Long Week!

I hope you've had a good week. For me, it's been a long week! I started my weight training again to help build strength in my legs and, gosh does that just wipe me out! We are supposed to start our really long runs tomorrow out at a trail they made from an old railroad track. We went there every weekend last summer since it's so convenient not to mention a very pretty place to run as well! There are all sorts of animals out there (not just the men on bikes either!) I've seen deer, rabbits, different birds etc.. It's a great place to take your mind off of things as well! I have a lot on my mind these days! Closing down my show at work is not as easy as just walking away one day! I've got mountains of stuff I am hoping to accomplish so I don't leave her in a lurch wondering what's going on! They interviewed my potential replacements this past week as well. That meant for a bag of mixed emotions for sure! I was happy to say goodbye to stress but not happy to be saying good bye to my friends, my babies, my life at the school. I took a picture of something creative I did at work while waiting for programs to process so I can do what I have to do for report cards. Take a look! LOL!



Can you see it?! I was bored and had to do something with my idle hands! LOL! Aaaah what insanity will make you do sometimes! LOL! (I hope my boss doesn't read this because I'm sure he'll say "could you be filing"!)

So the other day I was at the grocery store ( my least favorite place around) and I searched high and low for everything on my list (which was conveniently left in the car!) and proceeded to the check out. Do you ever get into the longest line just so you can read the interesting articles in the magazines that are just not worth buying - sort of "rent" them while you wait type scenario?! LOL! Anyways, that would be me standing there checking out the pictures of how Angelina Jolie is the only woman I know of who could be pregnant with twins and still look gorgeous! If that were me they'd have hit me with a stun gun and put me on exhibit at the zoo! "Hey Mom look at the new hippo"! LOL! Anyway, while standing there I was noticing on the "help yourself" line that no matter what you put up there to scan that, if you hesitated, the computer would state, very loudly mind you, "please move your_____" to the belt". HHmmm can you imagine how funny it would be if you put certain items up there "Please put your pigs feet on the belt"? Huh? Say what?! The secret would be out of the bag for someone when it would say "please put your pickles, ice cream and pregnancy test on the belt"! Oooh what a way to tell the neighborhood! LOL! Note to self: don't go to self serve aisle when purchasing female hygiene items! LOL! How fast would the men around you scatter when they hear "Please put your chocolate, tampons, Midol and hammer on the belt"! Oooh that could make for one bad night! LOL! Anyway, have a great weekend! Mine will be fun (not!) while we dig through boxes in the garage!

Until next time....

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

I hope all have a fabulous Memorial Day weekend! I thought I'd share pictures of the military guys in my life! The picture below is of me (I'm a 13 year vet of the Air Force too just chose not to wear my uniform), my 4 brothers and my Dad. The 2 brothers in white hats are retired Navy, the guy in blue is a recruiter in NC and the one in the sailor uniform is actually stationed in Iraq right now! I also included a picture of my Dad when he was younger and in the Coast Guard! The next picture is of my DH (or hunka hunka burnin love!) and of course, my son who is in the Navy and stationed in Guam! I have pictures of my maternal Grandfather who was a doctor in the Army Air Core and was stationed in India! Military seems to run in our blood I guess! LOL!










Enjoy!

Another Productive Night!!

Could it be that my DH is coming home tomorrow and I'm on a roll to finally accomplish my goals for the week in 2 nights?! Nah, that couldn't be it! LOL! It probably is a good part of it though!

I'm finally getting some pages done now that have been waiting patiently in the pile! At a local scrapbook store I got paper that had the name of Breanna's High School printed on it! How cool is that as a start for her High School years scrapbook?! The pictures came out pretty cute! I had taken several of her after the first day of school and we had fun just playing! I got them printed off at a Kodak machine at 4 to a sheet at 2"x3" and they fit perfectly across the bottom. I don't know if you can see it but I also stamped "rebels" in between with SU Versamark and the Jumbo Outline letters. I thought the colors were a little "not so girly" so I added flowers to make it more "girly" for her! I'm pretty pleased!

Now to find the paper I cut to start her science fair pages.......



Leave me a note and tell me what you think of this one - is it girly enough for a girl?!!

Enjoy my creations.....

Card Making Kick Tonight!

I don't know about you but sometimes I get in a slump of being too tired or too stressed to sit down and make new creations! Well tonight was not one of those nights! YEAH! Though I have had plenty of them lately I knew I needed some cards tomorrow so I sat down and my creativity kicked in! I'm pretty pleased with how my cards turned out! Take a look and see what you think!

One of our band teachers at school has decided to join the Army band Core. I'm proud of him for making a tough decision with the world situation being what it is! I made him this card to let him know I wish him good luck! The paper is all SU, the stamps are from Paper Trey! Love that set!



I actually made two of this one - exactly the same! One is for our school nurse. She is the strongest woman I know. She has SO much on her plate of life yet she comes to work and can still smile as she takes care of the smallest little "boo boo's"! The second one is for a kindergarten aide who very recently had major surgery and, thank goodness, is on the road to recovery! While I can't talk to her as much as I'd like, I thought I'd make her a card to let her know I was thinking of her! The solid color paper and ink are all SU, the printed paper is from one of those scrapbook bundles and the ribbon is from my winnings on a blog candy!



I made this card for another kindergarten aide who recently became a U.S. citizen! She's such a happy person and is always smiling! That gave me the perfect idea for a card to congratulate her! Not your typical congratulations card but it's "her"! The paper and ink are SU and the stamp is an old Heidi Swapp stamp I've had for a while!



Okay, now I'm off to bed! I actually have a day off tomorrow but am going in anyway. The kindergarten is putting on a Memorial Day celebration and my "little friend" is playing the part of Yankee Doodle! She's the cutest and giggliest Yankee Doodle ever!

Enjoy my creations.........

Candy is Dandy........

but "Blog Candy" is better! LOL! It's sugar free, calorie free, fat free..... LOL!! This announcement fits right in with my "lifestyle change" and my marathon training (which my lovely cold set back a few days!)!
Go visit
http://lildebstampscrap.blogspot.com/

She is giving away some awesome goodies! While you're at it visit her EBay store she has some cute stuff in there too!

Good luck!

I've Been Busy....

Yep, I've been busy! My friend Chantal had a birthday recently and I made her a card to celebrate it! I had seen some really pretty, but expensive, flowers at Michael's that were light colored and looked like they had been stamped! When I saw them I thought "hey I can do that"! LOL! I just took one of the flowers from the SU Pretties kit, my SU Baroque Motifs swirly stamp and some SU Ruby Red ink (to match the cardstock) - stamped it and voila I had a flower just like the expensive ones at Michael's!! In case you're wondering I used the SU designer paper "Ginger Blossoms"!



I also decided to make her one of my "mother's bracelets". I used all sterling silver beads and Swarovski crystals in her son's birthstone color. The heart shape letter beads spell out *M*O*M*. She was really excited to get it, especially since it came from her son!



Her table is so neat and uncluttered isn't it?! It's always that way! No matter how hard I try my house just doesn't look as neat as hers!

Well, enjoy my creations!

Until next time...........

Out With The Old.....

And in with the new! It's that time of year for me to get my new running shoes! My other shoes are a little worn out - poor baby's! I can still wear them casually (good thing at the price I paid too!) but for training it's time for a new pair! I decided to go with some Adidas brand this time for a couple of reasons.

One - the pair I got sent proceeds to support breast cancer research (I'm a big advocate seeing as I was so close myself - long story!)

Two - they're pink! (Did you read that Vanessa?!!)

Three - when you run long distance and it's warm weather face it - your feet sweat! They stink! This pair is ventilated not only on the top with mesh material but the bottom has ventilation holes as well! Down side to the bottom holes? Don't run in puddles or wear them when it's raining! Ask me how I figured this one out! LOL! I still like them though! I also like the larger toe spread since I have wide feet! Okay, maybe that was TMI but it's one thing I have to look for! LOL! So now my Mizuno's are resting comfortably in the closet and the new Adidas are on the steps always ready to go!

Here's my Mizunos now 392.60 miles, two fun runs and one half marathon later!



My new girls, laced up and ready to go (okay they've already gone.... almost 10 miles but that's only because of my nice snotty cold I picked up in Ohio!- Adidas (gotta come up with a catchy title for these now! LOL!)



In honor of my purple babies I'll have to work on some purple projects when my friends come over today!

My Special Friend - Prayer Request

It's not easy to work in an elementary school without getting attached to a few hundred of them! LOL! Then along comes a special few who drop by every day to give hugs, wave and knock at the windows or tackle you for a hug as you walk across the cafeteria! Something so wonderful about 25 kids with arms open wide begging for hugs! LOL! Anyway, you do meet a really special one once in a while too! For me, this was my little friend "Adria"! A gorgeous little girl with a giggle that defines "infectious"! She is just the sweetest little girl for more then just her cute smile, this little girls attitude towards everything makes all your "troubles" seem so much smaller! Adria is a survivor of stomach cancer who, has had it return for a second round. To look at her skipping down the hallway just waving and smiling to everyone you'd never know the paths her shoes have gone in the past! Okay, you can tell she's really special to me! If she can handle that, what can't "I" handle? Well, with Mom's permission, I have a picture of her to put up and a special request! If you're so inclined could you please pray for Adria, and her family? I know this is taking a lot out of everyone so they sure can use the extra prayers! Thanks in advance!

Here we are - she's the cute one on the left!

Long Time No Blogging - lots to blog about too!

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged! I have had so much going on it's not funny! This is a busy time of year at school so that's got a lot of my time but there's more! We found out, 100% for sure, that we're moving! Those details are keeping me going too! We're going to be stationed at Wright Patterson AFB in Ohio. They are sending my DH back to get his master's degree! It's a huge compliment to him as they only selected 6 people Air Force wide! I'm so proud of him I could bust! So that's the big news, let me back up and fill you in all the other little details! The last week of April we had company for 3 days, going out to eat and other activities that didn't allow for computer time! Then we had our family reunion in Charlottesville Va and had some family members come back and spend the next week with us too! This was my sister-in-law who is a great photographer and works free lance for a magazine like BHG in China. She left to go home Saturday afternoon but I took off for Dayton Ohio early Saturday morning and just got home late last night! I went house hunting up there! What fun! I did squeeze in a little time for Michael's since I had a 50% off coupon that I couldn't let go to waste - right?! I got lucky and found some great houses so now the hard part! I have to pick one! Then the harder part - choosing the details! Too many options that would all be awesome but you can only have so many bathroom faucets and countertops and cabinets! LOL! I've also started my hard training for the Marathon coming up in September! Well, we're in "phase 1 -no sugar"! That's not an easy task for a person with a big sugar tooth! LOL! I just have to work on my endurance but the souvenier I brought myself home was a nice snotty nose cold! Energy? What energy! LOL! I feel it all being sucked right out of my body! LOL! I saw today in the school job opportunities that my job was posted too! Lots of phone calls coming in about it! I hope they can start soon! I have "stuff" I need to do! LOL! Gotta get ready for the purge/garage sale coming up fast! I'm sort of chatty today but I guess that's because I'm so over due for a post! Enjoy my family reunion picture I'm sharing!

Hale Et Al Family reunion! There was more then just the "Hale's" there! That's the valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains behind us while we were at Monticello.

New Header Photo!

It's Springtime so it's time for the birdie to go and flowers to go up in it's place! Here's another "Breanna Original" for my header! She took this picture in my Grandmother-in-law's garden last year! I really liked it so it's the header picture....for now! She has so many great selections to choose from I might have to change it again! LOL!

Enjoy!

Single Layer Card

Hi,

One more camera phone picture to upload and my DH will be home! YEAH! I can't wait! Almost 19 years of being together and I still hate when he's gone! Like a sad puppy in a window! LOL! Anyway, here's an idea I had in my head for a while and thought I'd give it a try! What do you think?!!



I used all SU Products including the stamp set - "Embrace Life"! The paper is Taken with Teal, Bashful Blue and Whisper White. I didn't have all the matching inks so I used Sky Blue ink and black! I scribble colored the flowers with the Taken with Teal marker though! The corners were done with the ticket punch. I still like how it turned out and can see more being made....soon!

Stamp Camp April 27

Well if you're anything like my you're a very curious, impatient, gotta know, have it now type of person! Instant gratification that is! That being said, I am posting a few pictures of the things we're making at this Sunday's Stamp Camp! I have a couple of other things still in the works but, for now enjoy these pictures! Sorry about the clarity but my DH is still gone so I took these photos with my phone again! Don't forget you can click on the pictures to get a better look too!

This is a "gate fold" card. It uses the set "A Little Birdie Told Me"



This is a candle holder we'll be using the new Stampin Up "rub on's" with! These are so versatile as to the surfaces you can put them on! The pink paper is in there just so you can see the rub-on better!



If I had to choose a favorite I think it would be this one! This is a "Z-fold" card using a hostess stamp of a "Plumeria"! I just love how elegant you can make a card with this stamp. If you look closely the first layer has a brushing of silver on it too! I can't wait to show you how simple it is to do that!



This card is made using the little note cards that come from SU complete with envelopes! There are 3 different colors and I chose to use the Kraft color. Since the picture isn't the clearest, you can't see the pink "ty" behind the thank you words! It's much prettier in person!



Well, I hope you're planning to be at my house on Sunday! I'm looking forward to seeing you and so is my personal baker! I hope you like chocolate as she found a new brownie mix to try!

Talk to you all soon!

Thank You Tree Card

Okay, remember I said in my last post "bless the inventor of the camera phone"?! Well that being said, I am uploading a picture of a card I made tonight. It's a thank you card using some new stamps I just got yesterday from "Paper Trey Ink", an online stamp company. The set I got was for Father's Day and I just loved the trees and the compass that came with it so stay tuned for more from this set! Anyway, I made this card as a "thank you" for my administrators at school. This week is secretary appreciation week and they took us out for lunch! It was a very nice and leisurely lunch that we all enjoyed! I decided to make them this card to thank them for being great people to work for/with! If you notice I used all SU products (stamps being the exception) but I bet you can't guess what the tie was made from!! You know how you get clothes sometimes and the tags are attached with a string instead of those annoying plastic things?! Well, I saved one thinking I might have a use for it and voila! There it is in action! LOL! So Breanna will be happy as I recycled something on "Earth Day"! I hope you can see the card well enough in the picture to enjoy it!



I'm a little chatty tonight as I drank some tea a little later then I should have and can't sleep right now! LOL! The caffeine is killing me but my tummy feels better for having drank it!

Here I Am!

The funniest thing keeps happening to me! The other day I was walking down the hallway at work and saw this lady I knew! When I walked into my office I'll be darned if she wasn't walking out! Now it was really getting weird when I started seeing her at my house...... LOL! It was ME! LOL! Seriously, things have been so crazy busy between home and work I was running into myself coming as I was going! What kept me so busy that I haven't been on here, have missed a swap I really wanted to do and more?! Well at work it's not only report card time but we're deep into winding down the 07/08 school year AND winding up (yep - winding UP!) for next school year already! After printing over 1,000 report cards, doing untold numbers of audits and filing out the, well you know - I'm still going strong! I haven't even been running as I've had a mystery pain in my side that is aggravated by running. This pain is baffling the doctors as they x-rayed my pelvis and did an ultrasound and found nothing! Weird thing is though.... the pain is in my left side under my ribcage! I'm thinking like a real estate agent here perhaps but, isn't location everything?! I have gotten some good drugs (hello valium!) off of it but, well, I took two and let's just suffice it to say... not doing those anymore!LOL! I'm dealing with it as best I can while the doctors look up their anatomy books to decide what to do next (my elbow x-rayed perhaps?!) My DH is out of the country this week too and took my camera with him, well okay he took the family camera with him so I haven't been able to take any pictures unless I used my camera phone! Bless the inventor of that little baby! So anyway, that's me for the last week or so! Crazier then usual but still here! LOL!

Cute Drawings

Not many know this but, I have a brother, in the Navy, who is currently serving in Iraq. He's been there since December last year. He has missed a few holidays already and a couple of other important dates as well! Valentine's day was one of those but a couple of the kindergarten classes at my school wanted to "share the love" and they made him a bunch of Valentines! They were SO cute! Well his birthday is coming next week so I asked them if they would draw him some pictures! These little children are SO talented! I scanned a few of the pictures they drew in to share since they are SO cute! Each child had to draw a picture of themselves with the birthday person. Since they don't really know what he looks like they all made their own interpretation of him in their pictures! So, being in a multi-cultural school you can only imagagine how unique each adorable picture is! LOL! Here they are below!

A friend of mine's daughter did this one!



This little girl's is very talented! He can even read the writing in a mirror!



Yikes I hope he doesn't burn his head being so close to the sun!



My personal favorite here! Do you think they saw him first thing in the morning?! LOL! This is probably closest to his likeness as he is bald and works out on his muscles a lot! Gotta trim those nails though!



He'd probably like to be nice and tall like they drew him in this one! He's one of the shortest in my family! I'm taller, not by much though, then he is! LOL!

We Have Cupcakes!

One of my friends from school has a baby who is turning the BIG "1" tomorrow! I remember when she first said "I'm pregnant"! Well we were talking in the teacher's lounge one day at lunch and she saw a magazine with cupcake pictures on it. One thing led to another and, after a few conversations, she decided she'd like for me and Breanna to help her make Cookie Monster cupcakes and an Elmo cake! I wish the coloring had been darker but they really turned out cute! She's so cute and so fun so making these with her was a blast! Take a look at how cute they turned out!







Making these sure did make me miss not getting to make these sort of cute cakes and cupcakes for my kids any more! Maybe I can talk Breanna into a Barbie or Princess themed party.........................LOL! I doubt it! LOL!

Cherry Blossoms in D.C.

I was thinking yesterday, no pain involved here either! Here I am in D.C., it's Cherry Blossom Festival time and we have yet to go! We're hoping my brother can come up the last weekend of it and we'll see it for, what may be, our last time! When we went last time it was gorgeous! Sunny, a little cool but nothing beat the flowers! So here are a few pictures from a couple of years ago

My DH took this great picture and I just love it! We have it as our screen saver too!



Here's a close up!




The festival is set up all over with lots of events and, is it ever PACKED! This is the only shot of the lake/pond we could get! Sorry but we're in it (the "Polo pals"! LOL!) and blocking it but you can see some of it - just enough to tease! Doesn't it make you feel warm?!



I added this shot of the White House too. It's another picture in our screensaver too. It's beautiful and both my DH and daughter claim to have taken it! LOL! They had their own cameras and were taking pictures of everything! There is actually a fence around the WH but you just have to stick your hands and camera through to get a shot "bar free"! LOL! It was also taken a little later in the year as you can probably tell by the flowers!

Still Scrappin'

I'm still scrappin'! It was another crazeee day at work! Still plugging away putting student information in, working on report card stuff, catching up on audits, meeting myself coming as I'm going.....! LOL! You know, normal day to day routine type stuff! LOL! Anyway, to relax and feel better about having some "self accomplishment" today I finished up 2 pages and started another!

Here they are;

This one is from another of Amy's "ricettas". I like how they're different and incorporate more then the standard squares and rectangles that I seem to be stuck on! Anyway, my son Michael went through a dye stage and in this picture he wanted to see if blondes really did have more fun! I tried it once too and no, they don't! LOL!



Here's another one of Michael. I used a chipboard precolored word for the word "Smile" that I picked up at Michael's for $2! Great deal as I used the words again in another LO too! I also used the 2 star punches from Stampin Up to get the stars. If you punch the small one, then center the larger one over it you get a perfect cutout from the stars for a different look! This picture is of him playing with those old cheap cups you used to be able to get at gas stations. He was the apple of my Dad's eye when he lived with them while I was stationed in Korea. Best buds - that's my Dad's foot in the foreground! LOL! You wanted to know that right?!



Tiny ballerina - or not! LOL! Here's Breanna at age 4 at her dance class and another picture of her showing her silly side about it! Needless to say she didn't go any more after that set of classes ran out! Here's an idea for you to try sometime, at Target, in their dollar spot they have rhinestone tatoos once in a while. I used one of those, in a heart shape to surround her face and add another element to the space! I really like it! Oh and more of my little dots too! LOL! I really like those things!

My Mizunos Are On The Move Again

Yeah Me! I've been quite lazy lately, why? I don't know! I went out with a friend to the mall yesterday and maybe it was because I admitted it out loud, or maybe it was because she asked why not and I answered "I've been lazy"! Either way I got a move on again this morning! It's amazing how good it can make you feel to get your exercise first thing! Besides, running first thing in the morning means it's dark and I don't have to shave my legs! LOL! Anywhoooooo - YEAH ME! A girls gotta toot her own horn sometimes! LOL!

Have a great day!

Spring Flowers Class - Sneak Peek!

If you're on the fence, so to speak, about signing up for my "Spring Flowers" class here are some sneek peak pictures to push you over the fence! LOL! These are just a couple so far..... Enjoy!

We'll be using the "Jumbo Outline Letters" here along with one of the flowers from the tin



This one looks a little off as I didn't know how to photograph it to show it's best side (so to speak!) We'll be using punches too on this one as part of the front is actually a "peephole" to the inside showing off the flower!



Stay tuned for more pictures and sneak peeks!

Details of a Busy Week

It's been a crazy week at work! I felt like doorman for a revolving door at school! We've had more kids coming and going then at the beginning of the year! I come home totally wiped out, so bad if you're one to watch "my Mizuno" counter it hasn't moved...!LOL! I actually called home on Monday and told my DH that I wasn't making dinner but taking Breanna out to eat and would bring him home something! I don't know how he does it like this every day - crazy! We also had to get ready for his birthday so we did some much needed shopping to get a few last minute items we wanted to get for him! I had taken my friend Esther with me and showed her where to get the coolest cigar boxes ever - CHEAP! If you have a tobacco store near you pop in and ask if they sell their boxes! They really package those things in the neatest boxes! The same applied to Tuesday, Wednesday Breanna had plans to do something with "that boy" so Brian and I just ate whatever stroked our fancy (read that as cereal for me and Ramen for him!) Thursday, aaaah dinner on Thursday! LOL! Ever have one of those periods of time where you're better off feeding your family PB&J sandwiches? The meal I attempted that night was nothing short of horrendous! LOL! Burned the chicken, soupy mashed potatoes but the carrots turned out okay! My poor family! LOL! I hope it picks up this week! LOL!
I do have some projects I have been working on though! YEAH! I've gotten some scrapbook pages finished and some cards too! See what you think and..... tell me! LOL!

This one is following a "ricetta" from "Amy" - she has great layout ideas and I knew I wanted to do this one for my honey! It really showcases his accomplishment!



This is an old one I am finishing up of my oldest daughter. It's before I had my son and I won't say how long ago that was! LOL! You can see I'm still loving the little "dots"! They seem to work perfect for everything! I used SU's jumbo outline letters for the letters l-e on "playtime". I just love that set as it is so versatile!



On to the cards!

I used the SU set "Tart and Tangy" along with the coordinating papers for this card. I love the bright colors of this paper they're so "clean" looking! If you're a retro gal you'd love these too as they totally look "50's-ish"!



This stamp set is from the SU set called "Always". I love how the flowers are made to go into the bird like that. There are other stamps in this set that are really versatile to both card making and especially scrapbooking.



Here we are with another "Tart and Tangy" card. I can't remember the name of this set off right now but will edit this post later with it! Edited - The words are part of a Stampin Up set called "Smarty Pants"



I used old DP from SU on this one and a kitty sticker I got from Michael's dollar bin! The kitty is SO cute! I had to use him for a card for kids and, more dots!



I'm not crazy about this card but it was in my head to do so....it's done! Now it's back as it needs to be redone differently! I just need to figure out how! LOL! It's coming....stay tuned! LOL!