Jacob, Kelsea and Katie

What do you think? I've been trying for ages to get pics of the kids, because they didn't buy the school pics, and I wanted some for this year. I figured I could take some decent pics, so the challenge was on to get them in gear. Jacob was the first one to "volunteer! lol We had taken pics in the park, at the little caboose in downtown Dexter, on the railroad tracks, and even in a cotton field. I think this one turned out the best! He was such a good sport about it all, too! :)


I had one opportunity with Katie, so we went to the little park here in town. Wouldn't you know, this was the last pic we took? lol It's our fave! Today was the first--and probably last--chance I had with Kelsea til at least after Christmas. It just so happened she liked her hair today, so I was in luck! lol


I had taken a free online Jessica Sprague class earlier this year, so I referred back to it, and Kelsea and I got these pics done. We did an antique-like edit on them. I just love them so much, I made copies for myself and have them hanging up already. Plus...these are gifts for the kids to give to their Mom. I think she'll probably cry! :)


Kelsea really liked the whole the process of editing these pics, and was with me all the way. She even did Katie's pic by herself--great job, Kels! :) It was great fun for us to do this together. A day I'll certainly remember. Love ya, Kels!

Happy Birthday, Audrey!

Happy Birthday! Hope you have a great day and fun when you go out tonight!

Love,
Pam and Denny

Thomas James Greer

He's here! Ryan and Audrey's baby boy was born the day before Thanksgivin--Nov. 25 at 3:03 a.m. He weighed in at 6lbs. 11 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. He's such a tiny little thing! And as sweet as he can be! Dakota is just in love with him! R&A say she won't leave him alone. The first thing she does when she wakes up, is go see him. She just makes a beeline past R&A! lol I think that's good, tho--she's so excited about him. She could be asking for them to take him back and bring home a puppy! lol

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, DENNY...

I love you!



This is our 33rd anniversary! Who knew! lol Ours started out pretty rocky, but through the grace of God, we've weathered thru many obstacles, and are still here today. Most of our marriage has been pretty good. But the last 16-17 years have been the best! I love this stage of our life--I love that it's just the two of us. We have a lot of fun together--we still enjoy each others company--we're best friends. It amazes me sometimes, that we still have something to say to each other. Do we get on each others nerves? You bet! Would I trade it? No way! He treats me better than I deserve. Sometimes I think he got the short end of the stick. But at the end of the day, we love each other. So with this I say--Happy Anniversary, hon! I hope we have 33 more!

Weekend Crop

I finally got to crop this weekend! I guess I've missed cropping with my friends more than I thought. Zenita hosted a Relay for Life crop on Sat., and I was there from 10-9! Brandi and I went, and there were also friends that I haven't seen in a while. There were games, prizes and tons of food--what more could you ask for?! :) I brought 4 projects to work on, and just about finished them all! There are a few things that need to be tweaked, but I'm very happy with the results. I usually don't get anything done, so this was a major accomplishment for me. I had spent the whole week getting things ready. I guess it really does pay to plan ahead! lol


I'm busy working on Christmas presents. I thought I'd better get a head start this year, and not wait til "30 days and beyond"! Sound familiar, Peggie? lol I'm making the kids clocks for their rooms, and this is Dakota's. I love how it turned out! I used the frame from a Tinkerbell quick page by Just So Scrappy. I had to extract it from the paper, because the original size just was not going to work for me. The background paper is from Nicole Young Designs--that paper is so versatile! And the "D" monogram is from Kitten Scraps by Nathalie MacKay. It worked perfectly with the whole layout--I love how it matched everything! Jacob's clock came out perfectly--I'll post it next--but I have to tweak Katie's and Kelsea's a bit. Since I'm scrapping digitally now, I love how it's no big deal to fix something. I do have to reprint them after I fix them, but that's no big deal--as long as I don't make those kind of mistakes very often. Otherwise, I'll spend a fortune in ink! lol


Have a good week, and thanks again, Z, for a great crop! :)

Lost in Wonderland

Thanks for all well-wishes for the sale I did last week. It was a bust, tho! lol If it hadn't been for Zenita and Sandie, I would have just made back my $10 entry fee! Thanks, you guys! :) I won't do that one again. It was outside, and the wind was horrible! I wear my hair spikey, so it didn't affect that at all, but everything else was windblown! lol I hung in there til about 3:30--most everyone else was packing up by then, too. I had so much stuff, I was freaking out a bit on how to display it. So I just put in all into 5 vintage suitcases, and set them out on the table. Worked out perfectly! So now said suitcases are in the spare room, waiting til the next show--indoors, of course! :) I'm going to do the show at the Community Center here in Malden the first Sat. in Nov., and then the Bernie show will be at the Armory the first Sat. in Dec. What doesn't sell after that I'll go thru again, then I'm donating the rest. I'm tired of having it take up space, and I want it out of here! I'll let Katie go thru it, and Z and Sandie. After that, it's gone! I've still kept plenty of paper and embellishments to last me for ages. I still like doing projects. But most of my scrapping is done digitally now. That's the way for me! But I am working on Christmas presents....



As a matter of fact, I'm making each of the kids clocks for their rooms. This is Katie's. How do you like it? I LOVE it! The kit is Lost in Wonderland by Nicole Young, and it's so versatile! I've used it on several projects and they all look different! What do you think of the big clock? I struggled with keeping it on there or not, so you see what won! But I'm happy with it. Hope she likes it!

This Is For You, Z!

Seems like we're all venturing out in new directions. I'm making digital photo gifts--check out my gallery-- Brandi has her own photography studio, and now Zenita is a rep with
AC Bailey! Congrats, Z! You guys check it out and check out her blog. There's some fun stuff going on! :)


Isn't this sign the cutest? I used a frame by Raspberry Road Designs, and made a flier to advertise the show Brandi and I are doing this weekend. We both need to downsize our scrap stash, so I thought this would be a good way to do that AND advertise our new ventures! So if you need anything, let me know. I probably have it! :)

Time Flies--Again!

It's been awhile again, hasn't it?! I have been busy lately. We've been redecorating the grandkids rooms, and I need to downsize my scrap stash, so I've been going thru stuff. I haven't even made a dent in what I have. It's almost a sin to have so much! I just keep collecting and working it into my room. But no more! Since Pattie closed the lss, I have bought very little. And what little I do buy, I make sure I have a definite need for it. I honestly don't know how I even afforded it before! So I'm going thru stuff, and trying to sell it. Fall Fest is next weekend, so Brandi and I are going to set up a table and try to peddle our wares!lol If any of you live close, be sure to stop by! :)


The kids' rooms have turned out so nice! Jacob's room has been done for several weeks now. We painted his room and found a nice, used bedroom set for him. They still haven't hung his stuff back on the wall. I guess Grandpa is going to have to do it! The girls' room has been the hard one! We finally got it painted, and got their furniture painted--we took my Aunt's old bedroom set, thanks to the generosity of Cousin Dan--and found some cute pink floor lamps. What a bargain! On clearance at WM for $7! We took them over tonight, and Denny put them together. It adds some much needed lighting for the girls! I found some hot pink towels on clearance, too. They'll use them as dresser scarves. It's all pulling together! They just have to unload their old dressers, which we'll take out for them. Denny is going to paint one of them, so they'll have a place to put the "extras". Katie has too many extras! I can hardly wait to see it all completely finished. I'll post pics as soon as it's all put together. Hopefully by this weekend! :)


How do you like the pic? You'll never guess what I'm doing with it. I spent most of the day Sat., working on making a bunch of mini layouts. I found a cool site called ArtsCow, and signed up. Give it a shot! They send you cool specials, and this one that I took advantage of was microfiber cleaning cloths for glasses. Since we all wear glasses, I thought these would make neat stocking stuffers--I thought maybe the kids would use them if they had their pics on them. This one, of course, is for Denny. I got them for $1.99 and free shipping! What a deal! When they get here, I'll let you about the quality. But for $2.....


I used this kit for 3-4 different layouts. I just love it! It's called "Lost in Wonderland" by Nicole Young. I just love her stuff--it's so whimsical and cool! So check out her site!


That's it! I'll try to post a few more of my micro cloths this week! :)

Thomas James Greer

He's a cutie already! This is Thomas James Greer--Ryan's baby boy! Audrey gave me the ultra sound pics way back in July, and for some reason, today was the day to do something with them! I'm going to try my hardest to do his album right and keep up with it--the best laid plans, right? lol


Isn't this kit cute? It's a total scraplift. All I did was add in an extra set of sparkley stars, and the photo frame. The kit is by Carol Baumann and she designs for E-Scape and Scrap. I'd been dying to use it, and thought it was perfect for Thomas' pics. So this is his first layout. He posed rather well, don't you think? :)

Shopping

Here's this month desk top calendar. I've used this pic of my grandma on several things before, but it's such a pretty picture of her, and I thought it was perfect for this little kit! The kit is by mITTSYBELLE, and you can find it here. Hope that works! lol


We took Katie school shopping today. It really went pretty smooth! lol It's a lot easier taking them by themselves, rather than all 3 at once--which we've done many times! Not that they act up or anything, it's just easier to concentrate on one at a time! Katie ended up with a whole new look for school this year, which surprised us. She's into hoodies and high top tennies. Well, she didn't give up the high tops, but didn't buy even one hoodie! She got a real cute double breasted jacket, for one thing. I'll have to get pics of her new look and post them, 'cause I really can't even explain it. Just know, she looks as cute as can be!

Richard

This is the last project I've done for Colleen. A celebration! Her other BFF's son is getting married! Congrats, "Richard"! lol I will say, the names have been changed to protect the innocent! lol Since this is a surprise, we weren't quite sure they'd want their names plastered all over the internet! lol This was fun. And truly a team effort. I wasn't quite sure at one point where we were headed with this, but after asking a million questions, it finally hit me what Colleen wanted. We're both pleased with the end result. I was able to extract the flourishes from the actual invitation and match up the color. I just my photoshop program! :) The storyboard I used is by Miki Ferkul. She does a lot cool things, so check out her site.

Heather's Collage

Here's another page I did for Colleen for her to take to the memorial. This was her daughter, niece and nephew when they went to visit them in Hawaii. It looks like they were all having a great time! :) I love this little kit I used. It's by Sailor and Lula Designs. It seemed just perfect for these playful pics!

Thank You, Colleen!

Colleen was kind enough to let me share these next 3 projects that she had me do for her! The one I've posted today is a tribute to her lovely niece that passed away recently. So sad--she was so beautiful. Colleen wanted something to remember her by, and to give to some relatives, so this is what we came up with. A beautiful quick page by Raspberry Road Designs. It just seemed so fitting--even the quote was perfect. I didn't know her--I had never met her, but I do wish her eternal rest and peace.

Happy Birthday, Son!

Today is Ryan's birthday--35 years ago today I almost died having him. Not really--but isn't that what every mother says? lol I thought I had a hard labor with him, but after having Libby, I realized having Ryan was a piece of cake! lol He turned out to be a great guy--one I'm proud of! I always thought myself very lucky not to have a bunch of trouble with him. He was a pretty good kid. Not perfect by any means, but he didn't give me any trouble. For that I was thankful! It's funny, that he had his little girl kind of late in life. He was 31 when Dakota was born. Now at 35, he's going to be a daddy again. He and Audrey are expecting a little boy in November--a little turkey! lol Their family will be complete. I just wonder how Dakota will take not being the center of attention. Hope she's not mean to the baby!



I made Ryan's birthday card. Since he's in a rock band, I thought I should use some rocked out paper! This is by Flergs and it's called Helter Skelter inspired by the Beatles, of course. I thought it was kind of cool. One time when we had all gotten together, Dakota showed up with a temp tat on her arm of a guitar. She was rather proud of it! lol (Just click on the pic, and it enlarges). Since Ryan has the real deal on his arm, I took of pic of them! lol So that's what's in the middle of the Helter Skelter frame. Then, of course, that's Ryan with Dakota. She looks just like him! :)


So, Son, Happy Birthday to you, and I love you!!! I'll see you at dinner tonight!

Love,
Mom

Road Trip

This is my new desktop calendar I made! I just love these colors! If you go to Amanda Thorderson's blog, you can see the freebie kit she offered. Just scroll down to Aug. 4th post. I loved the freebie so much, I bought the kit--and the bracket album! The colors are so cool and refreshing. It just made me happy!


Not much going on here. Brandi and I took a road trip yesterday to St. Louis. It was a scrappy road trip. We went to For Keep's Sake--a HUGE lss. They were pretty low on mdse. tho. New stuff was coming in from CHA, but probably not til next week. Just our luck! I did find a few things to buy, tho. Then we went to Michaels. We didn't realize it was so close to the lss. I didn't buy one thing, tho. Brandi said she didn't even know who I was anymore! lol After that, we had a nice lunch at The Pasta House. It wasn't too bad. It was no Olive Garden, but I'd go back again sometime. Then it was on to Archiver's. If you've never been to one, well, it's huge! I only bought a couple of small things there, but I found the main thing I'd been wanting--Computer Tricks 3 by Jessica Sprague! I have looked every where I know to look down here, and couldn't find it. Then all of a sudden, there it was! I was a happy camper! Check her site out--if you're wanting to learn to digi scrap, she has great tutorials. That's where I went to get started. Then I took an online photo editing class--I still have to finish it, but I've learned great stuff. My pics are looking so much better! So anyway, that was our day yesterday. Fun!


Peggie, hope you're up and around! :)

Check Book Cover

I decided it was time for a new checkbook cover. My other one was getting all ratty and the plastic cover was cracking. It was in sad shape! I downloaded this little freebie kit by SotoCreations, called Late Summer. You can check out the kit at Twisted Scrapper. Just scroll down to see the whole kit. I was able to put the row of watermelons at just below the fold line. I was hoping there would be enough room for them. So just imagine it being folded in half, and you've got a check book cover! :)


Not much going on here. I have to give Mom a perm tomorrow. It doesn't take very long--just about an hour and a half. But my back is killing me by the time I'm done. Thanks goodness she doesn't have much hair! lol

Life is Just a Bowl of Cherries....

I'm on a cherry kick now. I've got several kits, and decided to play with this one today. First of all, I took a pic of Katie from last year and cropped it, colored her head band, lightened it, then extracted her out of the pic. The photo I did all on my own. I've learned a lot about editing pics, and have come to the conclusion that one of the easiest things to do to a pic to make it look better, is just to simply lighten it. Who knew?!


As I said, the photo I edited I can credit myself with. The rest of it--the whole layout, I copied--scraplifted. I have a hard time layering the elements, so I thought the best way to learn, was see how the pros do it. I actually worked for several hours on this--tweaking this and tweaking that. But I have a general idea as to what to do. But I'll be scraplifting a lot for a while. They're layouts are so cool, and it's kind of like using a pattern. When you make something from a kit or pattern, you just feel good when it turns out right. And you probably learn something along the way. Now, the one thing that I added that was not on the original, is the leaf collar around Katie's neck. She's actually postitioned on top of a butterfly, and the body extended down past her pic, and I needed to cover it up. Works for me! lol You can see this kit at After Five Designs. If you scroll down, you'll see tons of pics the designers did with this kit. They're gorgeous! The one I used was in the 5th column down, 2nd pic. Just click on it, and it will enlarge. Hmmm....I wonder which one I'll do next?!

This Is For You, Katie!

Who doesn't love cherries?! Katie and I love 'em--at least to scrap with! lol I'm not big on eating them, but I think cherries are one of the coolest elements to scrap with and decorate with. My kitchen is done in cherries. I've decorated with them, collected them, sewn my curtains out of Martha Stewart dishtowels--with the cherry design--now I'm scrapping with them! I just love this kit! This particular page is a quick page--it was already designed and all I had to do was put Katie's pic in it. I did add her name, and a few more elements--like the cherry clusters and the bird--that were in the big kit I bought. I found it in May during the National Scrapbook Day event. This particular kit is by Susan Darter of Raspberry Road Designs. You guys really need to check out her blog. She does the neatest designs--a lot of vintage stuff. I bought the Cherries Kit, and she has a kit called Flour Sack. If you're into vintage, you'll love this one--I did, and I bought it. It's designed around retro/vintage kitchen stuff. I swear, she made that one just for me! lol Every Friday she debuts a new kit, and with it, she gives out gorgeous freebies. Not just one or two, but a whole week of freebies that coordinates with that weeks kit. This is one of my fave sites, so head on over there and check it out! :)



I can't believe how many layouts I've scrapped since I've started digi scrapping. I was known at the lss as the project queen, because I wouldn't scrap pictures. Doing projects was leftover from my crafting days, I guess. Now I don't want to do projects--I want to digi scrap! Anyone that knows me, knows that when I get into something I really like, I go whole-hog all the way. Now what am I going to do with all of the paper scrapping supplies I have.....anybody need anything?



I'm glad Katie is into scrapping. She's pretty good and creative at it, too. If she had more room, I'd give her more stuff. I've given her a ton already. I think I'm going to have to go over there and organize it for her. Then maybe I can unload my room onto her! lol You won't care, tho, will you, Katie??? Love you, baby!

I Scream, You Scream

I know--it's pretty lame, but I couldn't help it! lol Mom and I had taken the kids to McD's last Fri. so Dakota could play. We took Jacob and Kelsea with us, too. They all ate burgers first, then Jacob and Dakota were off to play! Kelsea, being 14, did not run off to play! lol She just sat with Mom and me and watched the other 2. They had so much fun. She wore Jacob out! lol At 3 years old, Dakota has energy to spare! Wouldn't it be nice to have just a little bit of it?! They finally decided it was time for ice cream, and you can see what Dakota did with it! lol She had it all over herself, like any 3 year old would! lol But she sure enjoyed it!


Mom has a friend who just adores Dakota, and said she needed a new pic of her. When Mom saw these pics, she thought they'd be fun to share, so I decided to make a card out of them. I printed the above pic out at 5x5, turned it into a card and now she can just set it out or frame it or whatever. I love how it turned out--I say that everytime! lol But these kits are so fun and easy to work with--you just can't mess it up! :) The kit is by Mellisa Toy and the hearts are by Maelia. I love her work--it's so whimsical! I've used the hearts on other stuff. They just kind of go with everything. I'm sure they'll show up again on something, so be sure to come back and take a peek! :)

Jacob's Birth Announcement

Here's Jacob's announcement that I made. I just love the little frog! This is a little kit I used called Feeling Froggy by Colie's Corner. I've got to quit scrapping so "linear". I need to be more carefree, and layer stuff. But it just goes against my OCD! lol I love the page I made, but I just wish I had a bit of a knack for being more whimiscal, I guess. Note to self--practice!


Jacob is such a good kid. I had Dakota for a while Friday, and then I kept her Sat. night, so Audrey could go with Ryan while his band played. On Friday, I picked Jacob and Kelsea up and Mom met all of us at McD's, so Dakota could play at the playground. Jacob played with her and kept her entertained for us. They had a lot of fun together. He's almost 12 now, but he's so good with her. And she loves him to death! lol Then he spent the night with us last night, too. Again, a big help where Dakota was concerned. She's 3 now and is a handful! She's into everything and just wears me out. We went back to McD's last night so they could play and hopefully wear her down a bit. It worked! When we got home, I let her take a shower and it wasn't long after that that she went to bed. By that time, I was ready for bed yself! lol

Kelsea's Baby Announcement

Kelsea is 14 now, so I guess it's about time I made her a birth announcement! lol I love this little kit--it's by KariQ Designs and is call Little Dreamer. I made a little 4x6 announcement (top) and an 8x8 page. I'm really happy with how this turned out! I'll be posting Jacob's next. I still have to do one for Katie and Dakota, so be on the look out for them. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to do theirs.


That's what takes me so long--picking out the kits, then the papers to use. Then it takes me about 2-3 hours to do the page. With the old pics, I have to scan them into the computer, then do some editing. I love the editing part, but it's time consuming. I've been taking a freebie online photo editing class by Jessica Sprague. She is so knowledgeable! I've got two of her mags, Computer Tricks, and they have also been helpful in my digital journey. But I just find this so much fun and relaxing. And I have no mess to deal with, and plenty of room to work. I'll be posting a layout later of Kelsea when she was 3. It was her birthday. The pic was less than perfect, but with the editing that I've learned, the pic turned out pretty good. So stay tuned! :)

Way To Go, Jacob!

Jacob played baseball again this summer. We weren't sure if he was going to play this year or not. He couldn't stand last year's coach, and had decided if the guy coached this year, he wasn't playing. I don't blame him. The guy was pretty rough on the kids--they were only 10 or 11. Baseball should be fun, but this guy made them miserable--it was no fun for them. But they have new coaches that are really good and constructive, so I think the kids are having a better season. Who the hell wants to be yelled at? Not me! Anyway... This is either his 3rd or 4th year. He plays a pretty good game, too! He's usually outfield or left field, and he's great at catching those balls! :) We only went to 3 of his games, but they are fun to watch. His team, the Bernie Mules, had a perfect season this year! He even got on the All Star team, for the second or third time--they didn't make it to All Stars last year. They lost their first 2 games by 1 point, but Thurs. night, they won by 1 point! Jacob batted in 2 guys--I guess that's the term!--which won them the game! Go Jacob! So they'll play again Monday, I think. We'll try to get to that one! :)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Happy 4th! We're going to Libby's late in the afternoon and have a cookout and then watch the kids light their fireworks. This works out good--cooking out later in the day. That way there's not so much time between the cookout and the fireworks. Not that we don't all want to be together, but then we don't have to listen to the kids beg to light their fireworks. They can't do it until it starts to get dark. Why waste them in the daylight, when you can't see them? That's the way we think, anyway! lol Ryan and Audrey and Dakota are coming, too. Hope I get some good pics of everyone. As you can tell, this one of Dakota is a few years old! lol Isn't it cool, tho? I used a little freebie kit from Raspberry Road Designs to make it. I can't remember where the word art came from. I have to get better at remembering these things! And speaking of remembering....I'd better make sure my batteries are fully charged, because I think I'll have Kelsea take the pics. She's good at it, but I'm sure there will be a lot of self-portraits! lol


We bought hot dogs, buns and chips, and I'm making baked beans. Tonight I made the potato salad. I DO make awesome potato salad, if I say so myself! :) I'll tell you my secret--use a full package of dry Zesty Italian salad dressing mix. Just sprinkle it over the potatoes--I use a 5 lb. bag--and mix it up with your other ingredients. To die for! It was great tonight and will be even better tomorrow!


So with that, I wish you all a Happy 4th, and stay safe!

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N is Over!

We made our trip to IA, and had a nice time, but you know--as much as I gripe about this place, it was good to get home. I love our home and most of my family is here now--I just don't like this part of the country. It's too friggin' hot for one thing! You go from furnace to AC back to furnace--there's no break inbetween. But anyway, I'll save it for another time...I got to see my Dad while I was there. I told him I'd take him out to dinner in DeWitt, but he decided he wanted to have Harris Pizza. That did not hurt my feelings! lol He only lives about 15 minutes from town, but he doesn't go any more often that he has to. And he knows all the country roads to get to town, so he can stay out of the traffic. Well, there is a lot of traffic in town, so I don't really blame him! Denny got to spend some time with his Mom and I got to see my friends Betty and Colleen, which is always nice. So all in all, a good time!


Here's this month's screen saver I did with the grandkids' pic. It worked out pretty good, just having a place for 2 pics--I found one of Jacob, Dakota and Katie together. Then there's Kels. That's her with her tongue sticking out--she's just like her mother. She'd hate to hear that, tho! lol

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N

Just a mini vacation. But it's going to be good to get out of town for a few days! We're heading back home to visit my Dad, Denny's Mom and my BFF! lol Colleen and I have been friends since 8th grade, so I can say this! :) Hi, Colleen! See ya soon! In about 24 hours, Denny and I are going to be chowing down on some of the most awesome pizza in the whole, entire world--Harris Pizza! We've lived all over the place, and nothing compares, in our book. It's to die for! :) Sometimes we eat it at the pizza place, and other times we'll get it to go and drive around and eat it--just like we did in the old days! You know, Denny first told me he loved me--between bites-- while we were eating a Harris Pizza. So you see how significant Harris Pizza is to us--plus, it's soooooo good!


Real quick, here's the Father's Day card I made for Denny. I used a freebie kit--Carousel, from Escape and Scrap--it's circus themed, if you couldn't tell. I thought it was so appropriate, since life for us is a 3-ring circus at times!


See ya when I get back! :)

Today is My Birthday!

I've been back here for hours and just realized today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me! :) I'm the big 5-5 this year. OMG! You know, when you're 15 or 16, 55 seems ancient. It doesn't seem so ancient to me now! lol You know, mentally, I feel like I'm 25. Physically, that's another story! lol And I have CRS--Can't Remember Shit! I'm at the stage in life now that I have to make notes, or I tend to forget a few things. I always thought that so rediculous, and Mom was the world's worst at leaving notes everywhere. Sorry, Mom--I now see the need! lol And if I say something and promise to do something, I don't remember it 20 minutes later. I promise all kinds of stuff with the greatest of intention, but following thru is another matter. Isn't the aging process a wonderful thing?! lol


Isn't this pic of Dakota adorable? I can't take credit for the idea, tho. I saw it on a blog and remembered--that's a miracle in itself!--that I had taken these pics of Dakota when Denny's Mom and Sister were here at Easter. Perfect pics for this! Check the inspiration photo here and see what you think--you'll have to scroll down a bit. And the kit I used was by Brandy Designs--there was a design contest at DigiScrapAddicts, and this particular week, the theme was the Beatles --she picked Strawberry Fields. I'm so happy with how it turned out! The only thing, tho, is you can't tell from the pic that I have a quote in the upper left hand corner. It's by Tinkerbell, and says--You know the place between sleep and awake--the place where you can remember dreams? That's where I'll always love you. It's that cool?!

Well, Mom told me to call her when I get up and we'll go out for lunch for my birthday. I picked Chinese. They have a noodle dish called Chicken Mai Fun. It's yummy! Hope I don't forget to call Mom.....

Happy Birthday, Katie Lynn!

Happy birthday, baby! It's hard to believe she's 16. See the beautiful baby pic in the post below? That's her--just 16 short years ago. She's always been a cutie, and now she's turning into a beautiful young lady. We have a good relationship with her--with all the kids, really, and I'm grateful for that. We're going to Libby's tomorrow and we're having a little family party for her. She loves Twilight, so I ordered her a cake with red roses and black trim. Libby is decorating everything in red and black. See the pic posted up above? I photoshopped her out the original and used a Twilight kit and did this. OMG! Have you ever googled Twilight? These people have it bad! lol But I was able to find what I wanted, thanks to them! lol I made her a poster with 3 different pics. There's this one, then there's one where I put her and Edward together standing in front of a car, and in the last one, I took Bella out and put Katie in with Edward looking down at here! lol She's going to love it! :)


Happy birthday, dear Katie! I hope you always remember how much you're loved! :)

Katie Lynn

This is my newest page. I just love how this one turned out! Katie is our first grandchild, and it's hard to believe that she's going to be 16 next Sunday! She doesn't look like this anymore! lol She's become her own person, with her own tastes and ideas. Too bad they can't stay little a while longer! lol

I'm really loving this "blended pic in the background" thing. I've been on tons of blogs lately, and it's quite the popular thing to do. So you'll probably be seeing some more! Besides that, it forces me to design the page myself, rather than using a "quick page"--one where you just slip the pic in. I love those, too, though. That was the first kind of digi layout I did for Mom, Libby, and Audrey. I was very happy with them, too! So on it goes. I just have to decide what I want to learn next and find a tutorial for it. In the meantime, I have to learn layering. I'm not good at doing that, even on paper. I'm more of a neat "linear" scrapper--I like everything nice clean and even. So I need to practice layering or making clusters. That makes me nervous--if I still smoked, I'd have a cigarette! lol

Topsy Turvy

Isn't this cute! I downloaded a freebie kit from Chaos Lounge. It's adorable! I pretty much--o.k., totally!-- used her lay out page--to make mine, but remember, I'm still in the learning phase! :) Each day I try to learn a new technique, etc. And my goal today was to extract an image. I think I did the it hard way, tho, because it seemed to take FOREVER! I have Elements 2, and had to erase the background. I'm guessing in newer versions, it's much easier and less time consuming. But this is going to have to work for now--at least until I really know what I'm doing, then maybe I'll get an updated version. Anyway.... the original photo of Dakota has her sitting in the middle of a bunch of pumpkins. So I got rid of the pumpkins and put her in a hot air balloon instead! lol This kit was just the right thing for me to use with Dakota' pic.


And I've got to say, too, how much I do appreciate the talents of all of these designers. This isn't just a suck-up statement, since I'm inviting the designer of Topsy Turvy to see my blog! lol I am truly thankful, because I have no clue as to the designing process. I'm barely able to scrap with the kits, let alone design them!lol So thank you designers--your work is much appreciated!


Keep checking the blog--you never what the next lesson will be! :)

Jacob--Up a Tree

This was taken a few years ago--I think on Father's Day. For some unknown reason, Jacob climed up the tree, and I snapped off a few pics of him. The pics actually turned out pretty cool. So I decided to use it for today's project--which may look similar to yesterday's. But I learned something new--after working on this for 3 hours! I used an overlay around the edges, and I softend the wordart, just like I did the background pic. What a neat effect! I still need to work on the background pic, tho. When I enlarge it, it gets a bit pixelated. Need to figure that one out. But each day it seems I learn something new. So if anyone's reading this, you can follow along. Hopefully there will be a ton of progress soon! :)


So did you watch Idol tonight? I was so upset--I was rooting for Adam. I have been since I first heard him addition! I'm sure we'll be hearing lots from him, tho. This may be a blessing in disguise for him just like it was for Chris Daughtry. I hope so, 'cause I think he's so awsome! Not to take anything from Kris--he earned it, tho he never was one of my faves. Denny says he got the teeny-bopper vote. He was actually for Danny, who I thought was good, too. But there's just something about a guy with black spikey hair! :)

GG and Katie

I'm still in digi mode. I'm loving this and I'm learning so much--one small step at a time. I've been fortunate enough to find these free tutorials online. It's amazing what a person can do just by watching a little video! And I'm much better at doing it hands on than to try to figure out a book. Short attention span--I guess it's PC to now say Adult ADD--or HUA--head up ass--NOT PC! lol That's why I don't read books--I wait for the movie to come out! lol Anyway.....I did this pic of Mom and Katie when she was a baby. I love how it turned out. It's not the prettiest layout, by any means, but I accomplished what I wanted to do--playing with layers, and trying to figure out how to blend the pic in the background, putting elements in front and behind other elements. It's a success! Now I have to find a tutorial on extracting photos. The hunt is on!


BTW--I'm not sure who wrote the quote. I saw it on a blog earlier today, and she lifted it from a plaque at WM. Never know where you'll find great inspiration!

Happy Mother's Day, Audrey and Libby

I'm still in digi download mode. I've downloaded over 500 kits and quick pages so far. I have to stop! lol But like anything else, if I like it, I over do it. At least this isn't costing me much--right now! But now I'm in the process of organizing it all, so I can tell what I've got. And I'm weeding thru it as I go. I've downloaded some things I'm never going to use, but it's just so easy to get caught up in it!


I wish I knew how to design myself. I've been finding some tutorials, and when I get time, I'm going to start practicing. But in the meantime, I'm thankful and grateful to these artists that give away the freebies. They sure make my pics look good!


So what I've posted today are pics that I made for Libby and Audrey for Mother's Day. I printed them out as a 7x7, then matted them with an 8x8 cardstock, and finished them off with 9x9 cardstock. I had a couple of small picture easels for them to display their pics. Turned out nice, if I say so myself!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom

Denny and I are taking Mom out to eat tomorrow. We're going to eat at Bella Italia's in downtown Cape. We love that place, and Mom's never been there before, so there you go. She'll like it. She's not hard to please. After that, we're going to Ryan's and we'll visit over there for awhile. Will be a nice day.


Don't you love this photo? My sister will absolutely die when she sees I've posted it on here! lol I told her she looks funny! lol (click on pic). It's just too cute!



Happy Mother's Day to all my friends, and every other Mom out there that just may be reading this! :)

Pouty Girl

That's what I called this one. It cracks me up! Katie and Kelsea are both experts at taking pics of themselves--and they're usually doing the "lip" pose! It's too funny! I was helping Katie the other day download some pics so she could put them on her Bebo. At least 95% of the pics were like the one above! lol I asked her if she took pic of anyone besides herself. Guess what the answer was! lol Teenagers! lol BTW--just click on the pic, and the pic is enlarged. It's too big to see the whole layout, but you can see Katie and her lips! :)


Not much else going on. I'm still downloading digi stuff and buying a kit or two here and there. I've got a mess going on, tho. It's going to take me forever to organize files for all this stuff I've downloaded. I really need to stop , but now I'm addicted. At least at this point, it's not costing me anything. Denny said he was all for that. Just wait til I start printing them out!

National Scrapbook Day....

is today! :) I'm planning on finishing my mother in law's album that I started a few weeks ago, and just playing on the computer. I've been checking out several sites to see what they're offering for today. I've come up with some neat things--especially in the digi department. I'm really thinking that this isn't a bad way to go. No messes, wouldn't have a lot of supplies taking up space. I can see a lot of advantages to digi scrapping. But I'd miss the hands on of paper scrapping. I like to see and touch the different elements. I like to see the dimension, which you wouldn't get with digi scrapping. And I've got way too much invested in paper scrapping to just give it up. But I can see the advantage to hybrid scrapping--the best of both worlds. I could still digi scrap my photos, and add dimension with actually bling, buttons, flowers, etc. Hybrid scrapping would help me get caught up--I'm so far behind on the grandkids albums. I could do my heritage album for my Mom's side of the family. (Dad's side is done. Yes, I've actually finished something! lol) Hmmmm....I can really see myself making some progress. You'll know when I do, because I'll be posting my projects on here. I guess that will certainly keep me accountable.


So with this renewed interest in digi scrapping, I've posted a pic of Dakota. This is what I have on my desk top at the moment. It took me all of 5 minutes to do, and I did it just prior to coming to my blog. It's a quick page I found on The Reluctant Recluse's blog. So check it out for yourself and see what you think! :)

Back to WW--Again!

Well, I'm trying to get back on the WW wagon. I've fallen WAY off! I had started WW last July, and by Dec., I had lost 40 lbs.! I haven't gained it all back, but a huge part of it. As of this morning, I'm still down 18.6 lbs. Not quite where I had hoped I'd be. The way I look at it, tho, is that I haven't gained it all back. And I have a lot of work to do to get back to the 40 lb. loss. And then I can start losing, instead of trying to lose what I keep gaining back. I'll make it. I think I've got myself in the zone again. I've actually started excercising! If any of you really know me, you know that I'd rather take a beating! lol I'm not into the power work outs like a lot of my health group buddies are into. I just can't physically walk long distances or run, since I have to use a cane. But I've found that I can do some other things. I can stand and lift 2-3 lb. weights, and do leg lifts and some chair excercises. I'm going to get my Gazelle back from my daughter and start using it again. I've actually got a place to set it up now, so there's no excuse. And I'm eating healthier. I've had tons of fun eating what I want--and this is where it got me--again. So it's back to counting points and journaling. And it's back to the chicken and veggies. I eat other things, too, but chicken and veggies are the safest-- and the easiest to eat if you go out. I don't and won't deprive myself. I'll have a McD's hamburger and fries, or a Whopper Jr. I just have to plan ahead and count it. That's what I love about WW. You can eat what you want, as long as you count it and use portion control. This is what works best for me. Others may have a different approach to their weight loss, and that's fine. I say whatever works, and whatever you're comfortable with. But all I can say, is the last time I was on WW, I lost 40lbs. in about 5 months, and I wasnt' deprived. So why did I gain back over 20 lbs.? I quit around the holidays. That's all it took for me to get side-tracked. But I'm giving it another shot. Will I get side-tracked again? Probably! Will I be doing this for the rest of my life? Probably! I just hope that next time I don't wait so long to jump back on the WW wagon!


Pictured above is a side dish I've made in the past--Edamame Pasta Salad. I'll post the recipe. It's delicious just the way it's pictured! But let me tell you how I did it last night: I didn't use the pasta, or the cucumbers, or tomatoes. Instead, I used what I had on hand--veggie wise--which was radishes, carrots, green peppers, and onion. I made the dressing as directed. I just poured as much as I wanted over the veggies, and the rest of the dressing I used on my tossed salad. It was de-lish! So give this a try, and tweak it to suit yourself. I'll give the points as the recipe was written, but if you tweak it like I did, you'll have to refigure them.

Edamame Pasta Salad
Points value:4
Servings: 6

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/8 envelope Good Seasons Zesty Italian Dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 pkg. Splenda
3 oz. uncooked penne pasta
2 C edamame (shelled)
2 C tomatoes
1 C cucumbers

Instructions:

Beat first 7 dressing ingredients with wire whisk until well mixed. Set aside. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Rinse with cold water: drain. Cook edamame as directed on package. Rinse with cold water: drain. In large bowl, toss pasta, edamame, remaining salad ingredients and dressing. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.


Enjoy!


PS--I've got Playlist loaded on here. If you don't hear it when you log on here--and want to--just scroll down to the bottom where it's located and it should come on. :)

All Things Must Come to an End

That's what's happened to the scrapbook store I've been going to for the past 3-4 years. This is where I've met my friends--Brandi, Sandie, Zenita, and Patti, of course. This where I've taught classes. This is where I could just be me--not wife, mother, grandmother, but Pam. Sometimes Pam gets lost. For 3 days a month I could be Pam. But in these hard times, things just happen. They just couldn't keep the doors open any longer. No fault of their own--the stupid economy. I hate to see the doors closed for a number of reasons. For the owners and for us, the scrappers. But we've vowed to stay in touch and try to get together at least once a month, once things settled down a bit. So the last day that the store was open, some of us made a scrapbook page to give to Patti, telling her what she and the store has done for us. For mine, I used Teresa Collins' Journal It Girl papers. Love the whole line! It just looks so fresh and clean. We did an 8x8 page, and I managed to get quite a bit on there. The second picture: the top pic is of Pattie and I. The bottom pic is of Brandi and I. The first picture: you can see the top tag is lifted up. Underneath are 5 smaller tags. On each one, I wrote what was important to me. It was heartfelt--it was fun. Not all teary! So by the end of the day, we had food, we had cake, we gave Patti her album, and there were many tears. But it will all be ok. Things always have a way of working out for the best!

I Like It!

Sorry--I had enough of the monkeys! lol I like this one much better. It's more me. I did some googling and found this at the very end of my search--after about 2 hours! lol Check out the site--My One Cute Blog. They really do have some cute stuff. Go ahead and change up your blog. But don't use this one! lol


I've been sick all week. I finally went to the dr. Thursday. He said I had the "non flu" flu. Bascially the crud. I felt like crap all week! I'm finally feeling better today, but I'm still coughing and my ribs feel like they're broken. Know the feeling? I'm sure it'll get better tomorrow!


For you SEMO gals, if you haven't checked out Patti's blog in the last few days, I've got some news for you. The picture maker is going to D&S Pharmacy. I thought that was awsome news. I can't help but think this will be a big boost to their business. I have absolutely no idea what kind of the business they do have, but I'm sure the pictue maker will increase it! For you out of towners, they have an old fashioned soda fountain there! Now I have a reason to stop in--and not just to make my pictures! :)

Mom's Cake Book

This is the cake book I made for Mom for her birthday. It turned out so cute! I used the "Two Scoops" papers by Basic Grey. Those papers were just made for this project! I've had the pattern for this book for ages, but just never got around to making it. I'm glad I waited, because it was the perfect thing to give Mom. Today I finished adding the pics I took at her party. All I have left to do is a bit of embellishing. Mostly buttons, I think. I think I may make a few more of these! :)



Today was the day my Direct TV was installed. What an ordeal! I had ordered this Feb. 12 and today was the earliest day they could come out! Everyone in this area was pissed at New Wave cable at the way they handled everything after the ice storm. Kind of like Bush and Katrina. Know what I mean???! I was patient for 2 weeks. After that, my patience wore off. And it was mostly due to customer service. I had my internet with them, and changed it to AT&T. Very happy, I must say. So today I got my Direct TV and tomorrow I go to New Wave and cancel my cable and take back my box! Good luck to any of you that are still dealing with them!

What Do You Think???

Kind of busy, isn't it?! lol I've had the other one for ages, and decided it was time for a change. I ran into Zenita today, and she told me the name of the site she used to revamp hers. There are tons of layouts to choose from! It was fun! No sure how long I'll leave this one up. It makes me kind of dizzy! lol So check back often. You don't what this blog will look like next! :)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mom and Dakota have the same birthday, March 8th. But we decided to celebrate Mom's birthday the weekend after. Worked out perfectly! Dakota had her own little party, and Mom had hers. So they each had a special day. And....my sister flew in from Denver to be with us! I hadn't seen her in so long, and really missed her. She missed me, too! I don't ever want to go 4 years without seeing her again. We talk on the phone and email, so we stay in touch, but time just has a way of slipping by. Then before you know it, it's been 4 years. We're going to work on that! :)


Thanks goodness she was here to help me with Mom's birthday! We were able to spend 2days together and plot and plan! I just told Mom she wasn't invited! How could she be, if we were going to have a few surprises? I had figured out the food and cake--which was all fabulous, by the way! A strawberry cake and ribs. Awsome! But I was falling short on the details. Nicki had some great ideas, tho! It's amazing how things can come together, when 2 demented people get together! lol Mom had been wanting a lighted, magnifying make up mirror. So as a gag, Nicki brought a little purse mirror with a handle, a small magifying glass, and a little reading light and we duck-taped them together and gave that to her! We attached a chain for glassed to it so she could wear it around her neck! LOL Nicki did give her money for the real thing, tho! lol Then we decorated a cane and put a bicycle bell, and bicycle horn on it! It had streamers,too! lol I found a little crown of Dakota's for her to wear and we made her a wand and she was all set! I made her a book shaped like a birthday cake so I could put the pics we took that day in it. On Tues, Nicki and took her to Red Lobster--her favorite place. She had the surf and turf. She had a great birthday. After all...you only turn 75 once!


Happy Birthday, Mom! I love you!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Happy Birthday, Dakota! She turned 3 today. It's hard to believe. I told Denny the other day, that she's not a baby anymore. He said she's still our baby. How true! She's everybody's baby. She's one of those kids that everybody just loves--young and old alike. Libby's kids make over her as much as the rest of us do! Poor, baby, tho. She has a cold and her little nose was running like crazy. In every picture that I took of her, her nose was running. So, sorry about that, but that's just the way it goes! lol



Dakota was born on my Mom's birthday. But this year, we're going to celebrate Mom's birthday a little late. My sister is flying in from Denver later this week, and we'll have Mom's party next weekend. That way, she and Dakota can each have their own special day. And it will make it easier on the rest of us, too. It's kind of hard to pull off 2 separate birthdays in one day. Lots of people do it, I'm sure. But I don't have it in me to organize something like that anymore. Mom's fine with having her birthday next week, so all is good. I've already ordered her cake. There's a little bakery down in Kennett--about 30 miles south of us. They make the most awsomely delicious strawberry cake you've ever had! I could have gotten a sheet cake, but I wanted a layer cake for her. Since the layer cake is only about 7 inches, I ordered 2! You shouldn't have to ration out birthday cake! lol This way there may be a bit left over. We'll see!



So Happy Birthday Mom and Dakota! I love you both very much!:)

Ice Storm

This is what it what things looked like on Jan. 28, 2009, after the storm. It started on Monday, the 26th. It was raining. Just a drizzle. But it lasted all day and into the night and started freezing. We were lucky and had power til 8 pm Tues. evening. Then everything went black. We lost power. The whole town lost power. I got the candles out and lit them. It was erie sitting in the living room and listening to limbs and branches fall all over the neighborhood. I just kept hoping the huge tree in the front wouldn't come crashing down on the house! Look how humungous that tree is! (click on the pic and you can really see!) We were lucky, tho. But there were 2 branches that laid down on the roof right above my scrap studio! I took the computer out and a bunch of stuff that I didn't think I could live without. I thought if the roof caved in, it wasn't going to ruin all my stuff! The sign of a true scrapper! lol Thanks goodness nothing happened. All was safe. But I wasn't taking any chances.

It got so cold in the house, we could see our breath. We decided the best thing to do was go back to the bedroom and shut ourselves in and light the candles. That actually kept us warm. Candles and a few extra blankets. We had a weather radio, and we were able to get the TV station on it, so at least we could keep updated with what was going on.

We were lucky. We were without power and heat for only 2 days. Mom was without for about the same. She did a little better than we did, thank goodness. She has a gas stove, so she boiled water and the steam from that helped warm her apt. And she's a candle nut, so she was stocked up. Libby did pretty good, too. She was without power for 5 days, but she had a propane heater, and a gas water heater, so they stayed warm and could shower. She lit candles, too, and played lots of Monopoly! lol Ryan stayed with his in laws and they were able to stay warm. So they were only out for about 2 days, too. So we were all very lucky we didn't have to go with out power and heat for a long time. I hear there are still people down here that are just getting turned back on. That would be hard to take. When I hear that, it makes my computer problems (previous post) seem so petty. But....I was still ready for my life to get back to normal. I had the necessities, so now I want my luxuries. And after 3 weeks, I finally have them. Which is why I can now update ...I hope to never go through any of this again. But having gone through it, it makes me very thankful for the conveniences I have.