Grandparents Day

Isn't this pic cute? This is Denny and Jacob on Grandparents Day at school. We were invited to have breakfast with him, and visit for awhile before school. We had a glazed donut--which I find funny, since most of the grandparents are probably diabetic like Denny and me! lol--and our choice of milk. There was white, chocolate and strawberry. Denny and I chose chocolate, of course. If you're going to mess up, you may as well do it good! lol It was nice to go to school with him. And he seemed really pleased that we were there. We'll do this with him again next year, then that will be it. He'll be in Jr. High after that, and they don't care if the grandparents are there or not! lol

OH! While I'm thinking of it, check out Kathryn's comment from the post below. You CAN make changes to your layout after you've posted it. Thanks, Kathryn! :)

Well, we didn't weigh in last week. It was fair week, and they figured there wouldn't be any place to park, so they cancelled it. Kind of scary. I didn't know what my weigh in would be. I wasn't terribly bad, but I wasn't very good, either. You know the saying--while the cat's away, the mice will play. I did play a bit. But as I said, I wasn't TOO bad, 'cause I lost .6 pounds, for a grand total of 27.4! I'm almost to my key chain! I've already got the 25 pound charm to go on it. So unless I have a fabulous week this week, I should hit my goal in about 2 weeks! I'm so glad I'm doing this. It gets kind of hard sometimes, 'cause there's just so many good things to eat out there. But I'm not depriving myself TOO much. It's totally doable. So if any of you are on the fence about joining some sort of diet plan, I say try WW. You can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within your alotted points. And I suggest going to the meetings, too. For me, it just didn't work when I tried to do it by myself last year. I guess there's something about paying for it that keeps you motivated!

CropMom

You guys have got to try this! I made this digital layout of Mom and Dakota by using Kathryn Balint's new creation. Check it out here! All you have to do is sign up then log on and you're on your way to digi scrapping--the easy way! She has a bunch of her kits downloaded and you just start playing. For free. Read everything over carefully to get the full details. And remember--once you save your pic, it goes into the gallery for all to see. So you want to make sure you have it the way you want it. Don't freak out,tho--you can delete it if you want or need to. But there's no editing, so take that into consideration. After that, you can save a low-res image to put on blogs or whatever--like I just did. If you really like it and want to print it out, then she charges a fee for high-res quality--and the "cropmom" logo will not appear on it. So I say, give it a shot! Play with it and see what you think. I think it's a great way to practice digi scrapping. And you've got nothing to lose! :)

I had another good WW week this week. I lost 2 pounds, making it a total of 24.6 pounds! Next week I'll be at a 25 pounds loss and I'll get a sticker! We live for those stickers! lol This week I also hit my first personal mini goal. I'm back down to where I was when I joined WW last year. It still pisses me off that I put on 40--yep! count 'em--40 pounds after I had my surgery last year. But with this first mini goal, that means I only have 15 pounds to go to be where I was when I had the surgery. I figure anything I lose after that is bonus!

For Your Listening Pleasure

Like the music? I'm behind the times, I'm sure, 'cause I just found this while checking out some blogs. I love it! I had started downloading a bunch of music to my media center the other day. What a pain! I found this and have downloaded a bunch of songs! Songs I hadn't heard in ages. Fun songs. Goo Goo Dolls songs! I'm an eclectic type of person and that follows through in my tasted in music, too. So scroll down to the bottom of the page and check out my play list. You may want to snag a few for your own playlist! :)

See the pic? This is my newest fetish. I've always like buttons. I've got a ton of them for scrapbooking. But seeing this pic--and others I've found--just made me happy! So I've been on the hunt for buttons now, and I'm about to be overloaded with them. But I couldn't help myself when Denny and I went junking the other day. One place had 4 jars of buttons for $1 each. I held back tho, and only bought 2! lol Plus Mom gave me all of hers, so I have tons to separate--because I'm a bit Monkish--and clean. And remove the threads from. So much work. But they look so nice after I'm done. After I get done cleaning, etc., I'll go through them and sell a bunch of them. Who ever buys them will be getting a deal, tho, 'cause they'll be clean!

I did good at WW Tuesday. I lost 2.2 pounds for a grand total of 22.6. Yea, me! I'm surprised I'm not tired of doing this yet. But so far, so good. We've been going to the Chinese place lately and I've been getting steamed chicken and mixed veggies. Love 'em! And it gives me another place to go to. Restaurants are limited down here and I'm just not doing the fast food thing. Exception--I can get a thin crust personal pan Hawaiian at Pizza Hut for about 7 points. I add a salad to that and have an awsome lunch! At subway I get the 6" Subway Club for about 7 points. Works for me! Tonight I'm making "fried" chicken. Here's the recipe. Brandi says it's awsome, so I'll check it out!

Have a good one and watch out for the other guy this Labor Day weekend!

Clock Class

This is the class I'm teaching tomorrow. I love how this turned out! I had to tweek a bit from what is shown here, tho. The hands wouldn't move over the huge bling that I used! lol So I just changed out the big gold bling with little pink bling. It looks cuter anyway! We used a Heidi Swapp clock and number overlay. The paper is K&Co's Berry Sweet. Brandi had clock stamp, so I stamped them on a transparency and cut them out. It's hard to see, but I've got pink bling at each number. When I get this clock back after class, I think I'm going to add bling to each second, too! I think there were only 3 or 4 openings left on this one. Maybe one day I'll have a completely full class! :)

Weigh in was good this week. I lost 1.2 pounds, for a total of 20.4. And that's in 7 weeks! The last time I joined, I only lost 15 lbs. in 13 weeks! Did I mention how much I hated that class???! I love this one! It just helps when all your friends are doing it, too!

Digi Scrappin' Made Easy

Isn't this cute? It's a digi page I did of the grandkids and me on my birthday. Kathryn Balint has a new deal out that makes digi scrapping a breeze! She emailed me with the info and I signed up and got started right away! It was so easy and fun! I'll have to find out if it's ok to start sharing this yet. As soon as I do, I'll be posting this so you all can get started digi scrapping! You know you want to! lol

WW--I forgot to tell you how I did last week. I lost .8 pounds, for a grand total of 19.2! I wasn't very good on Sat. and Sun. of this week, so I'm going to have to work my butt off for a loss. You'd think surely I can lose another .8 this week, wouldn't you? I'll let you know Tuesday!

Road Trip!

This pic has nothing to do with the road trip, but I thought it was so cute of Dakota puckering up for Katie! lol She was a chocolate-y mess! lol

As for the road trip--Brandi and I made a trip to St. Louis Friday and went to For Keeps Sake. What an amazing store! I think we spent 2 hours in there and tons of money! lol They have so many neat things that our lss doesn't carry. Like these cool Tim Holtz scissors and his retractable craft pick, which I've already used! And I got these neat Heide Swapp felt flowers that are so cute. And paper! Being the paper whore that I am, I'll have to say that I was in heaven!lol I found Graphic 45 papers, Making Memories Spellbound and Cosmo Cricket's Cogsmo. I also picked up some Kaisercraft bling. These are cool and cheap! Oh! And I also got Melissa Frances' Girly Girl kit. Adorable! All this at the first store! Then we went to Archivers! OMG! This place is awsome! They had make and take stations set up. We had to visit 4 stations and then received a free gift--a small American Crafts journal book with a slick writer! We made the first card and Brandi bought the Sakura Gelly pen. These come 2 to a pack, so we split it. It's so cool! It's a glitter pen. It's so smooth and has an amazing effect. Then she bought the Fiskars Easy Stamp Press. I wish I had gotten one. Next time! And she got the stamp we used on our card. I ended up getting more paper, some embellishments and some buttons. It was a great scrapbook shopping day. I can't wait to go back!

Hybrid Scrapping

I guess I'm a hybrid now! lol This is the digi layout I did of Dakota and finished it off with some scrap paper and buttons. I like the end result here. I did her name with my Pazzles. I just happend to find a tutorial on "you tube" on how to do shadows. Sure makes a difference, I think. I'll probably be doing shadows on all names from here on out! lol

Don't forget to check out Kathryn Balint's site. She has some of the coolest retro kits. She's my fave! :) Her mother, Velma, has a neat recipe kit, too. I think that one may show up here prety soon!

Tuesday's Weigh In

Not a huge loss this week. Just .6 pounds, but that's fine by me! I'm now 18.4 pounds lighter than I was 5 weeks ago. I knew it wasn't going to be good, tho. I did really well between Wed., and Sunday morning. Then we went to the river. I ate too many hot dogs and had pizza after we left. Who could resist, right? lol But that's fine. Next week will be better!

Time to check in, Peggie! How did you do this week? Hopefully better than I did. All I can say is, stay away from the river! lol

Digi Scrappin'

This turned out cute! I've had this kit from Kathryn Balint (love her stuff!) for ages! I haven't done any digi scrappin' for a long time--and it shows! lol But I took this pic of Dakota finishing off her Daddy's ice cream cone, and knew I had to use this kit. I was just waiting for something special that would be deserving of both! I love to digi scrap, but there's so much to learn about it. I need to take more time to learn how to really do this right. Some day! :) What I've done here is very, very basic, but it was a fun kit to practice with.

I'll be back later with results from my WW weigh in. Cross your fingers for me. The weekend was tough!

Acrylic Class Album

Isn't this neat? These acrylic albums are all it right now! I taught this class last Sat., and everyone really seemed to enjoy it. We stamped on it, added some bling, some paper, a few pics, and voila! An album is born! lol See the heart and "full house" on the front? I cut those out with my Pazzles, painted them, added some Glimmer Mist and chalked around them. What a pain! lol But they look pretty cool. You can check Patti's Blog for a few more pics of the book. I think I may make a few more of these for presents! Next month, I'll be teaching a clock class. I've got it started, but it needs more work. So check back and see how that one turns out!

Last week went really well for me, WW wise. I lost 3.8 pounds, making it a grand total of 17.8 pounds! Yeah! Can you imagine all that in butter?!!! lol The key to this whole thing is planning, I think. When Denny is off, we usually go to Subway or even Pizza Hut. The one in Dexter will make a thin crust mini and it's only 6 points. I add a salad to that and even have 2 cheese bread sticks. That uses about 20 of my points for the day, but then I just eat lighter in the evening. So I'm not depriving myself at all. I'm eating lots of chicken and veggies and salad, but I love them, so it's no big deal. And I have a great support group. My family is supportive, plus my scrappin' buddies are all on WW, too, and that makes a difference--for me. Peggie, we'll be a long-distance support group all by ourselves! lol But I'm actually enjoying the "weight loss journey" this time around. But I tell ya, all bets are off when we go up to Iowa. I'll just have to take the hit so I can have my Harris Pizza, Rudy's tacos and Acapulco. What's a girl to do???!

Here's Kelsea!

I cut out a couple more of the overlays and did one for her in her signature color--green, still using the Berry Sweet collection by K&CO. This pic was taken when we went to Iowa. We stopped at the Village Inn for breakfast one morning, and she ordered blueberry pancakes--never dreaming the plate would be as big as it was! So she was a happy girl when she got her plate. The after pic? She was stuffed to the gills--and couldn't quite finish it all. Needless to say she didn't order blueberry pancakes again while we were on vacation! lol

I had an OK weigh in this week. I was down .2 pounds. Better than a gain, I say. That puts me officially down 14 pounds, so I'm not complaining. This week is going much better. I didn't do so badly last week, but the few things I ate that I shouldn't have made a difference. So I've been pretty much on track this week. I'm hoping for 2-3 pounds. We'll see Tuesday!

I'm teaching a class this Saturday. I did a clear acrylic house album, with the theme being "A Full House". I used my Pazzles to cut out the chipboard on the front. (Just one more payment and it's all mine! lol ). I painted the chipboard, then sprayed them with Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist. Then I did some stamping and added a little bit of bling. Turned out pretty cool. You can see a pic of it on Patti's website. I did have a sold-out class, but 3 people cancelled for various reasons. That's disappointing. Especially after making up the kits. I don't know what we're going to do with the extras. Patti didn't say. I'd assume we'd go ahead and make up the kits to sell them, but I'm not sure. Guess I'll find out tomorrow! lol

That's it for now. Wish me luck on the class! :) And have a great weekend!

You Are My Sunshine...

On A Cloudy Day. That's what it says on the overlay. (Click on the picture, and you can see the layout a lot better). I downloaded the file for this and cut it out with my Pazzles. I had a heck of time getting it to cut, tho. There was a sizing problem. So I had to ask someone at the yahoo group I belong to how to cut this out, and a nice lady answered my question. I finally figured out her instructions, and was able to cut this. I love it! I had taken this pic of Katie when we were on vacation, and wanted to do something neat with it. When I saw the overlay, I knew what I wanted to do! I used K&CO's Berry Sweet line of papers and embellies. It's so bright and fun! I'm going to have to figure out how to do these overlays. I'll put it on my list! lol

I weighed in Tuesday at WW. I did pretty good again last week. I lost 3.8 pounds, making it a grand total of 13.8! Yea, me! :) This week has been a bit harder. I did well until Thurs. All it takes is just one little step backwards, and it can kill a diet! lol Friday wasn't much better, either. But I did good today, so I'm happy about that. And tomorrow we're going to the river, so a day full of activity should help. I'll let you know how it all works out! :)

Oops! I Did it Again!

Joined Weight Watchers, that is! And for my first weigh in, I lost 10 pounds! Yea!!! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to lose that much every week?! lol I really like going this time. The last time, I had to travel 40 miles, deal with a goofy instructor I didn't like, and I didn't know anyone. This time I'm 20 miles closer, 6 of my scrapping buddies are going--talk about a support group!--and there's a new instructor that is really nice! It's just more fun this time. So, the meetings are on Tuesday. I'll be back each week with my results. Here's a link to an angel food cake that is de-lish! And if you use a sugar free one, all the better! I made this and took it to Libby's for the 4th. It was a big hit. I'll try to pass on some good tried and true recipes when I get them. Then you can get "skinny" with me! :) lol

Happy Father's Day, Denny!

This is the book I made for Denny using my Pazzles. There are tons of mistakes, as I'm still learning, but all in all, I love how it turned out! It's a journey of our life together. Starting from when we met, until last Christmas. I didn't have enough room for every event in our life, but I have a good sampling. I've left room to write something personal to him in the back of the book. The papers I used are the new travel papers from Crate. They were perfect for this!

I'm going to be MIA for a week or two. We're heading up to IA for a little R&R. We're taking the girls with us. I think everyone is ready to get out of town for a bit! lol So I'll let you know when I get back home! :)

Ouch!

I've had something going on with my foot for a while now, and decided to finally do something about. I had an x-ray done at my reg. dr., but she said it wasn't a bone spur like she thought it was. She said it was just arthritis. So after 2 weeks of doing exercises and it not getting any better, I had her refer me to a pediatrist, and went there today. I've got a feeling he thinks it is a bone spur. He questioned me and I told him what the dr. told me, and he just kind of had that look on his face. But he said we were going to assume it's as they said and treat it as such. He had me up my anti-inflamatory, gave me a cortizone shot--it hurt, but not as bad as I thought it would. I'd do it again! So I go back in July and if it's not any better, he'll take an x-ray and go from there. Not sure what his next step is, tho. Guess I'll have to wait and see. In the meantime, it's the same old thing--watch what I eat to get my blood sugar back on track, try to lose some weight--I've been trying for 54 years now! lol--and excercise--which I've been avoiding for the same 54 years! lol

Here's a pic of the card I made for Katie's birthday. This is the last one for awhile. I will have a project to share soon, tho. I'm making Denny a father's gift. You've seen the "word" books--love--family--baby...etc., right? Well, his book will be his name. I've got to go through the albums and dig up some pics. With all that I've spent on scrapbooking stuff, I guess he deserves to have something just for him!

Happy Birthday, Pamela!

No, not me again--my sister in law, Pamela! lol Her birthday is 4 days after mine. We've got other similarities, too. Her middle name is Jean, mine is Joy. I'm married to her brother Dennis (Denny), and she was married to a Dennis. It got confusing when we'd all get together! lol But today is her day, and Denny wanted me to make her a card with my Pazzles, so here it is. Ta da! :) I used the Wild Saffron line by K&Co. I just love these papers! So, enjoy, Pamela, and Happy Birthday! :)

We took Mom and Katie and Jacob to see the new Indiana Jones flick. It was pretty good. Kelsea was with a friend, so she didn't come with us. After the movie, we took the kids home, and as we were leaving their house, my phone rang. It was Kels. She said--guess what I just got done doing? Seeing the new Indiana Jones movie! lol How's that for being on the same page?! lol

My Birthday--Still

These are my babies, Ryan and Libby! This was taken on my birthday. I don't how long it's been since I've had a pic of just the 3 of us. I'm fortunate and blessed to have them. They're good kids. Love you guys!

Jacob had his first baseball game of the season tonight. Denny and I went for a while after he got off work. We stayed for about an hour, but it was so friggin' hot, we left before the game was over. I'll have to call Lib tomorrow and see how it went. We got to watch Jacob bat once, and he was between 2nd and 3rd--is that right???--twice. They were 2-3 kids short of having 2 teams, so it took awhile for everyone to get a turn. I got a couple of pics of him--through the fence! lol Then my battery went dead! We'll go again and get some more pics. And I'll be sure the battery is charged up!

For my birthday, Denny got me an awsome little camera for me to carry in my purse. A Sony Cybershot. He got me my Fuji Fine Pix for Christmas, which is a great camera, too, but it's too big to carry around. I find with this little, since I have it on me all the time, I'm taking more pics. But the battery for it is outrageous--$50, which is why I haven't bought a spare. Naturally, it wouldn't take rechargeable AA's! lol But I will say, the battery does last a long time. I've had it since May, as an early gift, and I use it all the time, and today is the first time I've had to recharge it. I thought the battery would have run down long before today, tho, because Dakota will sit forever just looking at pics--of her! She's such a little ham! lol

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday! Happy birthday to me! :) It was a great day! It started off with a beautiful card from Denny. He always finds the most beautiful cards with beautiful sentiments. Then he writes something absolutely lovely in them. Then he said for me to decide what I wanted to do today. I took it pretty easy on him and said I wanted to go to Jonesboro (AR). So we headed down there. We ended up going to a Mexican restaurant for lunch. I could eat Mexican every day, I think! lol Then we stopped at Sam's, then off to the lss where they were having a 40% off sale! I only got a few pieces of paper, some felt ribbon, and big chipboard initial. But I like what I got! Then we made a bee line home. We had called the kids and Mom earlier to see if they wanted to come over for a cookout. We just grilled hotdogs, bought some potato salad and chips and called that dinner! And Mom made me her famous Carrot Cake. It's my favorite! It was great for us all to get together. And this is this year's photo of me and my grandkids. They've all grown so much. Katie just turned 15 on May 31st--Kelsea is 13--Jacob is 10--and little Dakota was 2 in March. I love my family! I'm so truely blessed!

Small Town Living

Geez, this has been the week for it! We had to take the car back in--for the 3rd time since May--for brakes! Something's going on they're not catching or more likely than not, there's something they're not doing right. They did get them fixed, tho. I think they had to put new rotors on or something, I don't know. But whatever it was, it should have been done the 2nd time they had it. We got the car back, but I don't even know if we're going to be charged or not. They still haven't gotten back to us--and that's been since Wed.! They said they'd call, so here we wait....

Then, Denny bought a new Sears lawn mower, but the headlights didn't work. They came out and fixed it, and we thought it was a done deal. But the next day they brought us a brand new mower! I didn't even ask why. But get this....last Sun. Denny fires it up for the first time, and has all kinds of problems. He gets the lawn mowed, eventually, but by the time all was said and done, the mower wouldn't stay running. So they again, bring us a new mower. He hasn't tried it yet, so not sure if it's ok, but....they still haven't picked up the broken mower they exchanged on Wed.! It's still sitting in the yard!

So now comes my new SUV. Every so often a bell would ring, but there was no message. A couple of times the battery icon blinked real fast, but that was it. We had them check it, but of course, they said they couldn't find anything....unless they could check it at the time it happened. Well, it all came to a focus today. The bell ran, the battery icon stayed on and the message center said "check charging system"! So I took it in, and it's the alternator! They can't get one til Monday, and they said my car probably wouldn't last the weekend. So I'm freaking (in my mind. I have crop tomorrow!), and they tell me they'll give me a loaner til mine gets fixed! There are advantages to living in small town! :)

Class Project for May

I decided to do a clipboard for our May class. These are by Melissa Frances, and the papers are some of the new Crate Papers. We have a lot of new scrappers in our area. Ladies that haven't done much of anything, scrap wise. So with this, they'll be able to punch their lace ribbon, and stamp. It's hard to see, but there is some bling on the stamped image. OH! And the stamp I used is one I got from Shar's SU partly! These are so nice! They glide so easily, and the ink is fabulous! Tho it's not a complicated project, it's a fun project, and that's what the ladies down here are wanting. One of the other teachers teaches the hard stuff. And it can get frustrating. I know, because I've been to a few of those classes. While the project usually turns out nice, getting there was a battle. I want my classes to be fun, and unstressful. I've achieved it with this piece, I think. We'll find out come class time! lol

30 Days Beyond!

Don't ask me what I do that I'm too busy to blog. I have no idea! I stay busy, it seems, yet I get nothing accomplished. I wish I were one of those people that get a lot out my day. Denny is one of those lucky people! He can work circles around me--he always has. I sit and THINK about what I want to do, and he DOES what he wants to do. Oh, well. That's just me, I guess. It's like someone told me once, that I wait til the last minute and 30 days beyond! :)

So what's been going on? Well, I've been teaching classes at the scrapbook store. I've done 2 already. My next one is May 31. I'm doing a clipboard for the next class. I have it all done--I just need to put my name on it. I'll post it when it's all done. It turned out pretty cute, if I say so myself! My classes are the last Sat. of the month. Sue teaches a class the 2nd Sat., and Heather kind of fills in inbetween. Patti, the lss owner, has been asking me for over a year to teach, and I just kept turning her down. I did finally join her design team. I guess the next logical step was to teach. I finally said yes, and I love it! I'm not as adaptable as I used to be--afraid of the unknown. I knew they wouldn't bite me or anything! lol But I just didn't know if I would do a good enough job. But it's working out ok. No one's complained about me yet, that I know of! lol

See what I got? I love it! We've usually had one good car and one beater, that Denny usually drove to work. Well, since we've been down here in MO, we've had an OK car, and a beater. The beater finally got laid to rest, and the OK car was updated to a good car, due to the OK car going belly up on us! lol So we've just had the one good car. I don't go much during the day, so having one car was usually no big deal. If I needed one, Mom was always good enough to let me use hers. But I decided I didn't want to be stuck home all summer again with no car. I usually have Libby's kids at least part time, and I want to be able to do stuff with Brandi this year. So we decided we were going to get Denny a truck. Then we saw the SUV! We both fell in love with it! When I went to talk to someone about it, it was gone! So I looked at what was on the lot, and told the guy I'd come back in with Denny on Wed. Then the most amazing thing happened--as we were in route to the car lot, the salesman called me and told me the SUV was back! The people couldn't get financing on it and brought it back! It was meant to be! So now we're the proud owners of a beautiful '05 Mercury Mountaineer, that's too expensive to drive! lol So Denny's still driving the car to work, and I can watch the SUV sit in the driveway! lol

This is for you, Z!

I went to a workshop a few weeks ago with Patti, and Sue up near St. Louis. It was a lot of fun, but I was pooped by the time we left! I did 2 classes, and a couple of make and takes, and just got the kits for at least 2 more projects. I just didn't have time to do everything I wanted to! I was really excited over one of the classes--the one taught by Melissa Frances. (This a pic of the 2 of us! If you click on it, you can see it better). I just love her stuff! The first time I had seen any of her work, was on geneology message board. They had used her retro papers for a 50's style layout, which was right up my alley! I've been hooked ever since! She's got some really sweet papers, that are great for baby layouts. But her new line is called Thankful. It's beautiful! She's a breast cancer survivor, and this line is dedicated to her journey. I only got to meet her for a quick moment, but she was so genuinely nice! I had wanted so badly to take her class. But I told Sue to go ahead, since only one of us could take it. This was more her. And after taking the class I did, Sue wouldn't have liked it, 'cause I wasn't nuts about it either! lol But at least I got to meet Melissa and have my picture taken with her!

Snow Day

I know, my eyes are closed! But this was actually the best pic of me. Sad, isn't it? lol But look at the snow! We don't get snow very often down here, and usually not this much when we do! It really looks pretty! They had originally predicted 6-12 inches, then it was 4-6, so who know what it will be when it's all over. But it was enough to call off school in the whole area. Kelsea was going to her friend's house and I think they were going to go sledding. I told her to take pics! lol We live in a very flat area, so hills are hard to come by. But as luck would have it, Kelsea's friend lives up a hill. I had hoped Katie and Jacob could find a place to sled, but I don't think that happened. Poor kids are so deprived. They don't know what sledding's all about! Or playing out in the snow til you're frozen! I remember, tho! That's why I don't venture out in weather like this now unless I have to! lol

Good Bye, Grandma Lena

I'm sure I've posted this picture before. The layout is a direct lift from Brenda Walton. This picture deserved something beautiful and elegant, and I think it was achieved--and fitting for this tribute. It's a picture of my grandma when she was 26. Mamaw passed away yesterday. She would have been 98 years old in August. She lived a long life, and it was just her time to go. Her life really changed after she had her stroke, which is the norm, I guess. But she used to be a lively and very vibrant person. She drove until after her 90th birthday. I think that alone is amazing! At that point, she was slowing down a bit, but she still had her wits about her. Her memory at 90 was better than mine is now! She worked hard all her life. She really struggled when the kids little. They lived in MO and AR and were share croppers in the dirty, dusty delta. They moved to Northern CA for awhile in the 40's to pick fruit. Mom said they lived in the migrants' quarters, and they didn't even have a real floor--just a dirt floor! But Mom said Mamaw's house was always clean. She'd work in the fields or orchards or whatever, come home and prepare meals, go back out and work some more, til it was time for the next meal, all the while keeping up the laundry and cleaning, etc. Mom said Mamaw's white clothes were always the whitest she'd ever seen. I guess Mom will always remember that! :)

When I was 15, I lived with Mamaw for the first semester of my sophmore year. I usually hung around with my aunt, but this one night I didn't tag along with her. I must have been moping around the house, 'cause Mamaw told me to call my 2 friends and tell them we'd pick them up and go for a ride. We went downtown to "drag the gut". I don't know why they called cruising downtown that, but they did. Mamaw got down in the floor board of the backseat, and my 2 friends got up front with me. It looked like I was driving by myself with my friends! My aunt saw us and freaked! She probably thought I had stolen the car, since all I had was just a permit! Mamaw was in the floor board just laughing like crazy! lol Then we had a hard time getting her out of there, which just added to the fun!

I love you, Mamaw, and I'll miss you.

She's Electrifying!

Check out her hair! lol (Click on the pic). Dakota and Grandpa were playing one night, and she was being a little ornery, to be honest! lol I just happened to snap this one off as she was hugging him as hard as she could. Notice the choke hold? lol

We're in for bad weather again tonight. I hate this ice stuff! We dodged a bullet with the last storm a couple of weeks ago, but i don't know if we're going to be so lucky this time. We have a huge tree out front--right in front of my studio! So I'll be glad when this passes through. People up north of us got hit pretty bad last time. Zenita was without power for several days and had to take the 2 younger boys and stay with one of her older sons. That was trippy, huh Z? And up north of her, I guess it looked like a war zone, with all the fallen trees and power lines down. Check it out and just keep scrolling down. ( Cindy, go past the ice pictures and look at the Clip It Up she made. A table top version!) This was about 50 miles north of where I am. Not ready to deal with a mess like that. So everyone keep your fingers crossed that this doesn't turn into a big deal!

Designing and Teaching!

Patti asked me sometime ago if I'd teach some classes at the lss. I'd always turned her down, 'cause I'm just not comfortable getting up in front of people and talking. I could talk all day long to 100 people if I'm sitting at the table just chit-chatting. But getting up in front of people....not my thing anymore! So then she asked me if I'd be on her design team. That appealed to me, 'cause I'd just have to work on a project and not talk to anyone about it! lol (I actually did a "friend" book by Bo Bunny using the Wild Saffron papers by K&Co. I'll post it when she's done displaying it). Well, she caught me at a weak moment and asked me again about teaching a card class. She got these Amy Butler cards, but she said people were afraid to do anything with them. So she asked me if I'd work these 7 up and just show what could be done using a little bit of nothing. I declined. Again. But....I hung around just long enough for her to keep talking about them, and picking out embellishments for them, and found myself teaching a class! lol So this is what I did with them. Nothing at all fancy. Very minimal. It was very challenging. I used coordinating card stock, some flowers, buttons, some punches, my trimmer and some chalk to come up with what you see. I'm used to using several papers in my projects and some bling and chipboard, but this worked. The cards actually come with some journaling tags and rubons, but that was it. Anyone that does a lot projects knows that there's no limit to what could be done with these cards. But that's not what the class is about. It's about taking something plain and turning it into something pretty with just a few minimal embellishments. So stay tuned! With CHA over and new stuff coming in, she's going to keep me busy!

Happy Valentines Day!

This is what I did for the kids for Valentine's Day. They turned out really cute! A couple of weeks ago, I bought the buckets and stuff to go in them at Target's $ Spot. I hadn't planned on doing any cards. Sometimes I'm doing good just to do what I do! lol But I decided to do some cards--after I saw what Shar had done for her grandkids! Her's were just adorable! I didn't put in near the work she did on hers, but I'm happy with how they turned out! She had lace doilies and had cut out hearts and had stamped on them, and I think even glittered some of them, used flowers and bling--a lot of work! And the valentines were by Karen Foster. They were real cute replicas of old fashioned ones. She had used a red check paper for the background. My hunt was on! I did have some paper that worked. But getting the doilies was a bit of a challenge. I finally found some heart shaped ones on an endcap in WM. Mind you, we don't have a super center here--just a small one, so I was lucky to find what I did. Then I had to get the valentines. As luck would have it, there's an antique mall in Bernie, and I found some there. So I used "used" valentines to make the kids'! lol They'll probably be upset they weren't of wrestling or Hanna Montana! lol But that's ok--I like them! They turned out pretty big, tho--6x6! That's how big the heart doily was! If you click on the pic, you'll be able to better see how they turned out. Thanks, Shar! :)

My Heart Puzzle

Here's the finished piece! As a whole, it turned out pretty well. It was fun to see everyone's interpretation! See "Pam, Queen of Hearts" in the upper right hand corner? Sandie did that, and had a lady crochet the heart. How cool! Brandi did the one on the bottom left. She put light-up hearts on it! Zenita did the one in the top middle. It's old fashioned valentines. Think they're Karen Foster? I'll have to ask her! Patti, the lss owner, did the middle piece from the Smitten collection. I think most everyone used Smitten. But they still look different, don't they? Can't wait to see what the next one will be!

If you click here, this will take you to Patti's blog. Just scroll down a bit and you'll see all the puzzles except Brandi's. She's a bit behind! lol But with a new baby, it's a wonder she even participated. But when you're organized like she is, you get things done. If I were her, I'd still be sitting there with naked chipboard! lol

#9--The Final Piece!

This is my piece. I love this paper. It's by Marah Johnson/Creavtive Imaginations. I pop-dotted the heart on the bottom corner. The "fate" is a chipboard piece. I had just bought the wings on clearance somewhere a couple of months ago and wanted to use them on this piece. I love how it turned out. Tomorrow I'll post a pic of the finished piece, and leave a link to the rest of the puzzles. Patti at the lss put them up on her blog, so I'll link you to it. They all turned out pretty cool, as a whole.

I got my new computer up and running! What a difference! I have a 3G memory, a 500G hard drive, a 19" monitor, and Core 2 Duo processor. What more could I want?! I have to muddle my way through Vista's, which is a bit challenging. You know how change is....when you're used to doing something one way for 4 years, it's hard to get used to something different. Just like posting the pic on here. I could do it in a snap on XP. I didn't think I was going to be able to do it tonight. Then I just happened onto it. Hope I can do it again tomorrow night! lol One thing I did was get rid of the Norton Security. I hate it! I originally had the 2004 version on my old computer. Then in 2006 it was time to renew, and I went for the upgrade. It was a total problem! It slowed my computer down so much, it was frustrating! And I had a heck of time even logging onto my blog. It was ages before I finally figured out a bass-ackward way of doing it! But tonight, I was able to log on like a normal person--partly because I now have Trend Micro security. So far so good! Gotta run! The weather's starting to get bad again, and I don't want anything to happen to my new computer!

Puzzle Piece #8

We're getting there--one more after this! This is Sandie's. She wanted it for her granddaughter, so of course, there's a frame for a pic! I got to see it after she put the pic in there, and is it ever cute! Her dgd was about 3 and had on a red cowboy hat, and it looks like she was sitting on a fence. "How cute is that!" (gag! Love Lisa, but she needs a new catch phrase!) Three of us ended up using the Rhinestone Cowgirl tag, and two of used the heart. But they still all look different. After I post my last piece, I'll post a pic of my puzzle on here, and I'll give you a link to the lss. She's taken pics of 8 of the puzzles--maybe the last one will be done and on the lss blog by the time I post mine on here. Then you can see how everyone's looks.

I'm shutting down my computer for several days. I got a new one! Thank you, Denny! I've been backing up my important stuff, and saving my "favorites". What a friggin' pain that was! I was too cheap to buy the transfer cable! $36 was just too much for something I wouldn't use again til I got another computer, and that won't be for ages! The new one will have to last! So in the middle of going through all my favorites, I found that I had saved a tutorial on "how to save you favorites"! I could have saved myself hours if I had found this earlier! lol But it still came in handy. So tomorrow I'm finally ready to do a "clean sweep" on the computer, and erased everthing and set it back to factory settings. When it's all done, it's going to Libby's house. There's still some life left in it, and the kids can use it and Lib can use it for her Avon orders. So....after that, I've GOT to work in my room and do some cleaning and organizing, and get the new computer set up. It has the Vista program on it. Hope I don't regret this. But I figure it this way--I knew nothing about Windows when I got this computer and found my way around, so I shouldn't have a problem with Vista--I hope!

Puzzle Piece #7

This is Zenita's. Her theme was winter. This isn't the most creative thing I've done--sorry, Z! But I guess it doesn't totally suck! lol After I got done doing this one--for the second time! lol--I found in my paper stash the papers that would have really been fun to use. Daisy D's Winter Collection! But anyway....I punched out a bunch of snowflakes and put some blue bling on them, and put a slide on so she can put in a pic of her 2 little boys. That'll spruce it up! :)

There are 2 lss's that are closing in our area. The one closest to us happened really fast. We heard last Sat. they were closing, due to marital problems. Then we got an email stating they were having this sale today and tomorrow. But while we were there, we heard that they're not going to open tomorrow after all. I guess he's done. He seemed pretty rattled when we were there. I hate that it's happening, but since it is, we got some great bargains! They had 50% off storewide. Then they had items with green stickers that were 75% off. We both have the Bind It All, so we loaded up on the wires. Then I got 4 canvas kits by Quick Quotes for $6.50 each. What a deal! Then I loaded up on cardstock, got just a few sheets of paper, some rubons, some 3-D letters by EK Success (Art Blanche), and some misc. other stuff. I ended up walking out of there with 2 full paper shopping bags! I've go to get this room cleaned and organized--again!--so I can get this stuff put away! But who can resist a good deal, right?!

Puzzle Piece # 6--Once Upon a Time

This was the Princess catagory. Believe it or not, I had a heck of time coming up with something! I decided to go to the Creating Keepsakes gallery and see if I could find any inspiration there. Lo and behold, I did! I found this beautiful canvas project by "hickschick". She used the Once Upon a Time papers by DCWV, and I just happen to have the same papers! What luck! This doesn't do justice to the canvas she did, but it did inspire me to turn this puzzle piece out. I love it! The Once Upon a Time is cut out and pop-dotted on, as are the words. I used some green glitter glue for the vines on the OUAT. It looks cool IRL. One of the papers has glittery, gold crowns, so I cut it just right to cover the slide, so the lady this is for can put in a picture of daughter. It's hard to see, but there's bling on the crown. Because, what's a crown without bling?! :)

Puzzle Piece #5

This one is for Brandi. Her theme is Baby Girl. I put the slide on there, so she can put a pic of the baby in it. I used Melissa Frances papers. I love her stuff! It's pretty simple and basic, but looks cute in real life! :)

We did our puzzle exchange last Sat. I'm pretty pleased with mine, for the most part. I'll post a pic after I show all of the pieces I did. I'm going to be doing some re-vamping, tho. One gal made a cute piece, but then stuck some frilly ribbon--upside down, I might add! lol--on it. I'm taking it off, and replacing it with some calmer ribbon. Another piece I'll probably be completely re-doing. We had a newbie participate. She did great on several of the other themes, but missed the boat on mine, for some reason. Bless her heart, you've got to start somewhere, right? She just started scrapping, and wanted to join in. But had it been me, I wouldn't have done it. It took me FOREVER to do a swap, 'cause I thought I'd be embarrassed with my stuff compared to what everyone else did. Do you ever do that? Re-do a piece from a swap? I figure it's my perogative (sp?)! But I'll take a pic before and after I re-vamp.

The weather has been nuts around here lately! Sunday, Monday and Tues., we had temps in the 70's! Unheard of for Feb.! I've been going around with no coat and wearing my sandals! It's colder today, tho, since the storms went through last night. It was pretty bad, and we were lucky! There were tornado warnings and they were telling us to take immediate shelter! Libby and family went to their basement, Ryan went and picked Mom up and took her to his house--he also has a basement. We opted to stay home and go to the bathroom--that sounds funny! lol--if needed. I got our meds, my camera--I was going around taking pics for insurance purposes just in case! lol--my purse, and my little case with my flash drives! I've got a new computer I haven't even hooked up yet, but I got pics of the boxes. I even put on clean clothes, just in case all the rest of my stuff went flying! lol That was as prepared as I could get. One thing I forgot, tho, and didn't even think of til later, was my insulin in the refrigerator. I figured I could always pick more up at the pharmacy if need be. So it was a bit touchy last night. But at the last minute, the storms ended up going around us, so we weren't hit. Thank God. I've been watching the news this morning, tho, and see the devastation elsewhere and I'm grateful for how lucky we were. My heart goes out to those affected by this.

Puzzle Piece #4

Hello Kitty! Everyone in the swap was using the same stickers and chipboard, so I had to hunt for something different. I think I found it! I was at Barnes and Noble and they were selling their calendars for half off. So guess what I found? A Hello Kitty desk calendar for $3! Luck was on my side! The lady this was for was Prom Queen in her day, so this was the perfect Hello Kitty for her! I made an extra copy and cut out the flowers and the bow and pop-dotted them on. It's hard to tell, but the dark pink dots on the background is pink bling. And naturally bling was added to the crown. Can't have a crown without the bling!

We're all meeting tomorrow to exchange our puzzle pieces. It'll be fun to see what everyone else did. Some people are going to mount theirs on a canvas, and others are going to mount theirs in a 12x12 frame. Haven't made my mind up yet. I'll post a pic of the finished product when I get it done.

Tomorrow is crop day also. I usually get there around noon or so, but since we're meeting at 10 for the puzzle exchange, I'm going to stay. I packed several projects today, so hopefully I'll have enough to keep me busy. If not, I've a magazine to read, too!

Have a fun and safe weekend!

We've Got Snow!

We got our first snowfall today, and here's Dakota showing off her new snowsuit! You should have seen her in the house. She was so bundled up, she could hardly walk--like Randy in A Christmas Story! "I can't put my arms down!" LOL She's so funny! She just stood there with this little grin on her face while I snapped off a few pics! lol She's a natural!

We've really had the the weather this week! On Tues., we had a lot of really strong winds. So strong, that it blew half the shingle off the front side of the roof! I was working in my studio, and it sounded like the roof was going to fly off at any minute! We ended up losing our cable at 3pm Tues., and didn't get it back til about 3 pm Wed. With that went my internet, too! And the electricity! We did get the electricity back on fairly quick, but no cable or internet til the next day. Then Thurs., we get this snow storm. Denny's work closed early as did Libby's work and the schools. We only got a couple of inches of snow, but we had sleet and ice with it. I hate the ice! Denny took the long way home, but the roads are better. He said he was only driving about 40 mpg. It took him a while to get home. I looked outside just before I started blogging tonight, and it's snowing again. I'm not sure what we're going to wake up to in the morning. This isn't anything compared to what you guys in the PNW are getting, but it's a big deal around here! lol

Ding Dong!

This is another of my faves! I googled the pic and made a couple of copies so I could layer it. The greenery is one layer and the ruby red slipper (with legs) are the top layer. I had some red glitter glue to put on the shoes. It's hard to tell, but there's green glitter glue on the greenery, too. Wish you could see it IRL!

Got to make this quick today. Dakota is coming over and spending the night, so after she gets here, it's all about her. I'll have to post a pic of her soon, so you can see how big she's getting!

Have a great and safe weekend! :)

Frankly, My Dear

I had to say it! lol This is my Gone With the Wind puzzle piece. I really like how it turned out. I found a bunch of pics of different scenes from the movie and just did a collage on the puzzle. Then I found a pic of the original book and pop-dotted that on top and added a little bling to the letters. I figured there'd be a lot of "frankly, my dear" 's, so went this route. It's funny...I was really stressing on how to do this, and wasn't even totally sure while I was working on it that it would turn out to be anything. But it's actually one of my favorite pieces!

Thank You--Thank You Very Much!

Court went ok. We didn't have to go in and see the judge, which was a good thing. Katie isn't on probation, but is still in the system. Both the girls are. It looks like the harrassment charges are dropped. The girls and their families have to continue counceling, which isn't a bad thing, I guess. They'll go back to court in about 3 months for basically a progress report. Samantha's monther asked the judge if she could move to Tennessee, but he said no. I'm sure she was totally pissed! But he wants the families to work this out, and says that can't be done if she's not here. Plus, I'm thinking that if she left, it wouldn't be long before she came back and she'd start crap again. This way, as long as there's some sort of an order in place, she has to behave herself.

So on to other things! I'm in a puzzle swap at the lss. This has been fun! We got a 9 piece puzzle that can be mounted in a 12x12 frame. We all picked our catagories. I picked "hearts". I haven't done my piece yet, but I got six others done. I'll post a pic a day and show you what I've done. Here's the catagories: Rhinestone Cowgirl--Elvis--Hello Kitty--Winter--Wizard of Oz--Gone With the Wind--Baby Girl--Princess. I still have the princess and baby girl, plus mine to do. These are going to be so neat! We kind of fit the pieces together at the lss on Sat. to see how they're coming along, and they look pretty good! You're going to like them Zenita! Brandi already got to see how hers was coming. Tonight's puzzle piece is "Elvis". First of all, that's a real stamp. They were issued sometime in the '90's and I bought a sheet. I packed them away and ran across them recently and decided to use one on this puzzle piece. I love how it looks with the pic. The pic. Let me tell you about the pic! When I worked at the photo lab in OR, I had a German lady as one of my customers. She worked at a photo lab in Germany in 1958 when Elvis was stationed there, and this pic passed through her hands, so she made a copy of it for herself. She very graciously let me make a copy of it for myself, making me promise not to spread it all over the place. I didn't think it would hurt anything for Elvis to end up on this puzzle. He's going to a good home! lol The lady it's going to actually got to see Elvis during his early years, and got his autograph. She said she was so nervous, and wishes now she could have thought of something intelligent to say to him. But all she could say to him was how beautiful he was. Guess what he said to her? Thank you--thank you very much! :)

Good Bye, Uncle Jimmie

I just checked on here and the last post was August! So much has happened since then! Let me first start off by saying, the Goo Goo Doll concert Colleen and I were supposed to go to was cancelled! I was sooooo disappointed! But it couldn't be helped--the weather was horrible! I made it up to Iowa, and we took care of Denny's Dad's house. But when it came time for the concert, there were tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, the whole works. We did take the train to Chicago, but it was 4 hours late arriving--because of the storms. That should have been our first clue! But we trudged on. As soon as we arrived in Chicago and started walking toward our hotel--it was only a couple of blocks away--it started raining. And it didn't let up! The wind started blowing, lightening was stricking, etc. We finally decided to take a cab out to the pavallion, but the cabbie said he just got back from there, and the concert was cancelled. Horrors! It was rescheduled for 4 days later, but we couldn't make the connections, so I got my money back and will just have to wait for another time--if I'm not too old by then! :)

Well, the next to happen, was that I had surgery in Oct. Hernia surgery. I had been so sick. Even the night we were supposed to go to the concert, I was so sick, I don't honestly know how I would have gotten through the concert. So I spent the night in pure agony, and worried Colleen to death. I'm happy to report that the surgery went fantastically well, and I'm fine. I was so sick for so long, that I forgot what it felt like to feel good. But I feel so good that I put on 20 lbs., which was the last thing I needed to do! So now I have the pleasure of trying get that off plus just trying to lose weight in general. It's a never-ending battle!

The next thing to happen was almost the worst of things to happen. It's such a long story, but in a nutshell, our oldest granddaughter, Katie, 14, ended up going to juvenille detention for 2 weeks around the end of Oct. , first part of Nov. Denny and I were just sick. We couldn't see her or talk to her during that time. It was horrible. All I did was cry. My SIL Billy's dd, Samantha, and Katie had some tension between them. Two days in a row, Samantha hit Katie in the head and the face, and nothing happened to her. Katie did not fight back. Juvie was called and notified, but no response from them. After that, Katie was constantly harrassed in the halls, threatened, they tried to get her into the bathroom to beat her up, she was almost run over by Billy's son. He stopped about 2 feet in front of her. All these things were being done to her, and by this time she's getting pissed. Can anyone honestly blame her? Reports were made, but again, nothing was done to these kids. The threats kept coming, and I'm sure she said if one more thing happens, she's going to fight back and it won't be pretty. During all of this, her best friend turned on her and took Samantha's side, and it devastated Katie. So Katie told her she was just like her mother--she tears people apart. Can you believe that's what got her sent to juvie?! It made Samantha mad when Katie said that, and it made her want to fight, so she went to the principal and he called juvie and they took both of the girls! Un-friggin-believeable. THAT got her sent to juvie. She was charged with harassment. So why did nothing happen to Samantha for hitting Katie, but Katie makes a remark and off she goes. I'll never understand it. So tomorrow we go before the judge again on the harassment charges. I have no clue what will happen. Things have been pretty calm since they were released, but this guy can do anything he wants. It's a small town and county, and he's the only one to answer to. And he'd just as soon put anyone in jail as to look them. He's said so. So keep your fingers crossed that he doesn't decide to keep them for any reason and we get this all behind us on move on.

So inbetween all this, Libby got married. November 10. It was a small affair, but very nice. It's amazing what you can do on a budget! lol The lady that was going to make her cake bailed out on her, tho. Two weeks before the wedding, she said she didn't have time to do it. So Billy's mother made the cake. It sucked. It was ugly and dry. She was trying to help, but she shouldn't have taken on something she had never done before. Before I could even try to solve this one, she volunteered. What could Libby do. But on their first anniversary, I'm going to this little bakery and get them a strawberry cake. They're delicious, and maybe she can put the topper back on and take a pic and pretend! lol

So this brings us to December. My uncle passed away on Dec. 20th. He was the kindest, and sweetest man I'd ever known. He was married to my mom's oldest sister, who passed away 3-4 years ago. So Mom just kind of took care of Uncle Jim. She'd clean his house, buy his groceries, made and took him to dr. appointments. He was 82 when he died. He was starting to get very forgetful, was always misplacing stuff. I could really see him going downhill. But the last month or two he was having little proceedures done. Mom was seeing to it that he was getting an overhaul! lol He had a cancerous spot above his eye, and one on his ear. The eye surgery went fine, but the ear surgery was a problem, in that he messed up on his meds. He was only to stop taking the baby aspirin the day before surgery, but quit taking all meds 3 days before, and he had complications from that. He ended up with an infection and was in the hospital. And while there he had a heart attack, and passed away. He was very special to all of us and we'll all miss him.

I'm going to do my best to keep this going this time. I'll report on how things turned out with Katie's court date tomorrow, and I've got some scrapping stuff to share!

It's Goo Time!

We made another trip to the river last Sunday. That made it 3 weeks in a row for us! I love going here! This is a pic of Jacob, Kelsea, Libby, Sierra (Kelsea's friend), Katie, and Samantha (Billy's daughter). The water was pretty low, and everyone is kind of crouched down. It's fairly clear water. I don't mind going in this water at all! It's rocky, tho, so you have to wear shoes. But isn't it pretty? The river is named Current River, and aptly so. There is a swift current running through this river, and if you get out in the middle, it can knock you over! This river is famous for float trips. People get on an innertube and just float down the river. A lot of them even put a cooler on a tube and away they go! I did a float trip when the kids were little, but no more for me. I'm perfectly content to just play! Everyone had a nice time. We always put our chairs in the water and just let the waves from the boats rush over us. So cooling and refreshing! Audrey brought along a huge umbrella, and I held it and Dakota and she took an hour nap. Right there in the river with everyone playing and splashing! lol I don't know if we'll get to go back again this year, but we sure had fun the 3 times we did get to go!

It's Goo time! We're leaving Sunday and heading up to Iowa. Can't wait! We're going to go to Denny's dad's house and start packing it up, so we'll spend the first 3 days there. Then on Thurs., Colleen and I are taking a train and heading to Chicago for the Goo Goo Doll Concert. It's finally that time! I'm so excited! I'm coming to see ya, Johnny! lol The concert in March was awsome, and I expect this one to be just as good. It's been a long tour for them--15 months! I figured I'd better go to this one if I wanted to see them again, because they may not have another tour for 3-4 years, and by that time I'll be pushing 60! lol Of course, they'll be pushing 50, so maybe it will still be doable for all! lol

Well, as per usual when planning a trip to Iowa, we had car trouble. At least this time it happened BEFORE we left, and instead of while we were there, which is what happened 15 months ago with the Grand Am. Yep! It broke down just an hour outside of Davenport. We were able to make it on in, but had to leave it there and find another way home. Then another time on the way home, the same Grand Am vapor locked in rush-hour St. Louis traffic. Tell me that wasn't fun!!! We got it home that time, tho. But our newer car started acting up on Tues. Denny, of course, said he didn't notice anything. Why am I always the lucky one???! It was just turning over slow, but it did turn over. Libby, the kids and I went shopping in Sikeston ( 40 miles away), but again, we made it home. Well, we get up the next morning, and it's deader than a doornail! So we have to have a tow truck haul it off to dealership where we have our car serviced, to the tune of $80! Isn't that awful? 17 miles away for $80! So Denny talks to the shop guy and he's just guessing that we have a manifold problem. Could run $400-$500! Yikes! How typical, right? Well, we lucked out. It was just the battery! lol But that cost an arm and a leg. $150! Naturally, it didn't take a regular WM battery--it had to be an AC Delco. And it doesn't go under the hood--it's under the back seat. I guess I'm out of the loop, 'cause I've never heard of such a thing! lol And it's not just a simple hook up--I guess there's all kinds of wires and such hooked to it, so you have to have a mechanic do it. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya! lol They make these cars so complicated you can't do even the simplest task anymore. But what are you gonna do about it, huh? Considering things, it was a cheap and easy fix! So now we're road ready once again to make the trip up to Iowa and to see my beloved Goos. I'll fill you in when I get back!

The River

This is Dakota and me at the river. I love to go here! Libby and her family, Ryan and his family, and Mom came with Denny and I. The river has a rocky bottom, so you have to wear shoes. I'm a tenderfoot, so I'd never be able to do it without shoes! The water was a little cool, but as always happens, you get used to it. Dakota loved it. Can you tell? lol This place has a nice picnic area with grills, so we cooked hot dogs. Cheap lunch! lol After we got done swimming, we stopped at the Snappy Tomato and had some pizza. OMG! It was delicious! At least to me, since I haven't had pizza for so long! lol It was a great way for us all to get together and spend the day. I hope we'll be able to do it at least one more time before the kids go back to school the 16th!

The Weight is Over

That's what I named the weight loss journal I made. I like how it turned out. I made it at the crop last week. You'd think with all the paper I have, I wouldn't have to buy another piece! But not the case! This paper is from the Signature line, and I hadn't bought any of this particular paper yet, so there you go! Brandi challenged me to use something I already had, but I'm weak. I can't pass up a cool piece of paper! lol I started Weight Watchers on May 15, so I need to start from there and fill in my weight. I weigh everyday and keep track of it, so that won't be a problem. Cindy told me to take pics of myself, and to measure, but did listen? NO! Not til 2 months later and I was down 1 pants size! But that's ok. It's never too late. I have a long way to go, so there will be plenty of pics and measurements to compare. Cindy does this and suggested I do it, too. I can see where it will be a handy tool to have! Thanks, Cindy!

I'm Bummed!

Well, today was weigh-in day. I gained! 1.6 pounds! OK--the only thing I did "wrong" yesterday, was finish off Kelsea's hot dog wrapped in a tortilla. I should be able to have that, shouldn't I??? Evidently, not! So there are some things I could work on this week--not eating after 9 p.m. I'm a late-night snacker anymore! Lay off the chips--love those things! Even tho I account for the points, I guess it's something I'd better stay away from--especially afer 9! I need to drink more water. I'm only getting in about 4 a day. Excercise. UGH! I HATE the thought of that. I don't want to sweat! But it should be done, I guess. I'm getting tired of screwing around with this diet--oops! new way of life--stuff! I'm getting the benefit of my blood sugar being in control, which is awsome. But I want the benefit of losing weight, too! You know, the whole thing is, is that I've given up most of my bad eating habits. I stay away from the bagels with cream cheese, the nachos, lasagna, pizza, pancakes, ball-park food, fair food--funnel cakes--I eat TONS of veggies, chicken til it's coming out of my ears--but I'm really not tired of it yet. I account for damn near every morsel that passes through these lips. IMHO, the weight should just be melting off! I wanted so badly to be down 20 for the concert. I'm still going to try as hard as I can to get as close to that goal as I can. Drink more water, lay off the chips, no eating after 9--8 if i can--and sweat. There goes my hair do!

Freak Out!

This is Ryan and Dakota on July 4th. She's the spittin' image of him when he was little! They're both a couple of cuties!

OMG! I about had a fit last night! I made my hotel reservations a couple of months ago for my trip in August. I'll be going to Davenport, and from there, Colleen and I are going to be taking the train to Chicago to see the Goo Goo Dolls. Denny is going with me to IA, but not to Chicago, so he needs a place to stay while I'm gone. We decided to add 3 more days to our stay, since we have comp coupons for the Isle of Capri. So we'll essentially be staying up there for free. Love those comps! But anyway, after I got done making the reservations for the 3 additional days, I had them check to make sure my original days were ok. Can you believe they were cancelled???!!!! I don't know what the heck happened, but I told the guy we have to get them back! Geez! So as it stands right now, I'm confirmed for 6 days. But I'll be calling VIP services to make sure there are no more snafu's! Could you imagine going to the hotel expecting to stay for 6 days, then they tell you the middle 3 days have been cancelled and they have no other rooms? That would be just my luck!

OH, I almost forgot about WW! I did lose .6 pounds this week, making it a total loss of 13.4 pounds! I was thrilled with even that little bit of a loss, especially since it was "that time" and last month I had gained 3 pounds! I'm like the turtle--slow but sure!

Happy belated 4th of July! Hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday! This is our crew--minus me, of course. Someone had to take the picture! lol Denny, Kelsea, Katie, Audrey and Dakota are in the front row, and Jacob, Libby, Billy, Mom, Uncle Jim and Ryan are in the back row. We had a nice evening BBQ at Billy and Libby's that night. The kids finished off the evening by entertaining us with their fireworks. A great time was had by all!

Today was weigh-in day. I'm happy to report that I lost 1.8 pounds this week, making it 12.8 pounds lost so far. I got the coolest thing, tho. A points finder calculator! I got it at my meeting today, and tonight Denny and I went to WM and went nuts in the food dept. calculating points on a bunch of stuff. This is what a person does for entertainment when you live in a little town!

LOL I will say, it's well worth the money. When you sign up, you get a cardboard slide rule thingy to calculate food points. It's a pain, but necessary. Check it out. It's only $10 at the meeting. Money well spent!

The Streets are a Little Safer Tonight

Here's the girls doing what they love--shopping! They've been little clothes-horses since they were tiny little things. Not that I had anything to do with that! lol They loved getting clothes the way most kids love getting toys or candy! Denny took this at the outlet mall. I had to go to my WW meeting, and he went shopping with the girls! They all had fun!

I lost 3 pounds this week. I'm so glad! I was beginning to think I was going to gain back everything I lost! I gained 3 pounds a couple of weeks ago, which I'm blaming on my period. I have no clue why I gained 1.2 pounds the next week. So I have the remaining 1.2 pounds to lose, and then I'll be back to my 12.2 weight loss, and can go from there. I eat tons of veggies, and grilled chicken for the most part. Hope I don't get sick of them! I work in Subway, fajitas, and Chinese once in a while, too, but for the most part it's chicken and veggies. By my way of thinking, I should be down 4o pounds, since that's what I've been eating! lol I know I didn't gain it all at once, but I'd sure like to lose it all at once, and be done with it! Guess that's not the right attitude, is it? :) OK, I know. It's a "lifestyle change". I can accept that. But I still wish it would come off faster!

OMG! Denny and I stopped at WM after he got off work, and on the way home, there were these crazy people in the car ahead of us. They were driving all over the road--the passenger kept opening his door like he was going to jump out--the driver stopped so fast the tires were smoking. I'm thinking they were fighting--and probably drinking and/or doing drugs--and he was threatening to jump out, then at some point was trying to piss her off and was hitting the breaks. What a couple of idiots! I ended up calling 911! I was afraid the way they were going, there was going to be an accident. And I didn't want any part of it! I was transferred to 3 different depts. before I got to the right place. Zenita's the only one that's going to know where this is, but I finally got in touch with the right dept. at Pyletown exit. Believe it or not, the state trooper was right there pulled off on the side when we all went past him. The crazy car was behaving themselves at that moment, so the trooper didn't know there was a problem. He pulls back out on 25 and decides to head back up to Dexter, 'cause I saw him turn up that way. I'm thinking--shit! You need to be headed toward Bernie! But the dispatcher took info from me, and I told them what I was driving and that there was a van ahead of me (he passed me earlier), and the idiots were in front of the van. I'm almost to Bernie by this time, and see the flashing lights in my rear view mirror, and pull off on the side. He came barreling on past me, and pulled those idiots over. Thank God! They really did look like drunken junkies! So the streets are safe from them for tonight anyway! Just call me Vigilante Pam! Have phone/will use it! lol Hope you all have a safe and happy 4th!

He's An All-Star!

He loves baseball! This is his 3rd year playing. He's so focused when he's out there. It's funny, 'cause he's such a goofy little kid! lol I'm not up on all the baseball terms, so I may goof this up. But hopefully you'll follow me! Last week he hit a grand slam! I just happened to be talking to Libby when this happened. He brought 2 or 3? guys in, and he had to stop on 3rd. Everyone was hooping and hollaring! He is a great player, and we're so proud of him! He was chosen to be on the All-Star team for the 2nd year in a row! Go Jacob!!! I think the All-Stars start after the regular league is over. Be watching for him to end up playing with the Cardinals! :)