Try, Try Again

This is, like, the 14th time this week I've tried to sit down and blog. Seems like every time I try, some huge kid catastrophe drags me away from the computer. I get distracted and forget what I was doing on the computer in the first place, and Jack hops on and takes over the computer while I wander off and try to remember what it is I'm forgetting.

I think my new meds may not be agreeing with me.

Here are some things I DO remember about the past week or so...

First, let me show you my newest toy....an exercise bike I found yesterday for $20 at Play it Again Sports! I've been stuck at the same weight for weeks now...not losing any more, but not gaining either. Hopefully, a half hour on this thing each morning will get things moving again. Isn't it CUTE?!


On Easter Sunday, we shared a dinner with my mom's side of the family in Plymouth. The kids loved the Easter egg hunt! Kim and Jim's yard was just full of great places to hide eggs.


A couple days later, we finally got around to dyeing a couple dozen hard-boiled eggs, another beloved Easter tradition. All four kids suddenly decided (as they do every year) that hard-boiled eggs are their new favorite snack.




My newest doll, Aurora Fawn. I'm still working on a cloth and clay fawn for her to hold in her arms. Just have to finish up painting him. She may be my favoritest doll yet!


Here's this week's Lotus Paperie layout:


Last week's layout for the Survivor challenge at TallyScrapper:


And I just love how this one came out, for the current GutterGirlz challenge:


Okay, that's all I can think of for now...today we're packing up to head to the zoo! We bought a family pass for the year so we can go whenever we want for FREE! I'm really hoping that between the zoo, the park and the library, we'll have enough to fill up our summer so we can avoid killing each other. Maybe it's a lofty goal, but I've always been a bit of an optimist.

Alex and Maggie start soccer practice on Monday, so that's something else we're hoping will fill our days. There's been a lot of laying around in front of the TV and playing video games this winter...now that spring is here, it's time to get off our butts and make some meaningful family memories!

Which I will most likely forget within a week.

But that's why I take pictures, right?

Hope you have a wonderful and memorable weekend!

Wants and Needs

Some of the things I NEED to do today:

• create an altered challenge for Tally (cyber crop this weekend!)
• finish the layout I started for Lotus Paperie and upload
• laundry for all 6 of us
• deposit Rick's check
  
• pay rent

Things I WANT to do today:

• take the boys to the park, then the library (you can see from the pic what happens when they have too much indoor time)
  
• make another "In the Kitchen" video (brownies version)
  
• start a new art doll
• work on tags for my etsy store
• mail a package to my TallySis
• consume brownies

I went to the doctor yesterday to have blood drawn so they could see how my thyroid meds were doing. But....turns out, they need me to actually be ON my meds for that particular test. Since I've been OUT of my thyroid script for over a week, they had to reschedule. So, was it a wasted visit? On the contrary, it was quite productive! For instance, I got my thyroid script refilled, another med switched to the $4 Wal-Mart version, and a script for a nasal spray to help stifle my constant sneezing, stuffiness and general nose rebelliousness. (A nasal spray that cost $120, so this will probably be the only month I take it...we get reimbursed, but I don't want to use up our entire reimbursement amount on my freakin' nose!) Oh, and speaking of my nose. Turns out, the doc thinks I may have a polyp blocking most of my nasal cavity, high up in my left nostril. Hawt, right? I get to have a CT on Friday. Tell me you're not jealous! I'm totally asking the nurse to take pics.

Before I forget, here's my latest craftiness for GutterGirlz:

This one for Lotus Paperie (to use a transparency as a background):

And this was for Week 7 of Survivor at TallyScrapper:


Met Shyla last night for margaritas at Hacienda...only $2 a glass! We had a great time just talking, and I can't believe we've never gotten together (just her and me) before! Thankfully, Hacienda has these special margarita nights EVERY WEEK! Did you know about this? I feel like I won a frozen drink sweepstakes, or something! May have to make a new Tuesday ($3 mugs) or Wednesday night tradition 'round here.

All right, that's all from me for now...gotta get done with that first list if I want to cross any items off the second. Have a happy Thursday!!

Friday the 13th, Take Two!

First things first....

Michelle, Becky and Adrienne, I need you to email me (latte_grande921 [at] hotmail [dot] com) your snail mail addys so I can get your RAKs in the mail! You technically have a year before you need to Pay-it-Forward on your own blog, then I come after you with a rubber hose! lol

Today is another wonderful Friday the 13th! Have I mentioned how much I love those? Rick and I are going to attempt to see the movie tonight, but so far I've been unable to contact the theater to see about advance tickets. They don't offer them online. Wth, people, get with the 21st century! So anyway, wish me luck with that.

I also get to pick up Harvey today! I'll be sure to share a picture of him all fired and handsome....I may crackle and antique him first, though. I'm so far undecided on that. I don't know if you knew this about me, but I don't really care for shiny and new.....I much prefer rusty and old! lol And speaking of gnomes, Geoffrey the TallyGnome is flying to his next home today! Wonder where he'll end up....?


Another thing to look forward to today...my new sewing machine!! My old one finally bit the dust, and I dropped it off at the thrift store yesterday. I ordered a new machine at Amazon.com on Wednesday, and just got an email that it had shipped already! I didn't expect to get it until the end of the month, so I'm just super excited. I've been wanting to work on another doll, so I can hardly wait!! This machine is designed for quilting, and has an attachable table for large projects. Isn't she purty?

Let's see....what else happened this week?

Maggie brought home her new classroom laptop on Tuesday....the state of Indiana just received a grant for these computers especially designed for little hands. Out of the whole state, only 20 schools were selected to have their 2nd-graders use these machines, and our school was one of them! Cool, huh? She only gets to bring it home once in awhile, and there are very strict rules regarding its use while it's here. Our kids were so fascinated by it that I was actually able to get a picture of all four of them facing me at the same time!! I consider this a belated Christmas miracle.


Baby Elijah has been with us for a couple days while his momma takes her classes (his regular babysitter had some doctor appointments), and last night he spent the night with us! He's such a good baby.....Jack and Jacob like playing with him, as you can see!


In scrappy news, there's a new challenge up today at Lotus Paperie!! This one is to use 6 or more pictures on a page, which is right up my alley. LOVE multi-photo pages! Here's what I came up with....using pics of Jacob's 1st haircut from last summer!


And I finally got my new kit put together and listed in my etsy shoppe...say hello to Earth and Moss! Woodgrain contact paper, vintage fabric, clay buttons.....I'm really happy with this one, lots of great projects just waiting to happen!


Okay, peeps, this has been a much bigger update than I had planned...we just have a lot going on, I guess! Happy Friday the 13th....enjoy your weekend!!

It's a Hard Knock Life

I just noticed that this is my 99th post....so I decided that my next update will be when I finally Pay-it-Forward and offer up a RAK to 3 fortunate souls. More details on that next time.

This will be a photo update blog, lots of randomness, but with pictures! Sorry, I haven't had my coffee yet this morning, so my wit and general joviality haven't woken up yet.

In case you're wondering what's up with the "Annie" song on my playlist....lately that movie has been playing 24/7 at our house. Maggie has decided it's the best movie ever, and Alex likes it, too. And of course, Rick and I both secretly LOVE musicals, so our whole family has "Annie" on the brain....pretty much all day long. My favorite song from that movie is "Maybe," but Project Playlist didn't have it. Bummer.

Totally forgot that yesterday was the last day of February so I completely spaced on my GutterGirlz layout. The new prompt is UP now, be sure to check it out HERE. This is the layout I did for this Friday's prompt at Lotus Paperie to use doodled circles, and I LOVE how it came out!


I have a new obsession with Polaroid cameras. They're the coolest looking contraptions evah, and I just want them to look cool on a shelf in my office. BUT. When Miranda and I were thrift store shopping yesterday, she found the larger of the two cameras for me, and that thing is in perfect condition. AND it has film. So, I just need to get some batteries for it, and I think I'll be taking some Polaroid pictures! SO excited about that.


This morning, Alex asked if we could have cinnamon rolls. Since I was busy with a project, I told him, Sure...as long as you make them. He had no problem with that. Look how proud he is!

Maggie helped with the frosting. And NO, I didn't have any. Didn't really even want any! I've lost 10 pounds so far, and I really don't want to mess up my progress. I can have cinnamon rolls once I'm skinny again, and I'm cool with waiting.

Speaking of baking, I picked up some cookie and brownie mixes and plan to make a cooking show with Maggie and Jack. I got this idea from my Rachel, whose husband makes "Cooking with Macs" videos that are just hilarious. Our show will be called "In the Kitchen with Maggie & Jack" and it will air on YouTube. Coming soon to a PC near you. (Or a Mac, if you're one of those people.)

I'm making progress on Maggie's quilt! Almost halfway done now.

I'm making a quilt for baby Sophia NOW(just taking a little coffee break, then I'll sew the squares together)...and her baby shower is only a few short hours from now, so I need to get back to it! Hope you have a happy Sunday!

Monday Again? Hecks to the NOOOOEE!!

Monday means it's my cleaning day. Monday means it's back to work, back to school, and back to the daily grind. Monday means I STILL haven't updated you on my Friday the 13th. The day I visited my mom's hometown. I got to see the church where my parents were married.

The house where my mom grew up...looks totally different now, with new siding. The new owners tore down the corn bin, too, one of my favorite places to play as a kid.

I inherited this watch from my aunt Violet's things, and just had a new battery put into it. I think it's beautiful.

Monday means I haven't yet told you about the new challenge over at Lotus Paperie, to use this awesome sketch!

Here's the layout I came up with, and the one I did for this week's Survivor challenge at TallyScrapper:


Monday means it's time to update you on my weekend! I can't believe it's over already, to tell you the truth. Friday I finished our tax return....but I don't have a picture to show you of that. :) Saturday was the Fun Fair at the kids' school, which was kind of a disappointment since we showed up for the last hour and they shut things down 30 minutes before the fair was supposed to be over! We missed out on the balloon animals AND the bounce house, which really sucked. The kids had fun, but next time we'll go earlier.


(Sheesh, that kid needs new glasses....look how crooked those are!)
After the fair, Alex and Maggie went to a birthday party/roller skating party/girls' slumber party (yeah, Alex was back home and missed that part), and I went to an Archivers' crop with Miranda! Got to see Kristy and Amy again, which is ALWAYS a good thing. And I'm not sure how this happened, but I only got two stinkin' layouts done! Well, mostly done...

(See that little Taco Bell dog in the corner? Rick and I take turns hiding that for the other to find, and he had tucked it into my packed scrappy supplies! That made me smile.)

And lastly, here's a sneak peek of my newest mini kit....I'll be adding more to it, but this is what I have so far. Still haven't thought of a name, but I want it to have the word "green" in it. Can you tell by my redecorated blog that I'm in the mood for green? :)

Sunday? I can't remember Sunday very well. I know it involved grocery shopping, a stop at the thrift store, then the rest is lost in a YoVille-induced haze...

Ooo, wonder if it's time for me to check in at my widget factory job yet? The next time I get paid, I can get that exercise bike I've been saving for...

Okay, remember how I said that Monday is my cleaning day? Yeah. I better get going on that before I get fired. Have a happy Monday!!

Too Early for Titles

Well, it's Friday again, can you believe it? Friday the 13th, to be exact. Like the best kind of Friday evah. Hoping Rick will take me to see the new Friday the 13th movie tonight for Valentine's Day, 'cuz that's how we roll, people. Scary movies just flat out DO IT for us. *happy sigh*

Another Friday means another new challenge over at Lotus Paperie! Challenge 111 is to use hand-cut circles, which went really well with the flower tutorial I just did over at TallyScrapper. Check it out, this may be my personal favorite.


And the season premiere of Survivor last night means it's time for another round of Survivor challenges over at Tally. For this first one we had to have a wrinkled background page, a photo of ourselves in a mirror, a vertical title, a label sticker, notebook paper behind the photo, and the color green. Tough one! Here's my take on it:

The subject matter is a little depressing, but I'm really happy with how this came out.

New GutterGirlz prompt comes out this Sunday, so be sure to check it! You still have time to link up a layout for Prompt 16:
The PROMPT:
First Love
The SONG:
Like a Virgin by Madona
The PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE:
Fabric
The prizes are killer, and you could be selected as our next guest designer!

Okay, I think you've been updated now on all things scrappy in my life....busy day, so I gotta motor! Later, all...have a happy Friday the 13th!!

Need Cards??

For Valentine's Day, Sweetest Day, an anniversary?

I got to play with the newest card kit over at TallyScrapper all day yesterday, and I have 6 new cards to show for it....with the potential to make so much more! The fabulous First Lady Jen designed this kit, and I think she hit a home run! Check it:






Needless to say, this kit is a winner...you don't want to miss it! I predict you'll be inspired to make enough lovey-dovey cards to cover any and all romantic occasions in 2009! ;)

In other craftiness, there's a new prompt over at Lotus Paperie to use molding paste (I used gesso, which is similar in appearance, but thinner):

AND, a new prompt just went up over at GutterGirlz! First Love, "Like a Virgin" by Madonna, and fabric are your inspirational cues...and I tell ya, after all these hearts and working with 25 different shades of pink, I'm ready to work on my Love-inspired folk art doll!

What's on YOUR agenda for the day?

I am ON it, Dog-gonnit!!

Yes, this week I'm actually on TIME! Allow me to introduce you to my newest layout for Lotus Paperie, for the sketch challenge that just went up this morning!

I also just finished my art journal page for the 2nd prompt, "Because." You should check out the video on the art journal blog! Really awesome, healing technique that I'd like to do again sometime.

ALSO, I mailed out the clay button order for Scrap Muse...

...got a package in the mail for my Tally Sis, and sent an order from my etsy shop overseas...all the way to the United Kingdom! (Nicole, today I'm working on assembling your custom kit...I didn't forget about you!) I feel so very productive!

A BIG THANK YOU to Miranda & Troy, who came over yesterday to do me a big favor.....since Rick has to take my van to work while his car is out of commission, Troy stayed with the kids while Miranda gave me a ride to the vet....with Nicodemus. Yeah, it appears that he has pneumonia, too. But this time we may have caught it early enough to save him. He's already had two doses of his antibiotic, and though his activity has slowed and he's stopped eating, I'm really hoping these meds will kick in and he'll start feeling better! Poor guy. And thank goodness for these etsy orders, or we may not have been able to foot the $77 vet bill. *sigh*

Today's "To Do" list includes listing some new goodies in my shop...


Working on a tutorial for the TallyBlog...

Getting started on my 52Q project, hosted by Emily Falconbridge (who just found out she's pregnant!)...

And maybe even getting some laundry and dishes done! Set your goals high, that's my motto.

Hope your Friday is happy and productive!!