On the boat .....

Beyonce who???

Apparently my little girl is quite the boogie machine :)
Beyonce ain't got nothing on her ;)

Stole this --- but I don't care - It's cute!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (at the lake)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person.
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted (does those silly ones they do at Disney count?)
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

PROJECT 395

I decided, by having someone twist my arm -- to do Project 365 this year. Here is the link to that blog - 2009 In Photographs.

Christie is doing one, and so since I am a mega-follower - I decided to roll that way too :) Thanks C :)

http://2009inphotographs.blogspot.com

Hopefully I will keep up with it... I would love some comments and cheering. This will be hard for me... I rarely keep up with this sort of thing, but I really want to be able to look back on it at the end of the year :)

Holy Moly - it's been awhile

Sorry for the scatterbrained me! No posting in a very long time is a no-no --- I am not going to bore you with excuses, only will say that it has been a whirlwind of a few months!

Beginning after Christmas break my stay as Kindergarten teacher will end. The permanent teacher is returning, and so that means I am back on the day-to-day sub list. That is fine with me actually. I really miss the kids, and I miss the flexibility I have with day-to-day. I know that my internal 'teacher' will be disappointed in NOT having the permanent job anymore, not have MY kids anymore, but the 'mommy' in me is so happy to have my time with my girls back.

I also have SO missed some TIME WITH MY HUSBAND! With Mike working 2-10 most days, me working 8-4 isn't jiving! We see each other for about an hour a day and that's when I stay up at night to see him.

I have been spending some 'healing' time with my family who was devastated this month with the passing of my aunt. I need to cling to my family right now - we all need it.

Here is the Christmas card I will be sending out in the next few days --- YES, Last minute as usual!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday. I will be back to post some scrap book pages for you :)
Have a wonderful Christmas !!

Some pages and an update

I don't have a ton to update you on. My life is very hectic, full of so many things and overall just exhausting right now. I think alot of people schluf Kindergarten teachers off as if that is the easiest job to have. Well, if you are one of those people, I have news for you! Teaching Kindergarten has to be the most tiring, complicated, underrated, busy and yet rewarding job you could possibly have. It definitely is not something you can walk away from at 3:30pm on the nose every day. I come home alot of the time with funny stories that people can't believe, but I always come home with sad stories too. It is a whirlwind: I love some my co-workers, I love most of my kids, I admire some of my colleaugues (notice I don't call ALL of them colleaugues) -- there are just so many things that are holding us back educationally as a staff, as a city, as a country --- the beaurocracy of it, the 'too many chiefs, not enough indians', the 'it's not my job' -- it is hard to deal with.

I am still teaching computers at night on Mondays--- which makes for a very long day and sometimes I don't really get to see the girls in the middle because of naps. That is so difficult.

Lauren is growing up so quickly, I can't believe it. She is so funny and full of her own personality now! She says some words very clearly, especially 'thank you' and 'pap pap', 'achoo' and 'wwweeee'. She also loves to blow kisses and give really sloppy open mouth kisses :)

Madelyn is in nursery school and is quite the social butterfly -- now there's a shocker! She comes home with these awesome songs, crafts (all which I steal and do with my Kindergarten!) and she loves going there! She goes three half days a week !

Other than that-- we have been hanging with family and friends and enjoying our time off tremendously!

Here are some scrap pages I have done in the past few weeks.

First, I am an October guest for Franziska over at Sunshine Studio (hello... hell yea I am lucky). These are the first two layouts I created with her fabulous kit called Free Spirit! And you don't believe these two layouts came from the same kit --- believe it !

Next, I have been attending Duchess Designs' speed scrap every Saturday night (because I am a loser, but love speed scrappin) - and here are the layouts I have made so far!

So, it's official --- everyone I know is addicting to the speed scrap. It's a ton of fun, if you have never done it before, you should totally try it! Can be a little stressful at first, but once you realize no one is trying to trick you -- and they are flexible, it can be a complete blast!

Christie and I hosted one at Digital Candy this past Sunday and gave away a fabulous freebie mini to everyone who participated! Here is the layout I did for that using my own colaborative kit with Christie Lemmon called In Dreams.

Check this out

Created using Wordle ---

News from the land of chaos

I say chaos, because that is how I feel my life is right now. I guess I will just go down the list and update you.

I have been asked to teach Kindergarten at a school I had never been to before. I accepted the position, and we aren't sure if the current teacher will be returning mid-year or if she will be out the full year. This leaves me with so many doubts. How much time, effort, energy, money etc., should I pour into this classroom knowing that I may only be there for a short time. Well, after mulling it over a few days, I decided that I am putting my all into it. At the worst, they will tell me at the end of September that she is coming back. Then I will pack up my belongings, and motor on. But until then, I am proceeding as though this is my classroom. I have already moved the furniture around, decorated and started to meet with the kids and parents. So for right now, it's my room. If she returns, I will have at least given these kids my all for the time I was there, and that is what they need (especially after having met some of them).

So, I am very excited... school officially starts for Kindergarten on Thursday! I have meetings with parents until then.

Madelyn will be starting pre-school this year. We really pondered whether or not she was ready, but we are going for it. She needs to be with kids her own age more, and that was the driving force behind the final decision. It is only three half days a week, but I know she will love it and is already very excited about it!

Lauren decided to get sick my first week of working at the school. She has been running a fever for two days now, and although I am glad it happened on the weekend, it has really worn me out. She is very clingy and just wants to lay on you all day and all night. Poor baby. You can see it in her face, she just doesn't feel good :( There is no feeling like the helplessness you feel when your baby is sick. I remember it all too well from Madelyn. Luckily, my kids don't get sick too often.

I am blessed that way, and hoping it stays that way.

We were supposed to go to a concert last night and didn't make it because I just couldn't bear to leave her. I told Mike to take the tickets and go, but he didn't want to go without me... so here we both sat with our sick baby and poor MJ watching Peter Pan! It sucks because now that Mike's schedule has adjusted and he is off Fridays and Saturdays, he is finally able to do stuff! Concerts, weddings, parties, cookouts.... fairs, carnivals, get togethers with our friends! They all happen on the weekends, and we weren't able to go for so long! This was the first time in a LONG time Mike and I were going to a concert together, and it just wasn't meant to be. We got Wendy's and Dairy Queen instead :)

I am designing two new kits right now, and I am very excited about them. Still have news about my designs up my sleeve that will be let out soon, but I need to keep it under wraps for a little while longer. Hoping to do some scrapping of my own tonite, to kind of wind down from the sickness.

Madelyn's playground is finally finished! We have a deck to build still, but that is the last of it. Here is a picture of how it turned out. Lots of blood and sweat went into the preparation of this baby... but soooo worth it. She loves it !!! Today we erected her PIRATE GIRL flag! You can see it in the second picture!

So, that's the news from the land of chaos.... trying to hold it all together until everything winds down. It will... it always does!

Closing my Divine Shop and some layouts

Well, I have decided to close up my Divine shop, and I have put my resignation in over there. I just don't frequent the site as often as I should, and I know that I need to do that to make my shop as successful as I want it to be.

I have something new up my sleeve but I can't really talk about it yet.

So, for now I am going through my kits one-by-one and revamping then , adding elements and papers, or retiring them. It is hard to go through your older work because you see things as your tastes change that you don't like anymore, or as you learn new techniques, the old ones don't look as good as they once did.

So, keep your eyes pealed for some new and improved stuff from me :) I will be releasing some blog freebies soon too over on the Steel City Scraps blog. I will miss being at Divine for the Ingredients Challenge (which I may still do on my design blog) -- and being with the wonderful friends I have over there.

I have a new Creative Team that is kicking bootie -- some girls have stuck with me from the jump and I ADORE THEM both for their layouts, but moreso for their friendship and support. I also have some new girls who are busting out some incredible layouts - and I would love for you to drop over the CT blog and leave them some love! You can check it out here: CITY GIRLS BLOG.

But, ah, what the future holds...............

On that note: you guys know I am on a few CT's now -- and loving it because it forces me to allot some scrap time in my life --- which I so desperately need!!

So here are some of my latest layouts ---

I created this self-portrait for a Duchess Designs blog challenge last week - I used her Girlfriends: Kathryne kit for this one. Take a good look because you won't see me scrapping a picture of myself for awhile.

SELF-PORTRAIT

The next one was also for the Duchess -- her latest Girlfriends: Peyton -- I love these peach colors!

SUGAR AND SPICE

I did these next two for Danielle Corbitt's featured kit of the week Just a Lil Flirt - this is huge! and it is such a very cute kit! I could have made more layouts with it -- and probably will.

TREAT THAT'S SWEET

For this one I also used her Wrapped in Floral Frames -- really cute !

DADDY AND LAUREN

Lastly, I did two more for Danielle Corbitt using her Backyard Blast kit. This one has a ton of summery elements!

LAZY DAYS OF SUMMER

PUPPET SHOW

Thanks for looking :) Feel free to drop over to my Digital Candy gallery and leave me some lovin :)

The Wiggles Live

Well, I haven't posted here in a while and I have to apologize. I know I need to make time to put my ridiculous ramblings back on here even if only a few people read them. I still think I am funny, and I love looking back at all the old posts.

So, for my first post back I will tell you about our trip last week to the Wiggles Live. I get pre-sale tickets for all the kids shows in Pittsburgh, so we had 10th row seats for this puppy! It was great, but I should tell you...... I love the stinkin Wiggles. I sing their songs, I do the dances.... if you know me in real life you know that its not a stretch to say that I am a ham. I don't embarrass easily (that comes from falling constantly --- you just get over the embarrassment when people laugh at you and learn to embrace it as a good thing).

So, back to the Wiggles Live.... we didn't take Lauren because we were fearful that one of us would end up standing outside. These shows can be a little intimidating for kids --- the people in costumes are huge and its dark and loud ! So, we decided to leave her with her Auntie Dawn for the show!

MJ loved it, she did all the dances and sang all the songs she knew!
But the best part of the show --- and any Mom who has kids who watch this show will tell you --- is ANTHONY -- purrrrrrrrrrrrr. This man is a goof, but HELLO~ he is a hottie ! Now, I don't know if he is really hot or I have been forced to watch this show so much that I have just found the least hideous of the crew to drool over. But over time, I have built Anthony up to be quite the hottie in my mind --- so whichever it is, works for me !

Overall, a very entertaining show.... they throw in alot of humor for the adults which I love! Like things you know weren't supposed to happen but they did just to mess with each other.

I don't know if MJ will be too old for the Wiggles next time they come or not, but I know I will get to see that Anthony Wiggle at least one more time with Lauren --- WHOO HOOO for me :)

Christie Lemmon Designs at Digital Candy

Christie has a had a dream for awhile now, and that was to get into the shop at Digital Candy. Well that dream came true this week !! I am so happy to tell you that Christie's shop is now open for bisnass! You can check it out here.

Over at Digital Candy they have some amazing challenges, friendly people and it is just an all around warm and welcoming site. It isn't overwhelmingly large, but still a nice crew! NEVER BORING!

Thought I would share some layouts with you I did for both Digital Candy challenges or for my creative teams over there.

First, THE SPEED SCRAP hosted by JenLin!! HELLO! I loved this challenge. You get one hour to scrap your page, instructions are given every few minutes and you have to follow them to finish your layout. It was incredible, and I wish there was another one this week. I am really, really looking forward to the next one. I used Christie's SIMPLY ADORABLE kit for this layout - except the stitiching which came from her Cherry Lemonade kit.

MADELYN'S BOO BOO

Next, I did two layouts with Christie's new kit called Mud Puddles. This is a sneak peek because it isn't even in the store yet! It will be released tomorrow, and I am here to tell you -- even though it's boy colors -- you can definitely go in alot of different directions with this kit. Very versatile, and I loved working with it.

LIL DIVA

BUDDIES

Thanks for looking :) Head over to Christie's new design blog and leave her some love!

Crazy busy ...

I am not complaining at all --- we have just been so busy this summer. We have had a ton of fun in the meantime, and so it was all worth it. I am not making excuses for my posts being, well, non-personal --- but I will try to do better from now.

So, if you remember correctly, last summer I was basically pregnant and miserable for the first two/thirds of the summer. I pretty much prayed the entire summer away so that I would be done being pregnant. For those who don't know --- it's hard being pregnant in the summer with a two year old wanting to do everything!!! Then, when I had Lauren I was a recluse just loving on her and getting used to being a mommy of two.

By the time I woke up from that daze, summer was over and we had done basically nothing. I was so angry all winter that I felt like I was jipped out of summer --- I whined alot about it truly!

So, this summer it was ON!

Not intentionally, but alot of things came up this summer. My good friend got married in Hilton Head.... and so we went down for that. Long drive, but an amazing time with my amazing friends. We had so much fun. We learned Madelyn was a fish in a former life, and has NO fear of water!

Then, we took our trek to our normal summertime hang - Geneva on the Lake. I was there for a few weeks, and got to meet up with Heather a few times. It was so nice to spend time with another mommy with a baby Lauren's age. Rhiannon was so sweet to MJ and I just had a ball with them!

My in laws were then gracious enough to invite us to go to Myrtle Beach with them, and we gladly took them up on it. We had an amazing condo overlooking the beautiful waters, and we had an incredible time. Very relaxing, and laid back --- just like we like it!

Then I went back to the lake for a few days --- it wasn't long enough, but it was nice to have the closure of going back to pack up the cottage. I miss the cottage so much in the winter, if it had a furnace I would probably go there and just sit --- because there is nothing to do there in the winter at all! I would still love it. I just like being there!

We are getting ready to close the summer out by heading up to Erie to spend some time with some buds who have babes the same age as MJ. We have known each other (most) since they were born and so we try to travel each year to visit. We are from all over the states and Canada, so its not possible for everyone to make it every year, but we sure try. I didn't get to go last year because Lauren was only a few days old when they left to meet up in Niagara Falls. This year it is in my homestate -- so you couldn't keep me away. Even though I will only be there for a day or two, it will still be nice to catch up with my buds and see all the kids together. I love that part!

Then, it will be getting ready for the school year to start!

So, here are some kid recaps :

Lauren is walking, wobbly but walking --- she says daddy and only daddy. She loves her mama but just WILL NOT say it! She is such a delight, has a wonderful personality and is really cute with her big ol' gap between her two front teeth! I later I will be cursing it, but for now it is just adorable !!!

Madelyn is FINALLY potty trained --- PRAISE JESUS!!! She is just as bubbly, social and talkative as ever. She never stops from the time she wakes until she is sleeping in her bed... talking, talking, talking. She loves everyone --- and just wants to be everyone's best friend! So funny!

Mike has finally moved to a schedule that allows him off Friday and Saturday each week --- so we finally HAVE A LIFE! We can go to weddings, go out and have a drink on a Friday night--- we couldn't be more excited about this! We can go catch a movie and get a sitter (not a school night). Wow, I better make a list of things we are going to do !

As for me, I am getting ready to sub again in the Fall. Hopeful that something long term will come my way early on, and I can complete a school year in one classroom. I am still teaching computers at the community college -- and I really love that. Also, I am supposed to go back to coaching the dance team this fall. My sister and I coached together for two years until I started having kids. Then she did it by herself. Now that she has moved to Texas, they needed a coach and asked me. Well, I am not sure ASKED is the right word to use. I am not sure how I feel about that yet. I guess it depends on how that falls in with everything else I have going on--- it will either be awesome or a pain. Not sure about that yet.

So I will post some pics from Erie after the weekend is over. Sorry for the catch up post. I hate that I had to do that... but I also don't want a blog just of pictures and no stories!

Here are some layouts I did yesterday for The Duchess using her new Girlfriends: Makenzie mini kit! I love these mini's --- they are very inexpensive and have enough inside for a few adorable layouts!!!

Some news..........

No, no, no.... I am not pregnant!

I have been invited to be a CT member for Duchess Designs, and an August guest for Danielle

Corbitt!!! How exciting!

I am working on some layouts today for both of them :)

It occured to me that I haven't posted many layouts lately, and I so here are a few!
Birthday pictures later, I promise!!!

(Credits) Sadie's Garden by Beckie Wallace

(Credits) - Amy Sumrall's Over the Grungy Rainbow Kit

(Credits) - Corina Neilsen - Live Out Loud

(Credits) Danielle Corbitt's Starz Kit

(Credits) - Brownie Scraps' Sun Kissed

Funky Playground rocks!

So, Beckie is participating in a fabulous program over at Funky Playground called 'Teacher's Pet'! It's kind of like a designer bootcamp but the great part is that all the assignments they create are FREE!

To get the free kits, you have to subscribe to the Funky Playground newsletter (which you should anyway)... but subscribing will get you the code to unlock the freebies! There will be over 100 free mini's available throughout!

You can CLICK HERE to subscribe to the Funky Playground Newsletter!

Then you should go to the FuNkY pLaYgRoUnD GaLLeRy's TEACHER'S PET section and download to your little hearts content!!

This is Beckie's Free kit that is up there now! I love the frame and the bracket mat~ but then again I am in love with brackets right now!! Grab Beckie's kit here.

Here is a layout I did with it --- HARD AT WORK!

Beckie is going in to have her new baby girl tomorrow morning super early so if everyone could just send their thoughts and prayers for an easy surgery and recovery for Beckie and super healthy baby vibes for the little one, I would appreciate it. BIG HUGS BECKIE!!! Can't wait to see the pictures of your sweet pea :)

IF YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED I AM HOSTING ANOTHER CT CALL FOR STEEL CITY SCRAPS --- YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT HERE!

A New Shop for Beckie Wallace !!

Well, I was saddened about two weeks ago to find out that Beckie was closing up shop for awhile so that she could prepare for the birth of her third daughter. How quickly things change to brighten my day!

SHE HAS A NEW SHOP!!!

BECKIE IS A SUNSHINE GIRL!!!

I couldn't be happier. I have long been a fan of Sunshine Studio, so this is just a new reason to hang out at one of my favorite spots! Now, I would follow Beckie to just about anywhere--- but I am really glad its Sunshine Studio.

To celebrate--- there is a GRAND OPENING SALE!!Be sure to check it out! And don't forget to snag all the freebies on her blog too!

LIVE from MYRTLE BEACH---- it's us!

Hey there, hi there, ho there---- thought I would upload some pics from our Myrtle Beach VAY KAY!!! Enjoy!

Kyle giving MJ a Skim board lesson--- she didn't do too bad!

Ripley's Aquarium! Look out!

Lauren and MJ enjoying the fishies :)

Lauren watching MJ on the Merry-go-Round!

MJ went CRAZY for these little cars, and begged to ride them twice :)

So much.......

I have so much to blog about... but no time at all.

This summer has been just an incredible whirl-wind so far---- a good one, but busy to say the least. I am not complaining, because I have had so much fun, got to hang with my closest buds on the beaches of Hilton Head, finally got to meet Heather at the lake, hung out with my mom, sis and Aunt Candy (or the Candy Girl as MJ calls her), and now on my way to Myrtle Beach!!!

WOW!

I have pictures upon pictures to post-- but for now I have to go pack and clean the house so I don't come home to craziness!

Packing and such

So, I have spent the last week of my life doing laundry, doing laundry and ummmmm did I mention the LAUNDRY. One thing I may have told you before is........... I HATE LAUNDRY.

Ok, I don't hate the actual laundry or the clothes (in fact if they were a few sizes smaller--- I would be in love with clothes). What I actually loathe is the PUTTING AWAY. Maybe its because we definitely do not have enough space to put all our stuff, what can I say - I am a shopper!

But alas, it must be done because we leave in two days for a HILTON HEAD mini vacation. My good friend Chrissy is getting married, and I am so excited to be going down to witness the long awaited event! All my college buds will be there with the families so it should be a hoot!

We leave Thursday morning, and we will come home on Tuesday. Then, I have my last two tutoring sessions, then I will be heading to the lake! My home away from home--- my comfort zone, my true relaxation spot --- where my extended family will be! I can't wait to see Candy!
Beaching here we come!

Then we come back to go to Myrtle Beach with my in laws for a week in mid July --- then I HOPE HOPE HOPE my mom is still at the lake so that I can go back for a second round of rest and relaxation! But we shall see!

In the midst of all this my sister is moving to Texas - BOOO HISSSSSS!

Maddie misses her Jo Jo

My aunt was in from Indiana for part of the week. Sadly it was to mourn a close member of her family that passed away (quite suddenly) -- but we did get to spend some time with her yesterday. Maddie Jo LOOOOVES her Jo Jo (hence the middle name Jo!) - and asks for her constantly. She doesn't yet understand the 'distance' factor between here and Indiana!

But anyway -- it was a short but sweet visit with Jo Jo-- and MJ misses her already!

Gettin all proud and stuff

Ok, I took this picture the other morning. I woke during a lightning storm, and I just stood on my porch watching the sky light up in amazement. Then I thought, "I wonder if I can snap a picture of this!"

Sure enough --- this is what I caught. It only took me about twenty pictures to get it!

And, yes... I am quite proud!