MERRY CHRISTMAS

May you Christmas be merry and bright!!! We woke up to over a foot of new snow this morning and it's still snowing!! I'll catch up on all the Christmas morning details tomorrow! Hope you all have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Ahhh...it's Saturday

I'm so glad that Saturday is finally here!! Last night we had the granddaughters over for a tree decorating party. Okay, I have to say that they did a pretty good job but Nana will be redoing it!!! I can't believe that it's almost Christmas time!! We are having family pictures done tomorrow so that could prove to be a LONG day. I'm pretty excited beings this will be the very first FAMILY picture. Hopefully Kaiya doesn't have her little grump face on!!;)

I am participating in an 8 week elimination contest over at scrap-a-latte !! We just had our first challenge and I love how mine came out!! This is going to be sooo much fun! The last scrapper standing wins $100 worth of scrappy products! Now who couldn't use that!?! Don't ask my hubby because he will tell you......ME!!! Here is my first challenge LO!!!!

You really should go check out the gallery HERE and see the talented ladies that are participating in the contest. FUN STUFF!!!

Cyber Monday

Wow.....they just hit you from all angles huh!?! I need to buy a new laptop though so maybe I can get a good deal. Sure wish I knew more about them because I want a good one. Research, research, research!!! Gaah!

Tamara over at the Sketches! {by tamara} blog just posted her very first 6x12 sketch and I have to say it was awesome!! I think she'll be doing more in 2009. If you've never done a 6x12....be prepared to become addicted!! They are so much fun to do!! Make sure you check out her sketch and see what the DT did with it!!

Here is my LO based on this sketch:

If you decide to use Tamara's sketch be sure to go to the blog and link it up. You could be featured in her Friday Inspiration blog post!! Fun Stuff!!! She also has some great card sketches and LO recipes posted on her blog too!!!

Hope you all have a great week! Have you started your Christmas shopping yet!?! :D

Black Friday

I don't know about you but I ate too much yesterday!!! We was invited to our DIL's mom and dad's house for dinner so that is where we spent Thanksgiving this year. Tomorrow we will have our family dinner. Dang......two Thanksgiving dinners in three days!?! Uuugggg!!!

So, how many of you braved the crowds today and went shopping??? Me......NOT A CHANCE IN HELL!!! I'm not a very patient person anyways and to put myself in that situation is just plain CRAZY! I really didn't see anything that I couldn't live without but would have loved to get a Wii!! I bought hubby a Jawhorse! Hey, I've started my Christmas shopping before the last week! ;) Our Christmas is going to be a lot smaller this year beings we are looking at paying our portion of an over $15,000 hospital stay!! Having hubby is the best Christmas present I could ever hope for any way!!!

I've been doing a little scrapping but not much. Here are a few to share!

Isn't she getting big!?! I can't believe how fast they grow up. She has quite the little personality!!

The 3 big girls at the school carnival showing off the little fishies they won!! They are Wickedly Cute don't ya think!?!

This is my design team LO for the Sketches!{by tamara} blog for last week. Kaiya was a ghost for her very first halloween!!

I guess I was trying to get my halloween pictures scrapped so I can get ready for Christmas!!

Thanks for visiting my blog and have a safe and happy holiday season!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I have a lot to be thankful for this year! My hubby still being with me is a BIG one!! I have to thank God every day for that one. I have a new granddaughter and the love of family and friends. What more could a person want!?! I'm sure there is more that I'm thankful for but those come to mind right now! ;)

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving!!!!

Just A Few

Just a few of the LO's I've been working on lately!! Thanks for visiting today!!!

Just One More Thing

I ended up taking my hubby to the ER on Wednesday the 8th at 5:00 in the morning!! I did have to call his son to come and help me though because he fought me every step of the way! He didn't even know who I was and it scared the hell out of me!! They put him in the hospital for 4 days and at first they thought he had pneumonia and then they said encephalitis. At this point we don't know what's wrong with him. He had a spinal tap (which totally freaked him out!) this Wednesday and some of the tests came back today. There are white blood cells in the spinal fluid but so far nothing has grown from them. Hopefully that means that the major amount of antibiotics he is on is working. He has to go up to the hospital every night for an IV drip of Rocephin plus take an oral antibiotic. It is really messing with his tummy!! His mental status is improving on a daily basis but he is still pretty weak. He has been released to go back to work on Monday so that is a good thing! We may never know what caused all of this but as long as he is back to normal.....I really don't care. I just can't imagine my life without him and I don't want to either!!

Thanks for visiting my blog today and hopefully I'll have some more time this weekend to post a few more LO's!!!

I'm Among the Living

Wow...sure glad last week is over! I was soooo sick. I slept for 2 whole days and felt I could sleep more but holy cow!!! I'm basically better now but I seem to have this lingering cough and with having asthma, it always lasts forever! YUCKY!!! I did manage to finish my Sketches! {by tamara} LO before the deadline. I wasn't overly thrilled with how it came out but at least I managed to get it done. Here it is........

So, what do you think? Be honest because if I don't like your comment I can always delete it!!! hehe No seriously.....what do you think?

On Sunday I was in the mood to scrap but my mojo was still in bed I think! :( I went in search of some inspiration and found a sketch by Q-Diggity that woke the mojo up a little. This is a LO about my middle sister. I also used my embellishment class to do this one.

I'm happy with this one!!! I also got the new DT sketch from Tamara and all I can say is OMG......I was so inspired by it that I had to do it right away. Dang, now I just have to wait even longer before I can share it. Maybe that will give you something to look forward to! BTW, does anyone read this thing or am I just talking to my self!?! Thanks for visiting my blog today and hope you have a great week!!

Sketches! {by tamara} DT LO

Well....here is my latest DT LO for the Sketches! blog!! You really must check out Tamara's sketches!!! The pictures are of Christian on her 5th birthday!! OMG.....where has time gone!?! I also incorporated one of my embellishment classes over at NYC Scraps into this LO too!!



Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Hey, leave me a message so I know you were here!! ;) Hope you all have a great day!!

A Photographer in Training

When MayCee and I had our park outing she decided that she needed to be the one doing the "photo shoot" when we got home. I wasn't overly excited about her using my camera but I just put the neck strap around her (thank God because she dropped it!) and let her go for it!! Well I must admit for being 5 years old she did a pretty good job! I created this LO so she would have her very first photo shoot!!!

See, she did really well considering what she had to work with! hehe She told me where to stand, how to stand....you name it! Okay, now for a few of the out takes!! :)

Not to bad for a beginner huh!?! Thanks for stopping by today and check back soon because I have lots more to post!!!

My first LO

Well, here is the first LO that I did for the Design Team at Sketches! {by tamara} !! I really loved this sketch as it had so much potential. Check out what the rest of the DT did with this sketch. If you ever need some mojo, pop on over to Tamara's blog and you're sure to find some!!

Isn't she just the cutest little thing!?! She had her very first sleepover with her Nana and Papa and she was an angel. She went to sleep at 10:00 and didn't wake up until 6:40. Of course Tailee and MayCee spent the night too. They were really good little babysitters!! MayCee's little green monster showed up a couple of times but I think for the most part she did really well. I don't know if she's quite ready to share her Nana yet!!! The girls both just adore Kaiya!!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Come back soon as I am taking a "designing MY life" class with Cathy Zielske over at Big Picture Scrapbookingand also an "Embellishments 101" with Doris Sander over at nycscraps.com . I figured the two classes could really go hand in hand. I'll be sharing some of my LO's here. Have a great week!!!

Piggy Party

Oh yeah, you read it right!!! As some of you may already know, MayCee has an obsession with her stuffed pigs. They go everywhere with her. Well on Wednesday when I had the girls MayCee said that her pigs' birthday is Friday and we needed to have a party. Oh, okay honey!!! Well she talked her Papa into baking a birthday cake and buying her piggies birthday presents!! Yep, she has her Papa wrapped around her little finger. So last night we had a birthday party for her FIVE pigs equipped with cake and ice cream and of course party favors and piggy presents (really something for their mommy!;))!!! Here are a few pictures from our Piggy Party last night!! We was rockin' the night. AKA......SUGAR HIGH!!!! :D

Papa even decorated the cake and MayCee said that they were going to be seven so.....you have to have candles on the birthday cake!!! Come on!!! And yep, our birthday pigs in the background!!

The girls singing Happy Birthday to the piggies!!!

The piggies presents wrapped by MayCee and Christian!!! I think they used my whole roll of tape! :eek: The happy party goers!!! And last but not least the unwrapping of gifts (after we had cake and ice cream of course)!!! Well everyone had cake and ice cream except piggies (not that MayCee didn't try) and Nana (I'm still on a diet!)!!

So here is the story of our Piggy Party last night. Hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!! I've never laughed so much!!! A Friday night in the life of Nana and Papa!!! Thanks for visiting today!!! Hope you have a great week!

Some more LO's to share!

I'm sure having fun scrappin' my new granddaughter!!! She is growing way too fast. :( She's starting to coo and smile. She went to the Dr. today and now weighs 10 1/2 pounds. Not bad for 2 months!! I can't believe that she is 2 months old today. Seems like she was just born yesterday!!!

I have to not forget my other girls!! MayCee shows the little green monster every now and then. I don't think she's ready to share her Nana but she loves Kaiya soo much!! I did this LO of Tailee and MayCee's birthday party. Just love the bright colors!

This next LO I did as a challenge to scraplift a LO in the gallery at 3 Scrappy Boy's! I lifted scrappermimi's LO and used a picture of Tailee when we went camping. She's such a goofy girl!!!

I was feeling a little sentimental when I created this LO of my baby sis!! I wish we lived closer to each other. I really miss her and the way she can always make me laugh! Sometimes I get so wrapped up in my own life that I forget that I need to pick up the phone and call!! I'm such a terrible sister. :( I loved making this LO using a kit from Scarlet Lime. If you haven't ever checked out Christy Tomlinson's kits.....trust me, you NEED TO!!! Her kits are totally awesome!


Heather Bowser over at 3 Scrappy Boys picked this LO for Layout of the Day today!! Little does she know that she totally made my day!! I was totally inspired by a LO in my new Making Memories Magazine soo I stayed up way to late last night finishing it!! The picture isn't the best of Tailee but I just loved that big ol' smile on her face.




Okay, I think I've bored you enough today!!

BTW....make sure you check out the Sketches! {by tamara} blog on Monday and see my very first Design Team LO!!!! If you check it out and come back here and let me know what you think...I'll put your name in a hat for a fun RAK from me!!! Don't forget! ;)

Hope you all have a great weekend and thanks for visiting my blog!

My First DT

I am so excited about being asked to be on the Sketches! {by tamara} design team!! Tamara has some super cute sketches if you are needing some mojo!! Just click HERE . My very first assignment is due on Saturday and the sketch has so much potential. Check it out on her blog on Monday!!!

Funny little baby faces!

I just love newborn babies and their funny little baby faces!!

Kaiya seems to have no control of that cute little tongue of hers. Sure makes for cute pictures though. I can't wait to scrap these!!!

Isn't she just adorable with her cute little monkey hair!?! This is what all that hair does when she gets out of the bathtub. I just can't help but laugh at her. My precious little monkey!!!

She just looks like a little angel!! I think all babies look like angels when they are sleeping but then they wake up!! ;)

Thanks for visiting my blog today and letting me show off my new little granddaughter!! Have a great day!!!

What a crazy August!

This month has been absolutely crazy!! A new grandbaby, Tailee and MayCee's birthday's, Jake and Sharese's anniversary (Tailee and MayCee's mom and dad, my step-son), Brandon and Ashley's anniversary (Kaiya's mom and dad, my son) and my anniversary!! OMG!!! I am going to be poor every August! My baby sister's anniversary is also in August and her hubby's birthday is in August. See what I mean!?!

In the midst of the craziness I have found some time to do some scrappin'!! It felt so good because I hadn't really done anything since I made my mom's Mother's Day gift! Here are a few of the LO's I've done this month.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them!! I have spent the last 2 days cleaning my scrappy place. Wow......was it ever a mess!!! For those of you that are wondering about the picture on my "wonder" LO....I printed a 4x6 and a 5x7 of the same picture, sanded the edges of the 4x6 and then layered it on top of the 5x7. Really looks cool IRL!!

I can't believe that tomorrow is the 1st of September. Where has this year gone!?! We only made it camping once this year! So sad.

Well, it's past my bedtime and we are going to be harvesting worms tomorrow so I had better be getting my butt in bed. Hope everyone has a great day tomorrow and I will try to keep up on my blog better. Maybe once winter gets here. OMG, did I just say that!?! Have a good one!!! ;)

A New Granddaughter

Okay, I've been terrible about keeping my blog up to date but right now I have a very good excuse!! I am a new Nana to a beautiful baby girl! Can't you tell by this picture that I was up for over 24 hours with no sleep!?! Yikes, I look really scary!!

Her name is Kaiya Dior and she was born on August 2nd at 3:22AM, weighed 6lbs 9ozs and was 20" long. She is the most beautiful little thing don't you think!?! :) She is just an angel and has so much hair!! Doesn't she look older than 4hrs old here? I printed this picture in b/w and then used shimmer chalk to color in her bow and then added bling. I really had some fun doing this LO!!

Tailee and MayCee came to see her when she came home from the hospital and they were just so stinkin' cute with her. Tailee held her first and did fine until she started squirming and then she wanted her mom to take her!

MayCee just sat and begged to hold her and when it was her turn she was in heaven!! Kaiya was about the same size as some of her dolls. That is all she could talk about when she spent the night on the next Friday!!

Time for Change

Well, we have officially begun the re landscaping!! WOW! I didn't realize how much hard work was involved in doing this. My wonderful hubby has been working on the tractor for three days straight now getting the old lawn (or lack of) scrapped down so we are ready for our new top soil! Then begins the process of making that level and spreading the seed. My Dad does landscaping so he gave us the seed that is good for mountain regions. I can't wait!! We did have one fairly large tree in the middle of the yard that we had to pull down because all of the main branches in the middle were dead. I just don't understand how that happens! It sure looks different with it gone. My dear hubby was burning a pile of weeds in the yard and of course the wind was blowing and he succeeded in scorching all of the leaves on one of my new shade trees!! I think he is praying that they come back or his little wife is not going to be very happy with him! He was afraid to tell me that he had done it. He just sat there and looked at me with these great big puppy dog eyes and said "I'm really sorry honey!!!" Grrrrrrrr!!!! He is so grounded from burning right now!!! He was able to extend the front yard out about 6 more feet. I guess now I'm going to have to let him buy a riding mower!! Only if my tree lives!!

Next we begin the process of tearing the old railroad ties out of the terracing and getting ready to put in wall block. It should be really pretty when we are all finished with it. Next year we are going to redo the outside of the house. Baby steps!!!

Next Saturday we get out new HOT TUB!! That is something I have been begging for for years now. I guess he couldn't stand it anymore!! ;)

For all of you that have been missing me, I'm really sorry but I promise once things slow down I will catch up!! I haven't done a single LO in what feels like forever!! The album I did for my mom for Mother's Day was the last thing I have done that was creative. She was so happy with it though and it made her cry. Of course me being the big baby that I am cried right along with her.

I have officially lost 13lbs on my diet!!!! Not bad for 3 weeks of work!

I'll check in with you all later!!!

Time Flies

Where has time gone!?! I can't believe that Tailee is old enough to be losing her teeth. I just love to see little kids with their 2 front teeth missing! I was hoping that Tailee's second tooth would come out before the first one came in. It did!!! I got some of the cutest pictures of her with her new goofy little smile. I did this layout to commemorate the moment!! Hope you enjoy it but I'm sure not as much as I do!! ;)



This LO was for a challenge from Carla based on a sketch from PageMaps in honor of our Scrap-a-latte chat with the creator of PageMaps Becky Fleck!! She is super funny and just down to earth. Sure can't wait to get my hands on her new PageMaps book!!

If I Only Had 6 Months.........

I would make sure I was right with the Lord because then I wouldn't be afraid to die. I would definitely make sure that I had made everything right with the people in my life that are important to me and anyone one else that I knew I had wronged in some way. I'd make sure all of those I'm sorry and I love yous were spoken and not just assumed. How do you really prepare loved ones for your death? I would spend every minute I could with my family just so that they could have happy memories of me! Instead of traveling, I would scrapbook my heart out to make sure they all knew my story and how important they all were to me in my life. To most it may not be important but to some I think it would mean the world.

Every day is a gift!!! Live it like you only have 6 months!!

My friend Sarah from SAL posted this video to her blog and I just had to share it also!! This is so beautiful and really makes you think. Go to http://www.dashpoemmovie.com/ and watch! Thanks Sarah!!

Thanks Alicia from SAL for putting this subject up for thought. Wow, I really didn't realize the emotions that this would create.

Tag, I'm it!

Okay, Carla from scrap-a-latte has tagged me so here are my seven weird/unusual facts about me! Hope I can come up with seven!! Thanks Carla! (I think!!! ;))

1. I have a major OCD when it comes to public restrooms!!

2. I'm a horrible perfectionist. Even my handwriting has to be perfect!! My hubby said it takes me like 5 minutes to write my name!! Whatever! I've had a lot of people tell me I should have been a technical drawer!! Talk about create stress for yourself!!

3. I don't use shampoo on my hair!!! Okay, before you say yuck....I have very dry, naturally curly hair that goes to my waist and I just use conditioner to clean it. My baby sis is a cosmetologist and she just about freaked out when I told her!! She was amazed at what good condition my hair was in the last time she colored it though. I haven't used shampoo for about 2 years!!

4. I don't like to go out of the house without my hair and makeup done! Okay, I'm ugly!!!!

5. I love to dance and sing while I'm in my car!! So, if you ever see a girl driving down the road gettin' down with her bad self......that would be me!! (embarrassing fact!) When you spend as much time in the car as I do you have to find something to keep you awake!!

6. I get up at 3:30 every weekday morning to get ready for work. Okay, it doesn't take me that long to get ready but it takes about an hour and a half to do my makeup and hair. I like to fix hubby's lunch and play on the computer for a while!! I leave home at about 6:20.

7. My hair was straight when I was young and started getting curly after I had my son! Now it seems like the longer it gets the curlier it gets.

I know I should tag 7 more people but most of the people I know that blog have been tagged already. If you read this and want to play...GO FOR IT!!!!

My "Lost" RAK goes to........

Alicia Sharp!!! You can PM me your address at SAL! Thank you for the ideas gals! Carla, I think I need to be poofed again!! ;)

Easter Egg Hunt

Today was the annual Arco Easter egg hunt! Wow, was it ever muddy except for the places that still had snow! Tailee and MayCee were in different groups this year. MayCee managed to find one egg and was a little bummed. Tailee on the other hand found about 10. Well Jake took a couple of Tailee's eggs so that he could hide them for MayCee. Needless to say, Tailee was not a happy camper!!

MayCee was excited to find two more eggs but still did not want to quit. Mom and Dad had to threaten that they would not bring them to the Easter egg hunt next year and MayCee said "I'm happy now!!"

I don't think Tailee really cared at this point. MayCee had no clue that her big sister had to give up two of her eggs so that she could have more!! They both chilled out when we said "lets go see the Easter bunny!!"

A fun time was had by all! Well, except for the mud all over my shoes!

Tomorrow we are going to Jake and Sharese's for dinner after church. We are going to have a very non-traditional Easter dinner. BBQ hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans and dessert. Maybe it's wishful thinking for spring!! Bruce doesn't eat pork anymore so no traditional dinner for us.

Hope you all have a very HAPPY EASTER!!

IT"S A GIRL!!!

NO, I'm not pregnant!! WHEW!!! My son Brandon and my DIL Ashley are going to have a baby girl! They let me go to the Dr. with them today for the ultrasound. It was so cool. She gave us a clear shot as to her gender!! They already have a name picked out and everything. Brandon wanted a girl so bad he couldn't think straight!! Her due date is August 6th and I can't wait. This will be my 4th granddaughter but my first blood granddaughter. I can't let MayCee hear that because she will be totally devastated. She is such a Nana's girl!!

My morning commute to work this morning was scary to say the least! Okay, I have all the respect in the world for truckers unless they are stupid a$$e$ and believe me, this one was. I was just topping one of the hills out on the desert and and had time to slam on my brakes and go as far over as I could and stop because this stupid f*c#$r (excuse my sailor mouth) was passing on a solid yellow pulling a double flatbed loaded. The car he was passing wasn't even half way back and there was another car right behind them. I just laid on my horn and I couldn't salute him because it was still dark. If I would have been 2 seconds faster I would have been dead! I swear to God, I just about wet my pants!!! I had to sit there for a few minutes because I was crying and shaking so bad I couldn't move!! I had to call hubby just so I could pull it together. I sure wish people that are being passed like that and other people are put in danger would get plate #'s and call 911. I know I would because that road has scary enough drivers on it without some reckless a$$hole too! Sorry for the rant!!!

My commute home was much more pleasant!! I received a call from my step-son Jake telling me that Tailee wanted to sing her Nana a song. She got on the phone and asked if I wanted to hear her sing Hey Diddle Diddle! OMG!! It was so freaking cute!! Then of course MayCee has to get on and sing too. Jake said that they would NOT leave him alone until he called so they could sing to Nana!! I just love my grand babies!!!!!

We actually had a little sun today and a lot of wind!!! Come on Spring! Hope you all had a wonderful day!

LOST!!!

Have you ever lost your mojo!?! Well, mine seems to be taking an extended vacation. I am needing desperately to finish Brandon and Ashley's wedding album. Maybe I'll get it done before the new baby arrives in August! Heather over at 3 Scrappy Boys issued a PageMaps sketch challenge. She said it always helps her when she's in a funk. I took her up on it and this is what I came up with. Thanks Heather B.!



It's not the best but at least it is better than what I have been doing!! Which is NOTHING!!! So when you get in a funk, what do you do to get out of it? I could sure use some advise. I just can't for the life of me figure out where I misplaced it!! ;)

Hey I know!! Whoever posts some tips for getting out of a funk, I will throw the names in a hat and draw someone for a nice RAK!!!! Come on, help a girl out!!!