Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!!

Creative at my scrap desk? Yes. I enjoy that. Creative in the kitchen? Not so much. But I tried.

Check out these candy mummy molds! They're pretzel molds, but I didn't have pretzel rods, so they're just candy.

Poor mister mummy here lost his head. Maybe he was laughing too hard. (Laughed his head off.) Or maybe someone didn't embalm him correctly.
Trick - r - treat!
Look at the little mummy army! Hee hee hee!

Have a great Halloween! I need to get half a million things done before the kids get home from school :)


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Switching things around again

This switch-a-roo began with the need for better lighting in my frontroom. My parents are over for a few days and I know they always come up with solutions for my problems. When I mentioned to my dad that the lighting my frontroom sucked, and could he please come up with a better design, it didn't take him long.

The above pictures show the corners of the family room. The table in the above picture and the floor lamp in the first picture came from the frontroom.

(Will I ever NOT have laundry baskets in my life? The answer is a resounding NO.)


Without going into a million details, the two corners shown here have been decluttered. The floor lamp was removed as was the bigger end table that is now downstairs. (See the soap opera on the tv? Trust me, I didn't have it on for long. I haven't been into watching it for years. I get back into the swing of the plot, and it's the same story, different characters. And there's always characters on that you're like "who is THAT teenager?" and then you find out it was a BABY last time you were into the show. Crazy. But I digress. . .)



Having the tables on either side of the sectional is what I needed, so I could have a lamp on either side. Side note: do not ever buy a sectional! What a pain in the ASS!! We tried to move the 'wedge' out of there, but the MONSTROSITY wouldn't fit down the stairs. So we shoved it as far back into the corner as we could, and moved the two end pieces as close as possible. You need a really big room for a piece of furniture like that. But I can't complain, becuase my in laws gave it to us. I didn't buy it. And, like I said, I never will buy anything that big.

Maybe if I used a flash you'd be able to see through the window and not a big white glare. I'll try later, in the evening maybe.

Ok, on to my day! Ta ta!

Another 'boots' card

Wouldn't it be nice if it snowed only through december? Just for effect. Oh well.

I've been up since 7am and I'm getting alot of 'chores' done. I'm feeling ready for lunch now, but it's only 11:10am. I'll have a healthy snack and get busy on a few more chores to pass another hour or so before I have lunch. I'm on a streak with eating good/right! I'm down another 3 pounds this week. I know some of that is probably water weight, but . . .it's still good to see the numbers go down. This year has been pretty bad as far as taking the weight off. I really wanted to do a better job. So far the total pounds down is only 8. I guess I'll just look at it as going in the right direction and keep on doing the right thing. The year isn't over yet. . .

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Card for the day


Getting a little ahead of myself, I know, but how cute are those boots!? Click on the image to get a better look at them. So cute! I had to have them becuase of my three kids. You'll be seeing alot of that image in days to come, I'll tell ya that.
I've been choosing wisely with food and it's paying off! I still haven't started walking consistantly. .. always something going on every day, and really--wednesdays are usually pretty busy. PLUS the kids were off of school today for parent/teacher conferances. I'm happy to report that my kids are doing well. :)
Ok, I'm beat. I need to get my kids into bed and collapse. See you tomorrow!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

It's getting chilly outside!

I know halloween is almost here, but I can't help thinking of Thanksgiving and BLACK FRIDAY on days like this! It's brisk (too brisk for even ME) and the smells of the holidays are all around our house (thanks to yankee candles :)

We've had a busy weekend, but it was fun. We went to the zoo on sunday and carved a pumpkin! Some pics are below.

This card is more on the simple side, but I love the image (from stamping bella --minty coffee) Click on the picture to see a closer shot, and you can see the sparkle I added!




I've been kind of on a slow boat as far as the shrinking goes. I'm not walking as much as I need to be, but I *am* making better choices, and I know that is helping me go in the right direction. I know that if I stepped it up a bit I'd be losing quicker, but there's only so much I can fit on my plate. (HA! No pun intended!)
Oh, and for those of you who were waiting for a report on Ken's visit to the dermotoligist, the spot on his temple is nothing to worry about. The dr. said to come back to him if it starts to turn black. Yeah, no duh.
Ok, I need to get to the post office and run some errands! I will be back TOMORROW for sure becuase I have another card to show you! :)

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

. . . . . . . . .. Please stand by





It's been over a week since I posted! We were very busy with yard work over the weekend, homework last night, and I've been tending to bills, cleaning, and a few stray problems. I also have been walking every other day, and I can feel my body changing, even if it's just the achiness in muscles from being used for the first time in a while. *SIGH*


I'm finishing up my work today and delivering the albums in Oakbrook tomorrow. (Wednesday) I have a bunch of ideas for some cards I want to make, and I'm ready to catch up on some of MY scrapbooks! I'll be sure to show them to you!!! In the mean time, here are some ADORABLE pics of my BEAUTIFUL nephew!

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Wait, did I say the porch was 'done'?

. . .I guess I should rephrase that. MOST of the work is done. Aside from needing screens in the spring (and doors--I forgot to mention doors), under the eves is being repainted as I type this. Ken found the (practicly new) gallon of paint the previous owners used to paint the inside ceiling of the porch. He's going over the greyish facia/eve (whatever you wanna call it) so it'll match the ceiling.


Here are the 'babies'! Turns out they're both boys. And, sorry fellas, they're going in to take the bullets out of the guns at the end of this month!

I suggested we change the names, or at least change Cupcake's name. Ken said don't bother, but I think I have the kids on my side.
Eric and abby (and 3 or 4 of their friends) love to climb this tree! How 'hallmark'!

Ok. I'm off to weed out the kids' summer clothes and clothes they've outgrown. Gotta get those rooms ready for painting. ;)

The porch is done!

What a great big huge job. As Ken and I were staining the many many creaves and nooks of our porch, he said to me "Painting the kids' rooms after this will be a piece of cake!" Unenthused, I replied, "Painting ANYTHING after this--for the rest of my life--will be a piece of cake!"

Here is the porch before we started. The greyish/blueish color is the color stain it was. (16 years old, fyi.)

Here it is after Ken stripped it. (He didn't strip the lattice, though. You can tell the differance in color.)

And here it is, newly stained in the color called "Cedar"! You can tell in the lower picture that Ken needs to stain the top of the eve. He needs to get a taller ladder.
Here is the inside, finished. (Except for the screens. We're going to buy new screens in the spring.)
Here is that same shot with the wood 'naked'.

It looks fresh, clean, even, . . .we are very happy!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Took a walk today, feelin' great!


I'd like to give a shout out to my newest friend, Denise! That talk we had on the porch of the house in Grand Rapids is still with me. I got out this morning and walked for 20 minutes, and it felt great. I cleared my mind, thought of 'nothingness' and just took in the sights I overlook everyday. I feel renewed! I feel fresh and content! And you know what else? I now WANT to do the best I can as far as eating today! Denise told me that she *had* to start walking for health reasons, and at first she HATED and DREADED it. Now it's second nature and if she misses her after dinner walk she feels 'off'. I will get to that point. It's my goal. xoxoxo

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Health issue?

The other night Ken told me he needs to see my dermatologist. There is a spot on his temple that appeared about three years ago. He was a bit concerned becuase it was new, and although light in color, irregular in shape. He went to our primary psycician at the time and was advised to watch for it to change shape, get bigger, and/or get darker. Now, three years later, Ken has noticed the spot is bigger, darker, and more irregular. He has an appointment on monday, the 27th.

Please keep Ken in your prayers that all will turn out fine. I'm not too worried, but we are, of course, concerned.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Halloween cards

I had a great time making these cards!

This one is my least favorite. I think I made the middle square too big. My thought, though, was that if I made it much smaller it would look too small for the card. Eh. Whatever. Paper is Close to my Heart; Enchantment, stamp is Stampin Up. Lavender Stickles.

The card on the right in this picture shows what the inside looks like. I made 5 of these cards. Paper from Close to my Heart, Enchantment, stamps also from Closet to my heart, Halloween Dingbats and Happy Haunting. Fiber from Sam's club.
How cute is THIS!? Love the image of the three ghosts! I got the stamp at a local scrapbook store. There is orange stickles around the stamped image (great impressions) and liquid glass on the bat to make him glossy. The paper is from the scrapbook store, and I don't remember the company name. :(

I used black rain dots on the card below,
Happy Haunting!

Samples of my work

I took pictures of Will's book without the page protectors on. They turned out a bit better, but I still can't get a good close up.

I think if you click on the picture you'll see a bigger shot.
I stamped the title here, and highlighted it with stickles. Lots of gems, too.
This page has a lot of glitter. The snowflakes have glitter and gems as well as the stickles and gems I put around the pictures.
I put red stickles all around these pictures as well as on the word "Family" that I die cut from a Quickutz alphabet set.

I know the lighting isn't the best. I did play around with it. I'll look online and see what I can find about taking pictures of layouts. I've seen some layouts that are perfectly photographed, and I'd like to know how they do it.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Fun activities

Here's Nicolas on his first birthday!

Jen, Dan, and (tired) Nicolas
Me, Ken and the kids went to an apple farm in Peoria this past saturday. I tried to get some great pictures of the kids, but Abby was the only one cooperating. This picture is pretty good of the three of them.
The kids LOVED picking apples! I'll be making apple cake, apple bread, applesauce, baked apples, caramel apples. . .
After apple picking we went to Uno pizzaria nearby and had a fantastic lunch. We all split a dessert; a warm deep dish chocolatechip cookie topped with ice cream! See the boys' faces? That was what I had to work with all day as far as taking pictures went. I've posted the best, here.

I've got alot more to come!

Sunday, October 5, 2008

So much goin' on!

Here's my cutie with his daddy!!

Hey everyone!! We went to Nicolas' birthday party last week, apple picking yesterday, and Ken and I are finishing staining the deck today! Plus I've done like 50 pages (of work) in my client's scrapbook album. I have ALOT of pics to show you, but they're all still in my camera. I need to get out to the deck so Ken and I can finish it today, but I'll upload pics either tonight or tomorrow to share with all of you--there's some great shots I can't wait to share!! Oh, and I've made some REALLY cute halloween cards--wait till you see them!! Don't give up on me. One day I'll get into a routine of uploading a few pics everyday!!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

My husbands' sacrafice

Becuase Ken works 80 miles north of us, he stays at his parents' townhouse tuesday night through friday morning. After work on friday he comes home. (And he comes home monday night to see us all and spend some time at the home he works so hard to support.) His parents aren't home all summer long, so he gets the place to himself, but they're back from their summer trip now. So Ken spends the evenings with his parents. Or does he??


LOL! Beth and John put a hot tub in their party place recently. Here's Ken 'roughing it' away from home!
Seriously, I'm very glad he has good times with his friends while he has to be away. :)
I've got some pics in my camera to upload for you guys, I just need to find the camera. . .I'll get to that later today FOR SURE!! :-D

Things that make me smile

Things that make me smile