's the first layout I've done since March.
Not my favorite, by any means but, I'm okay w/it.
The story behind it is what's important to me.
Journaling reads: "Daddy lost his job a month before but we found a way to make this C'mas one of the best! Mimi Marsha came from Houston and Aunt Erin loaded you up with presents. We were very blessed!"

Sorry for the crappy picture. It is cloudy today and I just couldn't get a good one. It's much brighter IRL.

Patterned paper, Alpha stickers and "Christmas" embellie: Echo Park "Everybody Loves Christmas"
Chipboard embellies: Fancy Pants Designs
Bling: i-Rock by Imaginisce
***All product except i-Rock bling purchased at www.cropchocolate.com

Thanks for looking.. I'm going to try and scrap some more this weekend :)

Pre-K

2010-08-30T21:28:00.003-04:00

The kiddo is now in Pre-K in our local school system. While this is his second year of Preschool, this year is different. He's actually going to an elementary school now instead of a private preschool and there are only seven kids in his class, two teachers and a speech therapist. So he's going to get lots of hands on this year and hopefully by the end of the school year, he'll be okay to go to Kindergarten.
Right now our concerns are conversing.. he doesn't do that like a normal four year old. Hopefully we can get that worked on and the potty thing (oh my God.. potty training an Autistic child is worse than child birth!) and he'll be fine.

Here are some pics from school last week. Some are from my cell phone. While I love the Droid X.. I do NOT recommend it if you want a cell with a good camera. Cause it SUCKS, Lol.

His teacher, Ms. Heather.

This was day 3, I think. He BEGS to go to school now. He LOVES it!

The too big backpack we had to buy just so his required binder would fit. OMG, it's almost as big as him! LOL
Made me sad to have to buy him a big boy backpack. I miss his little Elmo backpack. LOL
Ah well.. he is growing up. I just need to get over it. LOL

And I got a good portion of my scraproom done over the weekend. Hubby put up my desks and yesterday Caleb and I used my Cricut to make an All About Me collage for his cubby at school.
YAY! I think I might see scrapping sometime in the near future. We'll see. Hubby is going to be home 11 days this month. Yep, not fun. Cause usually when he is home, we are trying to spend quality time together and scrapping is my thing.. I try to do that when he's busy with Caleb or something.

Maybe I'll get to scrap in October....
:sigh:

YAY!

2010-08-21T19:25:00.004-04:00

We are going to IKEA tomorrow to buy two of these...

And then once those are installed and a few things are moved around and stored, I should be able to scrap my heart out. Can't wait!! :)

Pink Paislee Warehouse Sale goodies :)

2010-08-20T21:20:00.004-04:00

So okay, I haven't exactly been scrapping (much). But that doesn't mean I can't collect (read: BUY) scrap crap, right?! Ha!

A friend told me about Pink Paislee's warehouse sale over the weekend and I jumped on it. I missed my chance last year when they had one and moped around for a while about it so I knew I had to get in on it this year. And OMG, it did not disappoint!!
I got my big box today and here's what I got:
(pics from cell phone.. sorry)

6x6 paper pads and flip notes from 365 Degrees, Queen Bee & Bayberry Cottage:

Two canvas/chipboard Artisan albums. Love them!

7 packages of alphas.. cardstock and mini

3 packages of glittered chipboard alphas. Just like Thickers.. LOVE them!

365 Degrees & Queen Bee Borderlines
Queen Bee & Bayberry Cottage Punchouts

Twenty sheets of patterned paper from Queen Bee, 365 Degrees, Twilight, Amber Road, Mistletoe & Co.
Includes two sheets from the brand new Sweetness and Parisian Anthology collections :)

Two Pixee Stix, Artisan Tape and Queen Bee Bella brads (these will look yummy in the center of some Prima's!)

Queen Bee Press Ons and Cork Buttons, Artisan alphas (I have wanted these forever!) and Ribbon Pleats (something else I've wanted a while!)

How yummy is all of that!? It's over $125 worth of product for $40! WOW!!!
Thank you, Pink Paislee! Love your product! :)

Let's see.. What else have I been doing?
Well I took a mini card class at Archiver's last week. I had a blast. I got to make nine cute little cards and then afterwards, I scrapped with a few local Indy friends. Love Archivers!
And I looooove living so darn close to one now!

We got Caleb registered for his second year of Pre-K. We all met his teacher, saw his classroom, etc. and I think he's going to be just fine there. (he didn't want to leave, LOL)
He starts on Monday!

Here's what he's been up to lately. He pretty much hangs outside all day. Literally HANGS. lol

Isn't he just the cutest. I know I'm biased but seriously.
People tell me all the time that he is adorable. Strangers in the store, pretty much anyone that sees him and he says "Hi" to, LOL (which he does ALOT of).
How my own family cannot love him is beyond me. Please pray for them, they really need it.
- but Caleb is not without people that love him.. Doug's family fawns all over him. But they live in other states :(

And he is getting better with his communication skills each and every day. I pray that he is cured from Autism. But if not, then we'll deal with it. Because he is one special kid and so so SMART.. oh my God! I couldn't ask for a better son.

Well, that's all I have for now. Hopefully I'll be scrapping next week (fingers crossed).
Byeeeee,

Hello

2010-08-08T17:21:00.004-04:00

Okay folks.
So I'll be honest. Because I am always very honest. Sometimes TOO honest, ha ha.

I haven't done squat in my scraproom all week. My hubby was out of town last week and this week for 8 days total and well, I've been too busy watching this little boy

play on this

and just hanging outside in general, enjoying the Summer.

I love playing with my son.
Kids are only little once so I want to spend as much time with him as I can and right now, I feel it's pretty important.
He starts his second year of preschool in two weeks and then maybe I'll have some time to devote to scrapping :)

Until then, see you and have a great end of Summer!!
Love,

Almost...

2010-07-27T23:36:00.004-04:00

TWO MORE BOXES AND MY SCRAPROOM IS UNPACKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We drove down to Cinci last weekend and bought another Expedit at IKEA (along with some really cool wicker baskets that fit in the cubbies) and my scraproom is finally coming together. I will (hopefully) get the other boxes unloaded this week and be operational by the weekend. WHOO HOO!!! I can't wait to scrap again!

So... Yesterday was my Birthday! 36. WOW. I remember when my Mom was 36 and I thought she was SO old. WOW. Crazy that I am that old. I don't feel it, for sure.

So my awesome husband.. Let me repeat. MY AWESOME HUSBAND!.. went to Archiver's and bought me pretty much the entire Basic Grey OLIVER line (and some really pretty blue Prima flowers!) for my Birthday.

How freakin' awesome is he? I mean, really. How many of your husbands would go buy you scrap stuff? My guy is one of a kind. I love him SO much. He really made my day :)

Well, it's time for bed. I have such a busy rest of the week.
I hope you all have a great week and send me some positive vibes so I can get this scraproom complete this week.
Byeeee :)

My Review of Sierra Playset

2010-07-26T11:02:00.001-04:00

Originally submitted at Toys R Us

The Sierra Playset has all the features of many more expensive playsets and is a great value. There's a raised fort with wood roof, end gables and even a chimney! A raised sun porch is the perfect platform for checking out the yard from above and launching down the super safe speedy slide. Two ...

So far, so good.

By Jenny B in Indy from Fishers, IN on 7/26/2010

Pros: Fun, Easy Assembly, Sturdy

Describe Yourself: Novice

We bought this same set (two weeks ago) at another dept store on clearance for four hundred dollars less than the original price on here.

My husband and his friend started putting it together Friday night. They worked 3-3.5 hours each Fri, Sat and Sun night and then my husband did a bit by himself on Sunday.. labeling and putting together the ladder and rock wall.
So far my son can swing, glide and slide. The rock wall and ladder are up. All that's left is the roof (which will take some time), picnic table, monkey bars and toy box. So, should be done in about 4-6 hours when they get to it this next weekend. Maybe less?

My husband said so far there has been no splitting wood, no missing pieces/hardware and the instructions are great.

So overall, we are having a great experience with this.
I will update once it's COMPLETELY done.

(legalese)

It's SLOWLY getting there...

2010-07-16T13:07:00.005-04:00

We still have a garage FULL of stuff. But here's what's been done so far in the Living Room:

Dining Room:

Scraproom (I love love LOVE the color of my walls!):

Hubby is going to IKEA in Detroit next week to get me another Expedit (smaller 4x4 this time) and the table that goes with that line. Hopefully once I have that I can get the rest of those boxes unpacked. I need to SOON.. I have some DT work I need to start on.

Well, back to more unpacking.
Have a great weekend!

Oh My Good God!

2010-07-10T21:53:00.005-04:00

I think it might just take WEEKS to get this new scraproom unpacked!!
We started moving 9 days ago and I JUST NOW got my computer hooked up! Yikes!

Stay with me.. I promise, I'll be back and hopefully with some cute projects :)

For now, here are some NON SCRAPPY things that have been going on (other than the big move):

Caleb turned four on June 27th.
We took him to Monkey Joe's to bounce and had pizza, his favorite. It was just us three and it was probably his best birthday yet. I'm glad I didn't go all out again this year and do a party. I loved the intimacy of it just being us three.

On June 30th he was diagnosed with PDD-NOS, aka Pervasive Developmental Disorder.
The way it was explained to us is that he has some signs of being on the very LOW end of the Autism spectrum and with help, he can actually grow out of them because he is lucky in that his only problems are with communication and he keeps saying new things day after day (with less Echolalia).
SO glad to have some answers.. finally :)

Then my Mother in Law (aka Mimi Marsha) flew in from Houston to help us move. She was a huge help. She helped me clean the new house from top to bottom and Caleb was just in love with her. Here they are playing out in the new backyard.

And then just a random shot of him in the new backyard. He is out there at least half the day and just loves it. Thank God for fences and big yards! :)

"See" you all later, I have some Facebook catch up to do :)

Two Weeks...

2010-06-15T17:37:00.002-04:00

My scraproom is 3/4 of the way packed and in two weeks, we are moving.
New city, new (and old) friends, new scraproom, new everything. Can't wait!! :)

Stick around... I'll be back ;)

Our New Home

2010-05-23T19:00:00.007-04:00

So God blessed us once again and we were able to finally find an awesome home in THE best school district in Indiana. Well, TECHNICALLY it's the second best but, who cares, LOL.
It's a MAJOR step up from the school system we are currently in :)
The school Caleb will go to is a four star school, so are the intermediate, junior high and high school. And the city we are moving to has been named one of the best places to live in the Midwest several times in the last ten years :)
So we basically went from one of the worst to one of the very best.
THANK YOU, GOD!!!

You don't know what a load this is off our backs. For months now whenever Doug was home we would spend hours down in the Indy area looking for a home. And just never found the right one - until now :)

Here are some pics. Most of these are from the realtor, but the two outside pics I took the other day.

View of back of house/fenced in yard. Both the front and back yards are very WIDE. There's tons of room back there.
We are going to get Caleb a nice, wooden playset.. hopefully this Summer.
And there are flowers and trees GALORE back there. And a patio and paver patio.. perfect for Summer days and nights :)

Front of house/side yard. It's on a cul-de-sac too, which is just SO awesome for Caleb!
I think the front is pretty plain b/c the garage sticks out so much so what I'm going to do is buy one of those large metal barn stars and put it up on the white part above the garage :)

Dining Room - hardwood floors
Kitchen- smaller than I'm used to but workable. Hardwood floors.
The "bee room". Has handpainted bees all over it. This will be Caleb's room and while it doesn't match his current decor, I'm going to intertwine them, I think. I just can't bear to paint over those cute bees, LOL.
The living room. I loooooove the frieze carpet in there!
My SCRAP room! LOOOOOOOVE IT!! And it has a really nice sized closet.. Perfect for more storage. I think I'm going to put my chair and a half sleeper sofa in there so when guests come they can sleep in there, too. Not sure yet. It's not like we get a ton of out-of-town guests so it's not really a big deal.

UPstairs laundry room. Love it!!

The master bedroom.

Well, that's pretty much it. Other than 2.5 bathrooms.
We are pretty excited to move. Can't wait til we can get it over and done with and get Caleb enrolled in school.

Speaking of school.. Caleb "graduated" from 3 year old preschool Friday night. Here are a few pictures. I didn't get any really great ones b/c he wouldn't stay up there with the other kids, ornery boy! LOL
Sure hope he grows out of that! LOL

Have a great week!

10x10 Canvas

2010-05-20T19:04:00.004-04:00

Caleb's last day of preschool is tomorrow. And while he's still just three and will go back next year, one of his teachers is "retiring" so the other teacher asked me to make her something.
Well seeing how I don't have much that isn't really packed up, I bought a 10x10 canvas and paper at Joann's and went to work.
I'll admit I'm not IN LOVE with it but anyone that knows me knows I hate the color purple, LOL.
Plus hubby has been home seven of the last forty two days. (but he'll be home late tonight and will be here FOR THREE WEEKS STRAIGHT.. WHOO HOO!!!!) and Caleb is Mr. Clingy lately, especially since he's had the stomach flu this week (me too).

Anyhoo, just thought I'd share. Thanks for reading me if you still are :)
(and it's not as shiny in real life.. my flash was on, sorry.. rainy day here)

Love ya,

To my readers

2010-04-16T16:57:00.002-04:00

I know I haven't posted much. Life is crazy and I haven't been scrapbooking nearly as much as I should.
My husband started another job two weeks ago.. His DREAM job and well, he's been out of town ALOT and it's only going to get worse the next five weeks.
Let's see, He's going to Orlando, then Virginia, then Toronto, Canada. Then New York and finally Iowa. All by the end of May. Then once he's done with his trips for a while, we're going to be moving. And guess what? We still have no clue WHERE, LOL. It's tough finding a nice home to rent. It seems like everyone has lost their homes and are renting now and as soon as I find a home that is perfect for us, it's been scooped up thirty minutes before I call about it (LITERALLY).
So anyway.. I've been busy.
I can't scrap when hubby is gone. My 3.5 year old is just WAY too into Mommy's scrappy stuff.. it just doesn't work.
So....
You won't see me on here much anymore. I've been contemplating closing down my blog but we'll see. I'm not sure I'm ready to give it up altogether because once we have moved and things have settled, I'm going to be in an even better scrapbook room and hopefully have my mojo back :)

So bye for now. Please keep us in your prayers and say a prayer I get some scrapping done soon. I miss it.

Love you all and, I'll be back :),

I {heart} this boy!

2010-04-09T23:46:00.002-04:00

These are his first school pictures (preschool). Isn't he just so cute!?
You can bet I will be scrapping these tomorrow at my crop!

Have a great weekend!

Easter 1

2010-04-05T11:09:00.002-04:00

Before the family get-together/egg hunt (check out the mini Purdue basketball Daddy got him!):

Happy Boy!

Easter 2

2010-04-05T10:57:00.005-04:00

My kid wanted nothing to do with egg hunting again this year. You know how much that sucks for a Mamarazzi that NEEDS pictures?? LOL
Here is as close as I got. My niece dropped an egg on the ground and asked him to pick it up. He would do that for her but not "hunt" for the other eggs, LOL.
All he wanted to do was go up down, up down on the ladder to the slide.. wth? LOL
So this was my one picture taking opportunity. What a story this is going to be for a scrapbook page, though.. little booger! :)

I hope you all enjoyed a great Easter and got better pics than I did :)

Don't push my buttons!

2010-03-27T13:31:00.007-04:00

Okay so, no scrapping the last week. Instead, I've been organizing my buttons by color.
Man oh man, I have WAY too many! Anyone need some, LOL?? Maybe I'll do a RAK soon and give some away.. they can't be too expensive to ship, right?

I'm still not done. Now comes the super tedious task of sorting through all the super teeny tiny ones. Oh boy!
Good thing I have a 3.5 year old that loves to sort things by color! LOL :)

And I don't have room for them all so, you know what that means.. PURGE!! :)

However, I still need RED buttons.. my FAVORITE color.. yum yum Red! Seems I have a ton of hot pink, maroon, burgundy, etc. But not many true red. Ya gotta have red.. especially when it's your favorite color and you have a little boy to scrap :)

And here is a pic of my Expedit shelves from IKEA. Karla has been asking to see them so, here ya go. They are a super mess right now, time to organize again but what's the point when we are moving soon.. LOL.

Okay, off to sort more buttons.
Have a scrap happy weekend!

Big Lots Haul

2010-03-18T19:20:00.007-04:00

Well after seeing my local friend Sarah Mullanix got some Thickers at Big Lots yesterday, I ran over there pronto this afternoon to pick me up some.
They were out of the yellow Vera ones she got but they had a ton of the rose (pink) Glass Slipper ones that are puffy. Love them! Not sure what I'll do with them since I have a little boy but, I think I'll figure something out, tee hee.
I also got a Marah Johnson stamp set for $1.00 and it's pretty cool!

Here are a few other things I got there:

Scenic Route "Laurel" collection.
Can you believe ALL this was only $5.00!! There are 20 sheets of 12x12 patterned paper, chipboard circles, paper flowers with brads, 2 sheets of alpha stickers, 5 ribbons, 1 sheet of printed chipboard and 1 sheet of nekkid star chipboard.
(click to make bigger)

And here is the Scenic Route "Sumner" collection. Same exact embellies. Love it!
I am SO going to miss Scenic Route. I wish they hadn't went out of business. I loved all their lines!
(click to make bigger)

And then the rest of this stuff I got about a month ago. The 3 things in this picture were $3.00 total.

This is a boy paper/diecut pack by Colorbok. I love the papers. Some have foil, glitter, flocking.
I also got a girl kit similar to this only with a teen/rock star theme. Hot pinks and black. It's pretty cool. Both were $5.00 each.
I'm not normally a fan of Colorbok but I really think the paper in both kits is top notch. I was pretty shocked!

So, head on over to Big Lots!
TFL!!

Another Crop Layout

2010-03-14T14:00:00.003-04:00

So this one is pretty basic using the new Sassafras "Apple Jack" line I was sent free. I won it on the Sassafras blog. I cannot tell you how PERFECT this line is for pics of my little boy.
Here is a layout of Caleb one day shy of a year old. I can't believe how BALD he is but so dang cute! :)

TFL!

2010-03-14T00:23:00.004-05:00

Oh! I should probably already wish my Mom and Step Dad a Happy 25th Anniversary! Congrats and Love you both!
Here is a recent picture of them. Most people think my Mom is actually my sister :)

What Happened To This Girl? (Layout for Crop Chocolate)

2010-03-13T21:48:00.009-05:00

So about a week ago I got this great package FREE from Crop Chocolate dot com. How awesome is this stuff?

I know, pretty great, right?
Well the only thing I had to do in return was make a project using what I was sent and take pictures of my project in progress. So that's what I did at my monthly crop today.

This a VERY personal layout to me so I hid the journaling.
But basically the journaling talks about losing weight, being very happy yet still BROKEN enough that the happiness didn't last because of childhood issues, etc.
I won't bore you with the details, alot of you know my story.
Anywho.. I like the layout, the pics don't do it justice, I think it's much prettier IRL. It's simple but that's okay, I didn't want this one to be busy.
Now what I do is email the layout to Crop Chocolate and they will showcase it on their site as sort of an "example" :)

I also did another layout but my camera battery is charging.. I'll get a pic of that one tomorrow.
And I'm going to do another layout or two this week using the above materials again. There is enough for several projects :)

If you have time, go check out cropchocolate.com
They have one amazing deal each and every day.. that place ROCKS! Check 'em out!
Check back tomorrow for my other layout. TFL!

2010-03-08T22:26:00.003-05:00

No scrappy goodness today. Instead, here is a video of my little guy "reading" the nursery rhyme book my dear friend Bonnie sent him recently.

Let me point out that Caleb is believe to be Autistic. Actually, we believe he has Aspergers. We don't have a formal diagnosis yet.. We have to wait til July for that but I am pretty sure.
He has Echolalia. Which basically means he repeats things over and over. Like lines he hears from his favorite cartoon (Caillou) and things that he learns at Preschool (The Pledge of Allegiance, songs, etc).
And he still isn't conversing much. IE, Doug or I can ask him how his day was and he won't respond back. And potty training? OMG, not happening!

BUT, on a positive note, He has a memory like I've never seen before and his preschool teacher says he is the smartest three year old she has ever had in class.
And his social skills are fairly good.. he loves playing with the little girls in his class and he does look people in the eye. It's just the communication issue that is a huge problem.

But I still feel like "why God why" so much of the time. He's our only child and we can't have anymore. So I'm praying (literally) that I am wrong and that this is just a fluke and by the time he's four, he'll be talking up a storm.. know what I mean? But if not, we'll deal. We always do. And we love him no matter what.. he is an AWESOME little boy :)

So when he does things like sit down and "read" a book like here in the video, it makes me cry. Every time I watch it.
So I just thought I would share... :)

Where is Spring?

2010-03-07T12:27:00.003-05:00

Hey, I finally scrapped for myself! :)

The above (birdie) paper is from DCWV.
Thanks to my AWESOME friend Tracy Stamps for getting me the Songbird stack that this paper was in. You can ONLY get it at Michaels and since I don't have one close, I gave her money and she got it for me.. and 30% off, too. What a STEAL! This stack ROCKS!! Check it out for yourself!

The scalloped paper is from my local friend Sarah Mullanix. We've been trading scrap stuff lately and since she designs for MOXXIE, she has some really great stuff! :)

Other:
cardstock alphas: Basic Grey
Buttons: unknown
Rubber flower: Imaginisce

8x8 Sweet Sixteen Album

2010-03-03T11:15:00.009-05:00

Here are some of the pages from the Sweet Sixteen album I was asked to make for the niece of my sister-in-law.
The niece turned sixteen this past Sunday and from what I hear, she really loved her album.
I'm so happy I could make something for someone that was actually appreciated and will be treasured for years to come :)

This is an 8x8 album which I'm not used to. It's hard to really fit more than one 4x6 on a page so that was a challenge. Also, my sister-in-law wanted me to use HER papers and wanted each page different. So there wasn't any "matchy-matchy" going on like I'm used to. Normally I'll make the whole album uniform but I wasn't allowed to do that here. I still think it came out okay.

Sorry for the bad pictures.. I was in a major hurry.
TFL!

Grrrrrr

2010-03-03T11:04:00.004-05:00

Well, I've been trying to upload my Sweet 16 album pics to Blogger for a day now and have had no luck. Not sure what the deal is.. I'll keep trying.

In other news, we have decided to stay put right here in good ole Central Indiana. The Kansas City job was tempting.. we want to be near family but, it's just not the right job for us right now.
So we are moving closer to Indianapolis to Hamilton County.
They have award winning schools and hubby will be closer to his job and territory.
We will have to downsize since we will be renting so hopefully we can find something where I can still have a scrapbook room (fingers crossed).

I'll be back later with those pictures. I have a munchkin to drop off at Preschool.

Hey Hey Hey

2010-02-20T22:18:00.002-05:00

Hey kids. I'm still here.. Mostly over on Facebook. So add me if you want to keep up with the Brannies family.
There is lots going on. Mostly confusion, uncertainty and not much in the way of scrapping other than the Sweet 16 album I am still working on.
I hope to finish that this week and post it on the 29th, AFTER the recipient has received it for her Birthday.

We are moving still.. Just haven't decided where, LOL. (that's where the confusion comes in, LOL).
More deets to come. Hope y'all have a great Sunday!

XOXO

I also got some "Happy Mail" this week!

2010-02-12T10:37:00.007-05:00

From Sassafras!!
YUMMY "Apple Jack" goodies that I won on their blog a month ago. OMG, I'm in heaven! This couldn't be more perfect for pics of my little boy!
I forgot to take a picture so here's what I got >

Glitter alphas:

"Sweet Treat" stickers:

Border stickers. Love them!:

Journal tags:

And all six of the papers (2 of each):

Thank you, Sassafras! You made my week!!! :)

I also got happy mail last week from the Candy Shoppe Designs Design Team but I forgot to take pictures. I'll see what I can come up with for pictures and get them posted soon :)

Some Tuesday Morning finds...

2010-02-11T22:43:00.003-05:00

For some reason I forgot that Tuesday Morning sold scrappy stuff until yesterday when a friend told me they had the Making Memories embellishment cabinets for $30. I'd been wanting one of those forever so I sent my awesome hubby on a TM run for me while he was in Indy today.
Well it turns out the embellishment centers sold out a few days ago.. like hotcakes.
But, there was some other great stuff there.
I told my hubby to "surprise me", I didn't tell him what to get or anything but I think he picked out some cute stuff :)

Here's what he got:

K&Co Dollhouse alphabet chipboard shapes - .99 cents.
He got me the bear as well but, not @ Tuesday Morning :)

KI Memories 4pack: rub ons, chipboard, epoxy stickers and matching brads - all four for $3.99

And,
K&Co Fall 3D stickers and 76 piece chipboard alphabet by Kurio - .99 cents each

Not bad considering he had no help.
Thanks babe, I love you SO much! These have been the best five years of my life! :)

Good News!

2010-02-03T22:16:00.003-05:00

Well, my husband finally accepted a job offer last night. YAY!!
So I need to get busy packing up our home because we are moving soon :)

I am SO ready to get back to scrapping again and back to my Design Teams. I can't wait to start cranking out more layouts :)

And that Sweet 16 album I have due in two weeks? Oh my, I've barely done anything on it! (yikes!)
But my 12 hour crop is next Saturday and I should be able to get it done there (I hope). LOL

This weekend I'm going to enjoy time with my hubby before he starts his new job and of course, cheer my home team the Colts to VICTORY!!! :)
Have a great week everyone :)

Looking forward to...

2010-01-31T20:15:00.004-05:00

This line from Basic Grey.
(all images snagged from Kelly G's blog)

I know alot of you are sick of the cutesie animals but I'm SO not. I still {heart} them and cannot wait until I can buy some of this new GREEN AT HEART line!

That's all. I just wanted to declare my love for this line :)
Have a great rest of the weekend! I'm hoping to get some scrapping done this week!

Blog Candy

2010-01-25T15:28:00.000-05:00

Check out this awesome candy at Blue Moon Scrapbooking!! YUM :)

Oh.. I can't believe I forgot!!

2010-01-24T13:04:00.003-05:00

This little girl came into our lives last Saturday the 16th.
Little Miss Sage Madison, my new niece :)
8 lbs, 4 ounces, strawberry blonde hair

I'm so proud of her Daddy (above), my "baby" brother. This is his first baby and he is a natural. And his Mama had her ALL natural. No medicine AT ALL. And it was her first baby as well. Can you believe that!!
I have the feeling she's going to be the subject of MANY future scrapbook layouts :)

Finally!

2010-01-23T22:43:00.005-05:00

Hey all.
Well, if you're still reading my blog, I appreciate it.
I know I've been so flighty and not updating like I should. There is ALOT going on right now. Scrapbooking hasn't really been on my mind like it used to be.
Those of you that know me personally or follow me on Facebook know the deal as I wear my heart on my sleeve and am brutally honest. Just please keep praying for us. We really need it.

As promised, here is the layout I did at my crop on the 9th. I don't care for it, I want to change it up but still haven't figured out how to "fix" it yet. LOL
So it's going to stay as is for now.
(click to see detail)

And here's a LO that was actually done by my friend Sarah Mullanix. She's an AWESOME scrapper and I'm proud to be using a page of hers in Caleb's album :)
All I did was add pictures, faux stitching and Stickles.
Thanks Sarah!
I *heart* it!! :)

I need to get my butt into gear. I have agreed to scrap a Sweet 16 album for a special teenager and it's due by mid Feb. I've done ONE page so far. YIKES!

Have a great rest of the weekend and........

GO COLTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THE WAY, BABY.
ALL THE WAY!!!

How cute is this!

2010-01-15T14:25:00.003-05:00

My niece is on her way!
Little Miss "Sage Madison" will be born SOON.
Her Mama's water broke last night.. she's just waiting for the labor to come on. I can't wait to meet that sweet little pumpkin :)

How cute would Sassafras' new CHERRY DELICIOUS line look with some baby pics of sweet baby Sage!?

Love this line! And can't wait to see "Apple Jack". I have the feeling that it's more boyish and will work wonderful with Caleb pictures :)

Nada, Nothing, Zilch.

2010-01-14T20:50:00.004-05:00

Hey all. I have not had any time to scrap or take pics this week. So sorry.
Doug was out of town all day Tues and Wed and Caleb was SUPER clingy. Now that he doesn't take naps, it's impossible to get any scrapping done during the day.
And now I've got a medical issue.. it hurts when I sit down for long. So I'll try and get my work posted next week.
And YAY! I won on the Sassafras blog today. WHOO HOO!!!! LOVE Sassafras! And it looks like their new lines are going to ROCK! Can't wait!
I'll be sure to post my yummy goodies when I get them in Feb. WHOO HOOOO!!

Please PLEASE pray for the people of Haiti. I have personal ties to Haiti and am just so sad about what has happened in PAP.
My friend Luke Renner has been living in Haiti with his family for seven months now and is now in PAP helping with the recovery effort and documenting everything for the news channels here in the US. He has been updating Facebook with pictures and video.. it's just all SO sad. Please pray for Haiti tonight.

Thank you and have a great weekend, y'all!

2010-01-10T20:34:00.002-05:00

Hey everyone! I'm here.
I went to my monthly crop yesterday but ended up only staying a few hours. I totally forgot we had a late Christmas party at my step Dad's family to attend so I left for that after finishing only ONE layout!! OMG, I talked WAY too much and scrapped WAY too little, LOL. So what else is new, huh? LOL
I'll show my layout later in the week after I get a pic of it.
Doug's going to Kansas City on Tues/Wed for a big job interview so while he's gone I'm hoping to be able to scrap at night after Cay's in bed and maybe I'll have more to show you than just the one layout :)

I feel like I'm in limbo right now.. Ever feel that way? Like I was so "off" at my crop yesterday because I was so sad about possibly moving away from all my crop friends.. I think I was actually depressed and it really affected my creativity. I sat down to scrap and couldn't think of a darn idea so I went around the room and talked to friends for a few hours. How weird is that!?
I mean, we don't even know for SURE that we are moving to Kansas City yet in my mind we are and I'm going to have to say goodbye to everyone here and that could have been my last crop. *sigh*

Oh well, it'll get better. I know if we move I'll make more friends. It's just sad to leave my NJS girls. *sniff sniff*
But you have to go where the jobs are. After all, no money, no scrap stuff, right?
LOL

I'll be back soon to post some work. Have a great week, girls! And please say a prayer for hubby. This job looks very very promising. They are paying to FLY him to Kansas City so that's a good sign they are serious :)

Byeeee

Check this out!!

2010-01-07T20:38:00.003-05:00

My fellow CSD DT member Melissa is having a great blog candy giveaway. Check it out and tell her Jenny B sent ya!

Two more days til my crop. I'm excited!!!
Guess I probably better figure out what I'm going to take, huh? LOL :)

I'm still here....

2010-01-05T12:15:00.002-05:00

I'm still alive and kicking :)

No scrappy news.. I haven't even looked at my scrap stuff in a few days. BUT, my 12 hour monthly crop is this Saturday and my friends Jenny and Sarah M are going with me. Can't wait!!!

AND... Guess what!!??
Hubby has a job interview in KANSAS CITY this week!!! How awesome!!!!!!! :)

And one of my friends started a challenge blog and is having a design team call. Check it out! I am not applying.. I've got WAY too much going on. But I thought I'd let you all know about it because I think it's going to be really cool.
It's all about scrapping the DIRT in your lives.

Well, have a great rest of the week, y'all!
Love,

My "Top 5" of 2009

2009-12-31T16:44:00.004-05:00

My friend Pinky did this on her blog and I thought it was such a neat idea.
I haven't done nearly the amount of layouts I had planned for this year so there isn't a ton to choose from but here are MY personal "Top 5".

#5
Layout of my best friend Carli & I.
BFF's since we were twelve. OMG, 23 years now. WOW!
Still love her more than anyone but my hubby and son. She rocks!

#4
My little guy in pool water for the first time.
I won a contest on Noel C's blog for this layout :)

#3
I just love the color combo on this. And those fat lime green Thickers are to die for! LOL

#2
This one was a re-do of an old layout.
As you can see Caleb is crying in the pics so I hesitated scrapping them but realized you gotta scrap the good AND the bad, right?

#1
A rare picture of my little guy and I.
I love this kid so much. He's my world :)

Thanks for looking! I hope you have a wonderful New Years Eve.

2009 was a horrible year for us.
Let's see:
We tried to avoid it but ended up having to file bankruptcy.
Hubby lost his job and now we are on unemployment which is a third of his former salary.
We found out Caleb probably has Autism. Most likely Asperger's.
The school board here made some crazy changes.. we can't stay in this city. Caleb will not get a good education if we do.
Oh yeah! There's a crazy democrat in office. That should have given me a clue this would be a bad year! LOL

I am SO looking forward to 2010:
My new niece is going to arrive very soon. I can't wait to meet her!
We are definitely moving out of this area. More than likely to Kansas City. Which will mean lots of cousin time for Caleb and oh my God, a BABYSITTER for DATES for Doug and I. WHOO HOO!!! :)
With that move we will be moving to a better school system with early intervention for Caleb.
And I'll finally get to meet one of my awesome scrappy internet friends, Tracy. I can't wait!

I hope you all have a wonderful New Years Eve!
I welcome 2010 with open arms!!! :)

Love,

Forget foreign terrorists....

2009-12-28T22:39:00.005-05:00

Our own government is killing us!

My MIL convinced us to rent THIS movie tonight and WOW, I am in shock!
EVERYONE needs to rent this video.. like NOW.
It's a MUST SEE for anyone but especially for those with kids.
Please please rent it.
Thanks :)

Our Christmas

2009-12-26T23:08:00.003-05:00

Mimi Marsha is here from Houston until Tuesday. Caleb has helped her make two batches of Christmas cookies and is in total love with her.
We had a feast yesterday for dinner and Caleb got tons of presents from my parents and Doug's family.
We were blessed this year despite our current situation. PTL!!

Here is a little photo collage from Christmas Eve/Day.
Click to make larger:

I hope y'all had a wonderful Christmas and your New Years is wonderful, too. Please keep praying that my husband finds a job. We have three months before we are homeless. Lord help us.

XOXO,

Check this out!

2009-12-18T14:08:00.002-05:00

I had asked for the new PSE for Christmas but with Doug losing his job, neither one of us is getting anything this year. We're just making sure Caleb is taken care of, cause HE is what matters, KWIM?

But that won't stop me from trying to win it! LOL

Check out this awesome blog candy from McKMama!
and this from Grammie :)

And have an awesome weekend!

Candy Cane Mice and Two New Layouts

2009-12-17T11:10:00.005-05:00

Hey guys :)
Truthfully, I haven't done any scrapping since my all day crop almost two weeks ago. Just haven't felt like it. I didn't even make Christmas cards this year! (shock!)

But here are some candy cane mice I made for Caleb's Christmas party tomorrow at preschool.
They didn't quite turn out how I want them.. I did them spur of the moment and don't have the yarn I need for whiskers but hey, they are still cute, right? LOL

And here are some teacher gifts.
I had to go cheap this year... Like REAL cheap. LOL
I found these cute little buckets in Target's $1 spot and couldn't pass them up. There are M&M's and a candy cane mouse inside :)

And here are two layouts I did last month for the design team challenges over on the rockin' CANDY SHOPPE DESIGNS blog.
This month there are TWO chances to win some awesome blog candy! A $20 gift card to Stop and Scrap and a gift package from Blue Moon Scrapbooking.
These prizes are quite awesome, you don't want to miss out.
So go over and check out the challenges. Can't wait to see what you come up with!!

This is for challenge #1. It's hard to tell in the picture but I used a clear frosty paper from KI Memories. Love it!
I used a sketch on this one (from SB etc mag). I know.. ME using a sketch? Can you believe it!! LOL

And here is challenge #2:

Both of these are from Caleb's first Christmas. How cute was he?!
OMG! It makes me cry just looking at these pics again!

TFL! Hope your weekend is great. We will be cleaning for my mother in law's arrival on Thurs. Fun fun!! tee hee

Love this!

2009-12-08T19:56:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the idea, Bethie!

He is my everything...

2009-12-07T20:37:00.001-05:00

If you aren't on Facebook, you can view the video here.

Some new work from me...

2009-12-06T20:15:00.003-05:00

I went to my monthly crop yesterday with the gals from Not Just Scrappin'.
I had a blast, as usual :)

I admit I had been so sad all week and really contemplated selling off all my scrap stuff and quitting the hobby. But once I got to the crop I realized scrapping truly is something that makes me happy more than anything (except family and God, of course). So I'm not giving it up anytime soon.

My local scrapbook celebrity friend Sarah Mullanix came to crop with us for the first time and we chatted away. I didn't get much done, as usual. But heck, I don't care. Truth be told, I really go there for the adult conversation, tee hee :)

But I did get two new layouts done.
Check them out!

I also have more layouts to share in the next few weeks but I can't post my work until it's up on the Candy Shoppe Designs blog.

I hope everyone is in good health and your getting your C'mas shopping done. I feel SO blessed that we were able to get Caleb's presents before Doug was laid off. That is one plus in this situation. At least he won't go without stuff for C'mas, KWIM?
Anyway, Have a great week!

Sad News

2009-12-01T18:22:00.003-05:00

My husband has lost his job of three years.

Our health insurance is gone now, too.
I am still shocked. We knew it was possible but not THIS soon.
Lord help us.
Please keep us in your prayers. We have no savings. We were doing the Dave Ramsey program and finally getting back on track then this happens.
He has filed for unemployment but it pays 1/3 of what his salary was.

He is definitely looking for jobs in other states. He has 11 years sales experience and has been selling million dollar large machinery for the last three years. If you hear of anything, please let me know.

I know God will help us through this. I have faith.
Thanks,

Who's your ALTER EGO?

2009-11-25T11:34:00.006-05:00

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...

2009-11-20T20:27:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-11-15T23:46:00.003-05:00

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

2009-11-15T19:47:00.003-05:00

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??

2009-11-13T14:27:00.011-05:00

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?

2009-11-11T11:39:00.003-05:00

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!

2009-11-08T12:32:00.004-05:00

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! :)

Back for a bit...

2009-11-04T14:28:00.003-05:00

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

2009-10-28T13:41:00.007-04:00

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

2009-10-26T19:47:00.001-04:00

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....

2009-10-21T00:33:00.003-04:00

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!!

2009-10-16T21:17:00.003-04:00

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...

2009-10-14T13:32:00.006-04:00

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

2009-10-11T19:11:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-10-11T16:09:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-07T16:39:00.002-04:00

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!

2009-10-04T10:33:00.002-04:00

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"?

2009-10-01T23:45:00.006-04:00

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,