The Scrapping Garden

Project 365 Update

2009-03-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

Today, I'd like to share my 365 Project, Week 9 LO. I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with this challenge! I'm looking forward to a 100+ page album at the end of the year. This week, I used some beautiful background papers from Cheryl McCain's kit "Iris in Spring". Other credits can be found HERE. I used this LO the the Paper Patch Challenge, details can be found HERE. Take a look at the rest of "Iris in Spring" and Cheryl's other kits in the store HERE.

Project 365 Update

2009-02-22T19:27:00.004-05:00

Today, I thought I'd take a look and see how everyone was doing with their Project 365 layouts. I found week number 7 by Grammadiane. I really like her photo frames with the days of the week identification. Diane used "Timeless" by Carol Marion from The Scrapping Garden. You can find more Project 365 LOs by Diane and others in the Find of the Day Gallery HERE.

Challenge Spotlight - Paper Patch Crop - Hosted by Diann Snow

2009-02-10T19:17:00.006-05:00

Please join me on Feb 12th at 8PM ET in the chatroom for the Paper Patch Crop. The Paper Patch Crop kit is my brand new "Je t'aime" kit. You can purchase the paper pack and Quickpage in the store HERE for $2.00 until midnight after the crop.

This kit will serve nicely for your Valentine, Romantic or Heritage layouts. The soft colors and muted tones will also work well for Mothers Day or Anniversarys. Post a layout using the papers and elements that I'll be giving out at the crop and get the "Je t'amie" kit elements free AND another Quickpage. Post a layout using the "Je t'aime" Quickpage and get the kit elements as your posting bonus.
Here is a look at the elements you will receive after you have completed the challenge.

I finally finished the second quick page that will be given as an additional posting bonus if you use the kit elements...

Here is a layout I did using the stickit!

View all the details in the forum HERE.

Challenge Spotlight - Grow Your Elements - Hosted by Marsha & April

2009-02-09T20:53:00.006-05:00

Marsha and I are back and ready to have a great time with you all!
Our chat will be on February 10th at 9:00 PM Eastern Time , 6:00 PM Pacific Time. I am really excited and I have made some beautiful posting bonus' for you!
I am so excited in fact I couldnt wait another minute to share them with you!! Even though you will need to wait until the crop to find out what the Element of the Month is and get your Element Freebies to use in your layouts, I just couldnt wait!! I am not very good with keeping secrets or keeping surprises hidden LOL I just get too excited!

Your posting bonus for this Challenge is below:

If you use our Vintage Valentine Kit you will receive the above QP as well as these three Alphas that coordinate with our Vintage Valentine Kit:

One of the alphas is a fabric Duct Tape Alpha, one is a sanded chipboard alpha and one is an alpha that has been contoured so it has some beautiful dimension.

We hope to see you at our Chat! If for some reason you are unable to make it to the chat please PM myself or Marsha and we will get the elements to you so you can complete the challenge. Check out all the details in the forum HERE.

365 Project - February Templates

2009-02-07T21:44:00.003-05:00

I'm a bit late in getting these posted but if you're like me, you wait til the end of the week to create your layouts, so maybe I'm in time for most of you.

I hope you enjoy using these templates! The great thing about templates is you can make changes to them if they don't suit your photo orientation. If you've taken landscape photos, just turn these around to suit your photos.

Download yours HERE.

Thanks for stopping by!

February Desktop Calendars

2009-02-02T17:55:00.003-05:00

Below are the previews of the February Desktop Calendars. This month's beautiful calendars are courtesy of Cheryl McCain. Thanks Cheryl!

Download your desktop calendar HERE.

Challenge Spotlight - It's All About Me - hosted by Carol Marion

2009-01-29T18:58:00.004-05:00

February is the month of hearts and flowers, so I decided it would be a great time to work on a theme of love. I've found in my genealogy research, lots of wedding photos of various ancesters. In many of them, they didn't dress in white, but in black. Seeing the young faces of my grandparents and g-grandparents, I wonder what they were thinking and how they felt....they looked so young. So----this month we are going to scrap those wedding photos.

Here's how the February crop will work:

1) The Theme is "Timeless Love"

2) The challenge is to scrap a wedding photo or portait and convey either a memory or story or a bit of research that you want to be remembered.

3) This month, the featured kit will be my "Timeless Memories" kit. It is on sale this month at 30% off in my store HERE. (My "Timeless Memories Add-on is the Promo mini-kit for the month of Feb and is free with any $10 purchase in the store)

4) Layouts should be posted in the gallery no later than Feb 26 to receive the posting bonus. If you you post a layout without the featured kit, you will receive a template (that may be used for the next crop), but if you post a layout using the featured kit, you will receive the template AND a special mini-kit created just for this crop.

6) You can still participate in the crop if you are unable to make the chat as this is a month-long crop.

7) I will give out a gift to help out with your layout at the chat.

7) Check out the forum HERE throughout the month for extra info and links.

Have fun this month and see you at the chat on February 2nd. If you have any questions or suggestions, your feedback is always appreciated....email me at ecarla@rogers.com

Project 365 - Week 4 Templates

2009-01-24T16:28:00.006-05:00

Pammy Yates has created the templates for the last week of January.
Download yours HERE.
(sorry everyone, link is now fixed!)

Stop in The Scrapping Garden FORUM to see what everybody there is doing with the 365 Project. Join in with us as we see the year through!

Project 365

2009-01-21T19:56:00.006-05:00

WOW, so many people are taking advantage of the motivation that Project 365 gives. I thought you might enjoy taking a look at what some of The Scrapping Garden members are posting for this challenge. I really like the LOs below by grammadiane. She's right on schedule with her Week 3 LO, pages 1 &2. The divided page and elements down the middle make these pages pop in the gallery! The kit she used is "Lifetime Friends" by Cheryl McCain.

365 Project - Week 3

2009-01-18T19:34:00.004-05:00

Grab your templates for the 365 Project - Week 3, created by Cheryl McCain!!

Get yours HERE.

And don't forget to stop in the Forum and join in on our ever-growing 365 Project!

Challenge Spotlight - Petals of Wisdom

2009-01-12T22:21:00.007-05:00

KaKleiDesigns (Karen) will be hosting the Petals of Wisdom challenge from now on, this is her first time hosting a challenge so be patient with her, please. It will last from Jan 10-31.
This is the quote choosen for the challenge, hope you like it!
"People are always telling you that change is a good thing, but what they're really saying is that something that you didn't want to happen just happened." -- You've Got Mail (Karen is a movie fan)
You may use the quote above in your layout and create your own word art or you can use the one Karen created for you. It is in black and white both so you should be able to use it on any type of paper.
The featured kit is Blooming Days Kit for this challenge. It's on sale until Jan 27 for only $3.25- that's 50% off the list price!
Find out all the challenge details in the forum HERE.
Check out KaKleiDesigns store HERE!

Post your layout in the Petals of Wisdom gallery and you will get 1 QP created with KaKleiDesigns' Blooming Days kit. You can see her layouts with this QP:

If you use any of KaKleiDesigns' kits in your layout, you'll get an additional QP, also made from the Blooming Days kit.

Challenge Spotlight - Color Outside the Lines

2009-01-07T17:36:00.004-05:00

This should be an exciting as well as a learning challenge. Cheryl will supply a mini kit each month for you to use for your layout, hopefully using unusual colors which will be perfect for any black and white photo. Thus, the challenge name.......color outside the lines - as in stepping out of your comfort zone and using color to showcase your photos!

We will also be learning how to repair the color of your old discolored, yellowed photographs AND how to effectively turn them to great black and white photos using our graphics programs, being able to control the color WITHOUT using "desaturate" or "grey scale", and other techniques for "recreating" our photos.

The challenge will last all month long and everyone that completes it will receive a 2nd mini kit coordinating with the 1st as your posting bonus.

So.............meet Cheryl in the chatroom Thursday, January 8th at 9PM ET to get the password to the "Simply Black 'n White" kit shown below.

Go to the forum HERE to download the kit and review all the details of this challenge. Cheryl will be waiting for you in the chat room Thursday night, to get going with this FUN Challenge.

This month's lesson will be colorizing just part of our photo. You'll want to choose a nice photo where there's an object or even part of the clothing, or anything you want to recolor.

See ya Thursday night!!

365 Project - Week 2

2009-01-07T09:22:00.003-05:00

Grab these terrific templates for the 365 Project - Week 2, created by Pammy Yates!!

Get yours HERE.

And don't forget to stop in the Forum and join in on our ever-growing 365 Project!

Challenge Spotlight - Paper Patch Crop

2009-01-06T20:02:00.006-05:00

Please join Pammy on Thursday, January 8th at 8PM EST for the Paper Patch Crop!

The featured paper pack, Graduation, is on sale for only $2.00 through January 9 and includes 12 papers and one 12x12 QP. Use the QP or the papers from the kit for your layout and get the elements as a posting bonus!

If you use the kit papers and the freebie elements you'll get during the crop, you'll receive another 12x12 QP for your posting bonus as well as the kit elements. Review all the details of this challenge in the forum HERE.
Here's a preview of your posting bonus - all of the kit elements!

Crop attendance is NOT required to participate in this challenge!

Challenge Spotlight

2009-01-05T19:55:00.004-05:00

Please join Pamela Yates in the chatroom on January 6 at 2pm EST the Easy as 1, 2, 3 Crop!
Here's how it works:
You purchase Pammy's featured kit, Agnes, to use to create your layout.

Pammy will be giving out coordinating freebies during the crop.
Post your layout by the deadline of January 31 in the Easy as 1, 2, 3 gallery and you'll get the posting bonus shown below - Pammy'a new Orleta kit, which coordinates with her Agnes kit!

Agnes will be on sale for ONLY $2.75 through January 7 - that's 45% off! Crop attendance is NOT required to participate in the challenge! You can review the details in the forum HERE.

Thanks for looking and Pammy will enjoy "seeing" you at the crop!

Challenge Spotlight

2009-01-04T11:57:00.004-05:00

Check out the 2010 Calendar Craziness Challenge! Your hostess for this challenge and chat will be Cheryl McCain. The chat will be held each month on the first Monday @ 9PM EST. That means the first chat is tomorrow! There will be a new challenge each month with the goal of creating your own 8x8 calendar that you'll be able to print out and have bound for the year 2010. Your calendars will make WONDERFUL Christmas gifts and you will be way ahead with your gift projects by participating in this challenge. You can view all the information for the 2010 Calendar Craziness Challenge in the forum HERE.

365 Project - Week 1

2009-01-04T09:37:00.006-05:00

Have you heard the BUZZ about the 365 Project? Follow along with us in the 365 Project Forum at TSG HERE.

Download your set of templates for your 1st week of photos and let's complete the 365 Project together!!

Download your templates HERE.

2009-01-01T10:22:00.010-05:00

Happy New Year!

Each month of the year 2009, the wonderful designers at The Scrapping Garden will have a great gift for you! You will receive a beautiful desktop calendar for your computer. Below is a preview of January's calendars!

Download the Northern Hemisphere Calendar HERE
Download the Southern Hemisphere Calendar HERE

December 23, 2008

2008-12-23T11:20:00.004-05:00

Oh my oh my, how could I do such a thing? Here's yet one more part to the "Dreammy Syrup" kit and this is the Alpha created by April Sevigny! Thank you April and Merry Christmas to you!!

Download April's coordinating Alpha HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Once again.............Merry Christmas to all!!!

December 23 and 24th, 2008

2008-12-23T00:46:00.004-05:00

As I'll be leaving in the morning, I did NOT want to forget blogging the last 2 days of our 12 Days of Christmas.

Karen - aka kakleidesigns - has supplied us with a gorgeous free kit and I thank her so very much!!

Be sure to check back in January and get your FREE desktop calendar, something new here on the Blog every month for our customers and followers.

There are new challenges in our Forum for the upcoming New Year and we have a few other things up our sleeves as well. Stay tuned and get in on the action!!

And now, you can download the last 2 days of "Dreammy Syrup" HERE and HERE.
(sorry, these links are no longer available.)

On behalf of the Team at the Scrapping Garden, I wish all of you a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

December 22, 2008

2008-12-22T12:03:00.002-05:00

I survived our Christmas party yesterday. It was a wonderful Christmas here in the McCain house. And tomorrow we travel "home" to celebrate with the rest of our family there.

I am now filled with the Christmas spirit of Love, Peace and Hope.

Enjoy today's download from kakleidesigns kit HERE.

Wishing you a most Happy Holiday Season!!

December 21, 2008

2008-12-21T00:08:00.004-05:00

Surprise! I'm VERY early with today's post. I didn't want to get wrapped up in the festivities today and be late.....again.

Before I post the link to your gift, I want to let everyone know that Dyanna became a grandma again yesterday to a beautiful baby girl. See her photo and read about it in the Forum HERE.

And now, here's your gift. Download HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Enjoy!!

December 20, 2008

2008-12-20T09:17:00.003-05:00

Wow! Is Christmas coming way too fast or WHAT?! I STILL have a few things to pick up before our Christmas party at our house tomorrow!! Then there's house-cleaning, last minute wrapping, cooking! Geesh!!

But I know everyone else is in the same boat................................so let's just enjoy the little gift
that kakleidesigns has created for us to help relieve some stress!!

Download today's gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Enjoy!!

December 19, 2008

2008-12-19T17:21:00.003-05:00

Oh my goodness!!! I just now remembered that I TOTALLY FORGOT TO BLOG TODAY!!!!
YIKES!! I'm soooooo sorry everybody! I'll leave this gift link up an extra day for ya.
It's getting really crazy for me the closer Christmas gets!

Anyway, I'll post your gift for today before today is GONE! Again, I humbly apologize!!

Get today's gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Enjoy! And I PROMISE to try and have tomorrow's gift up MUCH MUCH earlier!!

December 18, 2008

2008-12-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

I've been soooo busy trying to finish up my shopping and wrapping gifts and still busy MAKING gifts. I have three days to get ready. Our Christmas begins on Sunday afternoon with our children that live close to us and then we travel on the 23rd. Whew! Busy, busy, busy...............but not too busy to give you your 12 Days of Christmas gift for today.

You can download your gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Enjoy! I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday Season stress-free!! Take time for yourselves and just ENJOY!!

December 17, 2008

2008-12-16T23:48:00.004-05:00

Christmas is fast approaching and I'm not even done with my shopping. I guess that's what is called the hustle and bustle of the Holiday Season. LOL I'll be hustling out again today to find just the gift I'm looking for. If only I KNEW what that was. <-----sigh>.

Well, on the 5th day of Christmas....................you can download your gift HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available.)

And let's not forget that tonight, Wednesday, December 17th, there will be a Christmas Movie Trivia chat at 10PM ET in the chatroom!! Don't miss the fun!!

December 16, 2008

2008-12-16T00:02:00.003-05:00

On the 4th day of Christmas..............you can download your gift HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Don't forget about TSG's Christmas Treasure Hunt in the FORUM.

Also, tonight at 9PM ET, Diann will be discussing taking photos of all the holiday light displays!

She will have links to tips and tricks for taking better photos and a free gift or two!

Thanks for visiting and Happy Scrapping Holidays!!

December 15, 2008

2008-12-15T05:54:00.005-05:00

On our 3rd day of Christmas you can pick up your gift............but first...........have you found all the treasures in TSG's Christmas Treasure Hunt? Get your clues in the Forum HERE for more gifts.

AND on Wednesday, December 17th, there is a Christmas Movie Trivia chat being held at 10PM ET. Don't miss the fun!

Download today's 3rd day of Christmas gift HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available)

Enjoy!! See ya tomorrow!

December 14, 2008

2008-12-13T22:36:00.002-05:00

On the 2nd Day of Christmas.............there's another gift for you from Karen's Dreammy Syrup kit!
Download HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available)

Thanks for stopping by and joining us! Be sure to come back tomorrow.

December 13, 2008

2008-12-12T23:15:00.011-05:00

The 12 Days of Christmas has begun! From now through December 24th, you'll be getting pieces each day of Karen Kleiman's "Dreammy Syrup" kit along with a coordinating alpha created by
April Sevigny.

For Day 1, download your gift HERE. (sorry, this link is no longer available.)

December 12, 2008

2008-12-12T09:58:00.004-05:00

Wow! It's ALMOST here! Tomorrow begins our 12 Days of Christmas Celebration! Check back here on the Blog AND in the Forum for clues to the TSG Christmas Treasure Hunt.

In the meantime, I've got a deal for you. I've created a template for an altered paint can - gallon size - that would make a great quick and inexpensive Christmas gift. I've made several this year for my ADULT children. They LOVE movie packs. Purchase a favorite movie DVD, drop it in your altered pain can along with some microwave popcorn, candy to munch on while watching the movie and I guarantee they'll LOVE it!! My kids ask for their "movie pack" every year!!

And for a limited time, you can get the "Beautiful Winter" kit that I used to make the paint can pack for only $2.00 when you purchase BOTH the DigiCraftz Gallon Paint Can Pack AND Wonderful Winter.

But BOTH kits in your shopping cart and use coupon code CM-bw225off.

And don't forget, join us tomorrow for our 12 Days of Christmas event!!

December 11, 2008

2008-12-11T09:06:00.002-05:00

My goodness! 14 days til Christmas! That means our 12 Days of Christmas here on the Blog AND on the site begins in just 2 days! Don't miss visiting us right up til Christmas and get your daily Christmas gifts!

And speaking of Christmas gifts..........I'm now on my way to ToysRUs. They're having a big 1 day sale and MAYBE I can finish up my grandkid's Christmas!

Today, Kristi Westling has offered this coupon for 10% off her entire store ON TOP of her already 50% off sale!! How can you pass up a deal like this?! Pop on over to Kristi's shoppe and pick up some great deals!

December 10, 2008

2008-12-10T11:38:00.003-05:00

Only 3 more days until TSG's 12 Days of Christmas activities!! We sure hope ya'll join in!!
I'll post a link to the Forum where you can find out ALL about what we've got up our Santa sleeves before the BIG Event, so don't miss coming to the Blog to get the info!

Today, Marsha - aka froggypond, has a GORGEOUS quickpage for you.

Download yours HERE. Enjoy!! (sorry, this link is no longer available.)

Come back tomorrow and get yet another gift!!

December 9, 2008

2008-12-09T17:22:00.003-05:00

Well, I have an update on the remodeling. Now, hubby isn't quite sure if he wants to remodel the upstairs bathroom and tear out the downstairs one to make the dining room bigger or remodel the downstairs bathroom and leave the upstairs alone. LOL But we looked around at Home Depot anyway. At least I have some ideas as to what I want when we DO decide!!

Pammy has a cute set of Christmas Charms for you today. They coordinate with the set of 25 Christmas Charms that she has in the store for only $2.00!! You can get them in her shoppe HERE.

And you can download her Christmas Charms gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

December 8, 2008

2008-12-08T10:38:00.004-05:00

Good Morning, Evening, Afternoon-------whichever it may be for you. You know something?
MEN can be soooo exasperating!! My hubby decided that we need to make a trip to Home Depot and get this...........remodel our bathroom!! Before Christmas????!!!! You've GOT to be kidding!
Like I have enough money to buy Christmas as it is!! Or MAYBE he thinks this is MY CHRISTMAS PRESENT??!! Geez, there went my new camera! And probably for the next 3 years!
Well, at least it doesn't stop me from giving you a gift today! Everybody needs borders to go with their kits. This one will match the sampler you got yesterday too. And it's 10:42 A.M. here in Ohio so I'm not tooooo late today! LOL Download Winterz Day Borders HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)
Enjoy!

December 7, 2008

2008-12-07T00:34:00.004-05:00

It just now hit me like a ton of bricks when I typed the date for this post. Today is the 1 year anniversary of my Mother's death. Instead of letting sadness overcome me, I choose to remember the love we shared and happy memories. I know it won't be all that easy through the day but I'll try my best.
And to start off with, she loved the snow as I do. We have a beautiful blanket of snow on the ground, so I'm sharing the snowflakes with you today. Enjoy!!
You can download "Winterz Day" HERE. Paper included! (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

I was VERY early today so I'll see you on Monday.

December 6, 2008

2008-12-06T21:08:00.002-05:00

Okay, well I didn't do very good today getting this posted early. Shoot, darn!!!!!

Anyway, I've got a REAL goodie for ya today.

Pammy Yates is giving a coupon for 50% off with a minimum of $4 in products in your cart!!
Use coupon code pjy-12days-50 upon checkout. Pammy has some WONDERFUL products in her shoppe! See ALL Pammy's products HERE.
Coupon expires January 31, 2009.

Thanks for stopping by and we'll be back with more Christmas gifts tomorrow!!

December 5, 2008

2008-12-04T23:11:00.003-05:00

I'm going to surprise everyone and post EARLY today. I've got some errands to run, getting my hair trimmed for the Holidays and visiting some friends too. That will rattle my brain enough that I may forget to post at all, so here's your December 5th gift from Pat Hall.

This QuickPage is gorgeously textured and check out all the ponsettias!! Thanks Pat!!

Download your gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

December 4, 2008

2008-12-04T22:47:00.004-05:00

I think I finally finished all the decorating I'm going to do this year. I need to share some layouts. I've got my big tree up and 3 small primitive trees. Lots of small decorations and some of my wood crafted Christmas decorations too, mixed in with pine and white lights. I love lighting the trees and burning candles in almost every room, just relaxing and enjoying the season.

To help you enjoy the season, Pammy has created this little gift for you. Isn't it just the cutest set of torn paper elements?! Thanks Pammy!!

Download today's gift HERE. Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

December 3, 2008

2008-12-03T21:58:00.002-05:00

I apologize for being late today. I was working on a new kit and completely forgot the time!

So for today's gift to you, Diann Snow is offering this coupon for her store!

You can find Diann's products HERE. Diann has a shoppe full of beautiful kits and they're ON SALE!!

Have fun shopping!! Thanks Diann for a wonderful gift!

December 2, 2008

2008-12-02T13:54:00.004-05:00

Today brings yet another CU OKAY "Nature's tiled overlay" created by KakleiDesigns!
Karen offers this CU freebie exclusive for TSG and it includes a sample paper made with gold and wood background of 12x12 inches-JPG format-300DPI. The overlay is in PNG format-12x12 inches-300DPI.
You can recolor, resize, use as you like but you can't sell it as it is or claim it as your own, read her TOU please. Credits are not required but always appreciated.

Enjoy it!

Download your gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

December 1, 2008

2008-12-01T17:38:00.005-05:00

Well, here we are in the final month of 2008! Can you believe it?? It doesn't seem possible.
Lots of things have changed in my life this past year and I think I've grown as my own woman. I no longer let people run over me and I've learned to speak my mind, BUT I DO listen first. I've become more independent and make my own decisions.
Maybe that comes with age. YIKES! I AM an OLD HAG!!
We had snow flurries all day today and it's VERY cold outside. So this seemed like a great day to put up my Christmas decorations and my trees. Yep, trees. I just have 1 big tree and 3 little primitive trees spread throughout the house all decorated and........well.....Christmasy!! I watched Christmas movies while decorating and put myself right in the Christmas mood!
And along with that Christmas mood comes "giving". I'm giving everyone a Christmasy paper overlay today to start December off. So pick up your gift today and come back tomorrow for another Christmas Gift.
It's CU/S4O/S4H OKAY!! TOUs included in the zip file. Please leave a comment if you appreciate the giving that the TSG Team will be doing here on the blog this month.
Thank you for stopping by!!
Cheryl McCain - aka Digi Designs by Cheryl

Download your gift HERE. (Sorry, this link is no longer available.)

August is almost gone, do you believe it?

2008-08-31T01:02:00.003-04:00

Wow the month is almost over. Only 4 more months in this year. Where has the time gone. Get ready for the September challenges at scrapping garden. Come and check out some of the mini kits at the color challenge. Here is a preview of what I did for it.

Hope all is well with you and please be thinking of those in harms way of the hurricane coming in. Thanks for stopping by.

Summer slipped by

2008-08-26T21:40:00.002-04:00

I just realized I was to be posting this week and felt real bad. But I see that it has been very quiet here for a month. I guess everyone is out having fun. A lot of kids have gone back to school now so hope everything gets back on track. There are a few changes happening at scrapping garden. Starting September 1st I (teenybop61 aka Tina) will be taking over the Can you Face the Font challenge and Donna (Keiki) will be taking over the Snap a Masterpiece challenge.
Check out the Paper Patch crop Thursday August 28th. Go on over to the store and pick up the Pamela's kit Got Dot's then come to the crop Thursday 8 PM EST. There is still time to do some of the challenges before the end of the month.
Well, I will go for now, Check out the forum, the gallery, and the store for some great challenges, LO's, and kits. We are glad to have you join us in the scrapping garden.
Tina Bentley (teenybop61) Scrapping Garden CT team

An Apology, A Couple Layouts and a Gift

2008-07-26T22:23:00.007-04:00

I've probably been the worst hostess ever. I never imagined that when I decided to hostess this week that it would be such a busy week for me. Between the yard sale and getting ready for the big move, I've barely found time to sleep. I think I'm at a grand total of 20 hours for the entire week, let alone scrap and open up to all you Scrapping Garden fansI hope to chose another week to hostess again in the very near future so I can share some before and after pictures at our house, as well as to share more of myself with you all. That will definitely be after the move and after Kathryn starts school in August though. That way I know I can have my life all situated.

But, since I'm here, I thought you all might like to see the layouts that I've done this month with Michelle Rodriguez's wonderful mini kit Day Dreamin'

This first layout is from when I got together with my best friend and her kids. It is Kathryn and Erica's oldest daughter Grace.

And this second one is from my cousin's wedding two years ago.

The first picture is me dancing with the bride during the dollar dance. The middle is my Mom, my cousin Cindy (sister of the groom) and my cousin Jason (the groom). Finally, the last picture is my brother dancing with Jason during the dollar dance. Our entire family is crazy, as you might well be able to tell.

Now finally, here is what I know you all are looking for, my gift to you all for being so patient with me: Falling quickpage (sorry, this link has expired)

And here is a preview of the gift you'll be receiving:

Hope to visit with you all again soon,
Dorann

I'm Sorry

2008-07-24T02:16:00.002-04:00

So sorry I've been letting everyone down.
I've been busy preparing for a yard sale with a friend this weekend. And all of the stuff is at the new house so I can't even write a post while I'm over there.
It's okay though, maybe I'll make a few extra scrapping dollars and I know I'll get rid of some clutter.

I promise a good post for tomorrow (or today depending on how you look at it) and hopefully I'll be able to prepare a gift for everyone too.

Just Stopping By To Share Some Pictures

2008-07-21T15:32:00.008-04:00

Almost a year ago, Tom gave me a Canon Rebel for our anniversary. Since I got the camera I've taken over 2500 pictures. Most of them are of the kids, but I've also taken pictures of some random things as well.

That said, I have some pictures from this month that I'd love to share with you all.

First off, I'll share a picture of my family. This was taken in May, and it was the first time we've had a family picture done since Paul was born. Thank goodness for my tripod and timer on the camera.

This month we also got together with my best friend who moved to Texas last year. We hadn't gotten to see them since then, and it was the first time that I met her youngest daugther. Here are a couple of pictures from that day.

That was our group picture from the day. From left top it is Paul, my brother Michael, my niece Lilliana. Bottom Erica, her daughters Elizabeth and Grace, Kathryn, Erica's son Zach, and myself.

And finally Erica and I with our babies. Her with Elizabeth and me with Paul.

It is dark because I haven't been able to edit them yet.

I also want to share just a little bit about Erica. She is the best friend that a girl can have. We've been friends for 25 years now. Since we were both 3 years old. She was there for me when my dad died when I was 14 and was a bridesmaid in my wedding. She was able to cry with me when I had a miscarriage on the same day that she announced she was pregnant with her son. We would both have been due on the same day. And she is Godmother to my rainbow baby, Paul.

Hi Everyone

2008-07-20T01:15:00.002-04:00

Well, this is my first time blogging here at TSG. And I'm not sure how many of you know me, so I'll start with a little bit about myself.

I'm Dorann, better known as dorannmwin, or Mommy, or Woman. LOL. I'm mommy to two wonderful children, Kathryn who is five and Paul who is 21 months, wife to a wonderful husband of nearly four years. Our anniversary is coming up next week. And furmommy to two furbabies, Michaela and Jasmine.
Right now our family is in the long process of moving into our first house. We started the process of buying our house in October of last year and finally closed on it in February of this year. Since we've bought the house, we've done a lot of work to it. We gutted the bathroom, stripped out all of the flooring on the first floor and had a new heating and air-conditioning unit installed. We hope to start moving our stuff over there this week. However, we can't stay there yet because of two things. First off, we don't have the bathroom done, so there is no toilet. And, more importantly, we don't have an internet connection over there yet. I refuse to live at a house without internet.

So, how have your summer's been going? Ours, busy busy. We've spent a lot of time at playgroup activities and working on our house. And, in our spare time, we love to play in our pool.

I hope everyone will enjoy visiting with me this week and getting to know me a bit better as the week goes on. Any questions are appreciated and I will try to answer them all. I'll try to share some pictures of the house and of my kids this week. And, I might even have a surprise for everyone at some point during the week.

Sorry ...

2008-07-05T10:23:00.002-04:00

I was not able to do as good of a job as I would have liked, blogging this week. A few things came up that took up my time.

My son, Michael, began a new job as a private investigator. He has done this kind of work before, ,has a degree in criminal justice and a law enforcement background.

He was sent to Dallas for two weeks training and his experience with the airlines was less than acceptable. His plane from Albany, initially, was delayed due to mechanical problems with the plane. That caused him to miss his connecting flight in Atlanta. He finally made it to Dallas and connected with the guys who were meeting him. His return trip was a real nightmare. Again, there were mechanical problems with the plane in Dallas! BTW, these were on US Air, so BEWARE if you are flying that airline. He was supposed to have a DIRECT flight (one stop) to Albany, leaving at 3pm Dallas time and arriving 10pm Albany. All sounds great, right? WRONG! With all the glitches, he ended up on a CONTINENTAL flight to Cincinatti, around 11pm, after sitting in the airport for 8 hours. US Air did give him a voucher for a hotel room. Another flight brought him home to Albany at 10am the following day. Needless to say, I had to leave work and pick him up. The SURPRISE though, he ACTUALLY got his luggage, in Albany, when he arrived.

During Michael's time in Dallas, I had the ""privilege of babysitting my lovely granddaughter, after work, a few times. Well, APPARENTLY she was really missin' her daddy. This normally, delightful little girl (for ME anyway), was like the monster from hell. I was ready to pull my hair out!

I am working on being TOTALLY back in the swing of things here at TSG by the middle to end of July. Be watching for new designs in my store and a HUGE SALE!!!!!

I am off work the week of the 21st, my birthday is the 24th, and I am ready to ROCK AND ROLL.

Have a great week!

Getting Back into the Swing of Things

2008-07-01T21:55:00.002-04:00

There are still some "glitches" in my life, but things seem to be getting under control. I had to spend time today, killing the algea in my "green" pool. NOT NICE! I am hoping that I will be able to vacuum it tomorrow evening, and have lovely BLUE water for the holiday weekend. Our weather outlook is looking good for a change. We have had so much rain, AND humidity, that it really made a mess of my pool. I hate to see my electric bill this month ... that filter has been running 24/7 in an attempt to keep the algae bugs away.

In the meantime, (did I mention I have not been sleeping too well????) I have been able to put together some kits. Today I placed a new MINI-KIT in the store. It was inspired by, of all things, LIPSTICK. When I saw this palette, my mind immediately thought ...cosmetics. I would love to see some layouts of your little girls playing dress-up, or your "tweens" primping! How sweet would that be?!

Here is a preview of the mini, which you can get on sale for $2.00 in my store.

Well, it is late, and I need to get my trash out for the morning. HAPPY SCRAPPIN'

Hello Again

2008-06-29T11:32:00.003-04:00

Things have been very busy in my life with personal "issues", lately, so I am glad I had made a commitment to this blog. I have been somewhat "absent" from the scrapping world, but I did find some time to create a 4th of JULY freebie for you. You can see the preview AFTER you read my "story" for today.

I want to talk a bit about TOU's. I awoke this morning in the middle of a dream about scrapping. Apparently, though, I was semi-awake, cause I was thinking about sharing this story with you today. When I began digi scrapping, I decided it was very necessary to ORGANIZE my kits, etc. At that time, I downloaded a lot of designer freebies, but really had no idea what to do with them except create layouts. Of course, I was very happy to do that, having tons of photos of my new granddaughter. WELL, in the midst of all this "organizing", I decided all those "read me" and "tou" files had no IMPORTANCE, and thus, DELETED them all. I had never heard of PIRACY, nor did I understand COPYWRITING. So, as my learning curve grew, I discovered organizing AND giving credit was an on-going process. I now actually have a folder which contains ALL tou's from my fav designers, as well as MY OWN, for immediate reference. The designers put so much creativity, time and effort, into their creations, they should ALWAYS be credited in YOUR layouts, kit designs, etc. Hope this story brought you a few laughs and some information you may not have been aware of.

As promised, here is the preview for your FREEBIE!

DOWNLOAD HERE

New Update on Ragan!!

2008-06-23T15:02:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to make sure you all saw Michelle's message today on the TSG Forum regarding Ragan....

"I wanted to take a minute to say thank you to all of you. Ragan has made a wonderful recovery, and is home now. She still is not back 100% of course, but as long as she's out of danger I am a happy camper

I really appreciate all of your parayers and loving messages. You all are the best!"

We are SO happy for you all, Michelle. Please continue to keep Ragan in your prayers and thoughts as she is still fighting the cancer.

2008-06-21T14:44:00.004-04:00

Coming very soon ......

Woohoooo finally finished the previews and description. Need to get zipped up and in the store. Hopefully I'll get a little time this evening to work on that. Be sure to keep your eyes open for it!

It's been fun blogging with you this week. I'll miss "chatting" with you each day. However, I'm always blogging away on my own blog, so please do stop by from time to time and leave me a comment. I'm working on trying to get on a better schedule with my design stuff, freebies, etc. BUT after vacation I'm sure! LOL

Hugs to all!

TGIF!!!!!!!!!!

2008-06-20T10:13:00.004-04:00

Woohoooo this girlie is glad it's Friday! Yesterday was awful (translate boss had me crying at my desk for over an hour... WOW I haven't had a boss make me cry in many many years... what's up with that????) and I'm glad to be on a nice fresh day with the sun out and knowing the weekend is ahead.

I want to thank all of you for the wonderful comments about my daughter's layout and stone. Carolyn, I'm so glad it inspired you to scrap your precious angel. Please let me know if I can help. Actually send me a PM with some details and maybe I'll put together a special kit for your angel. Ok?

Someone asked about Myrtle Beach and the Pavilion. They moved most of the Pavilion rides out to Broadway on the Beach and now are building condos where the old Pavilion was. I wouldn't be surprised if they are all built and open when we get down there.

I'm still working on the preview for Freedom Rings and the description, etc. I never realized when I started designing how much work getting the actual kit together was. The design part is the easiest part... believe me!

Don't forget there is still a coupon you can use in my store between now and Sunday night ....

Use Coupon Code GLO_BlogSpec_189 for 25% off your order in my store between today and Sunday, June 23rd.

I have to get back to work, but I'll check back in later if I get a chance.

Hugs!

Sneak Peek .....

2008-06-19T12:06:00.004-04:00

Shhh.... I'm supposed to be working... but wanted to post a peek at the whole album. I haven't finished the previews for the kit yet. What do you guys think of the name? I think Jody has a big prize coming shortly! :)

OH and what fabulous news about Ragan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for her and Michelle!

Another Ragan Update..

2008-06-19T11:48:00.004-04:00

Sorry to jump in here during Georgia's week, but I wanted to make sure everyone read Dyanna's update from Michelle that she posted at TSG on Monday!

"I have received another update from Michelle.... The Dr's are very pleased with Ragan's progress and if she continues her rapid recovery she may get to come home at the end of this week! Way to go Ragan!"

You can watch for more updates on Ragan in the TSG Forum HERE

Humpy Day!

2008-06-18T13:59:00.007-04:00

Where is the day going???? It's flying by and I can't seem to conquer the pile of papers on my desk. I'm trying so hard to have everything cleaned up before we go away on vacation. Soooo a quick post from me and then back to work.

Here's a little something special for you just from me today:

A fun quick page using my Shades of Summer Bright kit. You can download it SORRY THIS LINK HAS EXPIRED.

I tried not to embellish it too much so you could add your own touches to it.

Thanks for all the wonderful comments girls... I promise to post in more detail tomorrow.

Hugs!

Tuesday ....

2008-06-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

Busy busy busy.... when does the merry-go-round slow down? LOL

Ollie has finals all week and is on a crazy schedule as a result. Yesterday he was so excited to be finished with his Honors Algebra 2 final and his Honors Biology final. Today he had a free period since there is no final for gym, then his Honors Spanish final. Tomorrow is Honors World History and Computer Programming. Thursday he has a free for his lunch period and his Honors English final. Then it's 2 half days and he's done for the summer. We have to go and get his summer reading books. This year they have to read two instead of just one. He has to read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam Jr. and do an assignment on each one. Of course one of the things he's most excited about is that he'll no longer be a freshman and on the bottom of the totem pole at high school.

We are gearing up to leave for vacation end of next week. We are leaving on Friday, June 27th and coming home late on Monday July 7th. Wooohooo Myrtle Beach here we come!

That's why I'm trying to at least get the Red White and Blue kit in the store before we leave, if not another one I'm working on too.

Ok, I better get back to work for now.... since I've been so busy so far this week, I decided to create a coupon for you. Use Coupon Code GLO_BlogSpec_189 for 25% off your order in my store between today and Sunday, June 23rd.

Happy Shopping!

Monday ...

2008-06-16T15:43:00.004-04:00

Oh boy has it been a Monday! I think in the office we made up for a smooth Friday the 13th by having a horrific Monday. Fortunately things settled down as the day went on and I think it's under control now.

Hey, have you seen the Box of Dreams challenge this month? I wasn't able to do the crop, but did go ahead and post a fun challenge and there's a great prize for completing it.

First things first .... the featured kit for this month is my Shades of Summer Bright which is on sale for only $2 for the month of June.

Also as a bonus, I've put my Dream Your Own Monogram for Summer on sale for only $2 also. This coordinates beautifully with the Shades of Summer Bright kit and gives you all kinds of monogram, alpha and extra elements options. It's kind of like a super special add on kit. :)

Now on to the challenge, this month we are going to do an ad challenge. Here is an ad that I used for inspiration for a layout I did quite a while back.

The rules are simple. You MUST use the featured kit (or the Dream Your Own Monogram for Summer kit) and do a layout inspired by this ad. Your bonus is a fabulous bracket album created with the Shades of Summer kit.

These can be used as a hybrid project with the Basic Grey Bracket Chipboard Albums, or as a base on any size page. Think of all the fun! Includes 8 png album pages along with 5 stitched blank pages to customize for the covers or use for extra journaling.

Post your layouts in the Box of Dreams gallery so we can oooohhhh and aaaahhh over them. Be sure to post a link to your layout back in this thread so I make sure to get your bonus out to you.

I sure hope you'll join in the fun!

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T19:52:00.005-04:00

Hi everyone, I am your guest host for this week. I'm running behind today as it is Father's Day and we had a busy busy day. Ollie had hockey clinic this morning and then dryland afterwards. Our high school coach has a friend who is the biometrics trainer up at Boston University. He comes down several weekends a year and spends the weekend doing training with our kids. Ollie loves the training but is exhuasted and super sore now that the weekend has come to a close. We took hubby to dinner at Bone Fish Grill for dinner. Yummmmmmmmmmm

We had gotten him a tool box (one of those monster sized ones that rolls around the garage) that he wanted for Father's Day. Instead of cards I made him two layouts. I haven't posted these in the gallery yet so I'll let you see them here instead right now.

To make a long story short about the 1st layout, this is my daughter that died at birth when Ollie was only 21 mo. old. Hubby would have adopted her too (long story as to where my ex is, etc.... he's not a nice guy!) ... so this past winter when I went to visit Papa Merlin before he passed away I visited her grave. It's always bothered me that she didn't have the same last name. Hubby agreed and I just had her stone redone. Now she and Ollie have the same last name and I feel much more at peace. Also, her original stone was a dark charcoal grey, the new one is a nice pink which fits her more I think. You can see the stone here if you are interested. I need to do a layout with it soon.

I have so many kits in the works right now. I'm almost done with a patriotic kit with tons of stars. It doesn't have a name yet though. I think I'll have a little contest on it this week. Send me your suggestions by Wednesday and if I pick yours, you'll get the kit AND the coordinating album for free. I'm super excited about the album, it is in the Cosmo Cricket Abby shape and can be used as a hybrid project, or just as a base for regular album pages. Here's a peek at page one of the album:

Ok, enough from me today. Be sure to check in with me each day as you never know when I might have something special for you. Also please feel free to ask questions to get to know me this week. I'll try to answer questions in the comments each day.

Have a great evening!

Update on Ragan

2008-06-14T22:09:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: Dyanna spoke to Michelle Wednesday, June 11th. The Dr's were going to try and wean Ragan off the ventilator. Michelle is cautiously optimistic. It looks like Ragan is making some improvement although small...

PLEASE Keep Ragan in Your Thoughts & Prayers!!

2008-06-02T14:54:00.006-04:00

Some of you might remember an adorable, sweet little girl named Ragan Rodriguez, the daughter of a TSG co-owner & designer, Michelle Rodriguez. Back in 2005 she was diagnosed with stage IV Germ Cell Cancer.

About a year ago Ragan was told she was again in remission (second time for her). She was happily enjoying life - taking dance lessons, playing, finally able to have long hair, just being a kid! Well, they recently found out the cancer was back yet again! Dyanna (co-ower of TSG) heard from Michelle that Ragan has also contracted Cellulitis (an infection of the skin)! Here is an small bit from an email Michelle, wrote:

"Ragan has had Cellulitis, an infection of the skin, and not only has it not responded to the antibiotics, but she has developed sepsis and is in critical condition. She's on oxygen and more antibiotics as well as some other medications. The prognosis is not good. People with a weakened immune system like Ragan have about a 20% recovery rate, meaning that 80% die. But, since she was hospitalized already when it set in she has a better prognosis because they were able to start treatment right away.
What that means is that I will be away from home and TSG much longer than I anticipated. Since she is in the ICU I have no computer access and I’ve only been getting about 3 hours a week at home. I try to get as much done as possible during my time home but I know it’s not much help."

PLEASE keep this adorable little girl, Michelle, and the rest of their family in your thoughts & prayers!!

To read more about Ragan, you can visit there web site at the Caring Bridge HERE **You must join the web site to be able to view the page**

2008-05-31T07:11:00.008-04:00

Well, the weather has NOT cooperated for us to go to the Bronx Zoo today. So, we did have a change of plans and will be going to the Aquarium in Mystic, CT. That is about a three hour drive from home. I have most of the IMPORTANT electronics charged up and ready to go ... the portable DVD player for Michaela, the cameraS, and MY portable CD player along with my earphones! This way, I can listen to my music privately, Michael can have the car radio or CD going, and Michaela can watch a movie during our drive.

I do not have a lot of time to blog, but wanted to show you my IRIS'S. I am NOT always the best of gardeners, but I did learn a lot from my (soon-to-be ex)hubby. I have had some problems with my iris's blooming, but a coworker told me they do NOT bloom each and every year. Of course, THAT was news to me. Yesterday, as I was looking around my backyard, I discovered a beautiful yellow flower that had bloomed.

This morning, while pouring my first cup of coffee, I looked out the window and saw LOTS AND LOTS of beautiful flowers. Of course, I had to grab the camera!

Now, I am thinking that I MUST make some brushes and design a kit around these beauties!!!!!!

I want to share one more photo with you. A few years ago, my best friend Pam gave me a teeny "stalk" of a piece of clematis. I planted it near my mailbox, and EACH year for about 3 years, I thought it was DEAD, and was surprised when a few flowers began to appear the third year. Well, this is my "almost dead" clematis, about 5 years after first being planted. I simply LOVE it!

Now I MUST be off for a day of fun!

I had a fantastic time sharing a bit of my life with you this week. Hope to see you in June, too.

Here is your FREEBIE for the day. ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD LINK

2008-05-30T05:48:00.003-04:00

TGIF!!! I am so ready for the weekend. How about you? I don't know if Friday has the same built-in "relief" for all you lucky ones you do not work outside the home, but for those of us Monday through Friday workers, it feels terrific.

Depending on the weather, which has THREATENED thunderstorms, I am planning on going to the BRONX ZOO with my son, Michael, and Michaela. It is about a three hour drive from home, and I am hoping the weather report for NYC will be kinder. If not, I guess we will put off the trip for another weekend.

I have never been to the Bronx Zoo, although I have been to the Philadelphia Zoo.
I find it a bit sad to think that I have NEVER been to so many places of fame that are all within a few hours drive from my home. I have never been in the Empire State Building, or taken a ride around Staten Island, or seen Ellis Island. At least I CAN say I have seen a couple of Broadway plays. NYC is such a fun and bustling place, and it is a learning experience to witness how those that live there lead their lives. Everything is always BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

I did a little research on the web to learn more about the zoo. It seems like a fascinating place. There are all kinds of activities for children, and a plethera of our worlds' animal population. Best of all, it is resonably priced! I will need to wear my comfy walking shoes, and pack a lot of snacks for Michaela.

I will also be meeting with my Goddaughter on Sunday. She is getting married in August and asked ME to design her invitations. I have created a few designs and she needs to "finalize" her selection so they can be printed and mailed this week. I am also doing the photography for her wedding. It is very informal, being held on her fiance's grandfathers property. For her wedding gift, I will be making their wedding album, too. I am really looking forward to this affair.

Well, I have to get to work ..... ahhhhhhhh, last day till next week.

Here is your FREEBIE for the day .... ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD LINK
(sorry, link has expired)

2008-05-29T05:48:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, the nursing facility where I work celebrated Staff Appreciation Day! It was an all day event with food, games, and prizes. Administration made sure that this fun day extended to the off shifts as well.

Most of the "routine" meetings were cancelled for the day, and the staff was given
"free reign" to wander around and enjoy the festivities. Of course, the nursing staff on the units did not have quite as much freedom as those of us in the offices, since they are involved in patient care.

Breakfast was available from 6:30 to 8:30am, and consisted of donuts and pastries, a juice assortment, coffee and tea. The staff all volunteered to "man" the stations to serve the other team members.

Lunch was served from 11:00 to 1:00pm, and was sumptious. There were many different selections of pizza and subs, (I choose the veggie pizza), several kinds of salads, soda and chocolate kisses.

We had a "make your own sundae" snack at 2pm. A huge table was set up with 3 ice cream flavors, fresh strawberries and blueberries, HOT FUDGE (my personal fav), cherries, sprinkles, and a few different candies, as well as REAL whipped cream to top our delicacy.

Later in the day, supper was served to the evening shift, so no one was overlooked.

There were all kinds of SPECIAL EVENTS, too: a "name the celebrity" and "name the staff member" contests. This was a collection of basically high school pics for the actors and actresses, and BABY photos of the staff members. I had given a picture of me at about 3 months old, and was AMAZED at the number of people who guessed correctly. Of course, there were some "hints" as to the identity of the staff.

Also, there was a huge jar filled with m&m's, and the contest was to correctly guess how many were in the jar. Can you believe, one of the Supervisors won, and she was withing TWO of the total count.

Karaoke filled our inservice room, which was all decorated with balloons. We had a ball belting out those old "hits" from the past.

Outside there was a dunk booth, a ball throw, and a couple of other games. The weather was very accomodating ... clear blue sky, 70 degrees, and a delightful soft breeze was blowing.

But, by far, the BEST part of my day was the MASSAGE. We have a masseuse on staff who scheduled 5 minute back massages for staff. Mine came right at the end of the day, and let me tell you, it relaxed me for the rest of the night.

It was truly a fun day. I think it is awesome that administration took the time to show their "thanks" for our hard work. In todays world, things are taken for granted so often and EVERYONE always likes to know that they are appreciated. Who could ask for anything more?

So, to make YOUR day pleasant, and say "thanks" for your support, I am offering
todays FREEBIE ... HERE IS YOUR DOWNLOAD LINK. Enjoy (sorry, link has expired)

2008-05-28T06:04:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, my mom lives with me and suffers from advanced dementia. Many times I just have to laugh, or I would be doing a lot of crying.

She has given up many of the things she did all her life, like reading the paper and doing the crossword each day. She even did the weekly crossword in the NY Times. She was an avid reader and loved to sew. She favored political television, as well as biographical and historical shows.

Even now, she keep the tv on, but is a bit "confused" as to the content. She was telling me there's "a woman running for president", and she thinks that woman will win because she "has a brother or something who is in politics!"

Mom has been exhibiting some BIZARRE eating habits lately. She is not oriented to the time of day, and often enters the kitchen several times a day, announcing, "Good Morning". Then she looks for a cup of hot coffee. Of course, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, there is NO hot coffee. She had been in a routine of eating PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY sandwiches .. two or three a day! Now, she has been "raiding" the fridge, opening jars of things like pickle relish, horseradish, ranch dressing, and WHATEVER, and eating with a spoon right out of the jar. Now, not only is this DISGUSTING to me, but she uses a clean spoon each time, and places empty jars back in the fridge! She no longer makes sandwiches, but eats the peanut butter right out of the jar, too. Because she is disoriented to time, she eats everything all at once. I go shopping, buy her a dozen yogurts or so, and by the next day she has eaten them all! It sort of reminds me of going on vacation; you can leave food for a cat for a few days and there is no problem, but leave it for a dog and he eats it all, THEN vomits it all, before you return .... lol.

My solution for this was to buy a new refrigerator. My son and I went shopping last weekend, and I purchased a smaller one for our garage. He will pick it up later this week. My plan is to set it right outside of our kitchen, which is attached to the garage. So it will be pretty convenient for us, and I will STOCK our old one, in the kitchen, with a day's supply of food for mom.

She thinks the snow will be "flying" any day now, but has decided she will not drive this winter! (She hasn't driven for about 10 years). She gets our names confused, and often comments that she has not seen "so and so" for quite a while ... when actually that person may have just left a few hours before. She asks several times a day where my son Michael works and what he does. Each morning when I check on her, give her her pills, and say goodbye, she says, "oh, you have to work today? This is Sunday isn't it?"

All in all, I am still able to keep her in my home. However, I have begun the search for an assisted living facility where she may be safer and I would not have to worry so much. I am sorry to say, the day will come when she will need more than I am able to provide for her.

Until that time, I will just continue to "greet" her with "good morning", each night before I go to bed!

Now, for you, for being so kind to take the time to read about MY life, I am giving YOU a FREEBIE. You can DOWNLOAD HERE. Enjoy! (sorry,link has expired)

Ouch ... Mini Vacation is Over

2008-05-27T05:52:00.009-04:00

Well, it's back to work today for me. It was a wonderful three-day weekend. I accomplished so much, but it was EXHAUSTING! Now I have to "fit" a 5 day work week into 4. Guess I will be ready for FRIDAY ... lol.

I finished planting my flowerbeds, the pool is up and running. I even managed to get in some grocery shopping, laundry, and that general (yuck) housecleaning. I decided to take the time to "pamper" myself with a pedicure and manicure. It was actually a "necessity" after all my work, but it felt soooooooo good to luxuriate!

I made a very "untraditional" Memorial Day meal. Chicken breasts with rice and a cheesy sauce. Since there was only Mom and me at the house, it did not seem like a day for a big barbeque. My oldest and youngest kids were off camping; the middle child had to work this weekend. I did get to see my dgd, Michaela, Friday evening, but not since ... I REALLY miss her when she is not around.Michael sent me a couple of pics he took with his cellphone. I am not sure where they were, but looks like Michaela wanted to "test" the waters! She is just too cute; but maybe I am a bit prejudiced!

I have completed a commercial/personal use kit which will be in the store later this week. It had a terrific time creating it ... just WAIT till you see the preveiw.

I also was able to spend some time in our chat room over this weekend, getting in as much CELEBRATING as possible for TSG's birthday bash. It is ALWAYS so much fun to get to know everyone. There is so much to learn from each other, and I love to hear others' stories.

So, I had better get a move on if I want to be to the office on time.

I have NOT forgotten your FREEBIE for the day ... You can DOWNLOAD HERE.
(sorry, link has expired)
Enjoy and see ya back here tomorrow.

Gotta Love Summer!

2008-05-26T10:20:00.010-04:00

I am really excited about summer coming! There is nothing better than returning home after work, hopping into my bathing suit, and heading for my pool. I have been know to fall asleep on my float, sometimes for hours at a time! I often say, if only someone would invent a WATERPROOF laptop, my life would be complete ... lol. Well, not really. I would need to relocate to a place that was warm and sunny year 'round. I feel God made a mistake when he "delivered" me to the northeast!

Beside lounging in the pool, I love to garden. For most of my life, I have had a brown thumb, but with years of "learning", it seems to have turned around. Last fall, we took down several pine trees that had been planted by the former owner of my house. The roots were beginning to grow into my pool area ... HEAVEN forbid! So now, I have a new garden, where I am planting perennials, and sun on my pool from sunup to sundown.

I also like to barbecue in the summer, too. As far as the rest of the year, I am not really sure why I have a kitchen ... all I really need is a microwave and a phone for take-out! Seems, though, I am the exception. Do you know that EVERY house I looked at when searching for my current home had a kitchen?

I have a super recipe for grilled salmon. It involves some marinating, using of all things, chardonnay. A few extra little spices and I am in heaven. My favorite food to go with it is "grilled" sweet potatoes and some green beans from my garden. MMMMM!

If you are interested in my DESIGNING ...I have started work on a new kit named
SCARLET. I thought it would be a nice idea to offer you some FREEBIES from the kit, this week on TSG Blog. I decided against previewing, so you can be surprised when you open the zip.

So, you can DOWNLOAD freebie1, here; but grab it today for tomorrow it will be gone! Enjoy (sorry, link has expired)

I am heading out to my pool now ... see ya' tomorrow!

"They Say It's YOUR Birthday" ...

2008-05-25T09:45:00.010-04:00

"it's my birthday, too, yeah" .. Well, not really, but just singing that ol' Lennon and McCartney tune in my head.

Although, it is not MY birthday, we are celebrating TSG's second birthday. This week has been full of SALES, fun crops, and all kinds of challenges.

Tonight, at 9pm, I am hosting a special IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY chat. I designed a kit, which is on sale in my store, NOW FOR ONLY $2.00!!!! It is full of everything you need to scrap those birthday memories, and is appropriate for any age group.
Like our celebration here this week, the kit is bright, cheery, and fun-filled! AND, I have a SUPER challenge that goes along with it.

I am really looking forward to seeing your birthday celebration layouts in the special gallery ... AND, a poll will be posted to choose the FAVORITE .. AND the winner will receive either my new kit, OR a coupon for my store is you have already purchased IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! So how can you loose???????

Today, as an "early" preview of goodies to come ... if you are able to attend my chat, is a QP for you. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD HERE
(link has expired)

TSG Birthday Chat Schedule

2008-05-21T22:37:00.003-04:00

(all times are EST)

Wednesday May 21st -
11:00 AM - Scrap your best year crop - MickeyB
9:00 PM - Quickpage Swap/Crop - Lynn R.
10:00 PM - Sketch by Design - Michelle R.

Thursday May 22nd -
1:00 PM - ACDSee Chat
2:00 PM - Scrapbooking your Faith - April
8:00 PM - Find of the Day - Joni & Shelby

Friday May 23rd -
8:00 PM - Elements Challenge - Pammy

Saturday May 24th -
9:00 PM - Scrapbooking your Faith - April

Sunday May 25th -
10:00 AM - Your Year in Music - Sweetie
9:00 PM - Celebrating YOUR Birthday - Marsha

Monday May 26th -
8:00 PM - My year and the way it was - Tina

Tuesday May 27th -
8:00 PM - Layout Crop - Pammy
9:00 PM - Birthday Carnival - Michelle R.
10:00 PM - It's A Birthday Blast - Dyanna

Don't Miss the SALES!!!

2008-05-21T18:39:00.002-04:00

Make sure to check out the TSG Store for all the GREAT sales going on right now in honor of TSG's turning 2!
************************************

Join us in celebrating TSG's 2nd Birthday!For one week only all TSG Kit Club subscriptions are on sale for 30% off! Add this to our newly reduced prices and you've got one whopper of a deal!While you're in the store don't forget that all our digital kits are 30% as well. Sale ends May 27th at midnight!

Purchase a 1 month subscription to the TSG Kit club and receive 2 beautiful coordinating kits as well as templates, quickpage albums, and goodies from our Creative Team!
Regular price: $8.00 Sale price: $5.60 (save 30%)

Purchase a 3 month subscription to the TSG Kit club and each month receive 2 beautiful coordinating kits as well as templates, quickpage albums, and goodies from our Creative Team! Regular price: $24.00 Sale price: $16.80 (save 30%)

Purchase an annual subscription to the TSG Kit club and each month receive 2 beautiful coordinating kits as well as templates, quickpage albums, and goodies from our Creative Team!
Regular price: $52.00 Sale price: $36.40 (save 30%)

Happy Cinco de Mayo

2008-05-05T16:31:00.015-04:00

I can't say that I am even a fraction Mexican (Irish, English & American Indian for the most part)... but I do enjoy Mexican food :) I would LOVE to go enjoy the evening with some Mexican food tonight, but it is near impossible to get into our favorite one here in town on Cinco de Mayo. So we will probably just be stuck at home eating my non-authentic enchilladas for tonight. I will share the super simple recipe I use here in a minute.

Before I get to the recipe though, I thought I would share what the boys and I did this morning. I got the wild idea yesterday, that since today was suppose to be a gorgeous 75 degree day (before the rest of the week is filled with rain), that we needed to make a trip to our local zoo. Since my hubby couldn't get off work on a Monday morning, I loaded up the boys, along with their wagon, and headed to the north side of our town. Our little zoo is home to some 500 animals representing 170 species - so certainly not huge like the St. Louis Zoo where my boys have been to in the past. Upon arriving, my oldest son requested we start with the giraffes which was fine by me since they are one of my favorites. I think they ended up being his favorites too since we arrived just in time to feed them some of their special crackers

My youngest son's favorite part (I'm guess since he doesn't talk real well yet...at least not in a language anyone can understand) was probably a tie between some lizard in the reptile house (forgot to see what the name of it was) that he kept running back to see. He LOVED how it would jump at the window tryig to get him. He laughed and squealed every time. Do to lots of laughing and squealing I would say he also really enjoyed the goats MY favorite part was having our wonderful wagon with us

I have NO idea what I would have done without it! Every time Zach (my youngest - 20 months old) was out of it, he was running one direction while Drew (my oldest - 4.5 years old) was headed in the opposite direction. All in all I think they had a pretty fun morning. In fact, Drew was just looking at the map of the zoo, "So I can plan what I want to see first next time!"

I must share my VERY favorite part of our day so far though! After we got back home and had finished lunch, the boys and I were sharing a chocolate frosty from Wendy's restaurant when Zach looked at me and says "poo-poo" and I asked if need to go. He nodded his head and ran off to the bathroom and SURE ENOUGH he actually went! This is a HUGE thing since he is 20 months old and we have never really done a much potty training with him yet (other than set his little potty out in the bathroom)...especially since our oldest didn't potty train until he was 3.5 yrs. Needless to say I was COMPLETELY floored that he did that! I'm not expecting this to happen much at all right now, but I am very excited that he is showing interest all on his own. :) Sorry if that was a little too much info for you :)

Hmmm...now I am trying to think of how to nicely transition from that "too much information" to the recipe I was going to share with you. *laugh* Since I can't think of a good way of doing it, I will just plundge right in.

Super Simple Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 pound of hamburger
2 cups of Monterey Jack shredded cheese (I actually prefer Colby Jack with just a little extra cheddar)
1 package of flour tortillas
1/2 onion - chopped
3 cups enchilada sauce (we like Old El Paso - Mild brand...I buy one 10 ounce and one 14 ounce can)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown hamburger and onion. Drain. Mix in the 10 oz can of enchilada sauce and about 1/2 c to 3/4 c of the cheese. Spread some of the mix on a tortilla shell and roll. Spray 9x13 casserole dish with vegetable oil and place rolled shell in the dish. Repeat with remaining shells - lining the rolled shells up across the dish. Poor remaining exchilada sauce (I use the 14 oz can for this) over the top of the rolled shells. Cover with remaining cheese and bake for 35 minutes.

It's THAT simple!!

I usually make some rice and green beans to round out the meal for us. I am known for my lack of cooking skills, so if I can do this, ANYONE can :)

How Did You Spend NSD?

2008-05-04T15:21:00.004-04:00

I hope everyone had a great NSD surfing around digi world. :) I also hope that you saved some money to catch the deals that will be coming at TSG at the end of the month as we celebrate our 2nd birthday! You had to pick and choose of where to visit on NSD, but during the week of May 21st-27th you won't have to pick and choose! You will have the chance to catch all the GREAT crops and deals going on at TSG and have a relaxing & fun time with us. So make sure to mark your calendar!!

Have you checked out the May issue of the TSG Newsletter? You can check it out HERE

You won't want to miss out on this issue! Get a chance to put a face to a name for each of the TSG Team...and grab some great goodies from some of the TSG Team.

Have you been keeping an eye on the Petal Pushers Contest? There are already some GREAT layouts in the Gallery,so make sure to go check them out! Voting with start very soon. There are some VERY talented individuals who are competing for a spot on the TSG CT Team.

FINALLY A NEW POST!!!

2008-05-01T20:19:00.004-04:00

I am finally feeling some better. I am still very tired but am feeling better. Now JP is getting sick and my DH is getting it again!!

Cher, I send my love and prayers! I am so sorry for what is happening to you. If I was there I would take care of you and help you. I have had pain make me sick before too. My heart goes out to you! I wish there was something I could do to help. I will pray that God will heal you quickly and that he gives you the strength to cope in the meantime. Consider that you have been given a Bear Hug!!

I finally have a wonderful freebie for you. A quickpage from one of my Creative Team Members. Her name is Chantal and she is very talented! I am very proud to have her on my team!

Here is a layout I made with her quickpage. It is a layout of the Living Last Supper. My nephew was Jesus. He was the only person that attends his church that has long enough hair! lol
He is very handsome and a fine Jesus if I dont say so myself!. Here is the qp and the link for it.

Here is the link for your freebie! (Sorry, this link has expired)

I hope you enjoy this QP as much as I have. Please make sure to leave a little love for Chantal and I will make sure she gets it.

Feel free to post your layouts using this beautiful qp in my designer gallery at The Scrapping Garden. I would love for you to share your layout with me so I can give you some love.

A remindar too that Blueprint of my Garden is still going on. I would love for you all to participate in it. This has been one of my favorite challenges before I decided to fill in for Linda. I learned so much about layout construction and how to not make it look to cluttered or detracting from the photo. The link to this awesome challenge is here: http://www.scrappinggarden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3699

God Bless and I definitely will write again tomorrow! I Promise!! Have a wonderful Evening! Hugs and Happy Scrapping!!

BIRTHDAY DAY!!

2008-04-28T23:23:00.002-04:00

Today has been a fairly good birthday. It would be better if I was a completely well girl!!

My mother called as well as my son Marc, and my brother. Also, a surprise! My girlfriend Marsha called from New York!! I love hearing from people. It was great to talk to everyone. Especially my brother. We are lucky if we talk twice a year each on our birthday. We had a nice long conversation also. We both decided to keep in better contact.

I will blog more about my family tommorrow. I am pretty tired tonight. I also, promise, promise a freebie tomorrow also.

All in all it was a good birthday. I promise to be a better blogger tomorrow. I am just so tired tonight.

Have a great day.

Happy Scrapping

I'MMMM BAAACK!!!

2008-04-27T17:02:00.002-04:00

It's me again. The Diva of Diva's Designs!! lol I have a lot to share with you this week. As of now I am blogging from my sick bed!! LOL Yes, I just so happen to have caught the Flu! Yes, with a fever and everything. It is hard for me to believe. I havent had the flu in years. Why now, why a day before my birhday. Well, that is the way it goes sometimes. I have a fun week planned and hopefully my health will not get in the way!

I got a new computer for my birthday. I have been spending the time that I feel a little better getting things set up and to a place where I can work on it. It is an hp computer with all the bells and whistles and a 17" screen which is what I really needed. I larger screen so I cam see my designs better. I watched a full length movie on it last night. That was neat. The sound was totally awesome too. Just like in the movie theater. Too cool.

Tommorrow is a great day!! That's right I was born!! lol

I have devised a special in my store!! Yes, that is right a huge, huge, sale. All of my kits no matter the size are all on sale for $2.00 each! The sale starts tonight at Midnight eastern time and runs until midnight on the 28th. You heard it right. $2.00 each. You had better take advantage because I can guarntee it you will never see it again!!

I am going to be 47 years old. Ughhh!! I really feel it too! This winter has been bad. Everyone in the family has been sick a lot. My fibromyalgia has been bad this winter also. Bummer. I know that it has been tough for everyone.

On a brighter note. My son has settled well at his new assignment at Balboa Naval Hospital. As the week goes on I will tell you more about his new job. It is fantastic and seems to fit along with what the rest of the families missons in life has turned out to be. I know this will define his career in the military and if he plays his cards right will give him notority not only in the military world but also the civilan world.

Here is a preview of my newest kit and remember tomorrow it will be on special for $2.00!!

I hope to see you in my store tomorrow. Also, check back for a little freebie tomorrow put together by my CT Member Chantal Miller.

Hope you all have a great day and please pray that I will feel better tomorrow!

Happy Scrapping!

That MIDDLE child ... OH MY!

2008-04-26T05:13:00.004-04:00

My youngest son, and middle child, Richard, is by far the most "simple, yet complicated" of all my offspring. He is definitely his "own man", very independent, and tends to keep to himself. He is my child who is the most easy-going and flexible. He does not make life a drama. While he lives only minutes from me, he is very involved in his own life, and makes his "appearance" infrequently. However, he is probably the most "family-oriented" of my three. He would NOT miss a family function, even if it meant changing his own plans. He has a very strong personality, is subtly generous, and I can ALWAYS count on him when needed. He is actually the "strength" that binds us when the chips are down.

Richard exhibits many personality traits of his paternal side. He has followed in his dad's footsteps in the martial arts. Over the years, he has studied both Judo and Karate, in which he holds a black belt. His father was a National Champion in Judo in the late '60's, and an alternate one year for the US Olympic team. My son is awaiting being called to service for our local police department; his dad is in law enforcement, too.

Growing up, Richard was our "problem" child. He is very inquisitive, and is a dare-taker. I believe this is due to his "middle child" need, to compete with his siblings, for his share of our "attention". Richard excels at everything he does, but often at a cost. Somewhere, around age 10, we had a "strange" conversation with his teacher at report card time. She was distraught; Richard was the class "clown", and she really felt if he were to pay more attention to her, he would be getting better grades. She was rather insistant that we "discipline" our son, because his behavior was holding him back! Now, all this is fine, EXCEPT the child did not have a grade below 95! How do you tell your son he is "not working to the best of his ability" with that average. Like the "good" parents we were, we sat Richard down and tried to explain all this to "the boy". I was not surprised at his response, "Well, obviously, I learn everthing she teaches with no problem, so I don't HAVE to keep paying attention to her!" Now how can you argue with that?

He was the child you would "test" us through those teen years. This child of mine was the one who tried the alcohol, smoking, Halloween pranks, etc, AND when "caught" would fess right up! Go figure.

Richard has a charisma, charming expressive eyes, and a gentle smile. To this day, when asked, or TOLD, he must do something ... or NOT do something, he will bat those long lashes of his, smile and nod, and then proceed to do exactly as he wants. He is SUCH a "good boy".

Here is a layout I have done of my sweet "baby" Richard. I used my PUPPY DOG TAILS TWO kit, available in my store.

I also have a QP for you today. Please don't forget to download today; the link will expire tomorrow. (link has expired)

I have had a wonderful time this week, sharing a bit about myself and my family with you. Thank you for reading my "ramblings", and sharing your comments. You can still keep in touch with my daily, on my own BLOG! Grab your favorite beverage, listen to my music selections, and read more. FREEBIES can be found there often!

Oh, Those Firstborn's!

2008-04-25T05:56:00.004-04:00

My son, Michael, my eldest son, came into the world,in a flash. Well, he WAS past his due date, however, he was speedy once he decided to join his mommy and daddy. I awoke around 7am, had a bit of a backache, ate breakfast, and by 7:30, my (ex)husband, convinced me I was in labor. I was supposed to take my parents car in for repair, but I was FORCED to call them to say I would not be available, I was being made to go to the hospital. So off we went! In "those days", Lamaze was the thing to do. We had taken all of our classes, and BOY could I breathe! Daddy had his tennis ball to massage my back, and some candies to suck on. Our plan was to have a nice, enjoyable, day of LABOR. Boy were we fooled ... I was taken to the OB and examined. As my sore back was being massaged, I asked the nurse if she thought I might have the baby by suppertime. "Girl, you are going to have this baby by LUNCH!" This definitely was NOT the "horror" stories I had heard about labor. In fact, I was STILL doubting I was actually IN labor. Finally, doc arrived and examined me. I could not imagine what was going on, when suddenly he ran to get the nurse. They whisked me off to delivery, where my newborn made his appearance after 3 little pushes. And, the nurse was totally correct .. the time ... 11:28am!!!

Michael has ALL the characteristics of a FIRSTBORN. Although he is a high achiever, he defintely competes with his younger siblings for attention and applause. Of course, that is HIS due! He is very independent, dependable, responsible, and a man of "authority". On the other hand, he is very sensitve, not always in a good way, a bit spoiled and often manipulates his siblings.

At the age of 11, he decided he needed a "job"; his allowance was just not enough! So, he walked a few blocks to a florist shop which was owned by a family friend. Returning home, he was proud to tell us that Sal had given him a job, for $1.00 an hour, every Saturday and one other night a week. Michael held that job until he was 16 and able to get a "real" job. He was given regular raises and became best friends with the owner's son. To this day, Sal calls him during Christmas, Valentines and Mother's Day, and Michael goes to lend a hand.
Now, though, he does it for free!

My son is really keen on dogs, and has had more than his share over the years. Mostly, AFTER moving out of our home. I have been more than a bit "disturbed" at his "acceptance" of the dogs. He didn't seem to mind the fur, dirty paw prints, chewed shoes scattered around his house. Often, he would tire of the pet, and find someone who could "take care of it better" than he could. For that I was always thankful. Once, he commented, "I can't imagine people having kids, if a DOG is this much work!"

Well, the time came when Michael and Erin decided to start a family. Even though he was almost 30, I couldn't help but remember the remark comparing babies and dogs. It kinda "scared me!" When Erin was in her last trimester, we were at my stepson's childs christening. The baby was a bit fussy, and he was holding and rocking him. MY SON asked, "What do you do when you get 'tired' of holding them?" WOW ... now I was REALLY scared.
Well the day came when Michaela made her entrance in the world. I will NEVER forget the awe, love and pride on my son's face. I am so glad to say, my fears were all put to rest.
Apparently, that sweet little bundle created a man out of my little boy. I have been surprised to see how much "parenting" he learned while being raised by us! I am happy to say that, because of work schedules, Michael was the primary caregiver for his daughter for the first two years of her life. He witnessed all her "firsts", and found her first tooth.
He did without sleep, to rock her, when she was colicky. He has held her on his lap when she got her shots, and taught her the alphabet, color names, and reads to Michaela every day. And his PATIENCE, my my, I NEVER thought I would see that softness in Michael!

With every photo taken, I can't help but smile with a mother's pride, at the love my son and granddaughter share. Just another of God's miracles!

Today, I have a beautifully framed photo of Michael and Michaela.
The pic was taken two summers ago, and it is one of my favorites.

AND, for YOU, three FREEBIE frames.

Don't forget, get your download today. The link will expire tomorrow.
(sorry, this link has expired)

Cats

2008-04-24T05:52:00.004-04:00

I think cats are one of the most magnificant of all God's creatures. I do not really remember when I was first attracted to them, but I distinctly recall the first cat who owned me!

I had begged and begged my parents for a cat for the longest time, and was always told no because we lived in an apartment. During the summer between second and third grade, my dad built a house for us. At last, I thought, I can have a cat! My mom was really not particularly fond of those "animals" ... as a young girl, one had jumped out at her, and scared her half to death. Then, one day, Mom and Dad told me I could have a kitten. A coworker of mom's had a new litter, and we could go and pick one out. There were "conditions" of course ... it could NOT be a girl cat.

That weekend we took off to get MY cat. It was the LONGEST ride. Finally, we arrrived at the woman's home, went inside, and were led to the cellar stairs. She opened the door and several cats, of all colors and sizes, ran up as fast as they could.
Except, for this one BEAUTIFUL, tiny little black kitty with white paws...THAT "animal" regally made her way up those steps. Well, I fell in love in that one instant. As things go, and you can probably guess, it was the ONLY female of the litter. I know that Mom said "oh, no", BUT, the ride home with my wonderful pet, the black and white kitty, sittin on my lap will never leave my memory. At the tender age of 8, I chose a very "unique" name, too. I called her "Kitty". She was with us for many years ... a few too many, probably. She became very sick and my parents had to put her down, a few years after I had moved out of that house my daddy built.

Over the years, I always seemed to be able to "charm" my (ex)husband, who was NOT thrilled with CATS, either, to allow me to have my pets. We almost always had at least one, and a few times, two cats, who allowed us to share "their" home.

All my children "inherited" my love for kittens. We did have one "tragedy". Our Samantha had birthed her litter in our fireplace. (Our dog, Missy, ACTUALLY woke me up in the middle of the night to "show me" the new kitties). A few days later, Samantha decided to move her babies to a sleeping bag next to my son, Richard's, bed. Well, Richard came to me, holding a "dead" kitten ... he had "no idea" what happened to it! My suspicions were confirmed several years later, when an older Richard confessed he had gotten out of bed and stepped on the kitten. He did not know they were snuggling in his sleeping bag! Even today, as adults on their own, my kids have NEVER been without feline companionship.

Just a short time after I purchased my own home, I decided once again, I "needed" a cat. Early one Saturday morning, I headed off to the local adoption clinic. There I found my present "royalty" feline sisters, Punkin and Baby. I had to leave their brother behind, unfortunately, cause I just could not affored 3 cats at that time. Today, I still am amazed by my "kitties". It has been scientifically proven that pets lower our blood pressure, and make us happier with life.

Irish Proverb: "Beware of people who dislike cats."

Today, I have made a qp for you using my SPRING IS BLOSSOMING kit, found here, and ON SALE NOW for only $2.50.

Meet my kitties...Punkin and Baby ... and enjoy your QP. Remember to DOWNLOAD today! (sorry, link has expired)

I hope you have a wonderful day ... See you tomorrow!

Daughters ...Oh My!

2008-04-23T05:50:00.004-04:00

My lovely daughter will turn 25 on May 14. I don't know her "story", but as my youngest child, and ONLY girl, she has demanded attention since BEFORE she was born. In my seventh month of pregnancy, I developed some problems, and my doc wanted to perform an early C-Section. Fortunately, we decided to "ride things out" if possible, and not only was Lynnsey not born prematurely, but she was born past my due date. This has been the THEME of her life ever since ... always late!

Around the age of two, we became concerned because she was not developing her language skills like our boys did. I mean she "babbled" ALL the time ... but no one could understand a word she said. Of course, with three older brothers (the eldest is her step-brother), we realized she did not really need to speak English to have her every wish filled. She would say, "blah, blah, blah", and one of the boys would speak up and tell us, "Lynnsey wants ..." It has become a joke around our house, because once she started, to this day, I don't believe she has ever STOPPED talking. Once, I picked the kids up from day care, and asked them to please be quiet as a mouse because "Mommy has a very bad headache." My sweetie, spent the entire ride home, telling me loudly, clearly, AND repeatedly, that she was going to be a good girl and be very quiet 'cause she didn't want mommies head to hurt.

The boys love to tease their sister, and have done so at EVERY opportunity. We had just moved into a very large house, and were celebrating our youngest son's birthday ... but we had somehow "lost" Lynnsey. We were shocked when we noticed this pre-schooler, carrying her brothers (LARGE) cake, down the hall. We all started to run for her, and I guess we scared her half to death...in a WHOOSH, she dropped his cake upside down on the carpet. They have NEVER have let her forget that. She got quite upset about it, too, until recently. In fact, a few years ago, my mom asked Lynnsey if she was dressing up for Halloween. My son, Richard, spoke up and said, "Yeah, she is going to be a CAKE-DROPPER!"

Lynnsey and I have a very close relationship. A few weeks before her tenth birthday, she decided she needed to talk to me about "this period thing". After I stopped choking, ( I did not think I needed to have THAT talk for another year or so), we cuddled under some blankets on the couch, put on some music, and she got her first "very" basic lesson in the facts of life. She has always been comfortable talking to me about her "teen problems ... like boys", and now, her young adult issues. For that I am thankful.

My daughter is a very social young lady. She has a bright and optimistic outlook on life, and her smile lights up her entire face. She is on the "go" all the time, and often is a bit "ditsy."Which brings me to her faults ... THE GIRL IS STILL ALWAYS LATE!

For today's FREEBIE, I am gifting you with another lil' mini. I have also scrapped a page to introduce you to Lynnsey. Hope you like!

Remember to get your FREEBIE today; the link expires tomorrow.
(sorry, link has expired)

Mothers

2008-04-21T22:51:00.005-04:00

I mentioned earlier that Mom lives with me. A few years ago, she became ill, was hospitalized, and seemed to become increasingly confused after being discharged. It was then I decided she needed some supervision, taking her medications, and doing those day to day activities. I now know she has Alzheimers dementia. That means, we have our "good" days and our "not so good" days. If you were to spend 15 or 20 minutes chatting with her, you would think she is ok. However, she is really no longer "my mom". It is strange when the child becomes the caretaker for the parent. My kids help me often; Lynnsey cleans Mom's room, and helps with showering, hair styling, and those "girl" things. My son's take her for rides and play cards with her.
"GG" and my granddaughter, Michaela, argue over coloring books!

Mom was a very smart kid in school. She graduated near the top of her class, then worked a full time job for a while, before joining the WACS during World War II. She had wanted to become a nurse, but her parents did not "approve" of that career choice, so Mom never made it to nursing school. I guess money was tight in those days and she just could not afford it without her parents help.

My mother was a "stylin" lady. She used to tell me how she would always buy outfits, complete with shoes, undies and coordinating accessories! She enjoyed sewing, and would stay up till the wee hours of the morning making doll clothes for my Barbie.
I would awake to find my doll, dressed to the teeth, many mornings.

She did not meet and marry my dad till her late 20's. My dad was quite a bit older than she. He was 40, the youngest of several children born to my grandparents. He had 8 older sisters, and one twin brother, who all seemed to "guide" his life. His family was a bit skeptical when he married mom (they were strict Catholics; she a Methodist), and so much younger, but over the years Mom won them all over with her charm.
Funny thing, though, it was Mom who made sure I was "raised" Catholic, and it
was she who brought me to Mass every Sunday.

I have no siblings, due to miscarriages after me, and my mom was determined I would NOT be a "spoiled" ONLY child. I think back and believe I actually had LESS than many kids in my neighborhood. Seems to me, in my younger years, I was denied a lot of things, because no one was going to say "Marsha is spoiled!"

She rarely knows the day of the week, and really has no idea of the season or the year. She has forgotten that most of her family and friends have passed, and often confuses our names. However, to make the "best" of this situation, I often find myself laughing over her confusion. A short example for you ... last weekend mom was sitting at the kitchen table playing solitaire as I was doing some cleaning. Our conversation went something like this ... Mom: "I haven't seen Lynnsey in a while." Me:
"No, she is busy with work and her own life, but visits when she can." Mom: "Is she still seeing Ben?" Me: "yes", Mom: "How nice; they make a cute couple." Mom: "You said she moved to an apartment on Fuller Road (true). Does she like it there?", Me: "Yes, she has a lovely apartment." Mom: "Now, is her dad, David?", Me: "Yes" ... a short time passes, and I am thankful that today is a "good" day, THEN, Mom said ... "Now, tell me, who is her mother???!!!". Well, I thought I was going to wet myself, and was giggling inside! My simple answer ..."I am!" ... Mom: "oh?"

So, the days pass, she and I share many "Good Morning's!" throughout the day,
and I "miss" my mother. Thankfully, I have memories to scrap!

Here is a layout of Mom ... and a quickpage for you. Maybe YOU, too, want to scrap your Mother ... and thanks for "listening" to my rambling.

Remember, download the link today; it will only last till tomorrow.
(sorry, this link has expired)

Grandchildren

2008-04-21T05:53:00.004-04:00

I thought it would be nice to talk about our grandkids ... well, MY granddaughter, in particular! Michaela, just turned 4 on March 28. She is an "only" child (so far), and the daughter of my eldest son, Michael. My son was the primary "caregiver" for her first two years, and so she is a bit "advanced" for her age. To say she is somewhat spoiled would be be an huge understatement!

Michaela has a wonderful imagination. A few months ago, she was "pretending" she was FOUR years old. However, she was being particularly "difficult" that day, and I was getting a bit weary of her antics. I sat down with her to "discuss" the proper way for a little girl to behave. Being the wise Grammy that I am, I explained to her that I was really looking forward to her birthday, because four year old little girls, ALWAYS acted nicely and did as they are told the first time! I had to laugh (to myself, of course) at her reply ... "Oh no, Grammy, because I AM ALREADY four!"

Parenting is very different today from the "old" days when I raised my children.
Back then we were "allowed" to give a spanking on the bottom when needed, or deny a child dessert if their meal was not finished. NOT TODAY! Michaela's parents use
"time out", and the "counting" system. On yet ANOTHER day, my little precious sweetie, was AGAIN being difficult. Even Little Bear (kids tv show) could not distract her from bouncing on my furniture. So I thought and thought ... what could I do????
Ahhhhhh .... I said, "Michaela ...ONE!" Well, wasn't I amazed when she immediately bounced her tiny butt down on the sofa, and sat perfectly still! She did, though, give me a "look to kill". Hmmmmmmmm .... maybe that IS easier than chasing a kid around the room, threatening to spank their bottom!!!

In the end though, it is all so worth while. Last night she was on the phone with my son....she sent me a "message".... TELL GRAMMY I LOVE HER! What could be sweeter than that?

I had a few requests to share some photos of Michaela. So, I made a quickpage for todays FREEBIE ... and here is my cute angel!

DON'T FORGET, THE LINK WILL EXPIRE TOMORROW ... so get your FREEBIE now! (sorry, this link has expired)

See you back here tomorrow.

Nice to See You!

2008-04-20T08:33:00.005-04:00

Good Day everyone! My name is Marsha, aka Froggypond, and I am happy to be hosting our blog this week. I am even MORE excited, because I have designed a weeks worth of goodies to give to you!

I would like to share a bit about myself, and I guess the best place to start is at the beginning! I was born in Troy, NY, and have lived here most of my life. I am an ONLY child, so you can just imagine how "spoiled" I am ...(not)! I have 3 grown children: Michael, 35, Richard, 27, and Lynnsey, 25. I am Grammy to the most adorable, cutest, smartest, precious little 4 year old, Michaela. My mom lives with me, too. At the "tender" age of 84, she is in need of a bit of reorientation and help with her daily needs. I also share my home with two sisters, Punkin and Baby, my pretty lil' kitties.

Professionally, I am a RN. I am so fortunate to have a wonderful managerial position. I no longer have to work nights, weekends, or holidays, which is super for anyone in the health field.

I own my own home and can get "lost" in gardening or fall asleep for hours, floating in my pool! The downside of that, is it takes me away from my true PASSION ...designing! If they could only create a waterproof laptop, and the sun would always shine, my world would be PERFECT ...lol.

So, 'nuff about ME! Let's talk about you, and FREEBIES ... yah! I designed a lil'
mini for you today. It is on the masculine side, which I find myself creating a lot lately! Not sure why, since I love to scrap my dahlin' granddaughter, Michaela .. BUT here is a preview for you ....

Get it here (sorry, this link has expired) , while the getting is good ... the link will expire tomorrow!

If you are looking for "guy" kits, Froggypond says "leap over to my store, here."

Hope you have a FANTASTIC day, and see ya' back here on Monday.

Walkin' On Sunshine

2008-04-19T06:55:00.005-04:00

Thanks so much to all of you for the wonderful name suggestions for my kit! I've decided on Walkin' on Sunshine, suggested by texjudy! Thanks so much, Judy - you'll receive the kit for free! The rest of you should also be watching your PM for a goodie from me. :)

I don't know about you, but I have a real weakness for grab bags. I guess it's because I like surprises and rarely ever get any. I even have to buy my own Xmas gifts - although my dh is getting better about that.. we've been married 17 years and I'm finally starting to get through to him. :) Anyway, I'll be putting my first Personal Use grab bag in the store soon, so be watching for it! I think you'll really be happy with the contents. :D

This is my last day on the blog. I've really enjoyed reading all the comments you've left for me! Starting tomorrow, Marsha (froggypond) will be hosting for a week. I'm looking forward to seeing what she has to say!

I'll leave you with another frame pack - this one geared more towards the girls.

You can download it here. (Sorry, this link has expired).

Shake, Shake, Shake

2008-04-18T07:05:00.003-04:00

Yes, it did! And this is Indiana! I was at work this morning, almost at the end of my shift. I took the big fork truck out to fill it up. I work in a very loud factory, so I had my ear plugs in - didn't hear anything, but all of a sudden the truck starting rocking back and forth. I couldn't figure out what was going on - I was standing beside it and it was filling up at the time. Earthquakes aren't exactly common around here. :) So I took the nozzle off the truck, then pushed on it to see if I could rock it - of course, it didn't budge. I figured I was tired and hallucinating. :D When I got back inside the plant, I had a text message from my oldest dd - she said it woke them up out of a dead sleep. Apparently it rumbled as well as shook. Then I checked my e-mail before leaving and there was an e-mail from my friend Carolyn about the earthquake. It's big news - all over the TV. It was a 5.4, with the epicenter about 24 miles SW of Vincennes. I was in Terre Haute at the time. Just let me say that I was very happy to find that I was not, in fact, hallucinating. :)

We have 4 dogs. Dh said all 4 of them tried to crawl up in his lap. And my youngest dd slept right through it. She's not a morning person. I guess we can honestly say now that she would sleep through an earthquake.

Today's the last day to get my A Spring Thing kit on sale for only $2.00! The Easy as 1, 2, 3 challenge ends tonight at midnight, too. So get your layouts posted!

Today I'm sharing some frames with you. You can download them here. (Sorry, this link has expired).
Have a great day!

Back To Work

2008-04-17T07:11:00.003-04:00

Yep, I had to go back to work last night and I am ready for bed. That first night back is always a killer.

Blue24k2000 (Carolyn) and keiki (Donna), a couple of TSG members, met yesterday at our local bowling alley! Donna was in town for a bowling tournament, so Carolyn dropped in to see her. I was supposed to go along, but I slept through my alarm. Carolyn did share some pictures with me - I can't wait to see them scrapped!

How about a little more about me? What do I do besides scrap? Crochet! I love to crochet - I can remember my great grandma teaching me to make a basic chain using my fingers. I crochet mostly afghans. I get impatient following tedious patterns. My only problem is that I tend to give them away as gifts, so I don't actually have that many of my own.

There's a few of the afghans I still have. On the far right in the middle row is a bed I crocheted out of cloth for our poodle. The bottom is my crochet hook case. Well, the one I made anyway. I tend to use the bigger hooks and multiple strands of yarn these days.

I'm also a genealogist. Back to my great grandma again. :) I grew up listening to her stories about the family. Then, when I was a freshman in high school, my English teacher had a guest come in. He had a beautiful book he'd made from his genealogy research. I was hooked! I was the county coordinator for two USGenWeb Indiana counties for over 10 years. I just gave them up last November. I had to make a choice between my scrapping addiction and the genealogy sites. I think it's obvious what my decision was. :)

Today I have another stickit for you, made by my CT Kay! This one is also from my kit A Spring Thing.

You can download it here. (Sorry, this link has expired).

Wed., April 16 - The River

2008-04-15T23:18:00.007-04:00

We spent some time over at the river yesterday. We have a "cabin" over there - it's actually just an ancient trailer that's only about 36' long, but it keeps the rain off of our heads. :) The river got up in the trailer when it flooded this year, so we have a mess to clean up. During the summer, you can find us over there a lot! We have a pontoon that we run up and down the river on, dh has his jon boat for fishing and we just got a jet ski last October. We really enjoy tubing down the river, too. It's just so peaceful and relaxing. Until we break out the karaoke, that is!

Here's a layout of me & DH on the jet kit - that's Tina Marie on Chris' lap. She'll follow him anywhere. I was surprised at how well the water in these two photos matched up! Used elements from Lynn Reloza's Beaches 2 kit.

And here's a layout of my two granddaughters singing karaoke. Aren't they sweet? I had this one put on a mug for my son-in-law. Used Lynn Griffin's Touch of Love kit for this layout.

Today is my oldest granddaughter, Lilly's birthday. She's 5 already! Sarah turns 3 on May 5. It'll always be easy to remember hers - she was born on 5/5/05! Since their birthdays are fairly close together, their mom has gotten by with combining their birthday party each year. This year it will be April 26 at the Children's Museum. And this bad, bad grammy hasn't even bought their gifts yet.

Since it's Lilly's birthday, I thought I'd give you all a gift of a birthday sampler. This is a kit in progress and will eventually be in the store. I'm calling it Birthday Party right now, but that's subject to change. :)

You can download it here. (Sorry, this link has expired).

Kim brought it to my attention that my Easy as 1, 2, 3 challenge was supposed to end on the 15th. I've extended both the sale and the challenge until midnight, April 19th. The featured kit for this challenge is A Spring Thing and is on sale for $2.00. You can find details on the challenge here.

New Store Grand Opening Sale!

2008-04-15T04:48:00.005-04:00

Did you all know that the new store is open for business? You really need to run over and check it out! It looks wonderful. Many, many thanks to everyone who put so many long hours into getting it up and running! There's a store-wide 25% off sale going on, and if you browse around you're going to find some really great deals!

A Spring Thing... no, that's not the name I decided on for my Name That Kit! :) That's the name of a kit I already have in the store. It was the featured kit in my Easy as 1, 2, 3 crop/challenge this month. If you missed out on it, you missed out on 10 freebie brag book stickits! Kay, one of my wonderful CT members has created a beautiful brag book stickit from this kit and I'll be sharing it with you today!

You can download it here. (Sorry, this link has expired).

Name This Kit - Preview

2008-04-14T07:55:00.004-04:00

Wow! Lots of responses to "Name This Kit" even before I have the preview up! Thanks so much for all of the suggestions. I'll keep a running list this week and let you all know what I decide - I may need some help with the final decision, too. :) Also, those of you who are not using your TSG usernames when you post a name suggestion need to let me know how to contact you so I can get your goodie to you!

Well, as I said before, I'm on a 21 turn schedule at work and today was "Friday" for me. Yep, it's the weekend!! This shift really took some getting used to, but I've been doing it for 6 years now and am just grateful that I have enough seniority to stay off of swing shift. Their long weekend each month consists of 48 hours. I had to work that shift for about a year and trust me, it's a killer.

I have a preview of the kit for you to take at look at. This is most of the kit. I'll have to do some better previews before I put it in the store.

I'm hosting the Garden Tour this week! And as a special incentive to encourage participation, I'm offering a $5 coupon to my store to anyone who participates at least 15 days in the month of April! There's still time to qualify for the coupon, so head on over and check it out! It's easy to participate - just post the link to a layout, any layout, in the gallery. Then visit the other stops on the tour and leave some love. Piece of cake!

Since you've stuck with me this far, I have another little gift for you. This is a 4x6 bragbook stickit made from my "Name This Kit" kit. :) You can download it from 4shared (Sorry, this link has expired).

Help Me Name This Kit

2008-04-13T07:09:00.005-04:00

Hello, everyone! I'm Pammy Yates and I'll be hosting the blog this week. I'll start by telling you a little about me. I've been married for 17 years, and have 2 daughters. My oldest is 24 and married, with 2 daughters of her own. They are the cutest little things you ever saw ... I know, I know, all grandparents say that. Mine call me Grammy Pammy - it sounds so cute coming out of their mouths. :) My youngest daughter is 12 and in the the 6th grade.

I work full time at an aluminum factory and just got switched back to C crew - my hours are 10:30pm to 6:30am. I thought it would be hard to get used to again because I was on days for about a year and a half, but I didn't have any problem with it! I work 21 turn, so I have different days off each week. The great thing about it is that I get a 4-day weekend once a month - it's like a mini vacation!

I have a new kit that I need a better name for. I've been calling it "Vibrant", but thought I might get some help from you on a better name. :) I don't have a preview yet, but I do have a small sampler. I'll get the preview of the entire kit up asap. I'll be giving away bits & pieces of this kit here on the blog this week. Anyone who helps me out by giving name suggestions will get something special at the end of the week! Here's the preview of the sampler.

And you can download it here. Sorry, this link has expired. With the new store, we have a new ftp and I haven't figured out how to link to it yet.

See you tomorrow!

MIA

2008-04-11T22:44:00.018-04:00

There I went being MIA again. Sorry about that :)

Quick update on Zach (my youngest): His temperature never really dropped from the 99 range on Wednesday and after another restless night it was up to 101.7 Thursday morning. My gut was telling me this had turned into more than just a cold. I went ahead and tried April's suggestion which didn't seem to make a difference with his cough. Thanks for the suggestion though April, I will keep it in mind for next time...although you should have seen Zach's reaction to it - lol - He was fine at first then all of a sudden he scrunched up his face and shivered - lol. So I tried the onion-sugar syrup and I had to admit that it is fine at first but it does have an after bite ;). (Also, thanks Grammadianne for your suggestion of warm milk/honey/lemon/butter...I had tried the warm tea/honey but didn't have lemon in the house. I will keep your idea in my file for next time also!) So I called and got him an appointment to see the doctor yesterday morning and my gut was correct. It has turned into more than just a cold. He was diagnosed with bronchiolitis and the doctor put him on 5-days of a steroid along with continuing the Albuterol...as well as instruction that if the temperature raised any more or the coughing/wheezing got any worse to come back in so they could see if it has turned into pneumonia or an ear infection. Thankfully he seemed to be a tad better last night and actually slept in his own bed for a couple hours without coughing the entire time. Today the coughing wasn't nearly as intense as it has been, and he didn't have a fever most of the day, but the wheezing is still there and has changed sounds a bit...so we will have to keep an eye on that. Now if Zach comes through this without it changing to pneumonia, and Drew and I get through this (yep, we have both caught it) without it settling too much in either of our chests, I will be VERY happy :)

I have very much to be thankful for in my life right now too! We did not end up getting all the rain and dangerous weather in our area like they were calling for on Wednesday night/Thursday. It did rain pretty well over night and there was some flooding in our area (thanks to ground that was already over saturated), but our basement didn't flood again and it has pretty well gone down in our town. South of us has not been so lucky. Down in Branson they have had to open up the flood gates at Table Rock Dam to release the record level high water... (photo taken from Branson Daily News) and of course this has caused major flooding down stream. When you talk to people that have lived here in the Ozarks their whole life, all they say is that they have never seen it like this...and they are right since it is setting all sorts of records. Please keep all of these people affected by the flooding in your thoughts and prayers!

I really hope that you will all be back for next week!! You shouldn't have to put up with my lack of blog then since the wonderfully talented Pamela Yates will be your hostess here. I had the chance to work with Pammy in the TSG Design 101 mentoring class earlier this year and I really looks forward to getting to know more about this sweet lady during the next week.

Before I go for the evening, I would like to give a small peace offering to apologize once again for pretty much abandoning you all this week...and a thank you for being so understanding about it. It is nothing big, but I hope you will be able to use these two SticKits I created using the beautiful TSG April Mega Kit "Spring Sorbet" Grab these 2 SticKits HERE (Sorry, this link has expired)

Hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Saturday!!

Attention TSG Shoppers!!

2008-04-09T22:16:00.001-04:00

We have some big things planned for our store! Unfortunately, in order to implement them we will have to close the store for a few days. Our store will be closed starting Thursday morning for maintenance and upgrades and will re-open on Monday morning.

Not to fear though, we will be re-opening Monday with a whole new store front with cool new features for you the customer! Not to mention a RAWKIN' sale to kick off our Grand Re-Opening!

Thanks so much to each of you for being loyal TSG customers and helping our garden grow!

~Michelle Rodriguez
The Scrapping Garden

I'm SO Sorry!

2008-04-09T16:10:00.002-04:00

I am REALLY sorry I haven't been around consistently this week! My youngest has been in the process of coming down with something so I have had to focus on him a lot. Last night was the worst so far. I was up most of the night with the little guy (he's 19 months old) trying ease his breathing. About 3am this morning his breathing became really labored for him (his poor little chest just got sucked in with each breath, but his coloring stayed fine), so from then until about 4:15am I was in the bathroom runny a steamy shower and then outside in the cool night air...back and forth. This seemed to be just a little helpful, so I finally gave him some Albuterol (we have some on hand since my oldest ends up with wheezy coughs a lot), and that relieved him enough to get a little sleep...well some sleep after he finally settled down. The Albuterol really hyped him up :) Today his breathing has been ok (not perfect, but not struggling like he was last night), but the poor kid is coughing constantly! The latest thing I have tried (from suggestion of the nurse at his doctor's office) is warm decaf tea with some honey in it. He LOVED it, but I didn't really notice a difference. I also just tried some straight honey. Again he enjoyed it, but still coughing. So any suggestions you might have that I could try would be appreciated! Both my boys seem to have a weakness in this area and often colds settle in their respiratory system, so this is nothing new to me. I am just praying it doesn't turn into pneumonia like it did in February!

ANYWAY, I say all that to give a little explanation as to why I haven't been around here much :) I know, excuses, excuses ;) I have also been around here so much, that I seem to have run out of things to talk about. You all pretty well know all about my family and I at this point ;) I wish I had an exciting area of the country to talk about like Tina was able to share with us, but with living pretty much in the middle of the United States, there isn't that much exciting happening...unless you count the tornadoes we seem to get often around here. In fact, we are suppose to have chances of those around here tomorrow afternoon. I LOVE spring, but I do NOT like the tornado season that comes with spring :) But there are MANY things to love about spring too. Like the blooming bradford pear trees...

This Week at TSG

2008-04-07T12:07:00.007-04:00

Well, looks like you all are stuck with me again this week :)

I would like to take today to remind you of all the great crops happening this week at TSG!

Tuesday, April 8th:

Easy as 1,2,3 Crop ~ 2pm EST
Join Pammy for this fun crop that she is taking over for Cheryl.
Here's how it works:
1. You purchase Pammy's featured kit to use to make your layout.
2. She will give you a coordinating freebie(s) during the crop.
3. Post your layout by the deadline of April 15th and you'll get the posting bonus shown below - 8 4x6 bragbook stickits from the featured kit!
The featured kit is "A Spring Thing" is available HERE in the TSG Store.
It will be on sale for $2.00 until midnight, April 15th.

For those of you who can't attend the crop, but would like to participate in the challenge, you can still get everything available. All you have to do is purchase the featured kit, create your layout, post it in the Easy as 1, 2, 3 gallery, post the link to your layout here and I'll send you the posting bonus shown below PLUS the coordinating crop freebie(s).

~~~~~~

Grow Your Elements ~ 7pm EST
Join AScrapbookDiva (April Sevigny) and Froggypond (Marsha Connell-Torre) and see the HUGE, ELEMENT PACKED, MEGA KIT they have created for this months challenge.
In fact, they got SO carried away creating "A Country Easter", that they had to move their crop to the SECOND Tuesday for this month. It just took them too long to zip everything up and get the previews and files into the TSG store!

You can purchase our kit ... NOW AT 57%OFF ...yup, only $3.00... till May 7!!!!!!!!
This is a deal you will NOT want to miss. Remember, AFTER THE CHAT, there will be additional elements which you will receive if you have purchased our kit.

Although the main theme is Easter, there are so many soft pastels that this kit would be perfect for any Springtime layouts.

What is the Challenge?
Use as many of the featured element as possible in your layout without making it crowded, or take the focus off of the picture. You may use all of the element freebies in your layout or pick one or two an use many of them. It is up to you.
Every month there will be a featured kit and "featured" element freebie you will get at the chat.
There will be a posting bonus if you use a different kit. If you use the featured kit you will receive the posting bonus plus another gift for using the featured kit.

Come to the Chat on April 8 at 7pm to find out what the Element of the Month is.

You have until May 7 to complete the Challenge.

Post your layouts HERE

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Wednesday, April 9th:

Getting Swirly With It! ~ 9pm EST
Join MickeyB for this exciting sounding new crop!! The crop title is just a hint of what the challenge is!
Do you love using swirls in your layouts? This is the challenge for you!
Meet Michelle in the chat room at 9:00pm (EST) on April 9th for my Getting swirly with it crop!

At the chat she will be giving out some swirls/doodles for you to use in a layout. Make a layout using the crop gifts and as a posting gift you will receive Michelle's Basic swirl/doodles set! It isn't even in the store yet!

Here is a preview of the posting gift:

Make sure to post your layouts in the gallery (challenges) HERE and post a link for your layout in this post.

This challenge will be open till April 30th!

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Don't miss out on these fun crops and make sure to check out all the great challenge in the TSG Forum -- HERE!!

Well...It's Still Friday Where I Live :)

2008-04-05T00:42:00.005-04:00

Can I count it if it is still Friday CST (11:42pm actually)? lol The day sort of slipped away from me without me realizing it. I'm not even too sure where the time went to. Don't you just hate those days that sort of slip away from you without you really knowing where your time went? Besides doing some school work with Drew, the only thing I can remember accomplishing was moving some of the office things downstairs to what will now be the office. Oh, and I did watch a really cute movie with my boys. My parents took Drew to see "Alvin and the Chipmunks" around Christmas and they all came back saying it was cute. So when it became available from Blockbuster on-line I immediately requested it. And I must say it is really cute! I grew up listening to the Chipmunks' Christmas every year on the record player (ah yes, the old vinyl records) at my grandparents house so they bring back very fond memories. I really enjoyed hearing some of those old songs on the new movie. In Drew's words, it was a "2 thumbs up" :)

As an apology for missing Friday, I thought I would share a little SticKit (grab it HERE -- sorry this link has expired) I just made using the TSG April Mega Kit, Spring Sorbet which you can pick up in the TSG Store HERE for just $3.49!

In case I don't make it back later today (yep - it is officially midnight my time now), I hope you all have a nice Saturday!

Not Much to Tell

2008-04-03T18:24:00.002-04:00

There really isn't much happening around here to tell about today.

I do want to remind you about the "Box of Dreams" crop with Georgia tonight at 9pm EST!! You don't want to miss out on that one!

Today was fairly uneventful for me. Drew had swimming lessons this morning (He has come SO far since last Septemeber when he didn't even like to get his face wet!). Then the boys and I had to stop at the grocery store on the way home for a few things (made myself hungry for the chicken & wild rice soup again - lol). The allergist did just call with Drew's results. Looks like he might have a very slight allergy to milk, eggs and oak trees. So he suggested that we take him off main milk products (milk, cheese, yogurt & ice cream) and eatting eggs (not to worry about items with some milk and eggs in them) for about 3 weeks and just see what happens. When I mentioned this to Drew the poor kid wasn't very happy. He LOVES milk products and every one I mentioned he would be having to cut out for awhile, he almost started crying. :( Looks like I will need to be running back to the grocery store to get some soy or rice cream milk substitutes for him.

Well, since it is 5:30pm my time, I guess I better go whip up that soup for dinner tonight. Need to make it tonight before we start the new diet with Drew tomorrow.

I Know I Promised...

2008-04-02T15:45:00.007-04:00

I know I promised a real blog entry today, but can you believe it, I'm not sure what to even write about! lol

There has been a lot happening in my world since the last time I hosted the TSG Blog. We took my oldest son to see a pediatric opthamologist because we was seeing double sometimes. He checked out with 20/20 vision and the doctor believes it might have been from being tired or maybe even stress. We also pulled him out of preschool since he was having so many behavior problems and I am working with him at home on school work. This has really seemed to help him and the fits are fewer and most are less explosive. We also took him to see an allergist and are waiting to get the results back from the tests (poor kid's nose just starts bleeding out of no where pretty often). My youngest is in the midst of cutting his eye teeth - UGH! It has been a long, and evidently painful process for him. :( I had a tonsillectomy on March 15th - thankfully a pretty uneventful one. A few days after my tonsillectomy we had a TON of rain in our area and our basement had some water problems...which ment moving lots of stuff out of the way of the water, pulling up the carpet, sucking up the water, letting it all dry completely out and then relaying the carpet. We are still in the middle of trying to get everything moved back where it belongs. And of course I couldn't make it just a simple "move everything back where it came from". No, I decide this would be the perfect time to move our office to the spare room downstairs and then move Drew (our oldest son) into what was the office and Zach (our youngest son) into what was Drew's room. lol And the fun doesn't end there! :) We need to finish redoing one more closet with the ClosetMaid stuff we bought back in January, as well as fix the drainage problem in our backyard and do some landscaping.

Enough about my life, have you all seen the great challenges happening around TSG?

First, don't forget tomorrow evening (Thursday, April 3rd) at 9pm EST is "Box of Dreams Crop with Georgia Oliver"!

Also don't forget all the on going challanges around the garden:
ABC Challenge
Blueprint of My Garden (you have until the 21st to finish the current challenge)
Can You Face The Type?
Color Challenge
Daily Download Challenge
Grow Your Elements
Petals of Wisdom
Scraplift with Karen
Scrap a Masterpiece with Karen
And of course you can't forget the "Keeping it Straight" Challenge!! What a perfect way to keep all the information straight on all the challenges you are working on around TSG.
Whew! That almost makes my head spin :)

Ok, I think I will leave you today with something that isn't scrapbook related, but still something I hope you might enjoy. I am currently addicted to the following "Chicken & Wild Rice Soup" recipe. It is SUPER simple and I think it is delicious so I wanted to share it with you. The original recipe I got from Mr. Food on a noon news show about a month ago, but I have made a few changes. ;) Hope you enjoy!

Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

6 servings
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2 tablespoons oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
5 cups water
1 (6.2-ounce) package Uncle Ben’s fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
10-ounce (1 1/4 cups) chopped broccoli
2 cups chopped cooked rotisserie chicken (the already cooked kind from the store)
4-ounces Velveta cheese, cubed
1/2 cup (4-ounces) Cheddar Cheese
1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken & mushroom soup
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1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, and sauté 5 minutes.
2. Add water, seasoning packet from rice, broccoli, and chicken. Bring to a boil, and stir in rice; reduce heat, cover, and cook 5 minutes.**
3. Add cheese and soup; cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

**If you use the regular rice instead of fast-cooking, step 2 will take 25 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

Personally, I like to add more chicken, broccoli, carrots & cheddar cheese than it calls for in the recipe. :)

April Garden Gateway

2008-04-01T10:52:00.005-04:00

The April issue of the Garden Gateway is now available You can read it HERE Go find out a little more about Dawn Mills of Snowsmoon's Design and the TSG Gallery Administrator Lilly Reinier!

And I JUST noticed I forgot to include a goodie from Pammyj in the newsletter! Oh my word!! She has a wonderful new kit that just came out today called "Swirled" - available HERE . For those of you who have already read the April Garden Gateway, I don't want you to miss out on the gorgeous goodie Pammyj gave me to include so make sure to re-read the newsletter (I have it included on PAGE 8 now)! Here is what you would miss if you don't go back I am SO sorry about that, Pammy!!

Completed...But Not Posted Yet

2008-04-01T00:36:00.006-04:00

Ok, I just finished the April Newsletter and went to upload it only to find out that my hubby is using all my DSL bandwidth up and it was loading SUPER slow. (That's what happens when he runs 4 poker tables, a Skype chat as well as numerous AIM sessions.) SO since he he isn't sharing well, and instead of staying up until 2am waiting for everything to load, I will just post it later in the morning when he isn't being a bandwidth hog :) Sorry it won't be posted at the usual midnight time...but it is coming! Ok, off to get some sleep. If my youngest has trouble sleep and is up and down all night (like he did yesterday) I will try uploading it while I am up with him :) I will be back later. Night for now.

One of THOSE Days!

2008-03-31T21:20:00.003-04:00

Well, it has been one of THOSE kinds of days for me. Seems like every thing I touch doesn't go well. And since one of those things that hasn't gone well is the TSG Newsletter, I am having to bow out again today on the blog. I was up last night until about midnight working on it, and was better than half way through with it when I went to bed. I guess I was a little TOO tired and I evidently forgot to save all that work (how in the WORLD did I forget to save it???)!!! So here I just logged on to try and finish the newsletter to find out that I have to pretty much start from the beginning again. And since it is already almost 8:30pm my time, I need to get off here and do some frantic work if I want to have it out tomorrow.

I will be back tomorrow, and hopefully with a more decent blog entry. Sorry everyone!