Hundreds Day

Today was Cora's 100th day of school. They had a bunch of activities with 100 of a lot of different things. Cora brought 100 rubber bands. She came home with a cool Crown that had 100 little stickers on it.

I played a little Super Mario Brothers tonight. Cora was playing and couldn't get past a part, so I came in and kinda commandeered the controller from her. It was a blast. I hadn't played in a LONG time! It felt good to play like a kid again.

Phew!

So, I got my first quiz in Bioethics out of the way. Did pretty well on it, and even caught a mistake in an answer. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Thank goodness. Now, to get my other two classes' work done for this week. I just read a short story called "The German Refugee" for my American Ethnic Lit class.

I'm shooting again tonight at the bow club. I haven't practiced all week, so hopefully I don't tank too badly.

Cora's teacher called this morning because Cora forgot her lunch. She said that Cora didn't know what to do, so I told her to tell Cora to just eat at school. Cute kid.

I watched the European Figure Skating Championships the other night. All I could think of was how I missed my dad. He and I used to watch figure skating together all the time, and Olympics time was an exciting time for us. We'd argue over if the Americans would win Gold. We'd speculate on who would pull off a quad.
I'm still watching this year, but his presence is definitely missed.

Ok....

Ok...maybe I'm completely deluded. I created a poker themed digital kit tonight. It's not much, but I had fun playing around.

Here's a preview.


You can download it here if you want to give it a try. Please let me know if you encounter any problems with it; I'm pretty new to this. Also, please leave a comment if you take it; I would like to know if anyone likes it.

Thanks!

Digi Chick Blog Challenge

"Tell us about your first paycheck. Who did it come from? How much was it? What did you spend it on? Have you never received your own paycheck? How do you feel about that?"

My very first real paycheck was a direct deposit pay stub from the Mississippi Army National Guard for my first weekend drill. It was only like 80 bucks (I was a Private). I was 17, and that money was SOOOOO cool! I sure did think I was a grown up! I don't even remember what I did with that money. All I know is that it ROCKED!

What a freaky Winter this is!

It's RAINING! There is NO snow on the ground. This is MICHIGAN!!!!! It's just totally weird not to have snow and it be 5 degrees outside.

Not much going on today. I'm supposed to be going to get my brother- and sister-in-law from the Detroit airport today. They were on a week-long cruise. Bah! :) Driving to Detroit is not what I wanted to do today, but my MIL can't do it. It'll be alright.

Hmmm...what else. I watched a movie last night that I had never heard of! It was "Staying Alive" with John Travolta and Cynthia Rhodes. I can't believe I actually watched the whole thing since I really don't like John Travolta. There was even a cameo by Sylvester Stallone, who also wrote, produced and directed it. Total 80's movie!

Layout Share

Here's a layout I whipped up with the paper pack I created. I'm diggin' it.

Lazy Saturday

Not much going on today. Our Super Walmart opened yesterday morning, so I've dropped a considerable amount of money in there in the past 24 hours. Walmart is the DEBIL! We're getting a Kohl's soon as well, so that should be nice.

I was just playing around today and created a few patterned papers. I don't see myself creating kits all the time, but it was fun to play around. Here's a preview.

Here's a link to download it if anyone's interested. Not much, but was fun for me. If anyone does use it, please post a link to the layout, I would LOVE to see!

What Scrapbooking Supply Am I?

You are PAPER!

You are an all natural basic person who likes to

act as a foundation to others. You are

willing to take a backseat in most of your

relationships and let others take the

spotlight, while you show your support and

help them shine! Underneath it all, you are

the one who makes it all happen. You are the

focus and stability in any group, even if you

are not the leader. Others look to you to set

the pace and provide ideas for ways to get

things done. But Paper Beware - sometimes you

get a little edgy with the people who look to

you for support and can give them some

papercut remarks that can hurt their

feelings. Remember to watch what you say,

because you are best when leading by example.


What scrapbooking item are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

My Joy List

This is a challenge on the Egg Blog to list my "Joy List". Just stuff that makes me happy when i think about it.

1. Sleeping Late
2. Warm blankets
3. Summer!!!!!!!!!!!
4. Watching my girls sleep
5. Seeing joy on the girls' faces
6. Hugging and cuddling with Andrew
7. Snagging an awesome photo
8. Being recognized for my work
9. Peace and quiet.

There are many more, but these are foremost in my mind right now.

What's on your Joy List? Leave me a link so I can read it! Thanks!

If Ya Don't Like The Weather in Michigan...

Wait 5 minutes...it'll change.

Of course, they say that about every state. Our weather has been crazy. COLD today, but will be fairly warm tomorrow. I'm ready for spring.

I shot in my league last night. Since I'm shooting with a club bow and arrows, Andrew put my arrows back in the cabinet, but on the top shelf. I would never in a million years look on the top shelf for my arrows, so when I went in to get them, I picked up some in the bottom that I thought were mine. When I started shooting, I was shooting high, so I adjusted my sight accordingly. I thought that was odd, but kept on. About 5 minutes before the league started, Andrew told me that my arrows were on the top shelf. So, I get them out and try to resight. I was flustered all night after that. The other arrows I was using were too short, so I couldn't use them. Grrr... I didn't do terribly, but could have done better. Oh well, better luck next time.

Sarah actually took a nap today. She put pajamas on and crawled into bed. I was shocked! My girls NEVER take naps, ever!!!! They've been getting to bed a bit late the past few nights, so I guess she needed a little extra sleep. Works for me!

Sunday night, and all's quiet...

Andrew and the girls are in bed snuggling. They're all asleep and so cute. It's only 10:30 pm. Andrew's never in bed that early. The girls are usually asleep before now, but alas.

Trying to get my homework done while listening to the radio. I love to study with music. I can't do it with the TV on, but music seems to help me concentrate.

Got some scrappin' done this weekend, of course.




I'm itching to take some pictures. I think I'll take Sarah out tomorrow and have a little photo-taking fun. We'll see how cold it is.

Welp, I'm gonna go watch a little TV before I go to bed.

Lata!

NOW it's Friday

Whoopee doo.

The girls are out of school today since it's Records Day at school. That means that report cards are imminent!

Yucky, dreary day today. The sun has forsaken us. I'm SO ready for Spring. Only 3 more months! :)

My little sister-in-law is coming over tomorrow night and we're going to scrap. I might even pull out my stuff and do a PAPER page!!!! I do have a bazillion photos that need to be scrapped. Should be fun.

Welp, I'm off of here to maybe get something done around this house. Or maybe I'll just sit here and surf.

[almost friday]

It's cold. It's supposed to get up to 41 today, so maybe the snow will melt. Might rain this afternoon. Rain in February. Who woulda thunk it? Very unusual winter. I told Andrew it's because I bought sleds for the girls. He also bought an ice-fishing pole. So, as per Murphy's Law, there will be NO winter since we bought winter stuff. Sigh.


The kids are off of school tomorrow since it's Records Day. Cora should be getting her report card Monday or Tuesday. My little genius. :) Only problem she rushes through handwriting, so her papers look like a serial killer wrote them. Messy! We're working on it, though. When she slows down it's really nice. I guess I have to remember she's 6. She's still learning to write.

Things to do today:
1. Finish folding and putting away laundry. DONE
2. Balance Checkbook. YUCK!
3. Put gas in truck.
4. Clean my bedroom. YUCK!

Ugh...I hate all this white stuff on the ground...

Ok, there's not much, but enough to put me in a bad mood for about 3 more months.

Not much going on today. I taught Sunday School this morning, then went to 11 O'clock service. The girls went into the nursery to "help out". Luckily the nursery staff love them. Communion was served, so I' m refreshed and renewed for a new week of craziness.

Tomorrow the girls don't have school, so we're going to hang out with a friend. We're gonna have pizza, root beer floats, and many pictures. Since she and I are both professional photographers, that's a given! :)

I was pretty excited to be named to Heather Roselli's Creative Team last week. I love her designs, and am pretty geeked to be designing for her. I got a couple pages done with her new kit today, but you have to wait until Thursday to see them! :)

Here's another one I did today. I did quite a few pages today.


I used Heather's Fresh and Funky Kit which can be found at The Digi Chick.

I also got this one done. This was done using Maya's "Ticklish" kit which can be found at Scrapbook Graphics.



I even got all my homework done, too! Go me!!!

A Day At The Circus

Cora, Sarah and I went to the Shrine Circus this morning with Sarah's preschool. It was a lot of fun, but what was most fun for me was watching the girls' reactions to what was in the ring. It was their first time to the circus, so everything was new to them. I love how I get to experience everything again through my girls. How blessed I am to have them. Thank you, God, for humbling me once again.


After the circus, the girls went to their friend Makena's house for a few hours. I took that opportunity to go to the bow club to get a little practice in. Man, I shoot like crap. Yeah, I know it's only my 4th time shooting EVER, but I get frustrated easily when I don't master something right away. I'll keep working on it. A bow of my own will help as well, since I'm using a club bow that's been used by many people. We shall see.

Ugh

I've been dreading doing this layout for a while.




Journaling:

"Dad wore hats all the time. For as long as I can remember he always had one. They were such a defining part of him. The only time he didn't have one was in church. It was apparent that they were a comfort item for him. He was himself when he had it. His collection was in the hundreds at one point. Dad died of cancer in August 2005. His "USA" hat hung above his bed at the hospice. He called it his "almost favorite" hat. I miss him desperately, but I find comfort in the hats that are now scattered around my home. In a way, he's here too."

Sigh

It appears that I'm going to stay home today, whether I like it or not. Andrew ran off to work this morning with both sets of car keys. Stinker. I was going to go up to the school and get my ID this morning. Guess I'll get it tomorrow when I go up to work out.

I didn't sleep at all last night. I was up until 2 AM cleaning the living room and reading. Once I did go to bed, I tossed and turned all night. I guess sleeping ALL DAY yesterday wasn't the best, but I had to do it. I'm a bit swolen today around the dental implant site, but not in too much pain.

Andrew picked up my class books for me yesterday while I was asleep. This semester will definitely be interesting.

Welp, off to get my bedroom clean. It's been a disaster since we got back from Texas.

Monday, Monday...

I had my second dental implant inserted today. I took some "happy pills" to relax me a bit. I could have probably had the procedure done without it, but Andrew was home to drive me to and from, so I said, what the heck? I came home and slept most of the day. I'm still a bit groggy, so if things don't make sense, you know why! :) (I seem to be saying that in a few posts lately! :) )

Anyway...St. Louis is a no-go. They decided to do it themselves. Kinda bummed, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Tomorrow's my ladies league night at the Bow Club. Should be fun. I went and practiced the other night for a while.

The semester began for me and Andrew. I'm taking Structure of English, American Ethnic Literature, and BioEthics. Interesting classes. Structure of English should be particularly interesting, since I'm a Grammar Nazi! I'll definitely have to manage my time to get some scrappin' and photography in! Can't do without those!

Yuck!

Sarah has some sort of stomach flu. She's been up all night barfing. She seems to be ok at the present time, but who knows what will come spewing out soon.

It's January in Michigan, and there is no snow on the ground. Very weird. Not that I'm complaining, but there's ALWAYS snow on the ground for like 5 months. I'm sure more is on its way though.

Here's a quick layout I did yesterday. I used Lilach Oren's Summer Joy Quick Page from Scrap2Gether. I modified the original color scheme and cropped to 8.5x11.

Home Sweet Home...

We made it home from our trip to Texas. We left Christmas morning and drove to St. Louis where we stayed the night at Andrew's mom's step-sister's house for the night. Then on Monday we drove the rest of the way to Texas. Got there around midnight CST. It was so WARM in Texas! I was in heaven. We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather while we were down there. Tuesday afternoon we went to the botanical gardens after I bought a new macro lens (the reason why I bought it will be down this post a bit).





Our week was pretty leisurely. We went to the Cowgirl Museum, the Science and History Museum, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, and did a bunch of hanging out at home. We played Texas Hold 'Em, Dominos, Darts, Scene It?, Euchre, had lots of drinks and stayed very late every night. It was so much fun. I even busted my brother-in-law's lip by throwing a poker chip at him (Ok, so I might have been a bit tipsy and my judgment was a tad off). Luckily he was a good sport about it. Sorry, Tony!!!

I've been asked to photograph Andrew's Aunt Cindy's next book. She's a very well-known beadmaker, and is in the process of putting together a new book. I'll be flying down to St. Louis at the end of this month to photograph all the beadwork for the book. How exciting is that???? I'm pretty geeked about it. Thus the reason for the new lens.

I'm also going to be the photographer for the Fenton Village Players theater group. That should be a lot of fun and will get my name out there.

Anyway, I'm glad to be home.

Merry Christmas

Have a blessed holiday, everyone.

Recent Layout

A layout I did the other night. I really love this picture.

I used Bohemian Spirit Kit from Scrapbook Graphics
Stitches are from Gina Miller.

Tuesday

Tomorrow Sarah has her Christmas Breakfast at preschool. I signed up to bring bananas. We usually have a pretty good time. The kids sing a few songs and we do a craft.

I got most of the Christmas shopping done today. All I have left is to take Cora out to get Sarah's gift from her. Feels good to be mostly done. Sunday is creeping up pretty fast!

Aunt Betty Jo called last night, and we made plans to go to their house on December 30th to visit with them. They're really close to Tony and Deanna's house. Can't NOT go see them. I'll also get to see my cousins who I've not seen since I was two. It's supposed to be in the 60s the week we're in Fort Worth. SO nice!

Monday Blog Challenge

"Since we're right in the midst of the holiday season, I thought I would ask all of you to share your favorite holiday memory for this week's Monday Blog Challenge."

Thought I'd participate in this challenge from Digi Chick.

My favorite holiday memory....hmmm...that's a toughie.

I remember the Christmas of 1994. I was in AIT(army school), and we got to come home for Christmas. Being home with my mom and dad after being away for a few months was heaven. I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them. The pride in my dad's eyes as I got off that bus as an adult was so evident. I'm glad I made him proud.

[Friday night]

Arbor Mist rocks. That's all I have to say about that. And, if ther are any typos in this post, you know why. :)

Busy weekend. Cora has practice for her church Christmas Program tomorrow from 10-12, then she has her Bow League Banquet at 1.

Sunday is Sunday School, maybe sledding, then her Christmas Program at 4. Phew. Luckily she gets out of school Thursday afternoon for the Christmas Break. I think we ALL need a break.

Less than two weeks...

Until Christmas! I can't believe how it's snuck up on us like that. Cora gets out of school on the 23, then we have a full day of seeing family on the 24th, then we're leaving for Texas on Christmas Day after we have our family Christmas. I can't wait to get to places where it's NOT 8 degrees outside. That's how I grew up, and I'm still not used to these snowy winters. In Louisiana, if you got a bike for Christmas, you actually got to ride it THAT DAY. Wearing shorts, most likely.

Alas, I'm not in the south any longer. We're in for a yucky snow storm around noon today. I might have to go pick Cora up from school early, depending on the roads. I HATE driving in the snow and ice. Southern girl coming through!

The first holidays are hard after losing a parent. I miss my dad SOOOOOOO much lately.

Brrrr!

Man, it's cold outside!

I just got a call from Cora's teacher and she said that Cora's not feeling well. Cora didn't want to ride the bus home, so I'm going to pick her up in a few minutes. Poor kid. She wasn't feeling the best this morning, but insisted she go to school. I may keep her home tomorrow just to rest. That kid goes a mile a minute and never stops. It takes a sickness to stop her in her tracks.

I went to the library this morning and picked up Labyrinth of Evil, which is the "prequel" novel to Star Wars III. I'm such a geek. I also got The New Year, by Pearl Buck.

I Am An Archer!!!!

Well, sorta.

I went to a women's instructional class last night at the bow club. I had a really good time, and might decide to pursue it further. My arms sure are sore, though. Definitely not as easy as it looks.

Taught Sunday School this morning. After I got home I went to Frankenmuth for some shopping and some alone time. Too bad it was COLD!!!!!! I forgot to wear my hat, too. So, I had to dodge into shops every few minutes to keep from freezing. By the time I was done my back hurt like crazy.

I made a digital layout the other night. Paper by Holly McCaig, element by Christy Lyle of The Digi Chick.

That Girl!

I was chosen to be December's That Girl at Scrap That Moment! Pretty cool! Although I haven't scrapped in a while, I still love to go there and read about the latest scrappin' stuff. They also have a great Photography section. After all, what's scrapbooking without PHOTOS????

Tuesday Morning...

Got my coffee, and am just sitting here. I registered for classes for next semester. Since it's my first semester at UM Flint, I had to wait until the 29th to register. Unfortunately, most of the classes I need are full already. So I figured I'd get my remaining Humanities requirement out of the way while I wait to get in those other classes.

We're getting ready for our trip to Texas at Christmas time. It'll be SO nice to see Christmas withOUT snow. I HATE SNOW! I HATE WINTER!