sketch challenge layout...

I was struggling on this layout till I saw the sketch on
design by diana

with a change of pink pp...my layout came together...

thanks Diana!

joined the organizing challenge on 2 peas..

the first challenge was very good, to create a layout and take notes along the way...about what is good and what is bad about your present system.

Good: I like the way my pp's and cardstock and embellies are organized...I can find what I need.

Bad: all the stuff on the floor (see pics) make it hard to get to my counters and shelving where all my goodies are kept.

no elbow room on my work surface, could not even use my cutter.

and just don't like the fact that my flowers were in 3 different places.

I did get a couple of layouts done today.

including this one of Santorini, Greece...now days, I'm just so into all things shiny, glittery, shimmery...esp the Smooch inks!!





a while ago, I bought some pre-cut kits from a CTMH rep, today I pulled one out to make a layout for ds's book. Of course I did not do the same layout she had laid out...but then..just did not work for the pics I had. BUT, 2 more layouts and that book is done!!


wELL, THE CAPS KEY IS STUCK AGAIN!! OH WELL, TIME FOR BED, BUSY DAY AT WORK AHEAD!!

a li'l fun yesterday morning.

yeah, had a little issue with the tractor being parked in the middle of the gravel in front of the driveway...if you look closely you can see the letters from the tire on my bumper. Michael says that even as he left for work, he did think "I should move that, Karen may hit it"...uh huh...

well, it makes a different pic for my P365 layout!

I'm home from work today...next 4 days are going to be busy as I prep for closing May and then leave for Tx on June 3...but today is pretty blank, so I took it off.

Work is scary slow...but we've just got to trust in God. Make adjustments where we can and hope for the best, right?

Learn to enjoy the simple things...scrap from my stash...eat out less...all the things one has to do.

It will be so GOOD to see DD and DSIL! Its been since Dec!! 6 months is too long for me, I'm having withdrawals!

Crop Yesterday...

Did the pics from the kids' D-land trip last fall.all I can say, GREAT way to spend a day.






REALLY tried to stop myself from my standby layouts of PP, photos matted in cardstock and a little embellishing. (Of course I found myself going back to it)
But made the conscience effort. Though caught myself just trimming the pp, to put it on the cardstock,,,teehee. (see pics of the kids next to the castle)(the pp is SEI's Bridgeport...yummy...)





I got stuck on this one, I picked out the pp...so I texted Cierra, "Pick a color other than green"...her response, red, so I used a brick red on the layout. It was fun to go with something kinda random instead of colors I might have been leaning toward. (for me it was orange, but I had just done a green/orange layout.)





Then with Nyki, it was 'pick a color other than yellow'...her first response 'clear'..ummm, no I need a color...'silver'...did not have any cardstock (if I was home I could have done them)...so, no, a color...finally 'green'...aye yi yi...those blondes from Indiana.

I used a lot of older stash, these are from Colorbok, a boys package bought at Target,

and this one is Rob and Bob (still go to this pack for fun, colorful pp's)



I got thru d-land pics, then did one from C's last Theater Awards Banquet...I love how the girls will do those 'awkward' bathroom mirror pics. (don't you love the Fancy Pants pp?)

And started dd's graduation mini album. this one is 'easier' cuz it is all in pink and black and I am using a lot of Heidi Swap's Runway. But, that is where I had to end...cuz I ran out of glue sticks.!!

6th folder challenge..

1. Go to your 6th folder...


2. Go to your 6th picture...


3. Blog about it...


4. Tag your friends...


This is New Years 2007, Both of my kids were home...which doesn't happen very much lately...and we invited the "boys" who grew up with ds, and were like dd's big brothers ...and their families/girlfriends over for dinner. This picture is of Madison and my dd, I just love the way Madison is looking at dd.

adventurous morning...

internet is still off and on...oh well,
so I decided since I can't surf the net, I'd get some stuff done.

Yesterday morning, I collected the Encyclopedias for the bookshelves and organized some of the boxes in the garage. It ended abruptly, when I found a nest of vermin in one of the boxes. You know, just glancing to see the content of the box...and in the corner of my eye, saw something moving. yeah! a nest of squirmy little pink bodies. I ran out of the garage screaming. Luckily, dh hadn't left for work yet, so he moved the box out of the garage for me. And mom was laughing like a hyena. "I knew you'd find something like that"

I thought about it, but could not force myself to 'put on my big girl panties" and take a picture of those things to scrap.

This morning, I stuck to emptying boxes that are stored in the house. Putting books into the bookshelves. Also cleaned my desk (not the scrap desk). getting tired of seeing all these piles....wahhhhh

well, I just yelled at my mom. While I was typing this, she walked by the portacrib and yelled at the cat sleeping there. Now, mom did this Friday afternoon and when Cassandra jumped out..she broke a glass candleholder that was on the hearth. Today, she knocked over the glass from these metal candleholders I had placed there. I yelled at mom and told her to stop yelling at the cat. That the reason I put the fabric on the crib was so the cat could sleep there without leaving fur on the babie's mattress...and I can't keep replacing these candleholders. I feel so bad. I apologized for yelling, but still feel like poop.

If you get a chance, see the movie "Unknown" with Greg Kinnear...very interesting twists and turns..

having internet problems..

it is really intermittant today,
well, guess that means I'll get some stuff around the house done!

seems to be a few changes...Bad Girls kits got changed. Instead of doing the standard kit club, she is doing limited edition teaching kits. It was a quandry, do I sign up...or do I let my sub lapse..and save the money. Had to go with lapsing..dh has been getting on my about my spending. But I do love Wendy's style, and she said the new kits would be filled with even more found items from Paris.

Today is Betsy's last day at work. Man, I am going to miss her. She is going on maternity leave and says she is coming back. For me, I hope she does. For her and her baby...I think staying home is the best. But I won't be there, today is one of those minimum weeks at work.

Work is scary, we can all see that sales are down...@25% down. Think it is going to bring another round of layoffs. I hate that. I fight like the devil for
'my girls' and I think they are safe...but if another round comes up...accounting will not be unscathed. As it is, they are having me split my time into another dept.

found a CUTE website on 2 Peas NSBR board, look for the Ruckus Room.

okay, better sign off, see if internet holds up for me...

got my GASC tickets yesterday!

for a minute, it was Yay!! then it became, OMG, what if I forget these!...

hopefully, I've got them set up so I don't forget...but with me, you never know!!

We've been very busy, we did empty out our storage, and I have got BOXES to go through, but at least I have my dad's bookshelves to put things in!

Right now, I've got boxes strewn throughout the house, bin and garage...
yesterday, went thru the boxes that had our framed family pictures. Deciding what goes on the wall set up for the 'gallery', what comes out of a frame for scrapbooking and what gets sent to the kids. Well, started that process...right now they are in the bookshelves in piles instead of books!!


Also worked on one of my layouts for the Texas Travelougue Swap on Scrapbooks.com, after a while, my Slice got 'wonky', stopped cutting all the way thru. Oh, one tip with the Slice, don't skimp on the adhesive to hold down the paper...yeah, the paper will move. So, it started getting wonky, so I took a break to let it 'cool down'...it did better after that, but not perfect. I may have to change the blade after all.

So, it was a busy, productive day...today is my birthday, officially 48, should I ask for today off also? One benefit of living with the boss....right?

oooooh MY!!

Star Trek is soooooo good! Not just for fans of the franchise, but for anyone!
It has it all! I would see it again in a heartbeat, and I don't feel that way about movies.

Even the previews were exciting, there was GI Joe and Transformers. I turned to my son and told him that "I think I lost weight just watching these previews"

And of course, yesterday, I got a little Adriana time. YAY!! There is something about grandma, whenever I hold her she falls asleep. Must be all the extra 'cush' on my body!! But I love it, I love watching all her expressions.



Last Night, dd and dsil went out to celebrate their anniversary. A Brazilian steak house...according to them, it was the best. DD said it was better than Ruth's Chris.
Someday, when dh and I are down visiting, we will need to make a trip.

Today, I may not be scrapping as I would prefer. Dh has arranged a group of guys to help him empty our storage unit. So, I'll be directing where stuff goes. And hopefully that includes our book shelves. My books are coming home!! Actually, a lot of them were my dad's books. and these were his shelves. As teenagers, bored teenagers, Michele and I once counted his book collection...we stopped at 1000.

Photohunt is Painted

this week's photohunt is painted

This is a room from the kids' new house. It is my fave, but ddil does not like pink, so eventually, this will be covered and redone.

My birthday present arrived...

This morning started with a sad moment, Percy got into the blinds and the sound reminded me of Marshall. Marsh used to lick the blinds. I guess for a while, there will be little things that bring back different memories.




Yesterday, my birthday present arrived. We did not get home from work till late, but I HAD to try it out. Anyways, it was 8pm before I ate a little dinner. I was a li'l concerned, reading some of the threads about problems people have had with theirs. But so far so good!! Already planning my first layout using some of these shapes.


Today, I get to see Adriana!

At (MY CAP KEY IS STUCK AGAIN)THE SCRAPBOOKS.COM WEBSITE, THERE WAS A THREAD ABOUT ALL WHITE LAYOUTS...OOOOH, THEY ARE GORGEOUS. I THINK I WANT TO TRY ONE OVER THE WEEKEND. I ALSO WANT TO WORK ON MY ARMADILLO LAYOUT FOR THE TEXAS TRAVELOGUE SWAP.

I hate bullies,

I hope every one of them involved in this Jessica Logan case are punished.

esp the person who 'leaked' the photos.

But Jessica also did a stupid thing, and I hope other young girls learn not to do sexting.

How did we become a society with kids doing such stupid things?

tired,

and I haven't scrapped all week.
I know it is probably my best therapy right now, but I come home from work with my eyes half closed.

Ds called, he is going to take me to see Star Trek for my mother's day gift.
I'm going to drive myself to work and leave early.


Its been 3 days since I've last seen Adriana, I NEED an Adriana fix!!




Monday was my dd's and dsil's 1st anniversary...wow, married for one year. And still crazy about each other.

The dogs got skunked last night...holy moly. You do not want to go near them!!

ok, the couch is calling. Season finale of ANTM...
speaking of season finale, I am SOOOOO Glad Joan won Celebrity Apprentice. I thought Annie was a viper.

remembering Marsh...

As we take the steps to say goodbye, I am flooded by memories of this wonderful, mischevious, active, stinker cat.

I remember the day we picked him out at the Petsmart. DS was leaning toward another cat, but I had had an orange cat when I was younger...and I really wanted ds to have one. (even the vet talked about the orange cat attitude). He was sleeping at the time, but once we got him in the car, he showed that personality. The store had given us a cardboard box to transport him in, and he kept 'popping' his head out of the top, like a 'jack in the box'.

As soon as we got home, he took over. We had 2 other cats..my Kitty (who lived to be 19) and dd's Cassandra. Now, Kitty did not like Cassandra. I figured it was because he was so old, he just was not going to get used to another cat. But Marshall, came in with his bouncy step and alert tail and just made friends. He was friends with Cassandra, at first Kitty only tolerated him, but by the last years of his life..he was friends. And of course, it was Marsh who took Percy under his wing. Up till the last illness, when they had to be separated, they were buddies.











Marsh was so naughty, ds had bunk beds, and at the ceiling line, I had a wallpaper border...well, not for long. Somehow Marsh discovered that border and shredded sections of it. He also used that bunk bed as a 'catapult'...when ds had a friend spend the night. His friend was sleeping on the floor, and Marsh would leap onto his back/tummy from that top bunk.

Marsh was also our official 'cat burgler'. We were playing a game, I think it was Mall Madness. We had to step away from the game, only to find that dd's money was gone. Now, she was keeping it 'rubberbanded' together...well, it was Marsh. He also had a propensity for stealing game pieces right off the board.


After ds left for the Corps, Marsh would call out at night. His meow sounded eerily like he was calling "J!! J!!". But he and dh quickly became buddies. Where dh would feed Marsh at the table. And gave Marsh a bad habit that lasted to the end.








Marsh was also dh's alarm clock. He would wake dh up between 5am and 6am. He would get up on the bed, and pat his face, for a while....then he would take a single claw, and poke dh in the neck. This was dh's story for years, which I did not believe, until one morning in the trailer. I was sleeping on dh's side of the bed.

(MY CAPS KEY IS STUCK)
ANYWAYS, THIS MORNING WAS VERY QUIET AS I SCRUB'D THE ROOM HE WAS IN FOR HIS FINAL DAYS. (AND NOW MY KEY FOR THE 2ND LETTER IN THE ALPHA IS ALSO STUCK)

MISS YOU, MARSH!!

R.I.P, Marshall

Today, I had to make the decision I have known was coming. When we took Marsh to the vet on Saturday, he weighed 5 lbs. He was put on 3 diff meds, in the hopes of bringing him back to health. Today's appt, was just for a new fluid pack and a follow up blood test. But it was obvious he was doing worse. When he weighed in at 3lbs 15oz...I knew...his body is giving out.


This was my first time to put an animal to sleep. The vet told me there would be a 'death rattle'...but for Marsh..it was a large purr.
Thank you, Marsh for that gift.

I love you and our family will not be the same without you. I will picture you chasing birds and playing with Kitty.

In Memory

Photohunt this week is "In Memory"
some beautiful pics so far ..peaceful places, memorial stones, pics of loved ones and places. It's a very touching post.



DS, while stationed in Okinawa, had the chance to go to Iwo Jima...a very powerful place for a Marine.



Me, it would be the Alamo. Have you ever been there...talk about a sense of history, of the spirit of courage... just by walking into a place. I've never felt that before or since.


and



For our little town, several years ago, Hank's Deli burned down. But it was such an icon, that the decision was made not to take down this sign. I think there is a Tapatia at that location now.

ummmm.....

Pandora.com...listening to the Michael Buble station...loving it!!


These vases are from Organize.com...their Bohemian collection...don't you just love them? $18.99, so I probably won't pick them up..but I just LOVE colored glass.

My first Mother's day as a grandma...pretty terrific!

We are having a Salmon dinner and the kids (with Adriana) will be here as well as our friends, Clint and Kathy...they are my kids' Godparents...so, are they great-godparents now?

I also overbought during NSD...so, I told dh, "errrrr. no gifts"..wait till he sees my package, or he won't notice till he gets the credit card bill..its a good thing this month is my birthday also. psssssst...its a Slice.

Happy Mom's Day to all you moms, grandmas..and I count furbabies!!

achy...

don't ya hate it when you wake up with aches and pains. Weds night, I must have slept on my neck wrong, it was hurting all day yesterday...and this morning it is no better. Add to it, my back and hips...oh, getting old is no fun.
I really FEEL a couple years shy of 50!!

My li'l cupcake is holding her head up..actually she has been doing it since the hospital, but I finally got to see it the other evening. Last night, ds stopped by, and I asked him if he needs a babysitter anytime soon. Reminded him that Sunday is Mother's Day....her gift could be a movie, mine a chance to babysit my li'l girl.



And as far as GASC- Arlington. I was going to go to 2 days of Crop and Shop with my sis and her daughters. But their house was flooded last week, she's in Houston, and don't worry she saved her scrappin' stuff...so, with the rebuild, paying out deductions, and time she is losing at work...it is not looking good for her to go to GASC. So, yesterday, I changed the shop and crop tickets to classes. I am going to take a total of 8 classes that weekend. Mom and I will then drive to Houston to see her and the girls, the following week.

Speaking of the flood rebuild, as you may or may not know, flood insurance is now nationalized. You may pay for it through a private company, but it is thru the government. Luckily, my sis has flood insurance, but....it is very limited. So much is not covered, and what is covered ...is not really her choice. Her floors were gorgeous Brazillian Cherry...the replacement may not be. Her cabinets were also cherry...the replacements for the bottoms will not be. At least replacing with what she had is in question...guess they will replace to a certain quality..she will have to pay to upgrade to what she had.

They also do not cover storage of her belongings or a place to live while the house is being torn up. The past 2 days she has been spending the night with friends, with suitcases being kept in her car during the days.

For us, earthquake insurance is the same way (we have it) but who knows what will be covered if it ever happens out here.

Oh, Fox News, is showing the story about the woman who blew pot smoke into the mouth of a Down's Syndrome boy (while pregnant) and his mom, who yelled at him when he come to her for help/comfort. Disgusting people. Like the newscaster said, there is no punishment good enough for them.

well, gotta set up the crockpot and get ready for work. Joy, Joy...but the good news my Stampin Up order arrived (buy 3 paperpacks get one free)...so tomorrow I have more paper (like I needed it) to play with!

ATC's

I've been looking around at some gallerys and love the idea of ATC's...I wanna try some, but I don't know what kind to do?

Thought about making 'family' ones...you know, esp for the new generation...
to take baby pics of my parents or when they were young and tell a story about them on the back. But does that seem stupid? like baseball trading cards for family?

Or too ambitious for a beginner..

maybe I should start 'smaller' like I made a perpetual calendar...maybe do something with ATC's for the family? one side decorate for the month, on the other have a list so they can write in birthdays?

what do you put these in? hmmmmmm......(insert 'wheels turning' smilie here)

baby burrito!!

That is the nickname the kids have given Adriana! That and poop machine...I told them, "no, proper nicknames are cupcake, lady bug, princess but not baby burrito or poop machine."

Talked to Nyki about the feeding schedule, she said she and Jason have been feeling that it was wrong..but wanted to follow what the pediatritian had been telling them. (so many ounces every 2 to 3 hours) But they talked to a few people... family, co workers...all saying what I did...as long as baby is growing, don't force it. And don't wake her up. They just needed confirmation of their instinct.

Oh, stay away from Peachy Cheap...too easy and too tempting. I started and I am sorry for it. Today was 2 sets of Little Yellow Bicycle stamps for 4.99...


Today was my day off, but it wasn't relaxing...and I guess this week is going to be...crazy. One of our co-workers is taking the week off, unexpectedly. So, they think I'm going to fill in...rrrrrriiiiiight....

guess I'm old school...

so, I got a call from ds this morning, a li'l before 5 am. Adriana did not want to eat...she wanted to sleep. Is this okay?

Let me back up, the kids have been following the Babywise method of waking her up every 2 to 3 hours to eat. And keeping track of the times and amount. So EVERYONE is tired. Just yesterday, while holding her, I told Adriana, that whoever the dr/psychologist who came up with this is...well, HE is STUPID! (sorry, only a man would think this is a good idea)

Now, I'm old school...I used Dr. Spock...so to me, this was kinda nuts. So, when ds called I told him, LET HER SLEEP and LET NYKI SLEEP!!

I'm sorry, I think this regimented schedule for anyone but the military is CRAZY.

Let mom and baby sleep, and when baby wakes up hungry, feed her.

I did do some research, and here is what I found on the Dr. Spock website:
Dear Dr. Needlman,
I was wondering how the staff feels about the Babywise plan. Should a baby be fed as soon as waking up...played with for an hour and a half...put to bed for an hour and a half to two hours...woken up and then fed again? I'm a little confused now on how I should properly feed my fussy newborn. His schedule is as follows: He wakes up around 6 a.m. I play with him and then give him a bath around 8:30. He then gets fed at 9 and goes down for a nap. He generally takes four-hour naps twice a day. He sleeps about four hours at night, wakes up for a feeding, and then goes back to sleep for another four hours. Is this normal? I'm not sure how this works to get him to sleep through the night. He is formula-fed and is eight weeks old and weighs 10 pounds. He drinks five ounces at a time.
— Sheryl in Colorado


ANSWER
June 13, 2001


Dear Sheryl,
It sounds like your baby's schedule is just fine. An eight-week old who is sleeping in two four-hour blocks at night, waking briefly to feed, is really right on target. His feeding also sounds appropriate for his age.

"Babywise" refers to a popular parenting book that has become something of a movement. Many others advocate similar schedules. Without commenting on one book in particular, let me talk a bit about some of the principles:

In general, most children do well with a high degree of regularity in their days. At the same time, schedules shouldn't be rigid or inflexible. Some infants are naturally more regular in their biological hunger and activity cycles than others. Highly biologically irregular babies demand somewhat more flexibility on the part of their parents.

The idea that parents should expect their babies to fit into the family--not totally rearrange the entire family around the baby's whims--makes sense. I'm a bit worried, however, that some parents might take this too far and assume that their babies fit completely into their (the adults') schedules. Parents need to find a balance, recognizing that babies have a limited ability to handle hunger, wetness, or other pressing needs.

The other thing I feel strongly about is that no one recipe is right for all babies. Babies and their parents are individuals. The key question is not "Are you doing it right according to this or that preset schedule?" but "Does what you are doing feel right to you and to your baby?" From your letter, it sounds like the answer to this is yes. Congratulations!
— by Robert Needlman, M.D., F.A.A.P

Happy NSBR

it was a good day, participated at Scrapbooks.com's festivities...tried a 2Peas challenge, but found it a li'l confusing. Took a while for me to figure out where the list of NSD challenges were and when I did upload one...could not find the challenge on the list during the upload. So, I kinda gave up for the day. May try some more tomorrow.

But I did get one project finished. A couple of years ago Bre and I bought these metal A-frames. I've been wanting to make a perpetual calendar with mine. At a Scrapbook Expo crop giveaway, I got these KI Memories blank monthly lists and today chose American Craft papers for each month. I did not embellish, cuz I figure I'll be taking them out to add birthdays and anniversaries. but the paper keeps it colorful and fun.











Michael made spaghetti, so the kids came over for dinner. I did not want to let Adriana go!
I sure do love just looking at that little girl..and holding her and...everything, she can scream and holler and be adorable!! Now, as a grandma, I fully believe you cannot spoil a baby by holding her.









Nyki took this picture from Adriana's perspective. 3 generations 'adoring' her. teehee

I was a good girl,

And yesterday I did not stop by or call the kids. It was HARD, but I can do this.
I don't have to see Adriana every day, now do I?

Our internet has been 'wonky' at home. I was hoping to do an online crop for NSD, but I guess that is going to be up to the internet gremlins. I have been bad as far as shopping. Too many great deals out there.

I'm really wanting a Slice. (my birthday is coming up, hint hint)
even started a 'coin' jar to start saving for it. teehee. 47 years old, and having a coin jar.

DD lives in Fort Worth, and it is kinda scary. Hopefully all the precautions being taken for the swine flu with be effective. Seriously, what do we need to do? Biden talked about not flying or using public transportation, I've thought about not going to restarants for a while. But really does that help? Remember the pics of people in China walking around in face masks? is that what we are headed toward?