I'm organized... and almost ready to go!

So, in the midst of getting my stuff together for Christmas, I found myself making (and losing) lists for the stuff to get done for the upcoming holidays. After seeing this super cute idea on Stacy Julien's blog, I decided to make one of my own to get organized. (Note: the ring doesn't have the ribbon yet because I need a larger ring to put this on...) The book is 4"x4"... perfect to fit into my purse.

I didn't make it specific to a year so that I can reuse it again next year but simply replacing the white papers between the tabs. I dug out some left over paper from a Coordinates Collections kit to make the tabs - what a great way to use up a kit with only bits and pieces left over...

Here are the cute pages between the tabs. I have a page for each member of the family, all my nieces and nephews, and parents... I love this little set of stamps from Close to My Heart... I used them for my birth announcements, thank you cards (for Meghan & Annde gifts), and now these...

Well, tons of things to do... Hope you are having a great Thursday! Bundle up (unless you live in Florida) cause it's definitely a cold one...

Ho Ho Ho!!

So the stockings are hung... (Reminder to self: Get Meg a stocking holder)
The tree is up... Annde helped to decorate. That's why there are SO MANY ornaments on the bottom. She loves to decorate (or as Fancy Nancy/Annde calls it: Accessorize the tree!) anything.
And Annde is going nutso about the Advent Calendar. You'd think she had a one track mind. Every afternoon, after school until after dinner, all I hear is, "Mom, is it time to open the calendar yet?" I bought this wooden one at Target (instead of making one like I had originally planned.) and stuffed it with Hershey kisses (her favorite) and Little Pets. She's so excited! She said the nicest thing last night when she opened it up and there were 2 kisses in it... she said "Mom, if Meggie was old enough, I would give her one to eat too." I think it's sweet how Annde is become Mini-Mom. She really loves being an older sister.

Speaking of younger sisters... Guess what Meg loves to do: Fall asleep during tummy time. It's a riot - EVERY time you put her on her tummy, she just goes to sleep. Of course, her favorite napping spot is here:
... but on her tummy is definitely #2. The boppy, a rolled up blanket, any time she's near her stomach, she's out like a lot. It's a lot nicer than Annde's reaction - which was to scream like a crazy child. Yep, Meg's our laid back kid...

We're so ready for the cousins to get here. Annde made this welcome sign and drew pictures of all her cousins. Obviously not to scale but so very cute. Ben has some really long legs and Lauren is the biggest (for being one of the youngest). We can't wait to see everyone. (Before you ask - I did the writing at Annde's request).

Well, I am off to start planning menus and such. Gotta love the holidays - especially the food!
Also - if you are related to me or want a birth announcement/christmas card, can you PLEASE send me your address to my tallgirl account or hotmail account? I have no address book (casualty of the move) and I would like to get these out before next year... Thanks!!

It's been a long time... once again!

Well.

I have no excuses...

I have neglected my blog.

It wasn't like I didn't have anything else to do: I have moved to another state, packed and unpacked a house, started a brand new and challenging job, finished that last trimester of pregnancy, and brought a beautiful baby girl into the world.

But, I have forgotten/neglected this blog and to all of you who read it (especially Tracy and Dad), I apologize.

So, here's my early new year's resolution: Get my butt back in gear and start working on this again. I need to update my header with Meghan - can't do it with the current stuff since I lost Photoshop and my pictures in the Great Computer Crash of 2009 (October). So, I will have to come up with something new... look for it to debut in January (it will take me that long to get Photoshop reinstalled.)

So, here's the latest 411:

Yes, we love most aspects of our new life in VA. I love my job. I don't love our rental home, but it's okay and will work for the next several years until we can sell our MI home and buy a home here. Steve's working on a local gig but feels like he's still on the road since he's working insane hours on this project. (It sucks but I look at it this way: He's still home to tuck the kids in every night...)

Annde cut her hair short and started Kindergarten. Surprisingly, I had a harder time with the hair than school... She's made a lot of friends and joined both the Daisy Scouts and a Tap/Ballet class. She still misses everyone in Michigan and asks when we can go visit. (Memorial Day 2010?)

We were blessed with Meghan Brianna on 11/10/09. She was 8 lbs 6 oz and 21.5" long. She seems to be the opposite of her active sister - more content to just go with the flow. She's growing leaps and bounds - already in 2 weeks, she's gained 1.5 lbs and 1"... it's crazy how much she eats, I tell you! But, she is a great cuddler and her big sister is totally in love with her so life is great around here.We were lucky to have Tracy & Aiden come visit us after Meghan was born. That was so completely awesome!! We went downtown and did some of the Memorials and the Space Museum. The kids did awesome and we had a lot of fun. Plus, Tracy and I scrapped - we did 2 mini books each - it felt good to get going on that again.

Gotta love the matching sweatshirts... :)
We were also lucky to have Steve's parents come in for Thanksgiving. It came out wonderful - Steve was very proud of his perfect turkey (It should be perfect with the amount of time we spend watching Food Network!).

Now, we have a lot to look forward to: my family is coming for Christmas... all of them! I can't wait to celebrate with all my siblings, my sister-in-laws, and my parents and my nieces and nephews. It will be a full house but we are going to have so much fun! I can't wait.

Well, I need to get some things done so I am signing off for now. Hopefully, it won't take me another 6 months to update. :)

Feliz Navidad!!

Hello again... it's been a long time, friend!

Wow! I can't believe it's been over 2 months since I wrote anything on this blog...

Thanks to family and friends for reminding me that I have been slacking in this. (Especially you, Dad!) A lot has changed in the last 2 months... so, I'll jabber about that and post some layouts that I've done too...

First, I have a job again. (Yippee!! I am not a stay-at-home Mom kind of girl.) I enjoy working and using my mind and my new job is going to be a lot more challenging than the old one. Don't get me wrong... Automotive engineering had it's challenges, hard work, and patience crunchers. There was long hours and difficult situations. And, in the end, I still get some sense of pride watching a car/truck I worked on drive down the road... But, this economy and the automotive industry is really struggling now - the jobs just aren't there! So, when the opportunity with the Navy came along, and it was full of challenge and future, I took it. It took a long time (well, not so long according to others) but my interrim security clearance is done... so the move is on!

In about 3 weeks, they will come in and pack us up and off to DC we will go. We've found a townhouse to lease for 2 years that is nice and in a good school system. Hopefully - keep your fingers crossed - we are the last few stages of leasing our home to a family for 2 years as well. (that will make me feel tons better!) It's going to be a big change and the last month & a half has been super stressful! Since the clearance came through, we've been scrambling to get everything done/turned off/turned on/finding new people in DC... I am really excited but also nervous. My last big move - from my parents home to school - was done in a mini-van. This one will take a 18-wheeler truck and we're talking about "pounds of allowable weight" and proper packing techniques.

As for scrapbooking... I've been doing my stuff here and there, as needed for the design teams. I lack the motivation to scrap for fun. It's hard - this was a hobby that my BFF Tracy and I shared so much that scrapbooking now reminds me off leaving her here. And, instead of being a joyful creation, I find it harder to do... I know that the joy will come back but I also know that one of the hardest - if not the absolute hardest - things for me will be to leave Michigan with her still here. We've been so close over the last 5+ years... she knows how much she means to me.

So, here are some layouts before I lose it...

This first one is for So Sketchy. I love all the product on this page! I got it from Mega Meet and I just love how it came out. (I'll update this post with product tomorrow - got to find the sheet I wrote it down on! :) Hope it isn't packed already!)

These next few are from Pink Sketches...

Also a Mega Meet page - this one uses product we got free from the Crop Party or was left over from one of the classes I took. Tracy and I did this page together so we both have a copy of it!

This page is also Pink Sketches... I love the picture of Annde! The swim lessons did work. While she can't swim fully yet, she really loves to jump off the side and doggy paddle around. Earlier this week, we went to the Waterford water park and she spent 1/2 hour just doggy paddling around in the wave pool, making little happy screeches when a wave hit her... I am glad she is more comfortable in the water! We're are going to continue lessons in DC along with maybe soccer and dance.

This one of the last field trips for school - a trip to Cranbrook museum to see the new Dinosaur exhibit. The class got to do excavations for bones as well as feel real bones and fossils. It was a lot of fun!! This was also a Pink Sketch.

Last layout for today - also a Pink Sketch. This was Annde's art show... The art stayed up for a while but had to come down for the open houses... Annde likes to look at this layout and tell me about her pictures.
That's all for now. I have more So Sketchy stuff and some other layouts to post as well. I am going to try and do a little better - maybe every other day - with this blog. But, the kidlet is up and if she sees me in here, we'll be stuck on the computer for a couple of hours playing with her Littlest Pet Shop webkins... so off I go!

Blog Hop & Cyber Crop at Apron Strings

Hey everyone!!

I am excited to announce a Blog Hop & Cyber Crop going on over at Apron Strings...

If you came here first, please click HERE to go back to the start... You need to visit each one to get all the phrases!!

As most of you know, I love to scrapbook! I've been doing this hobby for over 10 years and I love almost everything about it... the one thing I don't like? The cost! (Who does?) One way I have found to best use my money for product and still get the latest and the greatest stuff is to subscribe to kit companies online. They provide you with a great combination of product at a low price.

One such company is Apron Strings. I was blessed this year to be selected as a Sous Chef on their design team. I have loved working with the product because it challenges me to really be creative in what I do with my pages. Here are a few of my favorite layouts so far:

Apron Strings provides multiple options for your scrapbook excitement. The Smaller than a Breadbox option comes with 3 different lines of paper and matching embellishments. The Bigger than a Breadbox option has two larger kits with different paper lines and more goodies to play with. Both are amazing values for your money! And, with the Apron Strings kit club, you also get:

1. A group of scrappers to interact with that are kind and supportive!

2. Frequent challenges, contests, and crops - who doesn't love the GREAT prizes Lori and Kathy give out....

3. The latest and greatest products delivered right to your door!

4. A super online store with very competitive pricing and the new stuff we all want!

5. A free monthly newsletter, packed full of ideas, and available any time you want to read it.

6. You get a Becky Fleck PageMaps sketch each month with your kit as well as how the Sous Chef's use it as example.

7. And now you get the NEW Apron Strings Blog to make life even more fun!!

SO... On to the Fun!

If you hop over to the Apron Strings Blog, you will see challenges posted throughout the weekend. My challenge for you is the following:

A lot of the time, as scrapbookers, we like to do two page layouts. Unfortunately, they take up a lot of room on the shelf as you scrapbook more and more. So, my challenge to you is to scrapbook two events as a side-by-side 2-page layout *OR* scrapbook 2 events as 1-page layouts. Maybe you only have a few pictures for each one or even just a single picture. You can use the same paper for each layout or different paper - it's up to you. I just want to challenge you to try a one page layout, or two, instead of doing your normal 2 pagers!

Post a comment here for a chance to win a RAK from me!! Your deadline: Wednesday at midnight, Eastern Standard time. The same challenge will be posted on the Apron Strings Blog on Saturday so you will get a chance at a prize drawing from Lori and Kathy if you post at both places!!! NOTE: Lori's deadline is different! You need to have it posted by Sunday night. Lori is going to do a drawing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for more chances to win so the more challenge you do the better your odds are of winning. *The Blog Hop will start on Friday, May 15th at 9:00 am MDT, this is 11:00 am Eastern, 10:00 am Central and 8:00 am Pacific. It will end Sunday, May 17th at 6:00 pm MDT, this is 8:00 pm Eastern, 7:00 pm Central and 5:00 pm Pacific.

Also, if you are participating in the Blog Hop, here's my special phrase to collect: AutoShips start at just $16! Now hop over to Anita Mulchaey's blog for the next phrase! :)

Have Fun! I can't wait to see your creations!!

Coordinate Collections & Mega Meet

This year, Mother's Day weekend is going to rock! I started off yesterday with a full spa pedicure. It was a treat to myself and totally worth it... Last night my feet and legs were SOOOOO relaxed and my nails are a pretty red now. :)

The fun continues today... I am so excited! In about 1 1/2 hours, I head out to Mega Meet. It's a scrapbooking convention in Michigan and I always find really cool stuff. I've been saving my pennies and I can't wait to find that special item. This year, I am not working like I did last year. Nope, I am shopping! Yippee!!!

I am so excited because I am also spending the day with my buddy Stacy. I haven't seen her in a while and she's so much fun. She even talked me into taking some classes. Here's a shocker for you: other than a class at a crop - I've only taken 1 other class in my life... it was a 15 min. one on distressing paper. That's amazing to me! In over 10 years, I've only taken 1 class! Today, I am taking 3: 2 mini-books and 1 techniques class. Then, we're cropping all-night! (My BFF Tracy is joining us for that... We are going to have a BLAST!)

I am also participating in a Cyber Crop with Coordinates Collections this weekend... They are having a crop based on the Movies theme. It will be fun to see what Jennifer F comes up with... Interested in participating? Check it out here: http://coordinatescollections.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=38

Also, because I am already talking about the site, here's my guest design team stuff from April. I had a ton of fun with the product! I really loved the colors and the textures. :)

I love this page... It's hard to see but I stickled the lace paper (Basic Grey) to make it look 3-D. I also like the look of the B&W pictures with the one color. :)

This layout was about my scrapbooking confidence last year. I tried out and made several design teams. It's been a fun year so I wanted to commemorate it!

My daughter's closest friend at school is Gabriella. This was a page I did about having her over for a playdate. Can you believe it was the ONLY picture I took - and her Mom's a scrapbooker too! Shame on us!!

And, using the scraps, here's some easy and fun cards I did... I love these colors together.

Off to finish packing my stuff! Have a great day everyone!! Peace out...

Yummy goodness from Apron Strings

Today, I would like to share with you some layouts I did in April for Apron Strings. I was given the Larger than a Breadbox kit and I love what I was able to do with all that fun product... It is so much fun to work with these kits because *everything* on these pages except for ink and a little thread is made from the kit I receive... no extra do-dads out of my bag. It really pushes me to be creative with what I am given...

This first page is a camping page that I did for my BFF Tracy... I just love the colors on this layout. Can you believe I freehanded those brackets? Aren't they cool?

This page was a lot of fun. I rarely do a 2-page layout but I had so many cute pictures to use, I couldn't help it! This page took me less than 30 minutes. Very simple! My favorite detail? All the doodling on the chipboard letters and flowers...

If you've read my blog, you know about the story in this next layout about being an artist. I like the layering and doodling of this layout - it really goes with the artsy feel of the story. She did have her art show... I'll be scrapbooking that one soon!

This page was my favorite... I randomly printed 4 pictures from the last couple of months of Annde and Steve together and then asked her what she loves about her Daddy. I love all the doodling and how the page turned out: girly with boy colors. Dad and Annde liked it too!

Do you have one of those spots you go to every once in a while? For us, it's Great Lakes Crossing in Auburn Hills, MI. They have these food themed playground that Annde likes to play on. I've scrapped it once a year to show how much bigger she gets each year. It's a great way to watch the growth over the year...

Another school page... We got this sketch to work with and I was excited because it perfectly fit Snack and Share day at school. The colors are great and I love how it highlights different things throughout the class day.

As most of you know, my child is addicted to Littlest Pet Shop. On this day, she took out all her playsets (Barbie, Polly Pocket, LPS, and My Little Pony) and connected them together to play by making... Little Pet Land... That's right... there was just enough space for her 100+ little pets to each have a home. She played with it for hours without interruption. Don't you love it when a child finds that much enjoyment in an activity that doesn't require electricity? :)

Lastly, here's a couple of cards I made with the leftovers... Enjoy!

I like to leave cards blank (without a sentiment) so they can be tailored to fit when I am ready to send them...

Tomorrow, I am going to post my So Sketchy Layouts... so be on the look out. It will be later because we're going to the Zoo in the morning... yippee!! Off to buy some paint...

Have a great day!