Is it NOT APRIL????

Yeah. It's snowing. In April? Yup, in April. We've got about 3 inches on the ground. Sigh. I hate Michigan in winter. Oh wait, it's SPRING! HA! Not today it isn't. There's a poor little Killdeer sitting on her nest in the backyard. I bet she's freezing and saying to herself, " I thought it was safe to lay my eggs!" The buds were just starting to come out on the trees. Here's our forecast for the next week:

We're Home From Nationals

We had a BLAST!

We left early Friday morning, and got to Louisville around 1 PM. Traffic was non-existent, so the drive was very easy. Once we got to our hotel, we settled in and then drove over to the Convention Center where the event was taking place. It wasn't too busy Friday night, but there were a lot of people there practicing. We saw a lot of our fellow Flint Bowmen members there.

Saturday morning we got to the Convention Center around 9 AM. Cora's and my shooting time was 11:30. Poor Andrew didn't know where he should be; with me or with Cora. He stayed with Cora of course. I was fine shooting without him watching. I shot a 282 out of 300 the first day, and a 272 out of 300 the second day. I took Second Place. Cora took Second Place as well. We are both pretty excited to have done so well in our first major tournament. There were over 1400 shooters at this event, so it was a pretty big deal.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend.

Cora shooting on Saturday



Me shooting on Sunday







Archery Tournament or Comedy Central?


Cora polishing her medal.

I wasn't able to watch Cora get her medal, since my shooting line was shooting at the same time as her awards were being given out. I started out pretty shaky on Sunday. I wore my Flint Bowmen shirt, and that was NOT a good idea. The sleeves are pretty big, and even though I thought I had a solution for the sleeve being in the way, I had to improvise. Now I know I can't wear that shirt to shoot in!

Welp, I'd better get off here and get my house clean. It's a disaster!

One More Week

Nationals are coming. The new arrows I'm shooting break every law of physics ever invented, but they hit the middle. It's truly comical to watch them come out of my bow. They twist, bend, twirl, fishtail, and everything else you can think of. But they hit the X. That's all I care about.

Just got done writing my research paper. Who knows how good it was, but it's turned in. Phew. Now to study for my BIO exam on Tuesday. Is school over yet????

It was such a beautiful day today! Looks like spring is finally beating out winter. Finally. I feel my spirits lift a little more every day.

Welp, not much else to report. Just wanted to ramble a bit.

Woah Nelly!!

Ok, I got an awesome call yesterday afternoon. Fred from CK gave me a call...I was informed that I was chosen as an Honorable Mention in the Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame Contest! Wooter! Ain't that the coolest news ever? Well, an HOF nod would have a tad sweeter, but man, Honorable Mention! I'm stoked!! To top it off, I went to the bow club right after my call and tied my personal best!

Today is "Work on Research Paper" day. I'll be up at the library furiously researching. It's due Sunday. :0

Is anyone else excited about Harry Potter 7??? I can't WAIT for this book to finally come out. And Harry Potter 5 (the movie) will be out about a week before the new book. Harry Potter Madness, I tell you! Yeah. I'm a geek.

Welp, off to do the mountain of laundry that is my dining room table. CIAO!

Happy HOF Call Day!

Yup, today's the day! This is the day that 2007 Hall of Famers are notified. Wouldn't it be a total trip if I got called? Not likely to happen, but man, what a rush! That would ROCK! I love my entry, so at least I got some really kick @ss layouts out of the deal. Can't wait to share 'em!

In Archery news, I shot a personal best yesterday!! Andrew got me some new arrows to play with, and let me tell ya, they're flying like a dream! We honestly didn't think they were gonna work with my bow, but they're flying better than my other arrows. I was getting so frustrated because I wasn't seeing the scores I should be seeing, and now that I have these arrows, let the games begin! I had so much FUN shooting yesterday. The fun was starting to be a bit scarce, so I'm glad it's back!

Welp, just a quick update before I go sit by the phone! Lata!

The Hurlage Continues

The stomach flu has run rampant in my house. Cora had it Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Andrew had it Saturday, Sunday and a bit of Monday. Now Sarah has it. Guess I'll be next. This does not bode well for getting to school to take my calc exam in the morning. Geesh...I've got my windows open trying to let the germs out. We're supposed to hit 65 degrees today, so that will ROCK!

Not much else going on around this neck of the woods. Snow is melting, birds are starting to make their appearance, and it's daylight longer! Woot!

Here are a couple layouts I've done the past few days or so...

Credits can be seen here.

Credits can be seen here.

Welp, I guess that's about it for today. Later taters!

Hurlage

Ugh...Cora's sick. She's been tossin' her cookies for the past hour. Lovely. She doesn't have a fever, just an upset stomach. Poor kid. It's Grandparents Day at school tomorrow, and it looks like Sarah will have the grandparents to herself tomorrow. Poor Cora. I'm hoping she'll be ok in the morning.

Has anyone seen the movie "Wimbledon" with Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst? I LOVE this movie! Really great flick, one that can be watched more than once. I highly recommend it.

Not much else going on around here...freezing as usual. I think we might start to thaw out next week. How refreshing!

I'm stylin' now!

So, I had my bow custom painted in December. Craig painted the riser and the stabilizer to match. Right after this, I got two new stabilizers and an extension for my main stabilizer. He took those Sunday night and painted them to match my original paint job. It looks SOOOOOO awesome! Thanks, Craig! You ROCK! I shot really well last night. I had a couple arrows where I thought "What the heck???" but other than that, it was a good night. Wonder how I'll do tonight? We shall see.

Oh! Check out what Heather Roselli has coming out at The Digi Chick on Thursday!!! This kit is SUPER cool!

And the Emoticon Add-On to go with it! This stuff is da bomb!


Here's a layout I did with it.




And my girl Fee has a bunch of new stuff coming out as well! I'll just show her kit:

Make sure you head on over to The Digi Chick on Thursday to pick this schtuff up!

Anyway...it's still cold. I'm still waiting on spring. Have I ever mentioned I HATE winter???

Welp, I'm off to get under a blanket! Happy Tuesday!

Spring Break!!!

Yeah...whatever...

I'm off of school for the next week. It's snowing. Bah. The girls are still in school though, so I've got the house to myself. Boy am I gonna clean! After I finish this post, of course *wink*...

The National Archery Association National Championships are this weekend. Cora's shooting Friday night. I'll be sure to get a lot of photos, unless I'm coaching her. Andrew gets SOOOOOOOO freaky nervous when she shoots in tournaments. He's not able to focus enough to coach her. So, I step in in these situations. You should see the poor guy. He looks like he's ready to throw up or pass out. We can never tell which one. Heheh...
I don't get as nervous about her shooting. Of course I want her to do well, but let's face it; she's only 7. She'll be shooting against 11 and 12 year olds who are much taller than she is...Yes, size does matter. If she is taller, she can pull more weight. If she can pull more weight, her arrows will fly faster. If they fly faster, they are more accurate. This tournament is mainly for experience for her. She'll get to see other girls shooting recurve, which she doesn't see much of. There are FIVE of us at our club who shoot recurve. Me, Cora, two other older girls and sometimes Sarah (she's not as into it as Cora, and only shoots when she feels like it. Hey, she's 5).
Anyway...Cora's a bit intimidated about this tournament since it's the "Nationals". If anyone would like to send her well wishes, leave a comment and I'll send you her email address. She'd LOVE some warm fuzzies before the tournament! I'm SO proud of her composure and maturity. It's hard to remember she's still a little kid. She's also going to be shooting at another national tournament in Lousiville, KY at the end of March. I'll be shooting in that one as well. That's gonna be SO much fun!

Ok...I'm outtie...

Have a great week!

Can I Get A Woot, Woot???!!!!

So like, I passed my pre-calculus exam! Let me tell you how GEEKED I am about this! Give me Chemistry, Physics, Biology, English...anything at all. But give me Calculus, and I run the other way. I am SOOOOOO bad in math. I have to work twice as hard to get a passing grade in Math. Ugh. I'm glad I passed. Phew.

It's Friday, y'all! The girls are out of school today and Monday.

Not much else going on today. We're just trying to stay warm.

I leave you with a really cool youtube video. This is pretty sweet. Yeah, I'm easily amused! It says Inspector Gadget, but I think it's the Beverly Hills Cop theme song mixed in too.

Happy Weekend!

Ummm....Yeah...

It's freaking COLD!!!! Holy Crappaccino, Batman! Winter has hit with a vengeance. I'm not pleased. C'mon' Spring! Anyone else ready to thaw out?

Been busy with school and archery activities. I am pleased to announce that Cora is State JOAD Champion in her age group. She kicked serious butt! :) Now she's training for JOAD Nationals next month. Yeah, she's only 7. But it's been HER decision to pursue this sport. We're going to support her 110%.

I'm also pleased to say that I'm also a state champion on the Adult Female Recurve division. I had a blast shooting in that tournament.

We're going to Louisville, KY in March for a National Tournament that Cora and I are shooting in. Should be a good time.

Ok...I'm gonna show off a few layouts and then go snuggle under a BIG blanket!

Oops! I did it AGAIN!

Dang, this blog is so lonely! Guess I need to get here more often to update. Shout out if you actually read my blog! ;)

Anyhoo, winter has finally come, and she's come with a vengeance! It's FREEZING here in Mid-Michigan. Brrr! I'm going to have to bundle up and shovel a bit today. I hate shoveling.

My semester started Jan. 8, and boy am I busy! These classes are going to keep my hoppin'! Not sure how I feel about pre-calc, but luckily Andrew is a total geek, so he helps me with it. My professor isn't the best teacher, so I feel like a moron most of the time while in class.

Archery is going well...got new equipment for my bow, which made my left shoulder sore as heck from the extra weight. I guess I just have to let it build up. I'm too impatient for that. Andrew and I shoot tonight in a couples league at the club, and I shoot tomorrow in a ladies league. Those are so fun, but I take them a bit too seriously. I really get mad if I don't shoot as well as I know I can. Lighten up, eh? Andrew might have to skip tonight, since Cora's sick. We'll see. We don't want to spread the love at the club.

Welp, off I go to clean my living room! Lata!

OOPS!

I can't believe I've gone so long without blogging. It's been crazy busy the past couple weeks, as it has been for everyone, I'm sure.

We had a great Christmas. The girls didn't get any toys (per our request) but the girls each got a cd player boom box which they LOVE from Grandma and Grandpa Spangler. They got all three Spy Kids movies, and a lot of books and art supplies, among other things. They were happy. I got a few DVDs I had been wanting and a 2 Gig memory card for my camera. Woot!

I also got my bow painted Christmas weekend. It looks SO awesome!

Well, I guess I'll end this for now...need more coffee...

Friday...Christmas Shopping day!

I'm about to venture out into the wildness of the mall. I have to go Christmas shopping. I haven't the faintest idea what I want to get anyone; I guess I'm just going to wander aimlessly around the stores until I stumble upon something that looks good.

The girls aren't getting toys this year; they get clothes, books, art supplies, videos. We're going to buy toys, but they're going to go to a couple families who need them a bit more than we do. Hopefully it will teach the girls to be generous and have compassion. At least that's the idea. We'll see how it goes. Anyway, my divas enjoy clothes much more than toys anyway!

Monday I had surgery to have a tubal ligation. No more kids for me. It was an easy procedure; they did it laproscopically. I was able to go home that evening. Recovery has been fairly easy, just a bit sore like a truck ran over me, but I'm mostly better. I'll definitely have to take it easy today while shopping. Can't overdo it.

I'm missing my dad a lot this season. I wish I could hear his voice and listen to his laugh. That's the one thing I hate about the holidays. I want my dad.

Anyway...off to shop. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Chat with Heather and Fee!

Hmmm...It's Tuesday. Man, was our Thanksgiving weekend busy! First we had a family dinner here on Thursday. Cora cooked our meal for us! Andrew did the oven stuff, but Cora made the green bean casserole, the mashed potatoes, the yams, and the cookies.

She was very excited to be the chef that day.

Friday night was the annual Euchre party at Andrew's brother's house. We had a really good time. I won the "boobie prize", which goes to the schmuck in last place. Heh....The boobie prize is all the quarters put into a jar when someone has a failed loner hand or gets Euchred. There was about 10 bucks worth of quarters in there! Woot! :) As the beer gets consumed, the cockiness gets more prevelant, so the more quarters go into the jar! Excellent!

Saturday was dinner at Andrew's dad's house. Drama over there. Long story.
I also did a photo session at the bow club Sat. afternoon. Two girls from the club who are Recurvers like me. I got some shots of them with their bows. They haven't seen these yet, but I think they're going to flip for them.
Here are two I did...

Sunday was dinner with Andrew's mom at his brother's house. More Euchre, more food. Can't beat it.

Help Our Troops...

Just wanted to post this site on my blog....

http://www.anysoldier.com/

You Know You Want To...

The Digi Chick is having a huge Black Friday Sale...

Check it.

Sarah has been sick the past couple days. Yesterday she was throwing up and had a fever. I thought she was done throwing up, but she just did it again. Poor kid.

We're going to have a small dinner tomorrow for just us. Cora wants to help prepare the meal, so she and Andrew are going to sit down tonight and plan out what they want to cook. He really wants to do this with her, so who am I to refuse? I'm perfectly happy to sit on my couch and watch movies all day. Friday night is the annual Euchre party at Andrew's brother's house. That is ALWAYS a blast! Saturday is the father-in-law's dinner at his house (he's remarried), and then Sunday is the mother-in-law's dinner at her house. Makes for a lot of traveling, but we have fun. Luckily everyone mostly lives within an hour of each other.

Welp, I'll end this with a few layouts I've completed the past few days. Have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving, everyone!

Papers: Misty Mareda's Basin St. Blues Kit at The Digi Shoppe
Cardboard and eyelet: Jen Caputo
Photo Corner: Jennilyn
Bracket and paper strips: Lauren Reid
Fonts: 1942 Report; Lima Bean; Acoustic Bass

Papers, elements from "Back In Black: Fresh" kit by Amanda Rockwell.
Heart brush: Fee Jardine
Fresh Foliage Brush: Jason Gaylor
Paper tear and Folded corner action: Jen Caputo
Date stamps: Heather Roselli
Alpha Stamp: Michelle Coleman
Font: Indian Poker

Papers: Jen Wilson
Word Art: Marsha Zepeda (available in the boutique)
Swirls: Jen Wilson; Amber Clegg( The Digi Chick "Indian Summer" Collaborative Kit)
Flower: TDC Indian Summer Collaborative Kit
Paper Tear: Jen Caputo
Fonts: Elizabeth; Apple Scruffs

Friday, baby!!!

Yeah Ok, it's Friday. I got up this morning and went to the bow club to shoot with some of the best archers in the state. I must admit, we didn't get much shooting done; we gabbed most of the time! But I had fun, and it was good for me to be there with the good shooters. They teach me a lot. Andrew got the girls on the bus this morning. Thanks, sweetie! :)

I got an A on my research paper from hell! I was SO excited to get that paper back. I can resubmit it and try to get the full credit, but I figure an A is an A, so why tempt fate? We're on the homestretch now, and I can see the end of the semester. Phew! I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas break. I'll definitely need a break before the next semester of more Biology, Chemistry and Calculus. Good times, eh?

Anyhoo...here are a couple layouts I've cranked out in the past few days.

This uses Fee Jardine's new "Flossie" kit.


Using Heather Roselli's Schtuff (Growth Spurt, Silly One, Day Planner 2)

Memories 2 by Amber Clegg

Brrr....

Guess it's official. Summer is gone. I was trying to deny it of as long as possible. Can't do it now, as I'm freezing my scooby doobies off.

Spent all day at the bow club coaching at the Kids' League at the bow club. It's a lot of fun to help the kids, but MAN I get SO tired after it's over. Some of the kids are getting really good.

Tomorrow we're heading down to Farmington Hills to hang out with Andrew's brother and his family. I'll be taking their kids' pictures as well. Andrew didn't go hunting this weekend because the weather is nasty.

I'm going in for surgery on December 4 to have a Tubal Ligation (tubes tied). The IUD I had wasn't working out for me, so I've decided that this is the right course to take. We're done having kids. Pretty easy procedure; I won't have to stay the night in the hospital most likely. My doc was telling me that there's a new procedure that can be done in the doctor's office. It's called Essure. I opted to do the other procedure, as the time to wait for infertility is two weeks as opposed to three months. Ok...I'm sure y'all wanted to hear about my fertility. I digress.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good Morning!

Sarah's home with a cold. Poor kid can barely speak. She was not happy about having to stay home though.

It's been a pretty quiet week. Got my research paper turned in last week, so that's a HUGE relief. I'll be ready for Thanksgiving break. After that there's only a couple weeks left of school.

I've decided to change my major from nursing to Molecular Biology/Biotechnology. It just SOUNDS cool. I'm really excited. LOTS of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, but I'm such a nerd for that stuff anyway.

Everyone should head on over to The Digi Chick and spend 10 bucks. Then you can have this awesome kit!!!

Here's a layout I did with it.

Stupid Tigers!

Yeah they lost. Blah blah. Congrats goes out to the Cards. The Tigers just forgot how to play baseball. Painful to watch, really.

Let's see. Not much going on. Working like mad on my research paper that's due on Thursday. I'll be glad when it's over. It's mostly done; I just have to type it and polish it a bit. Shouldn't be hard.

Ugh. I just realized that on November 7, the girls will be out of school since it's election day. Now I have to find a baby sitter for them all day instead of just when they get off the bus. Guess I'll be calling Grandpa! :)

What's your favorite YouTube video? Link me up with your faves! I love to watch good stuff on YouTube.

Mine is definitely:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGQMyN75LFQ

Welp, guess I'm off for now. Later!

Yeah, they did it!

My boys tied it up at 1-1! Wonderful game last night. Too bad that they'll win the World Series in St. Louis. It would be WILD if they went to game 6 and took it in Detroit. I apologize to any St. Louis fans, but my boys are gonna TAKE IT!!!!!

I sat and watched the game and studied last night. Big Microbiology test tomorrow. I'm tinkering with the idea of changing majors from Nursing to Medical Technology. Kinda not sure what I wanna do now. Both careers are cool, but I'm not sure I can deal with all the aspects of nursing. Lots to think about.

Guess I have to get my house straightend out. I always slack off while Andrew's hunting. It's pretty wrecked. Off I go! If I'm not back in a day, dig me out from under the laundry and the dishes!

I'm a Deer Widow

Andrew left for his week-long hunting trip yesterday morning. It'll go by pretty fast since I'm busy like crazy this week. Two exams, helping teach the Archery class on Monday night, working in Cora's class for a bit, eating lunch with Sarah Wednesday, Andrew's sister and husband are coming into town on Thursday. WORLD SERIES!!!! Bummer that my Tigers lost game one. That's alright, though...they're gonna STOMP some serious butt in the next three games...RIGHT???? Right!!!

We spent yesterday at the bow club. I helped in the kitchen and out on the line with the kids. That's so fun! Those kids are so cute! Some listen, and some don't. It's frustrating because a lot of parents don't really understand the mechanics and technical aspects of archery. They expect their kids to shoot bullseyes with this bow they bought at a garage sale with no site or correct set up. All we can do is try to teach them correct form, and hope the parents invest in better equipment. The kids start out at 5 yards, and when they shoot a certain score, they can move back to 10 yards, etc. Cora's at 15 yards already, and it was the second week. She and one other boy (about 14 years old) were shooting from 15 yards. It was so funny to hear the buzz around the room when my 7 year old got up to shoot. Everyone was amazed. I'm a mean mommy, though. The rule is that if a kid forgets to get their arrows out of the target, they have to do the chicken dance to get them back. It's supposed to be a fun thing. Cora forgot her arrows, so I gave them to John to call her to get them back. The poor kid started crying. Guess who had to do the chicken dance for making their daughter cry? You guessed it. Me. Funny stuff. But she didn't forget her arrows again!

Wow, Friday Can't Get Here Fast Enough

I'm SO ready for the weekend. Not sure why though, since I have two exams to study for. Guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Andrew's leaving for his week-long hunting trip on Sat. morning. All day Saturday the girls and I will be at the bow club for the Kids' League. Lots of fun, but it totally exhausts me. The girls have a blast shooting with the other kids. I have a blast showing the kids how to shoot.

Guess what I get to do all day tomorrow??? I get to cook hunting food for Andrew. Yes, that's right. I get to stay home all day and slave over the hot stove. That's alright though; it'll give me time to work on my HOF entry. Woot! :)

I can't believe that St. Louis and New York went to game 7. Wonder who my Tigers will play in the Series? We shall soon find out! GO TIGERS!

Hump Day!

Woot! Halfway through the week!

I took my first lab practical exam in Microbiology yesterday. Not too bad. I think the fear of the unknown was the worst. Pretty easy exam.

Not much planned today. I'm going to walk with Cora's class on their library field trip this afternoon. The town library is very close to the school.

My boys made it to the World Series!!!! It was pure magic watching the last play of Game 4 against Oakland. Gotta love baseball!!!!

I'll become a Hunting Widow this weekend. Andrew and his brothers and dad are going up north for their annual hunting trip. He'll be gone from this Sat until next Sunday. Figures, I have two exams that week, with no one to wrangle kids while I study. Dat's alright, though...I can handle it!

Go check out The Everyday Digital Scrapbooking Blog! Lots of great tutorials and inspiration to be found!
Also, take a gander at the Sweet Shoppe's blog. Great stuff there, too!

Here's a layout I did the other night.

Papers: Manda Bean's Table Scraps Collection: Serrano Chile Salsa
Brushes: MissM
Stitches: Manda Bean's Scrapperware Pack
Fonts: Smudger's; Hootie!

Ok...I am such a GEEK...

But I loved this video from YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7A2D2M4ZcU

Woo Hoo!!!

GO TIGERS!!!! They're on a roll! Hopefully they can make it to the World Series. Very cool stuff.

It's a dreary day today. Lots of rain. We're supposed to get SNOW tonight after midnight. Can I tell you how much I'm NOT happy about that bit of news. Guess that's what I get for living in Michigan.

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. He would have been 64. I miss him terribly.

Ewwww....It's COLD!

Cold morning. I hate the cold. Have I ever mentioned that before? I'm SURE I have. Luckily my allergies have lightened up a tad. Finally. I was ready to chop off my head.

Well, shoot. I don't have much to talk about today. I rented Flight 93 yesterday. I was curious about it and wanted to see how it was done. I cried. Very powerful movie. It made me remember, and I never want to forget what happened that day. Those folks are true heroes. See it, if only to just remember.

Here's an image of Sarah from the other day at the park. I just love it.

I had a few story boards printed up this week, and expect them to arrive today.

Guess I need to go to Michael's and pick up frames for them. Credits include Andrea Victoria, Shabby Princess, Michelle Coleman, Traci Sims.

So, In True Tiger Form...

They lost of course. Sigh. Looks like it might be a short playoff run for the stinkin' Tigers.

Yesterday was a GORGEOUS day. I took the girls to the park for a few pictures. Sarah's never as into it as Cora though. I got a great one of the two of them together. I can see it being blown up BIG and hung on the wall in the living room.

Friday is the Homecoming Parade. We're walking in it with Flint Bowmen After the parade, we might actually go to the game. Not sure if the girls would be bored though, but we'll see. I think they'd love the band playing...that was always my favorite part.

Welp, I'm off to do my research paper. If anyone wants to do it for me, I pay VERY well! :)

I SO don't wanna go to school!

But I guess I have to. Can't miss any of the exciting lecture about MICROBES! Woot! :) Not much else going on today. Last night I was at the bow club helping out at an Archery class that the Community Ed Program put on at our club. A couple of guys from the club volunteered to teach beginning archery. They wanted me there to demonstrate how to shoot a recurve. It was pretty fun. The poor folks were overwhelmed, I think, but it was the first night. Hopefully they'll relax and have fun with shooting. There was one woman in particular who was scared to death to shoot. She was convinced that the string was going to take her nose off or something.

Detroit and New York tonight at 8 PM EST! GO TIGERS!