Jennifer's Journey

Can it really happen?

2011-05-11T13:41:00.002-05:00

Can I really get back into blogging? My life is busier than it was a year ago, and here I am trying to add one more thing.

But I love blogging, and I miss it. I didn't even really get to get into a constant rhythm. last time I blogged.

Well, you know what that old proverb is: fall down 7 times, get up 8.

So here I am! Once again.

I am SOOOOO behind on planting flowers outside! It is going on the middle of May and my deck boxes are full of old dirt and dead twigs. How sad. I've been sick, though, to add another wrench into the works. I haven't been able to catch up on everyday stuff, let alone outside seasonal stuff. And I'm working on getting the house cleaned and laundry caught up. (Hey, some things never change!)

I am getting over a double ear infection, thrush, and a bad cough. Resting is my main priority right now because I have alot going on in the days to follow, so I need to be well.

I'll be back :) I have alot I want to share!

The ambitious hosta

2010-05-18T14:48:00.002-05:00

Look at this thing! I transplanted it last year from the back yard; split one big hosta into two or three pieces and this is just one of the offspring. I was cracking up when Ken gave it a voice!

"I'm a tree!"
"No, you're a hosta plant."
"But inside I feel like a tree!"

This mutant hosta is the only one that is trying to grow straight up rather than out!!

Here is one of my deck boxes on the back porch. The small, pitiful plant on the left is a wave petunia, just like the one on the right of the sweet potato vine. I do not know why the one on the right is doing so well and the one on the left is . . .not. They came from the same batch, are planted in the same dirt with the same amount of fertilizer, water and sun.

Amazing. It's just like kids. How can they be so different from each other when they come from the same place and live in the same circumstances?

Maybe the left plant feels left out. Or just wants more attention.

I hope warmer weather will help it to catch up.

AHH, look at the beautiful peonies! (I shook them out good before bringing them in. Ants, you know.) The are very fragrant. I may have to put them back outside. But they are so pretty to look at :)

I have a very busy afternoon, so I am off! I have a few birthday cards I need to get out, so I will post them up here before they head off!

Wrapping up another school year!

2010-05-16T15:35:00.002-05:00

This is the view of my family room from my scrap desk. See how CLEAN and EMPTY and QUIET it is? (You can SEE the quiet, can't you? I can.) Well. . .the days of *this* family room are numbered! The kids will be out of school and they'll be down here with me (when they're not outside) watching tv, playing on the computer, asking me for this, that and whatever else. . .and I will become annoyed. Ahhh, see the crocus? This little sprout of lovliness is smack dab in the walkway to the side of our drive. Amazingly enough they weren't stepped on this season. Crocuses don't bloom for long. They're just long green grass like greenery now.

I've been making card packs for teachers, mom group leaders and other much appreciated people. Here are just a couple.

There's Abby with some girlfriends. They are painting and decorating terra cotta pots in a Girl Scouts meeting.

Eric and Abby got their faces painted at Family Fun Night, held at the school. Abby is a dragon and Eric is a Tiger. Eric also won first place for being the fastest competitor to complete the obsticle course at Family Fun Night. He finished in 6 seconds flat! Other typical times were 15-26 seconds.

Ahhhh,yes. School is almost done. Only 6 more full school days left. As much as I LOVE the quiet and time to get things done while they're in school, I am just as much looking forward to a break from the morning and afterschool routine. No more homework, no more organizing school work, projects, making peanut butter and jelly every morning at 7am, driving to school in the fridgid weather or through a monsoon. Summer is a fantastic time for kids as well as parents!

I plan on having the kids read a few books each this summer as well as keep up on their times tables. (That's for ERic and Abby. Tom. . .well, he doesn't need help with school work. Speaking loud and clearly maybe, and brushing his hair so he doesn't look like a hoodlum, but that's about it.) I'll be reading a ton as well, although I'm caught up with the two series I'm reading. I got 5 or 6 books at a garage sale this past weekend for $0.50 each! That was a great find. I want to start writting a book as well. I've been thinking about it for a year or so, and after reading at least a book a month I'm really motivated to get started. I'd love to see a book of mine on the shelves at Border or Barnes and Nobel (hopefully not in the discount bin) but it's not getting there by just thinking about it, is it?

It's been a million years

2010-05-13T12:35:00.003-05:00

I'm sure no one is even reading this because it's been MONTHS since I posted anything here, and you've all given up on checking if I've added any updates. But just incase there's a few of you that still check now and then, I'm going to post today.

And tomorrow.

And on and on.

"Yeah, Jen, we've heard you say that before!"

I know, Iknow. But really, I have lots to post. And there's to many of you out there that I don't see often enough, and I want to share with you what's going on in my world. :)

There are over 148 pictures in my camera that I have to upload (or is it download?) to my computer. I'll share some of those pics once they're in the computer, but right now I"m running out of the house to go get a hair cut. Not short or anything, but there is NOOOO style left, it's just one big mop on my head. All I do with it anymore is pull it back ina claw. Where's the style in that? Ugh. So I'll return and load some pics for you! There's a lot of cards I've made that I'd like to share with you too, so hang on tight! Jen's back in action!!

Big Boy!

2010-02-15T20:39:00.002-06:00

My nephew will be getting this card in the mail this week! I made it for him because he's getting to be such a big boy and is learning to master the art of losing the diaper, if ya know what I mean ;) Way to go, Nicolas!

Monday morning before the storm hits

2010-02-08T10:41:00.003-06:00

Hello everyone! It's February 8th and we are suppoused to get 7-8" of snow starting this afternoon! I am going to work out, shower and get dressed, then run to the grocery store to stock up on some staples so we won't be out of (gasp) cereal and milk. (What would Eric eat if we were out of his basics?)

I just placed the Girl Scout cookie orders for our troop and need to run to the GS office with banking information. Also on my list of things to do is call Mary Kay so they can send me the form I need to get my money back from the product I decided I no long want, mail a few bills, attempt to catch up on laundry, stop at walmart to pick up pictures and perscriptions, and upload about 200 pictures to my computer.

Ugh.

So I need to get outta here---let me leave you with some of the latest cards I've created :) They are above, as I added the images AFTER I typed the text. Remember to click on the pictures to see a more detailed view of the cards. THere are so many cards I want to make and send out to people I love and miss!!!

I got a job ;)

2009-11-05T11:27:00.002-06:00

I'm excited to start a part time job at a store in the mall called CJ Banks! I've shopped there a few times, they have beautiful clothes! I can use the scheduled time out, the extra money (did you know minimum wage is up to $8/hr?) and the 50% discount is certainly a plus as well!! I know, I know; If I'm not careful my whole check will go back into the store. You're not the first one to tell me that. It's ok--I'm only going to allow myself one article each week! ;)

Being that it's retail (and I know how retail works because that's pretty much all I've done in the past) I put open availability on my application. And it's not that I mind working weekends, I don't--I just don't want to work EVERY weekend. There's plenty of times when we go up north that we're gone from friday to sunday evening. So I'm a little anxious about how that's gonna work, and I hope I'll get next week's schedule today.

Today I'm only there from 1-5 for orientation. There will be another girl there as well, her name is Tina. I have no idea what she's like, so I hope we click right away and get along without a problem!!

The kids are ok alone until Ken gets home, but my parents are going to bring them to their house. The kids can do their homework while my mom cooks her dinner and then Ken can stop by and get them on his way home.

After work I'm going to Lisa's for a MICHE purse party and then to watch the dvr'd "Vampire Diaries". Catch up with you after that!!

Have a fantastic fall day!

October 2009

2009-10-21T19:29:00.002-05:00

For the past few years I've taken the kids' pictures myself and have them printed at walmart. It's cheeper than the school picture packages, and I can print EXACTLY the sizes and amounts I need.

Tom didn't want to have his picture taken. Can you tell? This is the best shot I was able to get. He turns 12 this November. I can't believe it. I remember his birthday like it was. .. well, not yesterday, but certainly not 12 years ago.

Eric was much more compliant, although he had a raging case of strep in this picture, and we didn't know it yet. 10 and a half years he is.

Abby! She is so happy! I had quite a few shots to choose from for Abby's picture! She is 8.

Here's our house decorated for fall. It's hard to see much with the leaves and the shadows. You can click on the image to get a larger shot.

I took the following two pictures of laundry for my facebook page. A friend of mine 'teased' me to show everyone how bad I was claiming the laundry was. So I did it!

And my husband, Ken, just decided to start a facebook page for himself. He didn't want to put his picture on the internet, though, so this is his status picture. . . .

Is it just me???

2009-10-15T17:26:00.002-05:00

I'm tellin' ya, I thought I had a kind of easy, laid back life. . .but lately I've been so busy, I'm ready to pull my hair out! Wait, that's not really accurate. I'm so busy, I want to just chuck it all and curl up on the couch with a blankey and the remote. Yes. That is more like it.

So I've been helping the kids with homework (and LATE work. .. UGH), taking them to the dr's, keeping them home from school with various sicknesses, going to morning bible study, cleaning the kitchen, doing MOUNTAINS of laundry every three days or so, going to wednesday night church program, mom's group, going through everyone's clothes and putting away summer clothes to replace them with fall and winter (still not done with this chore), book club, stamp club, crop club, dr's visits for me, working 5 hours a day (ok, I haven't been able to keep up that pace, but I'm working on it) and pulling all the (dead) summer flowers out of pots, dumping the dirt and decorating the outside for fall.

I know, I know. . .alot of people have the same types of things to do, I'm not unique. Everyone has to run their lives. Notice I didn't add paying the bills, dusting, vacuuming, grocery shopping, CHANGING THE TOILET PAPER ROLLS. . . is there some unwritten rule I'm not aware of that makes the rest of the family think they are unable to do this task??

So on top of that I'm coordinating Eric's 5th grade halloween party and leading Abby's brownie troop. Not because I'm looking for a way to strengthen my leadership skills. . .no, no. .. because I'll do anything to keep my kids happy.

Ok, almost anything.

But how can I say no to Brownies? (Girl Scouts) No one else would step up, so here I am. And again, no one would take the lead in 'putting together' the halloween party. Nothing earth shattering, but both new tasks definitely involve alot of emailing and calling people. In fact, there is ALOT more involved in leading brownies than I thought there'd be. I had to take a mental day from it today. I'll get back up on that horse tomorrow. Or monday.

So, I've been creating cards and layouts, I just haven't taken my camera out. But don't feel slighted--I need to update my facebook page, too.

Below is a picture that's in my computer from LAST FALL. (There are SO MANY pictures I need to print!! Not that they'll get much further than that. .. I'm more than a year behind in scrapbooking.) So here' my niece and nephew in the fall leaves of 2008. . .

Adorable, aren't they??

And below is a picture you may recall from my birthday post.

This is the breakfast my best friend, Deata, made for me when I stayed at her house the weekend of my birthday. I'm posting it today because I'm going to her house again tomorrow night! The end of August was the last time I was out there, and I'm looking forward to spending time with her. . .we hope to find a festive pumpkin patch type place with apple cider, a little shop. . ya know, the whole kit -n- kaboodle. Plus we're going to window shop in a few of our favorite stores and see my other BEST friends at Jodi's house saturday night! (Beth and Anita, I'm talking to YOU! Pull yourselves up by your boobstraps and get to Jodi's by 7!! I miss you!!)

I am going to take pics of the house, my kids, and all the festivities to come and I'll post them up SOON!! ;)

This -n- that

2009-09-15T16:38:00.002-05:00

Abby loves the camo shoes with the wedges that matches her 'princess' camo t-shirt. She is NOT a girly girl and doesn't like pink or purple. The ONLY reason she 'puts up' with the crown is becuase it's on a camo shirt!

Here are the kids gathered around Beth as she messes with John's cell rings! (Hee hee hee!)

Labor Day Sunday

2009-09-11T11:42:00.002-05:00

My brother and his family came down on sunday before labor day to spend time with all of us! It was fantastic! Here are a few shots from a nearby park we visited.
Nicolas looks so much like my brother at this age. It's the shape of his head, I think!

Abby in the 'spinny thing' that is coveted by aaaaall the kids at the park.

Nicolas ran from one ride to another, laughing and playing!

My dad helps Nicolas on the swing. How cute is that face!?

My parents with Nicolas.

From left to right. . .Tom, Ken and Dan. Takin' a break.

Animated story.

Abby rocking very fast!

Eric was in on the action, too.

STOP THE PRESS!! My (almost) 12 year old son is having FUN?! And LAUGHING!? All hope is not lost.

My birthday weekend

2009-09-11T11:35:00.002-05:00

I turned 35 on August 20th, which was a thursday. I got to spend friday night and saturday with my very good friend, Deata! I love to sit at her dinning room table drinking hot tea with her. We talk and laugh way into the night!

Rather than a meal for dinner, Deata made cole slaw, pasta salad, refridgerator pickles and cut up fruit for us to snack on. Oh, and there was potato salad and cottege cheese, too. Yum!

Here was saturday's breakfast! Oatmeal with rasins and yogurt with peaches!

Deata is 'cat sitting' for a friend. This is Ariel. She is a meow-er!

What's a birthday without CAKE!? Mmmm, this was a very delicious pound cake with whipped creamn, bananas and strawberries. My favorite!

There's Ariel again.

Lots more pics to come. . .I need to catch up on alot! I have a limited amount of time this afternoon--I have an appointment I need to leave for in 30 minutes. Have a great friday!

Card Swap

2009-08-13T22:06:00.002-05:00

I love the stamp club I go to on the second friday of each month! This is the second card swap I've participated in (ever) and am nervous that my card won't be good enough.

So there were 10 of us signed up for this swap. I'll bring my nine cards to the club meet (the 10th one is for myself) and come home with 9 other cards. Just like a cookie exchange.

The theme was "Cards to Go"-- a complete card (as opposed to just the card front, which we usually do) along with a decorated envelope. I always decorate my envelope, but being that my artwork will be going home with someone else for them to give out, I'm afraid that it will be less than they'd like.

I know. I have approval issues.

Anyway-- I love fall, and school being just around the corner brings fall in the not so distant future. So I felt like doing a halloween card. Searching through my things I found that I have a very limited supply of Stampin Up halloween stamps. (One of the rules is to keep the cards as close to Stampin Up stuff as possible.) So the card turned out a bit differently than I was originally thinking. So here it is. . .

Eh. See, I'm not really happy with it.

So first I calculated how many squares I needed on each card and multiplied it by 10.
I layed it out in order of how I wanted it on the card.

I adhered the squares to card stock,

then rolled the card stock through my Big Shot on the Big Note Die.

I don't have a cute little sewing machine to add the stitching (which is soooo cute) so I used a stamp set that is not Stampin Up for the look.

That went onto the certainly celery green cardstock, and layed that onto black cardstock.

Below is a shot of the inside of the card (contraband image) the front of the envelope, and the back of the envelope. (I'm happy to say all of those images ARE stampin up.)

I would've liked to have had a cute saying to go into the oval, but the only thing that would fit was BOO! with a Stampin Up alpha set.

So here it is. I hope everyone that gets it likes it!!

I'll post up pics of the cards I receive tomorrow at club!!

"T" minus one week untill school starts. . .

2009-08-10T11:39:00.002-05:00

WOW I've had a crazy busy summer! And I downloaded a TON of pictures to my computer from all kinds of things we've done, but they got deleted! Long story. Not worth going into it. Although I *did* save them in my kodak easy share gallery. I wonder if I can get them here from there? I'll try.

We went to a wedding, went blueberry picking, had friends and family over, went to three different parties at friends and families houses, helped my inlaws pack and move, took home furniture and things they didn't want from the move, been to four different parks, rearranged the living room and family room, painted and rearranged Abby's bedroom. . .and kept up with laundry and cleaning the house all the while.

Oh, and I've been going to the gym three days a week (for exactly one week ;) and I'm down 6 pounds! Gotta love it. I'm going after dinner on monday, wednesday and friday. It's working out well!!

Today I need to get a haircut. It's waaaay past due. Then I need to make 10 cards (all the same) for a card swap I'm in through my stamp club, which meets this friday night. (I'll get to the gym in the afternoon so there's no excuse to 'skip it'). Tomorrow I have to go to Springfield, Il. for an appointment with my dermatologist about my psoriasis. The methotrexate wasn't doing any good, so I'm about to start Humera. I'll let you know how it goes.

OMG it's nearly noon! I need to get going. I'm getting a haircut today, then I need to stop at Cub grocery store because of a few things on a great sale. I have a gift card for Borders and I've been dying to get over there to see what's on sale. (End of season. There's gotta be a good sale going on.) Plus I could use the distraction. Oh, a friend of mine is starting her first book club and I'm in! Starts September 2nd! I need to cycle about 3 loads of laundry today and OH I need to get some liquid miracle grow. . .my flowers are at the stage where they need to be cut way back and fed/watered miracle grow and water. According to my garden guru, they will bloom wonderfully again after that.

I leave you with my favorite LOLCatz image. I still laugh out loud when I see this.

Have a great monday!!

Ribbon is done!

2009-07-08T15:52:00.003-05:00

I found these glass containers at Walmart for $4 a piece! I'm really happy--they look beautiful!

I reorganized my scrap shelves (again) and fell in love with the wall. Again. :)

I love this basket I got at Target for $15 this past spring! It hold mostly my Great Impressions stamps of the month, but a few other of my favorites are in there, too.

Here's a shot of my desk and the family room from standing in front of the scrap shelves.

And here's the wall behind my desk. (Also re-done.) :-D

Stacy from My Love Affair with the Label Maker is hosting an 'organize your stuff'' challenge, and this week is pictures. I pretty much have that under control, so I can take the rest of the week off. Watch, next week will be ribbon.

The 3rd of July

2009-07-08T15:28:00.005-05:00

My brother and his family came down to see us on the 3rd. Good thing, because it rained all day on the 4th.

Here's Kenney grilling the chicken.

My (nearly) two year old nephew is looking for the cats.

"Where titty tat?"

"Not me. He's looking for JackJack. I don't play."

"TITTY!!!" (I know. It was even more hilarious in his little voice!)

Nicolas loves puzzles (and 'damma'!!)

Nicolas plays with Abby and Grandpa by the swing set.

Ah, playing catch in the backyard, Father and Son.

Does is get any more American than that?

Well, probably. But that was a pretty cool moment!!

Amendment about my unused paper scraps

2009-07-08T15:19:00.003-05:00

Although I said I 'tossed' the unused paper, I should've added 'into the recycle bin'.

I am trying to be a little greener everyday :)

Organizing my scraps

2009-07-08T15:00:00.003-05:00

I've been following the scrap room organization challenge from twopeas member Wookie Mouse, and although I'm a week or so behind I'm psyched to show you my scraps and how I've fixed a huge problem I didn't really realize I had!

I have been keeping my scrap paper in 13x13 zip top bags, filed in 13x13 hanging folders in the cropper hopper keeper. (I don't know that 'keeper' is it's exact title, but whatever. . .)

So from the beginning of time (my scrapping time, that is) I've kept nearly EVERY scrap piece of paper. Some other scrappers have drilled it into my head that 'this stuff is just too expensive to toss away' and 'if you can get a punch out of it, it's not trash'. But to me, enough is enough already!

I DO NOT spend the time going through those scrap bags looking for just the right shade of color, and I have RARELY searched through the depths of the scrap bags for smaller pieces of card stock for card making.

So one by one, I dumped the bags, sorted by shade (the best I could), and TOSSED anything smaller than 2"x2".

**Deep breath**

**And. . .

. . . .exhale.**

I feel MUCH better.
And there's STILL too many scraps. But I do believe I'm more apt to look through them now, knowing what is in there (and what is NO LONGER in there.)

Here is a shot of a couple (cleaned and sorted) scrap bags. . . .

. . . .in the 'keeper'.

Huge, huge thanks to you, WookieMouse!!!

Summer lovin'. . .

2009-07-08T14:52:00.002-05:00

One my new favorite restaurant items is Chili's (warm) chips and salsa! I've had it twice in the past three weeks (while galavanting all over various towns through the upper half of Illinois).

And oooooo, what coffee lover doesn't adore this picture of a cold, frosty cup-o-joe nestled in with my summer greenery? :-D

What do YOU love about summer?

You'd think it'd be easy to find a container. . .

2009-07-01T18:45:00.002-05:00

. . .Like this.

I bought two of these plastic-with-a-screw-top-lid jars at walmart about a year ago. They are no longer in existence. I've been to three different walmarts (even talked to an employee), Kroger, Meijer, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, two different dollar stores and COUNTLESS sites including craig's list, eBay, and the Container Store.

None to be had.

So, okay whatever. . .I just need 6 identical jars similar to the above for my scrapbooking/card making ribbon

(here's about a tenth of it)

to take the alloted ribbon space on my shelf.

See. . .there's a place for ink and paint, (btw, those plastic jars are nice but not tall enough for my ribbon needs)

. .. .and a place for buttons and dew drops.

I can't believe looking for a uniform look for my ribbon is so difficult. I mean, without paying like $7 per container! Oh, sure, I can find very nice glass jars almost anywhere that would look fantastic! Money, however, *IS* an object, so the search much continue. . .

*sigh*

So busy livin' life!

2009-06-27T17:10:00.002-05:00

WOW, we have been going NON STOP since school got out! I've been carrying my camera with me so I can show everyone pics of what we're up to, but I keep forgetting to snap pictures! DUH! But I'm going to sit at my craft desk and create tonight, so I will be sure to share the art work tomorrow!!

I bought new curtians for my kitchen this past week and I have the top valances up. . .I'm waiting on my mom to come by with the rods I need for the cafe (lower) tiers. It already looks very nice! I will be sure to share that too :)

OH and Ken was offered a job very close to home; one town over! How exciting! He'll be only 25 minutes away and be able to come home every night! Praise God!!

Speaking of God, I think we're going to try Eastview Church again tomorrow morning. When we first moved here we went there quite a few times and I just didn't feel connected. Let's see what happens tomorrow. . .

Gotta clear out my camera. . .

2009-06-11T17:58:00.003-05:00

I need to print 3 months worth of pictures out of my camera. Once I do that (and keep up with it) it won't take so flippin' long to upload the pics I want to post here for you guys :)

I've been making cards and having fun! I need to get back to work on my clients' albums, so this weekend I will fix the camera situation, post up new pics for you guys and then get to work. Then I can take daily pics, post them, and delete them. Easy peasy.

Gettin' to work on it RIGHT NOW! :-D

School's Out!

2009-06-02T13:59:00.002-05:00

Ahhh, I am so glad I'm done getting up by 7am for a while! I know that feeling will last about a month, and then I'll be ready for my days to be QUIET again. But for now I'm enjoying school being done!

Yesterday the kids and I met the ladies from my mom's group at a park. Each monday we'll meet with our kids at different parks. It's very nice, and a great way to keep in touch with each other over the summer. Last night I stayed up too late and, conciquently, I slept too late this morning. BUT who cares, right? I am sitting here now having cleaned the house and showered, and the only other pressing item on my agenda is to get the muffler on the van replaced!

Next friday is my Stampin' Up stamp club meeting and I'm involved in a card swap with 8 other ladies, so I'll be working on my card for the swap this week. I'll be excited to show you what I come up with! The only rules are 1) the theme is red, black, and white and 2) use MOSTLY stampin' up supplies. I need to make 9 cards (one for me and one for every other person involved) and I'll come home with 8 other cards! I'll show those to you, too. I've never done a card swap so I'm excited about it! I think there will be a swap every month.

Have a great tuesday!!

Teacher gifts

2009-05-28T22:50:00.003-05:00

I couldn't get a really good shot of this, but they are SOOOO cute! I got the idea from an artboard on the Close To My Heart website. It's a clear CD case with three instant teas in it, three umbrellas for the tea drinks, and a straw taped to the outside. I made up a cute tag for each individual teacher to tape on the back. I made 7! Three teachers, the principal, two secretaries and a teacher from last year that I've been helping alot this year. Click on the picture, maybe it's a better shot.

Kitties

2009-05-28T22:40:00.002-05:00

Jack jack is such a prowler! He LOVES to be up in the trees.

Here is a further shot -- he was coming back toward the trunk after being out on the tiniest part of the limb he possibly could be!

When Ryan and Anita were out last weekend they brought their dog, Rusty. The big bowl in this picture is his, but we caught Cookie eating his food!!

Look how FAT Jackjack looks! He's getting so big. He's like a panther. And really, it's not fat, it's muscle and just his frame. He's such a lover, though. Such a good kitty.

The week in review

2009-05-28T22:29:00.002-05:00

How crazy am I? I bring my camera with me everywhere now to remind me to capture my 'everyday life' for all of my blog friends! Ha!

So this was today. . .I took this shot because at the time it annoyed me deeply. There are ALWAYS plastic cups, bowls, etc etc all over the kitchen table. I knew if I put it on my blog it would seem more humorous to me than it did at the time I took the picture.

I think I'm still annoyed.

Here is a picture from last weekend. We had my brother in law and his family over friday and saturday night. Here is Ken making saturday morning breakfast with Abby and our niece Maria eagerly helping.

Saturday night. The guys made a fire I'm pretty sure you'd be able to see from space. At this point it was dying down. I insisted that the garden hose was lying nearby with the water on, ready to spray at a seconds' notice.

This was yesterday. I needed to go to Kroger for a few things so the kids and I went to Dairy Queen for a hot dog first. Tom is trying not to smile, but I had him laughing. Puberty.

And back on tuesday I had a dr.'s follow up.

This weekend we're going to Wisconsin for my cousin's wedding. I'll post some pictures for sure. :)

Busy Friday

2009-05-22T16:02:00.002-05:00

I got up this morning feeling great! "It's friday!" Yahoo! First I had to go to the post office to get 2 cent stamps, then I met my girlfriend and we walked for an HOUR! It felt SOOOO good! I got ALOT of sun, but it really felt nice. We were talking, walking, SWEATING, but man--it was fantastic. Then we went to lunch (hee hee hee!) but we had a salad (with LITE dressing) and iced tea and water. :)

After lunch I went to my kids' school where I helped one of the teachers with her end of the year scrapbooks for her students.

My brother in law and his family are coming out tonight for a few days of fun and visiting :) Have a great memorial day weekend!

CRABBY!!!

2009-05-15T21:53:00.002-05:00

I HATE feeling this crabby! I am having a difficult night!

Ok, so my scrap stuff is a DISASTER. I went to an all day crop like two weeks ago and haven't unpacked yet. Last monday I needed to pull a bunch of stuff from my scrap stuff for a project at my mom's group. Things are sooooo messed up in my scrap world. Well, I needed to make a card tonight and OH.MY.LORD. trying to find ANYTHING was nearly impossible, and it was PISSING ME OFF! Then I start making stupid mistakes. Then I accidentally knocked a drawer off it's rails and it went tumbling to the floor, it's contents skipping all about. I started laughing (like some mad woman) because if I didn't laugh I very may well have screamed.

I need to get to sleep. Being this crabby is just not good for anyone. And it's certainly not productive. I feel like a tyrannosaurus Rex on a rampage.

It's been a week since I've posted!

2009-05-14T15:42:00.000-05:00

Honestly, I don't know how the days fly by so quickly! It doesn't feel like it's been a week. . .but here we are.

So for Mother's Day Ken bought me a digital picture frame that cycles through 40 pictures! He even uploaded about 15 pics into it so I could turn it on and enjoy! *Most* of the pictures in the frame were pictures of a picture, since we didn't have a digital camera until recently, so nothing was saved on a disc or in the computer. Here are a few!

Ken and I on July 20Th, 1996. Seriously, this feels like a LIFETIME ago!!

Even a little further back still---this was from our dating days.

Onto the next subject!!

Can you see the tree leaves flying sideways here!? Yesterday was SOOOO windy--I guess this isn't really the best picture to show it. . .but I tried. Notice the cat crouching down on the railing, bracing himself against the gusts!!

WHIRLY BIRDS! AGH! I can't stand them. There are two BIG trees in neighbor's yards that let these things go. My gutter shields are loaded with them and I'm constantly picking them out of my potted plants.

Ok folks, I promise to put forth ALL THE EFFORT I can muster up to get the next post up before next Thursday! (HA!) Seriously, maybe this weekend!!

Another issue to fix. . .

2009-05-07T15:18:00.000-05:00

I just noticed that the time stamp at the bottom of my posts is wrong. It's off by 2 hours. I'll have to see how to fix that.

Never too late

2009-05-07T15:02:00.000-05:00

I titled this post as I did becuase I went out for a walk at 2 in the afternoon today. *MY* logic (not that I ever claimed it to good logic) is that if I can't get a workout in before a morning shower, then the hopes of working out is pretty much lost for the day. I had a slow morning today and wasn't feeling ambitious about ANYTHING. After I had rasin bran for lunch I was a bit more awake/alert and the desire to get outside and enjoy the gorgeous day was nearly overwhelming! I got dressed, pulled my hair into a low ponytail, filled my water bottle and walked out the door. IMMEDIATLY I felt better! Seriously, like two steps out I was feeling HAPPY. I walked my 'long' walk route and felt FANTASTIC every step of the way!

I'm not saying it wasn't work.

I'm not saying I didn't sweat.

But I felt so great for getting out there and working hard, even though I was in 'normal' clothes, not 'workout' clothes. (Another piece of 'logic' I need to surpress.) I pushed my overweight self up the rolling sidewalks and pulled myself past doubt and fear. It felt SO GOOD to feel the warm sun, the warm breeze and to know that I was really doing something good for my heart, lungs, arteries, and though it all I was burning up the excess feul that happens to be hanging all over my body. THIS, ladies and gentelmen, is what it is going to take for me to lose this weight. Oh I know, I know---that last sentence might not exactly be a breakthrough thought to you, but something really clicked in my head today.

New plantings

2009-05-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

Once these plants take off and fill out, everything is going to be beautiful! I'm so excited :) In this pot there is a sun colius, a vew vina vines, white allysum, and I don't know the name of the orange and red ones in the middle. (Remember, click on the pic and you'll always get a closer view.)

These hangin pots will have allysum spilling out over the front and geraniums popping out the top! The greenery is asparagus ferns, which will also get much bigger! At the foot of the planter are pots with merigolds in the front and LOTS of wave petunias all around it! The will COVER those tan pots and all you'll see is flowers!

This hosta is one of my biggest. . .it's not done sprouting yet!

Once these vinca vines really start trailing down I"ll take a pic of this from the grass. You are looking at one of four planters hanging off the back of my deck. Vinca vines on either side a gerbera daisies in the middle. Hm. My grass looks decent in this shot.

I can't wait to see everything take off!! I'll throw in a few shots here and there as I get excited! (Who, me? Excited? noooooo. . .)

New title

2009-05-05T22:17:00.000-05:00

I was reeeeeally getting bored with the first title for my blog, so I came up with a new one. This blog is more than just about art work and weight loss---it will be all about my life, day to day as well as long term. It's a journey through life. As for the destination, I know my eternity is safe with God!

Keep on keepin' on

2009-05-05T21:24:00.000-05:00

I was watching Joyce Meyers this morning after the kids left for school, and I've gotta tell ya how much her sermon spoke to me. I take notes when I can, although most of the time I wish I knew short hand because I can't keep up! I try to get one thought down and she's already on the next sentence!

Look and see what God *IS* doing in your life, and don't be negative about what's NOT happening.

When you decide to do the right thing, God will meet up with you and help you to get it done.

Let me stop here for a second and interject; she went on about 'doing the right thing' as what God wants for you. In other words, pray about something before you decide which road to take, and God will tell you what is in His will for you. Yes, we all have free will (which means we can take God's advice or choose to do things our own way, in our own strength, and our own time) but God's will for us is ALWAYS in our best interest, and when we choose HIS way, it's done in HIS strength, and HIS time. Praise God.

The next thing she said is soooooo true for sooooo many of us! We'll be doing the right thing. We'll do it again and again and AGAIN. Then we start whining, don't we? We talk to God, ask for guidance, ask for a different way, ask what we should do. If we're doing what he wants us to do, He just may say "Do it again." There were examples in scripture of people that had to 'do it again'. And again. And again and again, and EVENTUALLY it worked---in God's timing. (Which, by the way, is always perfect.) She said, " 'Do it again. This might be the time that it breaks the devil's back.'" Amen!

So keep on keepin' on, but check with God first that you're on His path for you. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans for hope and a future.'"

Peace is defined by Dr. Creflo Dollar as this: Security in the midst of turmoil. I also loved how Pastor Dollar said, "Go to God FIRST, not last! Don't go to Him only when all else has failed and you're desperate."

All of these things spoke to me today, and I just had to share them. I pray they open a door for you.

Read 1 Peter 5:7

God Bless xoxo (flower pictures tomorrow!;)

May is here!

2009-05-04T19:55:00.000-05:00

Hello fans! (the ones who haven't given up on me!) I'm back, and I'm ready to start blogging again!

I've got so much to share with you. Right now it's getting dark out so I can't take pictures, but I will tomorrow; I've been busy in the yard--it's going to be beautiful once everything starts taking off and blooming!

The kids are almost done with school and I have a good amount of plans lined up for the summer.

The kitties are getting so big! You won't believe it when you see them!

I've been scrapping in my albums a little bit, and haven't worked since February or March--I NEED to get going on work again! I'll share that once I get to it.

So I'll be here more often now! :)

Workin' it!

2009-03-25T14:11:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! No pics today, but I'm happy to report that I've been keeping track of my food intake (and, thereby, making better choices) and I've been working out! Feels GREAT!! I need to up the water intake; it's been average. The kids are on spring break so my routine has been a little out of wack.

I feel a little dehydrated. Better grab a propel.

Clippin' coupons!

2009-03-17T20:54:00.000-05:00

I was never one to cut coupons until a speaker at the mom's group I go to told us all about couponing!! If there is something on sale and you have a coupon (and you go to a store that DOUBLES the coupon) you can get things for LESS than a dollar or FREE!!!! I had multiple coupons for items that were on sale and STOCKED UP!!

The crest toothpaste was FREE. On sale for a dollar, I had a fifty cent coupon and it was doubled. Thankyouverymuch.

I have enough glade air freshener for the year. Buy one get one free, and I had a few $1.25 coupons. So. . .that would be two for $0.25. Dayum. Oh, and all the shampoo---a dollar or less for each. The box of 6 dove bars $2 --- after sale and coupon.

Gotta love it!

And here is my BABY on his 10th birthday!!!! They grow up so fast.

Books

2009-03-10T13:45:00.001-05:00

I've always loved to read books, and often wrote stories all through school. Although I'd love to write a book, I tend to journal more than anything. I have a lahhhht of journals! Some are finished, some are not. Below are the CURRENT ones I'm writting in. There are others that need to be completed. . .I need to get to them.

They say to write, you should read alot. The books below are ones I bought just becuase these authors are constantly writting best sellers! I've started the Nora Roberts one.

This picture was suppoused to be pictured AFTER the following one. But I"m in a hurry. This is a series I've gotten into and enjoy. Hunted is the newest book in the series, just came out today! I picked it up at Kroger for 25% off :)

Here are the first four books in the "House of Night" series.

And ahhh, my favorites. I do love the Twilight saga! I've even gone back and re-read my favorite parts. :)

"The Host" is written by the same author of the Twilight saga, and so far she's not let us down--I love the story line and her way of writting.

Gotta run! I am late picking Eric up to take him for a follow up appointment. . .

Playing all weekend

2009-03-08T16:36:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! Is it as windy by you as it is over here!? My goodness, I'm afraid to let the cats out for fear they'll be blown a few blocks over!

Ok ok, HOW CUTE IS THIS CARD?? It's actually not so much the card I love as the IMAGE! Click on it to get a closer look! I added sparkle! I love it! I'm gonna have to make a bunch more just becuase I LOVE how it turned out. I'll have to find a different way to mount it, though.

Still coughing alot today, and now I have a pain in my throat. (Not to be confused with a pain in my neck, right?) I'm seriously thinking I need to go to immediate care and have this throat pain looked at. I am SO tired of being sick. I simply do not have time for it. . .

Is it March, or May??

2009-03-06T17:15:00.000-06:00

Although I'm coughing still, and it makes me feel like my head is going to POP, I sat on the porch this morning with my hot tea and my journal.

The cough is getting better, or at least, less frequent. But I get so worn out so quickly! I ran (ok, drove) to Walgreens this afternoon to get a few things that were on sale, and by the time I got home from my little jaunt, I needed to lie down. I feel like an old woman! But it was a GORGEOUS day, so I made the most of it. It's suppoused to rain all weekend, but at least it's still going to be 'warm'. Not like today -- 76 degrees in Sunny Normal, Il.-- but above 50.

I have all the windows open today and it feels SO GREAT. Perfect evening to my enjoyable day: Ken is on his way home, we're having an easy dinner of roast beef sandwiches, Ghost Whisperer is on tonight, and then I'm going to play at my scrap desk until I need to collapse into bed. And the most pressing thing I need to take care of this weekend is three or four loads of laundry.

Ahhhhhh. . . . . . . :)

I'm still here!!

2009-03-05T15:22:00.000-06:00

UGH I have bronchitis. It's miserable. The kids have been sick (one or more of them, alternating) for EVER. Two of them are now on antibiotics, nearly done, and I am at the worst part of this illness. Now my oldest son is saying his ears are stuffed and he can't hear. AHHHH!! When will it end??!!! No fever or pain yet, but MY GOODNESS. I just can't take any more of the sickies!!

On the up side, I'm down 8 pounds.

PLEASE don't dessert (desert?) me. I'll be back, I swear. I'll try to AT LEAST post a picture every day. . .

Go read Psalm 27:14. xoxoxo

Oh.my. goodness.

2009-02-16T23:12:00.000-06:00

Ok, so you haven't seen me on here in a while. Wanna know why? I have had at least one of my three children home nearly EVERY SINGLE school day for the past 5 weeks!!! UGH!! Asthma, flu, bacterial infections, tummy issues. . .I am TIRED. (Well, and it's after 11pm.) I am CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC that everyone is on the mend.

The kids had today off of school, so I took them to the movies. We saw Mall Cop. It was pretty funny. We also went to the library, and when we got home we went for a walk. It felt very good to get out and walk! It's going to be a bit chilly for the next week, but I need to find time to get some walking in!! Very important.

My sleep study was moved to this friday, so I don't have my cpap yet. (My father in law 'lost' his. Long story.)

So eating has been going pretty well, although there's alot of room for improvement. (Isn't there always??) I'm on the wagon though! Driving it, even!! HA!

So back to putting ME somewhere up front. I need to walk every day and get over here to talk to my 'fans' about my eating and progress. I can't decide if night time is a better time to post than morning. . .we'll have to try for a few days and see what works better for me. . .

If every day could go like this one. . .

2009-01-30T14:20:00.000-06:00

. . .I'd be superwoman!

I've had a GREAT day! It started last night when I went to bed by 10pm. I woke up pretty rested, got the kids off to school, then I worked out, cleaned the kitchen, straightened the front room, vacuumed, put two loads of laundry away, showered, put a FABULOUS dinner inthe slow cooker, made two cakes for my kids and husband, AND made two sugar free jellos! I thought for sure I"d be wanting a nap this afternoon and I"M NOT TIRED! Odd! I'm gonna switch my purse, straighten the family room a tad, cycle some laundry, then sit at my scrap desk and play all weekend! WHOO HOO!!! Go, me!

Great workout

2009-01-28T13:37:00.000-06:00

I found a great work out on oprah.com This should be a link to it, if it worked right. There is another workout, too, on that same site, but I couldn't find it. This guy, Joel Harper (I wonder if he's related to Bob?) has a site, www.fitpackdvd.com. His thing is being able to work out the whole body, barefoot and in your underwear, in 20 minutes. No equipment needed. I like it!

One foot in front of the other

2009-01-27T11:51:00.000-06:00

I'm feeling very tired today, and not motivated at all. I'm just trying to stay on track and do the next right thing. I haven't exercised yet today. I'm inbetween phone calls right now---looking to refi our mortgage and save some money. I need to kick the heat up a little, it's chilly in here.

Truckin' along

2009-01-21T20:43:00.001-06:00

I'm feeling good :)

Yesterday I did a 10 minute upper body strength training session, and I was on target with my calorie intake.

I didn't work out today, but my calories are on track and I got alot of work done. It feels great to get work accomplished!

Tomorrow (thursday) is going to be near 40 degrees! My plan is to walk out the door at 8am right after the kids, and as they walk to school, I"ll be walking the neighborhood. I have just a few errands to run after that and then I'll be working again.

Friday I'm packing up my scrap stuff for an all day crop on saturday. It won't take me long to pack up, so I'll probably work a bit friday morning into early afternoon.

Knowing that I need to post here about my progress makes me want to do good! Thanks for reading!!

Being accountable

2009-01-20T08:31:00.000-06:00

New year's resolutions are always the same for me. Resolve to lose weight; eat better, work out more. I count out 5 or 6 months from now, calculate how much weight I'll lose, and think about what size I'll be by the begining of summer.

And it never works out the way I plan.

But that's becuase I haven't, in the past, made an outline of my plan to follow. I would always kind of wing it. Well not this year.

Not only do I need to lose weight because I WANT to, I NEED to. My triglicerites (sp) are way too high. I have sleep apnea. (More on this in a minute). I do NOT want to get to the point that I'm diagnosed with diabeates or (even worse) have a heart attack becuase of the build up of plaque in my arteries.

So losing weight is a vaniety thing, but more than that, it's a health thing.

I saw my primary doctor, Dr. Lamb, yesterday. She is a fantastic doctor, and a wonderful lady. I left the office feeling optomistic about the future of my health. Baby steps, of course. First of all, I went for a sleep study this past august. The follow up 'specialist' told me that I was under the specifications needed to be considered 'apnea', and that the cpap machine was kind of up to me. So since he convayed to me that I didn't really need it, I opted to NOT use it. Dr. Lamb had a copy of my study and flipped through it, noting that I stopped breathing 8-9 times AN HOUR through out the study, and had something like 68 leg movments. This is not restless leg syndrome, but says something about the lack of/ bad sleep I'm experiencing. She told me that she has patients who, after ONE NIGHT of sleeping on the cpap machine, can't believe how RESTED, even perky, they feel! She said it happened to her after her first night of sleep on the cpap. She 'sprung' out of bed.

So it appears that I feel like the walking dead becuase for the past. . .who knows how long. . .I've been sleeping TERRIBLY through the night. It's the weight, I know. So I'll say it's been 7 years since I probably had a deep, continuous sleep.

And friends, I am FEELING the effects of sleeplessness.

So I'm going to be fitted for a cpap machine, but in the meantime my father in law has one that I will use. He hasn't used it in a while, and doesn't need it now. I'm hoping for some relief, until I can be properly fitted and such.

SO!. .. To sum up my resolution for this year I can say it's basicly to get balance into my life. I need to be able to work from home, exercise, plan my meals, do the laundry, bills, take care of the house and raise my kids without feeling like I need to be superwoman at every aspect. I'm taking this once step at a time, one day at a time, and I need all the help and support I can get.

That's where you come in ;)

Just knowing that someone is out there waiting to read my accountability post for the day will get me to keep track of my meals and snacks, activity and accomplishments.

So without further adoo, let's get on with our day. . .

~~Serenity is not being free from the storm, but finding peace within the storm.
---Author unknown

It's c-c-cold!

2009-01-15T13:49:00.000-06:00

Temps out here today are around -11. Factor the wind chill in and it's -35!! That's ferinheight! So I turned the heat up and the kids are home becuase the school is closed. Second day in a row. It's a day where you just wanna cuddle up under a blankey. I *did* clean the bathroom, and I straightened the kitchen. . .but I wanna crawl onto the couch under a blanket. *SIGH*. . .I need to get to work at my desk. It's chilly down here in the family, though (the windows are old and need to be replaced). It's a battle. . .the couch is winning. . .

When I get some time later today. . .

2009-01-13T12:56:00.000-06:00

. . .I will redo my blog and post a 'real' post! I have to take Eric for a well-child check up after I cycle the laundry. So off I go! I'll be back soon!!

last test

2009-01-11T22:43:00.000-06:00

With the help of my FANTABULOUS hubby, we have found the problem! It origintated in the camera!

So now I will spend a day or so freshening up my blog and GET INTO THE SWING OF THINGS!!

Hang in there, blog fans! I'm makin' a comeback!

under construction still

2009-01-01T21:10:00.000-06:00

Please keep checking back as I am still working on fixing the damn problem.

Thanks.

difficult

2008-12-23T12:37:00.003-06:00

although I was able to post a picture, it was not QUICK, that's for sure. And look at how big the image is. (Probably why it took so long to upload.) I just might move my blog. Stay tuned.

test

2008-12-23T12:14:00.000-06:00

[IMG]http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n28/misskenjr/12-12003.jpg[/IMG]

That's it!

2008-12-19T11:05:00.000-06:00

I am PISSED! For over a week now, I have not been able to upload pictures! It MUST be something on my end becuase other blogger blogs aren't having problems. I am NOT very computer savvy, so I'm going to have to

A)Call my brother
B) wait for Ken to get home tonight
or
C)Go to Yahoo! Answers and hope someone can help me.

UGH! ugh ugh ugh!!!

:-(

Be back asap

Kitties and Christmas trees

2008-12-15T12:05:00.000-06:00

I know, I know--this post is no good without pictures. Well, believe me--I'm going to let blogger.com know that something is up with me not being able to post pics. I've checked EVERYTHING on my end, and it's all good.

Anywho, we have an artificial tree, the kind where you fit each branch end into hole. SOMEHOW (I don't know how) the kitties have released about six of the branches! I come downstairs this morning and see that the tree looks a little. . .off. Lopsided. Upon further inspection I see that there are branches laying ontop of other branches! I tried putting them back in the holes they belong in, but some of them didn't seem to fit. All the while, orniments are crashing together, the lights and ribbon are being all upheaveled---I was pissed! That's it. Kenney can put it back together! Let me find those damn kitties. . .

Then I come here and STILL can't upload pictures! UGH! I'm TRYING to be 'jolly', but I'm telling you, it's easier to be pissy lately. Once I can share my pics with you I'll be happier. . .

FRUSTRATED!

2008-12-13T10:44:00.000-06:00

For two days in a row, now, I've tried uploading pictures to a post and they won't work! I'm not having a problem anywhere else on the net as far as uploading, so I'm guessing it's got to be this site. UGH. Say a quick prayer that next time I try to upload the pics for todays post, it actually works.

**grumble, grumble**

Baby, it's cold outside!

2008-12-10T08:44:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!! I hope all of you are doing well!

I have some pictures to upload, but I can't take the time right this second--I have to get dressed and run out for a while.

Grab your coffee or tea and get motivated to cross an item or two off of your 'to-do' list! That's what I plan on doing today.

I'll be back later!! :)

(Eric has fully recovered, by the way. ;)

Delayed one more day. . .

2008-11-28T23:00:00.000-06:00

No go on coming home today. (Friday) His oxygen saturation wasn't high enough, espically while sleeping. By this evening he was doing MUCH better.
The hospital had Nintendo Game Cube as well as Wii. He only wanted to play Gamecube.

He also watched a SpongeBob Marathon on Cartoon Network.

If I never see (hear) another episode of SpongeBob again, it'll be too soon.

Meanwhile, I finished "Breaking Dawn", the 4th (and last *sniff sniff*) book in the Twilight Saga. Great saga--I highly recomend it!

I started "OutLander" by Diana Gabladon. It was highly recomened to me by a friend.

So Ken is at the hospital now with Eric. He'll be released tomorrow, we'll go to my in laws' for leftover Thanksgiving dinner, and sunday morning I'll be shopping with my sister in law, mother in law and best friend.

Most of my christmas shopping is done, though. Thank God for that. But the Christmas season wouldn't seem to be 'kicked off' if I don't get out in the crowds with my girls and shop!!

I'll be stopping at Target in the morning. (I'll probably hit a few other stores, too, before Eric is released!) Target has The Notebook on dvd for $3.98!!! SHUT!UP! I'll be looking for that.

Ok, I'm dead tired. Be back asap.

Update

2008-11-27T13:36:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone.

I was sick for a while, if you remember, and then my husband got sick. Now my middle child is in the hospital with asthma/pnemonia. He was admitted yesterday, and the dr. says it looks good that he'll be out tomorrow.

A small dent in our turkey day plans, but that is OK! The food will wait, the family will be happy to see us when we can get there, and the mall isn't going anywhere!! (I shop on black friday. OH, wait--I *did* mention that a time or two.) SO this year it'll be saturday. No biggie.

The most important thing right now is that Eric gets well and can BREATHE. (Small detail, eh?)

Walking update--I've been walking two days a week with Wendy and I'm noticing I feel stronger, sleep better, and am not as hungry. (Weird?) I was complimented, too, that I"m looking slimmer. Polite, yes. Flattering, yes. How true, I'm not sure. ;) I'm going to keep my routine the same right now, as December tends to get full pretty quickly. I am almost ready to add a third day. I think first I'll add a day (at HOME) of strength training. That will be my challenge and change for December. Come January I'll be regularly walking twice a week and strength training once a week. Then I'll add another day of walking. :-D

Ok, I am going back to the hospital. Enjoy your turkey, family, shopping-- look around and really notice just how rich you truely are! Eric being in the hospital made me sit up and take notice of how much we have and how lucky we are!! :)

PRAISE GOD!

Hibernating this weekend

2008-11-16T13:01:00.000-06:00

I was suppoused to go to a weekend crop, but I just wasn't well enough. I'm glad I stayed home, becuase I slept quite a lot--and I know I needed it. With my husband around 24/7 this weekend, there's been ALOT of chores accomplished! I surely appreciate it. I *did* get a little scrapping done. Here's what I did--
I worked on our family Christmas pictures from last year. I want to get them done before I take 2008's pics. Then I won't be more than a year behind.

It's so hard to photograph layouts. This shot seems so far away. You certainly can't see the pictures in the layout.

This page shows our FIRST time of having stocking hung 'by the chimney with care'!!

While I was laying on the couch at one point, JackJack got comfy with me. He's such a purr-er!!

Ugh. Nice shot. Can I note here that my psoriasis gets worse when I'm sick. Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease, so it gets worse when my body has to fight an illness.

Mmmm. .. fresh bread! I didn't make it from scratch, but it tasted like it. It's a frozen dough that you put in a loaf pan, let it rise for about 8 hours, then bake for 25 minutes. It went well with the homemade chicken noodle soup I made on saturday. Today (sunday) will probably be chili. Mmmmm. . .

Maybe it's becuase I haven't been 100% health wise, but I feel like I"ve lost some of my scrappin' 'mo-joe'. Maybe I just need to jump back in the saddle and do some more today.

That sounds good. That's what I'll do.

On the 'shrinking' note, I"ve been walking with my girlfriend two days during the week. The first time we walked (two weeks ago) I was really working to keep up, and was having a VERY hard time talking while walking. This past week on one of the days we walked I felt much stronger and wasn't working quite as hard! My finger nails have been NOTICEIBLY stronger--I wonder if that has something to do with the better eating I'm doing? At any rate I'm now looking around for signs of improvement other than just on the scale, which is, by the way, down a total of 5 pounds from my all time highest. It's a far cry from pulling 50 pounds off this year (which was my goal back in January), but I need to look forward, not backward. I have three weddings to go to next year, and I want to have a good chunk of this weight off. I'll be posting more about shrinking from here on out--I need to be accountable.

Thanks, friends! Be back later :)

Under the weather

2008-11-14T08:30:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone~~ I've been as sick as a dog. (Wait, where did that saying come from? Well, I"ve never been a dog person, so I don't know how sick a dog can get.) Anyway, I've been resting up and starting to feel better. I'll take some pics, make some cards and post up this weekend. I suspect I'll be in the family room with the fireplace going, Ken at the computer next to me at my scrap desk, the kids playing in their playroom down the hall. Sounds fantastic! I was suppoused to go to Kankakee to scrap this weekend, but there's just no way. I am not well enough to drive and be up all day and night. I'll be taking rests on my cozy couch frequently this saturday, I'm sure. Hot tea in hand.

Ok---I'll get back to you all soon!!!!

Thank you Card

2008-11-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

I had to make this tonight for a friend who not only stepped up to help me without hesitation, but actually went beyond what I asked for and put me in a comfort zone any mom would be greatful for!

Thank you, Wendy!!

I'm falling in love!!!!

2008-11-04T21:28:00.000-06:00

There's a new thing I've fallen in love with-----IRON ONS!!!!! I made a t-shirt for myself for halloween that says "Trick Or Treat" in 'bling'. .. I'll take a picture when it's out of the laundry. Anyway, I got the idea for black friday (my FAVORITE day of the year!) to make t-shirts for my group and I, but it got a bit costly----so I made these little canvas bags!! It was so much fun! Now I know what you're thinking: "What the heck are you gonna do with that little canvas bag that doesn't have any kind of closing mechanism, won't fit over your wrist, much less your shoulder and can't be attached to another purse handle?!" Well I thought it through and have a few ideas. Either A)It can fit in a bigger purse (like mine) or B) it'll just be for in the car. (And will come out at our 'pit stops' like Starbucks or Panera) I'm thinking this little bag will hold our small notebooks with lists of what to buy, who to buy it for, what store to get it at, which store has what on sale, etc etc, a pen, chapstick, gum,. .. whatever. It's just so cute and it was SO MUCH FUN putting it together!! I have to buy one more for Deata; I had another black bag, but Abby was helping me and she really wanted one. So I made one for her. It says "Abby's Stuff". (She's not on the list of those who are going shopping on Black Friday. Oh, no.) I'll go back to Hobby Lobby and get another black one for Deata and maybe I"ll find more things to iron letters to. I LOVE it!

Sugar high

2008-11-04T21:17:00.000-06:00

Here are the kids on halloween! Eric is the one to the right with the "scream" mask, and Tom is the grim reaper, covering his face with the hood.
Taking a break. We did ALOT of walking, and the kids got ALOT of candy!! Their friend was trick-r-treating with us.

LOL! It looks like in this picture of the kitties they are looking up at the picture above!

The kids LOVE to sort their candy. Piles of 'like' candy as far as the eye can see. Notice the jenga and pyramid - type structures.

Eric tosses a piece of candy to Tom. They trade like they're on the floor of the stock market exchange. Candy flies everywhere--and the kitties try to catch it!

There's the jenga pile I mentioned. (Kit kats)

How cute is my niece?!

Tom turned 11 on Novemeber 3rd.

Time sure does fly.

Quickly~~

2008-11-04T07:22:00.000-06:00

I have lots of halloween pictures to share with you, but right now I'm rushing to get the kids out to school and right after that I'm meeting a friend for a walk! I'll get back sometime today :) . . . Enjoy the warmer weather today becuase it's slipping away quickly. . .

Happy Halloween!!

2008-10-31T11:16:00.000-05:00

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 :)

Switching things around again

2008-10-30T11:39:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-30T11:09:00.001-05:00

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. . .

Card for the day

2008-10-29T20:46:00.000-05:00

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!

It's getting chilly outside!

2008-10-28T15:26:00.000-05:00

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! :)

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

2008-10-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

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!

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

2008-10-12T14:31:00.000-05:00

. . .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!

2008-10-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

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!

Took a walk today, feelin' great!

2008-10-10T10:32:00.000-05:00

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

Health issue?

2008-10-09T21:25:00.000-05:00

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.

Halloween cards

2008-10-08T10:11:00.000-05:00

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

2008-10-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

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.

Fun activities

2008-10-07T09:17:00.000-05:00

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!

So much goin' on!

2008-10-05T10:07:00.000-05:00

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!!

My husbands' sacrafice

2008-10-01T08:44:00.000-05:00

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

Some positive thoughts. . .

2008-09-25T11:28:00.001-05:00

Ok, when things get too overwhelming you just have to stop, take a breath, and list some postives in your life. That's where I'm at right now.

It's too easy for me to think of all the negative things in my life; I ate alot of 'crap' last weekend. I haven't walked this week. I need to wait almost a month to deliver my work and get paid.

So let me list a few good things.

**After giving it a second thought, I put away the cinamon toast crunch cereal and opted for cheerios this morning.

**I didn't get Starbucks while I was out this morning. Instead, I waited till I got home and made my own caffinated beverage. (saved money and calories.)

**I have done 4 of the 5 things on my list for the day, and it's not even noon.

**The comcast man is coming today to fix my stupid phone issue.

Ok. I needed that.

I'll take a picture of the back deck. Ken stripped it and it looks brand new! (it's 16 years old) He's going to stain it soon.

High around 82 today

2008-09-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

I am very much looking forward to next week--the weather is predicted to be in the high sixties/low seventies. I am so tired of the humidity!!

Ok, enough complaining.

Ken and I found a church close to our house and tried it out 2 sundays ago. I filled out the guest info card and later that week a couple from the . . .what do you call it. . .care commity? . . .well, anyway they showed up at my door one evening with this package of goodies (including a gladware container of HOMEMADE cookies!) and a smile, welcoming us to come back and asking if we had any questions! I'm telling you, this church is SOOOO nice, friendly, welcoming. . .we love it! The kids go to Awana every wednesday night (it's like a bible study/fellowship/funtime for them in groups of kids their own age) and I've been going to a mom's group on monday mornings for 2 hours. I truely know we've found a church home. We love it!

Look at this beautiful house! It's a bed and breakfast scrapbooking place in Grand Rapids, MI! I went their this past weekend with 7 other friends (and made 3 new friends while I was there!) It was a GREAT time. Very relaxing, but productive at the same time. I got 32 pages done in one of the albums I'm doing for hire. (I was going to work on my stuff, but I really want to get this album done so I can deliver it and get paid!)
The home was built in the 1880's for the Mayor's son and family. It's got three floors totaling over 6000 sq feet! It was simply magnificent inside, and we throughly enjoyed being waited on by the FABULOUS and friendly innkeepers!!
This is the dinning room. The table extends for large groups (like us.)
Above is the double parlor where we worked. There's a fridge there for us with all kinds of non-stop beverages and even ice cream sandwiches in the freezer!

So back to business. Here is the new floor in the play room. I'm going to paint the walls (panneling) as it's been a bit dinged up and a bit damaged from being taken off and put back on. I'm thinking of going with a neutral almond type color. Something not too dark, but not stark white, and will go nicely with the tones in the floor. Which, by the way, is a one piece vinyl floor.
The bathroom is also a one piece vinyl floor. I like this one very much, too! I think I'll repaint this room the same color as the playroom. It'll warm it up a little without making it too dark.
And here are a few pics of fall in our home!

Well, the dryer is buzzing and I need to call comcast about a problem with my phone service. Stupid comast.

It's not bad. . .

2008-09-18T12:01:00.000-05:00

Please let me start by saying that I am greatful for the situation we have and praising God for the cross we have to bare---I can't fathom what people in Texas and Louisiana are going through. Even throughout the midwest people are being flooded terribly. Two of my best friends live in Crestwood and their backyards are LAKES now. My sister in law's crawlspace is FLOODED to the max. I am praying for them, and everyone. And as I said--I thank God for the little bit we have to deal with. It's not bad, and--in fact--is a blessing becuase we're able to remove any mold that was there and stop anymore from growing. And that carpet in the bathroom is gone! (I went to menards yesterday and found peel and stick tile for the playroom and the bathroom :)

OK--so here are how things stand today. This is the play room. My father in law carefully removed the panneling and found drywall behind it. The drywall was DRY, thank God. But he wanted to see if water was coming in from the bottom of the wall, so he removed a bunch of the panneling and drywall. The black you see is paint--someone marked the studs with spraypaint. Believe me, when I saw it I thought it was mold--I freaked out!

This is just a shot of the floor. See the curious kitties? Always underfoot.
Ok. This is in the bathroom between the shower stall and the sink vaniety. That's gravel. Very damp, very smelly. My father in law is going to fill it with concrete.
The playroom things have been strewn about in the family room.

So hopefully by the end of this weekend things will be fixed and nearly back to normal. I'm going to buy the tile for the playroom and bathroom today. I may have to install it myself on monday, but I'm good with that.

This weekend I'm going on a scrapbooking trip with some friends. I was going to work on my things, but it's clear that I need to work on WORK so I can get it done. I feel good about that, though. I know I'll have two full days of nothing but cropping, uninterupted.

Be back soon!

Water + mold = smell!

2008-09-16T09:15:00.000-05:00

UGH! We got water in the downstairs (grade level) bedroom--which we use as a play room--and the carpet on the one side actually SQUISHES and water comes up from inbetween my toes! Thank God my in laws are here for a few days and my father in law is pretty much taking care of this for me! The down stair bathroom had carpet in it, and there is a drain under the carpet. The carpet was all wet, and I think it's from water backing up in that drain. So he tore out all the carpet and padding, scraped the floor (becuase there's glue on it) and it helped get rid of some of the smell. He's gonna try to get the water up with our carpet cleaner. Oh, and there's mold on the backside of the drywall in the bathroom (on at least ONE wall--the one we can see becuase the opposite side is in a closet.)

More on this as it develops.

Catching up. . .

2008-09-14T12:34:00.000-05:00

Hello to everyone on this rainy sunday afternoon!! It's suppoused to clear up by tuesday and be nice and COOL! Fall-like! I love it. I plan on decorating on friday, so I'll be sure to share pics early next week!

So here's some of the work I've been doing. This stack of pages is from Kristen's daughters' album.

I know I need to take the pics of these pages BEFORE I slip the plastic page protector on, but I am usually on a roll and once the page is done, it gets covered. I'll try to snap some pictures of the upcoming pages before I put the glare-maker on it.

It's hard to get a good shot! I was getting so frustrated!! I know you can barely see anything here.

Let me get you up to date on some of the goings on around our home~~

Here is the front landscaping before I ripped out the bushes. . .

. . .and right afterwords. You can see the big rootball of the yucca. .. looks like a big spider. I have 9 mums planted, and I'm praying they do well despite all the rain. I'm going to add a stepping stone walk way through the dirt/river rock, and in the spring I'm going to cover the dirt/rock with mulch. It's gonna be fabulous.

Look at how big the kittens are getting! Cookie is on the left, he is fluffier and has a bigger tail than Cupcake. She is on the right--notice her tiny tail.

It's so sweet when they're sleeping together!

Abby lost a front tooth this morning!!!

We went to a new church this morning called "Grace". It was very nice! Much smaller than we're used to, but still about 200 people. I"m going to a mom's group tomorrow morning from 9:30-11:30. I'm really looking forward to it!

Wellp, off to get to work on Adria's kids' albums! See you soon! (I PROMISE!)

"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential."--- Winston Churchill

I know, I know, it's been forever. . .

2008-09-11T12:38:00.000-05:00

. .. so much for "I'll post something every day", right? I'm sorry! My parents have been here for 3 days and I've been distracted. On top of that, I have like 5 dr's appointments going on between me and my one son, so there's paper work and phone calls and yada yada yada. *Roll my eyes*. I feel like I'm still not in a 'normal' routine yet. I guess that's just life. I should be able to post some of the scrap pages tonight that I've been working on!! Hang in there with me---I have the best intentions, really!

As far as shrinking goes, my body is finally CHANGING!!! WHOOO HOOO!! My pants are lose on me RIGHT OUT OF THE DRYER, which does NOT happen, and I believe I'm going down a cup size! Yep, the eating better and walking is paying off! I'm just gonna keep it up, keep doing what I'm doing!

I'll post pics of my front landscaping later tonight, when my parents leave and I have more time. OH, and that'd be after I get back from my son's follow up appointment (from his pnemonia) this after noon, too. Ugh. What should I do about dinner. . .

Sunday afternoon

2008-09-07T13:50:00.001-05:00

UGH. I am SO CRANKY today! I do not know why! Yesterday I worked in the yard ALL DAY (I have some pics of that, but I'll have to post them later) and I was BEAT by the end of the day. I showered, relaxed, and slept well. I was a bit sore this morning, but not so much anymore. I am just SO irritable! I HATE when I feel like this! I feel like the house is a damn mess even though I JUST cleaned it, and I smell the cat box down here and it's PISSING ME OFF!!

So I wanted to get a sunday paper today, but we had to go to Menards after church to get some things Ken needs to redo the deck. We were all hungry (and my hair was flying in my face since I didn't have a hair claw) so we all wanted to get home. So then I'm looking for a hair claw and I cannot find one! I only have like TEN!!! Oooo, that made me mad! And can someone PLEASE explain to me WHY I'm up two pounds this morning after working my ass off yesterday?! I dug out SIX bushes and a BIG yucca plant AND planted 9 plants. . .those nine plants had to be put in landscaping that had river rock and plastic to bust through in order to get to the dirt! I swear, it was almost easier to rip out the six bushes and yucca!!! And Ken asked me today if I'm gonna plant the 192 bulbs I bought. . .hmmm, lemme think about it NO!!!! I'm gonna go to aldi becuase we need a bunch of stuff, (and believe me, grocery shopping doesn't sounds very appealing at all right now) becuase I DO NOT want to have to do it tomorrow. I am BEHIND on my work and I NEED to get alot done tomorrow.

Sigh. Alright. I think I feel better now. Maybe.

I'm loving this weather!

2008-09-05T10:34:00.000-05:00

I know the coolness and rain comes at the expense of one or more hurricanes, and because of that I pray for all on the coast to be safe. But 65 degrees is HEAVEN to me! The windows are open, I've got some candles burning, music playing. . .mmmm, I LOVE it!

Ok, so listen to this. I went to the mall for a walk today. ("But Jen," you say, "The weather is so beautiful.")I know, I know. But it could rain at any moment. So at first the pessimistic side of me was like "It's friday. Why the heck would you walk at the END of the week? Why bother. Start monday." Then the LOGICAL side of me said "Seize the day! Do it now! Walk today AND tomorrow! So what if it's friday!" So I drove the kids to school (Eric is getting over a bad asthma episode and has dr's orders to stay out of gym class and do NOT walk to school) and went right to the mall! I walked for 30 minutes and I feel GREAT! Then I got home and unloaded 20 12x12 patio pavers onto the side of my house to make a walkway through the muddy area for the kids. The pavers each weigh 24 pounds, so I got a good upper body toning workout!

Ok, onto some pictures so I can get to work. . .

The kitties are getting big, and they are VERY playful! Most of the time that's fine, but it sometimes gets to the point where I need to break it up! They're like toddlers--getting into things they shouldn't .

The side of the house here was WAY muddy last fall and this past spring. Grass just won't grow by the fence, and the kids go in and out of the back garage service door all the time, so I needed to keep things from getting messy. The pavers will sink into the ground and be fine. Sure, I could've layed down pea gravel, but then I'd need to surround the walk way with edging, and I think that would stick out like a sore thumb. I'll try this first. I know someone who had good luck doing it this way.

And finally, some art work! I need to find a better way to photograph these pages. I know the page protector on it doesn't help, but still, I can never seem to get a good shot.

Today I plan on getting no less than 10 pages done in the current album I'm working on, and tonight I'm going to make cards! I have a few in mind I need to do. Tomorrow Ken and I are going to dig up the spindly bushes out of our front yard and I'm planting MUMS! YEAH! I love fall!!

"Amazing love! How can it be that you, my King, would die for me?" Chris Tomlin, You are my King

Catching up again!

2008-09-03T11:14:00.000-05:00

Will I ever have a day that I am not busy? I guess probably not, eh? Eric is home from school again with a bad case of asthma, and I've been on the phone trying to get a hold of his dr so I can get a rescue inhaler before he goes back to school. Oh, and we need more Xopenex. Kind of important. Geez.

So here are a few cards I made last night.

I got this stamp set at archivers. Lately I grab anything I see that has to do with coffee. That reminds me. . .I need to stop at Dunkin Donuts for a pick me up. Maybe Eric wants a donut. . .

The above card is made with "Welcome to the Neighborhood" from CTMH. My brother and his (almost) wife just moved into a GREAT new apartment, so I'll send this out to them. (Even though I'm not part of the neighborhood--I can still welcome them to it, can't I?)

This stamp set is from My Favorite Things--I love this set! The flowers, ribbon, paper, cardstock, brads and markers are close to my heart.

My goal for work today is to complete 8 pages. I don't think that will be a problem. First I"ll go out to Dunkin Donuts with Eric, and I think I'll stop at Wal-Mart to get my pictures from the wine trip. The rest of the day will be work. I'll post up some layouts later!

"A goal without a plan is just a wish." --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

It's 1a.m. tuesday night---or wednesday morning. . .

2008-09-03T00:46:00.000-05:00

. . .depending on how you look at it~

I have three cards to post, but I need to get to bed right now. I'll get them up after the kids are off to school. More to come soon! :)

"You can have it all. You just can't have it all at once." --Oprah

Girl's Winery Trip!

2008-08-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

We had a BLAST! Me, Beth, Anita, Katie and Michelle went to Michigan for 2 and a half days. We went to various wineries and wine tasting rooms, bought a bunch of wine, went peach picking, boating with a friend, and LAUGHED nearly the entire time!

The above picture is us on the tractor pull that brings us out to the peach, necterine and plum orchards.

Me and Anita :)

This was the first place we tasted at. We got to try 5 different wines. I ended up with 9 bottles by the end of the trip, Beth had 12, Katie and Michelle had around 9 and Anita had 4. We got some GREAT tasting wine!!
It was AMAZING to me how much fruit was on each branch! Ken and I are taking the kids apple picking this fall!! They will love it!

Oh, poor Anita! She will NEVER live this down. We went under a very low bridge, and in all fairness, we ALL hit the deck. . .Anita, however, got stuck!

Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather, with your friends. --Czech Proverb

I've got alot planned for September!

2008-08-26T21:37:00.001-05:00

Here's a picture from the Naperville trip a few weeks ago. My brother dan is holding his son, Nicolas, all the way on the left. Jennifer and her daughter Jessica are above Tom and Eric, respectively, and Abby is next to Eric. Me and Ken are all the way to the right.

No art right now, but trust me---it's coming! I have half a dozen cards I need to make and send out, and I'll be sure to show all of you what I put together! I also have some pictures to post up from this past weekend; the girls' winery trip! It was a BLAST! And guess what---I made GOOD choices in food. That along with the walking helped combat some of the bad choices that were made and I still lost one pound over the weekend!!! How great is that?!

Ok, I need to get the kids in bed and finish up some laundry before I fall into bed. I just wanted to let you all know that I plan on posting up art work EVERY DAY starting in September!! I'll get pics up tomorrow from the wine trip.

"No longer give your strength to that wich you wish to be free from." --Jewel, Life Uncommon

Look! An update!!

2008-08-21T11:11:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Where the heck have I been, huh? Well, today the kids are officially in school so I PROMISE I'll be on here nearly EVERYDAY!!!

Let's start out with some art! How cute is this bella?! I'm sending this card to my mother in law---we love shopping together and it's been tooooo long since we've had a 'session' of our 'therapy'!

Last weekend we went up to Naperville and spent saturday with Dan and his family! Here are a few shots from the Riverwalk. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and we had a great time!

Here is Abby and Eric rolling down a huge hill!! This picture was taken at max zoom (is that a technical phrase?). The hill was HUGE!

Dan and Nicolas xoxoxo

More art coming later. Tomorrow I'm leaving on a girls' trip with 4 of my friends to Michigan!! I'll post pics. Have a great weekend!

Choppin' wood

2008-08-10T19:48:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of the wood pile in our back yard. It keeps growing and growing! Not only do we use the wood for fires at night outside, but Ken's stockpiling for fall and winter.

Here's Ken in action, splittin' wood!

This fall (geez, only 6 weeks away or so!) Ken is going to restain the back porch. We're gonna take off all the screens, Ken's gonna spray the stain on, and we'll replace the screens in the spring. We love our deck!

New family room arrangement

2008-08-10T18:25:00.000-05:00

We are LOVING our family room this way!! I think maybe for Christmas we'll move the single leather chair and put the tree there, next to the fire place. The upstairs might look a little bare, but I think it'd be SOOO nice to have the tree by the fire place!! What do you think?

Adjusted scrap space

2008-08-10T18:21:00.001-05:00

I've got a 'new' desk! Ken and I switched the family room around, and it worked out best to put the bigger desk (minus it's hutch) in my scrap area, and the smaller one to the right of my desk. Now Ken and I can both see the dvd player on my desk and watch Law and Order, Family Guy, CSI or an assortment of movies together while we hang out at our desks!

Workin' for a livin'. . .

2008-08-10T18:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some shots of pages I did for Kristen's Disney album

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2008-08-09T19:53:00.000-05:00

If you know me, you know I LOVE change. There isn't a room in my house that looks the same for more than 8-12 months at a time. We've been in our 'new' home now for a year, and the family room has finally undergone a much needed switch!! Ken and I moved the furniture to a MUCH better configuration, and I'm so excited about it! Tomorrow I'll spend a few hours rearranging the wall decor, then I'll take pictures and show all of you!!! WAIT till you see how FABULOUS it looks!! As for now, I'm spent. It's 8pm saturday night and Ken is splitting wood out back for a fire tonight. I just don't have the energy to takle the wall decor tonight, as much as I'd like to. In the morning we're going to church. After that, I'll get right to work and post the pictures up asap!!! I also have pictures in my camera of some work I've done in the scrap albums, like I promised to show.

I've been watching fat and carbs along with walking every day, per my doctor's orders. My cholesterol is far too high (as is my weight, duh). But now that my health is the issue, and it's not just a 'vanity' thing, I'm REALLY doing what I should be. . .and I feel great~!

Close to my Heart and Stampin Up both released their new catalog/idea books!! I'm SO excited to get a few new images, tools, colors and ideas!! The kids start school in 2 short weeks, and there will be a routine in place. I will be MUCH more loyal to this blog, my art, and I can't wait to see how much my levels (and weight) come down! Come along with me on this crazy, wild ride. . .

"Life is a journey, not a destination. Enjoy the ride." ---I dont know.

Health news. . .

2008-08-07T15:19:00.000-05:00

Ok. I went to the dr. today. The results from my holter monitor are fine, really. There's an early heartbeat every now and then, but nothing that is bad. Dr. said if it got to the point where it was driving me nuts, she could give me a beta blocker, but at this point it's not necessary. Plus, I have a problem with being very tired all the time, and she said that there's a period of about 3 weeks on a beta blocker that you struggle with fatigue. As for my being tired problem, the Dr. is sending me to a sleep study. Oh, and my cholesterol is HIGH. I need to start a low fat way of life and I need to walk walk walk every day.

On a good note, I'm down 5 pounds!

Mamma Mia!!

2008-08-03T23:57:00.001-05:00

I went to see Mamma Mia with 9 friends this weekend and THAT MOVIE ROCKS!!! 5 stars, 4 thumbs up, standing ovation, 110%---BEST movie I've seen in a LONG time!!! I definitly plan on getting the soundtrack, and I'm sure I'll be at the theatre to see it AGAIN sometime this month!! Go with your girlfriends! You'll laugh! You'll cry!! OMG it was FANTASTIC!!!!