Well, not yet, at least, but in about an hour I will have a new little niece!! My sister-in-law goes in for her c-section at 5pm this evening to have her. I'm anxious to know what her name is! Last we knew, it was between Jenna and Chloe. So, good luck Natalie and Brian! Can't wait to hear from you!
My friends, Tiffany and Nicole both nominated my little blog for this wonderful award! I'm honored! Now, I'm nominating 1o other people who "Make My Day" (who have blogs, btw).
1. Shan
2. Krystn
3. Carmen
4. Liz
5. Monica
6. Laura
7. Susan
8. Heather
9. Brandy
10. Bre
So, you wonderfully, fabulous people need to share the love!! Pass it on to the 10 people who "Make Your Day"!!! :-)
I was snuggled and feelin' comfy this morning when Steve wakes up at around 5:30a yelling "BASEMENT!!! NOW!!!" I had no idea what was going on. I don't think the 5 of us have ever gotten up to the basement that fast. We got downstairs and had no idea why we were down there! LOL! I was barely functioning. After we decided we weren't in any immediate danger, we headed back upstairs and got an early start to the day. Fast forward about an hour and my Mom calls me asking if we fell out of bed this morning! WTH? How did she know? Well, evidently it was an EARTHQUAKE! A 5.4 earthquake with the epicenter being in West Salem, IL which is only a hop, skip and a jump from where Mom and Dad live! Mom said that she had drinking glasses falling over in the cabinets, some mugs fell out of another cabinet and 2 shelving units in the living room that have picture frames were all scooted towards the back. WILD! What a way to start the day! I remember hearing a rumbling (we had our bedroom window open) and that's about it, thinking it was thunder. Steve, Mara and Micah said they felt their beds moving. WOW. Happy Friday!
Wow, I'm just making all sorts of neat little changes to my blog and having so much fun doing it!! I noticed Tiffany's blog had a new background which is GORGEOUS! So, off to get me a new background as well. Thanks, Tiffany!!! Like what you see? Check out Cutest Blog on the Block and get one for yourself! It was super easy to do...trust me, if I can do it, anybody can!
Check it out! Most of them were done with the flippin' awesome BYOM kits, too.
It's getting close to me and Tiffany's ultimate Card Workshop on April 19th! I got a big box of goodies last week to start cutting and preparing for it. We have 31 people signed up so far, which is awesome! And, if you can't make it, you can always buy a kit that has everything cut for you complete with instructions. Those are $15. If you want one, just email me or tell me on here and I'll be sure to hold one for you! 20 cards for $15...you just can't beat it. (BTW, Tiffany, I think it's time for another sneak peek, don't you?!)
I had to give up a GNO with the girls at Los Bravos tonite. :-( Steve had a BNO instead! LOL! He and several of his buddies are seeing "21", that movie about blackjack....ya know, since they all have a serious gambling addiction and all! I told him it all sounded kind of gay, but he reassured me that they all sit like one seat apart. Um...ok. I don't know which sounds gay-er!! ROFLMAO! Oh, well. It seems like I'm the one always out running around with friends, so, he pretty much deserved this.
Hey, I forgot to mention that I started my diet on Monday. Shelley and I are doing the low-carb thing again. I had success with it last year when I was on it, but one week on vacay, I fell off the wagon and never got back on. Shelley's done it, too, so I was so pumped when she mentioned going back on it! I have a buddy to help me along! My mantra is that I want to be a "skinny bitch" by summer. Tina at work said I'm halfway there!! I don't think she meant that very nicely.....anyway, 2 pounds down, alot more to go!!
Speaking of losing weight....I need to start looking for a new swimsuit. I just got a new Land's End catalog today and some of those suits are super duper cute!! It says they can find a suit to flatter everyone....I'm a wee bit skeptical about them being able to match a beached whale with the perfect suit. But, we'll see.
Oh, I'm guessing the endometrial ablation worked....I'm like a defective typwriter (Quick! Name that movie!!). ;)
Well, I gotta run. I've got 130 snack baggies of Munchies to fill for Movie Day tomorrow at school. Yay.
I have no idea what to do with my pictures after I take them with my digi Rebel. I can't make heads or tails of the photo software that came with it. I can't figure out how I need to change the photos in order to make it easier to upload to online photo sites or how to resize the pics I take of my scrappy stuff to upload to online galleries. I don't know what to do. Anyone have any ideas? All help welcome! :-)
Happy Birthday to my sister, Kasara!
Wowza!! I just got done watching American Idol and David Cook is destined to win the whole thing, I tell ya! He's absolutely BRILLIANT! Love.him. 'Nuff said. Peace out, dawg. (How'd ya like my impression of Randy Jackson?! LOL!!)
We had sooooo much rain yesterday, it was unreal! It poured down rain all day long. We went to our 24/7 bible study group last night and Mara kept saying that she thought school would be cancelled. Steve and I were telling her "I don't think so, Mara". Well, I get home, check my email and Nicole sent me an email saying school is on a 2 hour delay! Guess Mara showed us! LOL!!!
Hey, there! Just checkin' in with everybody! Not much has been going on around here. Getting ready for Easter, I suppose. Steve and I are both off on Good Friday so we'll be heading back to Mt. C for the weekend. Saturday is the egg hunt at the church. Sunday, of course, we'll be going to church. I'm hoping to get some really good pictures this weekend. The girls are going to look so stinkin' cute in their Easter dresses! Yes, even the "cheesy" skirt of Micah's (her words, not mine!).
I had my very first solo Stampin' Up! party last week and it went GREAT!!! Plus, the hostess ended up signing up as a demonstrator!! Yay, Denise!! My first party and my first downline! I'm super excited to have Denise join. She's going to be a fabulous demo!
Tiffany and I are getting ready for our Card Workshop on April 19 at 1pm. For $15 you come and make 20 cards (10 different designs) and these cards are super cool (if I do say so myself! LOL!). Different sizes, different openings, all different occassions. Just flippin' awesome. And, if you can't make it to the workshop, we are selling the kits!! But, you have to hurry and sign up, we are cutting it off at 50 people and the spots are filling up fast! I think we are almost half way full right now and it's still a month away yet!
Next weekend is my SIL's baby shower and Steve's Dad and Lillian are coming down! Yay! I'm going to try and find time to make something for my little niece's bedroom, I think. Wish me luck. Not sure what I'm going to do yet. I have and idea in my head to do an altered plaque that has ribbon that hangs down to hold pretty hair bows. I'm not doing it justice by explaining it, but in my head it's really, really cute!
Kasara and Asher came and stayed the night one night last week. Asher is just the cutest little thing I've ever seen! (Except when he's waking up every 2 hours in the middle of the night! LOL!). I got some really good pics of him. I can't wait to scrap them!!!
Well, here's some pics of some scrappy stuff I've been working on lately....
Ok, evidently something's not working. I've tried uploading them twice now.....grrrrrr! Maybe later.....
Tiffany tagged me, so here goes....
1 .What were you doing 10 years ago? Let's see, it would've been 1998. I was pretty newly married and working 3rd shift at the hospital. Busy still decorating my new house in Jasper, not even thinking about having kids yet! Steve and I just enjoying each other.
2. What were you doing 1 year ago? Oh, geesh, this one is so much harder...3 kids later, a different house, kids in extracurricular activities and school...I was working weekend option at the hospital, running Micah to and from preschool twice a week, and probably helping Tiffany in buying SU! product from her! LOL! I had more time to scrap back then, too.
3. Name your 5 favorite snacks? Twix candy bar, Coke Zero, Pringles Salt & Vinegar chips, grapes, ice cream.
4. Name 5 things you would do if you were a millionaire: Pay off all bills, put enough money back to send all 3 girls to whatever college they choose, buy me a new Jeep Wrangler, build a new house with a HUGE scrap room for myself, take awesome vacations.
5. Name 5 things you like doing: Scrapbooking/stamping/crafting; playing on the computer, spending time with friends/spending time with family, taking a nap, and shopping!
6. Name 5 things you would never wear again: A swimsuit, legwarmers, pantyhose, stirrup pants, crimped hair
7. Name your 5 favorite toys: My computer, my Canon Digi Rebel, my Cricut, my iPod Nano, my scrapbook stuff!
Now, I'm tagging Shannon, Krystn, Liz, Laura, and Monica (my BYOM girlfriends who have blogs!!)
Yeah, I suck. I'm really trying, though! I think about updating my worthless blog all the time, but just can't seem to find the time to do it.
Well, first of all, I'm coming to you live from my new flamingo pink laptop! WooHoo! Totally lovin' it. Still can't seem to quite get the hang of not having an actual mouse yet.
I got my new Canon Digi Rebel out last weekend for the first time since I got it about a month ago. The weather was GORGEOUS on Sunday, so after church me, Steve and the girls hit the Riverwalk. Man, I love that camera! I really need to get my new camera software loaded on the laptop so I can show off some of my pictures! As I was taking pics of the girls on the bridge, some girl walked past me and told me she was totally jealous of me and my camera! Too funny.
I went cropping for 12 very short hours on Saturday for an excellent fundraiser for the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I went with a ton of girls (Amy, Amy, Tiffany, Tiffany, Kelley, Kelly, Chas, Heather, Michelle and her crew, Jaima, and Nicole to name a few!)and we had sooooo much fun. I got 50 wedding shower invites completed and 18 birthday cards for a card swap. And, that's all I got done! It didn't seem like I did that much! Poor Amy S. had to sit right smack dab in the middle of a Kelly triangle! Talk about a confusing day!!
I'm off the weekend rotation now and it feels WONDERFUL!!! I just don't know what to do with myself anymore! LOL! I love being able to spend more time with my family. And, I'll even get to watch my adorable little nephew, Asher, every once in a while!! Which reminds me, i've not seen that little guy in 2 months! I miss him!
I got my first recruit as a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!! I've known Denise for several years since she came to my very first class i taught at The Doodlebug. I'm so stinkin' excited that she's decided to join! We are meeting up Thursday evening to go over everything and pick out her free stamp sets! Yay!
Some dates to keep open....March 14-16 is the fantastic online crop at Bring Your Own Memories!!! Lots of challenges and games to inspire you to scrap your little heart out all weekend long! April 19 is me and Tiffany's Card Party from 1p-3p at the Lutheran Church. You'll make 20 cards in 10 different designs for all occasions. Cost is $15!! The next date to put down in your calendar is May 17 which is an overnight crop at Tiffany's parents house. I didn't get to go to the last one, but I heard it was a total blast!
One of my best girlies, Nicole, made me a STUNNING keychain! Her work is the most amazing thing I've ever seen! Go check out Anderson Arts right now! And, you'll even catch a glimpse of my keychain! (I can't wait to get it!!!)
We've had some sickness going around the house...thank goodness it's been very mild, but annoying, nonetheless. Fever and headache for about 4-5 days straight. McKenna had it 2 weeks ago and Mara has it now. Steve has the coughing, sneezing, aching crud right now, too. Here's hoping me and Micah come out of it unscathed!
I had my endometrial ablation done about 2 weeks ago. One word.....UGH! Man, I thought I was way more tougher than that. It was probably the longest 8 minutes of my life. I came pretty darn close to passing out on the table during the procedure. I came home, curled up in bed with a heating pad and laid there all day long, with the exception of getting up and puking and waking up with a headache (but I think those things happened because I took one too many Lortab than I should've.) The next day I was pretty much back to normal. Did it work? I don't know yet. I'll let you know in about a week and a half.
Until next time (and I'll try not to make it another month in between posts, but no promises!)....
....to change my slideshow name to 2007 in Review. Mainly, because, I've not been scrapping much, so therefore, it was not really my Latest and Greatest. That name implied that I've scrapped and with as many pics of layouts that I had, it looked like I had scrapped ALOT! Making the slide show put me in the mood to scrap! Now to find the time to do it.....
Yes, hard to believe, I'm actually updating my blog! I've heard enough nagging *coughTiffanycough*.
Let's see....I'll start off with the fact that me and Tiffany's Stampin' Up scrapbooking event has officially SOLD OUT with a total of 50 people!! Holy. Crap. I'm so nervous. But, I think it'll be alot of fun.
I got my SU flyer for the Ocassions mini catalog...wowza, it's so flippin' cool. 2 words...chunky glitter....uh huh. I think I want just about everything in it. Which is good, because I was seriously disappointed in the Sale-a-Bration catalog.
Next round of good....no, FANTASTIC news is the fact I'm finally off the weekend rotation after 3 1/2 years!!! We can finally go back to being a family on the weekends. I can hardly wrap my mind around it. WooHoo!! I'll be working 3 days a week 7:30-4. Two days a month I'll be working a 12:30p-11p shift. My hours for my weekend (which will be only one weekend a month) is 6a-2:30p. I'm also going to keep subbing at school as often as I can as well. Oh, and another totally awesome perk is that I'll be able to keep my absolutely adorable nephew on some weekends while my sister is working!!! The girls are so psyched about that!
Let's see what else I can talk about....I'm going to have a uterine ablation Feb. 19. I'm a wee bit nervous about it. I'm having it done in my gyn's office. It's a quick 8 minute procedure, but with a lot of prep before hand...several different pain and anxiety meds to be taken leading up to the day of and for 24 hours afterward. I'm hoping this procedure works because my only option after this is a hysterectomy. And I'm not quite sure I'm to the point of actually wanting one of those things yet. Wish me luck!
I try not to talk about my family's personal matters too much on here, but I just have to yell this from the rooftops....Steve's Dad is cancer-free! What completely WONDERFUL news!!!
Ok, that's really all I've got for now. I lead such a boring little life! LOL!
Until next time...
After being pushed and shoved by Tiffany and Nicole, I'm going to give this blog thing another go at it. Tiffany won me over by going on and on about how much easier blogger is now. And, she was right! No more having to know HTML, thank goodness.
I hope everyone had an excellent Christmas and New Year's. December has been absolutely nuts for us around here. Steve has been spending lots of time in Minnesota for work. I've been working extra at the hospital during the week and subbing in the NE Dubois school system, trying to find something to do with my time during the week since the girls are all in school now.
I'm also fed up with my work situation of working only weekends and my director not helping me at all to try and get off that shift, so I'm currently looking for a new job as well. So, if you hear of any x-ray tech jobs available, give me a holla!
Last week Tiffany and I drove over to Illinois for a Stampin' Up! Christmas party with our upline, Darla. That was so fun! I found out just how much of a small world we do live in. I actually met the girl who is my parents' dental hygenist! Crazy stuff! I didn't get any pics at the party, but, of course, Tiffany did. Her and her camera, I swear! To see the pics from the party, check out her blog. The link is over on the sidebar under 'Noteworthy Blogs'. Oh, and she gives out blog candy, so make sure you go and check it out!
Well, with the newest Stampin' Up! catalog just being released, Tiffany and I are gearing up and getting ready for our Scrapbook Party February 1!! We are going to make 10, yes 10, 12x12 scrapbook pages that evening! I'll be sure and post some sneak peeks as I get stuff done. This is going to be sooooo much fun!
Mara and Micah have a swim meet this Saturday. I so wish I could be there. But, I'll be at the one January 19th cheering them on!!
That's all I"ve got for now....
Liz tagged me....I think it was a ploy to get me to finally post on my blog! ;) Well, it worked!
The rules...You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.) When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post and then choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don't' forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
J-Steve says "jaded". I don't think he meant that nicely....
O-Once again, Steve comes up with another not so nice one..."obstinate", Mara says "octopus" but I don't think she gets the purpose of the game!
H-"honest"....brutally
A-"anal"
N-McKenna says "nice"...awww, she's so sweet, no wonder she's my favorite! (just kidding!)
N-"nosy"
A-"artsy"
Man, now I'm supposed to pick out 7 people to tag who blog...do I know that many anymore?! Let's see....Tiffany B, Becky, Rachel, Steve, Brandy, Barb, & Robyn!!
Well, one of my fave kit clubs called it quits in April :-( But, a couple of friends from the old site have started up their own kit club! I was so immensely relieved! The old gang is still together, but at this site now...Bring Your Own Memories (www.bringyourownmemories.com) Check 'em out! They are going to have awesome kits and even awesome-r customer service! How do I know this? Because I know the owners and they ROCK!! :-) Go Carmen and Krystn!!
Well, it's been a really long time since I've updated. I doubt anyone even reads this anymore, but I'm going to seriously try and keep this updated a little better. I know, that's what I always say.
Anyway, gotta run, just wanted to toot BYOM's new site!
Yeah, well, me too. It's funny. I now have two of the girls in school all day, but I don't have near the time I did when they weren't in school. How does that happen? I'll probably be the only SAHM who says they can't wait until school is out! LOL Yeah, right.....
What have I been up to lately? I don't know. Where does all of my time go to? In October I turned 31. Yes, I can say that and it doesn't bother me...too badly. I sure the heck don't feel 31. That's the good thing, I guess. What did Steve get me for my birthday, you ask? NOTHING! Well, nothing until this past weekend (Thanksgiving weekend, mind you....oh, he got me a cartridge for my Cricut, which I will get to later.) The girls started swimming lessons in October. Mara has found her niche, I believe. She loves it. Steve, me, my friend Myra and her brother went to Cedar Point. FUN! But, standing an hour in line for each freaking ride wasn't. But, that's ok. Evidently Halloweekends are starting to sound really good to alot of people. I think if we go again next year, we'll wait until later in the month when we will freeze our a$$e$ off and hopefully there will be less people.
November came and has almost went uneventfully. We all packed up and spent Thanksgiving with Steve's dad and stepmom. I just love them. Michigan would be my second place to move to if we didn't move back home to Mt. Carmel. Plus, a total bonus is the awesome Michigan KnK girlies I've come to know and their totally fab choices of scrapbook stores to shop at! Anyway, thanksgiving was at Duane and Lillian's house and dinner was delish! I even made two pies and we have pictures to prove it! I've got to say, I think I could become polish. I mean, where else can you go and get 5 different kielbasas (which I'm told there's many many more varieties) to eat on Thanksgiving?! Steve goes nuts over the pierogies. On Friday after T'giving we all went to the Henry Ford museum, which in and of itself is a pretty neat-o place. There are actual trains and planes (real size) in this place. Totally cool. But, our main reason for going was to see Happy Feet at the IMAX. Very cute. Got a little deep for kiddos, though. But, the girls didn't get too incredibly restless. I guess. I don't really know for sure...Mara and McKenna both were sitting by Uncle Jason. He might have a different story to tell. I met up with Carmen, Monica and Krystn for Freaky Friday!! 4/$1 Bazzill...you know I was all over that. Then, on to Panera where we swapped Primas and closed the place down. Then, proceeded to stand outside for, at least another hour + just talking some more! I love these gals! Saturday was a shopping trip with just me and Carmen. I tried my first ever Starbucks. Yes, I live in Hickville, as Carmen so lovingly calls Celestine/Jasper! ;) Oh, try the peppermint latte and the cranberry whatsit....yum. I could so get used to hanging out with Carmen more often. She's such an immense sweetheart. {{{HUGS}}} girl!
Wow, talk about run on paragraphs. I'm just too lazy to hit "return", I guess. Well, here's some more updates...Mara was doing so well in swim lessons, she's now on the swim team! WooHoo!! Which means an hour of practice 3 times a week! Yikes! Steve said she was learning to dive tonite and looked awesome. I can tell that swim lessons alone has started to slim her down. I hope she continues to love this. This will be good for her. My sweet Momma bought me a Cricut for Christmas and a "Stamped" cartridge. I could not wait until Christmas for this! She grudgingly allowed me to open it early!!! And, guess what? I LOVE IT!!! I haven't felt this excited about anything since the Swiffer mop! LOL This thing is the coolest thing evah! I just want to play with it all the time! My SIL, Jeanne, is coming to visit next week for McKenna's birhtday! I'm so excited to see her again! The only bad thing about her visiting is that she has to leave. McKenna just absolutely adores her Aunt Jeanne. McKenna will seriously sit and talk to her on the phone for hours.
This fall season hasn't been good to this household....Steve has been going to the chiro for his back for awhile now with no luck. I went from September-November with a nasty cough/cold/sinus thing that a round of antibiotics didn't even knock out. McKenna has had strep throat, along with Micah just a month ago. Mara had impetigo in October and now has an ear infection...oh, excuse me, a "pus pocket" behind her eardrum. Eeeew. Maybe this is where all my time is going....doctor visits! I've got a ton of layouts I could be posting on my poor lonely neglected blog, but, unfortunately, I'm not on my computer. I'm on Steve's new work laptop and it's down to 18% on the battery which means I need to wrap this up. I will try my hardest to get some layouts up and running within a week. Yeah, I don't believe me, either.
Later. Merry Christmas shopping.
Thank you Heather, Carrie, and as always, Ann for bringing it to my attention! ;)
I had already typed out a big huge post, but something either happened in blogger or with my connection and it was lost. So, I'm just going to do the quick summary thing.
My sister's wedding was the 16th. It was gorgeous. Kasara looked fantastic. The girls looked beautiful. My mom looked hot! A couple of snafu's, but they were handled beautifully. My mom forgot to light the unity candle and Mara stumbled going up the steps to the stage and she didn't cry, didn't get embarrassed and kept on smiling. I was so proud of her. The song Kasara picked out for the unity candle lighting was beautiful..."When God Made You". Download it and listen to it. The wedding party got chauffered by one of my parent's friends', Willy, in his 53' RV. HUGE!! Kasara, Donnie, me and the best man got to load up in Willy's cute little electric car and "cruise" main street with that big honkin' RV with the rest of the wedding party to the reception. The girls partied, but Mara and Micah fell asleep in front of the wedding party table, but McKenna partied the whole time. Guess we know who we need to watch out for when she's older!
Last Friday, me, Tiffany B. and our girlies Micah and Jordan went to the grand opening of Archiver's in Louisville, KY. NOticed a familiar layout on the cover of Scrapbook Trends while waiting to check out...the awesome Heather who did a layout of Brandie's son, Dylan. The girls were awesome. They did tend to get a little rowdy, but they were so cute together! We met Tiffany M. and her hubby at Cheesecake Factory for lunch after sb shopping. It was a good day!
McKenna was sick last weekend. I took her to the ER after I got off work Sunday evening. I was sure she had strep and she sure did. She got a big ol' shot of antibiotics in the butt. She wasn't happy about that, but I told her that was what she was getting before we even left for the ER. She was so brave. Hardly cried at all, but her booty sure was hurting for awhile! I promised her a Hello Kitty toy. :)
The x-ray dept. is now filmless!! I worked a couple of days this week learning the new system before I work this weekend. This is going to be so freaking awesome once everyone gets used to it.
Jasper plays Mt. Carmel in football tonite. Steve's tailgating with the guys tonite and my cousin, Kristi is bringing him a Mt. C sweatshirt to wear. She's afraid he's going to get beat up! LOL I think me and the girls are going to go and sit with Kristi, Mark and kids.
Next weekend....CEDAR POINT!!!
Check out the new video. It has to be the cheapest video ever made, but it's just cool. And, the song is growing on me, too.
Here's a few things I've done lately. KnK kit is Crate Paper Carnival for September and it's awesome. Really different from their last release. I played with a HS mask and beads...a first for me and it really made me think outside my scrappy box!
My DT stuff from Scrap-Tastic was some cherryArte stuff and Urban Lilly die cut flowers, HS clips, jewels, neat-o stuff. Another new thing for me working with those manufacturers. Used my Rhonna flourishes stamp for the first time...love it!!
My friend, Jill, had a birthday, so I altered a tin for her. Using up my old BG.
The new A2Z papers I did for a class I was supposed to teach, but not enough people signed up for it, so I cancelled it. Love those papers! Double sided. Super cool. Got to play with a Coluzzle, too. Borrowed it from the Doodlebug. Wondering if I need to invest in one of those things. They have some neat templates.
I also have some stuff I did for the latest Ready, Set, Create! issue, but I can't post those yet. :)
kellybirrell75@yahoo.com
Get your own Family Sticker Maker & MySpace Layouts.
