................... Rollie's Words

2010-04-12T15:36:00.003-04:00

We had a great weekend out at Shippensburg University.
Josh wrestled in the Western Regional MAWA Tournament, a qualifier for the Eastern Nationals.
The top 4 get to go from each Regional , and Josh finished 2nd. Losing a heartbreaker in the finals.
I am so glad that for a few hours we could forget about how much stress we are under.
Jobless since October , it is wearing us down. We try and keep our heads up, but daily it gets
a little harder.
Today the Unemployment benefits run out and if Congress does not extend them this week, we may
not have any benefits coming in.
I start school on May 3, and hopefully can find work in June as soon as I complete my course. I hope
this all works out and the extension comes thru. It is hard to think that we could be months away from
being homeless, and losing a great deal that we have worked for.
I try not to cry, I always try and smile around Josh and I don't want him to feel the stress.
I don't know anyone personally that is the same boat , but I know there are many out there.
I really hope we can all come thru this, but I know some of us won't.
All I do know is I will do everything I can to make sure Josh is ok.
He is the best , he is my world. I love him so very very much.
I want to see his dreams and hopes come true.

Another weekend ...another lesson....

2010-04-05T22:10:00.002-04:00

To my son,

You had a tough time on the mat this weekend and the ride home was pretty quiet. I admit I was very disappointed but I later came to realize that I shouldn’t be and that it is all part of the journey you are taking.

When I watch you on the mat I worry that you are doing battle while unprepared and that I have failed in your preparation. As a parent that is my greatest fear, that you are unprepared to face the challenges that will come before you. I want you to be prepared for your match, but I’ve come to realize that it is the matches themselves that, are in the long run, win or lose, the things that ARE preparing you.

I think that the greatest benefit from wrestling is learning to face challenges and to demand the most from yourself. You learn to fight when you think there is no more fight left within you. You learn to get up after you’ve fallen, time and time again. You learn about sacrifice and about pain. You learn to endure and to overcome. This is what I want for you, not because I wrestled, but because these lessons are the true gifts of this sport. So, those losses today were actually part of this gift, and an important part of the journey.

My dream for you is to not just win championships and fill your room with medals. My dream for you is much greater and I hope you get much more from wrestling. I hope you learn to strive for greatness even if you fail in the attempt. I hope you learn to get up one more time when you think you can’t get up any longer. I hope you learn to not only face your fears, but to stare them down.

Wrestling isn’t about winning. It is about the desire to win. It isn’t about success, but rather the determination to succeed. I want you to succeed as a wrestler, not to win state championships, but I want you to be a successful wrestler so you learn to be all that you can. This sport can help teach you that, if you let it. I look forward to the seasons of our future as you go through these lessons and I’ll be in your corner for each and every one of them. I love you.

A year has gone by....

2010-03-31T12:02:00.004-04:00

It is amazing that I clicked on my blog today, and much to my surprise it has been almost a year since I last blogged. That is about when I started with Facebook, and lost my time to write on my blog. I have to say I miss writing here. It was my place to come and escape for a bit and let my typed words flow. I think today will start a new day in my blogging. Not sure how much I will get to write, but glad to find my old home here again.

It is funny reading about Josh going to War in my last post, since tomorrow we leave again for War @ the Shore. Josh has had another leaps and bounds year in wrestling. He made it to Pa States this year , known as PJWs. He took 4th Place there , and that is amazing for his first trip out there. He wrestled 3 matches on Friday and won them by a Pin in 1:05, 3 - 2 , and 9 - 2 . On Saturday he had his semi final match and lost 6-2 . The boy who beat him won 1st place. He wrestled his next match and won 2-0 , and that put him in the match for 3rd and 4th Place, which he lost in 5 periods. He lost by the flip of the coin.

Things are on a day by day basis right now. It is rough, Kate has been out of work since Oct 1, 2009 and no real hope of anything yet. It is scarey thinking she may not find work. I just closed my online store, due to lack of income. I will start my CNA program on May 3, 2010 and am looking forward to this. We hope we can hold on to our home, it is scarey not knowing if we will be able to keep it. It isn't much , but we have worked hard the past 12 years and would hate to lose it now.

All this uncertainty is very stressful, it isn't good for a relationship I know that. I feel very closed in , I feel I have no "me" time. I am lonely , sad and lost right now. I hate feeling any of these things.

I have to say I am so blessed to have Josh, he is my bright light in my life. I love him more then I ever thought humanly possible. He is my word and I would do anything for him. I am so glad to see him working very hard to be a good boy, a good student and a good wrestler. He is a very amazing little boy.

So no matter what happens, as long as I have him and we can make it thru , everything will be ok.

The next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy, but it is a nice way to take our minds off our worries. This weekend we go to Wildwood NJ for War @ the Shore, then we are off to MAWA Regionals, then to Tenn , for AAU Nationals, where Josh will wrestle for Team PA. It will also be the first time that Grandpa gets to see Josh wrestle live. Josh is very excited. Then we go to OHIO for the Tournament of Champions, where Josh will wrestle for Individual and Team honors.

Well need to go work on my taxes...UGH!!!

National Place Winner from the Tournament of Champions!

2009-04-29T09:46:00.004-04:00

What an exciting year for our little guy!

Josh has entered 2 National Tournaments this year and he has placed in both of them.

He got 2nd at War @ the Shore, National Folkstyle Tournament

and he just placed 3rd at OHIO Tournament of Champions Nationals.

At Ohio , he lost his first match and had to win 7 in a row to come back to 3rd place!!!

He just continues to amaze me with his dedication, determination and just right out love of the sport of wrestling. He is a little warrior at the whole age of 9!

Josh also has been doing wonderful in school, which we really are so very proud of, he brought his Science grade from a B to an A this last marking period, making it 2 A's and 4 B's !! He also improved all his behavior points and has +'s in many areas, which means strength. We are so very very proud of how hard he has been working to be a great student and athlete at the same time.

So we are now on our way to Eastern Nationals this next weekend, where Josh will be competing for the 3rd year in a row. If he keeps wrestling the way he has been, he will hopefully return to the podium.

Below are a few recent pictures I wanted to share.
The Dandelions are up and Josh greeted me at the door yesterday morning with a fresh handful.
Podium shot @ Ohio
The Tournament of Champions Clock for 3rd Place
War @ the Shore 2nd Place Trophy
Podium Shot from War @ the Shore

love it that you can always come home!

2009-04-03T09:45:00.002-04:00

This space is always here for me when I want to come and visit. Like when your parents save your room just the way you left it as a kid!!

I don't have that room since my parents are now in Texas instead of Maine, but I have my blog spot!

So life has been busy, life has been great, life has been busy!

I have said more then once lately, how the heck did I do it before when I owned the Scrapbook Store, how did I do that and all that needed to be done here. The answer is I didn't do it! I now realize just how empty I was. I now realize I am so happy I have grown and am now the person I want to be. I am so happy that part of my life is very much over. I hate that person I became, thinking I was living my dream, but in reality I wasn't. I was being selfish, thinking I needed to own a business to be a success. Thinking I needed to be important. When in reality, I love being a Mom, I love volunteering, and I love my little retreat business.

I let myself get wrapped up in the drama of woman, and even created more drama in my life then I would ever want to have ever again. The best part, is once you leave the drama behind, and you leave the emotional vampires behind, you can start to realize just how much it consumed your life. Don't get me wrong, I met some WONDERFUL woman in my time as a store owner, and I cherish those that are still my friends thru all the darkness. I give you alot of credit that you loved me even through the dark part. I was pure ugly! Thank you so much. I regret those that didn't think enough of me to love me anyway. I regret that there is no repair of the friendships that I thought were true. I would love to reconnect with a few people, but I know their hate for me is probably beyond repair. I have come to accept that I may never see them again, but I also always hold out hope that they will contact me and want to meet up at Starbucks. Cause a good cup of coffee and a friend, it doesn't get much better then that.

Something about a rainy day , it always makes me reflect and want to purge and clean something, today it seems to be my soul. It will also be the house too....since that needs my attention too.

Today is today, I am doing great. My online store is doing ok, the economy stinks, as we all know, but scrapbooking is still going on. I hope to be doing more of this very soon. Right now we are so involved in wrestling! Josh has had a wonderful year with six 1st place trophies. He is now in the post season and he is very focused! He has been doing practice 4 nights a week and he wants to get better. I can see his maturity level increasing. He is wanting to learn things and perfect them. He isn't just going thru the motions. It is amazing to watch him. This weekend is Regionals for MAWA, and he has to finish in the top 4 to go on to Eastern Nationals. He has 3 State Champions in his bracket , so it is going to be a tough road. But I know he is very determined and my stomach will churn for him as he trys. I hope his hard work pays off.

So it is Friday, and the weekend is almost here! We have a busy one with wrestling on Saturday and then on Sunday we are going to see Katy Perry in concert and we are very excited. Hope to blog more, when I have something to say , or at least something that is needing to be journaled.

oh the places I have been!

2009-02-11T15:16:00.005-05:00

Hello blog, have you missed me?

I have been on new and exciting adventures!

I found facebook....and fell into this big dark hole.

It is a little easier then a blog, it is fun and quick.

Photos uploads are easier, and with everything going on

easier is just the way to go sometimes.

But I know not everyone has facebook, so I am back to catch up.

Waving to Mom, Dad , Sis....if you are still reading!

First it is wrestling season! Nuff said!! Yes the weekends you can find the Stillings in a gym near you, or not so near you. We are travelling PA, NJ, MD, and possibly Ohio this year. Josh also is being looked at by the SEPA team, Southeast PA team, where he would go to National Team events and wrestle for PA , it is very exciting. I haven't even told him yet, We were approached at the last tournament we were at by the director, he has been watching Josh for a while.

I have been still growing the hairs on my head, loving my new looks and having fun with different styles. I like the fun you can have once it is longer. So far so good...I haven't wanted to cut it off yet. Headbands help!
Josh went to his first tourney of 2009, he won 1st place in his division! It is a great start to the year. He was very proud and ready to win some more. He was very excited to get back in the practice room and get even better and work hard this week. I love his love for wrestling, I hope his passion stays with him and he becomes all he wants to be. Oh and notice his new singlet, the Bobby Weaver Olympic Singlet, he got for his birthday, and was very proud to do it justice.
I have got a new computer...IMAC 24" , it is more then a computer...it is just amazing and I haven't even started to learn everything yet. So I wanted to get a desk, I found this one at Staples today online, for $79 and FREE SHIPPING!!! I am so excited!! It will be here on Friday and hope to put it together. I can't wait to have my home office all set up. Then freeing up my Scrapbooking Studio for Creating! It is going to be a whole new year for creating!

So that is about it for today. Josh will be home soon, then it is homework, some dinner, off to practice , home for bed.

I love my life!

I love my friends!

I cherish what I have!

It is a great day!

Time to dust off and get back to ......

2009-01-21T09:24:00.003-05:00

I loved that line from yesterday. You could put that in every one's life and finish it the way you need to. For America, it is a big dusting off. It is time to leave the old ways that are not working and find the new way to do things that will work. Yesterday for the first time, I felt that it will be possible to pull this great place we call home out of the ruins. Yesterday was fresh, hopeful, inspiring and just plain beautiful!

I loved the reports that there were Millions of people and not 1 arrest!!! It was a beautiful day.

I loved seeing all the people on T.V. in Washington, people there to witness history, to be a part of history. People there for their great grandparents, people there that believed in the words of MLK, and believed in the dream all these years. What a range of emotion they must have had yesterday.

But what I love most about yesterday, is the HOPE of CHANGE....and yes right now it is still a hope, we have to hope and pray that the President can now put his plan into action and produce the Change we all hope for.

What I didn't like about yesterday, are the comments from people that don't believe in our President, the negative comments , people making fun , people not getting what the big deal is, what all the hype was. How sad that they couldn't put things aside yesterday and actually enjoy the greatness of the day. NEVER has there been so much hype about an incoming president, there is reason for this. I realize that some still need to "see" and have "proof" that there is something to cheer about. But sometimes a little hope and faith goes a long way. I will continue to pray for all of us, and I hope that everyone will have a reason to believe soon.

I want to enjoy yesterday for a very long time.

Anything is possible.

I have shut off comments for today's post. I want to celebrate this day, and I know there are many opinions on this subject, but for today....I want to just celebrate.

It is my Blogoversary today!

2009-01-13T11:59:00.002-05:00

3 years!

458 Post!

500 + Pictures!

Having a place to put my thoughts down....

PRICELESS!!

I love this place

I don't visit it everyday...

But sometimes I write everyday ....

It is a place that is always here for me...

It doesn't judge me...

It lets me talk...

It is here for Josh , someday if he wants to know his Mom's thought on an average day.

It lets Kate know if she wants to come home somedays.

It gives me a place to celebrate, cry, laugh, and reflect.

Happy 3rd Anniversary Blog.....Love, ME!

Love a good snow day!

2009-01-12T10:05:00.002-05:00

Don't adjust your computer screen, I really did scrapbook!
I so miss sitting down and creating. It is just something that gets put on the back burner too often. Not that I don't love the craziness of my life, but once in a while I like it to stop and allow me to create. Something just for me.
Snow days tend to do that for me. I love a good snowday, one where everyone is home and we have no where to go. Just love it! Put on a good pot of soup and relax for the day.

Sunday was another day on the wrestling mat. Not one of the stellar team Stillings days on the mat. Josh had to learn a hard lesson this weekend. One that I hope he can learn at 8 and not have to relearn at 18. One that I hope sticks with him and the pain of it teaches.
Josh has had a big year of accomplishments, you know the kind you are so happy for when they reach them. those ones they work so hard for. Josh made the Varsity wrestling team this year, he has been on JV for 2 years and really wanted to be on Varsity, it is a big deal, they are the ones that get all the glory. When you are on JV , you could go undefeated all year, but it really doesn't get the status that a varsity wrestler would get. You are kinda the warm up team. Not that JV wrestlers don't practice hard, but there is always someone better then you in the room , and they are on the varsity team. So BIG deal! He worked hard for it, and got the crown this year. Then Josh also won his first Open Tournament. He has gone to lots of tournaments, and kept coming away with 2nds, and 3rds. Never getting that top prize. Then Dec 27th, he got it. I thought at first he was going to sleep with it. He was so proud of it.
With Victory , sometime comes defeat. Sometimes you defeat yourself. Doesn't seem like there should be sadness in such success does it?
Life, it is a funny animal.
The defeat, he lost his drive to get better, he hit what some would call a plateau. I can see how you could do this, you work so hard...shouldn't you be able to relish in it? Yep you should for about a day! That is all the time you can have in a sport as demanding as wrestling. Because you know what, that kid Josh beat on Saturday for 1st place, beat him on Sunday for 1st place in another tournament. Yep, and beat him 10-0. Right then I saw it start happening. Josh was not the determined wrestler I saw just 24 hours before. He was what I would call cocky, over confident about himself. He figured he had won this match before he wrestled it. While on the other side was a kid who didn't want to lose again, and had come to win.
Hard loss for Josh, but still he went home with 2 pins that day and a 2nd place trophy. Not bad for a day. I thought that he had maybe learned his lesson that you can never stop working, you had to keep working harder, or you will always be 2nd, and we know that is the 1st loser.
But as I watched Josh in practice over the next few weeks, I saw him not working hard, not improving his mistakes, but getting mad at me when I pointed them out. He is a stubborn boy, and that comes right from ME! Yep sorry about that Josh. But I have had to learn when to give that up, just as he will. Well ok so I am still learning, but I can hope to teach him earlier can't I!?
So he won his league match last week, against a younger boy, not as experienced, but he didn't wrestle well at all. Hips on the mat, and sloppy stuff, that against a better wrestler, he would have not got away with. But you can't tell Josh anything when he wins, cause he only knows he won. He is 8 and winning is everything, so it was going to take a loss to get thru to him, and 2 losses in one day might really drive the point home. Well the point has been driven home. Josh actually had a defensive pin this weekend. He is up 8-0 in a match, handling this wrestler and he had his hips on the mat, he was sloppy, but again up 8-0 not listening and he pulled the wrestler back on himself and pinned himself. Not the first wrestler to ever do this, but it isn't a proud moment. He was all upset and he didn't even understand what happened. Again 8 years old. (I keep reminding myself of this) . This is where I just love our coaching staff. Len who is a guy that wrestled alot of matches in his lifetime, and also has been coaching Josh for 3 years, takes Josh and sits him on his knee, a little while after his match and talks with him. Explains to Josh what happened and why it happened. Len is a great coach and has seen Josh come along way. He wants to see Josh go further and work up to his potential. You have to love guys that take the time to teach these boys how to be champions everyday.
So on to the second match. Josh knows he must correct his mistakes and keep his hips up, let go of bad holds and stay in control. Coach needs him to wrestle up in the next weight class. So he is going against a heavier kid, but Josh is strong. The wrestler is also a 6th grader, but we don't let Josh know this. Josh doesn't make the mistakes he made in the first match, hips are up and when they get on the mat they are back up in no time. He lost 4-0 but was a much better match.
So we have since talked, we watched the dvd of his matches, yep the painful one too. Josh understands that what the adults try and teach him is what he needs to learn, and we aren't trying to tell him things just to talk, but to actually help him be a better wrestler. Also I let him know that if I didn't believe in him and believe that he would win more 1st place trophies , then I wouldn't even try and get him to be better. I just hope he is going to start understanding it. I just hope he can start to drive himself again , like he did last year to reach his goals. He needs new ones. We set some last night. We are a team, and team Stillings is back on track!
Not sure everyone will understand this whole post about 8 year old wrestling, but it is much more then that. It is life and as any child , Josh didn't come with a manual , and we are figuring out everything together. I would not drive him hard , if he didn't want to be a champion. But when he comes to me and tells me he wants to be a Pro football player and go to College and wrestle , then I feel it is my job as his parent to give him every tool to achieve his goals. In return he knows he has to do his very best and drive himself even more. I love Josh so very much, he is my little miracle and my everyday joy in my life. I feel each defeat and each victory with him. He does know I am his #1 fan. And at the end of the day , we cuddle and say our love yous. That is worth every tear to me.

2009...I can accept that

2009-01-09T07:24:00.003-05:00

Well Hello Blog!
I have missed you and I have to say, 2009 snuck up on me fast!
I can not believe that in 4 days I will have been doing this blog for 3 years!
That is so cool. I love looking over the post from the past 3 years and seeing where I have been and what I have done, good and bad. I love reliving the times about Josh and our family. The things we have lost , the wonderful times we have gained. I am sure this year will prove to be another great adventure.

Josh will be 9 years old in 25 more days!!! WOW WOW WOW....I just can't grasp that yet. I still remember driving away from the hospital and looking back and seeing that we really had a baby boy we were taking home to love and cherish...and now....we have a wonderful little boy that we love and cherish and has filled our life in so many ways.

Ok now I am hummming "How do you measure a life" from Rent! Oh that one will be there all day!

I am getting ready for another S.A.V.E. , this is our 5th Year, WOW again. I am guessing that is my word for today! With 100 ladies coming to this event it will be a wonderful time again. I always get a little stressed getting everything ready , but once up there and things are moving along, it all falls together and we have a wonderful time. This time I am excited to have Mimi Leinbach and Jen Starr coming to teach and do make n takes!

I have picked a word to be my mantra in 2009, it is ENJOY! I find myself doing , doing , doing, and not always enjoying what I am doing. Not that I am miserable, just need to relax and enjoy more during the moment. Balancing the doing with enjoying. Scrapbooking more. Oh I need that so much. I know so many of us in the same place, the Scrapbooking gets put off except when we plan a weekend to go and do it. I am going to make an effort to take those moments in the day when I can sit down and create. leave a spot to do that. I am lucky I have a whole room for this, but I let it get over run with other things and then I don't have my space. That is changing right now. A new place for the bills to be done, a new place for the business paperwork. A new place for all other things that clutter my desk. Clear yourself a little space too, a little time, and start creating those pages. I challenge everyone that reads this to a page a week. Ok so every Friday starting Next Friday , I will post a layout....I challenge others to do the same , in your comment link me to your layout , I will pick a layout each week as the layout of the week, and there will of course be some type of prizes involved. You know how I like to give prizes!! OK who is in!!?? Come on ladies lets take back scrapbooking!!!

day 12 WINNER!!!

2008-12-21T23:20:00.002-05:00

I applogize for not picking the winner earlier, I haven't been on the computer since Friday!

So so....the Winner is....

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers
16
Timestamp: 2008-12-22 04:22:47 UTC

Melb. said...
You know I want these...I just didn't have the $$$$.
12:53 PM

Well Mel, no $$$$ needed for the win!!! Congrats!! Happy Holidays!

Ladies , thank you so much for playing, it was really fun!
I will work on getting everyone's wins to them this week.

If I am not back to post before, please have a WONDERFUL Holiday!!!

PLEASE , PLEASE cherish everyone!!! You never know when they won't be here to cherish anymore. Some leave us much too quickly in this lifetime. Hug those you love, and don't be afraid to love.

Day 12 Giveaway...you will want in on this!!!

2008-12-19T06:58:00.003-05:00

Ok first the winner of day 11 .....

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2008-12-19 11:58:27 UTC

Another great gift!!! WOW!!!

TinaCGNJ
3:42 PM

Congrats Tina!!!

Ok Ok Ok , time to get to todays giveaway!!! I am very excited because I have been using these and the colors are just amazing! I just love the bigger crystals and how it looks on a page or a card. You are not going to get only 1, or 2 ...but ALL 12 of the NEW Distress Stickles!!! Ladies, I am telling you these are the BEST!! I hope you like it as much as I do!

I also want to say I have had a great time giving these items away! I hope all of you have enjoyed playing!! Good luck today!

Time to make the Salsa!!

Day 11 Giveaway and Day 10 Winner

2008-12-18T12:32:00.003-05:00

And the Winner is.....

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2008-12-18 17:31:49 UTC

brits on tour said...
Never owned a thicker to date - used them on a layout at SAVE, thank you Alexis - but haven't bought any yet....these would be my virgin thickers!

Ok Ali, glad you won , because no one should be thickerless!!! Congrats!!!

On to Day 11, only 2 more giveaways!!

So Today I thought I would give away a big favorite of mine....... or 2....

These are Stampers Anonymous Stamps by Tim Holtz!!! They are fantastic stamps with great detail! I love using them over and over again. The Music notes on the one are a great background. The Siderweb in White embossed on black paper is just amazing.

So get your comments in...and don't miss Tomorrow!!! I mean it is BIG!! I have saved the best for last!

Winner of Day 9, and Day 10 Giveaway!!

2008-12-17T11:54:00.002-05:00

The winner is .....
Here are your random numbers:
9
Timestamp: 2008-12-17 16:53:15 UTC

Gloria L. said...
Here I am again, trying my best to win some Tim Holtz goodness! Hope it's me this time!Gloria L.

See persistence paid off Gloria!!! Email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net and give me your snail mail and I will get those goodies out to you!

Ok so it is Day 10.....it makes me sad that I know that this is coming to an end!! I just love all the comments , and the chatter to the Random Picker...it does make me chuckle each day! It is a great way to start off the day.

So , did anyone really think that I wouldn't be giving away some THICKERS!!!??? You knew there would be a thicker day!!! Today is that day! It will be a random assortment of thickers , so you will be surprised. You can even wrap it and put it under your tree!!
If someone doesn't know what thickers are....( GASP!) please check them out at The Corner Store!

Good luck today!!! I hope everyone takes a little time to enjoy the season today. Next week this time it will be Christmas Eve!!

Day 8 Winner and Day 9 Giveaway!!

2008-12-16T11:05:00.003-05:00

And the winner is ....

Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2008-12-16 16:01:02 UTC

Alexis said...
LOVE their stamps!!! Use them a lot- would LOVE more :)
1:33 PM

Enjoy Alexis!!!

Ok ladies on to Day 9!!

Today is an assortment of Tim Holtz Items......guessing you are seeing a theme here with me, that I HEART Tim's stuff!!

Today you get the smorgasbord of items you see below.

and perhaps even a surprise or 2 thrown in as well :) You never know what Santa will have in the bag!!

So today is 9 Days till Christmas!!! Wahoooooooooo we are out of the double digits!!!

I got the carpet shampooed today and am moving on to finishing touches around the house. Also planning on doing lots of mailing out today, orders are coming in from all the Hubbys shopping at The Corner Store!

Have a wonderful day!!! Can you believe that This will be the Eve of Christmas Eve next week!!!

Day 8 Giveaway

2008-12-15T08:38:00.003-05:00

Ok Everyone here we go 5 more days of Giveaways!!!

Today I thought I would start it off with some Clear Stamps!

These are 2 of my favorite sets...and as I look out the window and it is that time between Beautiful Autumn and hopefully Christmas Snow....I was thinking about all the beautiful Autumn colors. So today

These are 2 Art Warehouse Clear stamp sets. I fell in love with them when we had Melodee Langworthy up in August to teach. Reminder that all you have to do is leave a comment to have your chance at these great stamps! Enjoy the 10 days before Christmas...use them wisely!

Day 7 Winner....

2008-12-13T16:37:00.002-05:00

And the winner is...

Here are your random numbers:

5
Timestamp: 2008-12-13 21:36:32 UTC

sunlovingchris said...
Tim Holtz, the man!! Love that Grungeboard!!

9:27 AM

Congrats Chris!!!

Ok everyone, check back Monday for the next giveaway! Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday , Thursday and Friday will be the last 5 days!!! Oh and just to let you know....they are going to be GOOD!!! Worth coming back to check out.

I am going to get back to decorating with my family, we are in the Christmas spirit around here decorating the tree and watching ELF the movie.
Have a great weekend!

New Look

2008-12-12T16:52:00.006-05:00

Here it is...

Day 6 Winner , Day 7 Giveaway...

2008-12-12T08:34:00.004-05:00

And the winner is ....

Here are your random numbers:

6

Timestamp: 2008-12-12 13:33:35 UTC

Anna Willett said...
how beautiful!!

Congrats Anna , email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net and I will get this mailed off to you!

So it is Day 7 .....only 6 more giveaways to go.

So today , inspired from Tim Holtz...It is Grungeboard day!!!

Today you can win a set of Shapes, in the Swirl Texture and also a set of Digits & punctuation Grungeboard in the Stripe texture. If you have not worked with Grungeboard you don't know what you are missing! You can paint it , ink it, emboss it or do all those things and more to it. It won't rip, it is flexible and it adds such wonderful dimension to your work. Check out Tim's Blog and see how he uses it. There is also a video from last year on You tube.

Good Luck today!! I am off to the Hairdressers for a cut and color. Got to look good for the party tonight!

Day 5 Winner and Day 6 Giveaway....

2008-12-11T12:44:00.003-05:00

And the winner is .....

Here are your random numbers:
20
Timestamp: 2008-12-11 17:42:35 UTC

Laura Foreman said...
Very nice!
7:07 AM

WOW Laura, you got in late and it payed off!!! Congrats!!

Ok Now on to Day 6 ......half way thru and lots of great items to go...I am very excited about Day 12 .....cause it is 12 things!!!

So on to today.....
I am going to put up the Whale of a Tale Collection Pack from Sassafras Lass!! I don't have a picture of it, but click on the link and it will show you the papers in the pack.

This is a quick post , as I must get back to sewing!! I have lots of elf things to get done in only 14 days till Christmas!!

Good Luck today!

Day 5 Giveaway and Day 4 Winner....

2008-12-10T08:55:00.003-05:00

Day 4 Winner is.....

Here are your random numbers:

6
Timestamp: 2008-12-10 13:54:47 UTC

Denise ~ Paper Ponderings said...
This looks wonderful. Thanks for the generous blog candy chances!

Congrats Denise!! email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net and give me your address and I will get this on the way to you!

Ok ladies, I hope you are having fun!!!! I know I am and each day I go to find a new goodie to give away , I find some of my ole favorites. So today is one of those! This is a stamp set I just adore!!!

It is a 12x12 Acrylic stamp set that has over 30 stamps on it!! I have 2 of these little gems left and have been saving this one to give away! So remember all you have to do is leave a comment on todays blog , before I get back tomorrow.

I am off to buy some Fleece to make some more warm Pjs. I had a great time yesterday making these. Good luck everyone!

Day 3 winner and Day 4 Giveaway!

2008-12-09T08:05:00.003-05:00

Day 3 Winner is
Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
2
Timestamp: 2008-12-09 13:08:54 UTC

seashell said...
i don't have any of these! i hope i am a winner tomorrow!
8:08 AM

Congrats Michelle!

Now on to day 4!!! This is a BIG ONE!! Tell all your friends to come over and try for this kit! I am making one right now and loving it. I plan on using it next year, as this year got away from me. It is a great kit and everything is layed out for you so well. There are full instructions with pictures. Just put your pictures in it and you have a great keepsake year after year.

(Click on picture to see the whole picture)

Hope everyone is enjoying the giveaways, The odds are good you could win! I have some great giveaways coming up. So spread the word and brighten someones holiday season!

Day 3 Giveaway...

2008-12-08T06:17:00.002-05:00

As I sit here this morning sipping my Peppermint Mocha Coffee as I was trying to shake off the chill of letting the dogs out.... I thought it would be fun to giveaway some chilly accents!
First is Maya Roads Chipboard Snowflakes....one of my all time favorites. You can paint them , spray them, ink them, use glossy accents on them and make them the most beautiful snowflakes ever! I love the dimension they add to my projects! Also from Maya Road I love this little Calendar spinner Day To Remember. And lastly, Glimmer Screens! You can't go wrong with these! The Winter Trees are just beautiful, and when you use either the Raidant Rains or the Glimmer Mist with them it is a winning combination. I will be adding the Glimmer Mist line to the store today for ordering any of the great colors.

Also check out Tim Holtz's blog if you don't already. I am just enjoying his 12 Tags of Christmas so much! I cant' wait to play with them as soon as the Holidays are over.

If you are new to the giveaways, all you have to do is leave a comment on today's giveaway and you are entered to win! Check back tomorrow for the winner and also Day 4's giveaway!
Stay warm!!

Day 2 Winner ....

2008-12-08T06:12:00.002-05:00

Sorry Ladies for being so late.

Sunday's are Wrestling days here and I wasn't near the computer all day!

So Sundays you won't see me on here. Gives you more time to get your comment in!

So the winner of the 7gypsie stamps is....

Here are your random numbers:
9
Timestamp: 2008-12-08 11:13:34 UTC

sunlovingchris said...
These are cute!! I will have to be on the ball tomorrow!!
10:49 PM

Congrats Chris....please email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net with your snail mail address.

Day 2 Giveaway!!!

2008-12-06T11:20:00.003-05:00

Ok Ladies,

Here is the Day 2 Giveaway.....

Set of 3 7 gypsie ATC Self Inking Stamp sets. Each set contains 3 stamps. I just love these sets as they are all together and make a perfect littel accent to any page. I never have to look for the inkpad or acrylic block with these stamps either!

You can see all the sets here at The Corner Store. Just for fun also I have these on sale for 20% off for the month of December. So if you don't win here, you can order your very own set!!

Thanks for all the fun comments yesterday ladies! I love playing Santa!!

Day 1 Winner

2008-12-06T11:17:00.001-05:00

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:
12
Timestamp: 2008-12-06 16:18:58 UTC
and the winner is

Nancy said...
This is a great book...I bought it the Corner Store. I use it a lot - it really helps me get started on a page. Thanks so much for doing this again, Rollie!

Congrats Nancy!!!

Day 1 Giveaway!!

2008-12-05T09:15:00.003-05:00

It is finally here....Day 1 of the 12 Days of Giveaways!!

I think I get more excited about doing the giveaway then anyone gets about winning it!

I have planned out my 12 days and there is some GREAT Stuff in the ole Giveaway bag.

This is all by random draw, so everyone has a great chance of winning!

The 1st Giveaway is one of my favorite GO TO items when I am scrapbooking....
Becky Fleck's Page Map Book. If you already have this , still try and win it. It would be a welcome gift to any of your scrapbooking friends. Read more about this wonderful book here.

All you have to do to have your chance at winning is leave a comment on today's blog post. Tomorrow morning I will pick a winner, well the Random upload will pick a winner. The winner will just have to send me their mailing information and I will get it out to you. All prizes come from The Corner Store . I hope everyone has fun with the next 12 days of Giveaways!!

12 Days of Giveaways!!

2008-12-03T08:48:00.001-05:00

Coming ....
FRIDAY!!!
Start watching the blog each day to win your giveaway!
Thanks to the Corner Store.

Check back on Friday!

Did anyone see the Calendar today?

2008-11-19T11:09:00.004-05:00

It says only 37 days till Christmas!!! I just love the count down.
I also love that in 12 more days I can get out the Advent boxes I made
last year for Josh and stuff them with little slips of paper, of holiday goodness.
I want to change it up a bit this year and add more things we can do for charity and
those less fortune then us. I am loving creating all my Christmas gifts this year, and
enjoying the process so much more then trying to figure out what to buy for people.

On the Store Front , The Corner Store for S.A.V.E. business is really going wonderful. It surprises me each day. I am so very thankful for all the loyal customers I have and the new ones that keep finding me. I am so blessed. I know this is a time that so many are losing their businesses and struggling to keep the doors open.

One of the reasons I am doing so well is that I am trying to provide exceptional customer service, order items that my customers want and this little gem...the Cricut Jukebox has been a great seller. I am approaching selling over 200 of these since they came out less then a year ago!
It is a great little addition to the Cricut and I also am loving it. So if you have a Cricut Fan on your Christmas list...this would be a hit! Check out the price of $59.00 at The Corner Store, you won't find a better deal anywhere!
Also need to add this stack of loveliness, Kaiser Craft Paper in da House!!! Hope to be in the store today on line....getting all the jpegs together! The Corner Store will be carrying the full line of Kaiser Craft Items. I can't get enough of their mini albums.

And these keep the sweet tooth happy! I love them so much!! (They make a great coffee stirring stick also!)

But after a few too many Peppermint sticks, I will have to crack this baby open! This weekend Kate and I will start our work out routines on the Wii FIT! I am very excited to start using this and getting some pounds off and back in shape!

And all you Lexi fans, here is the adorable little princess herself. Yes Aunt Denise was up to meet her new little niece and HAD to get her a sparkly little pink collar. I have to admit it only made her look more like the little princess she is!

A big shout out to my friend Kim Burns today also!!! The hippest 40 year old I know!! Stay Young my friend , stay young!!

I am off to see the .....

2008-11-07T08:49:00.004-05:00

Scrapbooking side of life!!

I am bouncing today with excitement knowing in only a few hours I will be scrapbooking , listening to 80's music, snacking and laughing with my friends. Yes that is what it is that can put a smile on my face today.

Not that I won't miss my little guy and Kate , but I need to go and refresh and revive. Everyone should take the time to do that. I find I come back a better person, a better Mom.

I told Kate the other day that on my tombstone please put...."Stupid People killed her" I have to tell you I have had my share of them this week!! I have been dealing with PenDot and since August have been trying to get a simple Antique License plate for my 66 mustang....it is now November and finally after many phone calls and just short of riding out to Harrisburg to hand deliver the paperwork they have FINALLY found the paperwork and are now going to process it . I had to send it to them 3 times to get this done. KNOWING it was sent in the prior 2 times, them saying it wasn't there. They have now not only found my latest paperwork , but have miraculously found the previous 2 filings now!! UGH! I have a headache!!

I won't even go into the story of my Car , which if you all remember jumped out of park a few months back. Which they said they checked the transmission out and there was "NOTHING WRONG" , but now has been in the shop for 3 days getting the transmission rebuilt because NOW , "there is SOMEHTING WRONG" !!!! Amazing how the consumer keeps getting screwed and the big guys keep smiling as they tell you they understand, but that will be $3000.00!!!

To spite that and other little things going on, I am smiling today for the little things such as 3 days of scrapbooking with friends. Thank you friends! Thank you scrapbooking!

Now if my little guy would just feel better. He has been feeling pretty bad, with a high fever for 2 days, I am just working to keep him hydrated. It is not a small feat with an 8 year old! We are waiting on the 48 hour throat culture today , the 24 hour was negative so we are hoping the 2nd one will be also. I hope today staying home and resting will get him back on the road to feeling like himself. Again not a small feat to keep them down. They just want to go go go. DVD's are a good thing!!

So off to pack.....Have a wonderful weekend!

We Voted!

2008-11-05T11:01:00.003-05:00

Yes we did, as a family!
Kate and I felt it was so important to go as a family and vote yesterday.
Josh did the Kid's Vote , and we went to our voting booths.

I sat up and watched the coverage last night, till I fell asleep. Then I woke up at 1:30 am and watched more of the coverage. I watched the speeches last night and one part of the President Elect's speech has really sat with me this morning.

“If there is anyone out there who doubts that America is a place where anything is possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.”

I love this statement. I know there are people that feel disappointed, they felt that McCain was who they wanted to be President. I know the feeling when who you feel is the best choice doesn't win. I also have already heard how we as democrats have worked against the current President. I am sure I will hear more and more, and every little set back that this new administration has will be blown up and examined. BUT I for the first time in a long time will also voice my opinion at times. Because I once again have HOPE and DREAMS that are alive. It feels so good to look down the tunnel and have faith in the light at the end of it.
This will be a long hard road to fix the problems we all face in this country. BUT it is so great to wake up with the Dream that it can be done.

Today, I think of that 106 year old lady that went and placed her vote. I think of when woman were not allowed to have a voice and vote. I think of the time when Blacks were not allowed to vote. This lady has seen so much in her life time, and for her to see the First Black President Elected to office, how much has this woman seen in her lifetime? I think we can all only imagine what we could see in ours!!

V-O-T-E

2008-11-04T08:52:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone votes today!

I am waiting to hear if my car will be done today, it is in the shop. Josh and I are home today sort of stranded, but that is ok. Josh is not feeling good and he is going to be in bed for the better part of today resting, he went to school yesterday not feeling great, but knew he had today to rest so he stuck it out. Today is a good pajama day!
Not for me tho, today is clean , organize and create. Then it is off to the voting booth later! Josh will even go and vote today in Kid's Vote this will be Josh's second Presidential Election. He looks forward to doing it. our PTO supports this and we have alot of fun bringing the kids to the voting booth.

I hope by tonight we know our next president. I do hope it is Obama, because I believe he is the best man to pull this country together. I believe he can unite this country, we have been so divided for many years. I do believe this man has the best ideas on how to do this. I believe that this man will help others achieve their dreams and goals.

Football this weekend wasn't all smiles. This week our team lost their first game of the season bringing our record to 9-1 for the season with one more game to go! The boys played hard, they made a few more mistakes then usual, and the other team was very good and made fewer mistakes. Most days in football that is what it comes down to. Who makes fewer mistakes. We will come back this week and try and win our last game, ending the season on a high note. Go Greenjackets!

Lexi's first Snow

2008-10-28T11:32:00.003-04:00

On Oct 28,2008!
Lexi just turned 4 months old yesterday and today she is seeing her first snow flakes!

WOW I can't belive that the ground is actually covered 3 days before Halloween.

So I am inside trying to stay warm. Also trying to motivate myself to attack the back room. The room that some would call the "catch all" room, you know everyone has one, or at least a drawer or a corner. Today I (with my Mom's help) will start sifting, digging and cleaning, throwing and organizing this room. I hope by the end of the week to be able to put the Corner Store back there and a little office space. I want to have the store and S.A.V.E. separate from my creative space, which I cleaned the last 2 weeks. I am happy to say I have been creating more since and already have about 7 Christmas gifts made and ready for wrapping! That is exciting in October too.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture!!!
We are now 9-0 and are facing the 9-0 Lenape Valley team at 10 am Saturday Morning. It is going to be a very exciting game, and I am hoping our boys are the victors. They have been playing so well and it is so great in this day and age to watch them be winners! I know there is all this touchy feely " It is all about having fun , not winning" attitude out there, but start throwing the tomatoes now cause this is one football mom that believes once you turn on the scoreboard it is ALL about WINNING! So lets go GREENJACKETS!!!

Time for another cup of coffee....then I am going to the back room!

545 People

2008-10-20T18:55:00.003-04:00

I had this sent to me and it is a scarey thing to look at , but needed in this time.
PLEASE VOTE, take control of what 545 people are in office!!!

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
[Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper]

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, we have deficits? Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, we have inflation and hightaxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and Idon't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The Houseof Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code. Congress does.You and I don't set fiscal policy. Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy. The Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president and nine Supreme Courtjustices - 545 human beings out of the 235 million - are directly, legally,morally and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional dutyto provide a sound currency to a federally chartered but private central bank.I excluded all but the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has thepower to accept or reject it.No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislation' s responsibilityto determine how he votes.

CONFIDENCE:
Don't you see how the con game that is played on the people by the politicians? Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amountof gall. No normal human being would have the gall of Tip O'Neill, who stoodup and criticized Ronald Reagan for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating appropriations and taxes.
REPLACE SCOUNDRELS
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 235 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts - of incompetence and irresponsibility.I can't think of a single domestic problem, from an unfair tax code to defense overruns, that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.
When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they wantto exist.If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budgetis in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Marines are inLebanon, it's because they want them in Lebanon.There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they canabolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take it.Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exist disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation" or "politics"that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people and they alone are responsible. They and they alone have the power. They and they alone should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses - provided they have the gumption to manage their own employees.

Opinions

2008-10-15T12:07:00.003-04:00

I love the diversity of my friends, that is what makes it great.

You would all be so boring if you were all to agree with me or another friend of mine.

But I will say I hope you all continue to voice your opinions on here, I love the talk and

you usually bring a smile to my face , or a chuckle to my heart.

I surely hope that it isn't over in 2o days, I hope for just the start of a great new era, and leadership.

I hope that this country can start turning itself around and heading in a better direction.

I hope that we can as a nation we have our voices heard.

I feel there have been alot of mistakes made by our current President, and not sure you will find

that many that feel any different. (not even my republican friends), but I also know that it isn't all his fault. Altho I do feel it all starts with leadership, and how you steer the ship. A good leader has to be able to listen. I think that has been lacking for 8 years.

When Clinton ran and won, I have to say there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted him to lead the country, and I am very proud of that choice I made. I believe he did great things to turn this country around and he is responsible for me being more aware of what is going on in politics and getting me up off my rear and getting involved. This year it took a little more for me to be sure of what I wanted to do. I have to say this is more of a year of what I don't want to see happen. I think that is true in almost everyone I talk to , either party.

It is times like these that you feel like a small fish in a very big pond. But it is times like this that you also should make sure no matter what that you voice is heard. That you get out and vote.

One thing that I HATE is someone that doesn't go to the poll and vote and sits there when it is all said and done and say , "I didn't vote so it isn't my fault." It is more your fault then anything that you didn't feel your country was important enough to take a few minutes and make a difference. As a Parent now, I would be doing my son an injustice not to fight for what I believe is right and what would make an impact on him down the road. This next President , if they serve 2 terms could be impacting my son's education as he would be 17 at the end of his term. (yes I did just shutter writing that) But it is reality. This President could be impacting what is left of the environment. There are so many things that are going to happen in the next 4 to 8 years. Please stay informed, don't just listen to what you hear. Take time to do some research, go to the sites that talk only the facts about both parties. Educate yourself, be informed with your decisions.

So keep the banter going, Say what you want to say here. Cause this is America, and my blog!

Now on to Football!! Oh the analogies I could use about how much better America would be if run like a football team! OY!

That is a happy boy of a 7-0 UNDEFEATED TEAM!!

Here is the fearsome 4 some! I love these guys and coaching with them is just the best!!

Almost time to have your voice heard..

2008-10-13T12:53:00.000-04:00

PBS has an online poll posted asking if Sarah Palin is qualified.
Apparently the right wing knew about this in advance and are
flooding the voting with YES votes.The poll will be reported on PBS
and picked up by mainstream media. It can influence undecided
voters in swing states.Please do two things -- takes 20 seconds.
1) Click on link and vote yourself.
Here's the link:http://www.pbs.org/now/polls/poll-435.html
2) Then send this to every single Obama-Biden voter you know,
and urge them to vote and pass it on.
The last thing we need is PBS saying their viewers think Sarah Palin is qualified.

Sweet Music and a Winner....

2008-10-09T08:57:00.002-04:00

Yes it is a proud Mama moment. Our rock em sock em football player/wrestler is making sweet, sweet music!! (Well probably only sweet sounding to his Moms at this point).
Josh is taking Cello Lessons!!! I couldn't be more excited and happy that he is showing an interest in the arts. I do believe they are so important in a young persons life. It is very scary to think that some schools don't have art /music programs and that children are missing out on this.
You that know me know I am a real sports mom and look forward to each week watching Josh play football or wrestle, but I have to admit I love this gentler side to him also. He knows it is a commitment and that he has to practice this just as dedicated as he practices football. He is very excited to do so. We will get to see all his hard work at the end of the school year in the Spring concert. Go JOSH Go!!

and now for the Winner of the Blog giveaway!!!!

Bridget said...
Love the banner!!! Just booked our first ever Disney trip for next April....can't wait!!!
6:26 PM

Congrats Bridget, you will have to send me a picture of it when it is finished!! Stay tuned blog readers, because GIVEAWAY WEDNESDAY is BACK!!!

Happy Yom Kippur to all my Jewish Friends today!

Wednesday, and yes a giveaway!

2008-10-08T10:51:00.003-04:00

First tho.....So this face is the one that I look at and see the sweetness of her.

These eyes melt me everytime.
Josh practicing his punting, which he just loves to do.
And I have vowed to myself to create more! So this was my project yesterday.
So here it is, I have decided to give away the same kit I used to make this Great Halloween banner. All you have to do is comment on the blog today. I will pick a winner tomorrow.

So that is about it for today, because I have another project I am going to go and work on. I am loving the kits I have and am so happy to be making things.

Was that an 80lb football game or the Superbowl??

2008-10-06T19:53:00.005-04:00

WOW!!! Saturday , High Noon....approxmently 340 days from the last time these two teams met. We went to Abington with a 9-0 record, it was the last game of the season and we were going to have some pizza after the game. The game from HELL that is!!! With less then 1 minute to go we are up 12-6, and then that series of plays started, just one thing went wrong after another. Abington tied it up with only seconds to go and we went home with a 12-12 tie and our 9-0-1 record. I don't think the coaches and parents stopped thinking about that game until Saturday. Now we have filled that with new memories....memories of a 12-6 game where in the last 30 seconds we scored the winning touchdown!!! Oh yeah, I don't care how many people watch the superbowl, there is no other game I have ever seen that was as exciting to be part of as the one Saturday. We had 22 of the most determined 8 year olds ever to come on the field. These guys were warriors, they stepped it up, they did their jobs and they got it done! I have never been so proud of that many little guys ever. I watched them play with emotion, they never stopped running, blocking and tackling. They gave it all the heart you can give in 4 quarters of ball. I really hope they remember this one, it was something to be a part of. Now back to reality....they are 8 and probably won't remember this game as well as the coaches will. But we have DVD's!!!

So below find a few photos of "Stills" in action. He had some great runs, gained quite a few yards on the day. Ended up about 10 yards from a TD after about a 40 yard run. Made some great tackles , including one late in the 4th quarter that caused a fumble and allowed us to get the ball back and score our touchdown. He also layed a block on thier Linebacker like I had never seen him block someone before. He told me after he wanted to make sure that he didn't mess up the play. (That play was our TD run!) I can't wait to see what the rest of the season holds, right now we are 6-0 and going strong!!

I have to say one more thing about the team. Our Coaches, Mike, Rick and Daryl are one of the best group of guys I have ever been around.

I see the Goal....
OH MAN!
I just love how they all close thier eyes
RUN Josh RUN
Josh has his eyes on the prize!
BALL! BALL! BALL!

1-2-3 PLAY HARD!!
They work for the Cookies!!
This is one Happy Coach Mike! After the game he had to admit to me that he thought he was going to puke at different times during the game.
Smiling Coach Daryl, He is very set in his ways and wants the defense to preform each and every play. He is what I call the "Bee Keeper" of our "Killer Bees"
Mr "I ain't shaving till we win this game" Coach Rick! Glad to say he can shave it down to his baby face now. This guy is an Offenisve Genius, and has these boys running over 70 plays per week. He puts the points on the board, and leaves it to Daryl to keep the other team from doing the same.

Finding Joy again....

2008-10-03T11:37:00.003-04:00

In Taking pictures.
I have to thank Karen Russell for that!
I am taking her Photographer's workshop and am in the 2nd week. LOVE IT!
I am picking up my camera again, not for the football game, but for the everyday stuff.
I think I am almost ready to even take it out of "AUTO" mode!!!
I actually am starting to understand that I can trust myself to be in Manual mode.

Yesterday was Picture Day at School, and I just loved it when Kate asked Josh what he was going to wear....
Josh said , and I quote. " Mom, do you want to pick out what I wear for picture day"
Yes insert signing angels here!!!!
So here is what I picked.

and then Lexi had to give him puppy kisses before he left for school.
And then it is back to playing with her bestest pal Cricket!
Tomorrow we play Abington , and we are very excited! This was the one team last year that we tied with, it was the last game of the season and we were undefeated going into the game. We wanted to put that last one in the win column and just couldn't do it. So we have been waiting roughly 340 days to get this game again. The boys practiced really hard this week. 16 of our players returned from last years team. So they also want to get this one in the win column very badly.

I am slowly getting things done and in order. The Store is taking a lot of my day. It is very time consuming putting the items in and keeping the inventory. Shipping has been keeping me very busy also. It is all great and I am very happy it is doing well. Now that Josh is in school I am getting a good day routine here. So back to work I must go!

It is good to find your Happy Place.

2008-09-30T09:03:00.004-04:00

Ah, my cup of coffee in my Starbucks mug and a few stolen minutes to write here. It is the little things in life that make it spin. Sometimes when you are going full speed ahead you miss the days of a slower pace. I do miss writing here, but I am not complaining that my life is so full of wonderful things that I don't have as much time to do so. I love my life and all the wonderful craziness it is.

It is coming up on a year since my life got a little turned upside down and sideways. A year ago I was so sad, angry and confused as to why bad things seemed to happen to me. I was crying almost everyday, I felt that I had failed. I felt very lost . I didn't understand.

Fast forward one year.........

I am not sad, I am happy!

I have a WONDERFUL Family, Kate and Josh are my rocks. They love me so much each and everyday that I can't help but smile.

I run a very successful online scrapbooking store The Corner Store for S.A.V.E. that is shipping all over the world.

I have a wonderful Scrapbooking Retreat Company Scrappin Away Vacation Events that is registering scrapbookers for the January 2009 Retreat where Lisa Pace , Mimi Leinbach , and Jen Starr will be teaching 15 different classes over the 4 days!! It is our 5th Year anniversary and it is going to kick off with a Meet the Teachers Reception on Thursday Night!

I am volunteering more then I ever thought possible. I am managing the concessions for the Football team, coaching football, league rep of the wrestling association and managing the website, getting more and more involved at Josh's school, co-chairing the Holiday Shoppe and Race for education fundraisers.

It is amazing that out of such sadness I actually found my happiness. I couldn't imagine being where I was a year ago ever again. I made so many bad choices to get myself in that situation, but am so happy I had the strength to get myself out of it. Thank you to the few that stuck thru this year with me. My true friends, you are very special to me and dear to my heart. I will never forget all that you do for me. I hope that I can continue to be as good a friend to you.

I love having a place to write my thoughts, it is my happy place!

So on to some FOOTBALL news!!!

Well the team is 5-0!!! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

The boys are just continuing to play hard and get the job done! This week was a mud bowl. We played in that rain on Sunday. Hot showers and hot soup were in order after the game.

Lexi is doing great. Her and Cricket are now best pals and play everyday. She is sleeping thru the night and having a great time stealing flipflops and running! But with that face you can only pick her up and cuddle with her. Damn I love this little bundle of fur!!

Had lunch with my friends Julie and Sydney yesterday at one of our favorite lunch spots. It wasn't a long enough visit but it was so good to see them. Sydney is 4 and recently developed diabetes. I can see the worry in Julie's face, and she trys to hide it!! But let me tell you about one brave, brave little girl, Sydney is amazing! She is taking this in stride, she is a hero to me. She will get her Mom thru this.
One of my favorite times is when we all sit around at night and Kate helps Josh with his homework. I love the way these two interact and work things out together. Josh is learning so much this year. He comes home everyday with something new to ask me. I love it that he thinks it is all new and amazed to find out that I know the answers. Makes me feel smart too :)
This was Josh's sack in the 4th Quarter this week. He busted thru the line and got the QB, caused a fumble and drove them back about 8 yards!
Oh and this is Lexi, in all her cuteness.....
So I hope to be bloggin more, lots going on this coming month in October. We have 5 more weeks of football, Mom is coming for a visit and of course Halloween!!!

Also , I am going to bring back Giveaway Wednesdays!!!! I MISS IT!

It's a GIRL!!

2008-09-19T07:49:00.003-04:00

Yep here is Lexi!

We brought her home last night. I saw her picture in the vet's office earlier in the week and I called Kate and told her about the picture. I had just mentioned to her days before that I was really liking the boxer breed of dog lately. Lexi is a Boxer/Pit mix. She is just adorable and I think is going to fit into our family just fine. We met her parents and they were very friendly and we liked what we saw. So now to the housebreaking and the puppy kisses.

Everyone needs a good laugh!

2008-09-17T07:53:00.002-04:00

And this is one GOOD laugh

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/palin-hillary-open/656281/

I am so thankful for writers!

2008-09-14T20:19:00.003-04:00

Cause they can write what I think or feel sometimes much better then I can!!
I have listened, I have watched and I have just sat here and gotten very scared that woman are "relating" , " so happy to have someone to root for" etc..... I feel just like the one outside the zombie film saying NO NO Don't do it!!! But I didn't know how to explain what I wanted to say to these people. Then I got this email tonight and went YES!! Finally!!! Someone wrote the words down!!
So I will go to bed tonight and rest and hope that this email keeps going and possibly wakes some people up to what is going on.

Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feministand activist best known for "The VaginaMonologues," wrote the following about Sarah Palin.
Drill, Drill, Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a particular thing for Polar Bears.Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seenone in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why the Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists. But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story-- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds,deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover.
But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately,this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity.
Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as ametaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan.
She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered specieslist. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here to be taken and plundered.Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, "It was a task from God."
Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.She obviously does not believe in sex education or birthcontrol. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.
Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently.She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference.
This is a woman who could and might very well bethe next president of the United States . She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air.
Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the endof separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.
I write to my sisters. I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S. , but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction.
It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine whether America is afree open tolerant society or a closed place of fear,fundamentalism and aggression.
If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC,"Drill Drill Drill."
I think of teeth when I thinkof drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt,ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.
Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone,in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Eve EnslerSeptember 5, 2008

Remember

2008-09-11T07:24:00.002-04:00

This image still burns in my mind 7 years later. I remember sitting in bed watching the Today show and seeing this image. Still not believing the first tower scene, and then just gasping at this one. I remember Josh was still just a baby sleeping at just 19 months old. I remember watching everything unfold. I remember having to force myself to shut off the TV as it ran 24/7 in the house.
But do I think about it each and every day, I would have to say no. So today I will remember for those people that do think about it each and every day. For those families that today changed their life forever in more personal ways. For those children that might have been infants and toddlers and might have been sleeping, to wake to a changed world. I can not even begin to imagine what each of those families have gone thru these past 7 years, I can only hope and pray for each of them that the healing continues, and honor them today in my thoughts and prayers.

Today you are not forgotten.

One Proud Mama!!

2008-09-09T07:06:00.002-04:00

Yep I was a beaming Mama on Sunday!
I am not the easiest Mom when it comes to expecting excellence.
I always ask for 110% of Josh in whatever he does.
We have many talks about the difference of playing something for fun and playing
something to be a champion. In sports Josh has big dreams and expectations of himself.
He wants to be the best, he wants to play in the NFL , he wants to play in Highschool, in
College (right down to already picking where he wants to play in college).
I think it is great to have these dreams and hopes and the drive to accomplish them.
Josh is one of those kids that is athletic enough to possibly do this , to see his dreams come
true.
So this Sunday Josh gave more then 110% , he was in on so many tackles we lost count. He ran for 1st downs. He got the job done. Yes there is no I in team and the whole team did so well, I have to give Josh his due , for all the times I drive him to do just what he did on Sunday, his job all 4 quarters of the game.
We have a great group of kids, they are all having a great time and being 3-0 on the season is making for all smiles! WTG Josh, I am so proud of you!!!
This is my other Proud of moment! Look at that Smile, FINALLY!!! I have missed that smile for so very long. It is not fake , it is not forced, it doesn't have pain behind it. I am so proud of Kate for all the hard work she is doing to get herself moving again. Tomorrow will be 8 weeks since surgery and Kate is riding the bike a mile and 1/2 on level 4 at Physical Therapy!!! She has such great range of motion , the therapist are just amazed. It is so great to see her not in pain everyday. Life is good!!

As for me, I miss my scrappy friends right now. Not that I have had a minute to scrapbook much , but still miss them. Life just seems to get more and more crazy everyday.

So today is my Lunch Duty day...I love seeing Josh during the day at school hanging with his friends. (I haven't told him I am coming today).

Ok back to work ....S.A.V.E. opens up in 6 days!!!

When did the calendar get turned to Sept?

2008-09-06T07:10:00.002-04:00

And when did this little guy get so big and become a 3rd Grader!! I can't believe 3rd grade, he is just trucking along, growing , learning. He is my little super hero! He was less then thrilled with the approaching school year. I think more that summer was ending. But come the first day of school he marched off like a trooper and when he came home later that day he had a huge smile on his face and exclaimed that his teacher was really nice. He also has one of his buddies in his class and one of his football teammates too. So he is all set and ready for a great year.
There is the big Yellow Monster swallowing him up. It came so fast this year this was the only shot I got. Everything seems to be moving faster lately.
Here was our little bit of , life doesn't always go as planned. A freak thing happened and the car jumped out of park ( after the key was removed) and rolled down into our front lawn and ran into the poor little well house. No one was hurt, and the car is in for repairs now. Then it is off to the mechanic to find out the problem. I have since looked things up on line and Ford seems to have some issues with the transmission doing this before. Not good!
Our 2nd week of football proved to be another good one. Josh scored a TD and made some awesome tackles. He was put in a new position (Defensive Tackle) and seems to really like busting thru the line and breaking up plays. We won 19-7 and go 2-0 for the season!! This weekend is not looking good for football. Waiting to hear from the commissioner to see if we are going to have games today. Hope Hanna keeps going east.

So as we get in the swing of Sept, I am busy with The Corner Store and S.A.V.E. with Scrappin Away Vacation Events opening in 9 days for the January Event things are in full swing on this end. We have some excitement this year as it is our 5th year doing these events!! So I have invited some great teachers to help us celebrate. Lisa Pace, Mimi Leinbach, and Jen Starr will all be teaching classes at the event. I just couldn't hold out anymore, I am so very very excited about these ladies coming all at once!! I have already got some pictures of the projects and WOW is all I can say!! We will also be doing a Charity Auction and Raffle this time, I missed doing this the past couple events. So look for all the information coming soon!

Oh and READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!!! Can't wait for Football Sunday!!

Coming up for air....

2008-08-27T09:01:00.004-04:00

Breathe in .......

Breathe out.......

WOW Life can get going and put you in directions you just have to go with. Being someone that likes to be in control ( Stop snickering Kate!) , I have had to let go and let things happen. It is a big lesson to learn , but worth learning. I couldn't have got thru the last couple weeks if I didn't learn this lesson.

I have taken on a bit this summer , and a few times I was wondering what the HECK was I thinking. But when I sit back and look at things I know exactly what I was thinking, I was thinking I want to do these things for Josh and all the other kids that love the game of football and want to play. I have taken on not only coaching but managing the concessions at the football field, which is time consuming , ordering, organizing and making sure it all goes off without a hitch. Working with some parents that don't really get the whole volunteer thing, but working with a lot of parents that do, and that is what makes it great! I have met so many great people during this season, I love surrounding myself with wonderful people , people that care about their kids and that their kids have a great place to play. It is so important in their little lives to get out there and play. Learn great values, how to work as a team and to have fun doing it.

So that is the football part, then there is The Corner Store, which is doing GREAT!!! I am shocked sometimes in this day and time that things are going as well as they are. But scrapbookers have to have their supplies I have found out! I love the customers I have met over the past 4 months. I can't believe it has only been 4 months since I opened the doors on line. I was nervous to start it, but so glad I did!! The response has been just fantastic!! I love hearing from people that I have what they want and need. I have so many new items to add and plan on a BIG , HUGE , Sale in September so stay tuned!!

S.A.V.E. , We just had our August Event, I can't believe that this little idea that started in Oct 2004 just had our 10th event!!! It was such a great time , and with guest teacher Melodee Langworthy teaching her classes, so many of us left loving stamping again! I will be carrying the stamps Melodee uses in class in the Corner Store. They are now a staple in my stamp case!

We are well on the way to planning the January Event already only 141 days away!!! I have already announced the Trifecta of Teachers on the Message board and will be announcing to everyone on the Scrappin Away website very soon! Registration opens September 15th , mark your calendars.....spots are limited and will go quickly! We have some very very exciting news to reveal and let me just say.....the goodie bags will be over flowing. I am so very excited to be doing this event. It will be our 5th Anniversary year this year and I want to do it up big!

Kate is doing GREAT! Today is 5 weeks after surgery and she is already driving, been doing that for a week now, she went to work for a couple hours yesterday , not suppose to return for 3 more weeks! She can ride a stationary bike in physical therapy and is lifting 10lb weights with her legs. She has some nights where they are a bit stiff, but other then that she is doing so great! I am so happy for her and I see that smile back , it is hard to smile when you live in pain everyday, so that is worth all of it!

Josh is enjoying his last few days of summer vacation, football 4 nights a week and games on the weekend. He ran one in for an extra point in our game versus Qtown, we won 27-6 .

So I think I am caught up now...now if I could get the rest of my life caught up!!

Working on it, but as long as I am busy I will not complain. I love being busy.

Are you watching??

2008-08-13T08:14:00.002-04:00

I LOVE the Olympics!!!

Josh LOVES the Olympics too!!

We have been camping out in the living room everynight watching the Olympics.

Kate hangs with us till about 10pm and then goes to bed.

Josh asked if we could watch every night that the olympics while they are on!

I said YEAH!

Ok so now I am feeling it as he is actually staying up to watch them. I thought he would bore with them by now. He is so excited cheering for the USA. I really love watching him as much as watching the Olympics. He is asking alot of questions and watching the stories behind these athletes. It is great for him to see these kids have been working for years to get where they are.

Josh being the athlete he is, he is starting to understand that putting 100% into each practice makes a difference. That paying attention to the coach and doing what the coach ask is what you are suppose to do. We have been talking alot about things, and being one of his coaches this year has even brought us closer. I asked him last night what he thought about me coaching and he said "It is actually pretty cool, I like having you as a coach" Well that made my day as you can imagine!

I have been putting in alot of hours to the Concession stand and coaching. Tired, heck YEAH! Worth it , heck YEAH!

I was talking to a Mom that is sending her only son to college in 2 weeks, and we were talking about how fast it goes, she told me to keep doing what I am doing , stay involved and enjoy every minute of it. She said you will be ready when they are to move on....but you will have some great memories and know you gave him all you had as a parent when they are ready to go.

So I am going to enjoy these times, I can't believe that day is only 10 years away, it really makes you think when the first 8 years have gone as fast as they have.

So it is Watch Olympics, Eat, Football, Sleep around here....and we are loving life!!

A new day, A new hope...

2008-08-07T12:22:00.002-04:00

To say yesterday was difficult, is an understatement.
To say today was beautiful, is an understatement.

Yesterday there was a family very torn apart for the past 8 years.
Today the healing started.
On the porch of our house sat a Mom, Son and Daughter, a Brother and a Sister.

It might have taken the death of one, again way too early, but He may be just
the angel that will bring this family back together.

I have always said that Josh is the miracle that healed my family in so many ways.
So many years lost, the birth of my son and the magic he carries with him have
preformed so many miracles. Eric may be that miracle for this family. I believe he
already is.

That is how you honor some one's life, you look within and don't let them die in your
heart. Make yourself a better person, let yourself be more caring, let yourself love.

I thank the Lord today for letting me witness this Miracle!

You will be missed....

2008-08-06T11:00:00.002-04:00

Eric Stillings June 16, 1986- July 24, 2008
It is always important to remember the good times in life, because eventually that is only thing that matters. We are saying goodbye to Eric today, way too early. I hope for eternal peace for you. Know you are loved.
This was Christmas 2007 when Eric was showing us his skillz on Guitar Hero, it was a great day and lots of fun and laughter. Those are the days we will remember with Eric, and we will think of him often.
Rock on my dear boy!! Rock on!!

It is August 5th, that much I know!

2008-08-05T10:37:00.002-04:00

And this is the J.A.K.'s

Yes this is the new sport in our house this summer, ROCK BAND for the Wiiiiiiiiiii! I have to say it is a fun time, I do enjoy it when I get a chance to play. Josh and I Rock out on the drums and guitar! But when A and K come over the band keeps on playing! Sometimes all night long, what are summers for as a kid unless you can stay up one night till 6 am!! Ah the carefree days of summer!
and this is my new baby. Soon to be on the road every once in a while as it has insurance and registration on the way. I can't wait to go for a Sunday cruise to the Football Field in this little Red Roll! It is soooooooooooooooooooo pretty!
ah and the vacation that I still ahhhhhhhhhh over when I edit pictures or think about on a daily basis. Alaska and Seattle, it was a great time, and oh how I might need to visit a Starbucks today!!

Lot's of busy times here right now, but good also. I have been busy with Football already, Coaching special teams and managing the Snack Stand at the field has my hands full. I love volunteering for this organization, knowing it is all for the kids! Volunteering is good for the soul, and it has given me alot of opportunity to talk to Josh about charity and giving for others. He even does his part helping me stock the coolers and whatever I ask him to do.

Also getting ready for the Summer S.A.V.E. event in dare I say 15 days!!! I can't believe it is only a few days short of 2 weeks and we will be having Melodee Langworthy teaching and hanging out with us for 3 days! Her classes are filling up and we all can't wait to create these great mini albums. There are only about 6 more spots left in the Christmas Album Class so don't wait if you want to take this class. Kits are also available by signing up for the class and putting "KIT" in the notes. All Kits will be mailed when I return from the event.

Also busy shopping for all the new items that have come out of CHA Summer! I just purchased all the My Minds Eye Halloween and Christmas Lines and they will be arriving next week! Also coming are the new Teresa Collins Christmas Line, this girl has it happening! So many other things also coming soon.

Oh also just realized that only 4 more weeks and Josh will be back in school, I am really looking forward to doing a few more things this summer with him before that happens! We haven't even made it to Dorney Park yet....have to do some roller coaster riding before it all ends!

So that is about it, I hope to return to blogging more soon, I have lots of scrappin ideas going thru my head, but if I took a picture of the tornado that hit my scrapbook room (AKA , dump zone) it would hurt. Today I hope to pick at it a bit. I want to get some pictures ready for S.A.V.E. and do some great scrapbooking while I am there. Already working on S.A.V.E. in January...have 2 great teachers already lined up and hope to announce them soon. So back to work, lots of ordering to do!

Hello blog...

2008-07-29T07:52:00.003-04:00

I have missed you!
My happy place....the one place I haven't been able to get to lately!

Kate is home!!! YEAH!!!
She is doing so well with the surgery, she is in less pain then she has been in
for a good 5 years. It is amazing how the smile is back on her face, the laughter
is back and I feel like Kate is back! Pain is an awful thing to live with day in and
day out. It really can make you a different person. So Glad to see this working!
She is walking with her walker still, but the range of motion is really improving
daily. She does her exercises every day. GO Kate GO!

We have lost a wonderful young man...and that is the sad news. Eric Stillings,
our 22 year old nephew took his own life last Thursday morning. We are so very
sad about this. He was a special guy, we had some great times with him. Christmas 07'
he spent many days with us playing guitar hero with Josh and hanging out.
Eric was a little loss in life, and needed to find his way. I hate the fact that he choose the
path he did and left this world. I hope that this loss will help those he left behind find better
paths. I hope families will heal and relationships will be restored. No one should die this young, but it is an awful feeling to feel this is the only way to be at peace.

We need to be more caring and sensitive to one another. This age of "me" generation, we tend to forget about the other people in our lives. We forget to take the time to be a friend. Everyone is so busy going in their own direction. Everyone has expectations of how you should be. Make sure you are doing what makes you happy!! Make sure you talk things out to someone, find someone that will listen....don't hold things in!!! So many emotions running thru me right now. It is so true that when someone passes you have so much to say to them. Say it to them NOW!! Don't wait. It will really be too late then.

It has opened some new doors that I was not quite ready to open with Josh. Not only dealing with death, but dealing with someone being so sad they take their own life. I am so glad that Josh has no idea how someone could be that sad. He only remembers laughing and having fun with Eric, that is a great memory. I did have a great opportunity to talk to Josh about no matter how sad or upset he is , he can always talk to me or Kate. We are taking Josh to the memorial service next week, he wants to go and be there with us. I asked him why he wanted to go...and he replied " I liked him" , it was that simple to him. We talked about how people will be sad, but it is also a celebration of Eric's life too. In which he responded.. "But there won't be clapping will there?" He has been to one memorial service before for a family friend, so he knows what to expect. He is an amazing boy.

Football season, being a coach for the first time, managing the concessions, running my online store and getting ready for our August retreat for S.A.V.E. are just a few of the other things keeping me from my happy spot. But I know it is here and I will visit it more and more as the days settle around here. Thanks to anyone still reading or checking in, Wednesday giveaways will be back in September!! If you have a minute in your day give a thought or a prayer to Eric's family and friends to have the strength and courage to get thru this tragedy.

Eric we will miss you.

Sometimes you need a little chuckle...

2008-07-22T15:56:00.002-04:00

Got this in my email box today from a friend. Have to admit it made me chuckle a little.

Totally exhausted, feel like my feet don't even touch the ground in the morning and I am off running. Did get me some spanking new sneakers today, need to look spiffy for my new coaching position this year!!
I am the FIRST ever woman coach for the football organization, it is about time I would say!!
I will be leading our special teams, which is exciting because this is the first year we get to have special teams. Also the offensive coach has told me he would like to start Josh as QB this year. Josh is really excited about that and wants to really do well! I have been really talking to him about leadership and having to be loud on his counts. Should be a good confidence booster for him. So off to the hospital to see Kate, she did Steps today, 5 of them!!! Wahooooooo! I am so very proud of her and how hard she is working and smiling everyday. They have her scheduled to be released on Friday if everything keeps going well. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers!! zooooooooooooooommmmmmmm!

10 years .....

2008-07-18T20:40:00.005-04:00

ago today I got to marry my best friend.

We might not have been at a romantic restaurant, or had some great alone time, but we still celebrated being together.

We had Lee's Hoagies in a hospital room, Kate, Josh and myself. We were still together, and Kate is really working thru this joint replacement with flying colors. She walked half the way back to her room today from therapy....she knows that there is some wonderful stuff on the other side of all this and she can't wait to be able to walk pain free!! Keep good thoughts coming, hopefully she will be home in a week!!

Thanks everyone for your words of wisdom, support and humor. I really have a smorgasbord of great friends, and every time when I need them, they are there. Just when someone is trying to bring me down, I have alot of hands there to lift me up. Sometimes you just need to know that the net is there.

So I did alot of thinking last night, since sleep wasn't winning....and I know that I would miss what I am doing too much. I know that I will probably never become a millionaire doing what I do, but I know there is alot more reasons I do it. So I did some writing and planning over the last hours and have some new focus, new ideas and new approaches to making things happen.

I need to learn to shed some baggage in my life, I need to just let go of some stuff and remind myself more each day all the good there is. I KNOW all this, it is just making it my own. It is good to have next week to unclutter things, and get some things in order. I love hitting bottom only to find out it is rubber and bouncing back is not so hard!!

And sometimes you just have to close your eyes and PUNT!

So here is to another 10 great years with my Best friend, I hope everyone celebrates the ones they love and that love them today.....those are who matter!

Well.....

2008-07-17T23:17:00.003-04:00

Today Josh and I went to visit Kate and she seems in high spirits.
I know she is in alot of pain, and she is trying to work through it.
I know she will.
Josh and I miss her, it is hard to not have 1/3 of your family at home.
I don't sleep so well when she isn't home.
Josh sleeps just fine!
Can't wait till Kate isn't in pain anymore because of her knees, it has been
a long road with the pain.
Today she walked 7 feet on her own! Not even 24 hours after surgery.

All this alone time gives me alot of time to think, it is very quiet here.
Thinking is not always a good thing.
Evaluating things, thinking if I am going in a direction I want to continue.
Knowing life is good no matter how much it hurts in some areas some days.

Questioning if I want to continue in the Scrapbooking Industry.
Do I want to pursue new things.
Is all the work worth it.
Wondering if I would miss it.

I know I am exhausted right now, knowing I should not make any major decisions.
I won't. But will continue to think about everything.

Loving spending alot of time with Josh, even through the "Have to be the Mom" moments.
Love watching him "get it" when we have talks about life , present and future.
He told me he wants to go to Layafette College today, he has really enjoyed Football camp this week, I think we might be going to some home games this year, it is a beautiful campus....and nice and close to home.

Hope to get some rest soon.

Football season is coming!
I am excited to be coaching this year.
It will be great to work with the boys.
I can't wait to get on the field.

Life is good, thru it all, Life is good.
Hope to be back to blogging again soon, I am so glad to have this space to give it all up to.

July 7-16

2008-07-16T07:15:00.004-04:00

ok so this is how life moves.

Time flies.

Vacation to ...

Wrestling camp with 4 friends all week. Remember I am used to having 1 boy!

Wrestling tournament

Football Camp

Running a busy online store

40 days out from the August Retreat

Kate's surgery today

ETA....Kate is out of surgery with two new knees!!! She is looking good and resting. Tomorrow she gets to take them for thier first test run. It was a little stressful of a day, but glad she is ok.

So what gets left off the list....my blog, my happy place. I have missed this ole spot. But I will be back, with so much to share. So that is where it is at. Thank you to all that have reached out to me over the past couple weeks, I got the sweetest email the other day from a dear, dear friend and she just will never know how much that meant to me, sometimes you forget that there are people that truly care about you.

So until next week when I will have a few minutes to sit down and visit all those things buzzing around in my head....

Home!

2008-07-07T07:47:00.004-04:00

I want this for Dinner tonight!
Yep we are home.

Exhausted!

I got a nasty head cold in Seattle and it is kicking my ass now!

Really should take a picture of the luggage still sitting in the Dining room.

So if an airline charges you $25.00 for your bag of luggage, don't you think

they should remember to put it on the plane, and not leave it in Phoenix??

I miss Alaska!

Only gained 2 pounds, extra boxing tomorrow.

Wanted to take our head waitress home with us, she was da bomb!

Ok off to take 5 boys to wrestling camp each day this week.

Hope this head cold goes away really quick!!

Still absorbing the past 2 weeks, I hope my words can do it justice.

Happy 4th!

2008-07-05T00:03:00.003-04:00

He looked so handsome, but fell asleep at dinner, this was the beginning of him getting sick. Poor little guy, but he did look so cute!
This is our view from the Space Needle, WOW that is high up there! Mom even made the trip up with us.
This was our dog sled ride, it was amazing seeing these dogs work. I wasn't so sure how I felt about dogs working this hard, but I have to say, these dogs want to run, want to pull. They get so very excited, it is really amazing to see.
Josh conquering the rock wall on the ship. Very cool!

My Picture of the day from Seattle!! Just loved this shot!

So we are about to watch fireworks from our hotel. We have a perfect view from what we are told. We have one more day we will spend in Seattle tomorrow and then we leave to start our flights home in the late afternoon. We are going to pack in a few things in the morning and visit Pike's Market also. We are going to take a water taxi across the bay tomorrow too. I haven't done that since I was in Hong Kong.

This vacation, has been so much, so much I can't even put into words yet. The pictures don't even tell the story. I hope to scrapbook this, I know this trip will always be in my heart, and I would LOVE to do this again. There are so many things to see here, you could never do it just once. Alaska will be one of those places for me.

Oh Canada!

2008-07-03T22:52:00.003-04:00

We are in Canada cruising down some water, it is another beautiful day! Just wanted to check in quick and let you know that this BEAR did not get us, altho we were that close!!! This was on one of our excursions in Icy Strait Point. We took a tram into the rain forest, the trip $53.00 the experience PRICELESS!! There were people that payed hundreds of dollars to go bear watching that didn't get to see what we saw! I have emails from them to send them these pictures, because they had to look thru binoculars to see thier bears. There is a cub also in these pictures, I will share later. Oh yeah and that is me on the ZIP LINE! WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! That was just an amazing experience as well. Just truly and amazing trip, and something I will never forget. Josh did get sick on day 5 the night we were cruising to Ketchican and I spent that day in the cabin with him, he still wasn't himself yesterday, we did get out to swim in the pool for a little bit, but back in the cabin. Today he is much better, we have been hanging out playing bingo, billiards and miniature golf. That is a trip on the 13th deck of a cruising Ship!!!

So tomorrow early we dock in Canada and start our trek to Seattle. We are missing our puppies something awlful and it has been amazing, but home will be a welcome site too!!!

Hope everyone has a great 4th!!

It is Sunday!

2008-06-29T12:56:00.004-04:00

Can't stop taking pictures of the beautiful landscape up here.
It is just amazing and I could stare at it all day.
Oh and this was Moose # 5 on our trip!!! Cute little baby.
This is my new little buddy Logan. He is just the cutest little guy and he even called our room this morning to say good morning. He is all of 4 years old and has been such a joy.
Hey I found the place to wear my Hat! It fits right in up here!!

And I know this because everyday that you get in an elevator on the ship it has a plate in the floor that tells you what day it is! I just find this really funny. Because you do loose track of what day it is sometimes when you are on vacation, and especially when you are out to sea. So I am so glad they keep us informed with this plate in the elevator that tells us.

We have just docked in Juneau, Alaska the state capital, and where we will be taking a river raft down the river thru the Mendenhall Glacier. We are very excited about this trip, and a little adventure.

Josh has made a few little buddies, and He finally was ready to come back to the room about 12:30 am last night. They have such a great program on this ship. There are 350 kids on this boat and you would never know there are any sometimes. They are all up in programs playing with kids their own age and having fun. They have been playing dodgeball, and Josh's new favorite Gagaball. They also have arts and crafts and other fun things. It is really great. Yesterday we saw him at lunch and dinner, besides that we got ditched and he was all smiles and telling us about his day.

Kate and I spent a good hour on the deck yesterday just staring at the Hubbard Glacier, it is such an amazing sight. We saw some small calving and just heard the booms from inside the glacier. The ice was amazing in the water around us. You get a better sense of what the Titanic must have gone thru, and we were still 1/2 mile from the glacier.

Not much else to report, the food is fantastic and we relaxed all day while we were out to sea. Today in the glacier I am not taking my digital, we bought disposable cameras since we will be on a river raft. So not sure I will get to share the pictures from today anytime soon.

So off to breakfast and then some adventure!!

Day 4 Denali National Park

2008-06-27T09:23:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was beyond words, We got to see the Peak of Mt. McKinley the whole park at Denali and we got to meet Jeff King and play with the puppies. We have met two Iditarod Champions and we go to one more Musher Camp in Sagway, and I could visit every musher camp here and not get bored. I find it unbelievable the relationship with the dogs and the mushers, it is their life. But they all have to do something else to make the money, because they will spend over 100,000 dollars to do this race, and the top prize is 70,000 if you WIN! It is a hobby, a passion, not a living. So alot of them do these excursions to earn money. What amazing people and the dogs just love what they do.
The rest are pictures of our day....I don't think I could put into words the beauty we saw, so I will leave it in the pictures. We are heading to the ship today after an afternoon in Anchorage.
Enjoy! Thanks for all the great comments so far and glad you are enjoying.

Jeff King, 4 time Iditarod Champion
Denali National Park
Denali National Park
The View from our room at Grande Denali Lodge
MOOSE!!
Mt. McKinley , which only about 3 out of 10 people who visit alaska get to see the Peak this clear. We had one of the six beautiful days they will have this summer. We kept getting told by the locals and the tour guide how lucky we were to have a day like yesterday. I believed them.

Day 2 Alaska

2008-06-26T09:39:00.006-04:00

I am very very just blown away on this trip already.... I am sitting here trying to still absorb everything we saw and heard yesterday. There is so much to learn about this great state and even more to learn about the people here. I was never into history that much, but this place fascinates me to no end. These people are the true modern day pioneers. The Indian tribes, the mushers they have such amazing stories. We got to go to Susan Butcher's Dog Kennels, and hear her husband talk about what Susan loved. I got all teary eyed when I was leaving, she was such an amazing woman, someone I would have loved to meet. Alaska seems very full of great woman. We also got to meet Jesse and she is following in Susan's footsteps. We plan on following her on the Internet as she does the Iditarod this time. We got to meet her team of dogs and she is another amazing woman! The stories they have of being out there on the trail just them and their dogs, they are just unbelievable.

We also met Betsy and she is a native to Alaska, her family has been here many generations, they have fishing camps and use a fishing wheel to fish for salmon, they smoke it too. This lady also has some of her work in the Smithsonian Institute, her sewing and beading is just WOW! It takes over 6 months to make a Parka, and they are valued at over 16,000 dollars. The men kill the game, but after that the woman do all the dressing and cleaning and then use all parts of the animal. There is so much more about these people, I am still trying to absorb it all, it was so educational and just beautiful yesterday. We also went to a working gold mine and met too HOOTS!! This lady has gold running thru her veins, she just LOVES what she does, she has been prospecting with her husband for over 40 years and now they educate others about what they love. They are still working their claim too. I never knew they only would dig in the winter for the gold, then all summer they would do the panning. It is very interesting how they do all this.

So I am going to leave you with a few favorite shots of the day, we are about to leave Fairbanks for Denali today. I know I just wrote alot of words, but I also know I can't even express everything I want to say about the trip so far. I get choked up just thinking about it quite a few times during the day. Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! If I was going to sum up Alaska so far in one word, I would have to say GENUINE! The people, the land, just so pure. Ok off to an another adventure...enjoy the pictures!

Bush Pilot landing in the river.
The mountain range in the back is just amazing.
Susan Butcher's Kennels
The wedding of the Rivers, that is all rock particles that the water breaks up.
This woman can fillet a salmon in about 30 seconds! And Bead that beautiful coat too! This is just amazing art work!
Josh compared to a Caribou Skin
The Alaskan Pipeline, WOW is this an amazing thing to see only if a piece of it.
The Prospector...what a great guy!
We got to hold this, they just let you pick it up and hold it, they figure there aren't a whole lot of ways out, so they really don't worry about anyone stealing it. It was kind of cool that it wasn't just in a glass case.

Day 1 Alaska

2008-06-25T09:29:00.004-04:00

I am not sure if I will ever get on the clock here.
It seems to be the same anywhere I go tho....guess I am getting old!
I just don't sleep that well anywhere anymore.
It is ok tho, my body must get enough, I am up and ready to go!

Today we get to pan for gold and go on a riverboat ride. Then a good
ole Salmon bake with Alaskans!!

Yesterday we did some wandering, we came in a day early so we wouldn't be
rushed. It was nice to just wander and have some fun talking to the locals.
We grabbed the hotel shuttle for the day $5 dollars each for the whole day and they
would drop you off and pick you up where ever you wanted to go. It was a great service.

Oh and Gas is $4.32 a gallon here!!!

We checked out the University of Alaska, beautiful place.They have a museum about the
history of Alaska and it is just beautiful and wonderful. Lots of great information, and we
learned alot. I never knew about all the very powerful and strong women that helped pioneer this great state. The story boards were just so informative. I just couldn't stop being amazed by the art work also, the beading alone I could have stared at for hours. Each little bead sewn into
the hides, you know their fingers had to ache!!

We strolled downtown and found the Fudge Pot...yummy! Great fudge!!

Then of course we found a Scrapbook Store, that just made me smile!

We had dinner at the Pump House....let me tell you...OMG GOOD!!

We have a wonderful couple as our tour guides for the land portion. This is thier 112th trip and

they love it so much! We are on Fred's bus...this man greats you with his homemade fudge. There are also about 6 kids Josh's age on this trip, which I was glad to see...he might have a few new buddies when we leave here. They will all be on the ship too. So I will leave you with a little picture show. Just a few of my favorites of the day! I tried putting it to music but didn't quite work this morning. Hey it is 5 AM here!!

This is a REAL Live Reindeer!!!
Grizzly at the Alaska University Museum
Statue in the center of Fairbanks.

He is so HANDSOME!!
and a little GOOFY!!
Sun in our eyes, at 9 PM at NIGHT!!!

We are in Alaska!

2008-06-24T12:34:00.002-04:00

and Kate has had her first Alaskan Beer so hence the smile!!

Josh made the first 16 hours of travel like a trooper!! Then that last hour flight from Anchorage to Fairbanks he fell asleep and it was not pretty when I had to wake him and get him to walk off the plane. He hit the chair at baggage and if it was a video you would see the head bob that was happening as he kept falling asleep! It was just too cute. I don't think his head even hit the pillow at the hotel before he was out.

Now we landed at 11pm Alaska time, which is 4 hours difference from home, but it is so weird to see the light like it is mid day. They have about 21 hours of light right now so that is about the strangest thing to get used to! I have to say the air is so clean and crisp, the people friendly as can be and we are just enjoying every minute of it!

So just a short one today, hope to post more later today. We are heading out to see Downtown Fairbanks and see what we can see!!

1 DAY!!!!

2008-06-22T06:28:00.003-04:00

Ok so do you think I will sleep tonight???

I would take bets NO!

I am so very excited, and that doesn't even describe it at all.

This is a trip of a lifetime for me, and us. Not in my wildest dreams,

did I think I would be going to Alaska to share this with Kate, Josh and

Our Moms. It still hasn't sunk in.

I had lunch with my friend Deena the other night and she went to Alaska last

year. She still has that starry glaze look in her eyes when she talks about it.

Very excited to share info with me and tell me about different things to look for.

Just got me even more excited!

So I made a travel journal, I did get thing done and it was so easy with the new

Passport Line from Making Memories. All Available in the Corner Store. I plan

to journal each day.

So need to pack the last bag, get the lawn mowed and just finish up a few thing around here.

ONE more SLEEP and we are heading out!
Have a Great Sunday!!

Longest Zipline in the World

2008-06-20T06:21:00.003-04:00

And I have Black Cherry in my cup! This is pretty darn tasty. I like my flavored creamers.

We have been busy around here, 72 hours till we leave for Alaska! Just in case you didn't know!!!
So I have been getting out all the orders for the Corner Store before we leave. Josh has been a big help, He has been so great going with the flow the past couple days. I have really tried to balance out some play time with work time. It has been so great having him home.

3 bags are packed, the 4th one almost and we will see if #5 comes into play. With the new restrictions we get 1 bag each free and then it is $25 dollars each way for the extra bag. So we are looking at probably $50 dollars extra. How the heck you suppose to pack for 2 weeks in one bag!!! Ok that is all I am going to vent about that, cause there is nothing I can do about it and it is what it is.
There has been no scrappy time, and I am missing it so much. But I do hope to work on my travel journal this weekend, and am going to take a few things with me if I need to. Josh is also going to have a journal and we are going to write about our days each day on the ship. Probably in the morning. I got a note from the future 3rd grade teachers that he should practice cursive writing this summer. I have heard that 3rd grade is the big transition in elementary school. A lot of writing. Luckily Josh loves writing. He brought home a great report card, excelling in Math, and Reading, and improving his "Puts forth effort" which I think in some ways is his shyness. We are having many talks about how it is ok to be smart. I know it is hard to be funny and cool in school and be smart at the same time. You know what I am talking about in an 8 year olds world!

So off to get a few more things done today, I did get a great camera bag last night, it is a backpack shape and will fit all my lens and also my flip camera. It is nicely padded and I am so excited it will fit everything. We are off to the beach tomorrow after wrestling. I love that my Sis will be coming over for the day too!!

I leave you with this.....We will be doing this very soon! Longest Zipline in the world

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

2008-06-19T09:16:00.002-04:00

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

1

Timestamp: 2008-06-19 13:18:36 UTC

Sometimes it pays to be the early bird!!! Of course she has probably been up since 6 am checking for the winner!

Congrats Denise :)

Josh and I are off for a few errands this morning, that is as soon as I wake him!
More blogging later.

Wednesday Giveaway, and School is out for Summer!

2008-06-18T08:20:00.004-04:00

Ok so I am just LOVING these little flocked brads from Doodlebug...the colors are awesome and there is just something about fuzzy goodness! So I wanted to share some of my favorite colors with you and let you in on all the flocking good time you could have without getting arrested!!
So this is the Wednesday giveaway, just leave a comment today and you will be entered into the drawing tomorrow morning. Yep it really is that simple! Also note this is the last giveaway for a few weeks. I am leaving Monday for Alaska so the Wednesday giveaway will be taking a break also ! Don't worry tho it will be back!

So do you remember that first day of summer vacation when you were a kid? Did you get to sleep in? I don't recall, but imagining that I probably didn't. I am sure there were chores to do or something that had me up at the crack of dawn.
But this is my son this morning, and it was just too cute to not photograph! I let him stay up as late as he wanted to last night, he lasted till about 10:30 pm I think. He actually fell asleep on the couch with his DS in hand the game still playing. I had asked him probably about 5 minutes before if he was tired and I got the loud "NO Mom not at all" , you know the one where they are trying to convince themselves?? I could see the glazed eyes and knew he was just about to go. Then when I was trying to remove his DS game from his little hands and as his grip tightened, his little voice said, " I am just going to rest for a few minutes Mom " (He is still resting) shhhhhh. Now right about Now Kate has a big grin on her face, holding back the roaring laughter because she is probably in her office as she reads this. Why you ask? Well because she is just saying quietly to herself....Like Mother , like Son!!! It is a bit of a joke in the house about how I will hang onto the remote even if I am sleeping away. So yes I did chuckle a bit last night as I saw my little "mini me" fade into dreamland.

Have a great Wednesday and Enjoy your children this summer!!!! I know I like having my little pal at home and can't wait for all the adventures we will go on.

Happy Birthday Little Sis!

2008-06-17T07:34:00.003-04:00

Happy Happy 43rd!!! You are still just as cute!!
This is a layout I did for you! You can read the journaling when I give it to you :)
Hope you have a great day....and hope you can come on Saturday! Miss you!

Yesterday was Josh's last full day, today is just a 1/2 day and goodbyes for the summer.

I gave his teacher the gift I made her yesterday and she just loved it so much. She took it with her to show other teachers at lunch time, and it was funny because now there are 3 teachers that have got a creation of mine and there is some joking as to who is jockeying for Josh to be in their class to get the good stuff at the end of the year. I love it that they love their gifts. This one was my favorite so far, I just loved doing it and my head is spinning (pun intended) to put together some kits for this in different themes. I don't see any desk or coffee table that wouldn't just love to have this on it as a conversation piece. I uploaded alot of the supplies into the Corner Store yesterday. More to come soon. I can't wait to get the 4x6 Carousel to work with too. The teacher quotes were a big hit. Kim said I had her favorite one in there.
I just loved the transparencies too, they just add such a cool dimension.
And here is the "Schools out for the Summer" pose. Course that just seems to be the 8 year old pose for just about anything these days. I look forward to the summer with Josh, last year I was working in the store so much I didn't get alot of time with him. This year we are going to do day trips, camps and enjoy time together. I just love having the online store and being able to be home. Life is good!!! Now back to packing, cleaning and getting ready to go....only 6 more days!!!

A-L-A-S-K-A one week to go!

2008-06-16T07:56:00.004-04:00

It just screams peace , beauty and vacation to me. I have been reading about this great state and it is really amazing that this is a piece of our United States.

We had a great weekend, I love a weekend mixed with lots of little pieces of goodness. We had wrestling, which as you can read from my previous post was fun and productive. Then on Sunday it was just the 3 of us and we cleaned, we played, and got everything accomplished we

needed to. Also on Friday I cropped with some great ladies. My dear friends Edie and Nancy brought me a birthday cake and a jug of Margaritas! Love those girls!! My cake was a crown of course! Purple of course and great pictures on top. I will be in alaska boarding the cruise ship on my birthday so it was a surprise when they arrived with cake :) Thanks so much ladies for making me feel special, your friendship is very special to me.

We also got the pool open! YEAHAW!! So we will be having those margaritas poolside! So today is the School picnic and move up day, where Josh will meet his 3rd grade teachers. I will also give his teacher her gift. I really like this one and can't wait for her to see it. Lots to do this week. Getting ready to go for 2 weeks. I am hoping to video blog from Alaska. So it is Monday and time to Get going! Here's to a good week!

Sometimes you are the windshield!

2008-06-15T10:24:00.003-04:00

Yes as you can see from the video below we had a better week on the mat. Josh had lots of fun this week he went 2-1 and learned some great lessons. Like Hard work does pay off, Leave it all on the mat, and as long as you give it your best then losing doesn't suck so much. That last one is so hard, but it is what keeps you going to practice. It is what reminds you there is always someone better out there. You have to keep working. It is a great lesson for anyone, and I love what Josh is doing with these lessons early in life. I truly believe it will help him later in life. He is a hard worker and he knows how to achieve goals, and what it takes to get there. Those are lessons you want to learn now and not later in life.

Happy Dad's Day to all the Dads out there! Hope everyone wishes their dad a great day, spend sometime with them. If they are too far away by miles, spend sometime talking to them on the phone, or write them an email, you know it has been to long in some cases.

Natasha Bedingfield-Pocket Full of Sunshine

2008-06-13T10:43:00.001-04:00

Friday Recap

2008-06-13T10:29:00.005-04:00

Ok so it is Friday, it kinda creeped up on me this week. Today is the 13th and it marks 10 days before we leave for Alaska!!! How did 2 years of planning come down to 10 days?? I am just giddy with excitement. I love cruising and I can't wait to have my breathe taken away by the beauty of this State. I see a few people read my blog from Alaska, if you care to leave a comment on anything I should see while in Fairbanks, or Anchorage let me know.

The picture above is the Teacher's gift I am working on. I am very excited how it is coming out. I have been wanting to play with ATC cards and now have dived in full force and LOVE these little gems. I can't wait to finish it. I am hoping to do that tonight while I crop the night away with some wonderful ladies.

Today I need to run a few errands, then it is off to school to get the kids to do their part for the teacher's gift, I am putting info on the back of each of their pictures...should be fun! There is also an awards assembly today , Josh will be getting some awards for Race for Education. I also have a little thank you book I made for the lady who headed the whole thing. Hope she likes it.

Oh and exciting news, the liner is in and there is 5500 gallons of water in the pool and the liner didn't fall in!!! (Kate you smiling?) We have one more load coming and then we will have fun in the sun all summer. Can't wait to play in the pool this summer, a good book and my float and I am all set. (well and maybe a Cosmo)

So off to face the weekend, wrestling , swimming , packing and cropping! Have a great weekend and check out my new favorite song in the post above :)

Questions answered and the Winner revealed!

2008-06-12T07:01:00.003-04:00

WOW! When I ask for it I get it....
You all came up with some great questions!
Below I have answered each question.
Thanks for playing along!
At the end of the post is also the WINNER of the Art Bin!!

Julia said...
What is your favorite color and/or color combination?
8:38 AM
I would have to say I love plain ole Black/White combo, it is so clean and crisp to me.

Anonymous said...
I want to know do you truly love sports or our you so supportive because Josh is so involved? What sport do you like the best?Love art bins.Edie
9:19 AM

I LOVE SPORTS! I grew up playing Basketball, softball and running Track in Highschool. It was something I was good at and loved doing. I am so happy Josh loves them as much as I do. He is fun to watch and I love showing him how to become better. Football is our sport of choice here at home. I LOVE watching it and Josh and I play catch with the football everyday while waiting for the bus.

Anonymous said...
do you love art bins as much as i do? guess that one won't cut it. here's one . . . what prompted you to let your hair grow?d
9:52 AM
I am not sure there was a defining moment on letting my hair grow. I just love how longer hair looks and thought it was time for a change.

sbonetsue said...
My question is "How do you organize your supplies?" I'm always looking for new ways to store my stuff. Thanks for a chance at your giveaway.Sue Cahill(sbonetsue at yahoo dot com)
10:06 AM
I LOVE to organize, and I am constantly changing how I do this. My latest love is the Scrap n Style White Cubes. I have 13 of them now and I also love the Purple Craftmate holders. I will share some organizing pictures soon. I also love Tim Holtz Tins for the Paint Dabbers, stickles and Clear stamps.

ElanaE said...
What is your favorite song/music group?
10:07 AM
Well that could change on a daily basis. I have over 4000 songs on my ipod and if you ever crop with me you could hear anything from Hip Hop , Rap , to Broadway or even Christmas music! Right now I am loving Natasha Bedingfield and "Pocket full of Sunshine"

Laura Foreman said...
Here are three fun ones:1. If you had to have one piece of music softly playing in your mind for the rest of your life, what would you want it to be? I would have to say "Imagine" 2. If you knew that every minute of the next 24 hours of your life would be recorded on camera, is there anything you would change about your habits? I wouldn't change a thing, what you see is what you get! 3. Do you dress the same when you are depressed as you do when you are very happy? That is a cool question, I would have to say no. ENJOY!
11:10 AM

MelB. said...
When are you going to church with me?I need ONE more bin......gee....guess who....
11:15 AM
Anytime Mel!

Tracy Anderson said...
What is your all-time, hands-down, beats-all-others favorite scrapbooking product? And yes.... you have to pick just ONE :)Don't put my name in for the random drawing... I just won AND I have tons of those artbins (LOVE 'EM!) I did want to supply a question, though.... that's only fair considering.... :)
12:03 PM
This one is soooooooooo easy for me...The Crop A Dile....I have to say that tool is at my fingertips almost every page!

Kelley Sweitzer said...
What did you want to be when you grew up?Love the artbins. Love the pink ribbon too. I could store all sorts of goodies in there or I could be a nice Mom and let Riley store all sorts of her goodies in there.
12:22 PM
I seriously don't remember any dreams of wanting to be anything when I grew up...I know now I want to be a Mom , run two wonderful businesses and Enjoy each and every day of life :)

Gloria L. said...
Just one question? OK - Would you share whether or not you and your family attend church regularly? It sure makes a difference in my life!Gloria L.
12:23 PM
I will say we don't attend Church, but I will also say we love God and we have alot of faith. I was brought up Catholic and had a very strict Meme that believed in Church every week, but growing up I found out that my personal relationship with God was more important then where I was on Sunday morning. I also have problems with "churches" that don't accept that Kate, Josh and I shouldn't be a family, or the don't ask don't tell type. I have found some wonderful places of worship that don't judge also. If Josh decides he wants to go in the future, I would find a place to go.

Laurel said...
Spin-off of Julia's question - - - is your favorite color now as an adult the same favorite color you had as a kid? Mine's not - I really liked purple as a kid, but now my fave color is blue.
1:37 PM
I had to chuckle when I saw this, because I LOVED blue as a kid and now Purple is my favorite color!! LOL

Alexis said...
fstts off- I luv all things that support breast cancer awareness/cure. The fact that it's an artbin is almost too much to handle- want it!!Second- the comment from your mom on your last entry was so funny/cute.One of your recent blogs had me thinking, and so *alert* my question is very personal, is everyone in your family or friends, and have they always been, supportive of your lifestyle (word seems silly). I know Jeff and I would be for our kids, but I guess it's hard for some people?
3:42 PM
Ahhhhh great question. I have to say NO to everyone always being supportive. I remember the first time I kinda told someone the way I was feeling. I think I was about 17 and it was my best friend at the time....and well we weren't friends after that, she just couldn't handle it. That was so hard. I didn't tell anyone else for a long time. My family, oh no they didn't like it one bit. My Mom thought it was all her fault and took that Catholic guilt to new heights! So we weren't real close for many years. Then I got pregnant and when I called to tell my Mom, her words were "Are you sure you want to bring a child into that lifestyle" Well I told her "what lifestyle would that be? Two parents that will love him, be there for him and a lifestyle with no alcohol and no abuse?" Well that pretty much put a silence in the air. I know it sounds harsh but I was so happy to be pregnant and full of love, that our "lifestyle" had nothing to do with that. We were two people that wanted this child. So fast forward 8 years and now I know that Grandma would never trade having her grandson in her life for anything. Josh is truly our miracle boy and he has opened alot of eyes to the fact that it is Love that makes a family, not who. We have great support now, even living in a very christian community we are very accepted and loved. I have always had hope that we could change even a little piece of the world, and I do believe we are doing that.

Nancy said...
Hi! I wanna know....what do you want for your birthday? Nothing huge or sentimental. Nothing like world peace or ...you get the idea. Something material...What do you want?Love artbins. Using more and more of them for organization. Did I meantion that I need help with that? Is that two questions?
5:33 PM
LOL Nancy, I would LOVE to just go to lunch/dinner with my friend(s). I know that might not be material, but I love getting to talk and share more then any material thing.

Tammi said...
No idea what question to ask? Hmmmmmm?How about - if Josh had been a girl - what would "her" name have been?Lame question I know. But I couldn't think of anything house.LOVE the bin!
8:58 PM
Alexandria Shea We had that picked out :)

Anonymous said...
What would you keep in an art bin like this?Thank you for entering me in your giveaway!(ginger dot bisker at gmail dot com)
9:39 PM
I have ohhhhh about 15 of these and I have some that are labeled "SPorts" or "Christmas" and I throw in there anything to do with those titles from paper to buttons. Others I keep collections of paper in. Others I have projects in. I love when I am working on something to put it all in one place, or to bring things to a crop it is just great. The handle is so sturdy!

Ruby said...
Hmmmmmmmmmmm I am hungry what are you fixing me for a midnight snack????Is that question ok??? LOLOh-shiz that's two- enter me twice. Ok, so really it's thursday so congrats to whoever wins that bin- its pretty damn awesome and for a great cause! (I wouldn't be upset if you really did enter me in..*wink wink*)
2:39 AM
Hey RUBY! Hope you are having a great time! Thanks for checking in :)
I would make us some stuffed green pepper soup of course!! mmmmmmmmm!

Thanks everyone for playing along. It was fun and I you all made me think, and laugh!

Today the Artful Collage Flowers are coming in!!! So excited to use these. Hope to post some scrappy goodness soon, I am cropping with friends on Friday and need to start/finish the teacher's gift.....at least I finally decided on what to make!

OOPS! I was so in the mode of answering the questions I almost forgot about the most important thing!!! THE WINNER!!!
So here is the winner!.....

Alexis said...
fstts off- I luv all things that support breast cancer awareness/cure. The fact that it's an artbin is almost too much to handle- want it!!Second- the comment from your mom on your last entry was so funny/cute.One of your recent blogs had me thinking, and so *alert* my question is very personal, is everyone in your family or friends, and have they always been, supportive of your lifestyle (word seems silly). I know Jeff and I would be for our kids, but I guess it's hard for some people?
3:42 PM

CONGRATS Alexis!!! I know you have a few supplies to put in here, and it will be great to take to S.A.V.E. this summer!

Wednesday Giveaway!

2008-06-11T05:48:00.004-04:00

There it is, this is the NEW Artbin!! Art Bin has joined forces with the National Breast Cancer Foundation t o present limited-edition products, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the search for the cure. Clear, translucent satchel allows you to easily see what is inside. Use for storing quilt fabric squares, papers and more.

When I saw this I knew I had to have it! I also knew I had to give one away!! So some lucky blog comment is going to win!! I can't make it so easy this week tho....so this week in your comment you have to ask me a question. Most anything goes. If you haven't noticed I am a "tell it like it is kinda girl" I will still pick the winner at random, but I will also answer questions tomorrow in my blog post. I have been tagged and have to come up with 7 random facts about myself so I thought some questions might prompt those.

In Scrappy news the **NEW** Passport Line from Making Memories has just arrived at the Corner Store!!! I have to say with the upcoming Trip to Alaska it will be used very much, over and over by me! It could be used for anything from a vacation trip to a journey thru life. I have to say it is my favorite line right now!

I wanted to take time to thank everyone that posted in response to my blog about Josh and our family. I have such great supporters out there for my family. You are the people I am so proud knowing. I am over joyed knowing that people have changed for the better and that love is the true binding factor. Again thank you so much for being out there.

Today I am off to a Field Trip with 2nd Graders...should be lots of fun! Have fun posting today, and I can't wait to see what questions you come up with.

Growing.....

2008-06-09T20:03:00.002-04:00

That is what I have been doing...growing out my hair. It has been about 2 months now and I haven't cut it all off. I go for trims about once a month, so that it feels good again and I don't get the urge to buzz it off. Now it has been about 10 years since I have had anything below the neck line so this is a big step. The only thing that made me lose my breathe today is when I looked in the mirror and I saw my Mother staring back at me!!!! It was ME!!! Yeah , yeah I know people have said it for years , but today I saw it.....YIKES! (just kidding Mom, I love ya, mean it!!)

It is scary when you do see it for the first time, I was looking older with this new hair do I guess, maybe looking my age (which will be 46 in a couple weeks)! But I am loving the new hair, it is fun to have a new style and it is fun to see what it will look like at each stage. I will see where this adventure takes me. I am enjoying the journey.

Kate is getting pretty handy with the camera ! Great Job!

Sometimes you're the windshield......

2008-06-09T09:36:00.005-04:00

Sometimes you're the bug!!!

Yeah Josh had a rough day yesterday on the mat. He has had such an awesome year and doing very well. It is hard to have the rough days, but it also reminds you that is why you have to keep going to practice, and put 100% into each one.
It is hard to be 8 years old and wanting to be so devoted to something, that is what makes Josh a hero to me. Even thru his tears yesterday he told me he wanted to wrestle more, after losing 2 matches and having his neck hurt, his nose hurt and mostly his pride hurt....he wanted to wrestle his 3rd match, which I didn't let him for many reasons. I didn't want him to really get hurt and I wanted to make that call , because I know he would have gone and wrestled it.

Josh wasn't focused yesterday, he wasn't wrestling like I know he can and having only 5 hours sleep the night before didn't help. So I made the "parent" call and he didn't wrestle.

It was hard and my heart ached, but I know it was the best decision for him on that day.

So we will be going again next week, he will practice hard this week and probably face the same guys again, I told him the key now is to improve on last week and each week forward. These boys are a year older or more and it will be a great goal this summer...who knows he might even get the best of them by the end of the summer! I like that he has something to work for....it gives him new goals and reason to practice hard.

It is a great motivator. You want to be a winner, so you have to figure out how to reach your goal. I love his heart and determination. I love that he is doing this because he wants to, and not because he thinks this is what his Moms want. We have had this discussion often, and he knows whatever he decides is ok with us, as long as whatever he decides he gives 100%. So we will see what next week brings...maybe he will be the windshield!!

Wasn't home much this weekend, so no scrappy goodness to show. BUT WOW did the Cricut Jukeboxes start flying off the ole Corner Store shelf this weekend. Lots of excited Cricuteers out there just waiting for this little slice of heaven! I am also excited. If you have ever done a mixed alpha on a page..you know the pain of changing them out!

oh and in 2 weeks we will be HERE!!! Yep that is our ship :) I can't believe it is only 2 weeks away! I have my FLIP camera all ready and extra batteries, hoping to do a bit of Video blogging while we are gone....just so you can come to Alaska with us virtually :) So I need to get busy packing, everything else from the ride to the airport on is DONE :) oh I love cruising...you don't have to do much of anything but enjoy, once you get to the airport....everything else just happens!!

Oh and it is FRIGIN HOT here!!! All I am sayin!

Happy Monday!

OH OH OH!!! Wait till this Wednesday's giveaway....I ordered something special...you will LOVE IT!!!

Family Recipe Book

2008-06-07T06:39:00.003-04:00

Here is the little mini album I have been working on.
I really like how it came out, and just love playing with christmas papers
in June 90 degree weather!

I also want to say that you ladies that commented yesterday just blew me away
with your comments!!! WOW you all had me in tears and smiles when I read your
comments. Thank you so much for all your kind words, there is nothing better
for a parent to hear then that people see the love in their child's eyes. You all
humble me.

So today is AC day!!! YEAH!!! We are leaving in an hour or so and I can't wait
for a day of fun with some great friends. Josh has quite a great day planned too
with Aunt Nessie and we will surely be exhausted by Sunday evening but that is
the price you pay for fun sometimes :)
Also great news....the pool liner is in!!! We might need it next week as the temps
are in the 90's all week! UGH it is only June people!!!!

06-06 Today!

2008-06-06T08:22:00.002-04:00

***ETA 9:00am, I am monitoring comments today, since I already had one of those people I talked about leave a comment! OY!, ***
It is Friday!
I am in a much better place then I was at the beginning of the week.
That is a good thing! Actually a great thing!
Thank you again all of you that are there for me when I start to tumble.
It means the world to me to know I have you in my life. It is hard sometimes
to make that call out to the universe, but it is also the best thing you can do

So Happy Friday!!! We have a great weekend planned and I am looking forward
to some great fun! We are making our annual trip to Atlantic City this weekend.
Kate and I really love to go down for a day every year and we have missed it the
past couple years. So we are driving down tomorrow with some great friends for
a day of fun and a nice dinner. Josh gets to go and visit with Aunt Nessie all day
and from what I hear it is going to be a fun day for both of them too! I am so glad
they are going to get time together...I love that he has his Aunt Nessie, and hope
their relationship keeps growing.

Sunday we are starting our summer wrestling tour. There is a Challenge 8 Cup
over the summer. It is pretty neat. You go to 8 tourneys and at the end there is
a champion Iron Man according to the points you accumulate during the 8 weeks,
for wins and showing up. Should be fun. Of course I will keep you updated here.

So now for the photo portion of the show :)
I picked up the camera this morning and just shot what I saw and here is what you get!

So this was sitting on my counter, and I have to tell you it brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. In most ways Kate and I live our life like any other two parents raising our child. We try and steer him in the right direction, we love him unconditionally, and we are just your everyday family. Well except we are 2 moms raising our son. Every once in a while that comes into play.

Oh believe me I have those thoughts in the back of my head everyday that there is going to be sadness in Josh's life because we choose to have him, someone is going to say something to him about having 2 moms and hurt him. BUT 8 years later and that hasn't happened yet, which makes me happy. Because I thought it would have happened by now. My faith in diversity and how far we have come as a human race grows each and every day.
So this paper, the word crossed out and Mom written in, it just brings that reality right back. Then the conversation.
Me: Awwww did you do that on your own?
Josh: Yes, and my teacher said I could too.
I have to say it made my heart happy, and in this day and age, it actually should say Dear Parents, instead. Just my opinion. I am so proud of Josh, we talk every once in a great while about our special family, and each time he assures me he is ok with his family and he would have it no other way. He is an amazing little guy with a personality and heart that I believe can change the world in big ways. He already has touched so many and showed some doubters that it isn't such a bad thing to have 2 Moms.

Ok on to a little lighter subject! WHEW I never know what is going to flow from my fingertips, hold on it might be a bumpy ride! LOL
This is our beautiful Lily, and blooming , just so beautiful. Gotta love Nature.
This is our beautiful Lady, Cody.....She turns 10 this month. She is getting pretty white in the face, but she has the heart of a puppy. I love this little girl, she is an amazing soul.
Last but not least is our little guy Cricket! He is a spunky boy with alot of life to live. He is a worry wart as I call him, the storms drive him to shivers and he greets everyone with enthusiasm. He has grown on us the past 3 years and keeps Cody going everyday.

Today we are putting the pool walls and liner in and then hopefully if everything works out getting it filled with water next week and getting the pool opened for the summer! We have not had the best of luck the past couple years with the pool, but we are hopeful once again this summer.

Oh and one last share....just a peek, but I did get to create yesterday and it is hopefully going to get finished today :) Love playing with Christmas papers in 90 degree weather!

Happy Friday!

And the Winner is...........

2008-06-05T07:19:00.003-04:00

Morning!

Thanks for all the great comments!
Glad to reconnect with some old friends !
Today is Create Day.....I declare it as a National Holiday !!

I have been working hard on the store this week and got alot done.
So today is my reward, Create first then Work!

Oh yeah the winner.........

Tracy Anderson said...
OK, I think I'm loving that Cricut thing... though I am a visual person and the written explanation of how it works went right over my head :)Those Prima journal pages are awesome, too.... guess its time to check out the store... :)Tracy
11:31 PM

Congrats Tracy!!!

Have a great day!

Giveaway Wednesday!

2008-06-04T08:07:00.005-04:00

This week I have been finishing the Prima section for the Corner Store .
So I have to give away some of the Prima goodness....cause it is that GOOD!!
So I think I will give away this.....

This is the NEW Prima "Just Me Journaling Book" It comes with these 6 beautiful designs and you get 5 of each design. I can't wait to use these up!! They come loose leaf so you can construct your jouranl anyway you want, or use these on your scrapbook pages! You know the drill, and if you don't....all you have to do is leave a comment here today and tomorrow I will draw from the comments. One lucky winner will have happy mail very soon!

In other Scrappy News, Have you seen this!!

Cricut fans will love the convenience of the new Cricut Jukebox device! Users can insert up to 6 cartridges into the core unit, connect the unit to any Cricut machine, and then quickly select a cartridge at the push of a button. Stack up to 3 units at a time and never swap cartridges again! The unit even attaches to a storage base that easily holds 6 cartridges, handbooks, and overlays. Ideal for use with the Cricut DesignStudio™ software.

Yeah I heard Angels singing too!!! Then I decided everyone should get this so I am doing a PREORDER over at the Corner Store.....check out this DEAL!!

If you would like to be on my email list for the Corner Store or Scrappin Away Vacations, please email me. There are some great sales coming up since it is my birthday Month!

So today I am going to get my creative Mojo on, hope to post tomorrow. I have a couple projects going. I am loving working with Christmas paper in June :) It is fun! Also hope to make some progress on the Teacher's gift this week. Also there is a new word up at OLW and it is ONE....if you have never played over there, you should give it a try, really gets you going! For even more inspiration over at UnPubbed. You can scraplift Nicole's great layout!

Remember to leave your comment today to win these fantastic Journaling pages!

Cause he loves me :)

2008-06-03T08:33:00.002-04:00

Yeah I got the memo in the back pack.
We got in the car and went shopping.
We found a pink shirt.
He wore it.
Mom is happy!
It is Breast Cancer Fundraiser today at school, and they kids were asked to wear pink and donate a dollar. Even though Josh was not to sure what that was all about he knew it was important to me.
I love him for playing along, and making me smile.
Besides the fact he looks so adorable!

Double Post day...drinks are on me!!

2008-06-02T19:19:00.003-04:00

First....Thank you to whoever you are that left me that quote yesterday.
As you can see I put it on my sidebar.
I liked it alot.....and love that when you do give things to the universe,
she will likely give you back exactly what you need.

Second....What a great day!
What a productive day!
I worked on a layout, I worked on putting items in the Corner Store .
Check out the Prima Section....OH yeah baby...got me all excited when I opened that box!!!
The Stampers Anonymous items, Bottle Rockets, New Noteworthy and Scenic Route in da
house!!
Sometimes it is hard to have all this goodness around and not just stop working and create.
Sometimes I give in......

So thank you for the phone calls, the emails and the comments today. I am doing great, I still have many unanswered questions, but I also have lots of answers on other things that are important. I know I can't change people. I can only keep being me and keep loving like I do.

Tomorrow is another full day at School with Josh, doing some community service and a picnic! The day should be beautiful.

Weekend recap,Happy Monday, 21 days, 3 weeks , Here we GO!

2008-06-02T07:19:00.004-04:00

And the Winner is Josh!! He ended his Freestyle Season with a bang! He won all 4 of his matches on Saturday. Crowning him the Champion of the Mid Atlantic Freestyle Regionals. Qualifing him for the Grand National Championships in Denver , CO and altho we are not going this year, it was a very fun season and for the first one, Josh did fantastic. I hope this grows in the area as a summer sport. Next week we start our new tour of Folkstyle each weekend for 8 weeks. We are entering a Summer Challenge in NJ and along with a couple other boys we hope to have a fun summer of wrestling.

Then it came roaring around the corner and smiles were everywhere.

Kate and Josh did a little work at the pool on Sunday and this was

the reward for a job well done.

Of course I had to get a round in too!
And our Friend Dot was here shopping at just the right time. Of course she couldn't leave without a ride....
and then a Drive! I am thinking she had a little fun!!
Made a little folder for our Trip. Of course I used the Glitter Thickers in Purple!!
So the Plane is booked, the Cruise, the Excursions....3 plane rides, 2 Grandmas, and 14 days of pure vacation.....I can't believe we leave in 3 weeks, it has been a year in the planning and now it is JUNE!! I am just a little excited!!!!!!!
So today starts a new week, lots to do
Picnic at school tomorrow.
Pool parts coming on Wed.
Pool Liner going in Friday.
AC trip on Saturday.
Wrestling tourney on Sunday.
Ok better get to work!!! Create today! Live today! Give thanks that you have Today!

You might not want to read this

2008-06-01T21:08:00.002-04:00

but I need to write this.

Ever feel like that backyard garden?
You know the one. That one that was planted with only hand picked flowers.
The one that was started with such great love.
The one that you keep saying ....I need to get out and tend to.
The one you mean to take such tender loving care of.
The one that day after day...
that turns into....
week after week,
then turns into...
year after year......
just keeps getting pushed to the bottom of the list.
Till eventually it doesn't even make the list.
The one that eventually isn't even a garden anymore.

I have lost so much this year, or have I?
If it isn't a loss, then why do I sit here in tears?
Why are these tears over people that I mean nothing to?
I just want to stop!
Feeling
Caring
Wanting

So there it is out....I give it to the universe....the sadness I have been holding on to.

I have so much!
My life is VERY VERY WONDERFUL!
It is quite ok to feel sadness, I know this, and it is ok to blog about it.
Don't worry that I wrote this.....worry if I don't write this.
This is the place to let it go for me, I am so glad I can do it here.

I always love how I feel after I finally write this stuff out. I have been having a little bit of a down week at some points. When it is quiet and I sit here alone. I have been working on a layout this week with OLW and it is "THINK", oh boy did that open the flood gates. So it will be interesting to me to see the final outcome of this layout. Hoping to finish it tomorrow.

I just don't always understand how people operate. How you just never know why things happen. How you can be in someones life one day and then find out that you are not allowed in their lives anymore the next.
That there are now terms, or there is something else that you will never know that you did to make them despise you. You don't get a chance to answer them, you don't get a chance to defend yourself, you don't get a chance to maybe explain something to them. You are just OUTTA THERE! Amazing to me.
I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't experienced it. I know I make mistakes, I don't know many that can't say they don't, but I always give people the benefit of the doubt before I would ever just shooo them out of my life.
I am thinking having a child would show anyone that. WOW all the mistakes we make as parents, and our little ones want no one else but their mommy. I can be punishing Josh one hour and the next holding him tight because he wants to cuddle with me. The compassion that that boy has taught me in his 8 short years is probably what gets me thru the rest of the crap in my life.

So where the hell has the last 10 minutes of writing got me?
Well I have stopped crying....that is good!
Al though a good friend told me this week 'crying is the way we cleanse our souls"
I think my soul is pretty cleansed right now.
I still don't have any answers, but not sure I ever will.
I think I will go and tend to the flower garden tomorrow.
I hope if anyone is reading this.....they won't give up on me.
I am glad I am feeling, loving and still putting myself out there everyday, because if I didn't I would miss some of the most wonderful people on this planet that I have been so blessed to have in my life.
Time for bed.
Nite!

Field day and TGIF!

2008-05-30T10:26:00.002-04:00

Ok just a few pics of the fun of Field day!

I just love that pic I got of the back of the two of them in the sack race.
Just made me go awwwww.
I love when Josh cheers , the joy in his face is just priceless.

So it is Friday already and we have wrestling tomorrow and nothing on Sunday.
Not much else going on. We are getting excited for the Alaska Trip and I have
booked all the excursions and everything is done except getting on the plane .....
well that and all the packing! UGH!
Hope everyone has a great weekend...get out and click away!

OK I am AWAKE!!

2008-05-29T07:32:00.004-04:00

That last comment post had to be my Friend Denise!!! She is about the only one I know who would be up! :)

Ok, ok well I am glad to see the excitement for this line. I hope to get it all in the Corner Store today now that I have the jpegs! I loved Ellen's Bam Boom Pop!

So the WINNER is .....

Bunny B said...
Happy Birthday to Laurel!Seems like you've been having a fun weekend! BBQs and Go Karts! Wheee....

So Bunny please email me with your address. CONGRATS!!

And here is my latest picture that has fallen victim to magicsplash did I mention I LOVE this program!!! This is the medal Josh won for 1st place on Saturday. I plan to use the new Bottle Rockets with it and wanted to change the picture to b&w for all the goodness in the paper. So hope to get that done in the next few days. I hate that I haven't created since last friday. I really miss not doing it now that I have got my mojo going. But I have had my hands a little full the past couple days with the Store, finishing up the plans for the Cruise and of course volunteering at school alot. Today is Field Day at school, I think Josh has been in Training this week , extra push ups and sit ups. He likes to win!

SPF 50 GO!

YIKES! Wednesday Giveaway!!

2008-05-28T08:45:00.005-04:00

WOW! Where the HECK did the week go???
That Memorial day weekend can throw you for a loop!
I haven't had that much fun in a LONG time!
Did anyone see where that Case of Smirnoff Artic Berry went?

So Recap...
Wrestling
Yard Cleanup
BBQ # 1
Go Cart Riding
Smores
BBQ # 2
Drinking (shhhhh)
Laughter
Guitar Hero Challenges
Pinochle
more Pinochle
Sunday Morning Pancakes
Great friends

I am not sure if I still can put the weekend all in words. I just know it was great.
I remember at one point looking around at the 30 some people and saying out loud,It is amazing that a little sports brought this group together. Parents all there for the kids and the sport.

So Saturday morning we went to a wrestling tourney, Josh won his Gold medal and I love that Kate picked up the camera and got some great shots. I love this one where he is rolling his opponent.
Smores....just love them all goooy and warm :)

Oh and yes Grandpa and Grandma the Go cart came out! Grandpa bought this for Josh last summer, then came up and put it together in the fall, well we finally unleashed it this weekend. We had kids from 8 years old to 50 years old (Kate!) riding and each one just had this big smile on their faces. I didn't know if we would get Kate out from behind the wheel, she really loved riding. Josh really impressed me as he let his friends have turns on it all day, knowing he would have time to ride it other times. It was really allot of fun and on the 2 gallons of gas went all day. I don't have grass in some places, but it is all good. I look out at the couple bare spots and it really brings a smile to my face remembering all the laughter and smiles. So I guess you could insert here..."You might be a redneck if...." joke! Oh and yes we are getting helmets.

So that is the weekend in a nutshell, I felt so blessed to have such a great weekends surrounded by lots of great people, it was good to laugh and just relax.

Now if you have made it this far....I think you deserve a GREAT Giveaway! Soooooooooo.....I think we should celebrate this great weekend with some BOTTLE ROCKETS!! Wahoooooo!

This is the best picture I can get you at the moment. You will receive all 6 double sided papers and the Cardstock Stickers. ( excluded is the Coupon book and the tags) It is a great new line of paper just in at the Corner Store this week. I haven't even got the jpegs in the store yet. Working on that today!
To play along, just leave a comment here before tomorrow morning and you will be entered. The past couple winners have been having some great fun with their prizes and I hope to continue doing this as long as there are people that would like some giveaways!

Just want to give a shout out to the Birthday Girl Laurel!! Happy Happy!!

My new FAVORITE Mini ALbum!

2008-05-24T20:11:00.004-04:00

Last night I got to scrap a bit with some friends, so I decided that I would do one of those MANY Kits that I have bought and they sit all pretty in art bins. Well last night the seal was cracked on one of 3 kits I have bought from the wonderful Melodee Langworthy. I have to say I am even more excited that she is coming to S.A.V.E. in August to teach 3 classes!!! I loved doing this little album, and what was even more special is all the photos were taken last night by Kate, yep I said please come out and take some photos of Josh and I.....no real prep, everyday clothes and I just had a hug fest with my son,a little tickling, and some bird watching, and asked Kate just to keep clicking that little button on top of the camera, I would weed thru them and get the 15 pics I needed. So the results are below, I just love it and I gave it to Kate as a present (just because) today.

Friday and Full of it!! Classes, Eye Spy , and Soul

2008-05-23T09:00:00.006-04:00

WOW! WOW! WOW!

This is going to be a blog and a half, got lots that have been happening.

So first off, I have been meaning to post about this for a while, but now that it is "REAL" and I know it is happening I feel it is safe to post.

Melodee Langworthy is coming to S.A.V.E. at Split Rock Resort on August 21-24!!!!
I am so excited that she is coming to teach and share her talents with us. I personally can not wait to take all her classes!

She will be teaching 3 different workshops both on Friday and Saturday. You do not have to attend the Crop to take the workshops, altho it is a great Crop for the summer. Each Person gets 3 or 4 days, hotel room, Meal vouchers where you can eat at the 4 different restaurants at the Resort, including the Club house on the weekend. Oh and did I mention...you get an 8 FOOT Table all to yourself......not that any of us bring that much stuff to a crop!!! HA HA ( ok made myself laugh!)
So you can sign up for her workshops here, or for the Weekend here, The Pieces of Me
and the Travel Album
are pictured now. The Christmas Album will be up soon. Melodee is working on a whole new project to be taught at S.A.V.E. first! The Christmas Album will be offered at 7 PM on Friday and Saturday. Cost has not been determined yet.
So that is my plug of the day! It really is going to be a great weekend to end the summer, get some great pages done, or some wonderful mini albums done too. If you come for just the classes, I will have some table space for you to have between classes to finish up or crop. If you have any other questions please just email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net .
I also have been watching this site, and wanted to play along. So this week I took the plunge!

It is a great site and I love the concept! It got me to go and grab my camera on the hunt for Circles!!! This is a champagne class we have and using my handy dandy new tool Magic Splash I love how it came out!

Now for the Soul Part....Last night we got invited to go see the Philadelphia Soul, the AFL Football team. We have never got to one of their games and I have to say...it is FOOTBALL in your face...you almost feel like you are playing on the field. The seats are right down to the sideline, there is no out of bounds, actually your seats are the out of bounds. At any given moment there could be a football thrown at you! We were in the 5th row, and yep there was a football thrown right in front of us. The Kids before the game, all watching.
What is she smiling about???
Close to the action!
Football in your face!!

So if you made it this far....It is time to head into the weekend, with yard work, pool work, wrestling and ending with great BBQ ribs, shrimp and good, GREAT friends! Hope your weekend is filled with Great Memories!!

A winner and a layout!

2008-05-22T08:32:00.004-04:00

Here is a layout I did the other day using the photo I changed with Magic Splash. I really like how it came out and had fun with it.

And now what you came for ....

The Winner of the Wednesday Giveaway and the Tim Holtz Love is....

Karen said...
This winter I started experimenting with paint on my pages and I have to say I love the effect. Now I need to get more paint. ;0) hint,hintKaren C
5:58 PM

***ETA**** Karen email me at scrappinawayvacations@verizon.net give me your snail mail address so I can mail you your goodies!! CONGRATS :)

I am so glad I have this to pick a winner, because I wouldn't want to have to choose from those comments! They were all great!

Lots to do today, off to have coffee with a friend, grocery shop, dog food, back to fill orders, mail orders and maybe just maybe.....get to clean up my mess in my scrap room and get ready to crop on Friday with my gal pals!!
Zoooommmmmmmmmmmmm!

Wednesday Giveaway!!!

2008-05-21T10:42:00.003-04:00

Whew where did Monday and Tuesday go???

Today I thought I would show some Tim Holtz love!!

These are some of my favorite staples, always at my desk.

Hope you enjoy them also! Just leave a comment and you will be entered in the giveaway!

Josh and I will pick a winner in the morning.

Got some scrapbooking done yesterday, will post my layout tomorrow.
Having Lunch with my friend Nancy today and so excited we finally get
to have some time together. Looks like rain might ruin my golfing plans
for later, but as Josh said this morning..."they are usually wrong" Talking
about the Weather guys.

So off to tackle the day...Ready...Set....GO!

Fun Day!

2008-05-20T11:41:00.003-04:00

Ok so today I have decided to make it FUN DAY! Yep I can do that.
When you are working from home you tend to work more then the normal 8 hour day.
You don't always take weekends off, you grab time whenever you can and some days you put in
10 to 15 hours without realizing it. Then every once in a while you need to take a day and do what you want to do. Today is that day!
So what do you do on your fun day?
I want to go no where.
I want to scrapbook, blog read, catch up on favorite shows and make myself lunch and enjoy each bite.
So that is what I am doing.
Now in that outline there are so many great little treasures found.
While reading my favorite blogs I found this great little treasure over at Vee's blog I found this on her sidebar and I of course downloaded it and started playing and 15 minutes later I had
this....

I have pictures I have not scrapbooked yet because I wanted to do this to them. I love highlighting just a splash of color in some of the photos. I will probably be a little obsessive about doing this for a while. Hey at least I am admitting that right from the start!
So now I am going to take this photo and print it and scrapbook it all today! HA!

Also in my Blog catch up I of course visited Ali's blog and she got me to click here and buy almost everything in the store!!
I have to rest now, as too much stimulation in one day will exhaust me! I think my stuffed green peppers are done so lunch is ready!!

Hey if you have any other great finds, please share them here in comments. I will recover from these soon.

It is getting better!

2008-05-19T08:25:00.002-04:00

Yes my week of organization worked!!

It is so great to make a goal and stick with it.

Keep going even when you don't think it can be done.

Take distractions in stride, and keep your eye on the prize!

One big WOOT! WOOT! for me :)

I have been trying to add ways I can be a kinder person to earth, and I have the greatest intentions all the time, but my pursuit has been less then great. So since Green day I picked a few things I could really concentrate on and do them really really well.

One was not having anymore to go coffee from Starbucks unless it was in my "cup" no more paper cups. I even passed by Starbucks the other day, because I had left my cup at home. Oh it was so hard, but I did it. It felt good to stick to my convictions. WOOT!

Second, I have these grocery bags, and again intentions WONDERFUL, remembering to put them in the car so I have them when I go shopping.....not so wonderful!

So I am so happy that I did remember, I did my shopping and I did use my cloth bags!! WOOT!

Third.....Last week I wanted to get things more organized, and even tho so much got in the way, the to do list had lots of other things on it...I did get things done! It was such a great BALANCED week. It felt so good. I really feel like I turned a corner last week. I feel like I came out of the muck I have been wallowing in and started to get on more solid ground.

The Results....

Josh's clothes are purged, organized and put away.

I got to scrapbook an amazing page.

I can breathe in my scrap studio, and so can my creativity.

The dining room table is not a dumping site, you can see the table.

Inventory for the Corner Store has made great progress.

I made doctor's appts. that were long overdue.

Our Alaska trip is in the final stages... 35 days to go!!!

I had more time to spend with Josh, it was amazing how much.

So this week the word is....FINISHING!

I want to finish many things this week.

I want to get the items into the Corner Store that are in stock.

I want to get the excursions for our trip booked.

I want to create layouts that are sitting here half done.

I want to get the rest of Josh's room cleaned up.

That is only a partial listing, but I think trying to do everything is part of my problem that puts me in the "muck".

So here we go....another Monday to start the week.......what will you do with it?

Loving life in a small town!

2008-05-18T09:22:00.003-04:00

That was only the half of it! We had such a great time yesterday!

There is just nothing like a nice sunny day, great food, good music,

and wonderful friends! That was what yesterday was.

Found out thru our friend Mike that there was a Rib cookoff and Jazz festival down in Perkasie, so we decided it would be a great way to spend an afternoon. I put it out there to friends and they were all for it too. So I headed down about 10 am and got us all tickets for the sampling. The tickets were sold out before noon and the sampling started at 12:30. Glad I got us tickets because they were some GOOD EATS!! Our friend Mike won 3rd place in the Judging by the professional judges, there were 15 contestants and then he WON the People's Choice Award!!! That is where we all got to vote for our favorite ribs. It was so very cool and Mike was just beaming! I have never met a man that enjoys cooking more then this guy. We have been there to break bread with his family and I will tell you, Josh will only eat Coach Mike's chili! Whenever there is chili offered he will say "does it taste like Coach Mike's?" So CONGRATS Mike!!!
I was loving the colors in this ride. Jut an old fashion barrel train ride for the little ones.
Josh conquered the top of the rock wall, 3 times! He is a little dare devil when it comes to sports.
Then what do you do to end a perfect day? Why Fun Oreo's of course!! Oh I just didn't think an oreo could get any better till I tasted a Fun Oreo. Take an Oreo and dip it in Funnel Cake batter and fry it....yep might have knocked a few more minutes off my life, but those minutes of eating that little piece of heaven, I would say was well worth it.

So I will mark this as an excellent day, and move on to today. Which hasn't started too bad since I have got a wonderful cup of coffee and we have no LIST today :) I do have my eye on the new The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian movie, but first I am going to enjoy the sips of my coffee!!

Speaking of I spy with my little eye....
There is a great little site you can play Eye Spy on, just go here and play along! This week it was flowers.

Missing you!

2008-05-15T17:09:00.002-04:00

I took the challenge for the first time over at OLW, great challenge site.
Those girls rock the words!! I did this layout today as one of my notes to Josh.
I want him to look thru these albums one day and find these little gems randomly thru out. There is so much I want to say to him, and it doesn't all come out in the right ways sometimes.
I love when I can sit down with my computer and loose myself in words.
They might not have the right sentence structure or the correct grammar,
(if they do it is just luck or grammar check) but they are from the heart,
and really that is all that matters in the end.
So I am posting this tonight for Kate to see,
she is away for a couple days and we are missing her.
Love you, from Josh and I.

The winner is...and Thankful Thursday

2008-05-15T08:19:00.006-04:00

The winner of the ATG Gun is ....

Reggienj said...
Hi Rollie. I've been wanting one of these guns for a long time. Scared me at first but after seeing it in action, I really would like one. I know I would save money on adhesive for sure. Thanks for sharing with us. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you'll pick me.
7:58 PM

Josh had to get to school so I used http://www.random.org/ to get the winner today.

Congrats Reggie and please email me so I can get this sent out to you!

Today I am thankful that Josh got to spend some time with his best buddy! These two have known one another since they were 2 years old, they met in a Mom and Me gym class and instantly bonded with one another. Good think so did their moms! I have to admit over the years since grade school started they have not got to be around each other as much as before when they went to preschool together. So when they do get together now it is just amazing to see how it is like they have never been apart. No matter how many friends Josh makes, he always names Alex as his best buddy. These two really have a special bond and I love that they always have a great time together. So I hope to get them together a bit more this summer and have a few more sleepovers too. We love Alex here like another son and hope he is always a part of our family. Taking this picture just shows how much they are bonded, they both are goofy and damn if they didn't have the same expression on their faces, or is that just an 8 year old boy thing?

I am also thankful for the mornings being brighter and the weather letting us come out and enjoy a little playtime. Cody is enjoying a little morning exercise also. She then comes in and naps after Josh leaves on the bus, it is all good!

What are you thankful for today?

Giveaway Wednesday!

2008-05-14T09:06:00.003-04:00

Don't adjust your screen, it really is the ATG Gun...and not just the box!! Yep I told you I was going to do this big and this week is no exception! If you do not own one of this baby, then you need to enter! If you do own this baby, then you know the happiness, but you still must enter because you must know someone that has deprived themselves of this awesome tool. So enter and give it to a friend!!

There is a great story behind this giveaway, and lets just say I am paying it forward today. I own both this and the red gun and LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I don't scrapbook without them and it is just a must have tool.

So Go email your friends, tell them all they have to do is post a comment today, before I open my blog tomorrow morning and they will be entered to win!! Or don't tell them so your chances are better :)

Ok off to organize more today.

Mow the lawn.

Have lunch with friends.

Cook Taco's for dinner

Scrapbook

Watch American Idol!! GO DAVID COOK!!!

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE :)

How addicted are you?

2008-05-13T16:26:00.002-04:00

67%

Created by OnePlusYou

Hmmmmm I guess I like this blogging thing.

Go ahead take the test!