Ramblings of a Ballfield Mom

Random TS Blog Hop Winner

2010-02-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a fun time participating in Treasured Scrapbooking's first EVER Blog Hop. I sure enjoyed seeing you ladies hop around and leave comments! So fun!

I had a technical random drawing . . . I had my daughter pick a number between 1 and 16 . . . and she picked number 8. So, Scrapenabler (Debbie), YOU ARE A WINNER. Congratulations! I will let Erin know. Be sure you send your info to her and she'll get you hooked right up!

Thank you all for participating! It was tons of fun and we thank you for playing along!

Let's Go Blog Hopping -- Treasured Scrapbooking Style

2010-02-01T04:04:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! Welcome to the Treasured Scrapbooking Blog Hop! We are celebrating the release of our February Kit and itching to give away some prizes! There are limited quantities, and you won't want to miss out! Be sure to check back in on the Treasured Scrapbooking Blog, (see link below) and post a comment to let us know you are playing along! One random person will receive a Gift Certificate to the TS store! Also, share this on your blog and post back to let us know that you have for an extra entry! Send a friend, have them say that you sent them and you get ANOTHER entry! What can be easier than that? Also, you'll find challenges along the way, every challenge you complete before the end of the week will earn you an entry into another RAK drawing! You need to post your challenge layout on TreasuredScrapbooking.com in the Challenge Forum to get your entry, but what could be easier than that? If you like what you see, please sign up for our newsletter on the main page of our site.

Bear with me -- I'm having issues getting my links to show up over here, but they are all listed over on the right. If you are following us along, you have just come from Julie's Blog. From here, head on over to Elizabeth's Blog. Be sure you leave a comment at all your blog hops, as well at the Treasured Scrapbooking Blog. If you're joining us mid-hop, be sure to hop all the way around!

Here's my page that I created using the fabulous February kit (as well as my sketch to go along with it). I also used a few goodies from the February Embellie Add-On kit as well. My challenge this month is to scrap one of your five senses, and the vintage music paper in this kit was perfect for my challenge!

Hope you come along and blog hop with us! And don't forget -- leave comments so you can be entered in for the awesome prize drawing!

It's Crop Time!

2010-01-07T03:59:00.000-08:00

Come join us at Treasured Scrapbooking! It's a Resolutions Crop!!
Jan 7 2010 through Jan 10 2010

It's a new year and a time to reflect on the past year and plan for the new year. Not everyone makes resolutions every year but most everyone has some thoughts about things they would like to accomplish, things they might want to make a better effort at and things they might want to change, and usually the beginning of each new year is a time when these thoughts come to mind. So we, at Treasured Scrapbooking, are going to go with the flow, and hope that you will join us for the ride! So whether you make resolutions, steer yourself towards a focus or create an Ideal Scene for yourself, we will have challenges for you to complete that will allow you to get them down on paper...and glue, and embellishments, and....well you get the idea :)

Each Design Team member has chosen a resolution of sorts to work on and some of the ideas you will see have something to do with:

Weight Loss
Go Green
Clean
Budget
Volunteering
Organize
Quality Time

You will love the way the Design Team has interpreted the themes above! And as if completing new challenges and new pages or cards isn't enough, there will be prizes too!!!

I know you are intrigued, so mark your calendars, add it to your list of things to do, and get yourself on over to Treasured Scrapbooking on January 7th to join in on the fun!

Hope to see you there!

TS December Reveal

2009-12-03T19:09:00.000-08:00

I absolutely love the kit I'm working with this month at Treasured Scrapbooking. Actually, I love them both -- but Kit 1 is so fun and whimsical -- right down my alley. I was just delighted that I finally came up with a clever little title. Titles are hard. Really hard sometimes. They usually come to me fairly quick, but I never just absolutely LOVE them like I do this one. The whole page just came together with that funky fruity paper. LOVE IT! I can't wait to dive in and create more. The possibilites are endless!

December Kits at Treasured Scrapbooking

2009-11-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Look at these yummy kits that Erin has put together over at Treasured Scrapbooking! I was lucky enough to be chosen for another DT term over there, and I'm telling you, I am so excited with these kits. I'm working with Kit 1 this month, and it is totally right up my alley. LOVE IT! Get a load of this:

Kit 1 Goodies:

Kit 2 Goodies:

Come check it out!

Cccchange Crop at TS

2009-11-08T18:37:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! It's been a while since I've blogged. I'm a bad bad blogger. It seems like I have been so swamped with work, kids' activities, etc. that I just don't take the time to come over here and update like I used to.

I do want to mention, though, that there are some changes going on over at Treasured Scrapbooking. It's bittersweet -- I'm so sad to see Leslie sell out, but I am delighted that Erin is taking over. Leslie has done an outstanding job and it has been such an honor and pleasure to be on her DT the past 6 months. With that being said, I am so excited for Erin and can't wait to see what she has in store for us.

In honor of all the changes that are going to be taking place over there, we are having a Cccchange Crop beginning tomorrow that will be going on all next week. Sure hope you come join us for lots of ccccchallenges and prizes!

I'll leave you with a few projects I've done over the past month or so using Leslie's awesome kits. Thank you, Leslie, for providing such awesome kits and for letting me have the privilege of being on your DT. I am so looking forward to seeing you scrap with us again!

Just a Little Bit of Scrapping

2009-08-25T18:53:00.000-07:00

Not sure what the deal is . . . it doesn't seem like I've done much scrapping this past month. School started back today, so maybe that had something to do with it. Who knows! Anyway, I did manage to do this page over the weekend. I love how it turned out. It was for a scraplift challenge. I used an older kit and just love how perfectly the colors match my picture.

X Marks the Crop

2009-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:00

I really meant to post about this before now and I just haven't been very good about keeping up with my blog. We had an X Marks the Crop crop over at Treasured Scrapbooking and it was so much fun. It was pirate-themed and was a huge success. So fun to see new members coming in for it. My challenge was to talk like a pirate, so I created this page for my challenge. Scooby's all-star team from last year was perfect for this challenge. With them being the Lady Pirates, it worked out perfectly.

The Treasure Hunt is still going strong and the entries are being narrowed down. I'm just blown away by the pages I have seen. Such talent! :)

The Treasured Hunt - DETAILS!

2009-07-20T19:49:00.000-07:00

It's here - our biggest contest of the year - The Treasured Hunt!
This will be a six week contest. To enter, upload your very best layout into the Treasured Hunt gallery-Eligibility Entries category by 9pm (EST) Friday July 31st. The Design Team will vote and the top 25 entries will move on to compete in the contest. Following is the timeline of the contest:

Eligibility Round - deadline Friday, July 31th - 9pm (EST)
Sun Aug 2 - 25 contestants announced

1st round
Tues Aug 4- 1st challenge announced
Mon Aug 10 - deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

2nd round
Tue Aug 11 - announcement of 20 contestants moving on/2nd challenge posted
Mon Aug 17 - deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

3rd round
Tue Aug 18 - announcement of 15 contestants moving on/3rd challenge posted
Mon Aug 24 - deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

4th round
Tue Aug 25 - announcement of 10 contestants moving on/4th challenge posted
Mon Aug 31 - deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

5th round
Tue Sep 1 - announcement of 5 contestants moving on/5th challenge posted
Mon Sep 7- deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

6th round
Tue Sep 8 - announcement of 3 contestants moving on/6th and final challenge posted
Mon Sep 14- deadline to upload entries (9pm EST)

WINNER ANNOUNCED - on or before September 17

After the 25 contestants are chosen, weekly challenges will be posted on Tuesdays and entries must be posted in the appropriate challenge gallery by the following Monday at 9pm (EST).

Pages will be judged on photography, creativity, originality, relativity to challenge theme and overall design. Winners for each round will be determined by the Design Team and myself.

Please pay close attention to the requirements of each challenge! Ask questions if you need clarification! Any deviation from the challenge requirements listed will result in disqualification. This is only to be fair to those who follow all of the requirements. We ask that all entries be posted only to the Treasured Scrapbooking gallery until the end of the contest or elimination.

PRIZES!! (Now to the good part!)
GRAND PRIZE: Prize Package worth over $250 of scrapbooking supplies and a $50 gift certificate to the Treasured Scrapbooking store!!

2nd prize: $40 Treasured Scrapbooking Gift Certificate

3rd prize: $25 Treasured Scrapbooking Gift Certificate

All submissions must be original designs. Layouts submitted for any round of the contest (except the original eligibility entries) must be posted only in the TS gallery until the end of the contest or elimination and must not be published, posted or entered in any contest, in any magazine or on any website until the end of the contestant's participation in the contest.
Exception: layouts may be posted on your personal blog.

The Treasured Hunt

2009-07-18T16:43:00.001-07:00

Oh my! I can't believe it is that time of year already! The biggest contest of the year is getting ready to kick off over at Treasured Scrapbooking (see link at right). Last year was my first year participating, and I can honestly say that the layouts I created during that contest have been some of my most favorite. And the prize -- the GRAND PRIZE -- is amazing! You have to come check it out! Sure hope you play along! Here's what I did last year during the contest.

Come play along -- and be sure to introduce yourself and let them know Ginger sent you! Hope to see you over there!

Catching Up

2009-07-18T16:37:00.000-07:00

Whew! Life has finally settled down a bit and we've had some nice quiet evenings at home! I'm loving being on the DT at Treasured Scrapbooking -- it has been a dream come true and Leslie has sent me some amazing kits to work with. Here's a few goodies from July's kit. It is so fun and bright and funky -- right down my alley!

School's Out for Summer Crop

2009-06-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Treasured Scrapbooking is having a School's Out for Summer Crop this weekend! Come play with us. I issued a scraplift challenge and just love how my page turned out. I lifted Reelgirl's (Shelly) Dog Days of Summer. It's such a fun, bright layout -- and of course, you know I'm all about pup pages. Here's my version:
Cocoa is such a funny dog!

Anyway -- come join us for the crop! There's tons of fun challenges and games going on. It goes through Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Let's Go Blog Hopping

2009-06-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

I have never participated in a blog hop, but I'm hoping to on June 18th if I'm not on a ballfield! Scrapattack Scrapbooking is hosting one and it sounds like tons of fun. All you have to do is visit the participating blogs, leave a comment & your name will be put in some drawings for some great prizes. Come play along!

And while you're at it -- my dear friend Kelzpop has been hosting SSU classes over at Scrapattackscrapbooking. I didn't get to participate in the first round but I'm sure hoping to dive right in on the 2nd round that's getting cranked up. I'm having trouble getting the link inserted -- but if you look over to the right and click on Scrapattack Scrapbooking, that will lead you right to it.

Hope to see you there!

Yippppppeeeeeeeeeee!

2009-05-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to share some news with you! On a last minute whim, I decided to submit some layouts for the Treasured Scrapbooking design team call. I am lucky enough to have been chosen for the team!!! TS was my very first scrapping message board home, so that just makes it even more special to have been chosen there. I have been an active member for a few years now and just can't begin to tell you how excited I am. I can hardly wait to get started!

And Now It's May

2009-05-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

Dang, where did April go? I was swamped with birthdays and ballgames, the month just passed me right by! I managed to reach my scrappy goal for the month (10 layouts), but it wasn't pretty. lol. Meaning -- I was a scrapping fool last night trying to bust out 6 pages before May Day. I did it though! Hoping to bust out even more this weekend. Over at Scrapattack Scrapbooking, they've got NSD crop going on this weekend. I'm hoping to participate and really crank out some more pages. Come join us for the crop!

And here's a few of my faves that I did this month:

I can't get away from pink for some reason. Such a fun, happy color. Gotta love it -- all springy! Happy May Day, everybody!

Bye Bye Megan

2009-04-02T08:01:00.000-07:00

This photo shows my favorite part of American Idol last night! Need I say more? Not really - but I will anyway. lol. Thank goodness Megan was finally voted off! I'm sure next year this time I won't even remember who she was, but I sure am glad she's gone! I have just never liked her, and it was downright painful to watch her sing and -- twist? dance? -- whatever it was she would do when she sang. I'm glad Anoop is hanging on for at least another week. I like him, I really do, but I was skered for him last night. I was afraid he was gonna be packing his bags and heading back to the Ole North State! I'm pulling for him though - he's not my most favorite - but I'm pulling for him. I'd like to see him in the top 5 -- with Adam, Danny, Matt, and Kris too. I actually think he's done very well. But David Cook was what really held my interest last night. He is just DA BOMB!

Sweet Memories

2009-03-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

So with April just a few days away, I tend to get all sad and reminise about my kids being babies. Both of them have April birthdays, and I can' believe that Amber is going to be 12 next week, and Adam 16 the end of the month. Honestly, it doesn't seem possible. I know I'm not the only mother in the world who is watching her kids grow up before her eyes, but dang, it's happening fast. It doesn't seem that long ago they were snuggling with stuffed animals and taking mid-day naps. I guess that's what has sparked this sudden run of "baby" layouts I've done. I really haven't purposely picked out baby pictures to scrap, but looking at the last 4 layouts I have done, you would think I'm on a mission to recreate the past. I have thousands (really, THOUSANDS!) of pictures of my kids as babies -- I'm actually glad that subconsciously I've been reaching for some of those baby pictures to scrap. They make me smile. Here they are:
"Beach Bums" - gosh, they were so cute! Adam was (and wouldn't admit it now, but still is!) very protective of his baby sister.

"My Little Buddy" -- here's Adam waking up from a nap when he was about 1 1/2 years old. He was so sweet when he would wake up - not anymore! lol. Well, in his defense, life isn't as easy now as it was then. The only thing he had to worry about then was what would his afternoon snack be when he woke up. Now it's honors classes and homework and deciding what college he's interested in going to.

"It's Barney Time" -- ohhh my sweet baby girl! She LOVED watching Barney. Well, Adam did too, actually, but Amber could watch Barney all day long if I would let her. I just love this picture - especially with Barney hap-hazardly stuck underneath her. Too sweet!

"Napping with Simba" -- And last but certainly not least, my little buddy with his Simba. Simba was ALWAYS by Adam's side. Always. Simba went to the beach, to Mammaw's, to family reunions, out to eat, EVERYWHERE with Adam. I bet he watched The Lion King 50 times in one year. He loved that movie. And this is one of my favorite pictures. So sweet!

Such good memories here! I treasure these pages! I really do! And as proud as I am to see them growing into adulthood, I do miss these special moments.

Back Home

2009-03-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

Amber and I are back home from the cheer competition. Well actually - a week has almost passed by. We had a really good time. It was a 2-day competition and the first day was a little rough for the team. We were dropping stunts and just seemed nervous and out of sync. But Sunday, they came back and nailed it! We parents were so proud! They performed like the team we knew they could be! So when it was all said and done, they came in 8th out of 9 teams. Actually I'm very pleased with that showing. With this being the first year this group of girls have cheered together -- we were up against teams that have been together for years. I think they did very well. Here's a few pictures:

And this one I just love her hair:
We had a good time, but I'm kinda glad we're getting a little bit of a break. Just in time for softball to take it's place! lol! No rest for the weary!

Quick Weekend!

2009-03-15T18:28:00.001-07:00

Can you believe this weekend has come and gone?! It's been a quick one for me. Amber and I hosted a table Friday night for the cheerleading Hospitality Dinner. We raised enough money (not me and Amber - but the whole group) to pay for the entry fees for all the cheerleaders next weekend in Myrtle Beach. That's awesome! This competition cheerleading stuff is so expensive -- so every little bit helps. Here's our table - we went with a hawaiian luau theme:

I might have mentioned before that I was lucky enough to be Scrapper of the Month over at Scrapattack Scrapbooking this month. Lauri sent me a wonderful mini-kit to work with, and I had a blast creating these pages. I couldn't have asked for prettier colors or cool supplies to work with.

Alright - I think I'm going to hit the hay and get ready for Monday! It sure does roll around fast! ugghhhh!

TGIF!

2009-03-06T07:16:00.001-08:00

Whoo hooooooo! TGIF! And it's going to be b-eau-t-iful this weekend! Seventy's both days! Such a difference from last weekend when it was miserably cold and rained all weekend and then snowed! I'm so ready for spring!

I've been diligently working on my SAS(sy) Scrapper of the Month pages and almost have them done. I'm tickled the weather is going to be pretty so I can take pictures of them outside. Here's a page I did earlier this week for the Letters to Scrap By Blog. Lime Green was our color. My shade is really REALLY limey. lol. Very bright. Amber liked it, though. She usually likes pages that she's the star in!

Yippeee -- let's kick off the weekend!

It's a Snow Day!!!!

2009-03-02T18:12:00.000-08:00

Yeahhhh! We waited all day long yesterday for snow that never came! Then last night -- about 7:30, it started snowing, and by morning, the ground was white! Of course, school was out, so I decided I needed to take a snow day. Here's a few pictures from our fun day at home!

And then, of course, the traditional kids and puppies picture. It's not easy trying to get the perfect picture of the 4 of them!

I guess it's back to work tomorrow though! ughhhh! I sure enjoyed today though!

Scrappy Time

2009-02-28T15:43:00.001-08:00

Even though it doesn't feel like it, I guess I have scrapped quite a bit this month. My goal over at SAS is to complete 10 layouts each month, and so far I've met that goal this year. Of course, we're only finishing up the 2nd month of the year - ha! - but it feels good to have at least met my goal so far. Between TS, SAS, and Scrapperie, I'm tickled with all the contests and challenges I've been able to participate in. I just finished up the 4-week "We Love Our Members" contest at TS and Fantastic February ends today at Scrapperie. We're still having Fun Month at Scrapattack, so come join us. It goes until March 15th. Here's what I've created the past few weeks:

And now here it is -- almost March! Unbelievable!

Poor Roxie

2009-02-28T15:31:00.000-08:00

Well I see I need to give Roxie equal "blog" time here . . . I posted Cocoa's "quirky" page, but not Roxie's "random" page -- so here it is. Roxie has had to get special attention from us the past week. Of all things, she has a knee injury. First of all, I really didn't even realize dogs have knees, but yes I guess they do. Somehow she has injured her knee. The vet compared it to a torn ACL in a human's knee. Not good news. So, she can do absolutely no running. Do you know how hard that is when Cocoa is in the mix?! She had to get a shot last Tuesday and has to be walked on a leash. She goes back in 2 weeks either for another shot, or hopefully just a good report. If she gets a second shot and that doesn't help, the only other option is surgery. Outrageously expensive surgery. ughhhh! I'm trying not to think about that and be optimistic. And actually today she looked like she was walking better. I'm sure hoping the shot has done the trick!

What a Week!

2009-02-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

Please, somebody tell me tomorrow is Friday! This week at work has been absolutely unbelievable! Actually the last 2 weeks have. You know, I love my job. I really do enjoy doing what I do. But, what drives me insane, is when I have to depend on somebody else (like extremely busy doctors that think they have time to teach med students and see patients) to get their part done so I can get my part done. Two weeks in a row I have had to throw together an exam for the 2nd year medical students at the last minute. And today, TODAY, I had a student taking tomorrow's exam early -- he was scheduled to take the exam at 3:30 this afternoon. Can you believe I was still adding questions to it at noon? Yes, I may look like a miracle worker - but I'm really not. Don't hand me a stack of stuff and expect me to make magic and get it perfectly formatted and ready for an exam in 3 hours. grrrrrrrr! Okay - vent over. But the last 2 weeks have completely, MENTALLY, worn me out. It's a wonder I've done any scrapping at all. Well, actually, I haven't done much -- but I did get this page done for the Letters to Scrap By Challenge blog. I love doing these challenges. I really love doing color challenges. I have been so happy with the pages I have made doing that challenge every 2 weeks.

My plan is to really get some scrapping done this weekend. I need to do my Week 3 page for TS We Love Our Members contest. I'm itching to do some challenges over at Scrapperie for the Fantastic February contest, and I've got a list of challenges I can't wait to do for SAS{sy} Fun Month. Just never enough time to do all I want to do!

I'm going to hit a few message boards and then hit the sack and read some in Eclipse. I'm about halfway through it and it's been the best one yet.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T12:35:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Valentine's Day! The weather is so nice around here today -- a little bit chilly but bright and sunny! The boys have been gone all day with PawPaw to look at cars for Adam. wahhhhhhhhh! I can't believe my baby boy is going to be 16 in less than 3 months.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here's a page I did for the SAS[sy} Scrapper of the Month challenge over at Scrapattack Scrapbooking.
We had to do a sparking page about love - and this one was tons of fun! I pulled out the glitter and the shimmerz and went to town. Does it get any more fun than glitter and bling?? I don't think so!

Hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with lots of love and happiness!

Friday the 13th!

2009-02-13T19:29:00.001-08:00

I think the QOTD on all 3 message boards that I frequent was asking about superstitions today. I don't really think I'm superstitious about Friday the 13th, but I am a wee bit superstitious in general -- especially at ballgames. If we get on a winning streak, then I tend to think that we have to sit beside the same people; arrange our chairs in the same order; eat the same snacks; blah blah blah to keep the winning streak going. It's silly, really, but I think my daddy instilled that in me. He's always been superstitious. He's always thought that Wake Forest will win their ballgames if he don't watch. lol. Silly.

Anyway, all this talk about superstitions reminded me of a picture I have been wanting to scrap. Meet Ellie, the Lucky Elephant. David found Ellie at in Asheville when Amber's all-star team went to the state tournament last year. We actually were set up down the first base line, and playing pathetically I might add, when David looked down and spotted Ellie. Honestly, the minute he found Ellie, the girls started playing like we had never seen them play before -- hitting the ball, making good plays -- we actually thought we may come back and win the ballgame! And we attributed this change of luck to Ellie. Ellie made us laugh, too. David would throw her head back like she was roaring, or whatever sound elephants make, and me and Adam, and Michelle and Audrey would just die laughing. We all laughed so hard, I really thought I would pee in my pants. Even the coaches looked over at us one time like "what the heck is wrong with you people?" Ellie did bring us good luck that night - and for the duration of the trip, Ellie was in David's pocket - being pulled out on demand when we needed her for good luck. She took us a lot further than we thought we would get!

Ok - if you stuck with me for that long story - God bless you! lol. Happy Friday the 13th everybody!

We Love Our Members - Week 2

2009-02-11T04:06:00.001-08:00

This has been a fun contest over at TS. Two weeks down, two weeks to go. For this week's challenge you had to pick a title from about 4 that were provided describing what kind of girl you were, then journal on a journaling card or tag as to why you were THAT girl. You also could only use 1 photo and it had to include yourself, and you had to use 10 flowers. Here's what I came up with, and I'm tickled with it. I love those Dream Street papers - I've been saving them. LOL! Not sure what for - but I'm sure glad I had them to pull out for this challenge. Now that I've got this week's challenge done, I'm ready to work on SAS's Scrapper of the Month page and get some challenges done over at Scrapperie. American Idol probably won't let me get much done tonight though! I was scrapping during commercials last night!

Speaking of American Idol, I could not drag myself away from it last night. It would suit me if they only kept guys this year. I really have not seen a girl yet that I think is worth keeping. I like the blind guy, oil rig guy, and Danny. Thank goodness they all made it through the cut last night. We'll see how they fare tonight!

Happy Wednesday, everybody! It's hump day - we're inching closer to the weekend! yippeeee!

{SAS}sy Fun Month

2009-02-09T09:43:00.000-08:00

Whooo hooooo! Over at Scrapattack Scrapbooking, we're kicking off {SAS}sy Fun Month this weekend (February 15th through March 15th to be exact!). It's going to be like a carnival and we'll get tickets for completing activities and challenges. FUN! I just love stuff like that!

Speaking of SAS, I tried out for SAS Scrapper of the Month last month and made this layout. I didn't win - but that's ok - I got a decent page out of it. And of course, I'll try out again this month! I love my circle cutter and I'm not sure why I don't use it more often! Definitely need to make a point to do that!

Come on over and join the fun!

Fantastic February Contest

2009-02-06T06:10:00.000-08:00

I'm having all kinds of fun this month! First off - I have to say how excited I am about this news:

yipppppppeeeee! I don't know what month yet, but I'm super-excited to be chosen over at Scrapperie. Speaking of Scrapperie, they have a contest going on for the month of February. All kinds of challenges going on! I love contests, so I'm all over this one too!

Adam is going with the youth to Boone this weekend, and Amber is going to the middle-school dance tonight, so me and David get a date night tonight. Too bad we don't have any money to do anything really fun! lol! Maybe we can sneak in a trip to the mexican restaurant -- it's been a while and I'm needing my margarita fix!

Hope everybody has a wonderful weekend with lots of scrappy fun time!

We Love Our Members Contest

2009-02-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Ohhhhh this is gonna be so much fun! Over at Treasured Scrapbooking, I participated in this contest last year! They call it "We Love Our Members" and they issue challenges once a week for you to complete. The best part is - NOBODY get elminiated! The first challenge was QUITE the challenge! We had to use the title "Life Is Like a Box of Chocolates". We also had to use only the colors cream/white, red, pink, and brown. The page had to have 1 set of wings, 3 hearts, and 1 bow. Do you know how hard it was to not use black? VERY hard for me. This is what I came up with:

Not an easy challenge at all - but a very fun one! I can hardly wait for the next one!

It is bitterly cold around here! It was like 15 degrees this morning. Brrrr! I think it's going to warm up this weekend! I sure hope so!

Super Bowl Weekend = New Scrappy Goodies

2009-01-30T08:10:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited that it's Super Bowl weekend! It's funny how my love of football has grown! I cared absolutely nothing about it until Adam started playing flag football in the 3rd grade. I would get so frustrated because I never understood what was going on, so I started watching football on Sundays to educate myself. It has turned into an obsession. Well, maybe that's a strong word -- but I really REALLY do love football now. I absolutely love watching college football (GO WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS!), and of course, I love watching NFL football as well. I've always pulled for the Carolina Panthers - but this year I'm pulling for a different team - GO ARIZONA CARDINALS!

There is a reason why I'll be pulling for the Arizona Cardinals -- aside from the fact that I've always liked Kurt Warner way back when he was with the Rams. Over at Scrapattack Scrapbooking, I got in on a scrappy football pool. By the luck of the draw, I was given the Arizona Cardinals (in addition to the Rams cause I decided to get 2 teams). The plan was that you would send in 15 (or maybe 20 - can't even remember now!) scrappy goody bags, then when your team wins, you earn a scrappy bag. When I told Adam at the beginning of the season that I had gotten the Cardinals and the Rams, he just laughed and said "you won't get anything from the Cardinals . . . you might get a few bags from the Rams." Well, he was exactly right with the Rams - they won maybe 2 games all season. But hello?! How about THOSE CARDINALS!?! They have been awesome this year! They have earned me lots of scrappy goody bags! But besides all that - they are the underdog with the "older" quarterback that nobody thought could go all the way! I've always been one to pull for the underdog anyway, but by-golly they have proved that they are worthy of being in the Super Bowl. They did, afterall, knock down my Panthers to get one step closer to the big game.

And while I'm thinking about it -- let me go ahead and give a shout out to Lauri at SAS. You have done an amazing job of organizing this little scrappy pool and keeping up with who gets what! It has really been tons of fun -- and I'm not just saying that because my team is in the Super Bowl - lol. Really, though, you have taken on quite a little project keeping up with that and it truly has been a blast! Thanks, girlie!

So anyway -- we'll be having a small little party just among ourselves Sunday with a few of the "party" food favorites that we all like - ham/swiss/poppy seed sandwiches, meatballs, and of course - WINGS! I'm excited . . . GO CARDINALS! Let's go all the way!

Plugging Right Along

2009-01-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

I can't believe tomorrow is Friday! Where has the week gone?! The kids had a few days off earlier in the week with the MLK holiday and then a teacher's workday. We had a tiny bit of snow (and when I say tiny - I do mean tiny!!!), but it was enough to play in for about 30 minutes and attempt a snow angel.
And of course, the pups were right in the middle of all the excitement!

Here's a few pages I've done this week:

We've got a busy weekend coming up . . . Amber has cheer practice tomorrow night and Saturday for a competition on Sunday; Adam has skit practice Saturday for the little skit he's doing with the youth group at the big rally on Sunday. Busy times! :)

Rusty Pickle Challenge

2009-01-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

I saw this challenge posted over at Scrapattack and knew I had to do it. It was so much fun, and even though I've been doing puppy pages non-stop, the theme was perfect for yet another puppy page. Here it is using the Pirate Princess line:

Settling In

2009-01-16T04:12:00.000-08:00

Well, we've settled into a routine and everything seems back to normal after being off for the holidays. We're back to all the usual running and activities, and I'm trying to fit scrappy time in here and there. Here's a page I did was lots of fun and hit a few challenges at a few of my favorite scrap sites:
I can't believe how much Adam has grown since then! Makes me sad to think how fast the time has gone. They sure grow up fast!

Back to Work! And a Little Scrapping!

2009-01-08T09:07:00.001-08:00

Ughhhh! I HATED coming back to work on Monday. After almost 2 weeks off, it was brutal. But after the first hour or so, it felt normal and like I had never even been off! What fun! lol. Kids were rather grumpy Monday morning(well, Adam in particular! lol), but they have adjusted too, so now we're basically back into our routine.

I'm still wanting to stay up late at night though, and that doesn't feel so great the next morning. I sure have enjoyed some late-night scrapping. Here's a page I did for the Letters to Scrap By blog challenge:

And then another one that I did for challenges at several different sites! I managed to cover a sketch challenge, a title challenge, and a stitching (faux, of course! lol!) challenge with this one layout.
I really do love this one - not that it turned out all that wonderful - but the picture just makes me laugh! Those pups of mine - they are one of a kind! I have so many funny pictures of them! Kids are getting jealous - guess I better get back to scrapping them some more! LOL!

I am attempting the 365 Picture Project (I know that's not the official name of it - just don't remember what it is exactly) this year. I'm not planning to scrap every single picture, but I am excited to be taking a picture every day! It's fun to take pictures of everyday, ordinary, random things. Adam even took my picture for me yesterday -- he got several awesome pictures of a rainbow he saw in the field before I got home from work. Maybe I'll snag those and post them here! If I can just remember to take one every day -- I'll be doing good. I did miss one day, but just doubled-up the next. Guess it really doesn't matter - it's more than I was doing last year this time! It will be fun though!

Back to work and off to the gym in a bit! Happy Thursday!

Trees are Down - Back to Reality!

2009-01-02T19:09:00.001-08:00

I started yesterday and finished up today . . . all 3 Christmas trees are down and all decorations have been taken down and packed up for storage for another year. It's kinda depressing to take everything down - but it's time to get back to a normal routine. I pretty much did it by myself. David had to work today; Amber had her nose in the 3rd Twlight book; and Adam helped a tad, but thought it was more fun to play on the computer. That's okay though - I'm actually very anal about ornaments getting put back in their original boxes, so it really doesn't bother me to do it myself.

We went and had mexican tonight - first of the year! Amber had cheerleading practice so things are slowly getting back to normal.

Happy Friday!

Top 8 of 2008

2009-01-01T18:45:00.001-08:00

Ohhh I'm doing a blog challenge already - how exciting! Some ladies at TS are doing this and I thought it was so cool. Here are my top 8 layouts of 2008:

Number 8 - Enough Already - This picture cracks me up. Plus I love the colors. Definitely one of my faves this year.

Number 7 - Team Leaders - Another picture that cracks me up. Ahhh - good memories of our ball season this past spring. Adam had a great baseball season.

Number 6 - Those Eyes - Need I say more? Cocoa and his eyes melt me every time. Again, its all about the picture here. He's mama's boy!

Number 5 - Playful - Another one that totally makes me smile - my precious babies being goofballs! I love it when they get along! Another favorite picture here and such a quick, fun layout this one was!

Number 4 - If You Knew Me - This was probably one of the most fun ones I did this year. I really enjoyed using this paper and making the colors my own. I enjoyed being honest with my journaling too.

Number 3 - No Worries - I did this one for the big contest over at TS and loved the way it turned out. The colors are so ME and I love the way the contest pushed me out of my box and made me really pay attention to my embellies.

Number 2 - If - Another one of my faves - I just totally love this picture of my kids. I was happy with my journaling on this one too!

and . . .

Number 1 - Loved - I think this is my all-time favorite. Another one for the TS contest that really pushed me out of my box and made me use some things I would never use on a layout.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

2009! I can't believe it! Where did the year go? Man, time marches on and doesn't wait for anybody.

We had a fabulous New Year's Eve last night - lots of family, friends, and really good food! I did the usual spread: Wings (David's famous grilled ones!), Nacho Dip, Meatballs, Veggie Tray, Fruit Tray, Stuffed Mushrooms, Deli Spirals, Pineapple Cheese Ball, Ham & Cheese Sandwiches . . . did I leave anything out? Then most everybody that came brought something too - Mama brought Sausage Balls, Cucumber Sandwiches, and her famous Blueberry Torte; Robin and Johnny brought Crabmeat and Shrimp Ring; Steve and Angie brought this fabulous Roast Beef Braid; Doug and Kathy brought another cheese ball; Aunt Pat and Uncle Vann brought Krispy Kreme doughnuts! Can you say YUM! And there were lots of kids . . . teenagers bringing their girlfriends. Makes me kinda sad to see the kids growing up.

I'm not going to make resolutions . . . but there are a few things that I really want to try to be more consistent with for this upcoming year. I definitely want to get back on a routine exercise program. I feel so much better when I exercise every single day. I'm determined to scrap more and do more challenges at my favorite scrap sites. And I definitely want to keep this blog up and running - and not just 4 or 5 times over a year!

Well, we're off and running in 2009. May it be a blessed year for all of us! :)

October 1st!!!

2008-10-01T08:27:00.001-07:00

Can you believe it! I love October! I love Fall! It's like the kickoff to everything fun and exciting . . .chicken stews, leaves changing, Halloween, Thanksgiving, CHRISTMAS! Yikes - did I just say CHRISTMAS? lol

I'm super excited about mine and Kelly's new challenge blog. We're kicking off our first challenge tomorrow. :)

Here's a page I did last night that Adam's been wanting me to do for a while.

Alright - back to work I go. Be sure you check in tomorrow for our 1st Letters to Scrap By Challenge!

Been a While!!!

2008-09-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Gracious! Time flies when you're having fun I guess. Everything has cranked back up . . . Amber's cheer practices, school, blah blah blah. We're trying to get back in the groove. I've been busy with a contest at TS. I made it to Round #3 and was really excited to have made it that far. Here are the layouts I did for the contest:

And then my most favorite lo I did for the contest:

I think it really pushed me to be more creative and I was tickled with the pages I created.

Sketch Layout

2008-07-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

I stumbled onto this awesome sketch site and decide to give it a try. It's Triplethesketch.blogspot.com and here's my take on their latest sketch:

A Few More Layouts

2008-07-01T18:26:00.001-07:00

Here's a few more pages I've done recently. Those dang puppies of mine are so photogenic! LOL!

We're Heading to States!!

2008-07-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

Amber's all-star team placed 2nd in the area tournament in Hickory, and because Babe Ruth allows the top 2 teams in this age group to go to States, we get to go! Whooohooooo!!!! How exciting! We won Friday night, after finally getting started around 10 and finishing up around midnight. Storms came through and delayed everything, but it was worth the wait. They played awesome, and Amber got a nice hit to center field and knocked a run in.

Here's a picture I've been playing with and I love the way it turned out. I love turning pictures to black and white and then having just a small portion in color. It could use some touch-up, but overall, I love it!

A Few Pictures

2008-06-25T04:22:00.000-07:00

Here's just a few pictures of Amber from her all-star game the other night. The one of her batting was through the fence, so not all that great. I will definitely position myself better tomorrow night to get some good action shots!

On a Scrappy Roll

2008-06-24T06:03:00.001-07:00

So I took yesterday off to get ready for Amber's game, and had some good quality scrappy time yesterday morning. I finished 2 layouts and started a third. Here they are:

Here's another one I did about a month ago. It was for a photo swap at Treasured Scrapbooking. Tons of fun!!

We Won!!! Yeahhh!!!

2008-06-24T05:39:00.000-07:00

Amber's all-star team won their first game last night! We played Bunker Hill in Hickory and beat them 7-5. Amber was 2nd in the batting lineup, and hit the ball to shortstop. She got out but brought in the first run. She played 2nd base. We play again Thursday night. If we win Thursday, then we play for the Regional championship on Saturday. Go DC Lady Pirates! I'll post pictures tomorrow!! :)

Look Who's a Year Old Now!!!

2008-06-20T12:20:00.001-07:00

OK - I might be a smidge late with this (their birthday was May 19th), but my adorable puppies had a birthday and turned 1 year old!!

So Amber insisted we have a "party" for them and a photo session while they wore birthday party hats. Nothing says "Happy Birthday Puppies" better than Barney and Baby Bop birthday hats, don't cha think?! lol

They were treated to dog food with peanut butter on top and candles stuck inside the peanut butter so they would stand up! :)

County Championship - ALMOST!

2008-06-18T09:55:00.000-07:00

Adam's Pirates team made it to the County Championship game last night, but just couldn't hold off Reeds. We played a good game but hit EVERYTHING straight to them and just couldn't catch a break. Here's a few shots of Adam that I got:

So I don't guess 2nd in the county is too bad! Now Adam's "Pirates" season is over, and Amber is beginning as the "Lady Pirates" all-star team!!! Go Pirates!! :)

Homerun for Amber!!!

2008-06-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

So Amber's team, we thought, was going to have their last game of the season this past Monday night. Not to be!!!! It was a tied ballgame when Amber came up to bat. She hit a homerun right down the right base line and scored the winning run!!! whooooo hoooooo!!! We won the ballgame 5-4 over Reeds and will move on to play the next round tonight. I was so proud of her!! Tonight's game will be tough, but maybe we have a chance! We'll see! :)

Our New American Idol

2008-05-23T07:34:00.001-07:00

There HE IS!!! whooooooooo hooooooooo!!!! Congrats to David Cook for winning American Idol. I'm one of his biggest fans. We were so happy he won. For the first time ever, me and Adam both texted our votes in. Not since Chris Daughtery have I felt this strongly that someone should win American Idol.

I'm looking forward to hopefully some scrapbooking this weekend. No ballgames so I really need to get some housework done so I can play in my scrappy area!!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!

Good Luck David Cook

2008-05-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

So, never before -- well I won't say NEVER -- but it's been a LONG time since I've been this hooked on a tv show. I have watched American Idol faithfully this season. I have made a point to make sure, if I wasn't on a ballfield somewhere, that I was tuned in. From the beginning, I picked both Davids (along with Michael Johns, Brooke White, and Carly Smitheson)to be the top performers. It's come down to David Archuleta and David Cook. Both are awesome talents, but David Cook is a performer! He reminds me of Chris Daughtery.

So, my vote goes to David Cook. Rock on, baby!!! Sure hope you're the next Idol!!

Happy Friday!

2008-05-16T13:05:00.001-07:00

Can't believe it's Friday already! Amber plays softball at Forsyth County tonight while Adam has his first "Senior" boys baseball practice. Just the kick-off to a busy weekend. Tomorrow Amber has another game and I'll be helping with the all-star cheerleading BBQ chicken fundraiser! Fun times! :)

Sure hope I can get some scrapping done SOMETIME this weekend! We'll see!!

Do You Remember . . .

2008-05-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

the first time you ever scrapbooked? I've always kept stuff to scrapbook wayyyy before there was patterned paper and embellishments. But the first time I scrapped the way I do now is quite an interesting story . . .

I had been to a Creative Memories party and was completely sold on it, so I booked a party myself. It just so happens, the night of my party a huge storm came through. I mean a really BAD storm with a small tornado touching down. I had NO idea the storm was heading our way . . . I noticed as I helped the hostess carry in her stuff that it was really black and the wind was picking up. Anyway, just as we were getting started, the storm hit and the power went out. My mother-in-law, who's always been good to come to any parties I've ever had, said "Ginger, I think we need to head to the basement." But noooooo - I wouldn't hear of it - we were going to scrap at my party. So the power went out but we trudged forward and cropped by candlelight. As it turns out, we had very minimal damage at my house, but I found out the next day that the tornado had touched down a few roads over and done some damage to my aunt's house.

Looking back on it, I realize how stupid I really was!! I'll never forget that though!!

Catching Up & Ball Season AGAIN!

2008-05-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

So, I'm embarrassed to even come back to this poor neglected blog. I have been swamped this spring with April birthdays, cheer competitions, girl scout camping trips, baseball practices, softball practices, and of course -- BALLGAMES! Funny how time gets away from you!!!

Just a few pictures I would like to share . . . Amber's cheerleading competition took Division Champion in Charlotte on April 19th. We were sooooooooo proud!

Back in March, I was lucky enough to be chosen as GDT for Treasured Scrapbooking. I had a blast, and here's a few of the pages I created with my wonderful kit I received:

I haven't scrapped in over a month and its starting to drive me crazy. I'm hoping this weekend I can cut loose and really have some fun with my scrappy stuff!

Happy New Year!!!!

2008-01-03T08:04:00.000-08:00

3 days late! Good gracious - it's been a long time since I've piddled with my blog. I'm resolving to try to update this at least once or twice a week. We'll see how that goes!!

Life is getting back to normal after the holidays! The kids went back to school yesterday and practices cranked back up so we're back to our usual running. It's good to get back to a normal routine though.

Adam got his stitches removed yesterday and the puppies got their staples taken out. All went well. Can't believe how those pups are growing! Seven months old and Cocoa is 75 lbs, Roxie 69 lbs. Little miniature horses! Unbelievable!

Vicki is leaving us today and going back to New Mexico. We sure enjoyed having her over the holidays. Hopefully she'll back back in August.

We rang in the New Year with our family and closest friends. We had an unbelievable spread of food: Meatballs, Ham & Cheese Sandwiches, Nacho Dip, Cheese Ball, Stuffed Mushrooms, Wings, Shrimp, Veggie Tray, Fruit Tray, Sausage Balls, Sandwich Puffs, and then Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Friendship Bread, and Apple Bundles for dessert. Can you say YUMMM!!!!

Alright - I'm going to get back on track with eating and exercising, and I'm going to make a point to scrap at least twice a week. I'm debating setting a number goal of layouts I want to complete this year. Still thinking on that!

We're off and running!!

9/11 Thoughts

2007-09-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

It's been several days since I've posted . . .

David and I had a nice anniversary on the 8th. We went out to eat and to see a movie. It was the 17th anniversary - hard to believe!!

Today has stirred up lots of emotions again. Although I knew no one personally that was lost in the 9/11 attack, it certainly brings all those emotions back and the sadness for the families that lost loved ones. I remember being at work when David called me on the phone. He was working nights at the time and had just gotten home and flipped on the tv. As we were talking about the first plane hitting the tower, the 2nd one came along and hit. It still didn't occur to me that this could actually be a terrorist attack. Not until the plane hit in DC did I start to realize what was actually happening. I remember feeling the urgent need to go home, scoop up my children, and just be with my family. Adam had soccer practice that evening and it was so weird to look up in that beautiful blue, clear sky and not see any airplanes fly overhead.

I also remember how, on the Saturday before, we had gotten together with David's side of the family for BJ's birthday. Then the next Saturday, we got together for David and BJ's mom's birthday. It was so weird how the world had changed from 1 birthday celebration to the next a week later.

It's been a day of reflecting and prayer . . . I continue to pray for those families that lost loved ones.

Back Among the Living Again

2007-09-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

Gahhhhh! What a rough few days! Had a yucky, yucky cold or allergies or SOMETHING -- so I've been out of commission for several days. Pretty much hung out on the couch with the remote and my nose spray so I could breathe. Glad the worst of that is over. We've all had our turn at it except Amber -- I sure hope she's able to dodge it.

I promised to post pictures but that didn't happen. Actually I need to do that . . . David got a few good pictures (in between raindrops) of the Panthers/Steelers game from the other night. I was impressed considering he NEVER does the picture-taking . . . it's always me. I sent him with a clean memory card so there was no danger of him accidentally deleting some unsaved pictures. LOL. I did fuss at him though - he only took 7 pictures. He said, "I thought I took more than that." He always fusses at me for taking SO MANY but hey, its digital, why not take tons. You can always delete the bad ones.

My sweet little puppies got a taste of the underground fence yesterday. Poor babies. We've had the yellow "caution" flags up for a few weeks or so and have told them "NO" every time they've gotten close to a flag . . . but yesterday we put the collars on them. It didn't take them long to figure out. I felt soooo bad. Then later on in the day, little Cocoa forgot and went tearing across the boundary. Poor baby - he yelped and come running to mommy. I had to hold him for a while. It makes me feel bad -- but we can't keep them locked up in a lot all the time. And once they learn I don't think they'll venture over again. I just hate to see them playing and forget and then come running back with their little tails between their legs. Roxie had her turn too -- but she only went across once. They're still so bad to chew each others collars - so for right now we're just putting the collars on when we're out with them. Eventually they'll keep them on all the time and won't have to be confined to that lot when we're not home.

School's Back In and Lunar Eclipse

2007-08-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday was the first day back to school! Whoo hooo! Kids seemed to have had a good day . . . Adam was really antsy about high school but I think he had a good day - even though he had homework. He took a sandwich because he had heard such horror stories about how they run out of food early and you can't get lunch. He's not much of a sandwich eater, but did take a pb&j and some other snacks just in case. It burns me up that they (being the school) think they may run out of food for the kids. Adam's class is the biggest class yet to come through (462 kids). You would think that if they had this problem before, they would try to fix it before the huge class of 462 kids gets there. Anyway, it didnt seem to be a problem yesterday. Adam said he went in the cafeteria and there was plenty of room and food. False alarm I guess. But we have heard in the past that they would run out of food before all the kids could get fed.

Amber had a hand sanitizer diaster in her bookbag. LOL. The BIG bottle of hand sanitizer that we bought her to last all year somehow spilled in her bookbag. She had a mess - but apparently a germ-free bookbag. LOL. Poor baby! She had a good day too.

We're back to veiwing the sky again . . . this time to catch the lunar eclipse. Adam gets extra credit if he made a point to see it . . . so here we are, in jamas again, getting up at 5:15 in the morning to see the lunar eclipse. We watched it for about 30 minutes - it was almost covered by the time we went back in. I laid back down for about 20 minutes then it was time to get up. Grrrrrrrr! I hate interrupted sleep!

I'll post some pictures tomorrow. Gotta get my card cleaned off before David takes the camera to the Panther's game Thursday night. I don't trust him with "unsaved" pictures (long story - to be saved for another post).

Looking in the Sky Again

2007-08-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

The countdown is on . . . less than 1 week before school starts back. Unbelievable! Farewell summer vacation!

So, last night, at about 8:40 or so, David pipes up and says "we've got 4 minutes." I'm like "what? Four minutes till what?" Here I am, already showered and in my jamas, but we all head out to the patio to see the space shuttle and the international space station. We actually did see it - it lasted barely a minute at the most. Just right across the sky - one in front of the other. At least we were out gazing at the sky at a reasonable hour this time.

Growing Babies

2007-08-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

With the impending start of school a little over a week away, I realize how this year is going to be an interesting year . . . the first year of high school for Adam and the last year of elementary school for Amber. It makes me sad to think of these milestones. Honestly, it seems like just last year Amber was starting kindergarten and Adam was in the 4th grade. The years have flown by! But then when I see how excited they are - it makes me proud and I can't help but be happy!

And, of course, my 4-legged babies are growing too!

And I Missed the BIG ONE

2007-08-14T07:16:00.001-07:00

I must mention . . . while I was up getting the lovely picture below, I apparently missed the biggest one of all darting across the sky! They were all "ohhhhhhhhhh LOOOOOOKKKKKKK" while I'm fiddling with the camera in the dark. What we sacrifice to get the perfect picture! LOL! That's okay though - at least my babies got to see it and they thought it was so awesome to get up at 2:30 in the morning to do something like that. At least I've got the picture to remind me of how fun it is to do something crazy and out-of-the-ordinary every now and then!

Meteorite Showers

2007-08-14T06:57:00.000-07:00

We're so goofy . . . for 2 nights in a row, we have gotten up with Vicki while she's visiting from New Mexico in the early morning to see the meteorites. The first night, Sunday night, was really worth losing the sleep over. Vicki had said she would definitely get up to use the bathroom through the night and would get us all up then. As it turned out, I ended up having to potty first, so I woke everybody up and here we go out on the patio. It didn't take long to figure out we definitely needed some pillows - that concrete is HARD! LOL! Anyway, the first night, we saw lots . . . probably between 20-25 over the course of an hour (we had no idea we were out there that long: time flies when you're having fun I guess).

But last night, I only saw 3 . . . the kids and Vicki saw around 5. Not NEARLY as active as the night before and definitely not worth getting up for, but it was fun! It's been a long time since I've done anything that crazy and off the wall! I'm paying for it today, though . . . very very sleepy!

Finally Did Some Scrapbooking

2007-08-09T06:49:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!!! I managed to find some time to sit down and play with my new August kit from Treasured Scrapbooking! I love the colors in it and have several different sets of pictures to use with it. I'm happy with this layout . . . brings back such memories seeing pictures of Adam when he was that young -- and now here he is getting ready to head off to high school. Just unbelievable!

I'm hoping to play with this kit some more tonight -- I've got the cutest pictures of Amber when she went to a birthday party at Spa La De Da. They'll be so cute with these papers. Shoot - maybe I'll even get really productive and do 2 pages tonight. We'll see!

Miserably HOT HOT HOT

2007-08-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how hot it has been this week! And it's gonna get even hotter I hear! I took yesterday off to help Mama cook for our big family get together last night. I had to go to the grocery store and it was miserable just getting in the car. Just crazy weather! The kids brought the pups in for several hours yesterday and they just slept and slept like babies. They're so funny. Spoiled rotten! David bought them a kiddie pool that they are finally enjoying. They were a little unsure of it at first but now Cocoa dives right in and Roxie is right behind him. of course, the kids think they can hop in too with the puppies! When these pups are full-grown, everybody won't be able to fit into the pool!

I just love the colors in that picture - mainly because of Amber's bathing suit - lol. I just got my August kit from Treasured Scrapbooking and this picture will go PERFECTLY with the colors in that kit! Can't wait to play. Maybe tonight will be the night I can finally play with my new kits! They're awesome!

August Already

2007-08-06T09:42:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can't believe we are already 6 days into August! Where has summer gone? We've laid kinda low the last few weeks . . . just enjoying a break from baseball. My 40th birthday came and went and luckily I don't feel any different. Wasn't such a big deal after all! My puppies are growing like weeds! They're so smart. Cocoa can play dead now and they both can give howdy! Just smart little rascals! Vicki is in town from New Mexico and we are enjoying spending time with her. She'll be here till the 15th. Guess I'll get back to work!

Catching up on being tagged . . .

2007-07-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Oh my!!! Kelly "tagged" me about a month ago and I went on vacation, blah blah blah, and here it is a month later and I haven't responded. Sooooooooo - here are 7 random things about me that might be interesting to some poor bored soul!

1. I'm a germ freak -- especially on vacations. I'm just weird about touching door knobs, going in public bathrooms, walking around a hotel pool barefooted . . . just a freak. And Adam says I have turned him into a little germ freak too. Poor child - he's just like me . . . washes his hands constantly. Now Amber, on the other hand, germs don't seem to bother her. I constantly keep anti-bacterial gel with me at all times to wipe down stuff.

2. I love peanut butter. Rarely does a day go by that I don't eat some peanut butter. I keep a jar of it here at work and have been known to stick a spoon down in there and have at it.

3. I'm anal about how the dishwasher gets loaded every night. This is actually hilarious considering I never had a dishwasher at home growing up and now I seem to think I'm the only one at my house that can correctly and efficiently load the dishwasher. It must be a control issue I have. LOL.

4. I'm a procrastinator . . . especially with my scrapbooking. I'm so afraid I'm going to do a page and then find something I love that I could've used on that page. Makes no sense! The "freak" part coming out in me again apparently.

5. I'm a homebody -- My most favorite thing in the world is staying home and watching a movie with my family on a friday night. Maybe it's because we're not home very often . . . always on a ballfield -- which I love too. If I'm not home, I WANNA be on a ballfield watching my babies play!

6. Mexican food is my all-time favorite. We eat it at least once a week. I love it! And I love having a margarita with it! Finger foods are my next favorite -- just love any kind of finger foods!

7. I actually enjoy cooking and baking -- but ONLY when I have plenty of time to come up with something creative. If it's a ballgame night - I don't want to bother with it. But give me a Saturday at home, and I love baking bread and making dinner. It's the cleanup part that drives me insane!

Okay -- if you've made it to this paragraph, God Bless You! And Kelly, if you read this -- can you tag some people for me? LOL. I don't know anybody else that blogs. How sad is that! So, if you get tagged by Kelly in my honor, I'll add you to my list. (giggle, giggle)

It's Been a While . . .

2007-07-11T05:41:00.000-07:00

Gracious! I was so excited about starting this blog and I've let a whole month slide by since I've last updated it. We've had a lot going on . . . took a wonderful vacation to Hershey, PA and then Niagara Falls, Canada with some of the Graham family. Then the next week after we were back from vacation, our beloved Lucky got sick. That was hard. She was a member of our family and it just broke our hearts. But shortly after that, we were blessed with new members of the family . . . 6.4 lb Roxie and 8.4 lb Cocoa. They haven't taken Lucky's "place," but they surely have brought us many smiles and are a part of the family now. We, of course, miss Lucky and all the special things she did. We now realize just how low-maintenance she was. These new puppies are just like infants -- but we feel blessed to have found the perfect fit for our family so soon after losing Lucky.

Then on to allstars . . . Adam is playing allstars for the Davidson County 14U team. That has been fun. Although they lost their first 2 games (in embarrassing fashion for the 2nd game), he seems to be having fun and is sharpening his baseball skills yet again. He's played baseball since February of this year. We figured up -- after these 2 games at North Surry -- he has played every position sometime this year except for 1st, pitcher, and catcher. That says something to me -- he's a very versatile player and one you can put anywhere.

Amber was disappointed that she wasn't chosen for the 10U allstar softball team . . . but it just wasn't meant to be. It has given her more time to baby the puppies. She seems to have hooked up with Roxie and Adam seems to have hooked up with Cocoa. It's funny how that works. Of course, I love BOTH of those precious puppies . . . but Cocoa is probably the one I go to first and Roxie is David's baby girl. Just funny!

Alright -- let me see if I can stick some pictures in here of all our excitement.

A Few More Pictures . . .

2007-07-11T04:45:00.000-07:00

A few more pictures . . .

Happy Friday

2007-06-01T08:07:00.000-07:00

Busy Friday so far, but a good one! No work for me today! Whoohooo! Miss Amber has made straight A's all year so me and David went to her Honor Roll Tea this morning. We're so proud. She was one of only 6 4th graders that made straight A's all year.

Last night was fun too. Adam had a good ballgame. He played flawlessly and got to play the whole game. He played his beloved 2nd base up until the 5th inning, then he got moved over to shortstop. It amazes me that he can play any position and adapt so well. For this Midway Braves team, he has played 2nd base, 3rd base, shortstop, left field, and center field. He wants to pitch - maybe he'll get a chance sometime.

Well - I'm off to do a few chores since I'm off today . . . unload/load the dishwasher, wash clothes, blah blah blah.

My First Ramble

2007-05-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

How cool is this! I have my own blog! Thanks, Kelly, for the "Rambling" idea . . . I love it and it fits me to a tee! I'm sure nobody really cares, but this is where I'm going to record all of those special little moments in life that I don't want to forget . . . including the crazy, hectic ones. Life goes at such a fast pace - it seems like a blur - I don't want to forget things and I want my kids to look back and reflect on some of these moments - even the ordinary ones that don't seem like much at the time. They're all part of life!

Welp - off to get some work done. Adam has a ballgame tonight so I'm sure I'll be talking about it tomorrow. Tomorrow is the Honor Roll Tea for Amber - I'll be chatting about that too I'm sure. This is gonna be fun! Tah Tah for now!