Queen of the Crop - Day one

My partner in scrapping Christie and I decided we were going take on a challenge this weekend. So we are participating in the Queen of the Crop challenge at GDS! I got a little behind with a late start, but I got more done today than I thought I would !!

First layout challenge was a prompt "Kids say the darndest things", I actually copied and pasted one of my Maddieisms right onto the journaling. I used Amy Leigh's Brilliant Blossoms for this one! Fonts: 2Peas Crazy Pooch, 2Peas Rubber Ducky.

Second layout challenge was to scrap a kid goofing off (easy enough considering the goof I live with!). I used a kit from the Sweet Shoppe by Kristin Cronin-Barrow called Paradise Bound. Alphatendress2 by Petit Moinaux, font: gigi.Third layout challenge was to scrap what I consider to be my own personal masterpiece in life.

I used Sea Spray by Beckie Wallace for this one. I really love this kit's soft warm colors. It reminds me of being at our cabin on Lake Erie! Font used was called Amura.

Fourth layout challenge was to scrap someone's favorite thing. This is Doreen Stolz's Daydreams kit, the laundry label is by Tracy Reed from the Sweet Shoppe and the font: as bold as brass.

These are the four I got done today. I may get one more done tonite- we shall see. Mike is on his way home, and I begged him to stop and get me a Wendy's cheeseburger - shame on me for eating this late, and a cheeseburger at that!

100th post was a sad one :(

Well, my last post was my 100th post on my blog and I really was wanting it to be funny, quirky and just all 'me-like' ROFL. But, unfortuntately the entire City of Pittsburgh is mourning the loss of the legendary Myron Cope today.

Steeler season will never be the same without him being here. His voice was unique, and when you heard it you knew you were in Steeler Country. I often would put the TV on, and turn the sound down and listen to Myron Cope on the radio.

As you may have read in my previous post, Myron is also the inventor of the TERRIBLE TOWEL. This iconic representation for Steelers fan is a must have at a game, party or any Steeler event. There are people who still have the originals (man, would I love to have one of those) ! They still sell THOUSANDS of them every year - Myron has awarded the rights of the towel to a home where his autistic son lives. So for years to come, they will reap the monetary benefits of this fan must-have. How amazing!

The reason we loved him so, was because he wasn't glitz and glamour, he didn't become a 'pseudo celebrity' - he was just an average normal every day guy with hysterical expressions, a dynamic personality, an irritating and obnoxious radio voice, but so truley loveable, true to life, a true Steeler fan, true Pittsburgher at heart - just true. He definitely called it like he saw it! A real person - a real fan calling the game.

We all knew this day would come - he wasn't a young man, but I am glad it happened during the off -season. It would be so painful for many to watch the Steelers right now.

So, Steelers have a daunting season next year - they will be expected to bring it on for Myron. And I can guarantee that a sea of yellow, the likes of which has never been seen, will sweep over Heinz field at EVERY home game in honor of our own legendary broadcaster.

Rest In Peace - Myron Cope

History of the Terrible Towel

RIP Myron Cope

The Terrible Towel
Towels and Points Delight
By Myron Cope

Not long ago, Dan Rooney the president of the Pittsburgh Steelers handed me a copy of the
Sports Business- The Management Newsletter for Sports Money Makers. He pointed to an item he knew would interest me. Under the Advisory for Fans, Sports Business confided
to the Moguls who subscribe to it: "Special, almost Unclassifiable gimmick like the Steelers' Terrible Towel are a fan turn-on. The keys to the most successful of these devices seem to be 1)Color, and 2)Motion.

Crowds dressed in the same color clothing can make an impact, but it is passive. Color plus motion in the stands creates a kind of framework for the content itself,
making the entire experience more memorable for the spectator. We suggest a look at the Japanese and British sports crowds for examples of dynamic display of color and motion."

I, as creator of the Terrible Towel, and instrument with which Steelers fans had flogged their team to victories in Super Bowls X and XIII (the Steelers won Super Bowl IX without it), could not decide which impressed me ore - Sports Business' expertise in determining that color plus motion had made the towel a success, or my audacity in creating the towel while ignorant of the fact that I was mixing a precise formula that would produce a "special almost unclassifiable
gimmick."

During the NBC telecast of Super Bowl XIII, Curt Gowdy had referred to the towel as the "dirty towel" an allusion that had not especially annoy me inasmuch as Gowdy had botched the names of the legions of professional football players. Let him know that Sports business, which gets $60 for 24 issues from, sports moneymakers, perceives the impact of the Terrible Towel, which, dirty or laundered is held to be good reason for the moneymakers to take a close look at Japanese and British crowds. Lord, that I had known all that at the beginning.

"Your ideas was pure genius," said Rooney. "But you were too stupid to know what you were doing."

Here I should explain that I'm a Pittsburgh radio/television sports commentator and an anlayst of Steeler games on the radio. Late in November of 1975, I received a call from the secretary to the vice president and general manager of WTAE Radio who said, "Can you step over to Ted's office?"

Crossing the hall, I found the burly figure of Ted J. Atkins. He was huddled with the vice president for sales, Larry Garrett. Atkins said, "The Steelers are going to the playoffs. As you know the first game will be here in Pittsburgh. As the Steelers flagship radio station, we think we should come up with some sort of gimmick that will involve the people." Then Atkins barked, "Come up with a gimmick!"

"I'm not a gimmick guy," I replied. "Never have been a gimmick guy."

"You don't understand," said Garrett.

He explained that were I to promote some kind of object that the fans would wave or wear at the playoffs, advertisers would be so impressed by my hold on the public that they would clamor to sponsor my various shows.

"Besides," said Garrett, "your contract with us expires in three months."
"I'm a gimmick guy," I shrugged.

Advertising salesmen were hurriedly summoned to Atkins' office. Brainstorms erupted. "I've got it!" cried a salesman. "Chuck Noll's motto is 'Whatever it takes,' right?" Totally sober the salesman proposed that we dress the 50,000 fans entering Three Rivers Stadium in
black costume masks upon which Noll's motto would be painted in gold lettering. A phone call to a supplier of novelties revealed that 50,000 black masks could be obtained at a cost of 50 cents apiece, $25,000, vice presidents Atkins and Garrett incisively concluded that black masks were not the crowd pleaser we were looking for.

"What we need here," I said, "Is something that's lightweight and portable and already is owned by just about every fan."
"How about towels?" Garrett said.
"A towel?" It had possibilities.
"We could call it the Terrible Towel," I said. "Yes, and I can go on radio and television proclaiming, 'The Terrible Towel is poised to strike!'"
"Gold and black towels, the colors of the Steelers," someone piped.
"No," I said, "Black won't provide color. We'll tell them to bring gold or yellow towels."
"Yellow and gold will fly," cried a sales voice. "Tell 'em if they don't have one, buy one, and if they don't want to buy one, dye one!"
"I'll tell 'em they can use the towel to wipe their seats clean," I said, "They can use it as a muffleragainst the cold. They can drape it over their heads if it rains."

Another great concept in broadcasting having being born, Ted J. Atkins sent out for champagne.
Later, when the Terrible Towel advanced for final approval to Franklin C. Snyder, vice president and general manager of the Hearst Broadcasting System, he ordered only one change: "We must have black towels too," he said gravely. "If we exclude black, we'll be asking for trouble from the Human Relations Commission and the FCC."

A few days later, on the heavily watched Sunday night 11 o'clock television news, I introduced Pittsburgh to the Terrible Towel, making a dammed fool of myself by hurling towels at the anchorman, the weatherman, and everyone else. Public response was instant and pleasantly flabbergasting. One of the few resisters was a co-captain of the Steelers, linebacker Andy Russell.
"What's this crap about a towel?" he growled at me in the locker room several days later. We're not a gimmick team. We've never been a gimmick team."

His words had the ring of familiarity. But I fell back upon bravado. "Russell," I said, "You're sick."
Mind you, I did not see the Terrible Towel as witchcraft to hex the enemy. It would be a positive force, driving the Steelers to superhuman performance. Unsure of my own sanity, almost daily I intoned on radio and television, "The Terrible Towel is poised to strike!"

The very morning of the playoff game, against Baltimore, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette warned that I was trying to turn Three Rivers Stadium into a tenement neighborhood, yet at least 30,000 spectators turned up for the game waving Terrible Towels. It was a fine start.

In foul, wet weather, wide receiver Frank Lewis wiped his hands with a Terrible Towel, then made a scarcely believable one-handed catch of a Terry Bradshaw bullet. Later, Bradshaw went down, his leg injured, and did not emerge from the locker room tunnel when his teammates took the field for the second half. Only seconds before play resumed, the crowd exploded, filling the air with towels, for Bradshaw had reappeared.

Could Russell remain a nonbeliever? A young woman named Lisa Benz beheld the towel's effect upon him (Russell scooped up a Colts fumble and, through playing on an injured leg, lumbered 93 yards to a touchdown) and later mailed me the following verse:

He ran ninety-three
like a bat out of hell,
And no one could see
How he rambled so well.
"It was easy," said Andy,
And he flashed a cooked smile,
"I was snapped on the fanny
By the Terrible Towel!"

Yea, verily did infidels cast aside their skepticism as the Steelers and the Terrible Towel whipped their way through the Oakland Raiders to the American Conference title, and through the Dallas Cowboys to victory in Super Bowl X, Last year Pittsburgh again earned home-field advantage for the playoffs. That dictated the Terrible Towel's resurrection, its use being reserved exclusively for post-season games. And if I say so, this set a standard of commotion worthy of the Beatles and Elvis. The Denver Broncos came out on the field at Three Rivers and found hemselves trapped in a vortex of yellow, gold and black terry cloth whirling against the
bitter December sky like the swords of 50,000 Cossacks.

Lynn Swann, answering his introduction by the P.A. announcer, loped out to the goal line, leaped 4 feet into the air and snapped a Terrible Towel overhead, whereupon from the crowd there came a thunderclap of a roar such as I had never heard at an athletic event. Swann then presented his towel to his fellow wide receiver, John Stallworth, who proceeded to catch not three or four passes (a good day's work) but 10. Later as the Steelers put the finishing touches to a 33 - 10 trashing of the Broncos, an eavesdropping NFL Films microphone caught Swann and Stallworth on the sideline taking inventory of their prospects for going all the way.

"We've got the offense," said Swann. "We've got the defense. We've got the QB. We've got Franco. We've got Joe Greene. We've got Chuck Noll." Slapping hands mightily with Stallworth, Swann concluded, "And we've got the Terrible Towel."

Next, Earl Campbell and the Houston Oilers came to town for the AFC Championship game. Multitudes of Western Pennsylvanians who had been unable to get ticket to the gsme draped towels over their television sets and radios, even over their dogs, cats and children. Towels hung from windows, lampposts and roofs. A department store chain that offered Terrible Towels at
$6.50 each, with a charity earmarked as the beneficiary, had run out of them in four hours; it then ordered another shipment and had run out in two hours.

As the Steelers and the Oilers lined up for the opening kickoff, a yellow towel suddenly descended
from the deck above the WTAE broadcasting booth, and as if by magic, jerked to a halt in midair 15 feet in front of the booth.

My binoculars revealed that painstaking Steelers fans had strung fishing line from the top deck clear down to the end zone to our left, their plan having been to release the towel at kickoff and let it slide by means of a pulley to the end zone. But then fishing line, so fine it had been invisible to the naked eye, had become coated with ice in the freezing rain that whipped the stadium, and that arrested the towel before our very eyes.

"What is that dammed towel doing out there?" cried my broadcast partner, Jack Fleming. A large
deep-voiced man and a football purist who from the outset had been hostile to my Terrible Towel. Fleming now found that the one before him removed half the gridiron from his vision as he was about to begin his play-by-play.

"Somebody get that towel out of here," he bellowed. Minutes later, the roof above Fleming sprang a leak, and in an instant he was soaked.
"Give me one of those damned things," he yelled reaching into an assortment of Terrible Towels at my elbow. While he mopped his spotter boards, I wondered. "Is the towel punishing an unbeliever?" I sat less than 3 feet from Flemming's left, yet no water fell on me. Meanwhile, our
producer produced an umbrella, Fleming, livid, clutched it in a white-knuckled fist throughout the first quarter, craning to follow ballcarriers and receivers as they disappeared behind the yellow towel suspended before us, and roaring during every timeout for workmen to cut down the infernal rag.

That done at last, Fleming settled into a mood of controlled churlishness striving to find enjoyment in the fact that the Steelers were thundering toward a 34 - 5 win. Without warning, however, a Steelers fan named Larry Opperman, a one time unsuccessful candidate for the State Legislature, leaped from the stands across the field as the Oilers deployed to receive a kickoff.
Opperman wore two Terrible Towels over a bathing suit, and he twirled another towel overhead. He raced past the Oilers' bench to the 50-yard line. He then zigzagged his way downfield through the entire Houston team, whooping like a madman.

The crowd roared "Idiot,"snapped Fleming.

Two days later, Opperman popped into my office unannounced. "I thought you might like to have this," hesaid. He handed me the towel he had worn. It was still slightly damp but was obviously a memento to be cherished. "How kind of you," I said.

But the impending Super Bowl showdown against the Dallas Cowboys at Miami troubled me. "The Terrible Towel does not like to travel," I cautioned the faithful in my radio and television commentaries. "The towel breathes life from the support it gets from the fans in the stadium, but Steelers fans are finding Super Bowl tickets hard to come by." Those fans, I had forgotten, had
demonstrated at two previous Super Bowls involving their team that when it came to procuring tickets, John D. Rockefeller was no more adept at unearthing oil.

They showed up in the Orange Bowl at least 20,000 strong, flying their Terrible Towels, and at
game time, the towel gave a sign to the nation that it was ready.

On the Steelers' first play from scrimmage, center Mike Webster hunkered over the ball wearing a yellow Terrible Towel tucked into his wristband. "I believe," said Bradshaw as he lined up over Webster. He touched the towel and proceeded to bombard the Cowboys dizzy firing four touchdown passes. The Steelers were ahead by 18 points, with some seven minutes remaining,
whine I trotted down from our booth to the Pittsburgh bench to be nearer to the locker room, where I would conduct postgame radio interviews.

"Here," Webster said to me. He handed me the game towel, soggy by now. "I guess we don't need this anymore." I stuffed the towel into my briefcase and zipped it closed. With that, the Cowboys awakened. They rallied for a quick touchdown to draw within 11 points. Steelers fans having had to lay 4 1/2 points and more, because uneasy. The towel, I was to realize later, cried out to be turned loose from my briefcase, but I did not hear its plaints above the din that filled the Orange Bowl. As the Cowboys drove to yet another score to reduce the final margin to a calamitous four points, the towel shrieked till its fibers popped, but it went unheard.

"How could you suffocate the towel when we needed it most? a fan demanded afterward. "I'm laughing for the Super Steelers but I'm crying inside to the tune of a hundred and a half."

Still the Steelers' triumph prompted the information of the Terrible Towel bandwagons. From Ohio State, Purdue and the University of Iowa, reports came to me of basketball crowds twirling towels. The pro bowling tour stopped near Dallas where a transplanted Pittsburgh woman approached her favorite bowler, Marshall Holman, and handed him a Terrible Towel.

Using it to wipe the perspiration from his hands, Holman won the $15,000 first prize. A distraught woman sent me a check for $6.50, beseeching me to send her a towel; the department store had been sold out when she tried to buy one. She explained that her nephew, injured in an auto accident weeks earlier, lay in a coma. "He's a Steelers fan," she wrote. "When he wakes up,
the firstthing we want him to see at his bedside is the Terrible Towel."

Mind you, being high priest of a towel does not turn my head. I have published four books and, before that, learned to play the clarinet, saxophone and piano. Yet it now appears certain that when my time comes, they will say to me in Pittsburgh, my longtime hometown, "Oh, he was the fellow who had that towel." Indeed in the aftermath of Super Bowl XIII, I received notification from the Pro Football Hall of Fame at Canton, Ohio, that a set of three Terrible Towels was to be enshrined there for all to behold. I must remember to visit the Hall of Fame to see if the towels hang along side the busts of Bronko Nagurski and Sammy Baugh, or in a lavatory. Either
way, I still remain composed.

***You will be missed Myron :(

ROFLMAO!

I can't believe I forgot to blog this the other day - OK, a little background first. So, I have a lot of scrap people that I talk to on a pretty regular basis and there are some that I am closer to than others. One that I am becoming pretty tight with is a pal I met through an online message board for mom's with babies born in the month of July. She and I both shared the digital scrapbook addiction, and thus began talking. I stopped frequenting that website, and she noticed I was gone. She asked where I was, and a girl who is from my area let me know. I sent her an email, and we have been chatting it up almost daily since then.

The reason for the background is to tell you that she and I instant message often when we are scrapping, sending each other photobucket links to say "What do you think?" and get some feedback.

She was checking out my blog one day last week, and she was looking at the layouts from our snow day. She pointed out to me that in the Layout called "Playing with daddy" the ends of the y's look like little peters! Now, everytime I see that layout... I just think of little peters! ROFLMAO!

You want to go look now don't you? What is the most funny is that is SOOOOO my sense of humor, and I am not sure she even knew that when she sent me the IM! Hysterical.

I meet the best people online, I swear!

Hot Chocolate

A while back, some designers from Moo Too Designs did a blog train give away and the theme was hot chocolate. I remember thinking at the time that I might have any use for the kits, but they were so cute I couldn't resist downloading them.

Well, when we had our snow day last Tuesday - I got the perfect pictures to use with the kits. I did a little 'pick and choose' between the kits, but they coordinated so well it was easy to mix and match what I wanted !

See credits below:

Credits: Kim's Chocolate Alpha - Kim's Scrappin

Got marshmallow sign -from Hot Chocolate kit by Terrell Sanzone

Cup paper- from Hot Chocolate Kit by Gloria ValVerde

Background paper, hot chocolate mug and swirl, and cardboard from Nancy Wilkins Scrappy Cats Hot Chocolate Kit.

Swirl pushpin- by Coralee Evans

Font used: Thumping

Just in time for the weekend...

Ok, my friend Kelly started a blog and immediately told her readers that she is guilty of the ... between sentence fragments. I AM SO GUILTY OF THAT TOO! I also use the occassional - instead of a comma! Why? Who the hell knows? It's actually ridiculous, as it's not like it takes less energy to make a , instead of an - . Ah, well, anyway... guess I ought to apologize as well, then.


Apparently, I am a blog pusher! A couple of my friends started blogs this week. I did strongly suggest that they blog, since I like the therapy - I thought they would do (damn, theres that - again). But hey, I guess it's cool to be a pusher now, because I love reading whats up with my buds! And their blogs look fabulous too - check them out on my BLOGS list on the right side of your screen !



So, just in time for the weekend, my sinuses are kicking my ass! I just took some nyquil sinus nighttime so I may start rambling any time now! Because I feel increasingly worse as the night wears on, I don't see any scrappin' happenin' tonite! Tomorrow perhaps!



Sorry that I don't have anything too exciting for you to look at tonite - let me see if I can come up with a funny video of Lauren or Madelyn for you .... hang on (damn, there are those ... !)

Snow Day pictures finally scrapped!

I know I promised these pictures a week ago, but I couldn't find just the right kit to scrap them! Finally, I got an email. It turns out that one of the designers I create for made the perfect kit for me to use, and this morning - I put them to use :)

Title: Playing with my Daddy

Credits: Karla Marano's Wintry Wonders available at Karla's Kaleidoscope Designs

Font used: POP

This one is done with the same kit - not necessarily as a Page two - but it could work !

Title: Snow Much Fun

Fonts: goofball, lovitz

Snips N Snails

I realize I have no boys (yet - well, maybe ever!). But when Beckie Wallace showed us this new kit, and asked for some name suggestions... SNIPS N SNAILS came to mind. I was shocked and flattered that she liked it too! She actually had already started making some little critters to add as elements when I submitted my suggestion. We must be on the same wavelength, she and I!

So, I was stressing how I was going to use the kit because it was focused for a boy. It was like writers' block, except with scrapping. I was desperate to use it because I love the color pallette, but I didn't think I could scrap my girls with the elements.

Well, later that week she forwarded us a blank glue patch and that was all I needed. I knew that I could make a layout with the title in the glue and that would tie the whole thing together. I love the staple, and the paper bag elements in this kit. Really original and just fun to scrap with. So, without further adeiu - TUCKERED OUT!

Trying to catch up...

I have about five hundred things going through my head right now. I think I may go nuts! I am behind on everything: scrapping, laundry, housework, shopping ! Did you notice that scrapping came first? Well, to be honest, it doesn't really come first - I do need to feed and cloth my husband and children first! And, although I am not as much of a neat freak as some people I know, I do have a little 'issue' with things being out of place. Even if its clutter, my clutter all has its place! The first thing I do when the kids go to bed is put everything back in its respective spot!

I hate disorder, and that is not to say that my house isn't a cluttered mess at times- but I do know where EVERYTHING is at all times. I also really hate folding laundry - which I know I have covered before, so I put laundry off at all costs! I know some people swear by doing one load a day, but that would be cruel and unusual punishment in my book. I would rather spend an entire day, once a week doing it than drag it out like that! I understand the logic behind their decision to do it that way, but its not my gig - that's for sure!

So, I did get the house cleaned, specifically the kitchen and bathroom. I finagled my hubby into getting Chinese for me for dinner under the rouse of 'We didn't go out for Valentine's Day'. It actually was a rouse, we just haven't had time - but I did get Chinese out of the deal, so you won't hear me complaining.

We also bought our Backyardigans LIVE tickets today - and I think Mike and I are more freakin excited about this show than Madelyn. Actually, I don't think it I KNOW IT! We both saw the commercial, looked at each other, and I dove towards the computer with credit card in hand! He was like GET AS CLOSE AS YOU CAN! Honestly, I think we would go without Madelyn, but we would look ridiculous - so, she can come too! ROFL!

Here is the lone layout I did today! It is from a new kit from Amy Leigh called 'BRILLIANT BLOSSOMS'. The colors in this kit are fabulous and vibrant. It just made me think of summertime, and when I think of summertime - I think of being at the Lake. So, thus came the layout entitled "Afternoon Nap".

This is my sister trying to get MJ to nap, I remember that it was way too hot to ask her to go up into her room in her pack and play for a nap, but there was no way she was willingly going to stay on the couch either. So, my sister just held her until she fell asleep :) What a nice Aunt Bee!

My goal was to scrap three pages today ! I may still get one more down by bedtime, since I took a wee-nap today ! But, I had to because both kids got up in the night last night and I didn't even lay down until 2am, then MJ was up at 3:30am, and Lauren was up twice - once at 2:15am and once at 4:30am. YIKES! What is going on? I think they get all out of whack when I work.

Quickie post

Things here are super busy for a few days. I just wanted to jump on to say the purse party was KICK A$$! I got three purses (Chanel, D&G and a Coach) and didn't spend a dime ! Loved it! Meanwhile, I find out the purse lady lives like a half mile from my house. She said that she gets her shipments on Fridays, and I can stop by whenever! AWESOME! So there, freaking purse ladies from November trying to be the BE ALL END ALL of South Hills purse ladies! Screw you guys, I got my own purse lady, yo!

It was crazy at my sister in laws. There had to be at least fifty people coming through there, no kidding! Just about everyone who was invited came, and brought a friend! Exactly what I wanted, and why I didn't have to spend any money! I think we had a $2000 show! I am glad - worked out for me :)

So today, I busted my butt to get everything ready for my CCAC courses which start tonite and tomorrow night. I am ready for them to start, because I really this ! Tonite's class was great, and hopefully tomorrows will be just as good.

So tomorrow will be busy. Because in addition to a CCAC course starting, I am teaching third grade during the day! Should be fun! Luckily, nothing going on Wednesday and Thursday and I can get the housework caught up. I am hella -behind there!

I am also behind on my scrapping - in case you haven't noticed - its been a few days since I posted! Talk about an addiction! I think I am in a little withdrawl, and if I weren't so tired right now, I would totally stay up to do a layout!

Instead, I am hitting the hay! Above is Lauren blowing raspberries at you :)

Purse Party day!

So, the purse party is today and I couldn't be more excited. The only issue is that Mike is working a quick shift, so I have no help. Luckily, my father in law offered to keep Madelyn and my nephew James while Dawn (my sister in law) and I host the party. My other nephews are in New York with my brother in law skiing. James is still a bit too young to go on this trip, and in light of his being sick this week with the same stomach bug we had, she decided it was best for him to hang here in the 'Burgh.

So MJ and James will be next door for the afternoon, and I will have the little bug with me :)

I will post later and let you know how it went. In case you don't know, I love to entertain, but my house is simply too small to have a number of people over so we are having the shin-dig at my sister in laws (who lives about three blocks from me).

So, if you are keeping track... my in laws live NEXT DOOR and my sister in law lives THREE BLOCKS away. The truth is that it really isn't that bad living next door to my mother in law. In fact, it is kind of alot of help. They aren't nosey or pushy - but I do occassionally have a random irritation. That's for another post though.

So when the party has commenced, and I am home, I will blog and let you all know how it was. I remember one of my first blogs was about having a purse party, so I am sure you are on the edge of your seats ((sarcasm)) waiting to find out how it goes!!

I didn't get any scrapping done this weekend because I was cooking for the party, and getting ready for my CCAC courses to begin.

Both are going to roll, I have ten students in one class so far, and nine in the other. So, my Monday and Tuesday evenings are booked for awhile beginning this week. I am exciting to get back into that role! I really love teaching computers, and specifically to adults. It is challenging, yet rewarding ! I do think I am good at it, and have alot to offer my students. In that way, it's not like a job, because I enjoy it. But it does pay well.

Will post more later, gotta go get ready :)

Saturday's rant-o-rama

Well, yesterday was Madelyn's 2 and a half year appointment, and Lauren's six month appointment. Both have past those milestones already, but this is when we could get the appointments.

Let me start by explaining that from her very first appointment, Madelyn was diagnosed with having vaginal adhesions. This where the vagina is fused closed by a thin layer of skin.

Well, its genetic, and I had hoped that we would escape it with Lauren, but alas - she has them too. Actually even more so than Madelyn. Can I catch a break?

I questioned for a long time if this was somehow my fault, or something that I was doing wrong, but the doctors always assured me that it was, in fact, genetic. So again, with my questioning yesterday came the answer - it is genetic. I guess I just want reassured.

So, since Maddie was born we have seen a host of different physicians, all within the same practice, all who give us different things to do about it. The first doctor said it would correct itself, the second doctor - who is kind of old school, told us to let her soak every night in a warm bath and try to manually seperate it. Ok, we did - and and it closed back up.

The next doctor told us to use Premarin cream on it, and that the hormones would open it, but that we needed to be careful with how much we use because she could grow little boobs! Uh, right - her dad would never go for that one! I would put it on her, and I was always using so little out of fear her starting to bloom early, if you know what I mean? So, I don't think it did anything.

The next doctor told us we didn't have to use that, it would open on its own and that we were worrying needlessly.

Finally, last visit, the doctor told us to continue to use the Premarin. That it could cause infection.

Can you see why I am freaking out now that my second daughter also has it? To add insult to injury the doctor says that Lauren's are actually worse than Madelyn's.

During yesterday's appointment, I saw the new doctor in the practice. She is young and vibrant. I liked her immediately, and I began with my normal barrage of questions about why this is happening to them, and if there is something that I am doing to cause this. Again - it's genetic !

So, she said that I can just leave it alone! She said that since the girls' are not producing estrogen this early in life, because they have no need for it, they will just continue to close. This should correct itself, and that I don't need to worry about it at all. ((deep sigh of relief))

Ultimately it comes down to this... I hate putting creams on my daughters that might make them develop early. I know this drives my husband bananas... he hates talking about it, thinking about it or anything about it. As far as he is concerned, his is NEVER putting the cream on them and is probably hoping that they will stay closed until they are married !

So, my answer - I am going to stop agreeing to see whatever doctor is available when I need my appointment, and see ONE DOCTOR! I want ONE ANSWER, and them to stick to it!

Whew! Ok - glad that is out!

Karla's Divine Digital Sale

Karla's Kaleidoscope Designs is having a huge sale - 50% off or more on all products in her boutique over - at DIVINE DIGITAL ! You must come over and check it out!

Here is the promo:

Karla also has some freebies over on her blog! I made some brag book pages for Valentine's Day as a promo for her ! So go snag em ! Be sure to scroll down so you get all four of them !!

Sweet Dreams layout

I don't mind paying for my kits! Ask my pocketbook!

But, oh, do I love freebies! I get freebies notifications from many places, and I love it when something totally unique comes along. I get really bored of the same commercial templates being used, just recolored. So when I see something new, I get really excited.


I downloaded the moon and stars in the following layout today. They are by Barb Derkson and available on her blog ! How amazing are they. I honestly couldn't wait to use them! Then by a stroke of good luck, I happened upon the most perfect alpha to use with this layout, Silver Alpha by Flergs! Honestly, this is my favorite layout I have made in a while, and its so simple!


Thanks for the freebies you guys!

Happy Valentine's Day !

Happy Valentine's Day to the readers of my blog :) I hope you had a marvelous day.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
Here is a picture of Madelyn enjoying her Valentine's Day cookie from Eat n Park!

And one of Lauren, although she can't enjoy the cookie she received, she was all bundled up to go to Eat n Park! But doesn't she look adorable in her Future Steeler's Cheerleader hat!

Today's layout

Today I made a layout using Amy Leigh Fennell's A Riot of Color! Its an old picture of Maddie Jo from the summer of 2006. We were at our annual trip to Kennywood for Alcoa's picnic. This was her first time at the Fish Pond, which is a huge tradition for us! All the kids get to go to the fish pond just before we leave, and this was her first time!

Lauren's new trick

You have to watch the video the entire way through or you will miss it!

The Lion King

Wow, how amazing is this show, you ask?

It was absolutely incredible. This was my first time seeing this show, and you know I love a musical but this knocked my socks off.

Ok, is it me? I get so overly emotionally at shows. I teared up several times during this one. Of course at the appropriate parts, like when Mufasa died, but also at inappropriate times like the opening number. It was so electrifying and it just swept me up in the momentum!

I thought perhaps it was that I really miss being onstage. Although that is hard to admit. I know I am not my former, young, entertaining self, and probably would fall on my face either metaphorically or literally! But a few times during the show I found myself thinking back to times when it was either Becky or myself perfoming in one show or another.

But alas, I must simply get to the theater more often. Hairspray is coming - I am desperate to see it!

One sided friendships

I just want to put this down in writing - I am through with one sided friendships. I am not sure what it is in my personality that makes me this way, but I feel obliged to nurture a relationship. I value my friends, and the memories that go along with them. So, why is it that it seems so often I am the only one doing this?

Just for the record, I am not going to nurture and value a friendshiop on my own. I am so tired of placing my trust and value in a friendship when the other person doesn't. If we are acquaintances, thats fine too. But then say that, don't 'neeeeed me' when you need me and then disappear when you don't.

I want to say here that I am not the type of friend that needs to talk to you daily, weekly or even monthly. My closest friends know that. I like to catch up with my friends when they have time. Just like me, they have jobs and families and are very busy at times. But I want to know what is going on with you, not just continually call, email and text you to get no response whatsoever. On a side note, I realize that people go through times that they are super-ridiculously busy, or have something new in their lives and need time. I am not talking about that either, I understand that. I do that too!

So, if I call and leave you a message, at least text me back and say that you got it, and that you'll call me when you get a minute. Send me a card at Christmas!

Let me just put it this way; I am no longer going out of my way for people who wouldn't go out of their way for me. I am not calling if you don't return phone calls. I am not going to nurture our friendship for the sake of the friendship. I have enough friends that I don't need to do that.

I had a friend, who I thought was one of my best friends, ost because I didn't continue to track her butt down, call her, email her, text her every few months. Sadly, when I stopped, so did our friendship. She has seen Madelyn once, and probably doesn't even know I have Lauren. It disgusts me because she continued a sharade of a 'best friend' for so long, that I feel a loss. Unfortunately, I don't think she does.

So, at this point, I have to value my pride and my time more than the friendships. If these people truly cared about me, they would be in my life.

Nuff said about that!

Snow Day !

So, we all get a snow day today!!!

WHOOOO HOOOOOOO!

Ok, I love snow days. No matter how old I get, I still get excited to wake up, turn on the news and watch for cancellations and delays. Now, today is different because I actually have somewhere fun and exciting to go !

THE LION KING IS TONITE!

Of course, the snow would come today! The only day I have plans; the plans I have been waiting for three months now. The snow comes today. I should have guessed this would happen. You all know my luck, right?

So anyway - thats my scoop for today.

We took MJ out to play in the snow, because who knows when we will see anymore. Don't tell me there is no such thing as global warming - we had a 65º day in the past ten days ! IT'S FREAKIN FEBRUARY! Then today we get snow - of course.

And when I was young there was a good chance we would get a blizzard on Halloween - this is our first REAL snow fall this year. We have had mild winters here for too long for it to be coincidence! Sorry, but I am with Al Gore on this one !!! Of course, when I was younger they would have never cancelled school for a day like today - we would have been out at the dang bus-stop shivering our tookus'es off waiting as slush was sprayed onto us by passing cars, I am just sayin!

I will post some pics of MJ playing in the snow in a bit!

Too much...

Too much has gone on to write about now. It has been a rough few days, and I just want to put it behind me. I will get personall tomorrow, and I will have a cute video of Lauren to show you too! I will leave you with the two layouts I made this week.

The first one was created using Beckie Wallace's brand new LOVE LETTERS kit. It has some really unique papers and elements in it. I love that :)

This next one I made tonite with Amy Leigh Fennell's new A RIOT OF COLOR kit. This is actually the second layout I made with the kit, because I lost the first one due to a power outage. It sucks living on a hill when its windy yo! My fault for not saving early, and often. I know better!!

Both kits are available exclusively at GDS!

New layout --- and an update

So I found out within the past few days that my cousin Deana is pregnant - I am so stinking excited I could pee my pants! I can't wait to find out all the scoop tomorrow. We are going to see her at her restaurant for dinner - the whole gang. With all the family disruption / parting of ways / basically written people off / dead to me stuff, we aren't taking the ones we have left for granted. We are all going to celebrate for Deana - and I just can't wait!

I made a layout tonite with Beckie Wallace's new Fairywings - which are beautiful. I just am not a master extractor yet - I am getting better, but I am still not great. Therefore, I am not sure if I really like how this turned out. I don't hate it, but I wish it were different. To be honest, I don't even know what I would change about it ! I guess I just wish I were better at extracting, but I will improve with time and practice!

Maddie is slowly getting better, she definitely is still on the mend - but is improving everyday. Thanks to all for your well wishes for her :)

Spoke too soon...

Well, I guess I jumped the gun on the 'all on the mend' call from yesterday! Mike had to work daylight today, so I woke up to Maddie's usually knock, knock on her door to let me know she is up. I sat up and hollered for her to come on in and climb in bed with me (we snuggle while I wake up). . . . Nothing! I holler again, trying not to awaken the other bug. . . . Nothing!

So, I get up and go to her door, I turn the knob, open the door, and it hits her. She is laying on the floor. I said, "what's wrong baby?" and she said, "I need a drink of water".

I get her a drink and she climbs in my bed, and is just about asleep when the little bug wakes up (figures, right?). So, we all get up and come into the living room. She climbs on the couch and asks for a pillow and blanket and her cow!?! I felt her head, and she seemed ok, just very tired and lethargic. I asked her if she wanted waffles and she said sure... so I thought that she must just still be tired.

We have breakfast, and the morning progresses and she still doesn't wake up, doesn't want to play, just wants to lay on the couch and watch the super sleuths.

I had some laundry to fold, so I went into our bedroom and I turn around and she is laying on the floor outside my door! I asked her repeatedly if she felt ok, and her response continued to be, "Can I hold you, mommy?" - well, of course she could :( She had no fever, thank goodness.

She took a nap about 1pm and woke about 4pm - and she seemed to have a little hop in her step then. So maybe she was just tired, who knows.

We are still having the poop issues - I have to call the doc tomorrow. This seems to be dragging on a little long for my liking. I know she has an appointment coming up, but I can't watch her struggle the way she does. Plus its only putting a stigma for her on pooping on the potty... which I can't have - she is so close to being potty trained. I don't want her to regress because of this.

So, anywho the Giants won the Superbowl - whoo hooo! Well, I guess if it couldn't be the Steelers, the Giants will do. Plaxico got the game winning TD - hmmm. Not sure how I feel about that. He did shed a few tears during the post-game. So as a chick, I gotta appreciate the fact that he was sentimental about it and didn't mind showing it. We'll just say he earned a couple points back in my tally book - but he has some serious deficits to overcome before he can get back in my good graces.

Either way, I definitely didn't want to see Tom Brady up there getting that trophy AGAIN! I just don't like him. I don't know why... I just don't. Not to mention that I think the NFL swept the entire 'cheating' incident under the rug, why? Thats what I want to know... I hope Congress does decide to do some investigation as to why the NFL decided destroying evidence would be ok in this case. That doesn't even begin to touch on my feelings about this - why was the NFL so quick to be like 'its over.... we penalized the guilty - now move on' - uh, not really. And for them to say that the Pat's had no real advantage - well thats bullshit too! If there was no real advantage, they wouldn't have been penalized at all. They just didn't want any additional negative publicity for the NFL, especially after the barrage of bad press players and teams have been getting lately (i.e. the bagillion pending lawsuits and criminal charges against NFL players). I think the entire Cincinnati Bengals team is on parole, probation, doing community service or awaiting trials for one thing or another. Ah, but I digress....

If it couldn't be the Steelers... I am ok with the Giants.

By the way - the Steelers were voted, by the fans, the best decade dynasty for the 1970's team led by Terry Bradshaw... so put that in your pipe and smoke it :)

Here is a layout I did tonite using Karla's Kaleidoscope Designs' Heartfelts. There are 20 hearts in the kit, and they are so realistic. Really fun to use :) I love this layout. I was able to make my own alpha using a paper from Karla's Cupids Crush kit - then I used a painted wood action from atomic cupcake on it.

On the mend.....

Well, my house is on the mend! Thank heavens. Last night MJ had one last sick hurrah before bed... all the way from the recliner in the living room to the bathroom. Poor kid. So, I spent the day on a MAJOR disinfecting mission in the house. I love it when my house is clean - it is such a feeling of accomplishment!

So, nothing else going on! I was able to get a layout done during naptime today - thought I would share.

Credits: Amy Leigh Fennell's Metro Springtime available at GDS.

When terrible gets worse ... it looks like this.

Again, TMI Warning:

Well, I was supposed to go in to work today as the librarian, but that didn't happen. At about 2:30am, MJ woke me and climbed in my bed. She seemed ok, but I quickly heard her stomach make an unusual noise, then she started crying and said, "Mama, I have the hiccups" - I sat straight up, but it was already too late. She got sick in our bed, I rushed her into the bathroom and she was sick again. This went on ALL NIGHT. She was a mess. This was the first time as a 'little girl' that she was sick. She doesn't remember the last time she threw up because she was a baby.

So, we got about forty minutes sleep here and there because about every twenty minutes she would heave again. I felt so bad for her, she was so upset because we had to change her clothes three times and she would just cry, "I got it on my foot" or "Its on my shirt again!" She was horrified at the messes she was making even though I keep reassuring her that it was ok, and that I would take care of it.

So, this morning we had an ice storm and the school issued a two hour delay - I knew at that point that as the LIBRARIAN, it was truly no big deal that I wasn' t there for four periods of school. I called in and said that I couldn't come in because my daughter was very ill.

They were cool about it, but I still hate to leave them hanging. Unfortunately, they get the short end of the stick there.

As the day progressed, MJ refused to eat anything... her fever started to spike. We took a short nap together and my MIL kept Lauren. When she woke her fever was 103.2. I was able to get it down with some medicine drops, and she ate a bit. She seems to be perking up now, but what a mentally exhausting day.

I have been really blessed that neither of my kids have gotten really ill. Maddie has only had one emergency visit to the doctor, and one ear infection that they caught at a well-baby visit. KNOCK ON WOOD. So we really aren't used to 'sickness' in the house. I feel a little guilty because I can't help but think I brought this home last week from the Kindergarten (see previous post about Kindergarten and the little girl who got sick everywhere) and it was just laying dormant until MJ picked it up.

So, I have a layout that I did a few days ago, but was waiting for Amy Leigh's new kits to go into the store to post. Here is it.......

Credits: Amy Leigh Fennell's Metro Springtime kit available at GDS.