December 23, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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 ...

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

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

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!!

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.

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!!!!!!!!!!

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 .....

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..

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!

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 ....

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 ...

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!

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

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!!

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**

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

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)

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)

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

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!

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!