Yippee Prizes!!!!

I won some prizes over at the MBI cyber crop last week. Everyone loves prizes.

I'm not so patiently waiting for my Christmas prizes. I know that Mike bought part of my gifts in the MBI store and some at Wal-Mart and the rest at Joann's. He told me it was all scrap book stuff but I don't have a clue what it is. I'm way excited!!! I'm going to have $100 worth of NEW Supplies. I'll be scrapping Christmas night!!!

I met Mike at the mall last night and we powered shopped. Kay Bee Toy's is going out of business so everything was 30-60% off. We got the rest of the toys we needed for less than $40. That was a great savings.

MBI Color Mix Challenge

This is the layout for the color mix challenge at MBI (the link is on the side bar). I had to make a layout with a combination of black/white and color photos.

MBI Crop Challenge

Here's my layout for the sketch challenge. I saved this challenge until very late last night. The sketch made it way doable even when my brain was drained.

and another MBI challenge

This is my layout for a challenge called "Orginality". The rules were to only use patterned paper, cardstock, ribbon, and pens to make a layout. I got really lucky!! I had some paper with the Splash printed onto it.

anothe MBI layout.

This is for the button challenge. I didn't do anything exciting with them but I did use 3 buttons.

MBI Crop Layouts

This the layout I did for the " How High Can You Go" Challenge. The challenge was to see how many embellishments you can get on one page. I probably could have added more but the page was getting so heavy!!!

Finding Christmas Spirit

If only he had his eyes open wide........ sometimes you have to take what you can get and run with it!!!

Ok so the greedy Santa totally killed my Christmas spirit earlier this week. I love Christmas and I two days of walking around being Scroog was enough for me. This after the kids and I did a little decorating outside. I didn't tackle the big stuff. I leave that for Mike. I did hang two sets of blue snowflake lights around the front door. Then we put our little peguin from last year with it to make our own little Winter Wonderland.

And more importantly, I got back my Christmas spirit. So cue the Christmas carols and pass the eggnog! ( ok not really because I think eggnog taste like *@%# but you get the point)

Greedy Santa!!!

I made this according album for my grandparents. This is braden's side. The other side is Ashlyn's.

Today I took the kids to the mall for portraits and to see Santa. Things started out wonderfully. The kids took amazing pictures. I'm very happy with them and since I only took in cash, I'm very happy that I didn't go overboard with my ordering. After the portraits we went down to see Santa. He was on a break so we trotted over to the food court for some cokes to pass the time. All was well. When we finished our drinks we went back over to Santa and took our place in line. All was still well!!

When we reached the front of the line, an elf handed me the price list. The cheapest package was $24.99. That was for 8 wallets. Eight wallets for $25 is just kind-of nuts. I usually buy a 5x7 every year and then take a few pictures myself. To get a package with a 5x7 it was $39.99. :shock: :shock:

I dug into my pocket to how much money I had. After the tights I bought before the portraits, the cost of the portraits, and the cokes I only had $21 left. I just said "I didn't bring enough money in. I'll just snap a pic with my camera." Then I started to walk by her. She stepped in front of me and said rather sternly "No. We can't let you take a picture unless you first buy one of ours." I was floored. I could not believe that they would not let me take a picture with my camera. I was pretty frustrated. If the packages were cheaper then I would have bought one but they started out so high. There was no way my kids who were already half way to Santa at this point would have walked away without a fight while I ran to the car to get my debit card.
So I had to accept the fact that I would have no pictures of the kids with Santa. Then my frustration went to a new level when the elf told me I could not accompany my children unless I left my rather expensive camera on a table out of my sight. By now my kids were beginning to get frustated. So I told them to go. They ran over to Santa while I looked over a stranger's shoulder so far away that I could not even hear what they were saying. :x :x :x :x :x :x

I can remember a time not so long ago that we were lucky to have $25 left after the bills and necessities. I know that we are not the only ones that have had times like that. It's just so greedy and spirit crushing. The day was totally ruined. Santa pictures are wonderful tradition and the whole thing left a horrible taste in my mouth.

I was so upset. I'm mad at my mall. I'm mad at the little elf who stood in front of me. I'm mad that she has a boss who instructed her to enforce such spirit crushing rules. I'm mad that some are so greedy that the would be willing to exclude parents/grandparents that may not have the extra $25 to spare. I'm even a little ticked at the companies that sponsored our mall's Santa. My Christmas spirit is crushed! I feel like I'm living in a scene from the Charlie Brown Christmas Show.

Next year we will be looking for a new place to see Santa.

Time to Breath!!!!

After coming home from Arkansas, I was all about the fall colors. I love the top picture of ashlyn. She loved the little Ashlyn sized pumpkins.

It's not very often to hear someone say that December is the time to relax but for me it is.

October--
Nanny's birthday party
cousin's birthday party
mother-in-law's birthday
father-in-law's birthday
son's birthday
son's birthday party
son's family birthday dinner
mom and her husband visit for the weekend
hubby and brother-in-law's family birthday dinner
hubby's birthday
pumpkin patch
Sea world's Halloween party
Halloween
bought a new car

It was crazy and I was exhausted. We were able to enjoy a few weeks to recover the beginning of November but then we ended November with a weekend in Jacksonville (including an NFL game) and then Thanksgiving in Arkansas.

It's great to be home and relaxed. I've made a few layouts to sell and I actually made a few for myself. Which is great since I have about 600 pictures waiting to be sorted to scrap. One day I will be caught up. I don't predict it happening this year. hmmmmm, maybe that will be a New Year's resolution.

FALL

Ok so we don't have Fall here in Florida like I did growing up in Arkansas but there are things that point to Fall here. It is now to cool to go for a dip in Mike's parents pool and the ocean water is now to cold to be refreshing.

We had a lot of fun in the water this year. Braden learned how to swim and he overcame his fear of ocean waves. It still surprises me when I see the pictures of him jumping into the pool and going under. A few months ago He and I both would be in a panic. Now he bobs back up and starts swimming. What a big boy!!!

Ashlyn isn't a swimmer yet but she has no fear of the water. Maybe if the warmer water had stayed just a few more weeks she would be swimming too. Now we have a reason to look forward to next spring.

NOT AS Planned!!!

This is a layout of my sweet niece Ava. I used the Chatterbox Cottage Kit. I made it for the monthly contest at Memory Book Inspirations but my computer crashed on the last day of submissions. I guess I shouldn't have waited til the last minute. Lesson Learned!

Well, the costumes are not as I planned but they are super cute. I decided to give in and let Braden be an alien but I didn't want to pay $30 for a robe and a mask. I did a search on Ebay for alien costumes with Braden at my side and what luck they had the exact costume he wanted for $10. He got so excited seeing all the costumes though he changed his mind again, and again, and again. First he saw a stitch costume. He decided that he would be Stitch and Ashlyn would be Lilo. He had brief moments as an astronaut, Stitch, and a robot. He finally decided on the robot. I got my way! Kind-of! I wanted to make a robot costume but we bought a robot costume instead. It's cute and he really likes it.

I thought Ashlyn would be a cowgirl and she really isn't old enough to argue. However, Braden told her during his decision making process that she was going to be Lilo. She loves her big brother and we now know that she listens to everything she says because I spent the next week trying to talk her out off a Lilo costume. I once again finally gave in and took her to buy a hula outfit. She is BEAUTIFUL!!! It's simple but very cute. No one will know she is suppose to be Lilo with her red curly hair but she still looks very cute.

We're Decorating....

Isn't she cute!!! I made this page during an on-line crop last month at Memory Book Inspirations.

We've been busy decorating for Halloween. I have always insisted that we wait until after Braden's b-day because I don't want his birthday to have creepy decorations all around. This year I gave in and we dug out what we had from last year and bought a bunch more. We have 4 ft skeletons dancing on the walls, ghost hanging from the ceiling, and little pumpkins and ghost on every surface in the house. Outside we now have a big creepy ghoul ( don't like him at all), a 9 ft spider web with a big fuzzy spider over the front window, an inflatable ghost, and an inflatable Mickey Mouse.

Now the house is decorated and it's time to focus on costumes. Mike wants to buy Braden a costume. I'm a make them myself kind-of gal. Ashlyn is going to be a cowgirl. I'm going to make her some chaps from felt--cheap and easy! I'm trying to convince Braden to be a robot but he wants to be an alien. I just think he would be the cutest little robot and I can make that costume with some silver paint and a few boxes. Who knows maybe I'll dress up this year too!!!

Wee Hour Observations

I entered this page in a contest at FeelingScrappy. com. I can in 2nd-- so close huh! That was a fun day at the beach.

So the clock just hit 5:00am and I'm not sure how long I've been awake. The world looks a little different through tired sleep filled eyes. I realize now that my family room is a mess. Everything is 10x louder at this hour. I should never allow my daughter to put herself to bed at 7 pm because she will wake me up at 4:30am ready to start the day.

I guess I should be able to get a lot done since my day is starting out so early. I think I'll do a little shopping. Last weekend I went to a Close To My Heart open house. I didn't buy a lot (mainly because I didn't have the $$$$ to ) I ordered a sanding block kit and a sheet of chipboard flowers.They have some really cute stamps! I went through the 2 catalogs and circled all the stuff I want. At Christmas I'm going to hand it to Mike and tell him to go shopping. He always complains that he doesn't know what to buy. How much easier can I make it? OMG! I'm talking about Christmas already. I can feel panic mode kicking in.

Icky!!!!

I made this layout for a contest using pirate stuff. I made the little skull and cross bones with a plaid stencil. Instead of using the posite image that was made from sponging on the paint. I flipped the stencil over onto the page and got this weathered, distressed skull and bones. Way Cool!!!

Today I feel Icky!!! I hate being sick. And right at the beginning of a weekend. Other than the feeling a little sick things are going great here in Florida. We are all pumped up for another great weekend of football. Both our beloved Razorbacks and the Chargers are playing televised games. Tomorrow will be all about the Razorbacks. I'll have my piglets decked out in their cute Hog gear. Ashlyn has a cheerleader uniform and Braden has jersey. Mike and I both will be sporting Razorback tee-shirts for the day. I'm going to fix open face roast beef sandwhichs and roasted potatoes for dinner. It will be a great day even with an icky cold. Sunday will be more Mike than the rest of us. I'm hoping to get some scrapping in. I'm doing a contest at Scrapping With Grace and I'm struggling with my assignment. (The contest has a school theme hence the assignment.) I only have a few more days to complete it or I get a 0 for the week. I'm doing all this work for it and I don't remember what the prize is. I should check into that.

I miss Arkansas...today!

I'm being a little homesick today but I'm reminding myself why Florida is so awesome--days at the beach for example.

Living here in Florida is a lot of fun. We spend a lot of time playing on the beach and lots of time (and money) at local attractions but right now I'm missing Arkansas. Fall is so boring here. I miss the colors of fall as the leaves change colors. I'm lucky that I don't have to rake leaves like my mom does every week but I also don't get to watch my kids jump and play in a bunch of crunchy leaves. I miss the cool mornings and warm afternoons. There's no need for cute new jackets, hats, and boots. We're still sporting flip flops and tank tops.

I miss Arkansas football. Everyone is a Razorback fan in Arkansas. (Ok so there are a few trouble makers here and there but all the good ones are!) On game days everyone is sporting their favorite gear and the cars are all decked out in flags and magnetics. The game is on in every store and restaurant. We're all on the same team on game days. Florida doesn't have that same team loyalty with so many different teams in one state and half of the residents are not real Floridians. They are like me --just visiting.

So I'm homesick today. I guess I need to go to the beach and remember how much fun it is here.

DISNEY FUN!!!!

I made this layout for a contest at Magistical Memories. I didn't win but I love this page with all that wonderful chipboard.

We decided that Disney was a great place to spend the last day of summer. Like all Disney trips it had its moments of total stress but the good always out weighs the bad when at Mickey's house. We started out in Fantasy Land then we hit Adventure Land before a break at the hotel. Then thanks to magic hours we went back to meet the princesses and spend some time in Tomorrowland.

My favorite part of the trip was watching Braden & Ashlyn with the princesses. Ashlyn was so excited she was literally jumping up and down and Braden was very talkative. I got some really great pictures! I can't wait for them to arrive so I can get scrappin' and I do have a lot to scrap. I took 233 pictures. That may not sound like a lot for a Disney trip but then you have to remember we were only there for one day.

I think Ashlyn's favorite was Cinderella and Braden seemed to be a sweet on Belle. The saddest part was actually the day before we went. Braden and I went to run some errands Saturday and we had a very interesting chat about Disney. He informed me that he doesn't think the Mickey Mouse , Donald Duck, and Goofy are the real ones because they don't talk. They are just people in costumes. But the princesses and Ariel are the real ones because they talk. I didn't think he would be able to grasp the reality of the situtation at the age of 4.

I'm a little worried that this is the year to say goodbye to Santa. I hope not. It will break my heart for him to know the truth. That being said, I 'll be sad when he figures it out even if he's 15. He's growing up way to fast.

Featured Layout Toot!!!

I've entered several contest recently. I entered this watch layout at MBI last month.

For those of you not in the scrapbook circle a 'toot' is when you win a contest, are picked for a design team, or get published. You know, you toot your own horn. I have my first toot!!! (lol, that sounds so funny to say) My PreK layout was chosen to be the featured layout at Memory Book Inspirations. It appears on the sites homepage and in the monthly newsletter. I won a $25 gift certificate to MBI store which I spent immediately along with another $35 from my own pocket. So I have lots of new goodies coming my way.

Oraganization!!! It's all about being organized!!

Ok. I will admit that I am not the most organized person living on earth but I do always have great intentions-- does that score me bonus points? Anyways, now that Braden has started school, I decided the time has come for me to focus on myself. I love scrapbooking. I've loved graphic design since high school when I worked on the annual staff. I love the products, the creativity, the process, and of course I love having my pages. So I thought I would start trying my luck in the scrapbook industry.

My wonderful husband brought me home one of those large desk calendars today. I went through the pub calls and wrote down all the deadlines of the contest and Design Teams that I thought sounding interesting and that I felt I could serve will in. Am I totally organized? Ha!! My bar is covered in the "Ashlyn you can't play with thats" of the day and my dining table is buried under scrapbook products but I do have a calendar so yes I am organized. I am organized my way and that is always the best way!!!!

First Blog!!!

Ok so this is exactly my first blogging experience. I have a blog on scrapbook.com that I play around the vent but this is my first blog to set up and maintain. I'm excited!!! I sure hope I keep it up. It's easy to forget and let these things go to seed.


Hmmmm....... what on Earth will I blog about?