Hi! Come on in and look around!

Welcome to my window on the world. A snapshot of my life and experiences. I'm a photography junkie and a scrapbook addict. I capture it all here, and share my journey down this amazing road called LIFE with you!

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Tangie Baxter ATC Challenge

First off, if you are a fan of Ali Edwards, CK has a free Ali Edwards handwriting font: click here. I saw that on Digishoptalk and had to have it.

It might be late, but Tangie Baxter is having an ATC challenge. Click here to get the rules, a free digi ATC sampler kit, and a bring-a-friend bonus. It ends on 2/28 at noon so don't delay. ATC's are quick. I'm sure you can whip one out and you could win a GC to her site! Tangie even says you don't have to use her products to participate. So you have no excuse!!!



That is my latest ATC effort and it is posted in Tangie's gallery if you want to see it and several other samples by me and other members of her creative team. I just love how everyone has a different take on these.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

As I sit here

ds and dh are busy watching some Nascar race on t.v. DS is a big Jimmie Johnson fan. I like to trick him when he leaves the room and tell him Jimmie wrecked. I always get his goat! LOL! He went to work at 7a this morning and got off around 11:30a or so.

DD is busy im'ing on the computer, texting, and listening to music. I'm surprised her brain doesn't explode sometimes! She's been doing homework for part of the day and went to youth group.

I had a headache just about all day. Couldn't get rid of it. It was getting worse. Took some migraine stuff and OH YEAH! Feelin' fine!

Dh is nodding off during the race. He likes to nap in the evening! LOL!

I spent most of my weekend scrapping when I wasn't at work. Scrapstreet was having a big crop this weekend where you earn tickets. The more tickets you earn, the better your chances of winning the big prize. Frankly, I'm burned out from the 4 lo's I made, which were alot of fun to do. So I am organizing my scrap stash into my designer's folders. That's how I keep everything. And unzipping new kits I need to use, although I am finished all my CT assignments for the month except for two remaining for Scrapstreet's mag! I'm excited.

And this weekend, I'm off to a weekend crop so I probably won't do alot of scrapping this week, just to keep my mojo fresh!


digi credits: HERE

digi credits: HERE

digi credits: Here

digi credits: HERE

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

That's What Friends Are For


Credits That's What Friends Are For by Doreen Stolz and Verena Karolyi (Collab Kit); Everthing Stitched by Doreen Stolz; Painted Tapestry by Cottage Arts.

So I'm having a creative dilemma in my scrapbooking right now. At first I got into digi scrapping because I could make realistic scrapbook pages. "Is it live or is it Memorex?" If you remember that commercial from way back when...

But then, there is so much more to digi scrapping where you can make really creative and artistic pages. They don't look like traditional paper scrapping because you couldn't do these things easily with paper.

What's a girl to do?

I've been experimenting with new things, as you know from visiting my blog. I think that is what I will keep doing. Just trying all the different styles out there, but I'm wondering where your thoughts lie on this topic?

Give a teen the keys to the car and you give them power. DD is out in front of the house yelling at ds to hurry up and c'mon because he had to run back into the house twice as he forgot things. He's older, but the one behind the wheel is the master. I don't think she'll like it too much when he gets his license and the shoe is on the other foot!

My dh is so cute. If I work the evening shift, I call him when I leave work, and he has the garage door open for me when I get home! Isn't that sweet! (We've lost our opener.)

The person who hit my car was not at work last night so I didn't say anything. I want to look at their car to be sure. I'm not one to accuse based on supposition. I'd rather double check before I make a stink.

Monday, February 18, 2008

A little something different



This is my new blog blinkie that I will be adding to my siggies. Of course, if you want to visit my blog, you can always add it to your blog links and make it clickable! I used Beth Rimmer's ATC VAlentines kit available at Digitals. I wish I had saved it larger, but it is actually 3 ATC's all together in a row. I'd give a direct link to Beth's kit, but Digital's store is temporarily down!


Credits HERE

What's a woman to do with three giggly teenagers and an eager young man, but put on her iPod and scrap. So that's what I did while dd had her friends over after school. Girls can be so loud, and they were all stirred up. Ds had his headphones on in his room. He didn't hear a thing either.

I hope you like my lo. It's a little different for me. I'm always trying to learn new things, and I wanted to try out this style. The color part isn't out of my ordinary, but all the other things going on are. I layered two papers to get the effect I wanted and the color I wanted.

Ds starts his new job Wednesday. That should be interesting in a positive way!

I just want to say regarding my CT's that it is 2/18 and I only have one more obligation to fulfill and I'll be done for the month. Not that it's a burden or anything. I'm just the type person that when I have something to do I like to get it done!

Thanks to everyone who visits and leaves me a comment or a message in my chat box. It's always appreciated, and I'm going to try to make an extra point of visiting your blog if you leave me a comment!

If you have read my blog, you know I have been working with a "coach" at our Y to lose weight. Well, I lost five pounds until I met the Godiva chocolates I got for Valentine's Day. I ate all but two. He said I should have eaten a few and given the rest away. That's INSANE. I say eat them all at once, and then they are gone. He didn't buy that philosophy, but they weren't his favorite either! So I put on 2 lbs., which I still find hard to imagine. I think it is water from PMS. We will see next week. I need to be extra good as that is the last week of my free "coaching".

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Favicon Frustration

So I made this favicon using an element from Beth Rimmer's ATC Valentine's at Digitals and the L from Jane Austen font. Much to my displeasure, I have not been able to get my favicon to show up. I tried finding an ico host to no avail. So I found instructions for uploading a gif file as my favicon. But nothing. I mean, honestly, I've managed to make hot links on my blog with blinkies and words as well as make my own header. You would think a stinking favicon would be easy as pie. And part of my personality is obsessive. In other words, I can't give up until I figure it out. It will drive me nuts.

Worse than this is I wasted my evening trying to do this and not creating scrapbook layouts! OH the trauma of it all!

Susan Darter left a comment on my blog yesterday, which was so kind and a compliment of the highest order imo! So if she reads this post, much thanks to you, dahlin'!!!

Tangie Baxter has made some great felt creations which I was going to play with tonight along with Rasberry Road's Legacy kit. There is, after all tomorrow!

So if you read my blog. I hope you like the favicon that will never be. I would rather play with my digi stuff than mess with that thing anymore!

One little stinky thing that happened was a fellow employee hit my car and broke my hubcap without leaving a message. stay tuned for updates on that as I go to work and ask whose car that was and explain to them that they hit my car and damaged my hubcap. I just want a new hubcap instead of a cracked one with a big hole in it as my car is only 2 years old.

Anyway, I will scrap my heart out tomorrow so look for some new lo's to be posted tomorrow night.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Rasberry Road


digi credits:HERE.

I have an anecdote or two about Valentine's Day, which I'm sure y'all would love to hear! I cute elderly couple came to the counter and was looking for a watch, but her dh wanted her to try on a ring we had on sale. She didn't want to try it one and kept telling him no, but he kept insisting. She put it on and said, "My hands look so old."

I told her they didn't.

And she said, "Well, when you're 70, you look old. And he's 80. Plus I've been sick."

I told them truthfully they both looked great for their ages and who cares if what your hands look like anyway. Wear what you want.

He told me to set the ring aside with her saying, "No, no, no, " the whole time, while they went and found her a watch.

The came up to pay for the watch, which she wasn't sure she should get because she might lose it. And he assured her she had never lost anything so why would she lose this watch. She told me again she'd been very sick. Honestly, she didn't look it, but I guess she didn't think she looked like herself or felt like herself yet.

He insisted on getting the ring which was about a 3 carat white topaz (I believe) with diamond accents. It was huge. Anyway, he insisted she wear it out, too. And was pleased as punch to buy it for her and have her have it on. It was the cutest thing you have ever seen. I so hope to be so in love still at that age with my dh!

His woman was getting that ring period end of sentence because he wanted her to have it and that was that!!!

I also had another customer, a young man, who was buying a ring for his soon-to-be fiance who was out of the country with her job. He wanted something fabulous, but not too expensive, but not too small. I showed him everything we had, which completely overwhelmed him. I could tell he was having an overload meltdown. He had to go home and think about it. Then he called me later to double check the price of his one favorite ring which is a three stone diamond ring in white gold. It is yummy. It has channel set diamonds on either side of the 3 stones. Just in case that was more than he could afford, he was worried if I had something similar but a little less.

Frankly, I love helping those in love. He's so eager to please and do it right. It's so cute. We don't get commission, but even if I did, I wouldn't break someone's bank just for my own gain.

Then I had a hilarious middle aged gentleman who brought me the sales and with the pic of what he wanted circled. I love a man who comes prepared. I showed him the case where his rings were, and he decided he wanted two others. He had to get two you see because he had two lady friends. Just friends he said. He took a very long time looking at each ring and selecting exactly the look he thought he liked best.

Then there was the future son-in-law who was shopping with his futer FIL. Now FIL had all the $$$. SIL had none apparently. FIL kept saying, "I promised to help you out."

SIL must be an idiot. That's all I could figure. It's a wonder FIL didn't choke him. "Do you like this," he would ask as I showed him each piece.

"I dunno. Do you think she would like it?"

OMG. It took a looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time for that kid to finally commit to something all the while saying, "I don't know. Do you think she'll like it?"

I did manage to sell him a very affordable ring on clearance that was beautiful for his future wife, but it was like pulling teeth. I wanted to knock on his head and ask if anyone was in there!!!

And I'm sorry this is so long, but you must hear about the RUDIE-PANTS teenage girl with an attitude. Miss Rudie-pants says as loud as she can, "Can I get some help over here," as if I were ignoring her when I had just finished a customer and was putting some things back that I had set on the floor. I cannot have things on the floor out of the case if I am not right there!

I came over and she says, "I'm looking for something you had in your sales flier." You know this is my favorite line. "Can you describe it for me?"

Do you know what this idiot said? "NO!"

Great. Now how am I going to help her. What a dufus. So she gets on the phone with her mother who apparently sent her on this errand. Meanwhile another older gentleman walks up so he needed help. She was on the phone so I started helping him. She then says really loudly, "You were helping me first," and yells to the other girl working nearby, but not in my area, "Can you give me a sales flier."

I tell her that I need to page a manager to help her as I have another customer, but if she can wait a minutes, she will certainly be taken care of. Now I page 3 times before I finally get someone to come over.

She starts to tell me about some heart earrings blah blah blah. So I point her to some display tables we have, guessing as best I could based on what she was telling me.

Meanwhile, the gentleman I am with also wants some heart hoop earrings, sees them in the ad, and I go right to them. I ring him up and off he goes.

As he leaves, the manager shows up and she says that I sold her earrings she wanted to another customer while she was the one who got there first. WTF? Is she kidding me? This little teenage kid about 16 is to young to be so rude and lie!

But I didn't get in trouble because I did what I was supposed to: call for assistance from a manager when I have a problem customer. What a pain in my rump. On the phone the whole time. You know the type. No manners at all. Anyway, all those other cuties made up for it.

Hope you had a great V-Day. I did. DH got me my favorite Godiva Truffles...which Ihave been scarfing down until I am sick!

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

More Birthday Photos



Here are some more photos from dh turning 50! Aren't they cute! Soon to be scrapped!

I had a woman come up to my counter and say, "I'm looking for something you had in your ad. Can you tell me where it is?" Now, honestly people, don't you think I could get a little more of a description! She started getting mad when I asked her to describe it more so I could assist her in locating it. Like I was the dummy. Excuse me. HOw hard is it to tell me what it looks like...silver...gold...diamonds...gemstones...earrings...necklace...WHAT?!!!! GEEEEEEZ! The holidays really bring out the lulu's!!!

Then a lady came up all pissed off because "we sold her a 10K gold ring and it is turning her daughters finger blue." I had to tell her I really couldn't comment on anything until I saw the ring, but she should check for the 10K stamp on the ring, although it is possible her daughter is having a chemical reaction. It happens. So she said to me, "Well, that would make her finger turn red." I didn't say this, but I thought it, "NO, an irritation would make her finger red...like getting soap caught under it and it starts growing stuff..." bleh! Ok...enough of that. I just told her to bring the ring back and let us have a look at it. I'll definitely be calling a manager if I'm on because she was really mad about it. But like I said, I can't do a thing or comment without the ring...duh!

My convection oven is finally on sale. It's a counter top one that holds 2 12" pizzas. How cool is that! Our toaster oven is in sad shape so I've been waiting for this to go on sale! Wahooooooooooooooo!!!! Plus I have a coupon and my employee discount!

Monday, February 11, 2008

Marianne Wahlberg Kit Call! YAY!


Well, I check the calls at DST once in a while to see who is looking for folks, lately I'm looking for guest spots. I saw this gorgeous kit >Grandma's Treasures by Marianne Wahlberg. Her call was for people to play with her kit. I applied and WAHOOOOOOOOOOO! She picked me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I played with it. I mean, the colors are divine...gorgeous jewel tones. The elements are varied and so real. I can tell this is a kit I will go back to time and again. So thanks Marianne, if you read my blog, and I'd love to play with something else if you're looking again or have a guest spot!!!
And anyone else who reads my blog...if you have a guest spot...think about me!

I spent part of my day aggravated, but I may be over it! LOL! I've lost 5 lbs. using this "coach" at our local Y. He weighs you every week and then checks over your food diary. I am starting to hate that food diary because I won't eat things because I don't want to write it down. Yet, at the center of that very hatred is a 5 lb. weight loss that is coming at a pace that I will be able to keep it off!

But the kicker was the washing machine leaking all over the laundry room floor. Not one load, but two. I thought it was a fluke the first time, but it wasn't so when I ran another load...woooooosh...all over the floor. The drain hose from the back of the washer had come out of the drain spout in the wall and was shooting water on the floor! ACK!

So I had to relax and scrapbook and calm my nerves. heheheh. At least my laundry room floor is very clean.

Last but not least, Tangie Baxter, who is very generous with her DT, gave us 3 downloads today on our Design Team Chat. They are 3 different sets of frames that are HAWT. She gives us a very generous allowance, but these were outside of that!
Vintage Gallery Frames, Vintage Museum Frames, and Vintage Studio Frames. Please check 'em out, and if you get 'em, tell Tangie I sent ya!

Sunday, February 10, 2008

The Black Cake, New Glasses, and My Handsome Son





Okay, here is the cake I keep talking about on my blog. Like I said, I needed to buy the bigger size of black food colorant so the cake and icing aren't as dark as I would have liked.

Also, check out my new glasses. Burberry. Not that I really care about the name brand. I just picked out the pair I liked. What do you do? If you have to wear glasses, you might as well get the pair you like the best.

I'm always trying to get ds to let me take his picture, but he is not interested. So I finally caught him on dh's birthday and made him take his picture with me! YAY!

Saturday, February 09, 2008

New Layouts and the Birthday Cake


Credits here

Credits here

Okay, I had fun today making these lo's. It feels so good to not be working and be at home doing some things I love. That includes unzipping and playing with all the new things that the designers I create for have been making. I've gone crazy!

I tried something new today as well. I made that white background lo, which I usually do not do white! And I did the cartoony-handdrawn look that so many are doing. I like it when I have time to do things that I have been wanting to try, and I like stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new things.

I also finished dh's black birthday cake. I guess I should have bought the large black powdered food coloring because my cake and icing are gray, but that still works! I didn't make regular cake icing. Instead I made cream cheese icing and then used the cake icing (made with crisco) to decorate. It's so fun having someone turn fifty and getting to mess with them a little bit. Wait til he sees his black candles! I'm so bad!

Ds has been so helpful today. He's excited that it's a birthday. He's like me. He loves a good celebration. Dd is in a bad mood. But then she helped me get presents yesterday so I can't really complain, although it is chapping my hide! Mainly she is mad because I wouldn't let her drive to the mall to get an ice cream and meet her two friends. But she hand't done her chores at home and exactly where was she getting $$$ to pay for ice cream??? Anyway, she's going to be having cake later with us so she doesn't need ice cream.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Tangie Baxter, Rasberry Road, Scrapstreet


Digi credits: HERE

Playing with Tangie Baxter's Mystery Case #2, which is available through Feb. 28th...I think. I need to double check. And a fun set of papers from Michelle Boeckermann at Scrapstreet called Caught Off Balance. I'm here CT rep for the month!!!

I have a lo I want to do from a magazine ad. Somehow I ended up with this one instead of that. You never know where your brain is going to take you on the creative process.

ATC's again, Tangie Baxter Designs


Digi credits: here.

Tangie Baxter's My Little Sweetheart {Girl} kit was perfect for this Valentine ATC. I'm either going to put this in a pocket on the front of a card or I might make a little ATC Valentine mini book.

I'm having so much fun making ATC's! I'll be making some more today!

Right now Tangie has a great Myster Kit no. 2! If any of you remember Mystery Kit no. 1, it was jam packed full of goodies! I'll be playing with these treats over the weekend!!!

Work was so busy last night. I'm not really sure what people even bought. I just know I was exhausted when I got home and fell asleep and slept really hard! DH met me at work and we had a dinner for two at our favorite restaurant. It was so nice just to sit and chat.

Do you know my DH will be 50 tomorrow? I am making him a black cake with black icing! He doesn't know it. I'm off to the cake store to get the black powder to color my icing. I will definitely have pictures of it!

I tell you a mother's heart really does get a tug when dd starts driving. That is freedom for a kid, and they are gone like a rocket shot. I've hardly seen her all week. I miss my baby!

DS went to his friend's house. The run dogs in fox hunts or something like that. Anyway, they have a gob of beagles and a fenced area with 3 foxes for training. Last time I was there, they put the puppy in to chase the foxes. That dog just ran round and round. There are also some mini machines out there like a bulldozer as the dad is clearing some land so he got to operate heavy machinery. No wonder he never wants to come home! LOL!

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Beth Rimmer ATC Valentine's


ATC Valentines at Digitals by Beth Rimmer! Be sure to check them out! There's also another set if you can't get enough!

Don't you just love ATC's??? I've been in several swaps and am always amazed at what people throw together. Same topic, yet they are always so different! I'm really having fun with this ATC set and I'm going to play with some other kits, too, and make a variety!

Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Rasberry Road, Week 4 at Faith Sisters, Yoga and Weight Loss


See this lo over at Rasberry Road Design Team Blog: Click here.

I hope you will pop on over to the Rasberry Road CT blog because we always have lots of new lo's and the winner of our very first challenge is also posted there.

I just knew exactly what I wanted to do for the Faith Sister Challenge. I saw the perfect quote while I was out and about yesterday and then Chuck Swindoll was preaching last night about change on our local Christian radio station. I still need to do BEAUTY and KINDNESS. Kindess I will use the Fruit of the Spirit, but I haven't decided on beauty yet.

I went to yoga yesterday, and we had a sub. She nearly killed us. I tried to run at the Y today and was sapped and sore so I just ended up walking with a 4% incline at 4.0mph to get my sweat on! LOL! I can't kill myself as I do have to maintain some semblance of energy for work.

I lost two pounds from last week when I weighed yesterday which is fab considering I had cookies, chocolate, donuts, and a piece of cheesecake! The guy was amazed that I lost weight even after that, but I do know how to compensate by eating lower calorie foods. However, when I weighed today, the very next day, there was an extra pound. So I might have lost 5 so far or only 4. Either way, I have passed my first goal and am now working on the second. I have either two or three until I get there.