My End of the Week Monday...

So starting about 3:30-4pm yesterday all hell broke loose at work yesterday... Between that time and 5pm I swear Sharon and I didn't stop helping customers either on the phone or in person for more than 5 minutes - and I think there was only 1 - 5 minute break... At one point I actually had 1 guy trying on a tuxedo, 1 mom ordering senior portraits from me, and 2 calls I had to return. Apparently none of these people realized it was Thursday not Monday...

I all ready posted about my evening so I'll just leave you with the 3 LOs I completed yesterday.

Another of Jaylin!

Credits:
Paper, frame, dragonfly pins, glittery swirl, &alpha from the Magiques Kit by Newlife Dreams Designs.
Butterfly overlay by Newlife Dreams Designs.

Brenden in Sept 2004 and Sept 2007...

Credits:
Never Too Big QP by Sondra Teer of sondra-scraps.com.
Fonts: FG David

Micaila at the playground, and her drawing of us going there!

Credits:
Papers & ribbon from the Garden Kit by Sondra Teer of sondra-scraps.com.
Frames from the Shabby Frame set by Sondra Teer of sondra-scraps.com.
Fonts: FG Dulce

Playground Antics

Didn't have much to blog about this morning,... or the time to do it! LOL When I got home tonight I walked the kids down to the elementary school playground though, and got some good pics. I'm hoping the weather holds, and I can take them to the park and playground in Watertown on Sunday morning for some fun and photos. We'll probably end up at the zoo as well if we go! :D

So I didn't manage to complete the paper LO before work yesterday, but I did finish it last night. I'm in a Circle Journal Swap at GS, and always seem to forget the date until the day it is supposed to be postal... so it is going out 2 days late this month. I think my issue with the date is that I do so little work in paper at this point that I forget the journal is even sitting there waiting... But here it is:


Credits:
Bazzill cardstock, 3 Bugs in a Rug patterned paper, MM minibrads, Pressed Petals chipboard flower, Prima flowers, American Crafts ribbon, JoAnns Scrapessentials alpha clips, and large rhinestone brad from Target's $1 spot.

It's really quiet so far this morning. Micaila was up for about 10 minutes at 6:30am because she'd had an accident overnight. Both kids are back alseep now, and Mike's only ventured down to use the bathroom before heading back to bed. I have to head out early this morning so I can drop the car off at the mechanic's to get the muffler wired up beforeI go to work. It came loose on Saturday, and sounds horrible. Every time I hit a bump it sounds like it is going to fall off completely. And, when I turn corners it must touch the frame of the car because the whole car vibrates.

Speaking of work... what is up with seniors??? I realize they are young, and life's supposed to be a party for them and all, but come on... We've been sending out mailings - over 600 letters/cards each time & at least 1 mailing a month - since May, and we still have people calling us to try to get in last minute for their yearbook photos. They seem to think we should have plenty of appointments to do this for them. I work for a professional photographer - not a store photo studio, and we've even had a couple of parents who assumed they could just bring their seniors in without appointments and get photos done! Jeeeeesh!

Anywho - I need to go finish getting ready for work. Here's the digital LO I created this morning:

Credits:
Papers & elements from the In Short Supply kit by Royanna Lea Fritschmann.
Fonts: FG David

LO of my last cubical at the call center where I worked for 3 years and 11 months.

Morning Snuggles

I love mornings when the kids wake up, and just want to snuggle for a while - before running through the house like hooligans! LOL Brenden came in to the computer this morning to "lay on" me. (That means he wants to snuggle on my shoulder while I try to type!) He managed to fall back to sleep so I laid him down on the sofa, and he started snoring again. When he woke up it was to request that I come lay on him! I love that nut!

Micaila woke up a few minutes after me this morning to state that she'd had a bad dream... So I told her to follow me 'cause I was heading into the kitchen with my hands full... Well, I put the kids' cups in the sink and my empty soda can from last night into the refundables, and realized she still wasn't in the kitchen... so I go to check on her - not 5 minutes has passed, mind you -only to find she is so deeply alseep again that she doesn't feel me touching her cheek! Wow! To sleep as deeply as these kids do....

I managed to get 1 LO done before bed last night, and 1 this morning using templates. I just wasn't feeling the whole scrappy mood so the templates take the design decisions off my hands! LOL

Last night's was for a Scrap-N-Chat template challenge at DSO:

Credits:
Papers & elements from DSO's August Challenge Posting bonus - Summer's End - by PaoJava, HoleyCow, & Kim B.
Template by Darlene H.
Fonts: Caramella

This morning's is forPamela's CT:

Credits:
Paper & elements from the Sunshine mini kit by Pamela of Digitreats available on her blog.
Template from Baby Template Set by Pamela of Digitreats available at SAS.
Fonts: Comic Sans

Off to work on a paper LO I need to get done, breakfast for the kiddos, and then to work! :D

Very late today...

I spent most of "my" time before work uploading LOs from the weekend, and most of my time this evening extracting zipped files. I'm trying to get my digital scrapping files straightened out.

Haven't really felt like scrapping today so I have no new LOs to show you...

Off to the train show!

Short & sweet this morning - not much time before we have to leave. Dad & I are taking the kids to a the train show in Clayton today! The kids are pretty excited so it should be fun, and I should come back with plenty of photos to scrap! (Hopefully! LOL)

I checked out a website listing due to a MySpace bulletin posted by Heather Manning yesterday, and found out my birthday is on National Hugging Day... What did I do to deserve that!?!?

I finished 2 LOs last night after everyone had gone to bed, and 1 this morning. Enjoy!


Credits:
Papers & elements from the Happy Birthday kit by Pamela of Digitreats available at her Ebay store.
Fonts: aaaiight!; 1942


Credits:
Papers and elements from the July Monday Mixer Challenge kit by Julie Kelley Designs.
Fonts: Epoxy History; Escape TypewriterC
Journaling:
Uncle Kolby is an architectural draftsman. He drafted the blueprints which helped create this house. It is a gorgeous (and expensive) house that he has every right to be proud of!


Credits:
Paper, extracted flower, jewel, & tag from May Monday Mixer Challenge Kit by Julie Kelley Designs.
Acrylic hummingbird by SKrapper Designs.
Fonts: Little Days Alt
Journaling:
When I was about 10 I managed to catch a hummingbird with my bare hands... I remember vividly following it from tire planter to tire planter in my parent's front yard. The planters were made from recycled tires, and painted a bright shade of robin's egg blue so they are hard to forget! LOL

I must have followed that bird around the front yard for a good 1/2 hour before I managed to cup my hands around it. I was so excited that I had managed to catch something so small, quick, and beautiful! I had either Nora or Blayne open the door to the house so I could show Mom... who was in the bathroom. She didn't want to believe me so I opened my hands - just a little - to show her I wasn't lying, and wouldn't you know it - the bird got loose!

It must have taken at least 15 minutes to get it shooed out the door. I didn't see another hummingbird around our house for at least 5 years after that incident! Do you think he spread the word?!?

The confused magician...

So Brenden has started acting like a magician. I assume one of his morning cartoon shows had a magic episode on recently. He'll grab some object -sometimes Micaila - throw a blanket over it, and start waving his hands while chanting. The funny part is his chant...
...
not Abracadabra...
...
not Hocus-Pocus...
...
...
His chant is, "Hickory-Dickory-Dock! Show me the [insert item]!"
ROFL I end up in stitches everytime!

I just finished this page, and I'm off to work!


Credits:
Papers & elements from the Happy Birthday kit by Pamela of Digitreats available at her Ebay store.
Fonts: Girls Are Wierd

Eeerrrrggggg!

How is it that doctors have the ability to make you feel about 3 inches tall with very few words??? Anyone who has ever met Brenden would agree he is a very happy, healthy little boy, and very few of them would disagree that he is very intelligent. And yet, the doctor is concerned because he doesn't "know" his colors! He knows the words... some of them in Spanish even (thanks to Dora and the moose, Zee & Henrietta on Nick Jr.), but he can very rarely tell you that you are wearing an orange (or blue or pink) shirt and get the right color.

What the doctor didn't hear, was him telling me that a Pteradactyl looks like a bird 5 minutes earlier... What 3-yr-old knows that!!! (And, by the way, he can also pronounce Pteradactyl perfectly.) I had asked Micaila if she could tell me what one looked like as we were discussing dinosaurs on the room's border, and she said no... so Brenden told me without even looking at the wall! I very honestly believe he just hasn't cared to learn which color is which. He is extremely stubborn, and when he's ready and interested will probably get it down in 30 minutes or less...

Micaila had to get a booster for Hepatitus A, and was very upset that the nurse forgot to bring them back stickers... It was the first thing I heard when I got home after work. LOL If only all of life's issues could be fixed with a sticker... As for my doctor visit- well it was actually a nurse visit ( much better- no copay!) and my arm is sore (as usual), but should be fine by tomorrow! :)

The boss is out of the office again today. He's part of a 4-person team competing in a paddling race in Old Forge this weekend. The race starts at 8am this morning. So work should be fairly relaxing today. :) Of course, the last time he was ooto we managed to have one of our busiest days yet... don't these people know we're supposed to be able to relax when the boss is gone?!?! LOL

I finished another LO/QP for Karla's CT last night, as well as a LO for Pamela's new kit Amelia which will be available starting Monday at the new SAS Store! I'm off to work on another page with Amelia, and maybe I'll create a QP or two for this kit. I'm also itching to start my first hybrid project - a boardbook album using digital pages and "regular" embellishments! :D


Credits:
Papers & elements from the Fruits of the Spirit Kit by Karla Kellum of Lifesong Kreations.
Fonts: Dymaxion Script; DSP Grandmom's Hand


Credits:
Papers & elements from the Amelia kit by Pamela of Digitreats available at Stone Accents Studios.
Fonts: Girls Are Weird

Another LO of my newest niece, and this time with her mommy!


And, last, but not least, I finished this page this morning before work:

Credits:
Papers & elements from the Amelia kit by Pamela of Digitreats available at Stone Accents Studios.

Jaylin again!

Doctor visits...

You know those mornings you'd just rather stay in bed? Well, how about ones where both you & your kids have doctor appointments? Do they qualify? I have toget my birth control shot this morning - which shoudn't take too long, and then take the kids to a well-child visit booster shot appointment. All before going to work mind you! Guess it's a good thing I couldn't get back to sleep when Mike's alarm went off at 4am...

Grampy's here and we have to get out the door so this is going to be super short, but here's a LO I finished this morning to be used as a QP for Karla's CT:


Credits:
Paper & elements from the Fruits of the Spirit kit by Karla Kellum of Lifesong Kreations available soon at Digitals.
Fonts: Elegant

The kids visited a petting farm/zoo on Long Island while visiting Nana Jo in June, and these are the pictures that came back. :)

Out witting a 4.5-year-old...

Micaila, are you going to go put some shorts or pants on?
-Nope!
Why not?
-I'm waiting for Grampa.
Really??
.
.
.
-Mommy, can you go get me a sandwich NOW?
Nope!
-Why not?
I'm waiting for Grampa.
- [feet pounding up the stairs]
.
.
.
-Now can you? (Asks a fully dressed Micaila!) LOL

Had to share the story from yesterday morning. Haven't got much else to post, so I'll leave you with the LO I just finished 10 minutes ago...


Credits:
Papers &elements from the Little Star kit by Amy Teets available at at ACOT and Oscraps.
Shadowbox is Shadowbox 1 by Amy Teets available at at ACOT and Oscraps.
Fonts: Vintage Typewriter

A photo journal of Brenden for 2007. (...So far!)

Hmmm...

Not sure what happened... the $45 estimate was based on my niece's count of what money had come in, but when I counted out the money this morning there is only an additional $31.15?! Oh well, in any case definitely NOT a rousing success of a yard sale. We found last night when we went to take down our signs that someone else had taken it upon themselves to remove the ones we'd placed down the two roads leading to our corner. That may explain why we only had 3 customers - 1 of which was a repeat (She came back for 2 more items.) - yesterday.

I finished 2 other LOs yesterday before bed. The 2nd is all freebies from blogs, but the word art had no TOU document so if it is yours please let me know! :)


Credits:
Papers & elements from the Let's Hear It For The Boy kit by Tracy Blankenship available on her blog.
Template from the Templates with Altitude #1 set by Tracy Blankenship available at her store.
Fonts: Angelina; Bell Bottom.Laser


Credits:
Paper, frame, and flower from Endless Summer sampler mini kit by Misty Cato.
Ribbon tie by Newlife Dreams.
Word art quote by unknown. (Came from a blog, but there is no TOU included.)

Off to do the Monday morning stuff on Tuesday... Have a great day! :)

Yeah!

I got a Rockin' Girl Blogger award from Sondra! TY! :D Now, to pay it forward I nominate:

1. http://florescentjellybeans.blogspot.com
Tracy King for her super awesome freebies!
2. http://nbk-nicnic.blogspot.com/
NBK Designs for posting no matter what mood she's in almost daily, and including large freebies of outstanding quality!
3. http://designsbyselena.blogspot.com/
Selena for gathering long lists of blogs with terrific freebies in between all the other busy duties in her life atm. [hug]


On to other items... we've only managed to make about $45 so far this weekend with the yard sale, and still have more than half of the stuff we've put out to sell... guess I'll have to do this another weekend or two before winter. I'm so not in the mood for it today. I woke up with one of those nagging not-quite-a-headache-yet issues. We have possible thunder showers on the way for this afternoon, and I'd really like 1 day OFF before going back to work tomorrow... (Ok, enough of the whining.)

I finished this 2-page LO for Julie's CT & Monday Mixer Challenge this morning:



Credits:
Papers from the Summer Garden Paper Pack by Julie Kelley Designs.
Stamps from the Summer Stamps Set by Julie Kelley Designs.
Fonts: 1942 (date); Hootie!

Micaila and Brenden playing with a hula hoop at the family gathering after Uncle Richard's funeral.

What can I say about Sundays?

It is my 1 day off a week... And, it never seems long enough! I always have a laundry list of things to accomplish on Sundays - which never seems to get fully completed. I do get Monday off this week due to Labor Day, but we're having a yard sale this weekend so I have to keep checking on the yard/kids/niece while trying to finish things. This tends to detract me from my goals which slows down the whole process. It's odd - I can multitask with the best of them at work. I may get a little fuzzy-brained if it continues non-stop for more than an hour, but I can do it. At home -well let's just say not so much.

It's good to hear the kids laughing and playing with Krys- outside. (They're a little too loud for comfort inside! LOL) Brenden had a pretty good sunburn when he came in last night, but it is gone today... Just look at those cheeks!


And, that reminds me... here are his "leopard" spots:





I completed this LO for Pamela's CT last night:

Credits:
Papers and bow from the Expecting You Kit by Pamela of Digitreats available in her Ebay store.
Mud template from the Boys Templates Collection by Pamela of Digitreats available in her Ebay store.
Fonts: 1942


And, this one this morning:

Credits:
Papers and elements from the Expecting You Kit by Pamela of Digitreats available in her Ebay store.
Template #3 by Pamela of Digitreats available on her blog.
Fonts: 215000EURO; 321Impact

This is me 2 days before Micaila was born.

I'm off to try to complete more of my to do list! :)

It's September?!?!? Really?!?!

Yikes! Where, oh where, is the year going? Every time someone asks me the date at work I cringe! That ends up being several (dozen) times a day with proof album pickups and senior portrait orders/sittings...

This means we only have about 12 weeks left 'til Xmas... Have YOU started your shopping??? I've picked up a couple of small items for the kids, but other than that I haven't. I can remember when I used to have all of my shopping done by Thanksgiving Day. I started shopping in July for Xmas then. I also used to have all of my Xmas cards ready to mail by the day after Thanksgiving - not so now! LOL

So, what are your plans for Labor Day weekend? We're having a yard sale. The one that we've been putting stuff aside for for a year... I'm a little worried that having it on a holiday weekend will mean lower sales, but I haven't been able to get it arranged any earlier this year. Most everything is $1 or less, and I've posted it on Craig's List for our area so all I can do now is cross my fingers. We really need to get rid of this stuff. Most of it is clothes the kids have outgrown... since BIRTH!!! I actually still have several totes of more clothes at the shed in my parent's backyard that I didn't manage to get out & washed so we'll have to do this again next year as well.

This post is super early 'cause my niece is staying with us this weekend as well, and had her cell phone set to go off at 4:30am... Can anyone explain to me WHY a 12-year-old girl needs a wakeup at 4:30am during the summer?!?!? Of course, she didn't get the wakeup anyway since the phone was downstairs instead of upstairs with her...

It did allow me to finish this LO for SDD's Digi Bytes:

Credits:
Papers, cardboard flowers, and stitched alpha from Little Star kit by Amy Teets available at at ACOT and Oscraps.
Half-template by Amy Teets available at at ACOT and Oscraps.
Fonts: Jungle Juice (with paper overlay)

I'd better go start hauling stuff into the yard for our sale!