Whatever is Lovely

It's Giveaway Time!!!!

2010-12-10T20:45:00.011-06:00

It has been such a long time since I have blogged. Why? Oh, I don't know. I just got really busy with work and school, and then there's the whole "two kids rather than one" thing.... And, I also blame facebook, haha. Once I started using facebook regularly, blogging took a back seat. But, when Gretchen and Brittney and the other girls invited me to join in on the giveaway fun, I jumped at the chance - I need to breathe a little life into this blog, huh?

So, what to give away today??? Well, you may not know that I have been branching out a little in my crafting. Scrapbooking, like my blog, has taken a back seat to my new obsession of jewelry-making. And since we are closing in on the end of football season this year, I thought I'd give a little something to a fashionable football fan out there.

Simply comment and tell me which team you pull for - I will choose one Bama fan and one Auburn fan to receive the earrings (I'll make sure to send you the right ones, haha).

Make sure to visit the blogs of my friends if you haven't already - they are giving away some great stuff!

Brittany
Christine
Gretchen
Lisa
Lucy

12 Days of Giveaways!!!

2010-12-10T08:00:00.002-06:00

Hello!!!!! Check back later today for my giveaway - so excited!

Merry Christmas!

Hump-day scrappings...

2010-03-24T10:58:00.008-06:00

For some reason, half of my post was deleted when I published it. So, I am going to try to remember what I had tried to post earlier, lol...

I was off today, and I spent the morning working on Prompt 5 and 6 (page protectors and stickers) for my Shimelle class. I kinda combined the two into one project. I don't currently own any 6x12 page protectors (that will not always be the case, lol), and I wanted to add this project to my 6x12 Celebrate Life album, so I knew that I would have to do a little creative altering to make things work. I do, however, have plenty of 12x12 protectors, and for this project I used a pocket page, with six pockets meant to hold 4x6 landscape photos. Since I don't sew, I simply folded the thing in half, creased it really well, and it totally held it's shape. I now have a folded pocket page, showcasing 12 photos from Eden's 1st birthday party. For the stickers, I reached WAY back and used my all-time-favorite line from KI memories. I used the bubble letter stickers, some gel candy, and fancy accents. I even used some paper scraps that I had saved for the borders. And, some punches, of course. I used Shimelle's layout for inspiration, and adapted some product that I already had: instead of printing Shimelle's labels, I used some Martha Stewart kraft label stickers. I adhered them (embellished with the KI stuff) right on top of the page protectors. The photos are in this order:
1. Front
2. Inside (with the page opened, showing the original 12x12 page protector)
3. Back
4. Detail, showing how it is folded.

The other photos just show some of the KI product up close.

And to answer a few questions that I've been asked over the past week, the "Virginia" that I referred to in my last post is my local friend, Virginia Tillery. She is a super-crafty inspiration, and a link to her blog is on this blog's sidebar. Enjoy her :) And the butterfly punch I've been using is sold by Stampin' Up. There is also a stamp set that goes with it - you stamp the butterfly in a pretty pattern, then punch it out. I don't have the stamp set, though... And for those inquiring about the weight loss plan, it is called "SmartFit", and is offered to women only at this time, through my OB/GYN, Dr. John Foster, at St.Vincents hospital in Birmingham, Al. The phone number is 205-271-1600. Email me if you have specific questions at sburkett1508@charter.net

Busy weekend...

2010-03-21T17:38:00.007-06:00

Why is it that when I am at work, I am always praying that the weekend will get here quick so that I can have some downtime, and then when the weekend actually arrives, it turns out to be busier than the work week was??? It's almost like I need to go to work to rest, haha.

I am off on Fridays, and I weigh in at the doctor on Friday mornings (for anyone who is wondering, I am on a physician-directed weight loss program...) As of Friday morning, I have lost 51 pounds :) I was hoping to be at 50, and what a happy surprise when I had passed that goal. Ahhh.... Only 20 more to go. Maybe by my birthday in June.

After that, I picked up my baby girl's birthday cake, and on the way home, SMASHED her smash cake. Had to go to a local bakery and have them make me another one on the fly. Grrrr...

While my son went skating with friends, I did manage to get one layout done for my Shimelle class (Prompt 4: Make a layout using lots of CARDSTOCK). I took the challenge literally and made a CARDSTOCK ONLY layout (plus a little metal, ink, and punch action). Here it is:

Supplies:
Cardstock: Studio Calico March kit (except the 2 greens, and they are Stampin' Up)
Punches: Border (Fiskars), Large flower (EK Success), Small flower (the Paper Studio), Leaves (Sizzix), Small leaves (Stampin' Up)
Alphabet: Quickutz Studio Classic (my all-time QK favorite)
Brads: Making Memories
Ink: Tim Holtz (Ranger)

The photos are photo booth photos, one from this month, and one from March last year. My, how time flies when you are having fun. And having babies, haha.

Friday night, I cleaned the house for the party on Saturday, and then on Saturday morning, we celebrated this:

Yep. Sweet little Eden Jamison Burkett is ONE. I can't believe it. Seems like I just had her.

We napped after the party, then me and Jackson went to the movies. We saw Diary of a Wimpy Kid. GREAT movie. Anyone with an elementary-aged kid needs to make it a point to take their kid to see this one. It teaches such a great life lesson. We had an awesome discussion on the way home from the movie about being yourself, being genuine, and not taking good friends for granted. Again, great movie.

I sang the "special" in all three services at church this morning, ate lunch at my cousin's house for lunch, took a three hour nap with Eden, and am now chillin' in my scrapbook room while the kiddos watch Elmo and Cartoon Network. Life is good, you know?

Before the movie last night, I went to Michaels and got a few new Martha Stewart punches. Have you SEEN all of her new spring punches? OMG. I need to get one per paycheck. I want them all. So great. This time, I got the embossed button, the owl, the Birds on a Wire edge punch, and the classic butterfly that I have been seeing on so many projects lately. Can't wait to use them SOON. I am off again Wednesday. Maybe then. Gotta get through 2 busy 12 hour shifts at work first. On that note, gotta go get daycare bag ready, give baths, and get in the bed. See you Wednesday :)

No scrap is safe...

2010-03-15T16:20:00.009-06:00

From my butterfly punch, that is...

Friday brought with it Prompt 2 from Shimelle's online class: Use all of those paper scraps for something useful, rather than leave them in storage...

Coincidentally, a few weeks ago, after reading Virginia's blog post about what she does with her monthly kits, I was inspired to get my punches after my paper-scraps stash. I am talking about all of those bits and leftovers from layouts past. A couple of years ago, when I first started storing my supplies by manufacturer, I did the same thing with all of my scraps. I have a big ziplock bag for each paper company, and I keep all the bags in a chest. I took one folder (the one holding my A2Z scraps) and went to town. Little did I know that these would come in handy for this class. I mentioned this in my last post, and actually used some of the butterflies on my "Play" layout. Here are the 2 layouts that I did today for this prompt:

Like Prompt 1's layouts, I used my SC March kit. Along with the kit, I used the advertisement tags that SC always sends with their kits - the tags are always a collage of the current SC papers - and are way too cute to just throw away. So, I punched a couple of butterflies from them. Also, the strip of grey woodgrain is cut from these tags. And, I am obviously still using lots of metal. That may be an ongoing theme for this album, along with the butterflies and rulers.

And my second layout:

More SC March kit stuff, and some of that A2Z paper (the blue dotted paper). I also repurposed some of the packaging from the kit. I tell ya, that Studio Calico is awesome. The March kit has a package of die-cut woodgrain in it, and the packaging is about as awesome as the actual woodgrain. The starburst at the bottom is cut from that packaging, as is the yellow woodgrain circles. I used more metal letters from Scrapworks and a Maya Road journaling tag.

I am LOVING this class and am sooooo inspired. And, that's 4 out of 10 kit layouts. 6 more to go :)

Heavy Metal

2010-03-10T18:16:00.009-06:00

My Shimelle class started yesterday (see last post), and the first prompt was all about using up all of those metal embellishments in your stash. I found LOTS of metal in my particular stash. For example:

Actually, I have a LOT of metal. Making Memories metal words, frames, brads, book plates, Scrapworks metal letters, brads, brads, and more brads... I bought all of it because I LOVED it then. And you know what? Apparently I still love it, because these 2 pages were super fun to make, and I remember why I bought all that metal years ago...

I am using my Studio Calico March kit (remember last post, where I said that I would cut myself off from kit-buying unless I complete at least 10 projects per kit?) along with Shimelle's product challenges. Besides the kit, I added the Scrapworks metal letters for the title, and a square brad from MM. And that's it. Pretty simple layout. This is the title page for an album, also a part of the class :)

Seriously. Who knew that playing with old product would be so inspiring? Well, I guess Shimelle did. That's why I am such a fan. She just KNOWS. Again, for this layout I used my kit, and added a MM metal word, some brads for the butterfly bodies, and my Stampin' Up butterfly punch. OH - and that paper that I used for the butterflies??? Old A2Z papers - one day a few weeks ago, I took my A2Z scraps and punched the heck out of them. You will probably see the products of that punch-session on many upcoming layouts. Again: I am trying to use up some of this accumulated product that has been collecting dust for years.

AND, 2 down, 8 to go on the SC kit challenge (for anyone keeping count). Woohoo. I *may* give myself permission to order April's kit :)

2010-03-06T22:17:00.002-06:00

Ahhhhhh. A scrapbooking class. I can hardly wait :)

This one is awesome - it will help me use stuff from my current stash (which has become quite ample over the years...) Lots of challenges, page ideas, etc. I seriously can't wait.

Perfect timing, too, as I was about to cut myself off from buying supplies, cancel my Studio Calico subscription, etc... I had even thought I might do the "buy-no-more-product-until-I-complete-100-layouts" challenge. Instead, I think that I will challenge myself to use my kits over the course of the month after I receive them, before I get the next one. I was thinking maybe a 10 project per kit goal... BEFORE I get the next kit. If I don't consistently meet this goal, I may cut myself off from buying kits, as I have about 10 unused ones from various companies just sitting around, collecting dust, just waiting to be used. I hope to photograph my projects and post them here on the blog - we shall see how that goes.

As for couponing, we are in full force. Buckett is even involved now, which is really funny :) I think that rather than posting each trip here, I will set up a spreadsheet to keep up with our purchases, savings, etc. I may post a monthly summary at the end of each month. Again, we shall see.

This week...

2010-03-06T09:22:00.002-06:00

Since my last post, I have made 3 shopping trips - the first was a Winn Dixie trip. There were some things I needed just to get through the week (drinks, milk, snacks, etc.) I did not use coupons, and it about killed me. I spent $85, but saved because I used my card and got the WinnDixie pricing. So, I guess I did ok. But I realized that I really could do so much better to just coupon shop. For example, Buckett wanted pancakes and grits and some other breakfast-type stuff, so I bought them without coupons. And what did Publix have on sale starting Wed? Pancake stuff. I could've gotten twice as much breakfast stuff for the same money, or less, if I'd waited and bought it from Publix. Ugh.... But, you never know.

Thursday: Buckett's Walgreens SCORE

6 bottles of HE laundry detergent (All, rather that Purex, which was sold out) for $1.37. WG had it BOGO, I had coupons for BOGO, and stacking those 2 deals allowed us to pay tax only. I had 4 coupons, but WG only allowed him to use 3 at one time, and Buckett lost the 4th one......

Last night's Publix trip was a good one - paid $53 and saved $63. I will try to post details later...

Rite Aid trip...

2010-02-28T14:00:00.003-06:00

***Thanks, Leah, for the Publix tip! I will definitely check it out.***

First of all, I printed out $3 off $15 coupons and $5 off $25 coupons (these expired today). I didn't notice that there was a limit to how many I could print. I printed 5 of each to be safe. Since they are both for 20% off the purchase, it seems that it would not matter which one you used. But depending on what is being purchased, which coupons are available, etc... there are some cases where I would need one or the other (see diaper deal below).

I did 3 transactions. The cashier was a little impatient...

Transaction #1:
Mt. Dew 12 packs 3 for $8.99 (with in-ad coupon 2/28)

Kleenex BOGO: I bought 2 for $1.79 each, got 2 free. Had $0.50 off 3 mfg coupon. $3.08 OOP

Blue Diamond Roasted Salted Almonds BOGO: $3.49 for 2. Had $1.50 off 2 mfg coupon. $1.99 OOP

Pencil Sharpener: $2.19

Subtotal: $16.25
Used $3 off $15

Total: $13.25

Transaction #2:

Pampers Mega Packs (52 count) BO get one 1/2 off. $17.99 for 1st one, 8.99 for 2nd one.

Subtotal: $26.98
Used $5 off $25 (the other coupon wouldn't have helped as much)

Total: $20.96 (making them $11 each)

Transaction #3:

**Cover Girl Make-up is BO get one 1/2 off this week**

Concealer: $12.99

Foundation: Reg. 11.82, $5.91

I used a mfg. coupon for $2.50 off any 1 CG product (I probably could have used another coupon on the half-price item, saving me $1, but I didn't think to try it...) making both products $16.40.

Subtotal: $16.40
Used: $3 off $15

Total: $13.40

Total spent (before tax): $45.63
Total saved: $41.48 (not mentioning how much Pepsi 12 packs usually cost, so I could really add a few more dollars to this total..)

And for lunch, I used a coupon from Jackson's school coupon book, and got 2 pizzas at Little Caesars for $5 :)

Couponing...

2010-02-27T13:41:00.002-06:00

After seeing all of Monique's posts about how much money she saves using coupons, and after seeing the same from Carmen on Facebook, I decided to give it a try. February was my first month, and let me say - there is definitely something to this... While it takes a LOT of time, there is MUCH $$$ to be saved. And to be quite honest, the Burkett household has so much less $$$ on hand these days than in the past, we need to save where we can.

I am going to make an effort to track how much I spend and save here on the blog, starting with my very next shopping trip. That may be today, because I can get some Uncrustables for $0.49 a pack at Publix. Gotta take advantage of that.

Monique, if you read this, thanks for the advice. And, I miss your blog. And you and your parents. And the girls and Jer.

Scrapping today...

2009-12-04T10:19:00.004-06:00

I have coffee, my Buttercream candle is lit, I have a stack of new Christmas supplies, and I am working on this:

(My 2007 journal)

It is already Dec. 4, and I am just starting on this year's journal. Maybe I'll post the first couple of pages later, if the creativity flows today :)

Alright, now...

2009-10-18T21:35:00.003-06:00

i gotta start using this blog again. Time is moving right along, and I am missing stuff - well, I am not missing it, because I am experiencing it, but I am missing the documentation of it...

Like when Eden found her feet at 5 months. No photos of the event.

And when she rolled over from her back to her tummy at 6 months (and from tummy to back about a week later...) No photos.

And how she now, at 7 months, sits up unassisted and sat up during her entire bath this morning. Of course, I can not prove this, because there are no photos....

She is at the brink of crawling - anyday now.... Need to dust off the camera soon.

So, I need to start using the blog(and its friend, the CAMERA) for what they were intended: documentation tools.

By the way, does anyone still read this?

A bump in the road...

2009-04-19T09:46:00.007-06:00

Before we left the hospital after you were born, I remember the on-call Pediatrician telling us to be careful with you, not to allow sick family members or friends to get too close, because if you were to get a fever before you were 6 weeks old, you'd have to be admitted to the hospital.

Well... we almost made it.

Just after the 5-week mark, you started getting a little bit of a runny nose. I started monitoring your temperature, and one morning, aroung 3:15 am, your temp was 100.5. We called Dr. Walley's office, and of course, they sent us to the ER, warning us that there would be a mandatory 48 hour hospital admission. Maw-maw came and picked us up so that Dad could stay home with Jackson and Andrew. We got there around 5:15am, while it was still dark outside. Fortunately, the ER wasn't crowded, and they immediately took us back. Your temp was 99.7 when we got there. OH, and while the nurse was taking your temp, you pooped all over her. It was pretty hilarious :)

This is us in the ER - notice you already have your I.V. in your left hand. They tried first to put it in your right hand, but the catheter wouldn't thread. They used that stick to draw a little blood for testing. The catheter went right in your left hand, thank goodness. You handled that pretty well - you cried, but mostly because of how they had to bend your wrist to get the vein to cooperate. The nurse dipped your pish in a little cup of sugar-water, and that seemed to help calm you down. We need to get some of that stuff for home! Of course, sweet tea works pretty well, too.

They also catheterized your little bladder to get a urine sample. That was NO BIG DEAL for you at all - you didn't even whimper. But the spinal tap - now that's a different story. That was the most traumatic part, due in part to the fact that they had to bend you in half like a taco during the procedure. And the needle stick wasn't fun for you, either. But once they got the catheter in the right place, you calmed down right away. The whole procedure took about 15 minutes, but it seemed like FOREVER. I've seen this procedure done countless times at work, but I DID NOT like seeing it done to you, let me tell you.

After seeing the Hospitalist and getting the first round of antibiotics, we got to go to a room, where we just hung out. They took your BP, temp, pulse, etc.. every 6 hours, and you got more antibiotics each shift, but other than that, there wasn't much action. We basically had to be there to wait for the cultures to come back negative. We had visitors all day, taking shifts to hang out with us. Maw-maw, Aunt Dianne, Molly, Dad and Jackson, Pawpaw and Cat, and Giggy.... And you were just precious in your big hospital bed....

And about the bed.... You LOVE sleeping in this bed! It must be the combination of the comfy mattress, the positioning rolls, and the elevated back. I'm either going to have to throw this bed in the back of the Tahoe, or I'm going to have to figure out how to make your bed at home as comfy as this one.

Just a few more details:

* Once everyone left us the first night, I watched "The Holiday" on TV while you slept.
* I "tried" to sleep on the recliner, without much success.
* QVC kept us company on day 2.
* This whole experience has made Jackson ask questions about when he was little: like, if we remember the first time he was injured....
* Speaking of Jackson, he played on my laptop during his visits, but always had a watchful eye on you...
* We missed Jackson singing at the Magnolia Festival as well as his game (he got to catch, finally, and struck out, finally...)
* The hospital brought food trays to me, since I am nursing you. And the food was pretty good! Especially the chicken fingers, which I shared with Jackson...
* I had planned to write my thank-you notes while here, but that didn't happen.
* You got TONS more "hair" comments :)
* Being here reminded all of us of Katie...

You and I did really well on this memorable weekend, and thank God you had nothing more than a little viral infection. Love you, bootee :)

For Eden, on her one-month birthday...

2009-04-13T14:00:00.009-06:00

As of last night at 8:24 pm, you've been in this world for one month. And what a great month it has been.

So far...

* Let me start out by saying that you get a LOT of attention everywhere we go, and the #1 most popular comment you get (and let me add that you get this comment 100% of the time...) is about your HAIR. People say things like, "where did she get all that black hair?" Or, "look at all that hair!" Or, "could she HAVE anymore hair?" I always just shrug my shoulders, smile, and say, "I KNOW!" But, honestly, I don't know where it came from, except to say that the chromosomes had it in the cards for you to look the way you look, which is entirely unique to YOU. And baby, you are beautiful.

* You are doing all the things that you are supposed to do, and none of the things you aren't supposed to do. You eat, poo, and sleep well (except, you must sleep with me in my bed, but we'll hopefully work through that.) You don't have colic, cradle cap, or excessive fussiness. YET. You haven't lost any hair. YET. You are just a content, chill baby.

* You love to be held. My favorite position is when your head is up by my neck, and your little tummy is on my chest. We snuggle really well that way, and you'd sleep there all day if I'd hold you all day. Some days I do....

* You are a pish-baby. (Pish = pacifier.) Jackson wasn't, but you are. You love to be bundled up really tight in a soft blanket with a pish in your mouth. If your tummy is full, you'll fall right asleep sucking on your pish. You'll even ignore less-than-ideal diaper conditions if you have your pish.

* You also suck your thumb at times, and when you do, the other four little fingers rest over your nose. So cute :)

* You love your room, especially your quilt that hangs on the wall above your changing table. You also like to stare at your chandelier and the cool shadows it creates on the ceiling. And you love to lay in your bed and watch your "movie." (Movie = aquarium.) Really, the whole room puts you in a state of awe.

* Your "Big" absolutely loves you. (Big = Jackson.) He is so proud of you - everywhere we go, he makes sure everyone has seen you. He loves to hold you, and if anyone else holds you, he always tells them to "support your head." He thinks you are cutest when you are nursing - he said that again this morning :)

* You wore a silk dress to church yesterday for Easter.

* You still pretty much sleep all the time, but in the last week or so you have kind-of awaken more. You really strain to see everything, and when you do, you get this serious look in your eyes. You get this wrinkle in your brow, between your eyes - we call this your "Aunt Dianne look."

* You have been watching Baby Einstein movies with your Big. He watched them when he was a baby, and has really enjoyed re-discovering them with you.

I took a couple more pictures of your room:

And here are a few photos of you from your first month:

Hi, there :)

2009-02-18T04:07:00.003-06:00

It is 4 am, and I can't sleep (recurring theme these days....) I've been awake since 3 am, and I've finally given up on the sleep thing, for now. And, since a little bird told me that I needed to update the blog (coughcoughJenneycoughcough), I am taking advantage of this time to put together a little blog post for you.

Really, there hasn't been a lot going on. I've switched from full-on BABY mode (which started in the middle of January with the room remodeling and baby shower preparations) to WAIT mode. With Jackson, it seems like as soon as I had his nursery prepared, he was HERE. And I remember that my 2 baby showers for Jackson occurred only 5 and 7 days before he arrived. So, there wasn't a lot of waiting. The down-side to that was that I felt totally unprepared for him. My mom and sister were at my house, washing baby clothes, organizing his room, etc., while we were still in the hospital.

Well..... not this time. I guess I was determined not to feel unprepared this time around. We had waited sooooo long to decorate the nursery - I was getting panic-y. But, once we started, it came together so incredibly fast. Then, 2 baby showers came along, back to back. Since I'm not working a lot, I was able to devote a lot of time to organizing everything. So, essentially, the room has been ready for the baby since the beginning of February. And so I wait.......

Here are some pictures of Jamison's room:

*The walls are the most beautiful pale carribean blue.
*Bright white trim.
*She's using Jackson's crib - dark walnut stain.
*She's using Katie's white wicker dresser and lingerie chest (purchased second hand back before Buckett and I got married.)
*The bedding is "Brooke" from Pottery Barn Kids (as is the canopy).
*The canvas. Ahhhh - the canvas. A Vanessa Hudson original. It will eventually be on the wall, not on the lingerie chest.
*The chandelier is from Lowes. Ain't it cute? And at night, when it is lit, the walls look like they are covered with butterflies or clouds or waves...
*The changing table is from Target.
*The flower picture - Pottery Barn Kids.
*The little robot on top of the lingerie chest - we call him Wall-e. It's my video monitor, complete with night-vision. The little tv in my room lets me check in visually, as well as audibly... Another hand-me-down from big brother Jackson.

Coming this week: a plantation shutter for the big window over the dresser. So much for that beautiful natural light. But, a little girl might need to sleep in that room during the daytime. Also, I need some closet doors. And I'm looking for a bargain on a dark brown rocker-recliner-glider-ish chair for the corner.

And then, all I need is a baby :)

Thank You!!!!

2009-02-02T08:18:00.002-06:00

Thanks to everyone who came to my 2 baby showers the past 2 weekends, and for all the lovely PINK stuff you brought with you!!! I am so blessed to have so many amazing people in my life. I'll try to get some photos up at some point, but I'm a little busy putting cribs, swings, changing tables, bouncers, etc. together ;)

Oh - and just WAIT until you see what Vanessa made for the nursery. She is one AMAZING artist, I tell you. Truly, she is the knower of all things crafty :)

Again, a million thank you's to all my lovely friends!!!

Attention Deborah Pickens :)

2009-01-20T18:03:00.001-06:00

I need to get in touch with you. My computer crashed a few weeks ago, and I lost my entire address book, so I don't have your email address. Will you email me? Did this post freak you out? LOL :)

sburkett1508@charter.net

Love you!

Good grief...

2009-01-04T22:32:00.001-06:00

I am now officially addicted to Facebook...

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-01T08:26:00.004-06:00

Coming to you LIVE from New Orleans :)

We headed down on Tuesday to spend the week in the Big Easy - and to catch the little football game happening in the Super Dome on Friday. We spent yesterday at the Audubon Zoo. What an AWESOME zoo - kinda puts our little B'ham Zoo to shame. After a little nap yesterday afternoon, we braved the drunken crowd and headed to Bourbon Street last night. Wow. Like my husband said, everyone needs to experience this ONCE in their lifetime. Well... I can cross that one off my list. Like I told Jackson: If one end of the spectrum was Mrs Scarborough's class at GFBC, Bourbon Street in New Orleans was the very opposite end. He did laugh when he saw the signs in the nudie bar, and when we saw the guy with dred-locks, dressed in a gold beaded thong bikini, knee socks, sneakers, and a black hoodie. I just hope that his outfit was a joke....

We simply walked from one end of Bourbon Street to the other, and after that, we'd had more than enough of that scene. Jackson was worried about the cigarette smoke he was breathing - he kept asking me if he'd breathed enough to get lung cancer. We eventually had to go in one of those stores that sells Mardi Gras masks - we bought a creepy clown mask, but it covered Jack's nose, and that made him much more comfortable. The mask also came in pretty handy when we were sitting out by the river, waiting on the fireworks - I wore it for about 20 minutes to keep the wind off my face. I looked pretty stupid wearing a shawl over my hair, a clown mask on my face, and Jackson's light-up "2009" glasses. But, hey - I was warm. AND, I didn't really look all that out of place, in that particular crowd... I have a photo, but no card reader. I'll post it when I get home, K?

Today, we are headed to Jackson Square, the French Quarter, and all those famous tourist-y places to take photos. And, I WILL have a beignet and some chickory coffee today at some point. Pep rally at 2:30. Aquarium sometime after that.....

Tomorrow, who knows.

Friday, ROLL TIDE!!!

Home Saturday.

See you then!

Oh, and for those keeping a count, I only have like 2 more months until I am a mother of 2 :)

Tagged...

2008-12-04T19:27:00.005-06:00

... by Molly to post the fourth photo from the fourth file on my computer. Well, my fourth file only had one photo, so I went to the fifth file. Here's the fourth photo:

This photo is from Christmas, last year (2007), at my mom's house.

Woohoo - I have actuallly responded to a tag! May be my first ever, lol. So, am I supposed to tag four people? If so, I tag Amy S,, Monique, Vanessa (yeah, right), and Andrea Steed :)

Oh, and Amy - here's the video I was telling Brad about today at work:

Jackson and his "elf" friends...

2008-11-30T21:21:00.005-06:00

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Design Your Life

2008-11-19T09:34:00.004-06:00

As promised, here are my layouts for Cathy Z's class at Big Picture Scrapbooking:

I still haven't done a few of the Real World Color layouts, and I am just now working on Week 5. Still haven't started Week 6.... But, I'm pretty excited to have actually accomplished what I have, considering we are about to start Week 8. I'm not THAT far behind...

I'm lovin' the mix of 12 x 12's and 8.5 x 11's in this album. Because of my anal-retentiveness, I plan to keep all of the layouts from this class in the original class binder, so I'm trying to use current photos from the Fall/Halloweeen/Thanksgiving/Christmas season. I'm running out of photos, though, lol. I guess I need to get out and do something photo-worthy....

I'm sorry, Blog readers...

2008-11-14T11:15:00.008-06:00

I haven't been blogging much, have I? I know, and I'm feeling guilty about that, believe me. I come to my own blog every day to visit all of the blogs on the sidebar, and I always think about posting, but I never do. There's really not much going on right now. Well, there is a LOT going on, but nothing interesting enough to blog about.

*I'm trying to finish this sememster in school. It's a real struggle - not difficult material, not time consuming, just not what I want to be spending my time on. This class may result in my first B since I started back to school at UAB in the mid-90's. And you know what? I couldn't care less. I am at the point in my life where I am realizing this: WHO CARES IF I HAVE AN A IN THIS OR ANY OTHER CLASS? Will I make more money at work if I get an A? No. Will I get some kind of award? No. Will I be recognized at graduation? Maybe, but I probably won't even walk. So, you know what? A "B" is just fine.

*I'm scrapbooking again. Yep. Really. A LOT. I'm taking Cathy Z's class at Big Picture. Hey - maybe I can post about this class, huh? Maybe tomorrow I'll post some layouts.

*I'm not working much. Seriously. One day last week (Thursday) and so far this week, I've only worked 9 hours - all night last night (since I was on call). I now scrub for TWO surgeons - the one I've been working for, and a new surgeon who started at UAB in October. Neither one of them have been busy lately. PLUS, there are four of us scrub nurses now, instead of 2. Where I was taking call every other weekday and every other weekend, now I'm on call much less (like, every third weekend). And starting in January - I'll only be on call ONE WEEKEND A MONTH. I don't even know what to do with myself. It seems like I've been on call for 2 straight years - since September of 2006. Yes, I had breaks, but I couldn't really enjoy them because I knew that I'd be right back on call the next day, the next weekend, etc..... Now, I have these long, extended breaks. I'm a NEW woman. This is the BEST change that could have possibly taken place in my life. Other than waking up weighing like 50 pounds less, or waking up being like 10 years younger.....

*I've already been to Sips N Strokes twice this month, and I'm planning on going back at least twice before Christmas. I'm LOVING all the Christmas paintings.

*I'm still pregnant, lol. Over half way now. Gaining weight like a champ. Feeling a little girl squirm around inside my body. Yes. GIRL. We are naming her Jamison. Eva Jamison, actually. The "Eva" is up in the air - Jackson keeps changing his mind on the first name. He started out with "Eva", then he changed his mind to "Leia", and now, he wants "Charlotte". He has also mentioned "Elsa" lately. But, "Eva Jamison" is kinda doing it for me lately. It has a nice ring to it. Eva Jamison. Eva Jamison. See? And, it is only 11 letters (counting the space), so I can get stuff monogrammed. All you younger mothers know what I'm talking about - you have to keep it to 12 or less, so we're good. We haven't even begun to start on her nursery yet....

*I'm already decorating for Christmas. Yes, you can criticize if you want. But let me just say that I LOVE Christmas. Last year, I really went all out in the decorating department. I had everything up really early and REALLY enjoyed the whole season last year like never before. I'm hoping to do that again this year, if at all possible. AND, I have limited help this year (Buckett gets a little emotional during the decorating process, as you can imagine). So, with the lack of help and available personal energy, I am doing a little bit each day, in the hopes of having everything ready by the weekend after Thanksgiving.

*I'm planning to Journal My Christmas again this year.

*I've ordered Ali's December Daily Album from Cocoa Daisy - planning on doing that album as well in December.

What else?

Honestly, that's about it. Except that Jackson is just so fun right now. I'm loving the fact that he's in to Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Batman, etc.... I can totally sit and watch some of those movies with him. And he is just so funny these days. I love to just hang out with him. He is reading SOOOOOO well and making awesome grades at school. He's gotten a "stamp" every day since the third week of school (he had a rough day the first week AND the second week). But overall, he's gotten good behavior reports EVERY DAY except for 2. I'm very proud :)

As for Buckett - well, he's kinda struggling these days. The holidays are going to be rough for him. I can already tell. I even suggested that we do something completely different for Christmas this year - like take a trip or something, just to change up our normal routine. But, as he so plainly put it - Christmas Day is no different than any other day, meaning that EVERY day is hard for him. Not just the big, special days like Christmas, birthdays, homecoming, etc.... I totally get that. It just seems like Christmas would be extra hard, for some reason. I was thinking about it, trying to put myself in his shoes, and the only way I can do that is to imagine losing my little boy. I know that if that happened, it would be IMPOSSIBLE to put up a Christmas tree. There is no way I'd be able to unpack all of those handmade ornaments from years past, see the ornaments that he'd been given by his grandparents..... There is NO WAY. And I don't think I'd ever be able to scrapbook again.... For that matter, I don't know how I'd go to work, how I'd walk the halls of my home, picturing him sitting in front of the television, playing Wii.... Gosh - I honestly don't know how people who lose children go on living. Poor Buckett - I live in the same house with him, and I still don't even BEGIN to imagine the sadness that he must feel.

But despite all of that, I'm really hoping to have a good holiday season this year - and I'm sure that I'll have to experience a lot of that privately - internally. Within myself, if you will. After all, Christmas really is mostly about that "feeling" inside anyway.

Well, I guess I really DID have something to talk about after all. Maybe I'll post about my Big Picture class and my Journal Your Christmas class from last year. But now, I'm going to go outside and try to find my rogue Beagle who has once again run off, despite the active shock collar around his neck.

Happy November :)

Cool moment for me.....

2008-10-26T18:13:00.002-06:00

I was sitting in the movie theater, and the opening of Star Wars: The Clone Wars begins - you know, where the statement "Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." appears on the screen, followed by "CLONE WARS" in giant letters.... - and Jackson almost jumps out of his seat in excitement and anticipation. I think back to a moment almost 30 years ago, when I was about his age, when I was sitting in a movie theater somewhere, watching the FIRST Star Wars movie with my parents. It was a neat moment to share with my own son. Who, by the way, has been a dream date this weekend. We have been inseparable since we awoke yesterday morning. He has been my "social life" this weekend, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

And I still haven't studied for my test.

Happier post....

2008-10-25T06:32:00.002-06:00

Work has been kicking my bootie lately - blogging has been affected, huh? Well, not today. I'm up early, despite the long (and late-night) work hours of the last two days. I've already taken several photos for my Scrap Your Day project for this month. I've heated up and am currently eating a Strawberry pop-tart, drinking a Mt.Dew (don't tell my OB/Gyn), downloading some software updates to my Mac, blogging, and am planning on balancing my checkbook in a minute, before Jackson wakes up. Most importantly... I'm not on call this weekend. Hallelujah.

What I should do today: study for my test on Tuesday.

What I will be doing today instead:

*Take Jackson to the pumpkin patch this morning (per his request last night)
*Carve pumpkin
*Take Jackson to Wal-Mart to buy Wii game as reward for making all A's on 1st report card
*Attend Josh's birthday lunch at Giggy's at 2pm
*Watch the Bama game
*Attend my dad's yearly fall cook-out tonight (this year it is a costume party)

...all the while taking lots of pictures.

Oh - and it is official: We are having a GIRL - confirmed Tuesday by ultrasound. I'm just over 19 weeks. In my book, that's half way. Hard to believe - time just flies... Guess I can paint the room now :)

Not much else going on - I'm finally taking Jackson to see the Clone Wars tomorrow. It seems like this weekend is all about Jackson, huh? Guess it is because I feel like I haven't seen him at all this week. Well, I haven't seen him much this week. Gotta make up for it in the next two days.

Oh my goodness....

2008-10-14T20:21:00.001-06:00

You MUST read my husband's latest blog post. It's a letter to Katie. Grab some tissues and click here.

Well.....

2008-10-08T15:23:00.003-06:00

We got fewer votes than our opponent (only 26 fewer), but I feel like we WON. We were aiming for 300 votes, and we got 37 more than we expected. And actually, we thought that would be enough to win. Unfortunately, our 337 votes weren't quite enough. But, I still think we won - we sent the current administration a message that things need to change in Gardendale - and hopefully, the new mayor and council will bring about a positive change for our city. So, congrats to Othell Phillips, Peggy Tumlin, Gary Morris, Alvin Currington, Faith Harper, and Wendell Phillips. Make us proud :)

In other news, my sister, Julie, had her baby on Monday - a BIG boy (9 lbs, 9 oz!!!!) named Reid. She named him THomas Reid, after our late Grandfather. He is such a pretty little thing - I'll try to get a photo posted of him as soon as I get one.

Oh - and Jackson turned 7 last weekend :)

My pregnancy is going well - I'm now 17 weeks along, and I've been undergoing a little genetic testing because of my age, and all is well so far. We had an ultrasound at 14 weeks to check for spinal deformities, and again, all is well. AND...... they told us we were having a GIRL. Most people find out around 20 weeks, so since our news came so early, I'm not painting the room pink YET. I'll wait until my official 20 week ultrasound for confirmation first. But still, it is exciting to think of the possibility of having a little girl baby around here :)

I haven't been scrapping AT ALL. And I don't really want to these days. I feel like I SHOULD be, but I don't have any desire. I think I'm wrapped up in Patho and baby and Jackson's school..... But I HOPE the desire comes back and SOON, because I have way too many beautiful supplies that are just sitting alone in an unused scrap room. PLEASE, send some mojo my way.....

That's all I got right now - sorry it's been so long since I've posted......

Cleaning windows....

2008-09-19T16:34:00.005-06:00

I HATE to clean windows. In fact, I don't do windows. Especially since the windows on my house are those double-hung storm windows that have to be actually REMOVED in order to clean the insides. Well.... while we had so many people over after the wreck, one of Buckett's long-time friends sweetly pointed out that there were trees growing in our gutters (evidently we don't do gutters either....). I was looking in the Yellow Pages for someone to come clean our gutters, and there is a local company who cleans gutters AND windows AND does pressure washing. Heaven. They came out and did it ALL.

I want to recommend Gutters and Glass if you ever need this type of work done. Let me also say that the owner, Andy, is super super nice and professional. And the guy who works with him, well we didn't know who he was, but when Buckett's friend, Andy Heis, came over yesterday, he recognized Tyrell as one of the dancers from "The Basement," which is a local Bible Study that is host to THOUSANDS of teenagers across this city. Katie and her friends used to go. Oh - and he was in a Nicole C. Mullen video. And a Casting Crowns video. And a Salvador video. Cool dude. Here's the Nicole C. Mullen video. Tyrell is the guy close to the end that has the "hopeless" shirt on, who dances after been "freed" from his hopelessness. What an awesome song, video, and message. Enjoy :)

Happy Birthday, KK.....

2008-09-17T18:48:00.003-06:00

She would've been 18 on September 18th. I won't be able to post tomorrow, so I wanted to make sure and do that tonight. Tomorrow will be a VERY hard day for a lot of people: Buckett, Tynette, Andrew, the rest of the family, the GHS senior class, her friends who are already in college.... a lot of people love her and miss her alot. I'll be at work ALL DAY tomorrow, so I won't be able to hang out with Buckett, so please pray for him, as he will be alone during the day tomorrow.

We are having a little "party" tomorrow night, which really means that we are all getting together, writing notes to Katie, putting the notes inside balloons, and then we'll release the balloons..... I don't think I'll be off work in time to go....... Again, pray for us around 5 pm.

Sad day.

Taking a break....

2008-09-16T07:07:00.004-06:00

I guess it's time to tell you that I've decided to take a "break" from my DT position at Scrap Etc. Well, I'm on the Creative Team, as well as on the Scripts Design Team. I've decided to step down from both. I just don't have as much time as I used to.... Buckett's campaign and (hopefully) new Council responsibilities, Jackson's school responsibilities, MY OWN school responsibilities, the new BABY.... all the responsibility is kinda stifling the creativity, and when you need constant creative inspiration to be able to produce beautiful layouts and such, well..... You know what I mean.

Like I told Lucy - let me have this baby and get through with school, and maybe, in a year or two, I'll make a HUGE comeback and start designing and teaching again. But until then, I'm going to use scrapbooking as a quiet, peaceful hobby to take my mind off all the other stuff that is going on, if that's ok. So, over on the sidebar where it used to say "I Design For.... Scrap Etc. and Scripts" it will now say, "I Design For"...... me.

So appropriate.....

2008-09-11T18:37:00.001-06:00

You Belong in 1989

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

What Year Do You Belong In?

I found this on Virginia's blog, and this is so true. Funny that this is the year that I graduated from High School. I guess I'm stuck in the 80's :)

Inspired, with NO time.....

2008-09-04T20:06:00.003-06:00

That's me. I just read my newest Scrapbooks Etc. magazine, and I am in the mood to scrapbook RIGHT NOW. But, it is almost bedtime, so I'll just have to wait until the weekend. Let me just say that I LOVE this magazine. It has consistently been my favorite scrapbook magazine, and believe me, I have read 'em all (the U.S. ones, anyway...) This issue was awesome, because my TOP 4 favorite scrapbookers had layouts within. Let me give them a shout-out, and a link to some of their work, in case you are also in need of a little inspiration.

1. Gretchen McElveen. Home girl. AWESOME scrapbooker. Gorgeous. Her layouts just keep getting better and better, if that is possible. She just won MMM. Every magazine I read lately has at least one of her layouts in it. She rocks. And she is my top-of-the-list favorite scrapper.

2. Lisa McGarvey. Garden Girl. A member of the Scrapbooks Etc. Creative Team. Every layout she creates just BLOWS my mind. I really don't see how she does what she does. I try to mimic her style, and I just can't pull it off. She is the BEST. I don't know her at all, but I love her work.

3. Shannon Tidwell. Also a Garden Girl. Her style is a lot like Lisa's. And I LOVE her handwriting.

4. Shannon Zickel. She ROCKS the white space and the white backgrounds, and uses color like nobody's business.

There are so many awesome artists in the scrapbook world, but if I HAD to pick favorites, these girls win the prize in my book.

I'm SOOOOOO Proud.....

2008-08-26T20:49:00.002-06:00

Buckett made it to a run-off with the incumbent (who only beat us by 54 votes), so GAME ON! I have sort-of stayed out of the campaign thus far, because for the most part, I have been in that first trimester fog of fatigue and nausea. But, now that that is over, and because I tasted a little bit of the competitive aspect of the election process today, I am FIRED UP to get out there and help Buckett win this election. We have 6 weeks until the run-off, so after taking a little time off, we'll get 'er cranked back up and "land this plane" (to quote Jamin Grubbs, lol).

HUGE congrats to my girl, Faith, who absolutely took her Ward by storm with a 60% victory over the incumbent. WAY TO GO, my friend :)

Only one other Ward was decided tonight, and the mayor's race is going to a run-off as well, so the political fires are still a-burnin' here in G'dale. Whew. Six more weeks. I don't know if I can take it - I almost had a panic attack between 7 and 7:30pm, waiting for the results, lol. But this has been SUCH a fun day. Good luck to all of the candidates who are still in the race - let's try to run a clean campaign, shall we?

Thank you to ALL of our awesome friends who have helped campaign so far. What a HUGE help that has been. Now, let's rally the troops - we've only just begun :)

*** I promise not to get all "political" on this blog, IF I can help it :)***

Tomorrow...

2008-08-24T20:49:00.000-06:00

Please, please, please..... (Update!!!)

2008-08-21T21:21:00.003-06:00

***ETA: She's winning, so keep voting! We have until Wednesday***

Take just one little second and vote for my friend - she is in a scrapbook contest and needs your help to WIN this week. Click the link below, and you'll be taken to the proper screen. You may have to register in order to vote, but that's no big deal.... It's easy, and fast. Please vote for her layout "Put Your Head on My Shoulder."

THANK YOU!!!!

Katie's Layout

Oh, and you can vote every day - until next Wednesday, I think. So, vote every day if you remember. Thanks!

One of the best things about being pregnant....

2008-08-21T11:58:00.005-06:00

Another reason to scrapbook :)

I used the August Scripts Kit for these 2 layouts (link on sidebar). Here's one more with this month's kit:

Such a fun kit this month :)

In God We Trust...

2008-08-19T19:18:00.005-06:00

If you have a minute, click on the following link and VOTE for or against removing the phrase "In God We Trust" from US Currency. I don't know who will see this poll and if they will listen, but let's vote anyway.

MSNBC Poll

Hello, newcomers....

2008-08-14T20:03:00.004-06:00

Buckett (my husband) just added a link to my blog from HIS blog, so if you are new here, WELCOME. And a little disclaimer: This blog is mostly random stuff about our daily lives, a lot of scrapbooking mumbo jumbo, and LOTS of worship music. I have many blog readers who just come here to listen to the music. My playlist is AWESOME, by the way. But, if you are looking for political stuff, you probably won't find it here - we'll keep that at Buckett's blog, lol. Maybe we'll see some of you this weekend, as we'll be out and about doing the campaign thing :)

And to my regulars: Buckett is running for City Council (Ward 2) in Gardendale. I'm so proud of him for continuing to pursue his vision after the crazy month he's had. Personally, I think he has a GREAT chance of being elected. I know he'll have one vote: MINE. I LOVE that man. If you want to check out his blog and leave him an encouraging comment, here's the link (and I'l also add it to the sidebar.)

Buckett's blog

Back to school post coming soon :)

I Love Scrap Etc.....

2008-08-11T15:22:00.002-06:00

Why, you ask?

Number 1 reason: The people I've met there are just FABULOUS. Look what some of the girls made for me:

It's a paper flower bouquet. All of the flowers are handmade by my sweet scrappy friends. Thank you girls!!!!! This is such a sweet gesture, and I LOVE the flowers. They are beautiful :)

Number 2 reason I love Scrap Etc: The new design team ROCKS! I just love all of those girls, and I'm so proud of the new additions to the team: Pat Bullard!!! Amy Steenwyk!!! Lisa Tanner!!! Carol Snyder!!! Nubia Posey!!! Amy Nabors!!! Mandy Johnson!!! Elizabeth Bailey!!! And let's not forget miss Adrienne - she is just awesome, and I'm so glad she's still on the team. HUGE congrats to all of you :)

Number 3 reason I love Scrap Etc: The new location is just BEAUTIFUL. I love the blue and red color scheme. And it is HUGE! I can't wait to teach a class in the new store :) We (meaning Britney, Lucy, and myself) were tossing around a few class ideas today. You *may* want to keep September 30th open, lol.

Number 4 reason I love Scrap Etc: I totally scored with some new October Afternoon, Pink Paislee, and American Crafts product today :) :) :) :)

Can't wait to scrap this weekend - It's been WAY too long.

Heartbeat....

2008-07-30T18:12:00.002-06:00

We saw the little baby's heartbeat yesterday :)

We had our ultrasound yesterday. Buckett has been SOOOOO worried over the last week about MY health and the baby's health, with good reason. We HAVE undergone a *little* stress this week, huh.... I guess he really needs for this baby to be healthy - totally understandable. So, imagine his delight when we saw the heartbeat. That was a very happy moment. I have a few pictures, but no scanner, so I'll have to share those later.

The due date is still the same - March 19th. I'm 7 weeks/3 days. We have a LONG way to go....

So far, just a little nausea and heartburn. No big deal. Oh, and I'm EXTREMELY sleepy. Like, I-could-sleep-all-day kind of sleepy.

----------------------------------------------

Thank you again for all of your prayers, cards, visits, and thoughts. You'll never know what it has meant for all of our friends to rally around us through all of this. We wouldn't have made it otherwise. We are doing better - Buckett seems to be doing ok. He is holding it together, so to speak. But, he reports that he's having a really hard time. He said that yesterday was a bad day - there were times during the day when she should've been storming into the house with some kind of drama.... and he misses that. He misses the drama, the arguments, getting on to her because her shorts were too short, her being less than honest about where she was hanging out.... all of it. He misses her.

Andrew finally came back to our house. He'd said that he didn't know if he'd ever be able to come back, since this was the last place he'd seen her alive. But, he spent the night Sunday night and hung out with us Monday and Tuesday. That was nice.

Jackson is better - I think he was just frustrated that he was getting NO attention from me or Buckett, and he was lashing out. When the guests slacked off and we all started getting back to "normal" he immediately got better. We're still going to put him in some grief counselling, just in case....

Please continue to pray for us and call us. And, thank you V and Katie for inviting me out Friday night - I'm REALLY excited about that. And thank you Molly for the weekend invite. Excited about that too. Buckett said yes, of course. And Monique, I AM getting your messages, and we WILL get together soon, lol.

Love you guys :)

My inbox runneth over.....

2008-07-23T15:15:00.003-06:00

We are home. Whew....

We had the viewing last night, and let me just say that we were all OVERWHELMED with the outpouring of love from our friends and family. I have NEVER seen so many people at a viewing before. I've heard 2,500. I've heard that there were more than that..... All I know is that with TWO receiving lines, it took 6 hours for everyone to get through the line. We were there from 5:30pm until 11:30pm. WOW - there were a LOT of necks to hug. And today - my gosh - there were so many people there (um, MollyB....) Thank you to everyone who came to see us, and especially all of my "peeps" who came just to see me. You know who you are, and I love you :)

Katie Mitchell was discharged last night - she was able to come for a little while. It was so very sad, as you can imagine. But, it was also GREAT, because we've been needing to see her. And our little Carli was able to come today. So, everyone is home, thank goodness.

Now comes the part where it all becomes "real" so please continue to pray for us. Jackson is doing a little better - he has finally gotten his mother and daddy back after 4 days of absolute craziness. I think he's gonna be ok. And, we are going to let him spend some time with a child grief counselor, just in case there are any issues he needs to work out in his little head.

Big HUGE hugs to everyone, and a million thank you's. You'll never know what your emails and phone calls and visits have done to get us through these last few days. Love you :)

Arrangements...

2008-07-21T22:50:00.002-06:00

Sorry I'm posting this so late - it is midnight, and this is the first time I've had a chance to steal away for a minute. The viewing is tomorrow night (Tuesday) from 5:30 - 8:30(ish) pm at Gardendale's First Baptist Church (G'dale, Alabama). The funeral is Wednesday at 11am, same location.

Some important things to note: Josh and Molly were both discharged from the hospital today. Their parents brought both of them over to see Buckett, and this was the MOST special, perfect thing that could've happened. If we could only see our Carly and KatieM. Hopefully KatieM will get out tomorrow or Wednesday. Not so sure about Carly - it's not lookin' like she'll be out in time for the funeral. Keep praying for those 2.

And pray for my big 'ole husband tomorrow around 3pm - that's when we'll all go to "view" little KatieB. It would be really great if we could have a big cloud of prayer around us. Around the whole group, in fact. Pray for Giggy and Papa. Pray for Tynette. And Andrew. And Sissy and Josh. Pray for all of us - it's gonna be a rough time.

Pray for my little Jackson. He is so angry and depressed and trying to process all of this with his little 6 year old brain.

I love all of you - thank you for your prayers. Like I said before, YOU are carrying us. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times.....

The girls....

2008-07-21T10:02:00.002-06:00

Of course, Katie B. is 2nd from the right. The other girls: (from left to right)
Molly Wilson, Katie Mitchell, and Carly Patrick. These were the other girls involved in the accident. Poor little Katie Mitchell was driving the car. Please pray for her, as I know she will feel guilty and responsible. So far, the others are doing well - just banged up a little. Carly is the most severly injured, but hasn't required surgery yet. I'll update as they are released from the hospital. Let me see if I can find a picture of Josh....

Sad day...

2008-07-21T08:13:00.003-06:00

...and thank you to everyone who has called us, thought about us, prayed for us, visited, brought food.... you have NO idea how much you are carrying us right now. Buckett and Tynette (Katie's mom) will be meeting with the F.Home people today at 10am, so we should have some definite arrangements to share later today, probably after lunch.

Please continue to pray for us today and every day.

Looks like its gonna be good to me.....

2008-07-19T19:38:00.005-06:00

I always worry that the movies won't be as good as the books, and this is probably the case with Twilight, but I'm looking forward to it anyway. And, this picture of "Edward" is awesome - more like what I thought he'd look like. I still pictured him with lighter hair for some reason.... Bella is EXACTLY how I pictured her. Actually, the book Bella isn't quite as pretty as movie Bella, but pretty dang close otherwise. Can't wait for Dec. 12 :)

Update, Scripts, and a little news....

2008-07-16T08:00:00.007-06:00

It's been just a little while since I blogged, huh..... Sorry. Things are just a bit crazy around here. I'll explain later....

I'm still working on my My Freedom class: I got the "time" layout done, and I've printed the photos and started laying everything out for the "travel" layout. This weeks prompts are about Inspiration and Aspiration. Fun topics :)

I got my school project done on Wednesday of last week. I had to video myself performing a full head to toe physical assessment. It was horrible. It took me and Sabrina (my friend, coworker, fellow-student, and stand-in patient) from 2:00pm until 9:30pm to film a little 39 minute video. We were going crazy in that last hour. Ugh. And then, we had to turn around and film hers on Thursday. Hers didn't take *quite* as long, because we had done most of the prep work during my session. But, you know what? It is done. We turned them in Friday. Hallelujah.

I'm still on call. I've been on call for the last 3 weekends, and every week day since July 1. I'm getting a little sick of it. The good thing is that the call hasn't translated into a huge amount of work. I did one all-night aortic dissection this weekend, and the July 4th Mitral Valve replacement, but other than that, everything has been pretty calm. We leave for the beach Friday, so just 2 more days of call.

Weight loss update: I've lost almost 12 pounds :) :) :) :) :) Everything was clicking along - motivation was high, hunger was down, points were counted, pounds were falling off..... until.... well, I'll explain THAT later....

Scripts: Here are my contributions to the July gallery....

Well, I guess I need to go - I have a test today. Actually, this test is the 4th I've had this week. The first was Sunday night, with this result:

Of course, I didn't believe it. Thought it was most DEFINITELY an invalid test (because it definitely wasn't negative.) So I took my 2nd test Monday morning with this result:

Really didn't believe this one either. So, scheduled a doctor's appointment for yesterday morning. Took test #3. And the results? You guessed it. I guess that I had to hear it from a doctor to really believe it. Due March 19th, to be exact.

But, other than all that, I'm really excited. Nervous, worried, anxious about how I'm going to fit all of this in (THIS, being work, call, school, 2 new surgeons, and a baby) But you know what? We'll figure it out. People do it ALL the time, right?

So, you can see why things have been crazy around here. And why my weight loss plans are now on hold. It's all good. We'll have our first ultrasound the 29th, right after we get back from the beach, to confirm the due date. So far, no sickness (just a weird, distant nausea that seems dormant now, but letting me know that it is getting ready to rear it's ugly head.) I wasn't sick at all while preggo with Jackson, but every p'nancy is different (notice that I still can't seem to type the whole "p" word). Let's just pray that it won't be too bad. And, while you are praying, let's pray for a healthy little babe. No CF. No downs. No SB. All those things that are a higher risk, since I'm now 37. 37. 37. With a baby. Wow.....

Alrighty. Now you know :)

I'm off to take test #4 (this one is for school, lol.)

The pace of life.....

2008-07-11T11:17:00.004-06:00

Well, it is Friday, and I was supposed to be blogging everyday this week for the My Freedom class, but I have spent every waking moment for the last 2 days at the hospital. I got called in about 4:30 Wednesday morning for a heart transplant, and I stayed after the case to work on my school project. Then yesterday, I had a fairly long case at work, stayed over to help my friend Sabrina do her project (since she had stayed with me the day before).... so, I haven't been able to blog. Which totally leads in to today's blog prompt: "How do you prefer the pace of life? Do you wish things would speed up or slow down?"

For me, this is easy to answer. I don't really care if the pace of my life is slow or fast. I just wish it could be a little bit more consistent. It seems that ever since I took this job at UAB, I have had a lot more down time - time at home, so to speak. But, I am also on call half of my life. Whether I have the day "off" or not, there is still the chance that I will be called in to work. So, on the days I am on call (which is every other weekday, every other weekend), if I'm not actually at the hospital working, I find myself sort of sitting around, waiting to be called in.... This tends to lead to a lack of productivity on my part. Before this job, I had regular hours: clock in at 6am, clock out at 4 pm, etc.... But that was also a Monday - Friday job. With THIS job, at least I do have some off days during the week, but nothing predictable... nothing I can count on or plan for.

If I had to choose between the 2, I would definitely stay where I am. But, my unpredictable life sometimes drives me nuts.

The blog prompts I missed:
Wednesday: What's in your suitcase? Blog your list of travel essentials. We are leaving for the beach vacation next Friday, so maybe I can blog about this next week.
Thursday: Have you ever been inspired by the words of a poem? Poems, no, but song lyrics.... most definitely. This would definitely be a good blog post - maybe another day.

And some photos for you: I promised to show pictures of my other Shimelle class (Scrap Your Day) - this is the class where, on the 25th of every day, you take photos of your daily routine and put it all on one layout. At the end of the year, I'll have a completed "year in review" album of everyday life. Pretty cool, huh.

The cover is unfinished, as I will choose one photo from each month to put into the little squares. When I have all 12 photos, then I'll go back and embellish the cover a little, add the title, etc. I copied Shimelle's cover design for my own.

April's page
May's page
June's page

I'm excited to say that on July 25th, I'll be at the beach. That should be a really good day, with lots of good photos, and a really good page :)

Time travel.....

2008-07-08T18:19:00.004-06:00

Today, in my Shimelle class, the question was asked, "if you could travel in time for just one day, where would you go and what would you do?"

This is a tough question. Very broad. There are so many places I could go, so many time periods to visit, so many things to do.... But, you know what? I immediately thought about a beach trip that I took with my family, back in 1984. My parents were still married to each other. My grandparents were still alive. My cousin, Christen, was still alive (in fact, she was just a baby.) This beach trip was special, because EVERYONE was there. My parents, me, Julie, all my aunts and uncles, all my cousins, my grandparents, even Eddie was there..... I think it was the only time our entire family vacationed together. We stayed at Edgewater Beach Resort in Panama City, back before the 3 towers were built - it was just Windward and Leeward back then. I remember one day in particular. We were all out on the beach in front of the condos. Eddie and his friends were throwing the frisbee around. Me, Ayla, Julie, and Celina played around in the ocean. Mom was showing off her weight loss in a HOT swimsuit. I wore my first bikini. I took photos of Julie and Celina with a little cheap-o camera. My grandparents were laying out on the "umbrella chairs" by Lynn and Dianne... Tommy and Celia played in the sand with baby Christen. I remember being so happy that day - so proud to be a part of such an awesome family. I just knew that everyone who knew us was jealous of us because of what a great family we were.

I was 13 years old. I had braces. I looked horrible in that bikini, because I didn't have my "figure" yet. I had a bi-level haircut (aka, girl-mullet). I hadn't yet had my first kiss. I was insecure. But, I'd take a day-trip back to that beach in a second. I'd sit under that umbrella with my grandparents all day. I'd hold little Christen and tell her that I loved her. I'd take a walk on the beach with mom on one side of me and dad on the other.

Yep. No question. If I could travel back in time for one day, that's where I'd go. Last year, I started working on a little mini album in honor of this trip. I need to finish it.

What I thought would be a fun little journaling exercise, with an entry like, "if I could go anywhere, I'd go shopping for the day in Paris with my mother..." turned into a really sentimental trip down memory lane. And, I'm kinda sad... Who knew?

My Freedom

2008-07-07T09:18:00.013-06:00

I'm taking another Shimelle class, called My Freedom. It is a 5-week class, focusing on photography, Journaling, and design. I always love Shimelle's classes, because they encourage you to use your own stash. I plan to use my little 8.5x11 MM 3-ring album (you know, the one with the scalloped edges) and probably my July Cocoa Daisy kit. Wanna join me, Pat B? Lol.

Today, the prompt focused on photographing the things around the home that remind you of the passage of time. Here are some shots:

These are just some shots of all the clocks in my world, and one of my WW journal (you can go ahead and disregard how many points I'm allowed each day......) I also thought I might take a shot of how it looks outside to represent the season change. Actually, I have a shot that will do.... And, I think a picture of Jackson would be appropriate for this, too - he is a CONSTANT reminder of the passage of time.

This class also focuses on blogging, with a daily blog prompt. So, maybe I'll be blogging more over the next five weeks. Tomorrow, I will definitely be posting pictures of the other Shimelle class that I've been working on. Remember this?

I REALLY should be doing my school work today, but instead, I'm taking pictures, blogging, and thinking about scrapbooking. Dang you, scrapbooking!!!

Hey.... where's the music?

2008-07-04T14:27:00.003-06:00

It's still here, but after reading Kristina Contes' latest blog post, I thought that I'd take it off "auto." Not that she reads my blog, but she's right. Even the music bothers me sometimes, like when I'm hitting all the links on my sidebar - everytime I return to my blog, the same 2 measures of the first song start to play.... Kinda annoying. So, to my "regulars" (i.e. Brad & Amy, lol) - just go to the playlist and click the "play" button.

Oh - and happy July 4th! I am taking the "Independence" thing seriously. I'm home alone all weekend while the rest of my family is at the lake. I'm on call, of course. I worked all day today. But, my sweet mom fixed me a little lunch surprise - a hotdog, some potato salad, and 2 deviled eggs. It was so good, even if I did eat it in a quiet, empty house instead of out by the lake with the rest of my family. It's all good.....

Well, I'm off to take a little nap, and then *maybe* I'll scrap with my new Scripts kit.

Oh, and Amy - did you see the DT call?????????? If not, check the Scrap Etc. blog for details.

Later.....

Where were we?

2008-06-28T03:34:00.006-06:00

I've neglected my 52 week project for a full month (my last entry into my journal was week 3, May 21-27) and my neglect has resulted in a 6 pound weight gain. Definitely NOT what I was aiming for. My challenge for myself for week 4 was to "try" WW again, and I did. I went back to the meeting the very next day, but I decided that I wasn't ready to follow the plan. And again, since then, 6 pounds. In just one short month. VERY scary, huh.

So. Back to the plan. Back to the weekly challenges. I know I'm ready this time. I'm counting points (started Thursday of this week) and it is working. The scales reflect it (those 6 pounds are *almost* gone), and I feel so much better, even in just 3 days. Amazing.

But, my challenge for this week, and I'm saying this is week 5 (we won't worry about the skipped weeks....) is to change my FOCUS. I'm going to *try* not to weigh every morning - daily weighing (at this point)is SO toxic, because I am reminded of where I am, rather that where I'm headed. I want to focus on where I'm headed and how I'm going to get there. NOT on my current state, because that just throws me into a funk.

My challenges so far:

Week 1: Eat a healthy breakfast
Week 2: Walk 2-3 times a week
Week 3: Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day
Week 4: Count points (WW)
Week 5: Don't weigh every morning

Alrighty. Moving on....

--------------------------------------------------------

I'm up WAY too early this Saturday morning, and I blame this guy:

Yes, little Coal is still with us. Our neighbors were supposed to take him, but they backed out. And, in a little fit of insanity, we decided to keep the little fella. He is so precious - he was the biggest of the litter, and when I say *biggest* I mean, he was like TWICE the size as the rest of the puppies. He intrigued me from the very beginning, and he was always my favorite. I absolutely love him, but he wakes me up at the crack of dawn. But, it's all good.... I'm up, and I'm headed to the scrapbook room :)

Oh. And the Mac is back, thank goodness. My computer has been with the Geek Squad for 3 weeks because it wouldn't boot. Well, actually there was a DVD stuck in it, and that was keeping it from booting. You know what DVD it was? S.A.T.C. season 6. You can imagine my embarrasment as the little Geek himself handed me the DVD, which was wrapped in paper, and said "Here's the media that was stuck in the computer. I don't know what it is...." And I say, "S.A.T.C." I actually said the "s" word to the geek squad guy. I don't know why, but I felt compelled to tell him. Maybe as a confession: "Yes, geek, I use my awesome, high-powered Mac laptop to watch SATC DVDs. I am such a girl." He just laughed and looked away....

Later....

In other (happier) news....

2008-06-24T16:11:00.004-06:00

Today, when I should've been doing my assignment for school, I rearranged my pantry. Well, actually, I got a "new" pantry. Well, sorta..... Let's start from the beginning.

This is my old pantry:

Not even really a pantry at all. Just a double cabinet. This is the ONLY space I had to store our groceries. Therefore, my kitchen always stayed cluttered, because we had to store cereal boxes, chips, etc.... on the counter-tops. Well, during phase 1 of the remodel, we moved our washer and dryer, which used to be in a closet in the kitchen, to the garage. And last week, as an early birthday present, my mom had her closet people come and customize a pantry for me :)

And this is my new pantry:

Major improvement, huh. Sooooo much more storage space. I kept my coffee stuff in the old space, close to the coffee pot. But, eventually, in phase 2 (or 3 or 10) of our remodel, the whole wall where the old "pantry" was will go away. We will tear that wall out and put a little "bar" for eating and serving food, with some cute little light fixture hanging down..... That will open the kitchen up into the den and hopefully make the space seem more open. Ah, someday.....

Well, gotta go do homework. I've put it off long enough. YUCK.

Walkin' in Memphis.....

2008-06-22T19:34:00.005-06:00

That's where I've been this weekend. We (me, my mom and stepdad, aunt, uncle, other uncle, cousin, and about 150 other G'dale people) went to Lindsey and Ryan's wedding at Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis. BEAUTIFUL wedding. The song that's playing now - "Captivate Us" - beautiful song - the bride's siblings (Grant, Ali, and Bethany) sang this before the wedding. I started crying during that song, and didn't stop until about an hour AFTER the wedding. Well, I'm kinda still crying. I miss the Gaines family soooo much. The bride's dad, Steve, used to be our pastor at GFBC. He left us for Bellevue a few years ago. Like I said, I miss them terribly.

Lindsey was beautiful.
Ryan never stopped smiling.
Donna was beautiful. Like a perfect Disney princess.
Steve was fantastic. I was kinda star-struck around him for some reason.
Grant was gorgeous. Gorgeous.
Melissa was VERY pregnant and cute cute cute.
Bethany was all grown up, and sang like an angel.
Allison was prettier than ever.
Miss Dorothy WALKED half-way down the aisle. I cried.
Steve Hancock played - he was flawless.
Tracy Maxwell was also VERY pregnant. And precious.
Bill Street was so cheerful and sweet, just like always.
Jamie was a doll, and has the BEST tenor voice ever.
Dana and the kids were a sight for sore eyes.
Mark and Marti Blair were too sweet.
Russ Q. was precious, and his prayer was perfect.
I saw Jeff Phillips and his family - cute.
Saw cute little Jenny and B.J. - they look exactly the same.
Saw Kathy Jett's dad. I miss the Jetts.
Saw Jamie Parker's cute little dad.

I miss them all. I am actually crying now as I type this. I remember when Steve first announced that he was leaving GFBC. I grieved for a LONG time. Cried for a LONG time. This weekend brought all of that back. For some reason, when I sang there last October, I didn't have all these feelings. Probably because I was so nervous and excited about singing. But this time, I just sat back and watched them, and remembered when they were all here. Very sad. I grieved Saturday night, all over again.

This weekend reminded me of a part of my life that is kinda over. Well, not really OVER. Dormant, maybe. I was reminded of when I was so involved at GFBC, involved in the music department, on stage all the time, able to use my gift... I miss it. And I'm really sad. Not that I can go back now, with things the way they are. I don't know if it will ever be the same. I just miss the way things were. I was so happy then.

After the wedding, when I was still crying, Mom and Dianne really ministered to me. They prayed for me - it was so sweet. Dianne said (in her prayer) that she could not believe that it is OVER for me (meaning, my singing and leading in worship) and she prayed that God would help me find a place to sing. I agree with her - I don't feel like it is over. I don't think I'm done. I just don't know where my "place" is.

If you are still reading this, and you feel so inclined, please join us (me) in prayer as I seek God's will in this little matter.....

Thank you Mom and Clay, and Rheana, and Ed, and Lynn, and Dianne - for being my comfort zone.
Thanks Mom, for lying in the bed with me and listening to me when I was so sad. It is so good to know that I can always call you.
Thanks, Dianne, for praying for me.
Thanks, Mark Ramsey, for that HUGE bear hug and the sweet words - you have no idea what great timing that was. You pulled me out of a big bucket of water that I was about to drown in....
Thank you Charlotte G. for, well, looking so HOT in that purple house-dress.
Thank you Jan Howell for the tip - and for offering to drive to Dora with me.
Thank you, Emily, for calling to tell me Happy Birthday this morning. Love you.
Thank you Steve and Laura and Rachel, for eating lunch with us today.

And, I'm still crying....... But, it's my party, and I'll cry if I want to.

More layouts.....

2008-06-18T18:30:00.011-06:00

You know, I'm in stash-bustin' mode. Well, I'm also in PHOTO-bustin' mode, too. I am trying to either get my photos in albums or onto layouts. I'm not printing ANYMORE photos until I find a home for the prints I already have. I bought a bunch of those 12x12 photo sleeves for the extra photos that I want to just file away in my scrapbooks - that's working out well. But, I've done something else with this LO:

Yes, a 2-pager. I credit this to Janna Wilson and my Got Sketch 101 class (this was Monday's sketch, which I LOOSELY adapted.....) The cool thing about this sketch was the flip-up photos. I remember doing this in my 12th grade senior memory book, with all my friends' senior pictures. I layered the pictures and adhered them to the book with just a single strip of scotch tape across the top. I fit like 40 photos on one page. Well, this layout uses this same concept. Here's what I mean by flip-up photos:

I fit 2 5x7 photos and 9.... yes 9..... 4x6 photos on this one spread. This is a REALLY good way to get some photos scrapped. I'm going to take Janna's advice and cut slits in the page protector for the little flipped photos to stick through. Now, this LO is a little different for me, in that there is NO journaling. But, I scrapped one of these photos a while back, and THAT layout tells the story:

I'll put these LO's together in Jackson's album.

And here's one I did last night:

Again, I used a sketch from Becky Fleck's Pagemaps book. Can you tell that I'm REALLY into sketches lately? This just seems to be working for me right now.

In other news, I finished re-reading this last night:

I must say, this book was BETTER the second time around. When I read the series the first time, I became very disenchanted with Edward (I was more of a Jacob fan). But after reading the first book again, I have a renewed love for Edward. Can't wait to read the New Moon and Eclipse again. And I definitely can't wait for the movie.

Later....

Stash bustin'.....

2008-06-15T11:08:00.015-06:00

Thanks to the latest issue of Simple Scrapbooks and my new Cocoa Daisy kit, I busted out 11 layouts this weekend:

And the day is still young....

Notice a common trend on those layouts?

*Simple
*Lots of white space
*Journaling strips
*Thickers

I really think this is all I need in life (well, in scrapbooking...) Paper, thickers, and a black pen. And my Basic Grey cutting mat/ruler, a little adhesive, and my slit punch. That's all I really need. The rest is just fluff....

Here are the layouts:

Well, all I can say is, BRAVO, Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. I got it in the mail on Friday, and I flipped through it as soon as I had a chance, and I was immediately inspired to scrapbook. Big time. It's like, every other page, I would flag the page and think of a layout to do.... The simple style REALLY appeals to me. And the funny thing is: I got my CK in the mail on THE SAME DAY. I flipped through it..... NADA. Strange, huh? Again, BRAVO, Simple.

Later...

Oh, and Happy Father's Day :)

Eat, sleep, scrap.....

2008-06-11T12:42:00.003-06:00

That's all I've been doing lately. Here are 2 more Got Sketch 101 layouts:

I'm having lots of fun, though. This class, if not anything else, is making me scrapbook some older photos. I've laid stacks and stacks of photos from the last year and a half all over my dining room table, and as I'm given a new sketch, I just go and find some photos that fit the scheme. I'm using old and new product together. This is helping me remember why I bought some of that older product - because I LOVED it at the time. And you know what? I still love it. Like those big KI memories die cut alphas and the Pressed Petals chipboard.... love it still. I don't know why I feel like I have to use the latest stuff all the time. It's just stupid.

Britney was telling me about Virginia's scrapbook room - that it didn't have a lot of product in it. She said that when she walked into V's room, she asked, "where's all your stuff?" Virginia said, "it's all right here." Britney said, "but where's all your STUFF?" You know where her stuff is? In her albums. On her projects. Virginia puts her product in her layouts. She doesn't hoard it like I do. What a brilliant concept. I could scrapbook for the next 200 years and NEVER use up all the stuff I have. And that's AFTER purging three times.

So, look for me to be taking lots of classes and online challenges, just so I can use up some of this stuff and rid myself of these stacks of photos.

Yes, I CAN handle the cuteness.....

2008-06-10T20:59:00.008-06:00

Can you?

The protective mommy...

Lulu...

Maggie...

Necklace...

Pocahontas...

And my personal favorite, Coal.

Ain't they cute?

They are a little over 4 weeks old now. We only have them for a couple more weeks, so if you are in the area, call us and come see the cuteness for yourself :)

Another fun online class...

2008-06-09T17:00:00.007-06:00

This one is taught by Valerie Salmon and Janna Wilson, two AWESOME paper crafters. Evidently, they have been hosting a "sketch" challenge site for a year, and I am just NOW finding out about this. I feel the need to share with my scrappy friends, because those 2 girls do some awesome work.

It's only $21, btw, and you get like 3 weeks worth of sketches, or something like that. The class actually starts today, so you can still get in on the first day....

Here's my first layout:

And here's one more random layout that I did over the weekend:

I'm finally getting the hang of the photographing-layouts-thing. Mine still don't look as good as Virginia's, lol. It's so nice not to have to depend on a scanner - so much easier to just take a pic of the layout. So, what I sacrifice in quality, I gain in convenience, right?

Have a good week, and hey - create something. Soon.

Scripts.....

2008-06-06T11:42:00.005-06:00

Our Scripts gallery went live today. This is such a cute kit. Here are my contributions:

Major accomplishment....

2008-06-05T12:26:00.003-06:00

I've managed to stay married to Mike Burkett for 10 years as of TODAY. Yep. 10 years ago today, we got married. And we've survived it.

Go us.

Elsie Recipe Box Challenge #2

2008-06-04T09:31:00.003-06:00

Here's my layout:

The challenge is this:

Use an 80's song title for the title of a layout. And, use at least 4 patterned papers, 3 clear elements, and some bling.

Have fun!

Layouts.....

2008-06-03T16:30:00.003-06:00

Forgive me - I am trying to learn how to photograph my layouts to post them online, now that I don't have access to a scanner. These are 2 that I did today:

I definitely like the "look" of a scanned layout, but I can get used to this, I guess. How did I do, Virginia?

Good mail day...

2008-06-03T12:45:00.002-06:00

I love getting a new scrapbook magazine in the mail - I got my July Scrabooks etc. today, so you know what I'll be doing this afternoon :)

I also got 2 movies from Netflix. I got 27 Dresses and Garden State. That'll be fun, and it will keep me indoors - my GOSH, it is HOT out!

Got to spend the morning with my Scrap Etc. buddies (links on sidebar). We are working on the new kit club, Scripts (link also on sidebar). Fun stuff.

Still haven't seen my MOVIE, Michelle, but we are going this weekend. Mine and Buckett's 10 YEAR anniversary is this week, and we are celebrating this weekend with a little dinner, movie, and shopping, all local. We may stay overnight somewhere, I don't know..... But, the movie is DEFINITELY on the agenda. Of course, after Buckett dropped me off at work the other day, HE WENT BACK and finished the movie without me. He totally knows how it ends. Can you believe it?

Well, I'm off to finish up this week's school assignment, and then scrap if I have some time. Tennis is tomorrow, but I don't know how we'll handle playing in this heat. I might just drop dead. We'll see....

Dang it.......

2008-05-30T22:49:00.003-06:00

I got called in to work about 30 minutes into my MOVIE today. You know, the movie I have been preparing for all month.

Dang it.

That's the thing about my job. Totally unreliable hours. I haven't worked hardly at all for 3 weeks, and then today, when there's something I really want to do, I get called in.

Dang it.

And the real kicker..... after leaving the movie, having Buckett drive me to work, drop me off, and setting up for the surgery, the case cancels. We didn't even do the surgery. I missed the movie for naught.

Dang it.

Week 4.....

2008-05-29T00:07:00.002-06:00

I didn't get to go to tennis this week (bummer) because I had to work. Jackson didn't go either, due to the rain. Maybe we'll make it up later in the week..... But I discovered today that WORKING and TENNIS do not go hand in hand. Tennis has worked the last 3 weeks because I have essentially been off work for 3 weeks. I worked a 13 hour day yesterday, and even if I hadn't worked today, I don't think my body would've let me play tennis today. My hips, knees, feet, etc. just hurt too badly. I don't know what we're going to do about this. I was worried that this might happen....

Lifestyle change for this week? Good question. Here's some news: I've gained 3 pounds since this all started. Which causes me to wonder, do I need something more drastic? So, this week, tomorrow actually, I'm going to WW with my mom. Just to get a feel for it. My gosh - she has lost like a million pounds in the last 3 months. I need to lose 2 million, so maybe I should consider it. I don't really want to. But, I'm going to CONSIDER it.

I didn't go to church tonight (hello, Brad and Amy.....) because I was taking my first Health Assessment test tonight. Oh yeah - school. Right. I am in nursing school, aren't I? Another thing that I haven't had to deal with over the last 3 weeks, and another thing that MIGHT interfere with the tennis...... What ARE we going to do about all this?????

I am so depressed tonight (not because of anything REAL) but because I have been watching re-runs of... well.... let me just say that there is a certain MOVIE coming out this weekend. A sequel-type movie of a sit-com/dramatic series that aired a few years ago. And I have been watching the episodes on DVD to get myself caught up (can't watch the movie unless I've watched all the episodes, because that's how I roll.....) I'm down to the final 2 episodes, and I am dreading the ending. It is just so good. Bad, but so GOOD. Making me think about friendships, making me wish I had such close friendships with "the girls" like they have in the show, like I used to have when I worked at Brookwood. I had some great friends (Tammy, Shone, Vicki, Lydia, Trish, Pat, etc....) and I felt really CLOSE to a group of women for the first time in my life, and I LOVED those girls. I miss that. I have some great girls in my life now, and they could potentially be close friendships, but they aren't to that level YET. I had prayed that God would send me some close friends back then, and He DID, so I am praying for the same now. So, I guess I AM depressed because of something real. It is amazing that a semi-raunchy TV series can teach you so much about your own life, huh....

So, I'm going to WW tomorrow afternoon. That's my lifestyle change for the week. And in the morning, before WW, I'll watch my last 2 episodes, and I'll cry then like I did all night tonight............

Later.

Today...

2008-05-25T09:17:00.002-06:00

Lifestyle change Week 3.....

2008-05-21T22:42:00.003-06:00

It is so funny to me..... It has not been hard AT ALL to choose my lifestyle changes, so far. For the last 2 weeks, the message has come to me during my tennis lesson, at times when my body refused to perform as I wanted, making the need for change OBVIOUS. Last week, it was my endurance, which my coach addressed by suggesting that I walk 2-3 times a week. That was last weeks lifestyle change, btw. And here's the page:

I did pretty good last week - I walked 2 times. I must step it up a bit this week. I'm aiming for 3 this week.

This week, when after about 20 minutes of LIGHT exertion (when my coach hit the ball directly to me, and I wasn't having to run much to get to the ball.....) I felt like I was about to pass out from exhaustion. She said it was because I wasn't used to being out in the heat, and that my body was dehydrated. She suggested that before each lesson, or ANYTIME I plan to be outside in the heat (working in the yard, playing with Jackson, whatever....) to drink 2 glasses of water an hour before I go out. She said to even start the night before and load my body up with water.

Well, this made me realize that I drink way too much Coke and Mt. Dew, and not nearly enough water. So, this week......

Breakfast is still going well - I didn't indulge in Jack's ONCE this week. I ate granola bars or Raisin Bran or oatmeal every day. And I didn't die :)

Jer's BFF.....

2008-05-20T18:58:00.002-06:00

Our worship pastor at Highlands, who is AMAZING, btw, has written a few songs, and here's a little teaser:

John Larson

And he is my friend Monique's husband's best friend. Which makes him my friend, right? At least, I have the chance to meet him, now that Jeremiah has hit the big time :)

Happy Monday.....

2008-05-19T17:42:00.007-06:00

Have you checked Ali's blog lately? She's posting a layout every day this week, and I kinda used her design to come up with a layout of my own today:

I was off today, and my project today was to clean Andrew's room:

and Katie's room:

Poor Katie.... All of my scrapbook crap that had not been moved downstairs yet was piled in her room all weekend, and today, I finally got all of it put away in this cabinet:

So, Katie (if you are reading this), your room is spotless now :) 'Bout time, huh? Sorry it took me so long....

SLOWLY but surely, I'm getting everything back in it's place since the remodel. I even put layouts in albums today. I'm currently keeping my albums in the den, on these shelves:

See my AC albums on the lower shelves? I have all the black and red ones in here (the den) and all the blue, green and brown ones are in the living room. Gosh, I MUST figure out how to take photos that aren't blurry....

In other news,
<------- This guy graduated from kindergarten last week, and he's home this summer (no daycare....) Today was our first day of summer break. Fun times :)

This post is officially too long, so I'm done. See you Wednesday (if not sooner).

Later.

Lifestyle change - Week 2

2008-05-14T16:21:00.009-06:00

First of all, here are more pics of the book:

Cover Page:

Dedication page (journaling taken from my blog post from last week) and the page for week one:

That last picture is a little blurry, but you get the idea.... Fun little project - very random product usage, huh. As far as the lifestyle change, this has been a week of AWARENESS, if anything. I haven't stuck to the "rules" every day, but I am becoming AWARE of the things I do, don't do, eat, and how these things are affecting me. This is totally do-able. I am aware of that, too.

We did the tennis thing again today, and again, I participated. Actually, I participated more this week than last. I had a real 30 minute lesson. And I about DIED. I learned today that tennis is really EASY if your opponent hits the ball directly to you, but NOT SO MUCH if you have to move AT ALL to get to the ball. The lesson was very aerobic, and at one point, I couldn't breathe. I am so out of shape, cardio-wise. So, this week's challenge addresses this inadequacy.

I asked my tennis "coach" what I needed to do to improve my endurance, and she suggested WALKING, 2-3 times a week, alternating fast walking with slower (like, for 5 minutes, walk REALLY fast, then slow it down for 5 minutes, then fast again, and so on....) So, this week's lifestyle change is this:

Walk 2-3 times (more, if possible). Simple as that.

I've also learned this week that making one change leads to others. I've been drinking a little more water, watching what I eat throughout the day (a *little*), and just being a little more AWARE. I haven't noticed a change on the scales, but who's counting, right?

Well, that's all for now - I'll leave you with another puppy pic. Love to ya :)

Last night, in a baby pool, at the foot of my bed....

2008-05-10T15:15:00.008-06:00

...this little girl (my beagle, Lucy) gave birth to FIVE puppies. She went into "labor" Thursday night, and finally, after almost 24 hours, delivered the first one.

They are all spoken for, but secretly, I wish I could keep them all. They are just so cute. I'm sure I'll feel differently in a few weeks, when they start taking over around here. But for now, they are pretty irresistable. Jackson is in love with them. Me and Buckett too, for that matter. We just sit and stare at them for hours. Fun times.

In other news, here's my "small lifestyle changes" mini-album:

Of course, as I sit and type this blog post, I am sipping on a 20 oz Dr. Pepper. But that's ok, right? This week is BREAKFAST week, and I've done pretty well so far. Thursday, I did the oatmeal thing, but I felt really sick until lunch. We also watched the movie Cloverfield, which may have made me sick. I don't recommend watching this one - remember how sick you felt after watching The Blair Witch Project? This movie has the same "home video" feel to it, and I believe that the movie made me sick, not the oatmeal (or lack of Jack's...) But, I didn't know for sure - and Friday, before work, I caved in and had a little chicken biscuit from J's just in case..... Today I did good. And didn't feel sick. Must've been the movie. I don't feel bad about the chicken biscuit - this week is all about BABY STEPS, and I have the rest of the week to work this one out before I tackle something else. I hope everyone else is doing well, too.

Molly - I love your journal. Can't wait to see yours, Nubia :)

I'll post my "week 1" page, as soon as I get it done, that is....

OK, partners.....

2008-05-07T21:15:00.003-06:00

If you want to join me (see my last post if you don't know what I'm talking about), then let's do this: I'm making a little scrapbook to record all my "lifestyle changes" - I'm thinking of making a little book like this:

Ali's book

or this:

Kristina's book

I'm just gonna use up some scraps, or smaller stuff (like tags or those cute little MM noteworthy journaling papers....) - 26 pages, front and back. Each week, post a little challenge for yourself. Use mine, or make a small change of your own, but whatever you decide to do, write it down somewhere or scrapbook it or journal it somehow. Then, post it on your blog or in a gallery somewhere, and post the link. I'm going to keep the book on my bedside table as a reminder.

Are you in?

Remember, my challenge for this week is to change the way I eat breakfast. What's yours?

Lifestyle changes....

2008-05-07T15:17:00.003-06:00

First of all, I need to preface this post by revealing Jackson's newest interest: tennis. He is taking lessons, and doing quite well, I might add. This was all his idea, too, which is awesome, because he does not complain about practicing, going to lessons, etc.... He is totally "into" it. And I am so proud:) This photo shows him in "first position."

We were at his lesson today, and he just about insisted that his coach give me some lessons, too. So, at the end of his session, she got me out there and showed me some stuff, like "grip" and "stance" and how to swing properly, etc.... I've had lessons before (I took lessons in the early 90's, played on a doubles league with my dad, blah, blah....) so, my swing was a little better than your average beginner. Evidently, the coach was impressed, and she said:

COACH: "So, when are you going to join our tennis team?"

ME: "Who, me? Really? I am too fat to play tennis."

COACH: (Chuckles.) "I can take care of that."

ME: "Well, I do need to lose about 50 pounds...."

COACH: "You can do that in a year. I lost 20 pounds in a year. I can help you."

The conversation progressed, and she told me that for $30 an hour, once a week, she can give me tennis lessons, coach me on exercises that I can do at home, hold me accountable on nutrition, exercise, etc... She told me that I don't need to say the word "diet," but instead to focus on making lifestyle changes. We talked about my work schedule and about the fact that, like yesterday, I sometimes work 14 to 16 hours straight and that I sometimes need a full 24 hours afterwards for my lower back and feet to recover. She said that all I needed was to strengthen my "core" and the back pain would most likely go away. And on and on it went.....

I must say, I was totally inspired. I've heard all of this before, but for some reason, TODAY, it was so real to me. If you know me, you know that I have struggled with my weight for over 10 years (pretty much my whole marriage), and I have tried and tried and tried all the diets, with little (temporary) success. So, why not try something entirely different: the LIFESTYLE CHANGE.

I started thinking about what she said: "You can lose 50 pounds in a year...." If that is true, then I have 52 weeks. And why not take it really slow, and make ONE change a week? Like, this week, instead of going to Jack's for breakfast, I could eat oatmeal and fruit. And not change ANYTHING else until next week.

I think that my problem with diet programs such as WW or LA Wt Loss is that I try to change too much at one time. This 52 week plan, in combo with a little tennis action, might just be the answer.

So, this week, no Jacks. I'll try some oatmeal instead. My gosh, it can't be THAT hard, right?

So, if you are still reading this, and you feel like commenting, give me some ideas for changes that I can make. Small changes. I need a good list. So, help a sister out. I'll owe you my life :)

Thank you, sweet blog.....

2008-05-04T09:24:00.006-06:00

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most depressed, angry, moody, bitter, etc...... (you know THAT feeling....) I woke up about a 9. Maybe an 8. I've definitely felt better, and worse, I'm sure. It may be because I woke up and checked my checking account balance (I won't elaborate - just trust me. Major mood killer.) Or, my mood may have had a little to do with this:

Dirty, nasty kitchen. And, of course, the kitchen is a pretty accurate representation of the rest of the house.

And since it is Sunday morning, my mom is at church, the rest of the house is still asleep, and I have no one else to talk to, my poor blog has to listen to me vent.

But, as always, the blog (and the beautiful music therein) came through for me, for in the time it took about 3/4 of my playlist to play, I cleaned my office AND my nasty kitchen, ran the dishwasher, put a load of clothes in the washer, and lightened my funky mood to about a 6.5 out of 10. AND, I've made a to-do list for the rest of the day. Here it is:

1. Hook up the ice maker (for the LOVE - it still isn't hooked up, and we've been back in the house for over a month....)

2. Rearrange the shelves in the Living Room

3. Trip to Wal-mart for felt pads for the bottom of my chairs

4. Move red cabinet from upstairs bedroom down to office.

There was one more thing....... Oh yeah:

5. Assemble (temporary) pantry shelf.

I love lists. They lead to task-completion and MORE tasks. Love them.

Here's some "after" kitchen photos:

Blurry photos, I know. Sorry, I refuse to edit. AND, I know that no amount of cleaning can make an 80's kitchen look good, but phase 2 (or 3) of the remodel will hopefully take care of that. Although those faux butcher block counter tops are pretty hot.....

So, there you go. Oh, and if you comment, keep it down - I wouldn't want to wake anyone in my house up. I mean, my gosh - it is almost lunch time......

Happy NSD!

2008-05-03T08:13:00.002-06:00

What is NSD? Well, we *insiders* know, right? So, you know what I'm gonna do all day? Shop? No. Scrapbook? Why, YES, thank you. And if I receive confirmation that Jackson's game is rained out, I *might* just head over to the mother ship (AKA Scrap Etc.) for a little socialization. Maybe I'll see you there :)

Here we go.....

2008-04-24T21:29:00.003-06:00

I'm all geared up and READY for Shimelle's "Scrap Your Day" online class. My album is prepped, and my camera battery is charged. See my last post for more info, including links, if you want to join me.

Another fun Shimelle class.....

2008-04-23T10:14:00.004-06:00

And this one is FREE, using stuff from your own stash. It's called Scrap Your Day. It's a mini album, highlighting photos and stories taken on the 25th of every month for an entire year. You actually have a few days to prep the album so that you'll have nothing else to do on the 25th but take the photos, add them to the album, and write your stories. Here's the link:

Getting Ready

I actually have the album that Shimelle included in the kit, and I'm going to use some papers of my choosing and put the album together tonight :) Join me!!!!! You can use any album, or make your own, just do it!

UnEVENTful...

2008-04-22T16:04:00.002-06:00

I HATE that I didn't go to the event, especially after seeing all the photos and reading all the comments on the SE site. AND, especially since what I did instead was work ALL WEEKEND. Yes. Two all-nighters in a row. Almost 40 hours in 2 days. I bet the event was awesome.....

I'm spending a lot of time just hanging out at home, now that the remodeling project is complete (for now...) Our floors are just heavenly, except for the fact that I am freaking out every time someone moves a chair across the floor. I just know it's gonna get scratched, lol.

Jackson starts tennis lessons tomorrow - how cool is that? This is the first thing that he has initiated, and he is VERY excited. So am I. I love tennis. It's the only sport I've ever played, and I was actually pretty good at it. It will be nice to get back on the courts with little Jackson. I might can beat him (of course, he's only 6, lol).

Not much else is going on. I have a paper due Friday, and then the semester is OVER. Hallelujah. I will have completed semester #1 of BSN school. Without going completely insane.

Not much scrappin' going on up in this house..... Maybe during the break.

Later.

New music, new layouts...

2008-04-12T09:57:00.008-06:00

I added 2 songs to the playlist - 2 of my favorites right now. We sing both of these songs at my church (Mighty to Save and Amazed)and trust me: our worship leaders sing them JUST as well as the people on the recordings. Maybe even better. Hope you enjoy :)

And some layouts I've done lately - sorry about the horrible photos. Apparently, I don't know how to use the focus feature on my camera. These were supposed to go on display at Scrap Etc, but my dog saw fit to walk across them while they were laying on the couch.... Now they are all crinkled and unfit for the store, dang it.

This one uses some Tinkering Ink paper, which I LOVE, and some AC Thickers, which I love MORE. And, this shot shows my new hardwood floors :)

This one uses a little Love, Elsie, some Thickers, and some Sassafras Lass embellishments.

A little 2-pager, using some old AC paper, and of course, THICKERS, and my favorite little Stampin' Up scallop punch.

And one I did today, using some old Arctic Frog paper, old Heidi stickers, old SR chipboard, and a little KI lace paper.

I'll post some photos of the house, just as soon as I get everything back in order. We are living at home again, thank goodness. And, after a lot of whining on my part, I have hot water again, which means we don't have to walk down to my mom's to shower. Something must have messed with the hot water heater during the remodeling, but all is well again :)

I'm still planning on attending the event next week, but I'm still trying to work some things out at the hospital. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Starting Monday.....

2008-03-22T20:24:00.001-06:00

There's No Place Like Home

I'm taking this class - are you?

Update time...

2008-03-17T15:30:00.002-06:00

Last week we started on the home improvement project, and let me just say that my house has been turned UPSIDE DOWN. We are replacing the nasty carpet and cold ceramic tile on the lower level with brand new hardwood flooring. Needless to say, we had to move EVERYTHING out. All of my furniture is downstairs in the garage, and all my scrapbook stuff is on my bedroom floor. AND, there is a thin layer of fine white dust on every surface in the house. But, it is SOOOO going to be worth it. Saturday, the guys came and ripped up the old carpet and tile, and today they started putting the hardwood down. Incredibly, it is almost half-way down. They'll finish laying it tomorrow, sand it on Wednesday, and stain toward the end of the week.

Luckily, Buckett and the kids are at the beach this week. I stayed behind to coordinate the project (and take care of my dog, Lucy). I don't know what we would do if everyone was banished to the upper level, with no kitchen or HDTV..... Me and Lucy are managing just fine. She sleeps while I scrap..... It is really cool - I have all my stuff around the bed. And let me say - I have been very productive. I've done 8 layouts since Saturday afternoon. It's nice to have easy access to everything. I'm going to keep this in mind when I move back in to the studio. I think I had everything too neat and packed away before.

In related news, I'm purging scrapbook stuff. I have idea books and magazines from 2004, and I'm getting rid of everything earlier than 2007. If anyone wants them, let me know in the next few days and I'll save them for you. Otherwise, they are going to the landfill. I'm going to purge supplies too, so check back..... Maybe I'll do some blog giveaways :)

We are also updating our kitchen and powder bath, so I'll be fairly busy in the coming weeks - I'll try to post some photos as we progress....

Dancing with the Stars is on tonight - Yay!!!!! So excited about that. I don't know what to do with myself, with Idol and DWTS to watch. Life is good :)

It was really good to see Deborah, Tracy, Donna and the other girls at Scrap Etc on Saturday. And it was REALLY good to get some new product (the Tinkering Ink has been a big hit, Deborah. I did 5 layouts with those 3 sheets of paper I bought!)

Random post, I know......

Thank you, Ali...

2008-03-05T11:29:00.004-06:00

I've been reading Ali Edwards' book Life Artist, which is brilliant, by the way. I love her style - so linear and graphic and SIMPLE (but HER simple is so difficult to reproduce on my own layouts, I've found.) Back to the book: last night I read the chapter on "Celebrating the Everyday" and I realized my recent problem with scrapping is that I've gotten away from paying attention to what is going on around me. I've been trapped inside my own head lately, and Ali reminded me to look around me instead. And you know what? I immediately noticed something that needed to be documented. AND, I got an idea for a layout. AND, I immediately wrote down my journaling. THEN, I took some pictures to go along with my idea and my journaling. So simple, but again, brilliant. Why did I stop doing this? I don't know.... but I have been very product-oriented lately, as well as trying to "copy" the style of other designers. And, I've HATED my layouts lately. But, this one just flowed. It was a story that I wanted to tell, and it just flowed. The layout flowed. And I had fun.

Are you guys still there?

2008-02-29T12:35:00.003-06:00

I hope you haven't given up on me, what with my lack of blogging and all. Let me just tell you what I've been up to.......

School.

Writing papers.

Work.

Organizing my garage.

Purging junk from my house.

Watching Idol and Lost (thank God there's finally something to watch).

Finishing Eclipse.

Reading The Pillars of the Earth (fabulous).

Refinancing my mortgage.

Planning a MAJOR home remodel.

Scrapping..... not at all.

Sips 'n Strokes (I've now been 4 times).

Joining Weight Watchers (again.....).

Taking my first ever anti-depressant.

Ruling out breast cancer (a little scare there, but no worries, thank God).

And that's about it. Sorry I've been slack in the blog arena, but a LOT has been going on, as you can see. So, hang with me. I will emerge at some point. I've decided to take a break from teaching for awhile (sorry Lucy) but, I just can't do it right now. And a *little* announcement: I'm not teaching at the event. There. I said it. Again, I just couldn't fit it in with school and the remodel. (Thanks, Monique, for being so understanding about that, BTW). Plus, I can't seem to summons any creative ideas as of late. Funny how depression sucks the creativity right out of you, huh? But, everything is starting to look bright again, and I'm kinda itching to get back to scrappin', but at home, if you know what I mean......

I miss you guys ;)

Miracles DO happen....

2008-02-06T10:44:00.001-06:00

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.....

The funk continues...

2008-02-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

I brought a HUGE box of scrapbook stuff home the other day, with big plans to make some stuff this weekend (like my event project, and a class for SE, my recipe box project....) but I have absolutely NO desire to make stuff. I think it's because I have no fresh ideas in my head. I have the new Scenic Route valentine stuff - that doesn't help. I have the new MM noteworthy stuff. Nope. I have a HUGE box of new stuff from Stampin' Up. Still nothing. This lack of mojo is getting on my nerves, especially since there are deadlines looming, and now, of all times, I NEED my mojo.

All I want to do is sit around and watch TV. Or sleep. I even blew off an assignment for school - we get to drop one assignment, and I thought, well I'll just let this be the one I drop. NOT GOOD, since this is just week 4, and I may NEED that drop later on if I make a bad score on something. But, I totally blew it off.

And you wanna know what is the kicker? My husband, who LOVES big crowds (the more the merrier) has invited the whole city of Gardendale to our house tonight for a Super Bowl party. Which means I have to clean. And cook. And socialize. Three things that are really hard for me right now. Especially since my right foot started hurting last night for no apparent reason. This pain is different from my usual pain. It's like I have a fracture or something.

UGH.

And you know what else? My friggin' Christmas tree is still up. The ornaments are all down, in boxes, and put away, but the actual tree is still up. Sweet husband still hasn't brought home the big box that he keeps promising to bring home. So, there it stands. Maybe the guests will understand...... For the LOVE.

Tired of my whining? I am tired of listening to myself......

One good thing: Shimelle is doing a cool *free* journaling exercise this month. I actually have done the first three exercises, and I can almost see myself doing a scrapbook page or 2 as a result. So if you need a little creative kick in the pants like me, check it out.

Hooray....

2008-01-25T11:15:00.000-06:00

My case cancelled - so I'm at home this morning! I got all my school work done by 9:35 am, I put in a load of laundry (the first of probably 15 loads that need to be done.....) and mounted some of my new stamps. I'm actually thinking about maybe possibly scrapbooking later.... But, there is the chance I'll get called in sometime today. Let's all cross our fingers.

And, hooray for my little Jackson. He's gotten 2 smiley-faces in a row (which means he got a good behavior report from school.) Seeing as how he's consistently been bringing home sad faces, 2 smileys in a row is a victory. 3 more and he gets a new toy (yes, we bribe....)

So, here's to hopin' for no cases and smiley faces :)

Snow Day....

2008-01-19T11:49:00.000-06:00

We didn't get a TON of snow here, but it gave me an excuse to stay inside, make a big pot of potato cheese soup, and SCRAP. Here's what I've been working on:

This is a little recipe box, using some Stampin' Up papers, Stampin' Up felt flowers and brads, a little Hambly, and a QK title. I'll be doing this as a class in February. We'll do a recipe swap - you bring one of your favorite dishes, along with the written recipe, and we'll EAT, and you'll be able to swap recipes with other people who attend. THEN, we'll decorate the box and make some hand-made recipe cards for your newly aquired recipes. Here's a picture of a divider card and a recipe card:

There will be 6 sections: Soups/stews/sauces, Meats/main dishes, Veggies/salads/sides, Breads, Desserts, and Misc. The divider cards are also pockets, so you can stash recipes from magazines in the pockets.... AND, each section will have its own color scheme - in my sample the soups/stews/sauces will all be on blue cards, etc - and this color will be repeated in in the scalloped edge at the top of the divider card. This will give you a color-coordinated filing system for your recipes. Each little recipe card will also have a pocket, so that if your recipe needs more room than the actual card provides, you can place ingredient lists or more cooking instructions in the pocket.

Sounds fun, huh? After I talk to Tracy (the hostess for this class) and we come up with a date and time and cost, I'll open "registration" for the class (sounds official, haha...) I'll post that information in this post as an "edit", so check back.

What I've been up to...

2008-01-16T09:32:00.000-06:00

Yep. I'm back in nursing school. A little background: I am a registered nurse, I graduated in 1991 with an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN). I have a BS in Health Administration. But, as I found out 6 months after taking my current job, my position requires a BSN. My current BS in Health Administration does not suffice, and is, well..... BS, if you know what I mean. So here I am, at 36 years of age, back in nursing classes, reminiscent of the worst 2 years of my life..... the period of time between September of 1989 and June of 1991, when I was in nursing school the first time, and my life was pretty much a living H#*L. Needless to say, I am not having loads of fun right now. Especially since my first reading assignment discussed the fact that ADN nurses, a group that I've been a part of for almost 17 years, are pretty much responsible for higher mortality rates, medication errors, and all negative outcomes in nursing. Thank GOD I'm finally being rescued before I cause any more harm...... Hence, bad attitude from the get-go.

Classes started last Monday, and to put the icing on the cake, last Monday marked the day we "kicked it into high gear" at work. We are doing lots of surgery, and I am getting a LOT of hours. Then, all my free time is spent studying. I'm in a bad mood.

If I don't get some time to scrap or be crafty soon, I might just lose my mind.

Buckett is spending a lot of time away from the house. Hunting season, you know. I wish there was "craft season" so that women all over the world could just leave their homes, spouses, kids, responsibilities, etc, and run off to some remote place EVERY WEEKEND (and some weekdays) to scrapbook or play with paper and scissors, or whatever the heck we wanted to do, and NO ONE would ask questions or stand in the way or expect us to do otherwise. Wouldn't that be nice?

My house is nasty and I don't care.

Poor Jackson is fending for himself. We did manage to go on a date last night. We'd planned to go out Monday night to Burger King (his favorite), where they have an indoor play area. Just before leaving, I, of course, get called in. My son actually cried. I felt like CRAP. He had to stay with a babysitter instead. Poor baby. I made it up to him - I took him to BK last night. He played while I read my nursing asseessment chapter. Not ideal, but at least we got to hang out.

When we got home and finally went to bed, he started telling me about some things that had been on his mind. He started talking about our "sinful nature" and how if God is BIGGER in our lives, the sinful nature gets smaller. Evidently they've been talking about this at school. He asked me if the sinful nature was all over the world. I told him that EVERYONE has a sinful nature - that we're BORN doing bad, sinful things, and that the ones who recognize this and ask God to forgive them and be the "boss" of their lives ARE forgiven, and get to be with Jesus in heaven. I told him that more people choose NOT to make God the boss - I told him the verse about the 2 paths. WIDE is the path to destruction, and MANY people choose that path. NARROW is the path that leads to life, and FEW people choose that path. He said, "Mom, I think we need to pray so that I can give God my soul. I want to go down the narrow path....."

BIG decision. BIG boy, huh? We prayed. He was so cute - he was talking to God like he was right there in the room with us. He thanked him, without my prompting, for dying on the cross and forgiving him of his sins. He asked Him to be his boss, and to write his name in God's book. Isn't that just the sweetest? I don't know if he really knows what he's doing or not, but I DO know that my son has started thinking about his eternity. And, it sounds like he knows which side he wants to be on. So, I am very thankful that after a week and a half of just feeling BLAH and uncreative and out of control and overwhelmed, something like this happens to remind ME of what really matters.

Thank you, Lord......

Well, we did it......

2008-01-06T21:21:00.000-06:00

We are officially Highlands members :)

It takes GUTS (and faith) to leave a church of which you've been a member for 36 years. And trust me - there was/is nothing WRONG with my old church. It had become too routine for me - I was going for the wrong reasons. Out of habit. Out of obligation. Because that's what I'd always done. Because that's where my mom goes. Because I occasionally got to sing there. It was time for something fresh. Time to focus on my "relationship" with God, rather than the "religion" that I'd grown up with. And I believe that our new committment to this church is a step in the right direction. I'm very excited.

The next step: go to choir practice. I'm so nervous about this. I almost feel sick about it...... But I know it's what I'm supposed to do there. I mean, good grief - music is what I was born to do. Well, that and scrapbooking. So, the magnetic force pulling me towards that stage is perfectly ok, right?

So, GFBC, I'll miss you - I already do. But, our parting is for the best. It's not you, it's me (well, God, really.....) And, I'll see you around.... Take care :)

Busy Day....

2008-01-05T09:24:00.000-06:00

And the first thing I need to do is give away a Karen Foster 6x12 album! But I have a dilemma. I put all the names in a little basket and drew one name out, but I had forgotten about a comment that I received via email. SOOO, I put HER name in the basket, along with the first name I drew, and RE-DREW. After I drew the second name, I felt guilty and sorry for the first name, so I'm giving an album to BOTH of them :)
The first name I drew was KANDY!!!
And in the re-draw, I drew LISA'S name!!!

So, congrats to both lovely girls :) I wish I was eating pancakes this morning, after reading all of your comments. Instead, I'm having Orange Danish - still *pretty* good, but not AS good...... If you all were here, I'd share one with you :)

As for the rest of my day, I'm working on adapting the desktop calendar that some of you made already into a class to do for Lucy at Scrap Etc. Instead of the quickutz titles, we'll be using the Heidi Swapp "months of the year" stamps, and maybe a little more embellishments. I'll post a photo later on this evening of the adapted version. We are shooting for either the 19th of January, or the 2nd of February. Please post here if you might be interested in taking this little class, and let me know which date would work best for you.

And, I'm going to be working on some samples from the NEW Stampin' Up catalog that went LIVE January 2nd. Please let me know if you want to host a class or workshop in the next month or two - I have a stamp set to give away to someone who books a class/workshop (again, I'll draw the names out of the little basket.....)

And in my spare time, I need to start taking down my Christmas decorations.......

And I want to work on my Gatlinburg album.....

And I'm going to look at a "potential" new house......

So, let me pull myself away from this computer. But first, let me say that I REALLY enjoy reading comments from all of you who stop by the blog - this little contest was fun for me, because it pulled some of you out of the woodwork of lurk-dom. I knew you guys were out there, since I've had 15,000 hits since May. So, it was VERY nice to hear from you. Please keep in contact - that's the whole reason I blog: to maintain another form of connection to you guys.

Love to ya.

Another obsession, or three.......

2008-01-03T22:46:00.000-06:00

It is a well-known fact that I will obsess over something. Like in high school, when I was in-to Ashton Drake dolls, and for a solid year, that's all I spent my money on. And in the early 90's it was Snowbabies. And then Longaberger baskets. And then came Stampin' Up, which single-handedly opened up the world of crafting to me, and directly led to my current scrapbooking obsession.

Well, never before have I had THREE NEW things to obsess over at one time. And I introduce #1: Mac computers. My husband bought me the MacBook for Christmas. It is just so pretty and FAST and easy to operate..... and they make these protective shells to fit over them. Mine is RED (which made me not feel so bad for passing up the cute little red Dell that I wanted for a while.....) And it fits nicely under my pillow at night. JUST KIDDING. I don't sleep with my computer. No really.

#2: Vera Bradley. So, why am I just discovering this? I innocently wandered in to Wrapsody, looking for a Christmas gift for my mother, and I see this wall of gorgeous fabric. Purses. Travel bags. Wallets. I think, "this will be a nice thing to start for my mother." I can get her a piece for Mothers Day, Christmas, birthdays, etc.... I got her the brown microfiber bag, with a wallet in Java Blue. Nice. Then, I start noticing Vera Bradley bags EVERYWHERE. Like, EVERYONE has one. And then I start thinking that I MUST have one too. So, while in Gatlinburg, I buy my first pieces. The messenger bag and wallet in Mod Floral Pink. Looky here:

This fabric just makes me happy. And I have a LONG wish list now. You can BET that the Java Blue luggage is on that list. Yes. Obsessed.

And probably the most threatening obsession........

#3: Sips and Strokes. Help me, Lord. Tonight was my first night. Me and Ayla (my cousin) went together, not really knowing what to expect. All we knew was you pay $30, take your beverage of choice (I took a Venti White Chocolate Mocha), and you leave with a completed painting. Well let me just say, that this was ONE COOL EXPERIENCE.

The canvas in various stages of progress:

And the finished product:

But the best thing about the night? Running in to my long lost friend and soul-sister, Vicki (pictured here with her mother-in-law).

And seeing Blarin' Karen again.

And hanging out with Ayla, and just getting out and doing something different for a change. It was NICE. If anyone reading this ever wants to do this, you can always call me and I'll go with you.

Oh, and I'll draw for the 6x12 album Saturday. If you read my last post, you know what I'm talking about :)

Later....

Greetings from snowy Gatlinburg...

2008-01-02T08:29:00.000-06:00

Long time, no blog post, huh? Let me explain. I sat down to post SEVERAL times, but my computer was too dang slow. I started blaming my computer, but now that we are the only people left in Gatlinburg, she is super fast. I guess the server was overloaded when the masses were here.

So, here I am, on the morning when we are supposed to be traveling back to Sweet Home Alabama, finally posting about this awesome trip. We have been hearing that snow was on the way, and sure enough, around 10:30 last night, the first snowflakes began to fall. It was just beautiful. Now remember, this is coming from someone who NEVER sees snow. In fact, the last time I personally saw snow was when we were here in G'burg when Jackson was like 2 years old. I get REALLY excited about snow. It is still falling this morning, and I hope the roads are passable, or else we'll be staying another day. That would just be terrible, huh?

About our accomodations....... let me just say that our original hotel (the Howard Johnson) was less than plush. I was complaining about it to Monique, and she checked with her dad, and sure enough, his BRAND NEW CONDOS here in Gatlinburg had one vacant unit, and he offered it to us! And it is SUPER NICE. Two bedrooms, two full baths, one with a garden tub (with jets), a dining area, full kitchen, den, private balconies off BOTH bedrooms and the living area........ and did I say BRAND NEW? If you are heading to Gatlinburg any time soon, call Monique and get in touch with Mr. Bruce - you need to stay here. Sooooo nice. HUGE thanks to Bruce and Gila and Monique and Randy :)

Trip highlights:

* Driving up to Newfound Gap (I think that's what it's called) to see a wonderful view of the mountais.

*Stopping at a little riverside picnic area to take pictures and watch the kayakers put in..... and seeing Buckett bust his you-know-what on a slippery rock while trying to get a good photo of the rock bridge (at my request, of course.)

* Riding the Sky Lift with Jackson

* Candy Apples

* Fannie Farkles Smoked Sausage hot dogs with peppers and onions

* New Years Eve with the McCulleys, watching fireworks under the Space Needle

* Hand-painted pottery class yesterday with Giggy

And I could go on and on..... so many great things to post about, and blogger isn't letting me upload any more photos, so the ones above will have to do for now. I have already started working on my vacation scrapbook (yes, I brought my supplies with me, and picked up a few things since I've been here.....) I found some great Karen Foster 6x12 post-bound scrapbooks in Pigeon Forge. I have NEVER seen a 6x12 scrapbook in person, and I found these, in BLACK, for a really good price. I bought every black one the store had, lol. So, if you are still reading this LONG post and aren't totally sick of me by now, post a reply, and I'll put your names in a hat, draw, and send the winner one of these albums (I don't need all 6, lol.....) This little contest is buried in this long post, so it pays to read every word, huh... And just to distinguish contest participants from other random posters, include the word "pancake" in your comment.)

I'm still working on my Shimelle Christmas Journal - I'm WAY behind, but totally ok with it. I'll set up a slide show when I'm done, and I'll also post pics of my first ever 6x12 album from this trip. I'm lovin' the 6x12 format, now that I have an album for the pages to go in.

And let me try to leave you with one parting shot......

Ooooo. It worked. Look at the lighting in our bedroom.... perfect. Just another reason why this trip was so great. Anyway, gotta go pack for our attempted return home. It is still snowing this morning, by the way...... I'll talk to you again when we get home.

And, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!! I hope 2008 is your best year ever.

I'm up early.....

2007-12-25T07:07:00.000-06:00

Getting things ready for Christmas morning, straightening up the house, putting the last minute gifts under the tree...... The rest of my family is still in the bed, and I plan to take a few minutes to just sit in the quiet room, stare at the Christmas lights, and enjoy just a moment for ME, on a day that will surely be crazy. I challenge anyone who reads this to take a quiet moment for yourself today, and just enjoy.....

And have a very Merry Christmas :)

She's comin' along....

2007-12-10T11:42:00.000-06:00

I've been working on my "Journal Your Christmas" project this morning. This is what she looks like so far:

I've only done 6 entries so far, so I'm still a *little* behind, seeing as today is the 10th. But, today's is really easy, so maybe I'll have another page or 2 to share later today. I love how it looks when it's all closed up, stuff sticking out from the top and sides..... but there's not nearly enough sticking out. I must work on that.

Prompt 4: Journal about your "perfect 2007 Christmas". What would it involve, who would be there, what would it look like, etc..... And, the artistic challenge was to include a photograph or drawing. I included a picture from the Pottery Barn catalog, because that catalog always shows the idyllic, perfect home.... not at ALL the way mine is, lol.

See that beautiful room? Nice, clean dog lounging on the perfectly un-stained carpet, hot coffee (for 2) on the table, perfect tree (see the snow??? OMG.), and candles behind the couch that I'm SURE are Buttercream-scented, and I'm also sure that Celine Dion's Christmas CD is playing in the background. I can hear it. Can you? Hee hee....

This page opens up to reveal EXTENSIVE and very therapeutic journaling about the reality of my past Christmases, and how I'd really like them to be. I won't bore you with the details, but I'll show you the page.

Prompt 5: Journal about how you are counting down to Christmas Day. We've never done this at our house, so this was the perfect opportunity to start this tradition. Thank you, scrapbook hobby, for again influencing my life in a non-scrappy way.

I think the artistic challenge was to use numbers creatively.... I think.

Prompt 6 - I skipped for now.

Prompt 7: Journal about shopping. Include your Christmas list (what you've already bought, what's left to buy, what you like/dislike about shopping, etc....) AND, use a store receipt or clothing tag on the page. See mine? I cut it into thin strips and used the strips as a border around the big Target logo. And, I make a pocket on the back of the page to hold tags for more journaling. I kinda like how the page looks like a big Christmas gift, with the tags sticking out of the top and all.... Totally unplanned. I love it when that happens.

Well, that's all for now :)

Case closed.....

2007-12-09T18:55:00.000-06:00

Mystery solved. There was a dead squirrel on our roof yesterday, and it is gone today. So is the smell. Maybe that was it, huh. I still don't know what I heard the other night that freaked me out so much. But, the fam is home, so all is well. It is amazing how much more secure I feel just knowing my husband is close by.

My house stinks.....

2007-12-08T22:09:00.001-06:00

Literally. There is a strange smell, and I am assuming that Lucy (my dog) has brought in another dead chipmunk and buried it somewhere out of sight. She left the last one in my bedroom closet - nice. The smell is the same. Ugh.

My apologies to Kandy and Tonya, who scrapped with me today - I didn't notice the smell until I left the house and came back in. And it is BAD. Sooooo sorry. I may spend the night at my mom's again, if I can't find the source of the stinch. I had to spend the night at her house last night because at 10:30 last night, I could have SWORN that I heard someone come into my house. Even Lucy heard it, because she started growling, and she wouldn't leave the bedroom. Buckett and the kids were away last night, so I was home alone. I called the police, had them search the house, fled to my mom's, the whole bit. I mean, I was seriously scared to the point of tears. And I don't get scared. I'm sure the fact that I was watching Women's Murder Club at the time contributed to my fear. Remind me not to watch that show when my husband is out of town.

Oh well. So much for a relaxing weekend home alone......

Journal Your Christmas...

2007-12-05T20:34:00.000-06:00

I'm taking Shimelle's online class, "Journal Your Christmas," which basically involves doing a little bit of writing/journaling each day about a topic that Shimelle prompts. I just started last night, so I'm a *little* behind, lol. But, I've done the first 3, so I only have yesterday's and today's yet to finish. Here's what I've done so far....

The cover:

I'm using the SEI 8x8 album in lime green, and the embellishments are Hambly rub-ons, KI chipboard, some Love Elsie paper (punched with a McGill tab punch), Fontwerks labels and round sticker, and American Crafts rub-ons for the title.

I skipped the title page for now, like Shimelle suggested, so the next page I'll show you is the dedication page. I used Shimelle's manifesto, but added a little to it.....

It says:

I DECLARE my intention to journal my Christmas. Writing something down every day. Creating a little bit whenever possible. Getting my stories documented for myself and maybe for others to read too. I will not allow any person, work schedule, attitude, pile of laundry, crowded mall parking lot, or rude driver rob me of my Christmas, as in years past. I reclaim Christmas.

I HOPE by taking a little time each day to reflect, to write, to create, I will keep my Christmas alive and well, despite the commercial pressure that exists outside my door. Family, friends, and STARBUCKS will help.

I MAY meet others taking this same journey. I may share my work from time to time. I may not. Either way, OK. I may just find my creativity. I may remember just why I loved Christmas in the first place... and that may be a very magical moment indeed.

I used pp from Basic Grey, Love Elsie, KI, and Cosmo Cricket. KI chipboard embellishments, American Crafts alphas, and my most favoritest Stampin' Up tool - the slit punch (to make the scalloped border.) Oh, and some Martha Stewart labels (love those!)

The next prompt suggested journaling about Christmas weather. I simply documented how the weather is NOW, and how I wish that I could have ONE white Christmas..... Here's the page:

Oh yeah - the artistic challenge was to make a paper snowflake. See mine? It's not very good, so I covered it up for the most part. But, I participated in the challenge, lol. I used Basic Grey and Love Elsie pp, KI stickers, and AC alphas.

The next prompt issued a challenge to journal about Christmas cards - like, do you send them, do you hand-make them, do you send them early, or at the last minute, things like that..... I wrote that I always have good intentions to send them, but usually never do. BUT, I made a list of everyone I'd like to send one to, so maybe that's a start for this year. I made this into a pocket page, so that I can have a place to keep the cards I get. I've wanted to do this for years....

And here's what it looks like from the side:

I think it's gonna turn out great, and what the heck? I'm actually scrapping again, so that's a good thing. Hopefully this will help get the mojo flowin' again. Anyway, thanks for looking, and why don't you do a journal of your own? Use mine as a guide if you want :)

The MOST disgusting of all household jobs....

2007-12-03T09:52:00.000-06:00

In my opinion, it's cleaning out the refrigerator. Especially when someone has spilled an entire 12oz Coke that has drained onto all of the glass shelves, where it has sort of congealed into a sticky gooey mess. AND, when someone has allowed a Mt. Dew to spill into the bottom, below the crisper drawers and around the rubber seal on the door, so that when you try to open said door, the rubber sticks to the fridge, and is slowly pulling away from the door.... Disgusting. I have taken out all of the food, thrown most of it away, removed all shelves and drawers, scrubbed them, and neatly arranged the salvageable items, which mostly consists of a tub of Country Crock and a few Mt. Dew cans. But, Justin is helping me. I am listening to his CD, imagining myself as a carefree 18 year old, dancing in a beach-side club with a tanned stranger..... A far cry from the 36 year old who is contemplating posting a big sign on the fridge, threatening my family with a horrible consequence if anyone even THINKS about putting an opened canned drink on my pretty, clean shelves. Would it be completely rude to do this?

Well, break time is over - Justin calls......

Stampin' Up! News....

2007-12-01T08:58:00.001-06:00

Retired List items can be purchased through the end of December.

5 Fantastic Gifts for under $25

Wrapping up the Holidays

Holiday Glitz Promotion

Hilarious....

2007-11-29T23:46:00.000-06:00

Check this out!