Wednesday, October 31, 2007

House stuff!! A RAK!! What's going in the cumulative RAK box??

Up until now, you couldn't really tell much of anything was going on with the house. The electricity went up and the plumbing went in. I'm so glad Eric put radiant floor heating in the basement. Now when I scrap, my toes will stay toasty!
Yesterday, the flatwork was done on the basement floor and garage. You can really see the house coming together now the the floors are poured.

Me, Connor, Ryan and my mother-in-law put our hands in the wet cement in the garage. My mother-in-law cracks me up. I called her and told her I was picking her up and taking her to the house so she could leave her mark in the garage. In the meantime, Norma Jean called and invited her out to lunch. She told Norma she was waiting on me to get her for the handprint thing. Then she says, "I guess Theresa thinks I'm gonna die is why she wants my handprints". You have to know her. She cracks us all up. She is one of the funniest people I know and the funny thing is, she doesn't try to be funny. She just is. She's funny in a kooky kind of way.
It occurred to me that I haven't thrown anything in the Cumulative RAK box for the month of October. If you don't know about the Cumulative RAK box, every month I'll throw a prize into this big box. In December, in honor of Christmas, I will have Connor draw someone's name out of his sombrero (if all the names will fit!) to win the whole loot! How it works is, for every comment you place on my blog, you will get a ticket to go in the drawing. The more you visit, the more chances you'll have to win. It's not too late to play so don't be shy about visiting often and posting!! So for the month of October, the cutest wood stamps and ribbon set below will go in the box!!
And in celebration of Halloween, I will RAK the Halloween looking font acrylic stamps below by Sunday. Just leave a message on what your weekend plans are in the comments section and Connor will draw a name from the comments to win these stamps!!
Happy trick-or-treating!






The house is coming along!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Halloween 06

I guess there's no time like the present to scrap last year's Halloween photos! LOL!

I did this as part of a Rusty Pickle challenge here. This was totally spur of the moment. I can't believe I got this done in less than an hour and I even sewed the swirls by hand!

I love Rusty Pickle's Mayflower line. Journaling reads, "Connor- You're the cutest Pacifier Pirate I've ever seen!"

Thanks for looking!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

My first layout of my little sweetie

I didn't waste any time srapping my niece, Savahn, did I?? LOL!!

This was a challenge on http://scrappygiraffekits.com/MessageBoard/viewtopic.php?t=6141 .

It is from the James Blunt song (which, by the way, I LOVE) called, "You're beautiful". You can click on the layout for a better look.

It's been a real challenge this week getting any scrapping done with running back and forth to the hospital in St. Louis. Plus, with all the worry on my mind about my mother-in-law, it left me in a non-scrappy mood. So this is the best I could come up with this week. This layout if due today at midnight. I'm happy to have completed the challenge.

Thanks for looking.



Friday, October 26, 2007

Prayers please

Here's an update on my mother-in-law, Shirley.

She had a liter of fluid taken from her abdomen today. She's on her way home now. She has to see her oncologist on Monday. Hopefully the tests from the fluid will be back by then. She may have to start chemo on Monday. Let's pray that it's not cancer and that it's something that can be fixed.

Thanks in advance for your prayers and thoughts.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

A spooky story from Connor and RAK results!




The other night when Eric got home, Connor was so excited to see him and proceeded to tell him a spooky story in the spirit of Halloween. The story went like this...




"There was a man who knocked on the door. I went to answer the door and the man was standing there with a box in his hand. And in that box, there was a head!!"

Connor looked around the room and at the ground and reached his arms up to his daddy and wanted to be picked up. He squeezed his eyes shut and clung to his daddy. Eric asked him, "What's wrong, buddy?" Connor says, "I kinda scared myself with my story!" It was so funny how he scared even himself with his spooky story!!! ROFL!
Here's Connor's spooky look!





What name will he draw out of his trusty sombrero???

And the winner is...
.
.
.
.
.
.



Debbie! I think this is the first time Connor has ever picked her name!



On a serious, but also scary note, my mother in law, Shirley, is having a bunch of tests run to see what is causing her pain in her abdomen. Please say a prayer for her today.
Congrats, Deb!!








Tuesday, October 23, 2007

More House Building and a RAK

I just wanted to show you the view comiing out of our driveway. It's so lovely right now especially with the sprinkling of orange, yellows and reds here and there as the leaves start turning over to their fall colors. This shot was taken last week. Within a week's time, the colors are really more evident. I'll have to go out there and get a picture this week so you can see the change.



I'm so excited! The property is becoming less and less wild, especially now that we have electricity out there!! Which was really helpful as I went digging around in the formerly dark barn for Connor's fall clothes.


I played around with my DCWV Fall stack (LOVE IT!) last night while watching Dancing with the Stars. I made a few Halloween cards to give away as a RAK. You can click on the photo for a closer up. All five are different.



If you'd like a chance to receive them as a gift from me, just leave me a comment telling me what your plans are for Halloween. We're taking Connor to a church function. He'll be dressed as a Pirate. There's a photo of him a few posts back.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Fun facts

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only..Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S . Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work:
Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour:
61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.
When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."

It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

When I read this fact, I laughed so loud (because I was one of the 75%). Connor ran in here to find out what the commotion was. I told him it was impossible to lick your elbow. What does he do? He joins the 75% of us, rolls up his sleeve and tries to lick his elbow too. Like mother, like son! ROFL!

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Don't delete this just because it looks weird. Believe it or not, you can read it.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?
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YOU KNOW YOU ARE LIVING IN 200 7 when...

1. You accidentally enter your PIN on the microwave
2. You haven't played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that they don't have e-mail addresses.
6 You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see if anyone is home to help you carry in the groceries.
7. Every commercial on television has a web site at the bottom of the screen
8. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn't even have the first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you turn around to go and get it.
10. You get up in the morning and go on line before getting your coffee.
11. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
12. You're reading this and nodding and laughing.
13. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this message.
14. You are too busy to notice there was no #9 on this list.
15. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn't a #9 on this list.
~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOW U R LAUGHING at yourself.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Tagged by Sollie on a new meme

I was tagged by Sollie, to list 6-8 things I'm thankful for.
1. Hope in my Savior, Jesus Christ.
2. The love of a good, decent man- my husband, Eric.
3. My health and my family's health.
4. My three sons who bring me heartache and joy all in the same day.
5. My family and friends, both near and far.
6. This country. I love America.

If you read this, you are officially tagged too!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Another photo

She has my sister's top lip and I think she's going to have the slanted Asian eyes.



Thursday, October 18, 2007

Introducing....


My sweet little niece, Savahn!! Isn't she gorgeous?



Wednesday, October 17, 2007

She's HERE!!!

As of 12:27 p.m.!! Savahn weighed 6 lbs. 15 oz. and is 19.5 inches long!!

I can finally use up all my pink paper and flowers!!

My baby is probably here by now!!

Today is the big day!! My sister should be delivering her first baby, my first niece- Savahn Ana-Li today!! She went in at 11:30 to have her so I imagine she's here by now. I'm just waiting for the call!! I so wish I could be there. But I think we're going for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Our Bios are up on the Piggy Tales Website!

You can see our bios here

Mine is towards the bottom as we are in alphabetical order. Our projects haven't yet been posted. I think the board is still in the process of being updated.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

RAK winners!! My assignment #5...

I'm done with the Bad Girls contest. This was my last entry. I was cut along with 30 other girls. It's down to only 10 girls now. I feel really blessed to have made it this far!



Assignment #5:

Lets see what else you can come up with! Your assignment is to create a LO that displays unity and harmony. Please be sure to include a short paragraph on how your LO shows unity.

Here is my write up:


I’ve been wanting to scrap these photos of my son playing basketball, but didn’t think the blurry pictures were scrapworthy. I was heartbroken as all the photos were blurry due to my poor photography skills, but I wanted to capture the memory. To solve this, I printed the not-so-great photos on transparency and backed them with notebook paper, to play along with a “school” sports theme. The transparency kind of lessens the blurriness and I think they now look somewhat better.
To unify this layout, I chose to use color, shape, movement, line and balance.
Color- I created orange circles to create unity with the orange basketballs in the photos. The patterned paper I used to create the circles has lines running through it just as a basketball does. I used black for the title, which ties to the black in my son’s jersey. The white cardstock base was chosen to create unity also with my son’s jersey.
Shape- I chose circular rings again to create unity with the circular basketballs.
Rhythm- multiple circular shapes over and over again.
Movement- I made the circles in graduated sizes going from small on the outer edges to large in the middle where I wanted to draw focus to my photos. To simulate a ball bouncing and also the movement of dribbling, I placed little dots alternately on the circles. Also, please note where I strategically placed an arrow pointing up near the word, “Up”.
Line- I bisected the layout diagonally and created symmetry and balance between the upper half and lower halves of the layout.





So here are the stamp RAK winners, courtesy of Connor and his trusty little sombrero:

RAK #1- Chris!!
RAK #2- Joy and Sollie

Email me your addy's and I'll get them out to ya!!! Congrats!!

Friday, October 12, 2007

Costumes yet? And a birthday celebration RAK!!!



Guess what Connor is going to be for Halloween this year? You guessed it, for the second year in a row, Captain Connor will emerge on October 31st- Aaarrrggghhh!! LOL! I took this at a costume birthday party Connor attended last week.

So what great costumes do you have planned? Leave me a note in the comments section and I'll have Connor draw a name out of the sombrero. I know, I know, I haven't drawn for the last RAK yet. But I went back to Archivers for more stamps to share. I just love those little buggars!!! So in celebration of Eric's 35th birthday today, I will do this RAK in two sets of two. The winners (two winners!) will either get the top two or the bottom two sets! Just for fun, tell me which one you prefer- the top or bottom, that way if Connor draws your name, we'll know which one you want. But whoever's name gets drawn first will get first pick! (only fair, ya know?)




There's not much visibly going on with the house right now. I took Deb out last night to see it. She can't wait until my scrapbook room is done so we can all play together again. Then I took her to see what was in the barn. She can tell you, it's piled from floor to rafters with stuff- mainly sb stuff! LOL! Oh, that and Connor's clothes. I have a baby clothes fetish too.

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

RAK!

I hope I didn't mislead anyone into thinking we were building some huge mansion because that is so far from the truth!! I know the pictures make the future house look big, but in reality, we're building an 1850 sq. ft. home with a finished basement, so no, the house is not huge. It is modest! Eric and I decided that we do not want to be slaves to our mortgage payment. We want to travel and enjoy life so we're trying to stick to a strict budget. (Don't tell him this, but that doesn't include my scrapbook expenditures! That, I won't give up! LOL!)


What's your favorite song right now? I love the "Umbrella" song by Rihanna. It's got such a funky, cool vibe plus I love the lyrics:

You have my heart And we'll never be worlds apart
May be in magazines
But you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the dark
You can't see shiny cars
And that's when you need me there
With you
I'll always share Because
[Chorus]
When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'm a stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh) Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh) Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
These fancy things, will never come in between
You're part of my entity, here for
Infinity
When the war has took it's part
When the world has dealt it's cards
If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart Because
[Chorus] When the sun shines, we’ll shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be a friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella You can stand under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh) Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh) Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh) Under my umbrella (Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
You can run into my arms
It's okay don't be alarmed
Come here to me
There's no distance in between our love
So go on and let the rain pour
I'll be all you need and more Because
[Chorus]

I want to do a layout for my kids based around the lyrics to this song. I want them to know that no matter what life deals them, I will always shelter them with the Umbrella of my love.

So, what is your favorite song right now? Leave a comment telling my what it is and why you love it and I'll have Connor draw a name out of his little trusty sombrero. I found these cool little journaling stamps at Archivers the other day. I'm a big supporter of hand journaling. Your handwriting is a treasure that you leave for your family. Anyway, they're See D's rubber stamps that mount to acrylic blocks. They're great b/c you don't have to give up the precise detail of the rubber stamps to see where you're stamping. If I'm not mistaken, each package comes with a little piece of foam mat. I can't tell you how awesome these foam mats are for setting under your paper while you stamp. It makes the image much more precise than stamping on a bare table. Here is a view of the front and back sides of the stamps. The quarter is there for size orientation. No, you don't get the quarter too. LOL! It goes back in Connor's piggy bank! ROFL!!








Saturday, October 06, 2007

On to Round 5, more house photos and a soccer photo

I can't believe I made it to round 5 of the Bad Girls contest! We started with about 200 scrappers and now we're down to about 40. There are two more rounds to go before the big winner is picked. I feel blessed just to make it this far! For Round 4, the challenge was to create a layout leaving negative space. Well, the negative space and me do not get along, so this challenge kicked my butt! I chose to do a layout of Connor's favorite lullaby...
Sleep, Baby, Sleep
Your Daddy tends the sheep
You Mommy shakes the dreamland tree
Down falls a little dream for thee
Sleep, Baby, Sleep


Now that Eric is tied up with the house building, Ryan has stepped in to help me coach. Here are my two boys before today's game.
Click on all photos for a better look.



Well, our basement walls have been poured. To get a scale of the project, you can see Connor standing at the far end in front of the wall.




Here's a picture of the huge dirt pile that came from the basement dig. You can see Connor at the base of the pile.






Thursday, October 04, 2007

Homebuilding 101

So by the time we are finished building our home, you will know exactly what goes into it!!


So the hole was dug, then the foooting were set, then the forms were set and today's photos will show you that the walls of our basement were poured with this huge concrete pumping crane.




It's so surreal. Click on the photos for a closeup.













Tuesday, October 02, 2007

The beautiful album Amy Birch made just for me!!



Now that it's October, I can safely post this beautiful album Amy Birch made just for me. Even though we've never met in real life, I know that some day I will have the privilege of hugging her neck and thanking her in person.
I have never in my life had anyone make something so special as what Amy made for me. She took photos from my blog and created this album out of my favorite Piggy Tales paper called Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater! I can't wait to get this special album in my hands. I can't believe she took the time and trouble to create something so special out of her own sweet hands just for me!! Look at the detail on each page. To think that with each page she created, she was thinking about me, just moves me to tears! I am so truly blessed to have such wonderful friends through this hobby. This is more than a hobby. It's almost like a network, a support group, if you will, of devoted moms who love their family and each other, willing, not only to share their artwork, but their hearts as well! I love all my cyber friends, but for now, I love Amy the bestest!! Hee hee!!!
Please click on each image to get a closer look!









Monday, October 01, 2007

RAK results and more digging photos

The dump truck unloaded a load of rock for the footings on our basement. Connor is loving watching all the heavy equipment working. The basement is deeper now and more squared up. You can see the relection of me taking a picture in the bottom right corner.



Connor pulled out a name out of his trusty sombrero. And the winner is...




Liz!!! I'll get this out in the mail to you today (hopefully!!)




My work