Recent Randomness

Gotta visit the blog more often! FaceBook occupies too much of my time. It's a travesty. Wonder if that new movie The Social Network is any good? Anyway, I digress.

Really enjoying my new job at the bakery, but my hours are sporadic at best. I'm either working every day, or hardly at all. Hoping that once they hire me in full-time (fingers crossed), they'll give me regular hours. For now, just know I can't commit to anything more than, like, 12 hours in advance.

Our baby niece was born Sunday, October 3rd (just one week before 10-10-10, dangit!)! We just love her...she's SO adorable! Welcome to the family, Aliyah, and congrats to Vikki & AJ and big brother Elijah!


Just celebrated 14 years of wedded bliss with my wonderful hubby! And speaking of marriage, I got to attend the wedding of one of my best friends yesterday. Congrats to Shyla and Jeff! May the state of matrimony be good to you both.


Managed to find some time to scrap a few pictures...really enjoying all this creative time! SO glad to be able to participate over at Tally again, and I'm thinking of applying for a DT spot at another kit club this week. Wish me luck!

Scrappin' Again...

...and it feels so goooood!! Not sure how long it's been really since I've scrapbooked with any sort of regularity, but it seems like forever. I decided I'd been away from Tally for too long, joined in with some of their challenges, and finally my scrapping slump seems to be over! Which is a good thing...I've got a crapload of pictures looking for a home in my album. A. Crap. Load.

Here are my recent layouts. Looking forward to creating many more in the coooold months to come. If there's one thing winter's good for, it's staying inside to create!

New Gutter Girlz Prompt is UP!!

And I'm so proud of myself for putting my procrastination aside (for once) and getting the Gutter Girlz challenge DONE!! Uploaded it on time, and everything. You can find the new prompt HERE!

Come play along in the Gutter with us!

Recent Scrapiness...

Seriously, I DO have more to blog about than just my recent art projects. Really! But to avoid putting it all in one post and possibly subjecting anyone to blog overload, I'm going to eeeeeaaase you into it, real sloooow like.

First, scrappy layouts! Some of these were started months ago, but only needed some finishing touches, like a title and journaling. So proud of myself for finally getting them ALL the way done! A few others were completed at a scrappy event I went to with Shyla on the 1st weekend in March. That was such a great time! Miranda and her friend Jamie were there, and it was hosted by Connie, the mother-in-law of the amazing Kristy Caldwell. Fun, fun! Can't wait to go back in May and see my girls again!

This first one was made using the January kit from Jen's House of Scrap!





Just discovered tons and tons of pics on the memory card Rick's been using in his karaoke machine...guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :) Hope yours is a great one!

Latest Scrapiness and a Recipe!

Been busy lately working with the November kit, Grandma's Attic, from Jen's House of Scrap! Here's what I've made so far...




And this potato soup recipe is from my friend Katie, with just a few small additions...

Creamy Potato Soup
1 32-oz box chicken broth
1/2 pound bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
1 pound ground sausage, cooked and drained
1 family-sized can cream of chicken soup (or 2 small cans)
1 can creamed corn
2 8-oz blocks cream cheese
3 pounds red potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
pepper to taste
*********************************************
Place all ingredients in Crock-Pot and cook on low 8 hours.
Top with shredded cheese and serve with cheddar garlic biscuits, if desired.
Enjoy!

Blogger Fairies ROCK

Hello!! It's the blogging fairy here!! Christi has been so very busy here and there and everywhere... and her computer is spooty. It's bit the dust, and she's been using her hubby's computer, which last night, also decided not to cooperate with her...
SO
I figured being the ROCKING blogger fairy that I am, I would bring you all up to date.
She's been busy welcoming new nieces into the world...

and getting new baby rats settled in...

and she's been busy working on scrappy pages...

and the kids have been eating delicious things at fairs...

and she has been accepted into a NEW design team for a kit club!! She's going to be designing for Jen's House of Scrap!!
HOPEFULLY, the computer fairy will get off her arse and bless Christi with some good internets and computer loves... Until then, if you've emailed her, or are waiting for an email back from her, it might be in your best interest to contact her by phone. :)

PS even though this post SAYS that Christi posted it, she totally did NOT. I just have awesome ROCKIN' log in abilities... because like I said. Blogger fairies ROCK.

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!!

Recent Scrapiness

For the new prompt over at GutterGirlz:

For this week's Survivor challenge at TallyScrapper, to use only office supplies:

For a challenge at Tally to use something from a magazine (I cut the birds from a scrapbooking mag):

For the prompt "real" at One Little Word:

And this one was just for fun:

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

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!!

Broccoli Schmoccoli

Mmmm...doesn't my lunch look GOOOOD?? Seventeen pounds of raw broccoli with a turkey braut on the side and a smidge of ranch dressing. This is NOT a diet where I feel starved, THAT's for sure! *burp*

Today is rainy and kinda cold, but yesterday was so nice we just about fell all over each other trying to get outside in the sun! No jackets, fresh air, warm sunshine.....ah, it was wonderful! There was much running...

some grass wrestling...

and a little cloud gazing.

Just one fine afternoon of being out of the house. I can almost believe that Spring is on its way! Less than 2 weeks away now. I better get some tanning time in before shorts weather officially arrives....I'd hate to accidentally blind some poor unfortunate soul when the sunlight reflects off my pale legs! lol

Yesterday evening, Katie and I had a Girls' Night Out! We went to Pottery Schmottery in Elkhart and did some ceremics painting! I had never been there before, but I'm sure I'll go again...it was a great time, for reals. I found the cutest little garden gnome, and Katie chose a square plate and bud vase to match. Look at how happy we are!

This is what artistic bliss looks like...

Katie in the zoooone...

Look at how elegant Katie's vase and plate turned out! She used an awesome technique involving lace and a whole lotta toothpick tweaking....I can't wait to see what they look like after they're fired!

And my finished gnome....his name is Harvey and he really enjoyed hiding among the paint bottles. (He likes me, so I was able to coax him out for this picture.) I think he'll find plenty of places to hide at our house!

After the schmottery, we went to a nearby Mexican restaurant where I promptly put my diet on hold for the wonderful chips and salsa! (And a strawberry daquari, just a small mug. Heehee!)

Then I came home and finished this!

What a wonderful Friday! Today I'm working on Maggie's quilt...I REALLY want to get that done for her! Next project will be another folk art doll since Deidre Clementine was SOLD this week!!! Thanks SO much, Staci, the fact that she's going to YOU just fills my heart and gives me the warm fuzzies! She'll be on her way to you Monday, and she's so excited to meet you. :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!