First Annual Christmas Cookie and Recipe Swap!!

Here's some photos of our very first annual Christmas cookie/Recipe swap. We're off to a good start with 9 cookie recipes for our cookbook. Every year I will host this party so we can build a nice cookie cookbook as well as have a nice assortment of cookies for the holidays! This year we had Snickerdoodles, Oreo Bon Bons, Gooey Butter Cookies, Chocolate covered raisin oatmeal cookies, Chocolate Oatmeal no bake cookies, Neiman Marcus cookies, Chewy Chocolate Cookies, and Dani's famous pop and bake Pillsbury Gingerbread cookies complete with onion embellishment!! ROFLMBO!! This one is truly a collector's item! Ha ha ha!! Love you, Dani. My favorite photo is the picture of all the cookies next to the DIET Mountain Dew. Did you know that one Diet Mountain Dew cancels out all the calories in one dozen cookies?? Ha ha. Muuuaaaahhh!! Can't wait until next year girls! At next month's crop, I think we'd like to continue the recipe card thing with Soup Recipes. So dig out your favorite soup recipes and get to work!

Merry CHRISTmas to all!!

Whew! The holidays are blowing by so fast!! I need to get some pics up. I was really spoiled for Christmas this year. Eric got me a new lens for my Nikon D70 digital SLR camera. I bought a new flash with my Piggy Tales winnings. I haven't yet received my stuff from PT in the mail, so stay tuned for the RAK. I'll see what I get and maybe send a little to everyone who posted.
Anyway, Eric also got me an Applebee's Gift Card, but that shouldn't count since we're using it on him to eat too, right? Ha ha! Normie got me a nice GC to her fav LSS, For Keeps Sake, in STL. Also, for the first time ever, Eric and Ryan ran to WM at the last minute and actually filled my Christmas stocking. Every year I stuff everyone else's but mine is always empty. I guess they felt sorry for me so they stuffed it this year.
Connor got toys that interested him for about 5 minutes. Ha ha. What a waste of money. He did love his piano from his Nana and Papa, though. He put on quite a show on Christmas Eve. It was hilarious. I'll try to post some photos of his antics.
Eric got a GC to Sears and Roger got him one to Lowe's. Ryan and Josh both got money so they can get what they want.
I hope your Christmas was wonderfully blessed. But always remember the best and most precious gift was given to us over 2,000 years ago. The gift of salvation given to us by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He IS the reason for the season!

I'm in the Christmas spirit. I feel like a RAK!!

Since I won some Piggy Tales stuff, I think I'd like to RAK some of it and share the love. Does anyone have any Piggy Tales stuff? Do you like it? Would anyone like to have some of it?? I don't know what my RAK will be b/c I haven't yet received my winnings, but when I do, I will post a photo of what I will RAK.

I WON!! I WON!!!! WOOOHOOOO!!!

OMG! I'm still shaking with excitement!! I won second place on the Piggy Tales contest. For the contest, we had to create an "All About Me" album using primarily Piggy Tales products. I chose the "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs" collection because it is done primarily in Purples, and purple is my favorite color. I think Piggy Tales is a fairly new paper line, so there aren't a whole lot of embellishments to go with it, so I had to create my own embellishments out of paper. You'll see stamped and hancut flowers, as well as hearts. (Thanks, Kelly Goree, for the string of hearts idea!!)

So I told a brief story about myself with chapters separated into decades, 1960's, 1970's and so on. I can't believe I was picked as a winner!! They must've only had 3 entries!! LOL! Anyway, I created a separate slide show above showcasing my album. Thanks for letting me share my excitement with y'all!!

The notification email from Trina at Piggy Tales appears below:

Hi Theresa,CONGRATULATIONS! You've been chosen as the 1st runner up for the PiggyTales Tell Your Tale Contest. Your $300 cash award and $75 Piggy Talesproduct will arrive soon! Thank you for your entry. Will you please letme know where you bought your Piggy Tales product. Also, we'd likepermission from you to showcase your entry on our website.Happy Holidays,Trina LinfordDirector of PromotionsPiggy Tales

Thoughts for the day

Deep Thoughts for Those Who Take Life Way Too Seriously:
1. Save the whales. Collect the whole set.
2. A day without sunshine is like...night.
3. On the other hand, you have different fingers.
4. 42.7 % of all statistics are made up on the spot.
5. 99 % of lawyers give the rest a bad name.
6. Remember, half the people you know are below average.
7. He who laughs last thinks slowest.
8. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
9. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.
10. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
11. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
12. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
13. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.
14. How many of you believe in psychokinesis? Raise my hand.
15. OK, so what's the speed of dark?
16. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.
17. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.
18. Every one has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.
19. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?
20 Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.
21. What happens if you get scared half to death twice?
22. I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.
23. Why do psychics have to ask you for your name?
24 Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.
25. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.
26. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
27. Life isn't like a box of chocolates . . . it's like a jar of jalapenos. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Kids say the darnest things!

Every single day Connor (3 1/2) says something amusing. I'm going to try to journal his little sayings here so I won't forget them.

The other day he says, "Daddy, I thought you were a girl because your legs are pink". LOL! Eric has a red-head's fair complexion, and yes, there is a pink tint to them.

Yesterday Eric was trying to give him kisses and Connor says, "Daddy, I don't like your kisses. Your bref (breath) is stinky. Get some gum from Mommy".

Eric is going to kill me if he knows I posted this on the blog! LOL!!!

So beautiful out here in Missouri

We literally got dumped on! Take a look. We never see this in Texas! The first thing that Connor wanted to do when he got outside was make a "bible" (he really means snow angel) in the snow.

Wanna laugh??

I'm doing this All About Me album (almost done with it!) and came across these high school photos of me. I was on the dance team in high school. I was a Clear Creek Cavalier! Ha ha. I still love dance, but don't do it much anymore. Wish I had a little girl to pass my passion on to! (I wish I still only had one chin.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Latest Layout

I finished this layout last week but haven't had a chance to post it until now. It's a Thanksgiving layout, but done in non-traditional colors. I wanted to give a feeling of bright, happy joy to the layout, because that's what it's all about. Journaling reads, "On a perfect Autumn day, while maples were in Golden Glory, during this season of Thanksgiving, I saw the joy on your face. It made me THANKFUL to be alive. Love, Mom"

Hope everyone has the best Thanksgiving holiday this week!!

What a month this has been!!

First, on the 8th, Debbie turned 55! I've been teasing her about being an official senior citizen. Ha ha! She's such a good sport about it. Sorry, Deb. Love ya and hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you!!

The next day, on the 9th, Eric and I celebrated four years of marital bliss. One of these days, maybe on my next post, I'll tell you how miraculous it is that we're together. I love telling the story of "us". It puts me in a happy place and it deepens my love for my hubby. So, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, HONEY!!!

The day after that, on the 10th, my eldest child, Joshua, turned 19!! Boy, am I getting old or what?? He's engaged to a wonderful girl, Rachel, whom I love and adore. They were going to get married on the 11th but I talked them into waiting a while. So I almost had another thing to celebrate in November!!

Whew! What a month!

Sorry I haven't been updating my blog lately. I'm contemplating entering a contest and part of the criteria is that any photos used in it can't be posted anywhere online, so I'm saving up for now.

I won first place!!!!

I won $150 for this layout, take a look!!

Who had fun at the crop?

I had so much fun at the crop hosted at my house last Friday night. We had a full house!! Here's what I did for their challenge: I took plastic baggies and filled them with little embellishments (silk flowers, brads, buttons, ribbons). Then I told them they had to use something from my paper scraps and one die cut item. I was hoping to spur people into thinking of using up their scraps and also to get them to learn how to use die cut machines. They could make anything- an altered item, layout or card- whatever their creativity led them to make. At the end of the evening, we took a vote. What do you think of their projects? Kara was the big winner (of course, how could she not be since she scraplifted my layout? hee hee!) In case you're wondering, no, I did not vote. The girls did and I made a stipulation that they couldn't vote for themselves. Yeah, Norma, that means YOU! Ha ha! Dani, I didn't get a pic of your card. Email me a photo and I'll post it here. Okay, Debbie. No excuses next time! Quit gabbin' and get to work!

The barn is DONE!!

Eric made shutters for the barn window. It is officially done. I guess if worse came to worse, we could always move into it since it's plumbed for a toilet, sink and shower!
Doesn't this look like a nice big place to have a crop???

Here we are in the Newspaper

Finally, I scanned in the newspaper clipping of the big grand re-opening of Scrapper's Alley in Washington, MO.

Happy Birthday Honey!!

My honey bunny turned 34 on Thursday. Here's the birthday card I gave him. You'd think I'd hand make him a card. I usually do, but this year I found a card I couldn't resist. The inside says, "Another year lost". Ha ha. Ok, now everyone knows I have a twisted sense of humor.

Another Weird Thing

Yup. You guessed it. I remember another weird thing about me. I am PETRIFIED, TERRIFIED of those big, black, hairy, disgusting, flying, straight from the pits of Hell- ROACHES!! You know, the ones that grow to monstrous proportions that live in Florida and Texas. I've seen them up to 3 inches long and they have these long hairy antennae and legs and they have wings so the actually fly! YUCK!! I will kill somebody to get away from one. LOL! One time when I was prego with Ryan, I got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom (as most pregnant women do). I didn't want to wake anyone so I kept the lights off. While I was sitting on the pot, I felt something bite me on the booty. Half-asleep, I brushed it off thinking I was just hallucinating. Curiousity got the best of me, so I flipped on the light and lo and behold sitting on the toilet seat was one of those big disgusting roaches. It actually took a nibble of my booty!! Needless to say, EVERYONE in the house was woke up after that!

The weirdest thing about me

I can't believe I forgot what the weirdest thing is about me! The weirdest thing about me is that I don't wear deodorant! LOLOL!! I never have worn it. I think I'm ok b/c nobody's ever told me I stink. If I did stink, my mom would be the first to tell me (she doesn't mind telling me I'm fat all the time). Ha ha! I've borrowed shirts from friends before where their pit smell transfered to my underarms, and boy! I couldn't stand it. It made me sick to my stomach. So I think if I smelled, I would know it. Ha ha. I just thought of something. Just the mere fact that I'm talking about this makes me weird. So I guess that's another weird thing about me.

5 Weird things about me

My friend, Kim has tagged me.

The life and times of Kimberly

The rules:List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. Tag 5 friends and list them. Then, those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people.

I make up silly songs for each of my kids and I sing the songs to them all the time.

I have a fetish for baby clothes. I could outfit a small country of toddlers with all of Connor's clothes.

I have frightening thoughts and worries about my kids' safety that have actually brought me to tears.

I think my feet are ugly and for the longest time wouldn't wear open toed shoes.

I talk to myself, all the time. Ha ha!

Now I am tagging:
Norma http://retired2scrap.blogspot.com
Kristi http://kristiscott.blogspot.com/
Dani http://danityree.blogspot.com//
Debbie http://debbiesbitsandpieces.blogspot.com/
Jude http://pjsareclothes.blogspot.com/
Cheryl: http://lifewithcherylwray.blogspot.com/

OMG!!! Debbie won a CRICUT!!!

I can NOT believe Debbie won a Cricut machine! Michelle, owner of Scrapper's Alley in Washington personally invited us to her weekend long grand re-opening event. So we went on Friday to the big gala and Michelle even insisted we be included in her photo for the newspaper! While we were there, Michelle entered our names in a drawing to win a Cricut machine. Debbie got the call last night that she was the big winner!! It's so ironic that Scrapper's Alley was the birthplace of Me and Debbie's friendship. Way to go, Deb! I'm so happy for you!!!

Things you may not know about me

Ok. Dani sent me this questionnaire and I'm supposed to fill it out. So here goes:

A) Four places I have worked:
1. Rhone-Poulenc
2. Roche Vitamins Inc.
3. Dow Chemical Company
4. Dental Assistant

B) Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. The Notebook
2. Pirates of the Carribean movies (both)
3. Rat Race
4. Cinderella Man

C) Four places I have lived:
1. Angeles City, Philippines
2. Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan
3. Santa Maria, California
4. League City, Texas

D) Four TV shows/channels I love to watch:
1. American Idol
2. HGTV
3. Paula Dean
4. Storm Stories

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Disney World, Florida
2. NYC, NY
3. Cayman Islands
4. Cancun, Mexico

F) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Mexican
2. Japanese
3. Cheeseburger
4. Chinese

G) Four places I would like to be right now:
1. Hawaii
2. scrapbooking..lol
3. in the past with my Daddy and grandparents
4. school

H) Four goals I'd like to achieve:
1. finish degree
2. raising self-sufficient, Christian children
3. published
4. read my bible more

Which photo do you prefer?

I'm trying to become a better photographer. The photo on the top shows a photo of Connor's toys taken with the flash on. Notice the dark shadow. I don't know why I get that shadow alot but I think it has something to do with not having one of those field flashes on my camera. I just have the little pop up flash that comes with the camera. The photo on the bottom is taken with the flash off with an f/stop as big as I could go which is f/3.5, if I remember correctly. I like the photo on the bottom but it looks like it has a yellow tint to it. What do you think?

You're Invited!!

Hi friends and family!
I'd like to invite y'all to a crop at my house on Saturday, October 21st from5-9:00 p.m. (give or take an hour or so!).
We'll have so much fun visiting and learning from each other. I have 3 diecut systems: Cricut, Sizzix and Quickutz. I'll teach you how to use these great tools to enhance your layouts. I can also teach newbies techniques such as stamping, embossing, hand stitching, card making or anything else you want to know.

What to bring:
Pictures (of course)
Adhesive
Personal Trimmers
Anything else your little heart desires
A finger food/snack

We'll have challenges and contests!
I have seating for 14 people in my dining room, sun room and bar.
So let meknow if you'd like to come.Also, let me know what you'd like me teach.
As Kristi suggested, we can take turns at each other's homes and each month I can teach y'all a new technique.
So let me know if you'd like to join in the fun or need directions to my house!

Photos

Here's a picture of Drew at Connor's birthday party. Isn't he a dolly?

Connor

Here's a photo I took of Connor at the Bank of Sullivan Picnic last Saturday.

What is LOVE??

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.
Touching words from the mouth of babes.
What does Love mean?
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.
See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca- age 8

When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy -age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"My mommy loves me more than anybody . You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." (what an imagination) Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8

And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.
When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry".

More Barn Building

Our barn is almost finished. All we need now is the roof and the overhead doors. There's my hunky hubby on the roof with his buddy Mark Braun.

What scrapbooking product are you? Tag Debbie, Norma, Leslie and Dani

What scrapbooking item are you?

I took an online quiz that told me what scrapbooking item best describes me. It's a fun quiz and is actually pretty accurate. My results are below. To take the quiz, click on this link: http://www.quizilla.com/users/Prismcat/quizzes/

Remember to paste your results onto your blog so we can all see!!

You are STICKERS!You like brightening things up in life and decorating your living space with your own personal style. You are versatile and able to get things done with a stick-to-it attitude. People love your colorful personality and personal flair! You like exploring new things and are willing to try anything once. But Stickers beware - sometimes you like to stick to someone that you like a little too much and take them into your confidence a little too easily. Your personality tends to make you a steadfast friend, but make sure the friends you choose are worth your efforts!
Take this quiz!

Picture Perfect Photo Shoot

I can't get over how great Connor's pictures turned out at Picture Perfect!

Joke of the day

Why you're not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition.

Harry is getting along in years and finds that he is unable to perform sexually. He finally goes to his doctor who tries a few things, but nothing seems to work. So the doctor refers him to an American Indian medicine man.The medicine man says, "I can cure this." With that said, he throws a white powder in a flame, and there is a flash with billowing blue smoke.Then he says, "This is powerful medicine but you can only use it once a year. All you have to do is say '123,' and it shall rise for as long as you wish!"The guy then asks, "What happens when it's over, and I don't want to continue?"The medicine man replies: "All you or your partner has to say is 1234, and it will go down. But be warned: It will not work again for another year."
Harry rushes home, anxious to try out his new powers and prowess.

That night he is ready to surprise his wife. He showers, shaves, and puts on his most exotic shaving lotion and cologne. After he gets into bed and is lying next to her, he says, "123" and suddenly he becomes more aroused than anytime in his life, just as the medicine man had promised.
His wife, who had been facing away from him,turns over and asks,"What did you say 123 for?"

And now you know why you shouldn't end a sentence with a preposition.

Connor's first day of preschool- Montessori

Connor turned three in June. The daycare where he attended closed down so we had to find a new place for him to go. He started preschool at the Montessori school here in Sullivan on August 14th. He had a great first week!

Debbie Tagged Me

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
In a house near the ocean. I love scuba and snorkeling.

2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
My worn out Reebok laceless sneakers that everyone thinks are ugly. I haven't been able to find a new pair I like as well to replace them.

3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Teeth. Bad teeth/breath are a deal breaker for me.

4. What's the last CD that you bought?
Haven't bought one in ages. Probably Mercy Me Undone.

5. Where's your favorite place to be?
At my scrapping table.

6. Where's your least favorite place to be?
In line- anywhere! That includes traffic. What a time waster.!

7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
My Feet.

8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Strong in mind .

9. What time do you wake in the morning?
7 a.m.

10. What's your favorite kitchen appliance?
The Dishwasher without a doubt!

11. What makes you really angry?
Rude people.

12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Drums.

13. Favorite color?
Purple.

14. Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV?
Sports car.

15. Do you believe in afterlife?
Yes.

16. Favorite children's book?
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.

What is your favorite season?
Fall. I love the cool, crispness in the air, the colors of the changing leaves, signaling the start of a fresh, new school year and football season.

18. What's your least favorite household chore?
Cleaning the floors.

19. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
Be two places at once. I'd go to work AND spend the day scrappin'!

20. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
No tattoo but if I ever got one, it'd have something to do with my 3 boys.

21. Can you juggle?
What kind of question is that? Of course I can juggle!! I'm a MOM!!

22. The one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to?
Dad.

23. What's your favorite day?
Any day I don't have to work.

24. What's in the trunk of your car?
Don't go there.

25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
Sushi- without a doubt. Hey, what can I say? I'm half Asian!

And Now I am TAGGING Norma...haha

More Wedding photos

Ok. This is ticking me off. I'm not able to load multiple photos at a time. I'll have to burn a CD of the wedding photos for those of you who want one. Let me know.

More Wedding photos

Barn Building

Well our barn is getting there. As soon as it's ready, we're moving all our excess stuff out there and putting our house on the market.

Flute

As I said in my profile, I love all things music, especially playing the piano (which I don't get to do too much of anymore since my piano is back in Texas) and my flute! So here is a photo of me playing a flute duet with Joe at Mark and Donna's wedding. It was a beautiful wedding set by the lake and gazebo out at Mark's dad's house.

The boys

I doctored up one of the photos from our so called, "photo shoot". What do you think?

Here's the Best....

Here's the best I could do of the boys, which is the top photo. They just wouldn't behave. Actuallly, Connor was the cooperative one, believe it or not. The older boys were being silly. Connor had enough of it, and tried knocking Josh upside the head. LOL!

Ryan and Victoria

Here is a picture of my middle son, Ryan 15, and his girlfriend Victoria, 14. Aren't they a beautiful couple of kids?

My Little Man

My girlfriend, Debbie, added links to my blog! Thanks Deb! You're the best! If you'd like to have your link on my blog, let me know.

I love this photo of my little man. I took this while we were at the Kemah Boardwalk in Texas.
He had fun playing in the water fountain, but he liked the playground better. For some reason, this year he was acting like he was afraid of it. Last year he loved it. This year, I guess anticipating the random sprays of water was too overwhelming. LOL!