Laura's piece of Paradise

JOY

2011-12-28T16:20:00.000-06:00

I'm little bit early for my word for the year. It is going to be JOY. I want to find Joy in the little things and have joy in my life. I am tired of living with depression and how it sucks the JOY out of EVERYTHING! I am now going to find Joy in everything. I am going to start by having a bracelet made that says JOY. When I start to feel down or blue or insecure or just plain ugly, I am going to look at that hopefully turn myself around. It is a start, right?

Thank you for reading I know I have not updated any pictures of myself lately, it is coming. I promise! :)
Finding Joy is how I want to embrace and then remember 2012.

Hugs and thanks for reading.
Laura

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T19:58:00.000-06:00

It has been a long time since I posted. It has been a rather strange year. I'm hoping to do more scrapping in the next few months, but I'm still into LIVING rather than documenting. I have a hard time being able to do both so I think I will live for now and hope for time to document later! :)

Have a wonderful holiday I know I have. I have been spending time with my husband and children. It has been very low key and wonderful.

Thanks for stopping by.
Hugs,
Laura

Happy Memorial Day

2011-05-30T06:00:00.003-05:00

Hello Bloghoppers!
Welcome to our Memorial Day Blog Hop!

This is a layout I made for my husband when he retired from The Air Force.
There is NO cricut stuff...but this is a simple statement of the pride I have in him and the long career we had in the Air Force.
K & Co. paper and stickers
CD's (see'd's) stamps for the military
Thank you stamp is stampabilties

Thank you for looking to day and leave a comment and I will send some blog candy (a box of scrappy goodies) to a randomly drawn person in comments. Just leave a way for me to get in touch with you if you win.
Thank you for visiting today...

here is next in line.

Kristen - http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/ --You go here NEXT!

You are here from....

1. Michele - http://greengirlscraps.blogspot.com/ ------- You camer from HERE!

2. Laura - http://lauras--piece--of--paradise.blogspot.com/----- You are here!

3. Kristen - http://fantabulouslypink.blogspot.com/--You go here NEXT!

4. Rexann - http://ibecircled.blogspot.com/

5. Jamie - http://www.myamusinglife.blogspot.com/

6. Dana - Paper Memories (http://irwdanataft.blogspot.com/ )

7. Cindy - http://www.inlovewithpaper.blogspot.com/

8. Brenda - http://happyscrapper64.blogspot.com/

9. Roberta - http://www.txscrappermom.blogspot.com/

10. Renee - http://icameisawicreated.blogspot.com/

Thanks for stopping by! Happy Memorial Day to you!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T14:56:00.000-05:00

I am having a beautiful Mother's Day. I have a wonderful family that loves me and here are my beautiful Children...

Yes, Mother's Day has some gifts...

An Expression 2 from HSN...I got this a little early so I could play with it during National Scrapbook Day.

A Beatles Itunes Card and I got Yellow Submarine! :)

Bethanie drew a picture of my favorite picture of Rajah. She used pastels on orange paper. It really loooksjust like that picture I took of him, smiling and all.

I am so spoiled by my family and the best part is, I am still scrappin! :) After a QUICK trip to Michaels to get a frame for my beautiful picture of Rajah. Now, where to put it? :)

Here is the 3d object or Challenge #5 from My Pink Stampers NSD Challenges. I am still having fun.

This is an altered clothespin. I had to paint it and then I added a Lion to it and butterfly...This is for my classroom of course! I am Mrs. Lee and we are Lee's Lions. (we really do ROAR) LOL

NSD

2011-05-07T10:44:00.011-05:00

National Scrapbook DayI will be posting off and on all day to participate in several online places! YIPPEE!! My favorite day of the year!

ok...this is me scrapping my kitty layout! :)

I am on Challenge #4. I did the Mother's Day theme...

Prima papers, with some Basic Grey Cardstock for the journaling box. Everything is Steel Toe Mary and Whisper lines of paper from Prima. Prima flowers and leaves. Quickutz Marisa for the title. (yes it has been a long time since I pulled out my QK fonts) LOL
I also used the elegant corner punch from EK Success. Lots of blasts from the past. This whole layout is over 2 years old except for the flowers...those are the newest thing I have on the layout. The baby pictures are 20 and 18 years old...yes I know that means my babies are no longer babies, but they were so cute! :)

This is for the mother layout on MPS! :)
Thanks again for looking at my work...:)
Good Night (it is 2:30 A.M) !

I had to take a break for dinner and stuff and couldn't find the picture I wanted for the Mother challenge so here I am skipping all the way to Challenge 10! :)

I used some really old Autumn Leaves kitty paper and some Basic Grey Cardstock. I used the Classic Alphabet font installed on the Expression 2. I also used some puffy thickers and a white gelly roll pen by sakura. Chocolate Cardstock from Bazzill.

Challenge 3 is to do a Breast Cancer Card/layout...whatever.

Remember the link is My Pink Stamper

Here is mine:

I used the More to Adore Line from CTMH...I found the slip that said what line it was! :) I used CTMH Always remember stamps, and some ribbon from Lifetime Moments kit. Chestnut Roan for the inking and Chocolate for the stamps along with Bubblegum.

Thanks for looking

Oh yea...and Rhonnie this is for your challenge on DS2.

Challenge 2 is to use Kraft Paper! Be back in a few minutes! :)
This one did not take too long as I used all the Products from Fancy Pants and I used my wide format printer to journal straight on the layout. (I really love being able to do that)!

This layout was quite simple but I have had it in my kits forever. I'm so glad it is done and the story of the appetite has been told. He really could eat a lot. What I forgot to mention...this was his 2nd helping of spaghetti that night!!!!

This layout is for A Cherry On Top sketch and for My PinkStamper Challenge number 1...use cupcakes! :)
My Pink Stamper is where you will find the challenges! :)
This is Bethanie at about 1 year. She just woke up from a nap and came to find me! :) She could NOT walk yet..so sweet! :)

What I used for this layout! :)

CTMH paper, I don't remember the line but think it is Cherish. (I only have 2 lines, you think I could remember them!)LOL. (Corrected....More to Adore)

I used Kate's ABC's Cricut Cartridge for the letters.

CTMH Chocolate ink for distressing.

Scribble Scrabble pink for mat.

Martha Stewart lace punch...

Imagine Cupcake from Imagine More Cards.

Picture of my sweet baby scanned on my Mustek 1200 A3 scanner and printed with an HP8750 wide format printer. That is why the picture is so grainy...it is from 1993...it is a small picture...lol

This is the challenge from A Cherry On Top, the very first challenge was to answer the Question...What would you do if you won the lottery/million Dollars...and this was the first thing that popped into my head. Go Back to Paradise!

Thanks for looking!

Hugs,

Laura

Saturday's are special

2011-03-26T12:13:00.000-05:00

Ahhh...remember Saturday when you were a kid (depending on your era). Running down the stairs at the crack of dawn to watch cartoons. (Scooby Doo, Fred Flinstone, The Loony Tunes Hour and Captain Caveman were some of the favorites).

Now my Saturdays are all business it seems, run one kid here and one run kid there. I LOVE MY LIFE...
But sometimes...I miss running down the stairs in my favorite jammies turning on the t.v. and watching cartoons while eating Sugar Smacks.

Here is to your Saturday and I hope you are having a Wonderful Day.

Winner of the Blog Candy

2011-03-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

The winner of the blog candy and 12 pack sampler of Divine Twine is

Your prize will be in tins, but will not have the bugheads on it. :)

Thanks for playing!!!

alwayscharlie said...

I love your 'sappy' layout AND the idea for a love album!!

smilesmoore2 atverizon dotnet

Please contact me Charlie and I will send you the twine!
Have a great day.
Laura

Love Blog Hop and Blog Candy!

2011-03-19T03:00:00.076-05:00

Welcome to the Lovely Blog Hop brought to you by

ScrappyRN aka Dawn.

If you get lost just click on the link above and it will give you all of the addresses.

There will also be a listing at the bottom of this post, so you will know where to go! :)

You should have got here from Liz

And you're next location will be Michelle

This blog hop is to showcase someone that we love. Mine just happens to my dear sweet husband, Billy. He is the rock in my world and I would not be the person I am without him.

The journaling is hard to read on the layout so here it is.

I love you With all my heart

What that means to me is I get to go to sleep with my best friend.
When I laugh with you, it is not the same as with anyone else.
When you look at me with such love, I sometimes feel I am not worthy of being loved so much.
I know what it means to be truly loved.
I know that I always have you with me, even when you are not by my side.
I know that I am on your mind as much as you are on mine.
I know that I will get to cuddle with my best friend and that is one thing we both live for.
I know the scariest thought each of us has is “what if something happens to her/him?”
I know that I love you with all my heart and that you love me with all of yours.
Loving you means that I am free to be the best I can be, knowing you are by my side.

So this is one of those sappy layouts that my kids HATE to read! :) and it is going into my Love album. Yes I have an album dedicated to all those mushy I love you things that I say about the people I care about. It is the People We Love album. It is getting full and for that I am truly grateful.

Now for the Blog Candy! :) I have a sampler pack of all 12 colors of Divine Twine in their own lil' tin. All you have to do is leave a comment below and on Thursday March 24, 2011 I will post a winner. Remember to leave me a way to get in touch with you, either through email, blog, or Cricut.com message board username. :) You don't have to become a follower, but comments are always appreciated! :)

Thank you for visiting our Blog Hop today!
Have a Wonderful Weekend and enjoy this beautiful spring day! :)
Hugs,
Laura

Blog in order of appearance :)

Dawn

Roberta

Liza

Vicky

Kymberlee

Sue

Bobbi Jo

Michelle

Sara

Misty

Kate

Liz
Me <------------- You are here

Michelle

Shawn

Mary
Cindy

Circle Cybercrop

2011-03-18T11:06:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I am part of the Cricut Circle, we are having a fun cybercrop, because we were unable to attend the Cricut Stampede in Frisco TX, for whatever reason. :) So, we are having our own crop. The first challenge of the weekend was this card sketch.

And this layout sketch:

And the next challenge was to use this color pallette! eek!

I have a plan, but come back later to see what I made! :)

Have a great day and don't forget to come back tomorrow to see all the participants in this blog hop! :)

Have a great day!

STYLISH BLOGGER AWARD

2011-03-13T22:28:00.000-05:00

Stylish Blogger Award

I feel so honored to be given a blog award.

Thank you so much Caroline! To be recognized by someone as talented as you is a true honor! :)
View her blog Here and her wonderful work! She has wonderful tutorials that I have learned from! :)

Thank you again, and now along with the rules of the blogger award I must share 8 things with you about me!

1. I am totally in love with my family.

2. I love Scrapbooking to a point where it is almost unhealthy.

3. I Love to shop for crafty goodies.

4. I love my Cats and Dog. They are so silly.

5. I love Chocolate and Coffee.

6. I love the color purple and plan on painting my VW Bug purple.

7. Oh yea, I LOVE MY CAR...her name is sunshine! :)

8. Like Kate, I love my job! I am a teacher for children with autism.

I am now passing this fabulous and stylish award to the following (in no particular order):

Heather - A Little Time

Jennifer and Summer - Cricut Diaries

Carolyn - Carolyn's Creative Corner

Sharon - Sharon Langford Designs

Kristen - My fantabulous life

Kathea - Say it with ink

Deanna - Moments to Cherish

Deidre - Scrapperdee Rambling

Please go visit these wonderful ladies! :) They are all deserving of the honor! :)

Have a great night!

On to other items... The Great Paper Purge is still in effect. I have never purged my paper. Not to this extent anyway. I have paper that I bought from Hobby Lobby when I first started buying paper. This is some seriously ugly paper! I plan on making lots of envelopes! LOL.

Anyway, I think I have already given away 1000 sheets of paper in various RAKS. Now I have probaby a foot of paper in a stack and I have only gone through half of my patterned paper. So, now it is time to shred some of it to put in packages, and then I think I will have to send some to the scrapbook store to sell in consignment. Some is going to my DD's school for donation. Some of it is going to my classroom for various projects. Still So much left. I am seriously thinking the only thing different between me and the people on Hoarders is that I have it organized! My dream is to get the room purged down and in order so I can get my dream desk! We shall see.

Have a great night and don't forget to visit the ladies above and give them some love, they do beautiful work! :)

A Scrappy Share

2011-02-26T22:57:00.000-06:00

I finally got to go to a Crop at Scrap Happy last weekend and I had some fun. I decorated my Cricut Expression so when I do go to a crop, there is no mistaking who it belongs to! :) I really wanted a purple expression and couldn't justify spending the money for one when I already have 2 of these machines!

I used my brand new EveryDay Cricut Cartridge. Exclusive to the Cricut Circle Members! (me). The cuts I used were the font, the phrase Love My Bug, but cut off the Love My part. I used the cricut head on the cart and the circle that was part of the nameplate. I love the purple. Now when I go to crop's I don't have to worry about making a nametag! It is on my cricut!

I used some purple vinyl from Scrap Happy and I used some Doodlebug forget me knot Bazzill to cut the letters. I used the iRock to add a little bling to all the antenea of the letters. I used Picturesque to make the corners. Looking at my Bug now just makes me Happy.

February again

2011-02-05T10:20:00.000-06:00

So, it is February again. I can't say that I am looking forward to it. I can't say that I love Valentine's Day. I can't say that I am happy it is the shortest month of the year.

I can say that I still miss my mom so much it hurts. I can say that I when I think of Valentine's Day I think of the horrible pain of losing my mom. I can say I am glad it is the shortest month of the year so it can hurry up and be over.

That is all I have to say today.

I miss my mom.

Encourage

2011-01-10T23:40:00.000-06:00

My word found me as is often the case. I was going over ideas with my husband and he said what about Courage? I said, me, little mousy me? Not likely to have a lot of courage. He says then well how about Encourage you are always encouraging others to do the best they can and to have faith. After that I started seeing where it could be an inspiring word for the year.

Encouraging words for others as well as to encourage me to do the things I want to do. So, that is my word for the year. Encourage...but more for myself to do and try new things and to keep up with my weight loss. Encourage myself not to lose hope on losing more and getting to my goal this year. I know I am half way there and know I can keep going. I just need the right encouragement. (Like a shopping spree for new clothes)! LOL

I am also encouraging myself to use what I have in my scrapbook room instead of buying new items. That is going to be sad for the Local Scrapbook Shoppe. Sometimes I think I was a great help in keeping itin business for a little while. I bought a free pass for Crops for the year, so I can go to crops without it costing me anything. Yippee. It also came with 10% off all purchases, but I won't be purchasing anything soon. (even though she is now carrying Tim Holtz Sizzix dies...sigh).

With my Use What You Have challenge for January (I'm going month by month instead of the whole year). Here is some of what I have made. The first one is Christmas Joy. I made the presents with the Imagine and the Snow Angel cartridge along with the Title on the present. The present comes from Create a Critter cartridge and used my expression. It was a wonderful sound hearing the Imagine and the Expression working at the same time! :) Gypsy played a part by making sure I placed my pieces in the right places on the mat to be cut.
The papers I used are Basic Grey, Dasher and Blitzen paper lines.
The ribbon is Webster's pages lace ribbon and the velvet was in my stash, (but I know I bought it from Scrapper's Den in Honolulu years ago).
Strip journaling was done with a CK font.
Tim Holtz ticket, corsage pin and reindeer charm in my stash.
Stickles and machine stitching.

Bethanie's month is January, I tend to do a lot of layouts about her, and December is usually Branch's due to his music program and how much he loves Christmas.

Kilroy Wuz Here showed such a silly Day at our house!
I used Mac n Cheese Sizzlits. (yep, still use those)! 7 Gypsies photo turns, ribbon, and Making Memories brads. I used all Jenni Bowlin papers and an American Crafts Slick Writer for the journaling. I love how fast those pens dry! No smearing. I used an old Becky Fleck Page Map (2005)!
The one on top comes from PageMaps 2 book.

I hope ya'll have a great week and I ENCOURAGE you to chase your dreams and make some beautiful things on the way. I ENCOURAGE you to tell your story!

Hugs to you until next time!
Laura

Happy Birthday Bethanie!

2011-01-08T14:19:00.000-06:00

DEAR BETHANIE!!!

My Dearest Daughter turned 18 today. How did I end up with a woman in my home? I miss my little baby, but I love the woman she is becoming. She makes me proud to be her mom and I LOVE being her mother.

She opted for no actual party this year at the house. She just wanted to go to the local Hibache restaurant and enjoy a good dinner with family. We were lucky to have Grandpa come with us to eat. He had never been to a Japanese steakhouse. He loved the food and the experience! Daddy partied it up at the Japanese Steakhouse. They offered him Saki and he took them up on it! Silly man! Branch and Bethanie both caught food with their mouth and Billy had thrown at him. Maybe he shouldn't have offered the cook a mouthful of Wasabi!

Bethanie loves the Volcano they make with the onion on the grill. It keeps us all warm! :)

Here is our beautiful birthday girl with her flower and ice cream for her birthday. How did she turn 18?

Of course I have to add something crafty! (I am keeping busy this year so far). Billy had a Dr.'s appointment yesterday to get his eyes checked. I started to show him the Car Decals catridge on the gypsy. I showed him the elk and how we could cut the animal out of vinyl for his truck. He says "Nah, I'd rather have a Whitetail Buck." I said, "I have one of those." He says..."well, let's see!"

This is what we came up with to go on his truck. I used the white tail buck off of the Car Decals cartridge, with the hodgepodge button highlighted at 6.0 inches height. The details were hidden with the contour button except the mouth and the eye. The letters were cut out using Old West standard font at 1.5 inches. The SL HC is the State Line Hunting Club

This is the proof of what we are going to put on his truck. I am having a blast learning new things with my Imagine and my cricut. I will have more Imagine items coming.

Thanks for looking and making comments.

I will be back tomorrow with my One Word for the Year. I think it found me. :)

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T16:13:00.001-06:00

I hope all of you had a wonderful New Year Celebration with family and friends.

Bethanie was blessed to see her best friend that she had while we stationed in Biloxi together. Hannah is now in Tennessee and came to meet us at my Dad's house in Georgia when we went to see him in the first week of our Christmas break. the first page shows Bethie and Hannah now, the right page shows them when they were much younger in Biloxi. Look Beth is bigger than Hannah! Hannah is 4 inches taller than her now!

In these pages I used:
Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday background paper
Cosmo Cricket Gretel papers
Basic Grey Bling
Imagine Better Together on the right page.
Hello Kitty Font and shadow fused with gypsy
Lots of brown (chestnut roan) chalk ink (cat's eye)
The left page I am submitting to MY Pink Stamper for Design Team call. :) The right page doesn't apply because there are too many colors. (I needed to use pink, green, brown and one other color.)

It has been a long time since I have served on a Design Team, the last time I did was with Jana Eubanks on Gettin Sketchy. I had to give it up because I was looking for a job. Soon after I left the DT the owner closed the blog down.

Other great news for Bethanie! Another best friend she met while we were stationed in Hawaii came here from Tuesday to Friday. We had been planning it for weeks that he would come during the holiday so that she would have a great 18th Birthday! It was a giant surprise because she did not know that Carl was coming from Jacksonville. Carl is all she asked for when I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and Christmas, so her wish came true. These guys are so close, and with technology today, distance is not a factor in keeping friendships. Yes he is 6'1" and Beth is 4'11.5" tall. She gets her height from her mom!

I hope all you have had a wonderful New Year. I know my wonderful daughter has.

My husband and I went on a dinner date Thursday night in honor of our twenty-third anniversary. We had a lovely dinner at McGuire's in Pensacola. My favorite picture of the evening...

I hope everyone has had as nice a Holiday Season as we have and that I wish all of you the best for the new year.

The Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T23:41:00.000-06:00

It has been a good day here in Florida. Windy and Cold, but it has been a very good day.

We had a lot of fun on Christmas. There were plenty of surprises, the biggest one for me, was a new Cricut Imagine. WOW! What a lot of fun that thing is. I am having a blast learning how to use my new toy and yes it is definitely a toy.

My family does like to spoil me. I guess we really all love each other and want to spoil each other. Look at me, all surprised and happy.

Branch got his Kinect and has been having so much fun playing Kinectimals...it is really cute. He chose a tiger and named him Rajah! :)

Bethanie got several books for Christmas this year, and this one is the first one she started reading so I guess she likes it best so far! :)

Rajah got a BIG BOX for Christmas. He loved the imagine box and right there he is in the wrapping paper and looking so darn cute. Love this kitty!

Billy is opening his favorite author. It was torturous for me to make him wait until Christmas to get the novel. But he waited and enjoyed it. I am so happy he finally gets to read it.

Hailey's best present...helping us open our gifts. That was the most fun for her. She is such a fun animal to have in the house, she knows how to make all of us feel special.

Now onto crafty items! I actually created a layout today with my new Imagine! Wow, I haven't scrapped much at all in 2010. I am hoping to have that change quite a big next year.

There are several items made with the Imagine on here, using the Imagine More cartridge I made some music paper that is part of the background, The title is all the imagine except for the American Craft Thicker letters. The journaling paper is from Prima, the negative strip on the bottom is a Sizzlit from Sizzix by Tim Holtz. There is even memorabilia on the page, these are the tickets to the Banquet.

I had a Great Christmas and Day after Christmas. One of the best things about Christmas this year...my Dad was here. He came yesterday afternoon and then left today after he and Billy installed a new faucet in my leaky sink. :) It is so much nicer now. My dad still can fix anything.

I will post some more neat stuff this week before going back to school. I am running a month long challenge on one of the message boards I go to online. I am going to play with my "imaginary friends" you know all those online people you meet. I am hoping for a good time and good turnout.

Well, good night ya'll.

Happy Fall

2010-10-09T12:43:00.003-05:00

Happy fall everyone! Boy it has been very busy this school year. It was kind of funny though because I have all the same students from last year plus one more. School started and new rules and regulations so I have been busy as ever just trying to get things set up. It is getting there but it just moving slower than I want. This is when I really could use Samantha's twitchy nose trick in Bewitched!

Billy has been home for months it has been awesome! We have been having so much fun together, it is going to end soon though. Billy has a trip planned in mid-October, he will be gone a week, but it will be a LONG week. We really like being married! :)

Branch is sitting in front of his giant t.v playing a game. LOL Bethanie caught him a little off gaurd with this photo. It is cute though! (do you see Bethanie's drum set...yes it is real, and yes it is loud, and yes she is very good)! I am still grateful for hearing aids though!

This is homecoming week for Bethanie so it has been a lot of busyness getting her to and from all of the events.

Bethanie and I before she went to the homecoming game to paint faces. She said she did lots of stripes in blue and gold under the eyes and lots of dolphins! :)

Isn't she the cutest little cowgirl you have ever seen. She looks just darn tootin! Too cute! :)
Love this little girl and she knows it! She is going to be proving her roots next week, she is going to be competing in a horse show! :) She is going to be jumping (little jumps) but big leaps of panic in my heart! :)

Oh well, I am ending this without any layouts or anything else to show off! :) I went to Scrap Pink weekend last weekend and completed a lot of pages and even a mini book about my car! :) I am going to share that next time!

Have a great weekend and Happy Fall Ya'll!

I'm Creating (a little)

2010-07-25T23:45:00.003-05:00

So I am creating a little bit again. It felt good. There was a challenge in the Cricut Circle to use cartridges you have never used before. I seem to be collecting a lot of cartridges and not using them lately. So here it is to at least try to get some use out of all this "stuff" I have. Or if your Billy "scrap crap." :)

The recipe is Picturesque cartridge, Gypsy font, Winter Woodlands, and Doodletype. I fused all my words together using the gyspy. The only cartridge I used in the machine was picturesque only because I couldn't wait to link it to my gypsy to do that pretty tag. I love that tag.

I glimmer misted the tag and then attached it to some bazzill dot cardstock. The butterfly I "think" is Heidi Swapp, I got in a Cocoa Daisy kit or a Lifetime moments kit. I don't know, it was floating around my work table begging to be used. So I did. I attached some Kaiser pearls and some crystals of unknown origin to it using KI gloo. The little butterfly crystals are from Creative Impressions. The journal tag is from Prima, I inked it to make it match the rest of the layout. I used a fiskar border punch for the small border and the photo mat. I attached the border using xyron and instead of erasing the residue I added glitter. It was different, I don't know if I will do that again, but it was an interesting effect and matched the bling bazzill on the bottom title and the glimmer mist on the picturesque title.

The picture itself was taken Thanksgiving 2009. It was such a sweet time, the little girls had so much fun dancing to the music and "flying." They are all growing up so fast. I am looking forward to seeing them next weekend if not for the why.

Thanks for coming by and checking out my layout! Have a great week!

Hugs,

CREATE

2010-07-16T15:15:00.005-05:00

Ok, so here I am trying to get creative again in Scrapbooking. I have been creating a new me and creating a lot of stuff for school, but now it is time for me to create for ME!!!

I have joined the Cricut Circle and have recieved the coolest cartridge called French Manor. NOT FOR SALE! It has just been brand newly hooked up to my gypsy and is all MINE MINE MINE...mwahahaha!

I have also joined BPS in a class which I haven't done since Hawaii! Seriously! So, it was time! I am hoping to do the Library of Memories if Stacy has that available this year. I truly am looking to jumpstart my creativity as the Southern Scrap Escape was cancelled and totally bummed me out for a couple of months.

I am seriously reorganizing and purging some things that I have had for a long time and really not ever a huge fan of. Tried it and used as much as I'm ever going to use and time for the rest of it to go away. Now, back in the day where I had to have ALL of the papers in a line. I have grown up since then and order what I will use. (unless its on sale!!!) You remember the huge flower paper from Basic Grey, did we ever use it? Nope, I still have every piece in every line...Vagabond, Black Tie, etc. SEI simple sets....well, I'm kind of over them too. I just recently burned myself out on those papers with my Assistants Scrapbook for the school year 2009-2010.

Ok...So, now what am going to CREATE with all this stuff, well...right now I'm hoping to finish my car book and my kitty book. I am having fun with lots of new techniques, I have never tried. But right now it is time for me get back to cleaning and purging!

Back to show you some neat stuff soon!!!

School's OUT!!!

2010-06-12T23:37:00.002-05:00

SCHOOL

I am so excited school is out for the summer. I have so many things planned, but mostly it is planning for next year! I hope to get my autism endorsement this year with just my classroom experience. I won't have to finish the classes I started to get it and that will take so much stress off of my day to day work.

HOME PLANS

Home life is great, Billy is home for the summer *keep your fingers crossed* Bethanie has started drum lessons to go with the drum set we have in our game/music room. UGH! I am just grateful I can take my hearing aids out! LOL.

Branch is still in guitar and is looking forward to working for A+ Marine this summer again. I am looking forward to getting to sleep in some of the time and and playing with my kids, dogie and hubby! :) I am starting to feel happy again, but always there is sadness in there.

MOM

Every day I wake up thinking of mom. It was really neat that I woke up this morning while dreaming about being in the middle of a conversation with my mom. When I woke up my first thought was, I need to call mom so we can finish our conversation, then I really "woke up" and was sad. I miss my mom, as time goes on some things are actually harder, I really can't go see her, and I really can't talk to her, and I really can't hug her, and I really can't feel her hand on my cheek as she always did. I know she is always with me, but I just miss her, and I can't help feeling, will it ever get better? Will it always hurt this much to think about her? Will I ever stop crying?

Well, this went from a happy post to a sad post. It seems that is my life right now, I am either really up or really down, most of the time I am in between and that is good. I am trying to regain the steady laid back person I usually am. I know it will take time.

REVISITING words of the year...

I just want to LIVE!!! I want to CREATE!!! and I want to APPRECIATE all that I am and have in my life. This year's word is CREATE and I do not feel I have been all that creative but I have hope and know that it will change. Right now I am trying to CREATE a new me. More to come on that later! :) I also want to create beautiful things for my home and my classroom.

BEACH BUMMED

BP ruined part of my summer, but there is an alternate plan. I had planned on being at the beach a lot this summer, drop Branch off at work and to the beach I was going...well, now that has been changed by tar balls and oil. We have joined a gym that has 2 pools. I am excited about swimming but sad it is not in the Gulf. :( My beautiful beach. The saddest thing I have seen so far happened on my way to work yesterday morning. I saw a Pelican that was half dirty. It was not sick yet, it was still mobile, but it won't be much longer before it gets really sick and can't move that makes me sad. Those beautiful regal birds that look like they belong in a pre-historic time are going to be so hurt by the oil. I am saddened by the destruction the oil is going to cause all of us. How many things are going to be lost forever, maybe our innocence is gone now?

Good Night, remember life is still good. We have who we love and they love us.

Punch Bug Blue NO PUNCH BACK!!!

2010-04-16T21:31:00.002-05:00

WOW...I got my Punch Bug!!! YIPPEEE

Those of you who follow know how long I have wanted one of these cars! Going on 10 years! YIPPEE!!!!

She is a final edition special edition. She is 1406 of 1500! She is so totally cool and I LOVE HER.

Her name is Sunshine...just because the song "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles makes me Happy!

I wish my Mom could see her, she would be so happy for me and the first in line for a ride. I miss you mom.

Love ya and thank you for all the kind words and thoughts this year, you all have really made me feel better.

Longer post later! :) Thanks for checking in me.

I'll Always Miss you Mom

2010-02-17T21:19:00.006-06:00

Gail Elizabeth Schaan

July 30, 1940 -- February 9, 2010

I have no other words to say other than I love you with all my heart and I will miss you every day until we meet again. I love you.

Bonnie said it better than I could. Here is what she said at our Family Memorial on Sunday.

For Gramms, I Love you

It's the little things that make up a year, and the years which make up a life. It's the little things that make up the memories. An I have an abundance of those.

I liked to listen to her talk about the family's old stories. I loved to hear her talk about when she was a teenager living in MS. When she yelled at Elvis. That is one of my favorite stories, I must have asked her to tell me that story like 20 times. I remember when I was real young when I spent most of my time at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Grandma would let us go through the fence and into the next neighborhood as long as we were in hearing distance. We were never too far away if we could hear her calling us. She must have really been bellowing out because I know we were going way further than she knew. So close to getting in so much trouble so many times. I think she knew it was the only way a child can really learn.

My grandmother was a very unique person. What made her so different was her ability to put away earthly thoughts and show love to all others in a way that made sense to all of us. She was not here to judge and she lived that way. Letting us make our own mistakes and knowing that we would see the better idea before it was too late. Although I never really thought about it, she was here to show us how to love. That we could love each other for who we all really are and not what we think each other should be. In her own way she is like an angel to the family. She showed many of us how to ignore the ugly and live on. And most of all she showed all of us that if you wan to believe then the rest of the world doesn't matter. That anything is possible and we are all capable of making the greatest accomplishments on earth if you just believe.

She was a very strong woman and she could learn to smile through all that she went through. Even when she couldn't talk that well she made me laugh. She would cut jokes when no one saw it coming. She still had the ability to find the good in things. She never let it get her down. Not that I ever saw. She tried to make it obvious to us that she was going to hang in there as long as God would let her. She was a believer that as long as she fought she would make it. I know she fought for a very long time. I live easy knowing that she is not in any of the pain, discomfort, or any embarrassment that she was going through recently. I know that God has blessed her and she is in that beautiful palace in the heavens.

I love you Grandma and you will be missed by all of us. Thank you for all the things you taught me about life.

Love Bonnie

My Mother was Mom, or mommy to me, to my kids and my sister's kids she was Grandma, to the Great Grands she was Gramms. All and all she was beautiful and loved to make beautiful things. She loved to draw and was so good at it. She liked that she had the ability to make some money with her art. I am so glad that she realized that dream in her life. She really wanted to share her beautiful creations with others and that she got paid for this was a bonus.

I miss her so much already, I can't even imagine how bad it is going to be in the future.

Happy New Year; New Decade!

2010-01-02T14:07:00.004-06:00

Happy New Year

Welcome 2010

I am hoping that this all finds you safe and sound and not too off kilter from celebrating the New Year. :) We have had a nice Christmas break and it is almost over. Tomorrow I will spend the morning in the classroom getting things ready for the first day back to school. I am looking forward to seeing my boys, but really not ready to go back to school full throttle. The only thing I can say is that I get to ease back into things before I have to start another Autism Endorsement class. I sure hope it is not as work intensive as the last one. That is really going to go poorly with moving to a new classroom and gaining another student.

Billy will be a traveling man again in January. He will be gone from January 11 to Jan 22. At least he gets to go somewhere he has always wanted to go. He gets to go to Washington D.C. I am so excited for him. I am a tiny bit jealous, but someone has to hold down the fort and take care of the animals, etc. The standing order is a coffee cup. He gets the kids shirts and I want a coffee cup! :)

(Billy with Dorian 12/29/09)

Bethanie will be turning 17 this year, wow...didn't I just bring her home from the hospital? Didn't she just learn to ride her bike, Didn't she just have a hula performance? I am so happy to know this special young lady and sad that she is no longer my little girl. The only thing that I have wished for her is that she would be taller than me. One wish that has been denied, poor kid is exactly the same height as I am. She says she is "fun size" I tend to agree.

Branch is growing up. Still loving the guitar and work, and learning to be a grown up. I am so proud of this guy. I just can't believe how awesome he is. Autism is not something to be afraid of, it is challenging but some things can be overcome with the right attitude. This guy has the right attitude. It is very rare that he is sad or down, he has the best attitude I have ever seen on anyone.

Me? I am happy to be blessed with a wonderful family that love me. This is the year I get my VW Bug. I am so excited. I am still contemplating painting in purple and the peace signs will definitely be on there. I totally dig purple and peace! Other items of interest, still loving the teaching, the family, and scrapbooking. Not a lot of time devoted to scrapping since everything else is up in the air, but I'm hoping to achieve something this year. I am part of a challenge on my yahoo board. It is 365 challenges, I'm just aiming for 365 pages, no matter what size! :)

I will have another post with my resolutions and word for the year, but for now. Happy New Year and I hope you have a Blessed and posperous 2010.

WOW

2009-10-11T22:16:00.002-05:00

I got the job now I got the busy to go with it! It is really great, but a lot of stuff to go with it.
Long story short, I have to have my Autism Endorsement on my Teaching Certificate by 2011. I am in classes to get that done. The good news I will have it around Christmas Time. This is getting done through the use of an accelerated program offered to the County and I took it and I am so glad!

Billy is a traveling man again...he leaves tomorrow and will get back for good November 11. :(

Green Day was Great.
Carl was a BLAST! We did a lot of stuff while he was here. He made our End of Summer Bash so much fun! :)
Making Plans to buy my Blue Bug!!! WOO HOO!!! I totally can't wait! :)
Branch is enjoying work and the SITE program at Whiting Field. So Proud of HIM!
Bethanie is just totally AWESOME! Such a great kid and helps out so much.

I am going to go now. I really don't have much time and I'm making the Christmas Gifts for the Mom's again! :) The Calendars are coming out beautiful. They are very different from the past ones, but enough the same it won't matter much! :)

Good Night, I will update pictures later.

Busy July

2009-07-28T12:37:00.005-05:00

Wow what a busy July!

I have been making lots of pretties for Scrapfest at Lifetime Moments. I have been having so much fun this year. I have made lots of points and done lots of things I am proud of. I even got cards done! (I really don't like making cards, but this way I have what I need through the year). I even won a prize for June. I won a 20 Gift Certificate to the store. YAY scrappy shopping!

Bonnie and her Baby Dorian at Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Awesome little guy, he is such a cute little baby. I can't wait to hug him and squeeze him!

This is the story of how Branch got his name. Click on the picture to get a bigger one so you can read it if you are so inclined! :)

This is just one of my favorite layouts from last month because it is just so Bethanie! So fun.

Just a little something for my MOM!!! Happy Birthday MOM!!!

I love you and miss you and it was so great seeing you last weekend! :)

Happy Birthday to my sister Jayne and have a Happy Anniversary!!!

OK, that is the fun stuff. Now here comes the not so fun stuff!

Billy has some stuff going on for August that will take him out of the picture for awhile. He has surgery on his eye the 14Th of August to clean up some blockages. His glaucoma is acting up and he has lost vision in both eyes, right now his left eye. (Dominant one of course) has some hemorrhaging and he needs to have surgery to fix it. It is going to be lasik in and out of the Dr. office, but it is still brings home the necessity to keep up with his eyes and medicines. Then he is going in the 18th of August for laproscopic hernia surgery. It is going to keep us busy. I just hope he doesn't hurt to badly, I hate for anyone in my family to feel pain.

August plans so far!

August 3 - 6, I have training for my new job.

August 6, go pick up Carl (Bethanie's friend, he is staying for a week). (Drop Hailey off at kennel)

August 7, Go to New Orleans to see Green Day

August 8, come back to FL to get Branch to guitar practice pick up Hailey.

August 9, Zoo

August 10, Beach

August 11, Movies/mall

August 12, pack and hang out at house (maybe go to Big Kahuna's still undecided)

August 13, take Carl back to Tallahasee to meet up with his mom.

August 14, Billy has surgery

August 17, I go back to work

August 18, Billy has surgery

August 24, Kids go back to school, Branch goes to SITE.

August 26, Connie's Birthday

August 29 Branch's Birthday

Wow, we have a lot planned already. :) I think I will be grateful for those times I can just sit! :)

So, if I don't blog much in August...well, you see why. :) Lots of things to take pictures of so I can SCRAP in the winter!

Ok, time to go! I have more cleaning and making curtains to do! (yes, I finally made the curtains for upstairs, just two more rooms to go. Branch's room and the master bathroom! YIPPEE!

Take care!!!!

I GOT A JOB!!!!

2009-07-06T23:30:00.006-05:00

Good news!!! I GOT A JOB!!! I have a job next school year at my favorite school! I am going back to Pea Ridge Elementary. WOO HOO!!! That is the coolest news!

Ok...Now here is some other news... My Dear sweet Bethanie is growing up. :( It makes me sad and happy at the same time. Here are the pictures to prove it! She got her hair cut and dyed tonight. She loves it!

She is also going to Horse Camp this week and next. She just got back from Tennessee from seeing Hannah. Bethanie says this is one of the best summer's of her life! After all the sadness and stress from last summer, this summer is much better.

Here is another experiment with my brand new camera...I just love this picture of Billy! He is my sweetie and I love him with all my heart. He has been indulging my need to take as many pictures as I can! :) He loves me with all his heart and for that I wake up happy every morning.

Ok, so far no other news. I'll share some pretties tomorrow! :)
Hugs,

Yippee!!!

2009-06-25T23:57:00.004-05:00

Yippee...It is here!!! My new Camera...Wow!!! I have been wanting a Digital SLR for at least 5 years...and here it is! :) WOO HOO!!! I got a Canon Digital Rebel XSi 12.2 Megapixals and some really great pictures...

Bethanie outside wow!!! You can see all of her freckles! :) Click on the picture...really! :)

Branch was in his Rocker when I walked in on him watching t.v. He even let me see his beautiful eyes! :)

I am very excited about this camera. I am so happy I have a family that is going to let me experiement! :) They understand, they get it and they love me. How lucky am I to have family that loves me so much.

Sad news today about Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson...wow...MJ seemed so young.

Tomorrow Billy and Bethanie are going to Tennessee to see Hannah. Bethanie is going to stay for the week. She is so excited...she has been packed since last night!

Ok. More pictures tomorrow and more news I'm sure. 2 Posts in a week, it has to be some kind of record!

Check out my tests!!!

Cocoa Daisy DT call

2009-06-24T16:52:00.006-05:00

I'm going to plug a favorite place for me to go. http://www.cocoadaisy.com I totally love these kits and this website. It is one of my most favorite places to go on the web. Ali Edwards hangs out there and after seeing the folks in the Design Team and and awesome owner...Tricia...WOW. It is everything I LOVE LOVE LOVE in a place. Great ideas on how to use the kits, great kits, and wonderful customer service. The people in the Forum are friendly and fun...it is just an all around fun place to hang out.

Tricia has announced a Design Team call and here are some of the things I'm going to submit to see if I could even have a chance. :) She draws such awesome people, but at least I will give it a shot!

The paper is BoBunny Calypso Dream, and lots of matching cardstock and ribbons. The cardstock colors are all Bazzill and are: Pomegranate, Kevin, Pauly Poo, Java, and Lemon bliss.

The flowers are old SlimLine Accucut die cuts. I crumpled the paper and inked and then put them together with pop dots. I used Karen Foster Scrapper's Floss for the inside of thebuttons.

The butterflies were fun, start with a Heidi Swapp Ghost flower and add Staz on Ink. I used my stash of wooden definition stamps by Hero Arts. (Happy) and more bling and then for an added umph, some turquoise and candy cane stickles on the butterflies. The larger butterfly has more scrapper's floss on it for added detail.

The title I cut using cricut cartridge Life is a Beach and this is the bonus font. Really fun stuff! :)

I love it mainly because I got to go back in time and play with some of my m0st favorite pictures of Bethanie at Waikiki.

This is one of my favorite layouts, all Basic Grey items and this one is in a frame on my wall in my dining room. My dear sweet hubby loves it too, he is never happy with pictures of himself, but that is his only gripe on this one! :)

Awe, don't we look cute back in 1985... I love this layout because I used the CD kit for it and had a total blast with the journaling.

This layout I did with Rhonda's class. I LOVE how this turned out. I love the ideas she gave on using the super busy paper that comes with every pack of Basic Grey paper. Ya know the paper that makes you say..."What were they thinking?" They were thinking we need to use it to layer items! :) I love the painting and the sewing used...just all the stuff used in this was fun!

Ok, this one has so much in it I LOVE...not just the two kids...I love the Then and Now of it, and how much they both have changed...I love the cutwork on the bird, I lvoe the layering of everything. There is just so much I love about this layout. Totally love all the Prima used here and the Fairy Charm just makes it POP! :) You guys can see I totally love Chestnut Roan Chalk ink too! :)

Ok, I hope you guys like my stuff. Soon, I will be posting other pretties that I plan on making this week! Not all of them are going to be scrapbook goodies either! Just wait and see!

Until next time, keep scrappin!

SUMMER is HERE!!!

2009-06-16T15:50:00.006-05:00

I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

We've been to the beach, taken Branch to work, taken the dog to the Dog Beach. Played the box game, (cornhole for you mid-western folks) played frisbee...walked the dog, gone swimming, LOVED sleeping in. All of the above and we have been out of school for less than a week. Oh yes, and then the regular stuff...Branch with guitar lessons, and Bethanie with Horseback Riding on Saturdays! :)

What do we have planned! :) Bethanie is going to go to Tennessee to see one of her Best Friends, Branch is going to work, I'm NOT...:) We are going to go see Green Day in August and we will be going to the beach at least once a week for the whole summer. WhY? Because we live close to it and it would be a terrible shame not to go and enjoy the breeze and the water! :)

Job stuff...Do I have to talk about it? I Don't really want to, so suffice to say, I'm out of work and

the room is sad again...

I believe I will work again someday soon, but right now, I'm just thinking of the SUMMER!!! This one will not be lost in sadness and in a classroom!

Did you know Branch graduated from High School? Who said he could be old enough to graduate High School. It makes me so sad and happy at the same time. I never knew something that makes you so proud could hurt so bad.

WOW!!!

Ok...Time to go...I have so much SUMMER to enjoy!!! I will be posting pretties soon!

Hugs,

May? Are you kidding me?

2009-05-05T22:25:00.007-05:00

Happy National Scrapbook Day &
Cinco De Mayo

Well, National Scrapbook Day came and went (5-2-09) and boy did I get a lot done for it! LOL Some of it really good! :) I played mainly at A Peek Into Yesterday online like I normally do. I hit a couple of other sites too. Cocoa Daisy and Lifetime Moments. I really like Cocoa Daisy's kits and so cool to chat with Ali Edwards the week before NSD. I even won a May Kit! That saved me a little bit of money. Next month I will have to pay for my kit. (my last one :(

Here are the layouts I made over NSD... And then some family and job news!:)

This was supposed to be a digital challenge, but seeing I'm Photoshop Challenged I printed all the elements on sticky back transparency and stuck them on my layout! LOL. The ribbon actually was a NSD gift a few years ago from that store, so I finally used it. (At least 4 years ago)...so if I listened to all those ladies to "purge" my stuff, I wouldn't have had it! LOL

Oh darn, I just realized this is the unfinished layout without the After pictures of my space! LOL

This was the first challenge of the day, use 3 different scalloped edges...I used scalloped border punch, a punch out and then scalloped edge paper and sewed a scalloped edge under it. :) I used a Becky Fleck pagemap to make it go faster. I was soooooooooo done with sketches a few months back but in a pinch (challenge) they come in handy. :)

Ok, so this is a sketch challenge from Lifetime Moments by Got Sketch blogspot.com (I think)

Anywho, I liked the sketch for some of my fave pictures of Branch in Hawaii. It was his first stay at home Halloween and he was handing out the candy. Fun stuff.

So this challenge here was in honor of Kiersten Hickman-Perfetti...the resident goofball at APIY. She died last April of cancer. She was quite a character and she is definitely missed on our forums over there. She loved the Beatles and this challenge was to make a layout about the Beatles... Bethanie LOVES the Beatles...(bad mom I know) I got her into them...quite by accident. She loves the song Come Together and she had this image in her head of "Cane" the character in the song...and oh boy here he is. The first thing I thought of when I saw this picture of Cane was Kier...she would have absolutely loved it! Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Ok, so the last couple of years I have noticed I have been doing less and less pages of Branch. I think it is my DENIAL of him growing older...if I don't scrap him, he can't grow up. Well, then I started going back in time to do all his pictures...(still am, just not so far now) LOL

Here is Branch on the plane to Hawaii. Wow...this is a long time ago...7/30/2004. Miss my little guy sometimes...but so proud of the man he is becoming.

As a rule I am not crazy for Kraft colored paper, I just never have liked to use it unless it was used for fall layouts or moving! LOL But I really do like the new Fancy Pants line of Kraft paper so I'm giving it a chance. This was a 2 hour challenge to use Kraft paper, a Critter, and to mat your picture(s) in anything but black or white challenge. This is what I came up with. Zoe is cute no matter what! LOL Love that kid and so excited to see her at the end of the month.

Now onto family stuff:

Branch graduates from High School June 1, 2009 at 5:00 PM. WOW!!!

Here is the proof he is going to Graduate! I am so nuts about this kid and that he is going to graduate, it is just amazing to me. This kid is something else. I totally love that Autism is NOT holding him back.

Billy is a traveling man again, he will be leaving the day after Mother's Day and coming back on My birthday. Best Birthday present ever! Love that he supports me no matter what.

Job front..still not good. It doesn't look good for me to get a job next year at Oriole Beach Elementary. I will need a job but I may not be a teacher. We will see! :) I think we will be ok, without me working but it will be tighter than we are used to. I could like being a housewife again. It has been a long time since I had a "nice" house. I haven't decorated well since I started working, so I'm excited about having a pretty house again. Maybe going back to doing some quilting. I have been sewing some and doing other crafts, it's not always scrapbooking (hence my low total for the year) :) That is ok, though, I use my scrap supplies for so many things now, but mainly school.

Another note on the job front LICE!! Geez...we have lice in the room, one of the little girls has lice and then my assistant got it. I have been going through my hair every day with a lice comb just to make sure I don't have it. It is keeping me awake at night. I don't ever want to go through that nightmare again.

It is getting late and I need to go and get some things ready for my students tomorrow. We are making the "Mother's Day Gift" I hope all of you have a wonderful Spring and Summer, and I will keep ya'll posted on the graduation etc. :)

Thanks for reading! :)

March Madness

2009-04-02T00:14:00.012-05:00

March Madness Scrapbook Style!!!!

I have been very productive in March. I am very proud of myself, but now it must come to an end! :) I have to get ready for Easter and that means I will be cleaning and decorating more than scrapping. (It's all good, it means more pictures to scrap later) LOL Funny how life works out that way.

So, I'm in a much better place than I was when I wrote in here a couple of weeks ago. I go back and read that post and want to delete it, but it was necessary and cathartic to write and so I am going to leave it in there. Now I know that things happen for a reason, even if I'm not aware of it yet, so I am in a much better much more accepting place than I was before. :) (so have you noticed that there are too many smilies and too many parenthesis, I know...get over it) ! LOL :) :) :) :)

Anyhow I digress...Here are the things I have been working on this last couple of weeks of March. (I just wrote January, wow am I behind the times)!

Seriously: Here are the pictures! :)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Billy, it is him in his element, on a boat with his dad. He loved fishing with his dad. The most important thing about this picture is what is NOT in there, Dad...he is taking the picture of Billy and the fish. Miss the stories...We miss you Dad and it won't be the same without you.

*Scrapbookers--this is the oldest stuff I have in my stash, the background paper is DMD paper I bought from JoAnns when I first started scrapbooking!...the patterned paper is Cloud 9 Designs, gone fishing...this is circa 2002. The reeds and stuff were cut out of a piece of Cloud 9...so much fun. The title is Typist by Quickutz.

After that heavy subject, I had to do these pictures of our sweet Hailey, she is such a love. She is a little sad here because Dad was not there and she missed him so much. *Scrapbookers...this layout was using the March kit from Lifetime Moments online store. So much fun stuff in that package...my most favorite kit from them yet. ( I loved January too)

This is one of my favorite pictures of Bethanie, she is so pretty, even when she is being a smarty pants. Love it, she is just so Tink in this picture and of course she is wearing Tinkerbell. Although after the first time she wore the shirt to school, she would not wear it again because 3 other girls were wearing the same exact shirt...*sigh* She does NOT want to be like everyone else. Yep, that's my kid and I'm so proud of her, but dang she looks so cute in that shirt! :)

*scrapbook paper, Rouge de Garance...Prima bling, flowers, and wings, Martha Stewart (gag) garnet glitter. Love the glitter am not a Martha fan at all!!! Cricut indie art cartridge for the heart and Ellison Go Slim font for the title. I ran the letters through the xyron machine upside down and attached the glitter and then ran the item through the xyron again to stick them down.

Even I will admit this is a bit much for a receipt box...but it makes me happy (sticking out tongue) so there! It keeps me motivated to hold on to my receipts until next year. We took a hit on taxes that I don't want to take and it is such a pain in the butt...but it is worth it to get that tax credit. I really don't want to owe in the "thousand's" ever again! That sucked big time!

So, this is our little motivator to keep up with the receipts.

A close up of the box just because I like to play with my little tulip setting on my camera! :) (macro I know) LOL The papers I used were from the Life's Journey 108 page pack of K & Co. paper, it is my FAVORITE line ever of their papers. I probably shouldn't have used the pretty poppies with the paper flowers, but I LIKE IT! So there...(tongue out at you) LOL I'm playful and little giddy tonight, too much coffee and m & m's. Hey shannon where is that little sizzix guy...down the drain or drowning in the coffee? LOL

This is what some of the dividers look like for each month. The little pocket holds some post it notes to put the totals of all the receipts on so that I can keep up with the totals. It is turning out to be an eye opener. We really do pay a lot in sales tax every month. Amazing really! :)

2009-03-16T14:40:00.004-05:00

I am adding a post just to post this picture of this layout for use your stash. It is a cute blog that gives challenges for using stuff you already have. (GET IT NO BUYING!) LOL

Here it is!

Zoe is so silly! :) She can make me giggle like a little kid. So I think it is fitting that I have a happy post today! :)

Thanks for all your kind comments...It will always get better! :)

So you had a bad day or 2 or week?

2009-03-15T01:20:00.003-05:00

Well here I am and "I keep passing open windows," and keep on keeping on. Ok, so life could be so much worse, but here it goes. Tuesday I had to sign my pink slip for work. This is an annual event for teachers who do not have a permanent contract. The only difference about this year is that the principal could not guarantee that she would be able to call me back for next year. So that means the clean out will begin soon. I spent my summer last year cleaning out my room and buying toys and nice things for the kids to play with. Now I have to bring it all home because I won't be reimbursed for it. I am a little sorry for the next teacher who comes in that room because they will have an empty room, no curtains, nothing that I made or spent my money on will be there. Considering most of the prior teacher's items were thrown away because they should never have been brought into the school. The yard sale queen had lots of dirty, broken, and really smelly items. I could not take the smell of that place. Anyway I guess I am a little mad about spending whatever summer I had last year in that classroom. Man all that time spent, essentially for NOTHING. It was so disheartening to hear that I may not have that job again. WOW. I didn't realize how much I have been identifying myself with my job. Seriously about losing my job I am really not that worried because I was looking for a job when I got that one. I know there is going to be a job for somewhere, maybe not next school year, but I won't be jobless forever. I can't be, I have to feed teen-agers and boy do they eat a lot! :)

Wednesday I call Billy after school like I always do and he was sick as a dog. He was at the Dr.'s office getting seen because he felt like crap. I was shocked, I knew he had trouble sleeping the night before (hence my 3 hours of sleep...ugh) but I didn't realize it was that bad. IT turns out he has a terrible sinus infection that has his poor face all swollen and in so much pain. I felt so bad for him, he ended up going to bed before I took Branch to guitar lessons. At least Hailey was happy, she got to go to bed with him for awhile. :)

Thursday was another bad day. I was feeling a little yucky all day and feeling like I was going to
be sick like Billy. Feeling like I should just skip my American Sign Language Class...man I really should listen to my feelings like that. I ended up in a minor car accident. I got a ticket because I rear ended a mustang, (a really pretty one) and she hit the truck in front of her. The good news no one was hurt. The air bags did not go off in any of the cars, but now I have a messed up bumper and I think my radiator may have a slight leak. Billy doesn't want to spend a lot of money to fix the car. (no collision so it will come out of our pocket...who has collision on a 10 year old car)! So, we may be buying me a car soon, but I really don't want to do that if I don't have a job, I would rather just fix my little car and make sure it can get me to my few little places in town. This means getting Branch from work daily and I will be ok until I get another job. I would rather take the money I'm making now and pay off credit cards and worry about a car later. You never know I may be able to keep my job next year at OBE...that would be cool. Then I wouldn't NEED a car. If I get a job at another work location I would need a car but then I would have a job and I wouldn't mind having to pay for one.

So Friday I had planned on taking off so I could get commissary shopping done and taking care of the house. I figure I have all those sick days and I'm quite sure the school district is not going to cash them out for me at the end of the year so I am trying to take them all! I wake up and I'm SICK...geez. Ok...so chin up old girl. I am trying not to cry at this point. I really haven't cried, I didn't cry when I wrecked my car...wow...that is a first. I was feeling like I wanted to cry on Thursday evening when I was pulling into the drive way because I know I disappointed Billy. Silly guy acts like he's hiding behind the lamp post so I don't hit him. He made me laugh and here I'm afraid to face him, I should know better than that at this point in my life. I just hate to disappoint him. He gave me a big a hug and say's "well, it happens." Love that guy! I still got all the commissary shopping done on Friday and a little stop in at AC Moore as well. :) I didn't buy much, just a bazzill stabbing matte to go with those neat sewing stencils. I can't wait to try them. (I had a bad week, I deserved a little bit of retail therapy) Ok...so this was a bad week but nothing like last year so I really have nothing to complain about. HOWEVER I am a woman so I'm complaining a little bit! :)

I'm going to go to bed soon...and I will try to remember to add pictures to this post of my poor little car and maybe a layout or two I would like to do some scrapping this weekend. I have so much neat new stuff to use up.

Maybe I will post tomorrow a postive post! :)

Live, Laugh, Love!!!

I am learning to APPRECIATE everything I have even the lack of TIME to get everything done that I need/want to get done! :)

99 Things to do and a layout

2009-02-21T01:33:00.003-06:00

Oy, I go and read Lis' blog and here is a TAG!!! Shucks!!!

Looks like Fun, so I'll do it!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Here's a little fun nonsense.You are supposed to bold the ones you've done.If you read this, consider yourself tagged! LOL

99 Things To Do

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity (yes, see #67)! :)

7. Been to Disneyland (Disney World)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child (nope, but I want to!)

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (today! :) )

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise (whale watching day cruise)

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (snorkling Hanouma Bay HI)

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life (Branch's when he was 10 months old, my mom this summer by removing the DNR order)

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Some silly stuff...Hope you have fun with it if you get it too! :)
Have a wonderful weekend.

Ok, I got to do a layout this evening and it is really cute! :)

I hope your weekend is full of puppy love and hugs.
Good Night,

Layouts

2009-02-16T01:09:00.005-06:00

Lots of them lately!!! It really is nice to be scrapping again! It is a way for me to not worry about the future is to look at and really love my life as is.

These are some of my most favorite recent layouts! :)

Billy and I on his birthday! :) December 27, 2008

This is Jayne and Leo on Thanksgiving

This is my Mom and Dad the middle of June 2008

This is the card Billy gave me for our anniversary...so sweet. I don't normally scrap cards, but it was just so sweet I couldn't let it fall into my memorabilia folder and be lost forever. So I did something with it while it was still laying on my desk.

Bethanie and Michelle in 1995 and in 2008...too cool, huh? This layout was noticed by Lifetime Moments and was featured in their newsletter. I know whoopie, but it did make my day! :) It is nice to be recognized for something you love to do. :)

Now most of these layouts are in answer to a challenge of some sort or another, but what I love about these layouts, even though they MEET the challenge they were not created for the challenge. Does that make sense? I didn't make the layout for the challenge, I have had a lot of these layouts sketched out even the photo I wanted to use but hadn't taken the time to do it yet. so I am very proud of these layouts in that they are Mine, totally mine, except for the love always, it was based on a Becky Fleck Page Map, but even then I followed it very loosely! :)

Some of these layouts are silly and some are sad, but they are all part of my life! :) I guess I'm over just putting the "good" in my scrapbooks, we've had some really sh!tty things happen the last couple of years and it needs to be there. Life isn't all good, if it were we wouldn't grow as human beings...(I don't just mean my waist line either...that is a product of chocolate!) :)

Ok...More news...my pathetic kitty had to have surgery to remove 2 teeth, one of them his fangs because he likes to chew on metal and bad things. So, he lost his tooth. It is getting so expensive to have geriatric animals..they always need something! :) Of course I was on his bad list there for a couple of days after he had the surgery to remove the teeth and have his teeth cleaned up. (they look a lot healthier now, and no more bad kitty breath...blech)!

Billy is gone again, he will be back in a few days and then he stays home a few days and goes again, stays home a few days and goes again, it is sad. I hope March he is around a lot more! :)

Good night, I'm out of here, I'm going to try to get another layout or two done! :)
Hugs,

The Word

2009-01-25T13:14:00.003-06:00

APPRECIATE

That is my word for thise year. I am going to try to appreciate all that I have, meaning my family, my health and my life.

I am going to go and make something right now to help me remember to appreciate all that I am, and maybe even try to do a mini book about the things I need to appreciate and the little things that I do appreciate.

Some of the little things:

Like a good cup of coffee
a nice back rub from my dear sweet hubby
a good purry kitty in my lap
a hug from a little girl who doesn't quite get it.

Some of the big things:

My Family
My house
My life

Did you notice my "job" isn't one of those things. I appreciate my job, but at the same time I'm not going to be ruled by it. As we were told that annual contract teachers MAY not be asked back. That makes me sad in that I feel I am NOT done with some of my students, but at the same time, it leaves me free to look at other options for jobs. I may not be a teacher 2009/2010 school year. It seems hardly fair after giving 6 years to this occupation to not have it anymore. I guess that is the sad part. I appreciate the kids, but not the way the school district is handling the annual contract people. Maybe that is my cue to leave anyway.

Hummmmmmmmmmm
I do appreciate my job...just not going to be defined by it anymore.
Hugs,

The Pony Express

2009-01-11T22:21:00.006-06:00

Bethanie's 16th birthday, no big party, no super sweet sixteen. She just wanted a small quiet happy birthday party. It was just me and Branch as Billy was gone for work. We went the next night to her favorite place to eat with Daddy! :) She is such a beautiful happy girl. I am so honored to know her, and to think we made her...mind boggling!

Here are some promised pictures of Bethanie during her first horse back riding lesson. She looks so grown up, I swear every time my kids have a birthday I get sadder. I know they won't be living with me much longer. Although I will be excited for them to meet the next challenge in their life, it breaks my heart to think I won't be able to see them whenever I want to.

Bethanie loving being on the horse, when the lesson was over the first thing she said was it was too short! :)

Ok, so this is 2 posts in one weekend. That is unusual at best! :)

Enjoy the rest of the pics.

Bethanie just about done! :)

Bethanie smiling..."my legs hurt" Silly kitty that loved wanted all kinds of loving.

Promises Kept

2009-01-10T00:59:00.004-06:00

Ok, so a long time ago I promised Bethanie we would look into getting Horse Back Riding Lessons again, it is time to keep promises. Tomorrow is her first lesson and part of her Birthday Present, I'm so excited for her. She is tickled.

Big news this week is Bethanie turned 16. (Where oh where has my little girl gone?) I miss my little girl sometimes, but what a wonderful young lady we have. She is such a nice person, I'm so proud to know her.

Well, her birthday was something else. The day before her birthday Meme suprised both kids by giving them her old car. They are both so excited they have a car to learn to drive with. I'm excited for them too. I am happy that they will be able to learn to drive and have transportation at the same time, I'm terrified that they are going to be driving.

Billy went on a business trip this week, he left Monday and came back Thursday it was short and sweet, but he was so missed. I had such a hard time sleeping because he wasn't here. It is all good now, I got a really good night's rest last night. :)

School didn't make it any easier this week: I had such a hard time this week with all the new students who came to me after school started again after the holidays and then surprise!!! Another student today. I'm shocked and amazed by the changes in the classroom this year. I miss my little class, I went from 8 to 11 and how crazy is that. I would have 13 but I graduated 2 up to the other Pre-K teacher. Her class is getting crazy full too. We are both just so grateful to have a job. Next year the both of us may not have one. The budget cuts they have to make this year and next to keep the school system afloat means they MAY have to let all the teachers go who are on an annual contract. The unknown is killing me. I need to know if I have a job so that I can start looking for another one now. I really don't want to have to compete will all of the annual contract teachers for a job. Maybe if I do not get a job as a teacher it will mean it is time to do something else for awhile. Who knows.

Scrapbooking! I actually got a couple of more pages done! This is about Christmas 2008...wow I'm not usually that quick about getting my pictures scrapped so soon. It was nice to do something that recent.

This is my classroom that I spent so much time this summer cleaning, it will hardly be fair if I lose my job this year. I gave my whole summer getting ready for those kids and I don't want that to be my last year. Who knows what will happen, I just really wanted a chance to get good at something and I'm almost positive I will be doing something different next year. :(

Thanks for letting me ramble! :) Good Night! Pictures later today of Bethanie riding the horse!

Happy New Year

2009-01-03T22:46:00.005-06:00

Happy New Year!!!

I have never been so happy to see a year end in my life. I know 2009 will be very challenging for work, but hopefully less heartbreaking personally.

My dear sweet husband said 2008 started badly and just continued to get worse. I have to agree. It was a bittersweet Christmas. We all missed Billy Sr. so much.

I hope that 2009 is more prosperous and happy for all of us.

I have a lot of lofty goals for 2009, I started today by weighing myself and being somewhat surprised. The last time I weighed myself was at the Dr.'s office in May and it was quite shocking! I have never been that heavy before so I was so shocked. I will never tell so don't ask what the number was! The only happy thing is I got on the scale and I have lost 18 pounds. I don't feel like I look like I have but the scale doesn't lie, does it? LOL (I even checked the scale by putting my hand weights on there to make sure it was accurate! :) )

Scrapbooking! :)

Yippee I have been scrapping again. That makes me happy. I have gotten 2 layouts done and about to get numbers 3 and 4 done and be caught up for the year! (A layout a day) LOL

Lifetime Moments is having their annual Winter Scrapfest again so I will have lots of Scrapbook pages and altered items to do again. It will be fun. I hope I win a prize again like I did in the summer Scrapfest! :)

I guess the easiest way to jump back into the scrapbook game is to scrap the animals. My next page will be about my classroom! :)

I will end with this photo of my Father In Law. I love you Billy Joe Lee Sr. I miss you and wish you were here every day.

Goals Challenge Winner

2008-12-09T21:53:00.004-06:00

Hello all!

I just wanted to announce the winner of the Goals Challenge. Eeny Meeny Miny Moe and the winner is Denise! :) Thanks for playing Denise and I will have a goody in the mail for you on Friday!

Thanks for all who played along, I loved looking at your stuff! Have a great week!

Hugs,

Ok, so this picture is only here for the "Awwwwwwwwwwweeee" Factor. :) So cute.

December Goal Challenge

2008-12-06T10:16:00.003-06:00

A scrapper's Goal is sometimes elusive, but when we set one up, it tends to give us motivation to scrap. Kind of like wanting to be a teacher made me go through 5 years of college and lots of irritation for very little pay! :) Ok, so I love my kids and that makes it all worth while and I always have a new set of babies to scrap.

My goals for this weekend are 2 pages on my Calendars (this is finish May and get June done!)

This is what they looked like in the beginning! :) So, I have made progress from there and that motivates me to finish!

That is a total of 6 pages. Let's see if I can do it! :)

I also have lots of die cuts and things to make for the bulletin board at school too. :) I may show that later, if I get the pages done! :)

Put your goals in the comments below and if you meet all your goals I will put a small RAK in the mail to you on Monday! :)

Thanks for playing and have a fun!!! Now Set some goals and SCRAP!

December Sketch and some sad news.

2008-12-01T06:21:00.000-06:00

Gettin Sketchy's December Sketch

Here is December's Sketch:

Here is my take on this sketch! :)

The sad news is I will be leaving Gettin Sketchy after this month. I officially resign from the CT Janury 1, 2009, for various reasons. When school starts again after the holidays my class is going to almost double and I will not have time for scrapping let alone posting and doing my assignments, etc.

Philosophical reasons include my desire to do my own designs again. I am not at all happy scrapping someone else's designs. I think I am burnt out on sketches. The idea behind doing a sketch was to do a sketch when I was stuck for a design. I could go to a sketch and still get a layout done. However, I have become very reliant on sketches and stopped designing my own layouts. With that being said, it is time to back off sketches and have fun designing again. Even if my style is blocky and linear, it will be my design...not how someone else told me to do it. :) Now, don't think I'm knocking sketches that is not it at all. I do love to do them when I'm stuck, I got lazy and stopped doing things my own way! :) I want to go back to sketching once a week during guitar lessons and come home and work on the sketches I have developed while listening to my son play guitar.

Thank you so much for having me at Gettin Sketchy, but I believe it is time for me to find my own way again.

Hugs and Keep On Scrappin!

November Sketch and Winner of Blog Candy!!!

2008-11-01T05:27:00.001-05:00

Hi everyone! We have a new sketch at GettinSketchy! :) It is similar to last month's with the

four little photos.

Here is my take on the sketch using the kit from last month's prize. The CT got a chance to play with some of the products in the kit and this is what I did with my share! It was very nice of Spud to let us play with her kit! :)

Now the moment you have all been waiting for!!!

Lis (Melissa) is the winner of the blog candy. Thank you for playing Lis and Kathea. Kathea you will be getting a consolation prize for playing too! :) Please send me your addresses so I can send out your prizes. Thanks again for playing! :)

Happy Scrapping everybody! :)

Blog Candy!!! The NON-Challenge

2008-10-11T13:52:00.005-05:00

I have a bonus challenge for you.
Do not use any challenge, do not use any Sketches…Just use your imagination to do a page.
Do whatever you want…This is actually a NON-Challenge.

The reason why I have this challenge for you is because I just put all the pages I have done since August away ( it is a truly paltry number) and found EVERY ONE of them were in response to a challenge. Whether it was part of the CT duties at Gettin’ Sketchy or Lifetime Moments Scrapfests or Dedicated Swappers II Scrap off challenge. Not one thing was just because. Not one item was just because I wanted to scrap. That scares me now that I have turned my beloved hobby into something “I have to do.”
Not a single one of these pages were my own creation or idea. None, nada, Zip. What happened? I never used sketches 3 years ago and I truly LOVED my pages. Now I look at my pages and they are all starting to look the same.
Becky Fleck is a talented sketch artist…but they are all HER style, not mine, wait a minute, what is my style? I don't remember anymore., Any way, Becky's pagemaps are all looking quite the same after awhile, the same with Mrs. Becky Higgins, and why did she fall by the way side? We all got tired of it.
Right now I’m sick to death of sketches…they are useful in a pinch, but I think I am now way too reliant on them. I think it is time to cancel some subscriptions and go back to doing what I used to do. Sketch and draw myself.

One of my happiest times was when I could just take the time and sketch. I loved the hour I would get to sketch by going to the community center while my daughter took her Hula lesson. I sketched a week’s worth of ideas and then went home and did them. They didn’t always look the same as the sketch I drew afterward, but I had done it myself, I had tweaked it myself.

I really can’t remember the last time I did that. What has happened to me and my love of glue and paper, now I can’t seem to put a page together unless someone tells me what to do. Where to put this element, how large the photo can be, what kind of borders do I need, what colors am I going to use. Ack!!! What happened to me?

Ok so here comes the Blog Candy! :0)

Submit your challenge layouts to me, (and if I recognize any sketches, I’m going to disqualify it!):-) (this also includes colorblocking templates, etc)

Submit your challenges here IN the comment section down below and you will be in the running for an autumn surprise package shown above that includes Prima Flowers, Flair Designs autumn stickers, Goodie box by Doodlbebug, brads, 10 sheets of paper from Rusty Pickle, Sweetwater, and Around the block, Magic Scraps faux buttons, and Karen Foster Stickers, and other assorted odds and ends. Thanks for reading! :0)
Happy Scrapping!!! (really scrapping!)

The new sketch at GettinSketchy

2008-10-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

I heard lots of of people say that they weren't crazy about the one picture layout! :) This should cure that! :) Enjoy and don't forget to post your link to your page in the comment section or email gettinsketchy@hotmail.com! Thanks and have a great day!

My take on this sketch! :)

Another take on the sketch

2008-09-27T13:20:00.003-05:00

Here is another one using the sketch for September.

Scrap off challenge use the GettinSketchy sketch for September.

And a few other layouts I have done recently for the scrap off on Dedicatted Swappers. (We should be called Dedicated Shoppers! LOL Here they are:

Scrap off Challenge: Scrap your favorite _____________________

Next challenge was to use as much paper as you wanted, but only one embellishment. You can use as many of that one embellishment as you want, but only one kind! (I used buttons) :)

Scrap off challenge, use an embellished border on your layout. Mine was the ribbon on the bazzill with an edge.

I hope you like what I've been doing lately, Can't wait for the Ocotober fest challenge on LM to do a layout a day, maybe I will get it done! :) Maybe I can get my Calendars done for Christmas early. :) Hugs, and thanks for coming by.

Laura

New Sketch

2008-09-03T22:37:00.004-05:00

A new sketch is available on GettinSketchy and here it is! :)

Here is my interpretation of the sketch this month. A sweet photo of Branch when he was 6 or 7 years old climbing the Crepe Mertyl in our front yard at Moody Air Force Base GA! :)

I miss my kids being little but I don't think I would like to go back to just that small. :)

I wouldn't want to be without my husband again, and during that time in our lives he was gone so much! I'm so glad we are no longer part of the Air Force, we really like having a steady family life.

I will have good news tomorrow! :) I will keep you guys hanging on! :)

School's IN!!!

2008-08-24T23:14:00.003-05:00

School's in and boy do I have a wonderful little bunch of students. So far I have 7 students and they are as cute as they can be! OH MY! I think I may be in love! :) I know I am. Well, here is what the classroom looks like now, (compared to the nightmare that used to be my classroom) :)

As soon as you walk into the room this is what you see. I have curtains over all the toys and distractions in the shelves. The kids have a hard time focusing if they have too many things to look at. It is rather soothing in the classroom now instead of hard to breath! :)

This is the table and the back counter and cabinets where we have lots of stuff hidden from the kids, but inviting too. :)

This is an over view of the room from the door, You can see the kitchen and household play, you see the rice table (it is the picnic table that opens up) The little table with the red chairs is the art center, the back table is the job table/lunch table. In the far corner of the room is my desk and the kitchen area. :)

In other news. Bethanie and Branch are now in High School Together. Branch is a Senior, and Bethanie is a Freshman. I can't believe both of my babies are in the same school again. It has been a very long time since that has happened. (Bethanie was in 2nd grade when Branch moved up) :( Branch loves being a senior, Bethanie is still unsure of herself in the high school but she will love it in time. (I HOPE)!

So, Mom is still in the Hospital in Atlanta, we are hoping that she will get moved to the Warm Springs Roosevelt Institute for Rehabilitation soon, it is killing dad to have to drive to Atlanta every day.

I am starting to love my job again at OBE (The best place to be...)

Have a great night and I will be posting my September Layout soon for GettinSketchy!

It's been a long time

2008-07-31T23:51:00.006-05:00

It has been a long time since I blogged. Lots of things have happened...too much really.

My last day at Pea Ridge Elementary was June 8, 2008. I don't think I have ever been so sad about leaving a job in my life. I am excited about the new job but at the same time, I have never felt so much at home in a school. It was such a nice experience, I will miss all my friends.

(This is a bunch of the Pea Ridge Crew on my Birthday, From left to right...

Becca, Cindy, Amanda, Diane, Me, Bea, Tiffanie) (yes, Bea is real Michelle!) LOL

I am going to Oriole Beach Elementary as a Pre-K teacher of 3 year olds. I'm excited about the job but sad to leave my friends. I will be getting a pay raise in that I won't have to pay for the bridge or for gas, but I have a feeling I will be spending a LOT more time at school. Here is a picture of an extremely messy room. Hopefully the next time I blog about my room it will be nice and clean and ready for my students and parents for orientation! :)

More news in June...

My mom went into the hospital June 13, 2008 and is currently still there...she has been in 4 different hospitals and has had 3 different life threatening illnesses and I will be so glad when she finally gets to go home.

My Father in law (Billy Sr.) had a heart attack and a stroke at the same time as my mother's illness. My husband and I have asked God not to do that to us if he can help it. Each of us having a parent in the hospital at the same time was horrible...we were both so worried about our parents and each other. I am so grateful we still have them here in our lives and able to enjoy them.

July came and went, worried about parents, working in my new classroom...trying hard to enjoy all the people in our lives and make memories. Not fooling around with the computer as much and starting to scrapbook more! :)

My mom and my sister's birthday was yesterday. Lots of traveling this week. Monday Billy went to New Mexico for work, Tuesday I took the kids, and the dog to my mom and dad's...spent Wednesday with my mom at the hospital...then came home today. Lots of driving but so worth it to see my mom smile. I saw her and I cried my eyes out, she looked so much better than when I saw her last in I.C.U...she was in a coma, this time she could communicate with me. It was so much better. Thank you God for answering my prayers, I still have my mom!

Tomorrow brings in August and I'm a little bit Sad. Branch will be 18 this year. How did my boy get so old, how did I get so damn old? LOL. I'm so grateful that everything that the doctors told me was wrong! :) I am so glad that I never stop believing in him and that he knew it. :)

I guess I am too tired to make any more sense and I will be so happy my husband comes home tomorrow so i can finally get some sleep! :)

Good night and I will write again soon! :)
Hugs,

Laura

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T09:05:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day

I have a hard time saying “Happy Memorial Day” as it is not supposed to be a happy occasion. Does anyone else feel that way too?
I know in Hawaii they spend lots of time making Lei’s for all the graves on all the islands. The kids in school make lei’s for tombs all over the islands, it is lovely tradition.
When you go to the Punchbowl (it is a crater that is also a National Cemetery) there are lei’s on every tomb. It is powerfully sad and makes you proud too.
The Hawaiian’s are fiercely patriotic and that is something that the folks here in the mainland do not know. They celebrate the day they were entered into the union (Statehood Day August 20) It is a state Holiday, but they also celebrate their heritage, with King Kamehameha and Prince Kuhio days. Aloha festival is a mixture of Hawaiian pride and now American pride. The one thing that is little known is that they are very respectful of the dead and they take remembrance seriously, that no one is forgotten. It seems the Hawaiians truly know what Memorial Day is about and sadly those of us on the mainland seem to have forgotten.

Memorial Day is supposed to be a day of remembering those who have gone before us. Memorial Day is for remembering those who have lost their lives fighting for the freedoms we have.
Memorial Day is for those who have gone before us in our family who made us what we are today. Instead Memorial Day has turned into the beginning of summer, and how much can we pack into 3 days instead of what the day was supposed to be.
It is hard for me to say Happy Memorial Day.

Have a Good Memorial Day, Remember those who you loved, remember those who served, but most of all, just Remember what the day is for.

Autism Awareness Month and Mother of the Year

2008-04-19T22:12:00.006-05:00

This is a letter I wrote to a lady with a Child with Autism...this has history and some of you know it and some of you don't. I want to make sure that everyone knows about autism, it is coming to a family near you sooner than you like!

I got the greatest gift the day after World Austism Awareness Day. (april 5, 2008)
I get a telephone call from a lady connected to Branch (my son) through a job program that he participates in school. She also volunteers with the County Fair to help organize it every year and her program that she runs is the Mother of the Year Contest that is held every year. A family member writes a letter about the mother and it is voted on by a committee and the top five are sent to the judges. How flattering that a member of your family wants the whole world to know that you are the best mom in our county. (how cool is that anyway...remember I am the mother of teen agers!) LOL

My beautiful son wrote a letter to tell everyone that "My mother is the best mother of Santa Rosa County." Wow, "gulp" here come the tears...he never said I love you to me spontaneoulsy until he was 7 (it was the day before his 8th birthday and I cried like a baby). Wow! Here he is at 17 reading a letter he wrote to tell everyone how he thinks I'm the best mom in the county! The letter stated some observations about me, I am a teacher, I am a scrapbooker, I like to go shopping at Target and I like going to Starbucks. He then says I take him to guitar lessons, she cleans our house, she gives me new video games, and take me everywhere. Not a super sophisticated letter, but the love in it, is amazing. He noticed so much about me that I didn't think he noticed and boy does he notice! The results of the contest were not that important...I came in 4th runner up (5th place) hehehe...but really I was THE MOTHER OF THE YEAR... I kept thinking back almost 14 years ago thinking: If I believed everything I was told when he was diagnosed. I don't think he would have ever done all the things that he has accomplished in his life. I didn't believe in what they told me, I said "No" and proceeded to teach him the things that I thought he would need. I did a lot of things right by accident and then when both of my children were in school I went to college and became a special education teacher. I was hoping to stay ahead of him by this field of study and...sometimes it works, sometimes it didn't and then I found that he taught me WAAAAAAAY more than anything I learned in college! :)

Funny thing about all the things we do for our children with autism when they are very young...it PAYS OUT! I know my son will live on his own, I know he will have a job, I know he is going to be OK when I leave this world. And because all of this will happen, I know I have done my job and here is the best part ...HE NOTICED!

If you read all this, thank you for letting me share.
Happy Autism Awareness Month. :) We will get the message out >>> HOPE!

Here is the actual letter that he wrote...if you click on it, it will come up larger on your screen. :)

Here we are at the Santa Rosa County Fair, Branch is reading the letter to everyone. (this is the first time I heard it too!)
.

Branch and I on the stage, getting my award and stating that April is Autism Awareness Month. I let everyone know that I was more proud than I could even state! :) What an awesome kid!

This is us on stage and I was awarded a beautiful picture of the prettiest hibiscus and a goody bag of items from the Santa Rosa County Fair. (It includes a 30 minute massage!) Yippie!

Ok, I know this is a longer post than normal and not a thing to do with scrapbooking! I will add a Flikr show of all my layouts for the month soon. Hopefully before next month starts! :)

Thanks for reading and letting me brag about my boy! I love this guy! He is an awesome kid!
Laura

Yippee!!!

2008-04-11T16:11:00.005-05:00

One of the Newest Creative Team member at Gettin' Sketchy! WOO HOO...I'm so excited! :) I love being part of a team and I haven't been able to do that for a long time. It is so nice to finally be established enough in the new house/job/area to pursue other things I like to do too! :)

The sketch this month is:

Please go to http://www.gettinsketchy.blogspot.com/
This is the coolest thing too...PRIZES!!! All you have to do is your take on the sketch and upload it to a gallery and then link the layout in a comment on the blog and we pick a sketch and call it winner and they get a PRIZE!! WOO HOO...talk about fun stuff!
I'm psyched up about this. My family is happy for me.

Now, on to the not so good news. (I always start with the good news right?)

Billy's night in the E.R.

My Dear sweet Billy has been hurting on the left side of his belly for about a week or little longer. He can't even stand straight up as it hurts, he says it feels like he is being ripped apart from the inside. It makes me so sad, he is in so much pain. We were in the Emergency room from 4:00 PM to almost 12:00 AM last night trying to get answers about why he is having pain. They had him give a urine sample, four vials of blood (the vampires!) an IV was inserted, and a barium CT scan. The last is what took so long. He had to drink 3 large cups of the Tang-like concoction down over 4 hours. After that he was glowing on the inside and they had him do the scan.

His appendix is fine, his labs looked fine, he does not have any kind of infection, and he does not have a hernia. We kind of found out the NOT's but not the What is it! We were told he needs to go to his regular doctor to get a referal to a gastronologist and they will most likely have a colonoscopy done. Poor guy. The highlight of the night, he got MORPHINE to ease his pain, as soon as the pain went away he realized he was hungry. He has not been able to enjoy eating because every time he eats he hurts. He knows he must eat so that he does not get sick because he is not eating right. He is truly danged if he does and danged if he doesn't. I'm sad he has this problem, he is hurting and I can't make it better. Isn't that my job to make things better for everyone, and I hate it when I can't because a very real part of my psyche believes that I am failing him. How am I failng him because I can't make him feel better. I think it is the mom syndrome, trying to make things better for everyone. All I can do now is trust the Lord is watching over him and he will show us the right way.

I also have other really good news but I can't put it after this...My beautiful son! :) That will be in the next post! :) Hugs and thank you for reading.

Laura

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T20:28:00.008-05:00

For all of you who celebrate Easter! :) Happy Easter!

I'm trying to get my Scrapbook Mojo back and what better way then to have a mini crop for Easter! :)

Easter Crop:

Who wants to have some fun this weekend and get some scrapping done! :) I am so ready to have some fun scrappin' this weekend! :)

I am going to list 5 challenges for this weekend.

Challenge 1:

How many of us made some kind of bunny in Elemetary school that had felt ears, googly eyes and a milk carton and some cotton balls. My challenge to you is to use some felt on your layout or set of 4 cards.

Challenge 2:

Oh, all those pictures of eggs, decorating, hiding, inside Easter baskets. The challenge this time is..yep, you guessed it...use eggs/ovals in a layout or a set of four cards! :) You just must use the shape, it does not need to be Easter related, but come on, we have all those pictures you may as well use them!

(this one is left challenge 2 and right is challenge 5. :)

challenge 3:

Spring really has sprung...March 20 was the first day of spring. (really for all you snow encrusted people it really has! :)

My Challenge for you is to use "Spring" in your title somewhere. Even if it is a "spring in your step" kind of layout. Or maybe a slinky layout...who knows, but spring must be in the title somewhere! :)

challenge 4:

Use this sketch from Becky Fleck's PageMaps! :)

Challenge 5

My Last Easter challenge for you is related to that ever famous Easter bunny! Do a page about an animal/animals. It could be a pet, a zoo, or even your kid acting like a monkey! :) Just use animals on your layout somewhere. (animal die cuts to pictures, I really don't care how you use it!) Use animals on your layout or set of 4 cards! :)

Enjoy my little Easter Challenge, post your stuff in the comment box on my blog or set up a file on DS2. So have fun...Oh yea, prizes, durn I forgot about someone maybe wanting a prize! :)

BONUS Challenge! Did you know that Polaroid is no longer making film. After this year they will no longer be making the polaroid instant film. So my challenge is to do a layout using your old or new polaroids! :)

Graduated schedule on the prizes! :)

Do 1 challenge and get put in for a 41 cent rak. (the prize will fit in an envelope and be sent with one stamps)

Do 2 challenges and you get put in for an 82. cent rak! (the prize will fit in a 6 x 9 manilla with 2 stamps! :)

Do 3 challenges and you are going to get a mini book with some assorted emblishments to go with it! :)

Do 4 challenges and Congratulations you got a lot done this weekend! You are also set to win a page done by me! (send me pics and I'll scrap it for you!)

Do 5 challenges and you get put in for a michael's Gift Card worth 10 dollars or a set a the sizzlit back to school 4 die set. (a 19.99 value)

bonus challenge is just for fun and can be combined with the other 5.

All of these challenges are NOT to be combined, only the bonus challenge can be combined with Challenges 1 through 5.

Have fun!
Thanks for playing and if you don't get to play have fun with your family! :)
Hugs and let the Scrapbooking begin!

TAGGED

2008-03-14T23:57:00.004-05:00

My newest layout!
It only took me forever to get it done!!! Jeez, but here it is and yes I'm proud of it.
The layout is from Get Sketchy and this is sketch #9. I like it, but I wish there was a place for journaling as part of the sketch.

Here is the Tagged Part! :)

Here are the rules:

Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Here are my 7 random/weird facts:1.

1. I met my husband at the Fountain City Music Festival in Columbus Georgia on November 12, 1983. I still have the tiny piece of paper from the program that he wrote his number on.

2. I have a weird little effect with my hands. When I close my right hand in a fist my left hand tries to mimic the same movement. When I write with a pen in my right hand, I have to put my left hand in my lap. I do that because my left hand moves like it is writing, however my handwriting with my left hand is atrocious! :)

3. I love tomatoes in my macaroni and cheese!

4. My son was named by my sister-in-law Karen. ( I miss her every day, she died in 1997)

5. My daughter was born on my childhood best-friend's birthday. January 7!

6. I drowned when I was 4, and had to be resusitated at the beach before I went to the hospital where I stayed for 7 days! I was terrified of the ocean for 25 years afterwards!

7. I lost an adult tooth boogey boarding in Hawaii...I probably should have stayed out of the water! LOL It was soooooooooo much fun until then though! :)

ok I am going to tag no one as I have no one other than these people to tag and Julie already did it. So I'm playing the game in that I answered the questions! :) Kathea, Holly, Marybeth (her blog is new, hopefully this will get her going!), Lis, Tiara and Elaine.

Have a great night ya'll and happy scrappin' I'm going to try to get another layout out of me before bed! :)

Leap Day

2008-03-01T00:06:00.004-06:00

Today is Leap Day! I don't remember the last leap day but I know it happened in 2004 just doing the math! :) This year I have a few pictures of me at school because it was crazy hat day. Do I have pictures uploaded on my computer yet...NOPE! :)

Lots of neat things going on around here. Billy got a JOB with Tybrin Corporation out of Eglin. Yippee and the only one boo hiss in the whole thing. He has to drive an hour to and from work every day. He started work on Monday. His first full week of work and he is wiped out! :) It was funny last Sunday we were hanging out and I would take a picture of Billy and say "your last day of retirement. " The last few months have been really weird but eye opening. We really used to blow a lot of money. Thank you Lord for the lesson, we will be getting out of debt! :)

Ok, scrapbook wise lately, I have been redoing my room. (AGAIN!) LOL Not really an again, just slowly working towards the plan I had from the beginning.
It just takes time and I figure if you own the house you can take all the time you want, right? :)

These are some of the cubes I have been buying a few a time and adding to the room. It makes the room look a lot less cluttered. :) I really like the streamlined look! :) I really hated the plastic iris carts. This room is much too pretty for iris carts!

I hate the stuff poking out of the divided cubes, but I don't think I can ever help that! :) It just means I have to use it up! :) I am trying to do that but don't seem to have much motivation lately. I joined the Month long Cybercrop on DS2 yahoo group and all I managed to get was 67 points! Geez! What is wrong with me lately. I have plenty of pictures to scrap and lots of ideas, just not taking the time to do it. Of course, I have been spending a lot of time with Billy in the evenings and I have been going to bed really early! :) I'm still trying to get myself well, I still have this lingering coughing and sniffling thing! UGH!!! Branch does too. It might be time to go back to the Doctor and say, hey this is not virus...after a month it is not a VIRUS! :(

Hopefully soon I will get my mojo back! :)

Now here is a deeper look of a very sick mind!! :)

What are inside these drawers you ask? Some of the things in there are dies and other stuff..just lots and lots of stuff! :)

I really think I might have a problem with collecting chipboard and dies. Nah!!!

I have even changed these pictures since I took them! I have added a 30 tier paper rack like you see in a scrapbook store to hold all the paper that is in the wire rack on top of the cubes. :) I really like being able to see my paper easier than in the cropper hopper paper holders. I have been putting my big scrap pads on all the tiers and that helps! :)

I am going to go to bed now as I am rambling now! good night!

Mailboxes

2008-02-02T15:03:00.000-06:00

I have been busy this week with the mailboxes again! :)

Here are few pics of these things and then I will be posting them on ebay! :)

I am also going to try to make a layout for the Peek Winter Quotes and pagemap contests. I need some scrappy supplies, but I don't have a budget right now! :) (Ok, I don't need them, but I would like to get some of the new goodies coming out!) LOL

This is the one I call the Heart mailbox. It has heart patterned paper and prima flowers and is just frilly and girly! :)

I love using up my stuff on such pretty items. I am going to list them on ebay and if they don't sell then I am going to try to sell them at school.

We will see! :)

This is the Love Notes mailbox, the original one that I have on the previous post. I only changed the charm and how it is hung. I really didn't like th safety pin on it before it just really bothered

me and it didnt look right! :)

This is more appropriate charm and way to hang it! Love that I am finding more uses for all those shaped paper clips we bought a long time ago! I still love all my making memories things, but I think I'm tired of them hanging around here.

Oh and if you are wondering, yes those Hershey's miniature candies wrapped in the coordinating papers! :) Cute stuff! :)

This is the Hugs and Kisses mailbox. This is my favorite one of the bunch. I secretly hope it won't sell, but if it does, I will make one very similar to it for Billy for V. Day. It is so cute! :)

I think it is just adorable and this one has more miniature Hershey bars in there. Just too yummy for words. I just wish they would all photograph as well as they came out! :)

Just love the tic tac toe on the side. I really am loving Heidi Swapp products again. (yes that is paper tape) The die cut letters are marisa mini Quickutz. I just love using my tools and my stash up. The lace is the last of what I had bought in Hawaii. So, no more cheap Ben Franklin lace! :) Time to go to Hobby lobby! LOL

Thanks for looking guys! :) Have a Great Weekend. I'll post the Contest layouts when I get them finished! :)

Target Tool Caddy

2008-01-27T11:32:00.000-06:00

This is my Target Tool Caddy made by Jetmax. I know Michaels, AC MOORE and Target all sell the same Jetmax cubes in various ways. Target is the only one I have seen with the tool caddy though. For the large cubes I need about 6 more to make my room complete! LOL... I only have 15 of them right now! LOL...Sad I know! :) Anyway, I want to get all the iris carts out of my room and into my classroom. I want to get my dies in the jetmax cubes because right now they are in the iris carts and the drawers are really hard to open and close! :)

The tool caddy has four sides. Two picture sides that also have drawers. This smaller drawer has 3 compartments in it. I hold my carl shape blades in here and some fiskar refills. (That is how come I knew I was out of them when I went for them the other day, 3 scoring blades and 0 cutting blade cartridges..grrrrrr. Notice there is a photo in the side...it is not staying here I just put a photo in there so you could see where it goes! :) I really don't want a picture of my computer in my tool caddy! :) (it is a pic of Rajah behind the computer, cute as a button and going to be scrapped today!) This side of the inside holder has my files and emory boards and Basic Grey precision file kit. I really don't know how I filed my chipboard letters before I got this set because it makes my life so durn easy. Paint brushes live in this side too :)
1)

This second side of the tool caddy is also a drawer and photo area. This drawer is just one large junk drawer! :) Just kidding, I have my tombo mono and my herma adhesive runners in there and the curvy cutter tool and refill blades. The drawer is rather roomy and you can get more stuff in it than you think! :) This side of the inside holder has various pens inside and one usless Fiskar 5 in one tool. (I really hate that thing)!

2)

This third view of the boxy little caddy has a magnet board and comes with 4 strong magnets. I plan on decorating them at some point! :) Probably today now that I'm embarrassed! :) I am thinking flowers that make me happy! :)
The inside of this caddy has an X that lets you hold your stand up tools. The problem is that it is slick on the bottom and nothing stood up, it is kind of like a cup. So I added some of the florist styrofoam so that my tools would stand up. It is working like a charm! :) I put my jewlers tongs and button shank remover tip side down inside the styrofoam, it has the added benefit of keeping me safe!

3)

The fourth side of the this caddy has a place to stick pens in an elastic holder. That is where I keep my cutterbee scissors and my tweezerbee and alligator clips for chalking...always handy. This is my dangerous side! If you notice in the back that the exacto knife does not have a top. It got lost in the move! :( So, I have impaled my fingers on that thing several times before I got the styrofoam. Now I have not hurt myself on it once! YAY! I know put it tip down, I can't do that, it would be too hard to find!

4)

Now this is the part you didn't know, I have 2 of these tool caddys! They are on both sides of my work space by my window. The second one holds bigger tools in the X, like the instant setter and the grommet setter kits by Making Memories, they are in there and my cork board for my paper piercer...the drawers hold my magic matter (yes I still have it) and some of the inks I use ALL the time! :)

Now looking at this people ask, why didn't you just get teh Making Memories Tool Caddy with 8 sides, yada yada yada...it wasn't out when I bought these things in July! I wish I could have had that system instead, I think it would have suited me well, but it was not available and if you haven't noticed, Im kind of a "gotta have it now" kinda girl! That is changing, slowly but surely, but I WAS once the one that was first in line to get everything and sometimes that hurts you! Something better always comes out later...so I'm trying to wait till later! :)

If you have any other questions let me know or if you want a close up view of anything I'll do it! :)

Winter Blues

2008-01-27T10:41:00.000-06:00

Hi all!

It has been a weird week. I am still trying to get over this sickness. I have a sinus yucky, my nose is rebelling and trying very hard to run off my face or make my head feel like it is full of cotton! I am tired, just so tired all the time! :( I am sure it is winter blues and I'm sure it is getting me down more than I thought it would. I did not have the winter blues in Hawaii...I really miss Hawaii right now. It is cold, very cold to me and very disheartening. Hate the cold!

The only bright spots are Jayne is coming on Monday! She said she would call me! :) I am excited about that! And I get to go to work and see my kids. I just hope I'm well enough to not sneeze or blow boogers on them.

I have been busy scrapbook wise or altering wise! :) I have more pictures of stuff I have been making. I am thinking of selling some of the mailboxes on ebay, but I'm afraid they won't sell and then I will have listing fees to pay and well, we aren't rich right now! :)

I also have a secret pal at school, she is one of the other teachers. I am going to be gifting her with this

on Monday. Monday's are usually my hardest days to get motivated. Hopefully this will make her Monday! :)

Ok, now on the homefront. Billy got a letter from Pensacola for the Assisstant Director to the Airport in town. This is the job that Billy really wants. The letter is for a background check and then after that comes clear then they will start the process for interviewing and hiring! :) Everyone pray!

Bethanie and Branch are doing Great. Bethanie's Birthday party and her cake came out great.
Check this layout out about her Birthday! That cake went over so well!!! NOT...We got lots of EWWW that's Gross! Some of the kids couldn't eat it, but it really did taste good!

Branch got in trouble yesterday, they sent his report card in the mail. They only send report cards in the mail when there is a bad grade on them. He got an F in Social Personal Skills. Then he tried to say ..."But Mom I have Autism." I thought I was going to die laughing!

I told him that class was made to help him and that he had to do his best and an F told me he was not trying his best. He said he would try to do better, but I will get in touch with the teacher to find out what is going on too. If he needs a coach or help that is one thing, but if they are expecting him to do things on his own, that is not going to happen until they TEACH the skill they want him to know. I don't think they have. Hummmm, that gets my advocate/teacher self mad! The Mom part wants to make him feel better, the teacher part says, if my student failed what have I not done to make him understand what I am trying to teach. Funny how when one of my students have failed I feel like I have failed. I hope that is how is teacher feels. If he did not do homework or all of his classwork, that is one thing, but if she is expecting him to read something and do it on his own, then she will have hell to pay! He doesn't learn that way!

Sorry this is such a long post! I didn't mean to do that! I am going to make another post about my tool caddy for my scrapbook friends! :) So, this is going to be fun for family and for my scrap freinds!

thanks for reading this and see you later!

Happy Sunday

2008-01-20T13:51:00.001-06:00

I have been trying to get my scrap book mojo back, but I'm also trying to get some of the big items out of my room. This includes ALL those items I bought to alter! :) SO, I have been getting a few things out! :)

A little something for Bea. It is a late Birthday present! :)

This is also the way I used wire in that challenge for Winterfest.

Tara told me someone paid for my fee so I could ge the points. I sure wish she would tell me who so I can thank them! Tara if it is you...Thank you so much!

I also made a card tin for my neice for her birthday next month. Bea and I had made all the cards for the QVC TSV way back when, so I used those cards and filled up a lunch tin for my neice! :) I hope she likes it! :)

I used her favorite colors in the lunch tin. Purple of course, she is a lot like me.

For you scrapbook addicts, all the papers used were Rita Marie, the letters are chipboard by Pressed Petals...ink colorbox, the ribbon is stuff I have had in my stash for a very long time! :)

I had fun making stuff, but I truly want to get back to making scrapbook pages!

I still have a couple of other things to do and then hopefully I will be able to scrap more! :)

Billy is at his Mom's house today, he will be gone until Tuesday. He is helping his mom out so she can have a cataract removed on Monday. She has another Dr's appointment on Tuesday and then he should be home that evening. Billy has a Dr's appointment on Wednesday for a sleep study for sleep apnea. I'm sure he has it.

Enough stuff for now...see it is a miracle I posted two days in a row! :)

I hope to post more creations later! :)

Have a Happy Sunday!

Something I did last night

2008-01-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

This is a layout I did last night. First time since October I scrapped a page just for my book! It was nice. I got an idea from Tim Holtz's blog for the January Technique challenge. You should try it! :) It was a lot of fun and made me pull out my embossing powders and heat setter! I haven't done that in forever!

This layout brought back so many good memories, and made miss Shannon! Hopefully soon we can meet in Georgia, I'm hoping for the summer time! :)

I also made a bunch of altered items lately! :) I am becoming the altered queen, I will post pictures when I finally take some pictures of them! I still have more stuff to make! UGH! I'm sick of stuff and want to go back to scrapping! :)

Goals for 2008

2008-01-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

Seriously my goals in 2008

January, my family comes here and celebrates Bethanie’s birthday with her!!!
February….go to Zoe’s birthday party
March go to Korisma’s birthday party
Two weekends later for Papaw's birthday
April be there for Grandpa's Birthday
May Go to GA for my birthday and to see Michelle’s new baby.

June Look for another job
July Have 4th of July here at home…
August : Celebrate Branch and Meme’s birthdays together
September School stuff
October Stay home and start getting ready for Christmas

Goals for 2008
Yikes, too many to count.
Things that float around in your head like
I need to lose weight
I need to use up my scrap stuff
I would like to try selling some of the stuff I make on ebay or at the base
I would like to try to become financially independent no more credit card debt
I would like to find a better paying job over the summer. (I love teaching, but face it, we don't make that much money)
I want to get all of my dental problems taken care of
I desperately need that implant folks! LOL I hate having this little thing attached to my teeth!
That doesn't even cover the things I want to get done in the house in 2008. Curtains and pictures on all the walls would be nice! LOL

Ali had a great idea on her blog. To list a word and that kind of be my theme for the year!
so my Word to Live by this year.... LIVE!!! :)

I am not going to let my life happen, I'm going to CONTINUE to LIVE my life. I have been doing many things the last few years I never thought I would. This year I plan on continuing to LIVE.
I will LIVE with Autism and continue to love my son, I will LIVE with enthusiasm as my children grow into beautiful adults!
I will LIVE with Compassion when me and my husband ARGUE...I will LIVE with determination to make my goals real.I will LIVE with what happens in our day to day world and not let it sidetrack me into wishing away this day that is "too hard."I will LIVE with the knowledge that my ATTITUDE changes many things.In the end I just want to LIVE in 2008.

A lot of heavy stuff. Next post won't be so heavy! PROMISE! :)

Are you Kidding me!!!

2007-12-04T20:25:00.001-06:00

It is already December and I haven't posted since July. I didn't give pictures and so much has changed!!! Yikes! Ok...Where to begin. First I'm going to publish this because this piece of crap blog thingy doesn't always work and it just ticks me off! :)

Hailey

2007-09-05T22:37:00.001-05:00

Well, we finally did it, we got a puppy dog! :) Her name is Hailey and she is nothing but tail wagging goodness. She smells like a dog with some puppy milk thrown in there too. She is such a smart girl already and we are all totally smitten! With a face like this, how could you not!

Billy is totally in love with this little girl...she has already stolen his heart and I don't think she will be giving it back anytime soon! :)

The move and other things!!!

2007-07-18T02:18:00.000-05:00

Boy have we had an eventful few months!
We bought a house on my birthday..(biggest birthday present ever!) LOL

We bought a truck in April and it is almost exactly like the one he had in Hawaii...how cool is that?

Hummmmmmmmm....Kids are out of school...I'm still looking for a job (getting kind of nervous about that) :(

I will post more funstuff later, just wanted to update the majors seeing I havent said anything in awhile! :)
bye bye

RETIRED and HOMELESS

2007-04-05T04:03:00.000-05:00

Billy is officially retired from the Air Force. He had a ceremony that had him retire from the Air Force...WOO HOO. Beautiful ceremony and he is the happiest guy in the world. He is so glad to be out of the Air Force. He loved it until about 3 years ago. He really did not like his job in Hawaii...although we both LOVE the area, we both really did not like our jobs and that can make you miserable no matter how beautiful the landscape.

Well, as you see the title tells you that we are no longer in our house on Hickam Air Force Base. We are now in a hotel on base called the Royal Alaka'i. We have a bed to sleep in and tv's to watch (the American dream right?) Comfort? We are actively looking for a house in Florida, and I am actively looking for a job!! Woo Hoo! :) I am sure I will find one, I just hope it is one I want to have. I want to teach little kids again, I really don't want the crazy middle schoolers anymore. I love my students but it is time to go back to little people again.

Bethanie's Last hula performance was Sunday night. Her last performance at Kuhio was last Thursday and she was good. She was wearing a white dress that took my breath away!

Wait until we see her when she gets older, very scary! The person at the mike in the background is her Kumu (teacher). She loves Bethanie and was very sad to see her go.

Bethanie is going to be looking for a Halau in Florida, she says she wants to continue with the Hula dancing. She is very good and so very graceful.

Branch is silly as ever and we have figured out a true talent of his. He has perfect pitch. He can hear a chord on guitar played by his teacher or the radio and tell you what it is. WOW!!! It makes Bethanie sick because she has to listen to the same part of a song over and over before she finally gets it! :)

Meet Lisa Bearnson!!!

2007-02-24T12:23:00.000-06:00

Meet Lisa Bearnson at the The Scrapbook Clubhouse and I DID!

I really have friends at the The Scrapbook Clubhouse Hawaii!!!!! Thank you Lani for having such a great store and being such a good friend. I will miss all of you so much! :)

I am really a scraphead and for my family who may not know. This is Lisa Bearnson the founding editor of my favorite magazine Creating Keepsakes. She is also on QVC often to sell Scrapbook Kits at a Great Price. She shares her passion for this hobby, which by the way, tends to become an obsession for millions of women. Including me in a great big way.

I was really a little jealous of the people who were able to go on the Scrapbook cruise, but I have to remind myself I live in Hawaii....at least for a few more days and I get to see the beautiful sunrise on my way to work and the beautiful sunset on my way home...(get the picture...its expensive here) !

Sunset at Waikiki

I can't wait to come home to my friends and family in the mainland US...My only regret for Hawaii is I didn't get to see more of this state. I have been Oahu bound the whole time, but even with that, as you go to different parts of the island, there are so many things to see. You go to bellows and see waves...(caution, great force to face causes tooth loss)! Go to Makapuu and see the blowhole, diamondhead, punchbowl.

Oahu Coast from the sea.

Amazing Photo of one of the whales from our journey last Jan, wish I could claim responsibility for the picture, but all my photos were not that good! :) This is the one we bought when we got off the boat. (I ran out of film at the instant it jumped...I got the tail picture though!) LOL

Go offshore a little and see whales in the winter. It is truly a wonderful amazing place this little island of Oahu and it tends to shrink when you start to get homesick! :) I forgot Waikiki! The most amazing shopping place ever. I love Waikiki and most of the locals hate it! :) (too touristy....I love it for that reason!) LOL

It may be why I loved the strip in Biloxi and why I just craved the strip in Panama City Beach FL. I love the carnival atmosphere of the strip. It is all there...all the time! :)

This is turning into quite a lot of rambling so I am going to go. Today is clean up day before the pre-inspection for Tuesday! YUCK!!!

Carnival Anyone!

2007-02-18T04:04:00.000-06:00

Ashley and Branch on the Silver Streak

Branch on the Bumper Cars

The carnival is this weekend. Bethanie lives there with her friends during the day when it is carnival time. Branch did not go at all last year, has gone 2 times this year! Last night he went withBilly and I. Today he went with Ashley and, of course, us too. He has a date tomorrow to go with his "girlfriend" Kristen. Ashley is his "best friend" and Kristen is his Girlfriend.

Kristin asked Branch to go to the prom with him. *swoon* What happened to my shy bashful boy? We got him a cell phone. I think that has really helped him become more of a social butterfly or maybe he is more like a Moth! He is still not so good at the social thing but he is trying a lot harder now. He acted like it didn't bother him that he didn't have friends over, but now he spends the weekend talking to friends on the phone. How cool is that? Where the hell is that pschologist who told me he would never be able to talk! I would love to have Branch have an interview with him now!

Anyway I digress, Branch is a player right now with 2 girlfriends. Whether one is not officially his girlfriend that is still playing a game he is not good at with two girls! Yikes, I just hope he doesn't get burned. It won't be for that long because we are now at 49 days! So much to do!

Good night and I will post pictures of Branch and Ash tomorrow! :)
hugs

61 DAYS!!!

2007-02-05T23:40:00.000-06:00

Well, now 61 days until the great big move and I'm getting nervous! How about SCARED to death! I am waiting to find a job until we have a where. I'm really not afraid of NOT finding a job, but finding a job I want!!! Well, that is the question.

There are so many other things I should be doing besides playing on the computer and about 60% of them include work! So, I'm going to be short tonight.

The original thought of this blog was to be about scrapbooking and my family, but it is turning out to be the stram of consiousness of Laura Lee's brain and it is rather a scary thing, do you not agree. Wait, no one reads this thing, so I guess I really am safe!

I said this was supposed to be about scrapbooking so I threw a layout up there, it makes it more appealing anyway! :0) This is what this year is about CHANGES!!! LOTS OF THEM! All of the file folders are kept closed with little magnets, all of the file folders have some sort of journaling in them. It talks about the changes we will be going through and the hopes and dreams for this year. Basically, GOD PLEASE LET US GET JOBS and PLEASE LET THIS MOVE RUN SMOOTHLY...and THANK YOU GOD FOR ALL THAT YOU HAVE GIVEN US SO FAR, IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR MORE?

I'm writing a book. Yep, (lets hope it is a lot more organized than this blog)!
I am writing a book about conversations with a young man with autism because most of the time they crack me up! I'm hoping to help parents/teachers of children with autism and finding a way to explain things through the use of their own circular thinking. They tend to think of the same things all the time, kind of like a loop tape, I've been using that to my advantage with Branch, once he gets stuck on an idea I help him by repeating it several times and then that new "loop tape" becomes part of his brain and then he starts to do that loop tape. Sure wish he wouldn't say everything he is thinking though. That includes routines about getting ready for bed. It seems he has to say everything at least 3 times before he is comfortable with doing it. I'm sure if I went to a Dr. they would try to put him on meds for OCD to curb it, but I'm thinking that maybe a new way to look at it would help. Using self-talk to help him remember what to do is a helpful coping tool, but when it is in excess he is just giving himself permission to drive his family crazy. But at the same time I know it gives him control over the things he has to do.

Ok, Now I am rambling, and rambling, and rambling. Or actually giving you a taste of what my book will be about!

good night for those of you who read this. I need to go to bed soon and I still have a ton of things to do before I can go to bed.

2007-02-04T16:31:00.000-06:00

Happy SuperBowl Sunday!!!

I Love Super bowl Sunday...uncontrollable snacking all day and it is allowed. The whole country is doing it! :) SO It can't be wrong, can it? LOL

I am also scrapping and doing challenges at LM and a mini cybercrop from Nancy Clark on DS2...my yahoo home! :) I am no longer swapping, but I still have a lot of online friends that I chat with over there. Maybe they'll come over and view this blog thing too! :) Who knows.

Oh well, just wanted to say Happy SuperBowl Sunday!
Hugs,
Laura

All Hail the blog bust

2007-02-02T23:48:00.000-06:00

I am so not a blogger, check this out since September...NO POSTS!!!

Lots of news. We leave Hawaii in just a couple of months and I CAN"T wait! I am ready to leave my job but not ready to leave the beautiful weather!

The kids are getting ready to leave, Billy is looking for a job and as soon as he gets one I'll start putting my applications in at different school districts as a special education teacher. It seems it is what I'm good at.

I am still a scrappy holic and in several cybercrops this month. I am having fun with it although I know this is the last month that I will be able to play then the hard work of moving will be coming. I am really not looking forward to moving this time because of how bad the move was last time; so far as breaking our stuff and now we have newer stuff because we had to replace all they broke last time! :) A catch 22 I know.

Ok...I'm going to upload two of my fave layouts from the last couple of weeks! :) I have been a scrap a holic to say the least! :)

The 10 things about me is a Book of Me Challenge from www.Lifetimemoments.com . My other favorite was a gallery pick of the week WOO HOO that NEVER happens to me. The day I was picked was so perfect because it had been totally rotten day at work so it was nice to be recognized for something I LOVE to do! :)

Anyway, this is my most favorite layout of the last couple of months and now I must go and scrap some more. I need more points to see if I can win a GC to LM which I desperately need. I am on a very short leash for a scrappy budget with the move and it would be nice to get a GC to buy some of the new delicious papers coming out of CHA this year! :)

good night, I bet we are in our new house before I post again! :)

My first attempt at a photo!

2006-09-02T14:45:00.001-05:00

going to try to add a photo to my blog. The layout I spoke of in my first post!

This is the layout that I view as Ellie Flannaganish! :) She has inspired me, not by her layouts which I think are somewhat messy, but by the designers she has used in her book. WOW, they are great without being quite as messy as she is.

More official news! :) I have Lost more weight! AWESOME stuff! I am down to 1^& pounds...not that anyone needs to know that number. How about I have lost 28 pounds and I'm still losing. I'm proud of myself, I'm starting to see some changes in my body. Good ones!!! (The back rolls aren't touching anymore) EEEEEEEEEWWWWWW HUNH? That is probably more information than you wanted, but that s the case! The MAIN reason why I had to change my lifestyle. It was rather disgusting. That and we are going to be moving back to the mainland from HI in April, so I would rather my family not go...*gag* good to see you *(whisper whisper...gosh, she got fat)* LOL

I know silly, but now I'm down to lower than when I left Mississippi so I feel better.

I'll post a recent picture of me and Branch on his birthday in front of the Wyland Art Gallery at the Aloha Tower Market Place in Honolulu.

Boy that was an adventure. It was kind of sad too. He is no longer my little boy...he is 16! :(

I feel like I blinked and he was a young man. I miss my baby sometimes, and his little puppy sounds when he first woke up. I don't miss the tantrums and the horrible uncertainty of autism at 3, I think I would just erase that information from my head if I could! :)

This is rambling, so I'm going to go I'll come back later...(sometime later, tomorrow, next week! Who knows!)
Thanks for looking!

My First Post!

2006-08-31T04:04:00.000-05:00

Wow, I have a blog. Something I never thought I would have! :)
I'm not much of a blogger or writer for public consumption unless you count IEP's for work and Scrapbook pages/layouts for Simply Creative Crafts.com

I am a wife, a mom, and lots of other hats that I wear, teacher, friend, sister, worker. You get the picture.

I feel I am a tad bit nuts to be a scrapper and teacher! :)

I guess I will have to go now, I do want to add my latest Scrapbook page here. It is not exactly my style, but I like it! :) It is a little Elsie Flannagan, but a whole bunch me! :)
Hugs and thanks for coming by.

Laura