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!

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!

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?

Another Week Bites the Dust...

Can you believe it's Thursday already?! Really, where did the week go? I've been in a polymer clay-induced haze for days now....the good news is, I'm almost done with the order! Oh, did I mention that yet? My Tally friend Ashley is on the DT for a scrapbooking kit club called Scrap Muse, and she just happened to mention my clay buttons to the owner. Well, Traci wants 25 dozen buttons for one of her kits! I still can't believe it! I've been happily crafting buttons since Sunday or so...I'll be sure to post a picture of my efforts as soon as I'm done.

In other crafty news, last weekend was a cyber crop over at Tally, and I managed to get TWO layouts done! This first one was for a unique little challenge called "Shopping List" where you chose three things from a list of ten, then replaced those three with more elements of your choosing for the next person to pick from. The three things I chose were the color red, lace cardstock and ink.

Then there was Minda's "I Challenge Thee" challenge....a Tally tradition where your challenge is personalized by Minda herself to be something to get you outside your comfort zone or to scrap something that has a special meaning just for you. Minda has a gift for creating the perfect challenge! Mine was to scrap about my new technology and to get my inspiration from a layout done by Becky, one of my scrappy heroes! I LOVE how this came out:

This next layout is the one I did for the current challenge over at Lotus Paperie.....a new challenge goes up tomorrow, so be sure to stop by. If you decide to create a layout for a Lotus Paperie challenge, be sure to link your creation in the comments section so you can be eligible for the prize drawing! :)

Now I must get back to my buttons.....just for fun, I leave you with this:

Back to the Daily Grind

So the holidays are over, a new year has begun, and it's time to get back into a daily routine involving alarm clocks and schedules.

Thank GOD!!

Seriously, I SO NEED my schedule back....I feel like I've done NOTHING for weeks. I can't entirely blame the internet, though the addicting games on MySpace and Facebook haven't helped me to stay on task in the slightest. So yeah, I'm totally blaming the internet.

I HAVE managed to get a few layouts done, this one for GutterGirlz...

...and this one for Lotus Paperie:

But I haven't been on Tally in days, I haven't started Maggie's quilt yet, I can't remember the last time I've read my bloglist, and my own blog has been seriously neglected! So I've come up with a plan. I won't call it a New Year's Resolution, but since it IS a new year, this plan could easily be mistaken for a resolution. Which it is NOT.

Anyway, I digress. My plan, starting tonight, is to make a list of the things I'd like to accomplish the next day. THEN, (and this is KEY) I'll set an ALARM to wake me before noon so I can get a shower and most of my list done before the little boys wake up. It's a great plan, a SOLID plan, and the reason it's NOT a resolution is because I'm not going to abandon my plan in early February. Here are some of my other plans for building a better ME:

1. Save up for a second-hand treadmill to run on each morning before my shower.

WARNING, some may consider the sharing of this next facet of my plan to be TMI:
2. Be intimate with my hubby every night. Yes, EVERY night. (Well, barring menses, since that's disgusting. Hey, don't say you weren't warned.)

3. My art journal. I've missed it so. I'm taking part in some new challenges this year, one for each letter of the alphabet. Rachel is hosting the prompts (on the 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month) on Tally, AND on a new blog you can find HERE. This is what I came up with for the first prompt, ACTION:


All right, that's all I've got so far. How about you? Have you made any resolut- uh, I mean, positive changes recently? I'd love to hear how your holidays went and I promise to keep in touch more often....say, before taxes are due?

DONE!

Her name is Gwyneth Anisa (which means fortunate companion, blessed and faithful friend), and I absolutely LOVE how she came out!



I'll be making another one of these soon, but I'm in a scrappy mood lately....already finished the Tally Survivor challenge that isn't due until the Thursday after Thanksgiving! Whoot! :)