i received a Random Act of Kindness last night. i am so happy that this wonderful woman decided to bless me with her gift. it really gave my night a boost! it was a great end to my day. thank you dianne!

here are just a few layouts i have to share:

this first layout was made while trying to teach a friend who is interested in digital scrapbooking how to do a simple layout. this was just supposed to be an example, but when the time came to close it, i thought it was rather cute and kept it as is!! this sweet little face belongs to za'kenzie, whose mom is val, a friend of mine and awesome photographer and digiscrapper!

credits: helen o'daniel's peachy keen kit. a cherry on top

credits: sara carling's silly little man kit. sweet shoppe designs

credits: sara carling's silly little man kit. sweet shoppe designs

credits: taran conyers' girly girl kit. shabby shoppe

credits: sara carling's authentic kit. shabby shoppe

whew! that was some serious scrapping going on there! i had fun and am really enjoying my new kits from sara (thank you sara!).

ok. now comes the part of the post that i really don't care for. sharing bad news. some of you may already know about my dad. he is a diabetic and has had to have one of his legs removed and a toe from the remaining leg. i am leaving for georgia in a couple of days to go and see him. and, my son lives there too so i will get to visit with him also. i cannot believe he will be 18 in june. i feel old... alot of that going around today lol. i was reading gina's blog and saw her faded memories layout. it's a layout of her with her parents when she was around a year old. when i saw the year, i thought "she's so young!" followed by "oooh! i'm sooo old!"

this cracks me up!

laughing babies

i am over what i had and am better and no one else is sick in this house! yay!!!
we had a special weekend though...

keith turned 5!! i can hardly believe it! my baby is 5! he got his jolly jump and his one friend that he wanted to invite over and everyone had a great time! now the older kids want a jolly jump for their birthdays...maybe i should just invest in one?!

i did some layouts but i will post them tomorrow as i am almost asleep typing this. it's going on midnight and i have been up since 5am so i am going to bed now. early!!

it's official, i am totally and dreadfully sick. what i thought was a head cold has moved and settled into my chest and it hurts to cough. i now remember why i never go to bed early. i always wake up in the middle of the night anyway. helen was still up so she kept me company for a while, then i scrapped this page. love these papers.

Sara Carling's Aero kit (sweet shoppe designs)

back to bed i go to try to sleep

Sad HP Ending...

oh it was the saddest thing...last night before i went to bed, drew came up to me and i could clearly see that something had upset him. when i asked him what was wrong he replied, "snape is the half blood prince. and dumbledore is dead." whoa! that was a blow even to me!!! i was open to almost anyone being the half blood prince, but dumbledore's death was totally unexpected! and if drew was not upset enough, i had to tell him that the next book has not even been released yet and that he had to wait until this summer to read the rest! the look on his face-man. poor kid. he only had one more chapter to go and was looking forward to going on to the next book. i laid on the couch and listened while he read the last chapter, and fell asleep.

i feel better this morning, still stuffy though. i hope to get some scrapping in today as the three older kids are at enrichment day from 10am-2pm. i can put the other three down for a nap and have some quiet time for myself. oh i can't wait, i have a date with myself!!!

great news! I AM ON SARA CARLING'S CREATIVE TEAM!!
















i am very excited about this, i have admired her work since she first started designing!
bad news is, i am starting to feel sick..i know it's because of the late hours i have been keeping. becky, you warned me. now can you come take care of me? jay is gone away on a business trip, just until tomorrow though. tonight i am just going to relax, and watch a movie with the kids and then get them into bed. we are watching "sky high". i haven't seen this one yet, but heard it was cute. if i am still awake, which i hope not to be, i have on my 'watch list' "sweet home alabama", and "a walk to remember". thanks margie for the suggestions! i own "how to lose a guy in 10 days" also! ok, the kids are waiting!

Ramblings....

i got a few things done on the list. went to costco, but only got the groceries and not the layouts. darn psp froze up on me while i was trying to make 12x18 formats...i'll do it another time. going to our costco during the middle of the day is for pyschos. i'll never do that again.
i organized the girls room. notice i left out the word "helped". i ended up cleaning out their closet and throwing away a lot of junk. i remember buying them specific containers for barbies. for barbie clothes. for polly pockets. for my little ponies. well, nothing was in it's proper container, and there seems to be even more stuff than i remember! some of these things they never even play with! i am so glad they were not helping me, that way i was able to throw away a ton of stuff without question or crying.
the van got smogged.
didn't get to do any real pitching today. i spent the bulk of my time in the girls room.
i ran to target to ket presents for keith. jay popped a blood vessel when i told him how much i spent. lol. knowing full well that if he had gone with me we would have spent a whole lot more!
jay is all set for his trip.
gonna rent some chick flicks while he is gone. any of you have any good ones in mind?
helen and her family are coming to visit this summer! my whole family is very excited! especially cam. that is the motivation i gave her to keep her room clean!
ok. that's it for now. gonna take mother hen becky's (wink) advice and turn in early tonight. oh ya! there was one other thing on the list i did get to...













paper and elements from Jen Wilson's Early Kite Flyer kit, on the Seasonal Scraps cd

i'll get to the rest of the list tomorrow, plus some...

i know it's way early for me to be on the computer at 6:30 am, but i had a crop this morning and got up at 5:30! oh you think that's bad? i went to bed at 1:30. yeah.
we went to my inlaw's house this weekend for a family reunion. it was nice to see everyone again, it's been about 5 or 6 years since the last get together. everyone had fun, especially the kids, who always enjoy going to grandmas.

i did scrap this weekend though. can't post anything here though. i did two layouts on the laptop in pse3. since i have jumped up to pscs2, playing in pse seemed easy enough, though there are still a few things in pse that are different. on the laptop i don't even use psp since it is version 8. i am used to using version 9 on my desktop, and though it really isn't all too different, using version 8 seems like taking a step backwards. but i don't want to uninstall it from neither the laptop or desktop just yet...

today we are spring cleaning and pitching everything we don't need...only i can't seem to figure out what that is...

i need to get off of this computer and get to work- i have a do to list!


these all have to be done today (yes, the scrapping too)!! on top of everything else that already has to be done daily like laundry, laundry, and more laundry etc...
AND maybe today will be the day i actually learn how to use my new intuous 3 wacom tablet i got weeks ago. it sits on my desk all nice and dusty now!

keith will be 5 on friday! i wanted to give him a party, but a while ago i asked him who he wanted to invite and he only named one person. he has lots of friends, but he only wants this one person over, so let it be written, let it be done.
the two of them can jolly jump until their hearts content.

drew is halfway through book 5 now in the harry potter series. i think he is slowing down because book 5 is not as good as book 4 so far. he already knows sirius dies in this book and i don't think he is looking forward to that part. he can't wait for goblet of fire to be released on dvd though, and i wouldn't mind seeing that one myself.

enough rambling...jay has the day off, so i wanna spend time with him today before he goes on his business trip tomorrow.

waiting for the release of this new album...i gave a review of his first album some time ago. i still love it, listen to it all the time. there are so many songs by shawn that i could easily use in my layouts soooo....that, and the who am i layout i did yesterday gave me an idea. why not take all of the songs i love, and have touched my heart and in some way make an album of layouts? i think i have to do this. 

been scrapping like a mad woman!! did you see all dem layouts i did? huh? lol well, that's quite a lot for me!!! since i am WAY over my digi-spending limit for the month, i'd better not be letting these cool kits sit around on my hard drive! above is what i bought the other day.

these are the things i got sidetracked by and ended up buying...this is what i went there in the first place for:










i am all over gina's kits! so of course i had to add this one to my collection!

i also wanted this one by dianne rigdon, and the flea market one (no photo) by kristie(shabby princess), but they are going to have to wait, until my next digi allowance :(






ok so here is another layout i did with the Daydreams kit:














that's it for scrapping...hopefully i'll keep going with the layouts, but in other happenings around the house...let's see...
drew is reading the 4th harry potter book. he started the 1st book on monday. the books are attatched to him always since he got them. i was reading the 4th book myself, and it is huge! i hardly have the time to read, and i am also still reading messy spirituality, so i can only get through so much of the hp book. well drew came up to me this morning wanting to know how far i had gotten in the book because he needed it- i was like dang! you read the first three already???!!! so i gave it up.
devyn is playing with carter right now. she spread out a blanket in the family room 'picnic style' and put out all of the little people toys for carter to enjoy. keith is playing with his transformers. i am sitting here thinking to myself, "please don't break it, please don't break it" i really don't like those transformer toys. they would be fine if they didn't come apart...i am the one he comes to to put them back together. sigh. camryn and deacon are sneaking around here somewhere. and here i am. on the computer. all of this to say that none of us are doing what we are supposed to be doing, so i better go get things going!! c ya!

forgot to show the valentine i made for jay...everything here is from a beautiful kit by Helen O'Daniel and Amy Martin, called Deeply. run to www.modscraps and get it!! Helen outdid herself on the papers and i so love all of the elements, especially the velvet ribbons- gonna be using those alot! ;) 

can you tell i spent too much money at the ShabbyShoppe? i have had my eye on the release of this kit by Sara Carling {simply sara} for a long time- i had to have it...aren't the colors so beautiful? 

Who Am I- lyrics by Casting Crowns, flowers and butterfly from Shabby Princess' Bluebell kit

the journaling reads:
Who am I, that the Lord of all the earth
Would care to know my name
Would care to feel my hurt
Who am I, that the bright and morning star
Would choose to light the way
For my ever wandering heart
Not because of who I am
But because of what you've done
Not because of what I've done
But because of who you are
I am a flower quickly fading
Here today and gone tomorrow
A wave tossed in the ocean
A vapor in the wind
Still you hear me when I'm calling
Lord, you catch me when I'm falling
And you've told me who I am
I am yours, I am yours

Happy Boy- Daydreams kit by Gina Cabrera, alpha is from the Chilly Cheeks Alpha Essentials by Gina Cabrera 

ugh.

i really hate it when i start a layout i can't finish...if i have to save it and go back to it, i probably won't...

this is for my friend rebecca 

maryjanes. i love them. all styles. i had several pair as a child that i wore to church that were patent leather. if i could find a pair of patent leather maryjanes in my size i would snatch them up in a heartbeat! but i saw these red ones and fell in love. it was one of those things where you are walking by, and an item catches the corner of your eye, so you move in closer, and closer still...i picked up the shoe, stroked it and thought, "oh these are cute, but i would never wear them, they are red...and i need another pair of black maryjanes like i need a hole in my head." i was not even supposed to be shopping...what started out as an innocent run to starbucks with a friend, somehow ended up being me at the nine west store spending $100 on shoes! and i was gonna be good too, but then i was with taina. we are always encouraging each other to buy the things we don't need, but really deep inside want! "oh lisa! these are so cute! just try one on and let's see what it looks like on your foot...you really should get the red ones, just for fun...look how cute they are!! oh you gotta get these lisaaaaaaa!!!!" well, i got them AND the black pair since it was buy one get the other half off!! jay says i can't leave the house with taina anymore! oh, i was planning on buying shoes anyway, but these:
i still want these, but i can only find them at j.jill...so they will have to wait since i just made a big shoe purchase. i know how this looks...it looks like i have an obsession with shoes. i really don't have very many pairs...lol! i can't count on my hands how many pairs i have, but hey, i really don't have an obsession!! really. i just love shoes...

do you know what happens when you leave 6 chocolate cupcakes, with sprinkles, on the kitchen table, unattended, with a toddler around?

we were going to have them for dessert too...so much for that!!

ok ok one more thing!!

my modgurls dawn and ash have put together an amazing cd and are having their launch crop tonight at sbb!!! c'mon and join us!

9pm eastern in the chatroom at sbb!!

geesh! YES I AM STILL HERE!!!!!!!
getting off now!

shhhhh....

you are not seeing this post. i am not on the computer...

ok. so i just had to get two things out here while they are fresh in my mind.
the first is that devyn lost another tooth last night...actually her awana leader yanked it (but i guess devyn is ok with that since this is the second time she has let her do it.) the toothfairy at our house is very generous. she got $5!!! my toothfairy only left me quarters! when i grew up and became the toothfairy not only was i not very generous, i got my toothfairy license revoked. i happily gave my magic wand to jay. this is why: when camryn lost her last tooth, jay asked me to take care of it since i was the one who stays up all night, i could do it before going to bed. well, i forgot. of course camryn was very disappointed in the morning. i told her that maybe she just didn't have it completely under her pillow or something. the next night, the same thing happened. i went to bed and forgot the tooth. another disappointment. sadly, that was not the last night i let my daughter down. since i could not get it together, on the third morning i told her the truth. she is eight. mommy is the toothfairy and mommy forgot your tooth. i'm sorry. here is $5.00. i really wanted to say what i was feeling. mommy is bad. incompetent. i don't deserve to be your mommy, i can't even do the toothfairy right. but then again, i really don't like lying to them about such things as the toothfairy, santa claus, the easter bunny. i guess i just don't have the imagination for it. i guess i am just not a very fun mom. but that's another post. anyway, jay came up with the perfect solution since he is not one for waiting for the kids to fall asleep so he can sneak around. last night he took devyn's tooth and put it into our tooth box, on a bed of a cotton ball (which is why she could not hear the tooth when she shook the box). and it was taped shut to assure that the tooth would not fall out. that's the story he gave her anyway. what he really did was put the tooth away, folded and put the $5 in the box and taped it shut so she would not open it and see the money. ain't my man evah so clevah? she opened the box this morning, found the money, still believes in the toothfairy, and all is well in her blissful world...camryn just came over and whispered to me, "mom, did you give her the $5?" i told her it was dad this time. ;)
a little part of me feels like i robbed her of a little bit of that bliss that devyn is feeling. i said only a little part. i have to be honest, the other part is relieved to not have to play that game with her. here's a funny story. i have a friend that was forced to tell her 6 year old daughter that she was the toothfairy. her daughter lost a tooth, and at bed time put the tooth beneath her pillow to wait for the toothfairy. but in her mind, that was not a good thing. my friend awoke to the sound of her daughter sobbing because she was afraid to think that some 'fairy' that she did not know, had never seen before, was going to be sneaking around her room while she was sleeping! um, ya. that would spook me too. she would not stop crying until my friend confessed that SHE was the toothfairy and gave her the money!

ok. that ran long so the other thing i wanted to share was an answer to shannon's question about the book. sorry it's gotta wait until later :(

i happened upon this tonight:
33 Ways to Love Your LoverMP readers share secrets for revving up romance:
At the movies, share the armrest. we could try that, if there were any decent movies playing...
Save the last cookie or last piece of cake for your spouse. easier said than done...got 6 kids?
Don't hog all the Jeopardy questions on TV
Squeeze toothpaste on your partner's toothbrush when you're doing your own. lol! um...that would mean i have to get up at 5am! 6 on a weekend!
Get your spouse's pajamas out and lay them on the bed
Leave a favorite snack on the seat of your spouse's car.
Compliment your mate in front of friends or family. he would be embarrassed!
Light a candle in the bedroom. he'd blow it out for fear i'd fall asleep and forget to
Put down everything to greet your spouse at the end of the day. i do this already ;)
Fill the gas tank in your mate's car—as a surprise. good one! he would appreciate that
Light candles with dinner again, 6 kids!!!
Make a snack for both of you before bedtime. we have a bowl of ice cream together regularly
Turn your socks right-side out before throwing them in the hamper. huh?!!
Be adventurous—meet for lunch at an ethnic restaurant you've never tried. tried this...it was so hard! i REALLY don't care for thai food, but did it anyway cause we wanted to try something new. he thinks i didn't give it a chance...i think he is lucky i made it through the meal!
Choose a novel, then read it out loud to each other in the evenings.
Rent a movie you watched during your courtship days can't think of a movie we both liked during dating, but we watched beverly hills 90210 every wednesday night!
Buy an "I Love You" card and mail it to your spouse at work. hmmm, will an email count?
Make plans to re-create your first date. that would be fun, but kinda impossible at the moment...
When the dryer buzzes, instead of looking at your mate, volunteer to fold the clothes oh, this one must be geared towards him...
When one of you is indoors and the other outside, knock on the window and blow a kiss. lol!
Don't put away stuff your spouse might want left out. i always ask first
When you're finished driving, put the seat back to your mate's preferred position
Hold hands instead of holding the remote control we don't watch television...that must be the reason why we have 6 kids!!
On cold mornings, go ahead and bring in the newspaper.
Kiss at stoplights rotfl!!!
Hide love notes around the house where your spouse will find them. or slip a note in his pocket for him to find later in the day ;)
When you disagree, always acknowledge the possibility that you could be wrong.
When stopping for gas while traveling, buy a treat for your partner without buying anything for yourself
Next time you shop for clothes, let your spouse vote on an outfit. i never get anything more than a "it looks okay"
Get involved in a new ministry together
Shower together and wash your spouse's back. did i mention that he get's up at 5am and 6 on the weekends?
When your mate lies down on the couch, get him or her a pillow.
Get to know your in-laws. LOVE my inlaws!!!

I could not resist

gina cabrera is having a one day sale! and when gina has a sale, i am there!! i bought all of this great stuff!

i spent most of the morning on the computer. i know. i know. i was orrrrganizing though, i count that as productiveness! i was getting rid of extra files and setting up kits and papers so that i can see everything with just one click, instead of clicking on a file, and then another, and sometimes another just to get to my papers...that can get to be very irritating after a while, so i needed to simplify to make my workflow easier. i also have files with paper packs separate from the alphas and/or elements, so i put those together too. i did not get to every kit i wanted to though, there are just waaaay too many but i did do quite a bit!

i am in the second chapter this book now and i am seeing a problem here...maybe if i keep reading this will be cleared up...

today is jay's birthday so we went to the party store and got a balloon bouquet and a few other things for later tonight and went to meet him for lunch. the kids were so excited about going to jay's new place of work. so they got to see daddy's office and cam was so proud to see her drawings on daddy's desk!

when we got home drew made dad an oreo pie, and now the kids are running around to decorate the house with streamers and balloons before daddy gets here. he jsut called me from his cell phone and is on his way, so i better go help them to speed things along...

how is it that a child can hear a wrapper from the opposite end of the house? especially if it is a candy wrapper!!! i waited until everyone was in bed to open up my little snicker bar, and i'll be darned if two little munchkins didn't come tiptoeing in here to see what i had!

going to bed now to read some more of messy spirituality...

this is what sits on my desk during the day...just waiting for good little children to go to. you wouldn't believe (or maybe you might) how many times i am approached with flashcards, or bible verses, or "is there anything i can do for you mom?"!
this tub of jelly beans is also known as "the stash". when we play the trouble game, it's for "stash". although they like to win the game AND the "stash" outright, they still win in the end, because i don't really like the jellybeans and i share, only keeping the buttered popcorn and bubblegum ones to myself. this way, everyone's happy.

the kids and i have been running around all day trying to get daddy's birthday presents for tomorrow. i never realized that tie tacks were so hard to find...

picked up the book messy spirituality, so far it's interesting. i could have written that first page myself!

what is the deal with the weather?!!! it's super hot today- like 99 degrees or something...i'll have to look up the weather today and let you know what it really was, but it sure feels like the upper 90's!

my honeysuckle tart is divine! i love it! while i was searching for a tealight, i stumbled upon a fresh cut roses tart that someone gave me a couple of years ago. i took one whiff and remembered why it was hidden...

more later!

i am tired again tonight and am going to bed real soon, but wanted to stop here and say hello! i got about three hours of sleep last night and no nap today so i am tired beyond belief! a few things before i go...
ok shannon and gina have been talking about candles and so i went out and bought me a couple of tarts for starters...it's been quite a while since i treated myself to a yankee candle. my friend taina and i stood there and sniffed about 50 jars! the granny smith was so potent it brought me to tears! some made me hungry and one reminded me of sweet summertimes in georgia- the sweet honeysuckle. so i got that one and clean cotton, cause it just smelled...clean! i'll be burning the honeysuckle tomorrow first thing!

i am going to be published in an austrailian scrapbook magazine! that is, if i finish all they want me to do in time...there is a little extra than just giving them the layout and credits going on here, and i hope i can get it all done!

here is my little monster when he was sick last weekend. he really had a rough time, and it was hard for me as well, him crying and not knowing what he was wanting. at times he probably didn't even know himself!

okay off to my bed!

i am so tired tonight so i won't say much...just that i think i am progressing with my computer time! i didn't turn it on until after 11am today! it was nice to get up and do lessons first!!! i got some goodies today, but will show them to ya tomorrow. i am dead tired tonight y'all!
gonna ge me some good sleep tonight!!

Hey Now!

it's noon already?!! where did the time go? i have been doing pretty good about getting on the computer in the morning and turning it off in the afternoon and leaving it off until after dinner. last night i didn't get on it until 9:30! not bad eh, zee? i have been online this morning trying to find a flight back to georgia to see my dad and just got caught up and lost track of time i guess! at least this time on the computer was for a good reason.

last night was the kid's science fair. i took dew, cam, devyn, and keith and i am glad we went. i was thinking our project was kinda lame, (only because i had very little notice- a week before!) but the kids enjoyed it and liked seeing all of the other projects- some were really very interesting! there were lots of parents who were presenting the projects like they had done them themselves! we came home to a quiet house, deacon and carter both asleep by 8pm! yay dad!
i went to bed early myself...early for me anyway. midnight. i was really tired too. i love going to bed tired, cause then i know that i won't just lie there awake, with a million things running through my head. so when i am so tired i can hardly see straight, i know i can fall asleep as soon as i snuggle in, and sleep GOOD. and GOOD sleep it is, until i am awaken at 4am! i can deal with almost anything, but broken sleep just irritates me to NO end! deacon still wakes up in the middle of the night and comes crawling into my bed, and normally i would just open up the covers and welcome him in and go right back to sleep. only if i did that, i would surely find myself lying in a puddle of wetness come sunrise! so i have to get up, take him to the bathroom, and then put him back in his bed as i think the reason he wakes up in the first place is because he has to use the bathroom, not because he woke up and wanted to be with me. so then i get back in bed, and just lie there for a good 15 minutes, if not longer. then carter wakes up crying, for no reason. i hold him, rock him a little, hush him and lay him down again in his bed, then go back to bed. he got up again, (oh ya! he can open doors now) and i hear him going down the hall towards the kitchen. i get up again and find him waiting for me at the refrigerator. he wants milk. i oblige, and by this time dad is up and in the shower getting ready for work. the noise of him getting ready peaks carter's curiousity and i'm thinking he'll never get back to sleep. which also means i won't either. and it's 5am. it's these times i ask myself if i should go back to bed or just get up. of course i'm lazy and choose bed cause it's warm and cozy, and then lay there until 7. with a million things running through my head...

more upbeat news, i have been tagged by miranda and gina-thanks girls!

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 10 YEARS AGO? well, let's see...just moved to a new city, recovering from a miscarriage, searching for something missing from my life...

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 1 YEAR AGO? well, not much has changed in a year's time, i was planning a trip back to Georgia, (which i am doing again this morning, only for different reasons, unfortunately) and as always into my digital scrapping!

5 FAVORITE SNACKS: caramel corn, kettle corn, buttered popcorn, peanut butter cookies, and snickers

5 SONGS TO WHICH YOU KNOW ALL THE LYRICS: aw! just 5?!!!
reasons(earth, wind, and fire), who i am hates who i've been(relient k), pennies from heaven(louis prima), amazing grace, ribbon in the sky(stevie wonder)

5 BAD HABITS: i spend too much time on the computer, i wait til the last minute, i am forgetful, and i don't listen to my husband as often as i should, i spend money like crazy

5 THINGS YOU LIKE DOING: being with my family, gno with my friends, meeting my online friends irl, making photographs, and digiscrapping!

5 THINGS YOU WOULD NEVER BUY, WEAR OR GET AGAIN:
jeans that taper at the legs, buying things that are cute- but poorly made, high top reeboks, a two piece bathing suit, a mini skirt!

5 FAVORITE TOYS: my canon 20d! my computer, umm...hmmm...my 20d?

5 TAGS: dawn, carla, denys, helen, and jayne