Lu's Lovelies

Couple digis...

2009-03-31T00:12:00.003-04:00

Had a few minutes so I threw these together of Kaylin...
Kits are So Cute by Chriscrap's Designs and Owl Luv u Forever by Emily Powers.

Goodness

2009-03-14T11:42:00.003-04:00

Not much scrappy news to report here these days. My days are filled with feeding, sleeping and pooping...and I'm loving every minute of it! I am definitely snapping a ton of pictures, and one of these days I'll find time to scrap some! For now...I'm just taking one day at a time and enjoying my baby girl!

It's a GIRL!

2009-01-31T16:11:00.003-05:00

She's finally here! Kaylin Lee was born 1/28/09 at 2:25am. Weighing 7lbs 6 1/4 ounces and measuring 20 3/4 inches. She's doing well...now we're all just trying to get a routine in order and get some sleep where we can.

Just some graphic playing...

2008-12-23T00:28:00.002-05:00

So lately my paper scrapping stuff is piled under baby stuff and I haven't had the motivation to digi scrap, either. But I have put together a few cute little graphics here and there. Here are my faves lately.

Getting closer

2008-12-20T22:52:00.002-05:00

So tomorrow I'll be at 34 weeks...6 weeks to go. I can't believe it! I've been feeling healthier, with almost no nausea (KNOCK ON WOOD!!) which is great! I was sick with bronchitis for about 2 weeks and that was miserable as my lungs are already getting smushed by a baby and then they were full of crap to boot. I'm about over it now and starting to look forward to Christmas at least a little bit. We went Christmas shopping with my hubby's parents today and they kept trying to get me to pick stuff, but I just really have a hard time wanting anything for myself right now. I did pick up 2 huge paper stacks from DCVW at Joann's...I love the variety in them and they've always got something good for a themed page/album.
My sister and her husband are coming the day after Christmas and staying through the weekend. We've been busy trying to get the guest room/nursery cleaned up and presentable for their visit...but the bed is still covered COVERED in baby stuff. We'll get there, I'm sure...it is frustrating, though.
I also just found out my friends who are traveling nurses will finally be putting down "roots" for the next 2 1/2 years. Joe will be going back to school for nurse anesthethist (yeah, I can't spell that, forget it) in Philly so they'll be parking their hineys there for awhile. I'm super excited to have them back in the state again for a good while. And Philly will be cool because it's so rich in history, I can't wait to visit. AND it's close to NYC. Woohoo! I see many fun trips in the next few years...hopefully baby likes to travel.

Still hanging in there...

2008-11-20T20:54:00.002-05:00

This picture was last week...28 weeks 4 days... I had a few good days of not being too sick feeling, but it doesn't seem it's going to last...darn! Then I had my 1 hour glucose screen and failed! But, today was the 3 hour test and I got a call already that I passed! Thank goodness my husband's aunt works at the office so she called, otherwise I probably wouldn't have heard anything until my appt on Monday.
Saturday is my baby shower. I'm really looking forward to it. Should be fun, I just hope I feel good unlike my first shower.
I've been attempting to scrap a few generic pages for the baby to use as a Christmas present for the grandmas next year. I'm thinking that I'm probably not going to have much scrapping time once this kid gets here, and trying to prepare...hehe.
Other than that, life just moves on...sometimes fast and sometimes slow. I can't believe it's Thanksgiving next week! And today we got some snow! Oh my!

Checking back in...

2008-10-02T19:46:00.002-04:00

Well alot of time has gone by, but not much has changed too drastically. The belly keeps getting bigger, even though I keep losing weight... I had my last day of work the end of August...hooray! Our county fair started the same day. I entered some of my pictures from California, and my surfer picture actually won 1st prize in the landscapes/seascapes division. I was quite surprised and happy. I had a horrible bladder infection the middle of September. And then we headed out to Indiana for a visit and a baby shower. Luckily, the morning sickness seems to be tapering off. I've had some very nauseous moments lately, but mostly due to pain from the bladder infection and now I think I have a rib out of place that I really need to make an appointment to have looked at, but keep forgetting. Over all I'm feeling more decent and restless. I want to do things, but don't know what those things are yet...and I don't quite have the energy/stamina to do much of anything, but my brain sure goes a mile a minute. I'm hoping to work on scrapbooking some once my husband goes back to work on Monday...but for this weekend we're going to try to get the old junk room cleaned out to be transformed into a baby's haven. Should be fun!

New digi page

2008-08-20T17:36:00.002-04:00

Threw this together while I'm waiting on hubby to get home. We're heading to my mom's for dinner tonight. The pictures were taken in the woods behind our house...quite literally our backyard.

I'm still sick. I decided the stress at the bank was getting too much and put in my 2 weeks notice. My last day is Aug. 30. I am going to be looking for another job...out of necessity not desire. Being so sick does not make one interested in money making whatsoever. I'm hoping for a job at a grocery store or something easy like that....just worried how my legs will hold out as they don't seem to like me standing or walking too much right now.

We're headed to Indiana the end of September for a visit. That will be nice. Probably the last time I'll see my family there until after the baby is born.

Quick update

2008-08-09T12:14:00.002-04:00

Just playing with some pictures from the beach there... Not really my update.

So, I'm almost 15 weeks pregnant now...still have morning sickness...and have been working like crazy which is why no updates I guess.
Then this past week I got another stomach flu on top of everything and ended up getting I.V. fluids at the doctor's office. I missed the entire week of work (I'm sure they're thrilled with me...oh well!). And then yesterday I threw my back out just taking the dogs off of their leashes. Now I can barely move or take care of myself, and they can't really give me any drugs other than Tylenol so I have to suffer through and hope it works itself out by Monday so I can get back to work...rah. I did get a note from the doctor saying I can only work a max of 25 hours now, so hopefully that might help a bit...we'll see.

Moment captured

2008-06-26T17:53:00.003-04:00

So I tried to get my creative juices flowing again...I don't think that worked out too well here...but it's acceptable. I love this picture I took while out visiting my friends in California. It's a picture of Joe taking a picture of Loretta. I just think it's so fun...especially when I remember back to how I slid back off of the log I was sitting on and was basically laying down to take this shot. Really good memories.
They'll be home in July. I can't wait! They're planning on coming down for a visit. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze them into my busy friggin work schedule! It's been nuts! I work part-time people! How many part-timers do you know who get overtime? It's ridiculous. And to top that off, I got the stomach flu on top of morning sickness and landed myself in the ER with dehydration! I had to call off of work 3 days for that. I wish I could have been healthy and enjoyed that time off!
There's so much I would like to get done before the baby comes...and you can say, sure...you still have 7 months to go...no big deal, plenty of time. But when you feel crappy and exhausted and work half of your life away...it doesn't leave much time for doing the fun things. Hopefully things will slow down soon...but there's no sight of that for awhile...
On a plus side, I didn't get to go to the Memory Works retreat, but one of the nice ladies who did had a drawing for some goodies for us poor schmucks! Well, I won! Yippee! I can't wait to get my goodies! Thanks, Betsy!

No updates, oy!

2008-06-18T17:59:00.002-04:00

Well, I've been a slacker lately, but with good reason. On June 2nd we found out at long last we are pregnant! Hooray, hoorah! But boy, my body knows it too! It seems like all I do is work and sleep so there's no time for scrapping or anything else at this point. I do seem to be waking up a bit more lately...not as sleepy...but pretty nauseated. Hopefully soon I'll feel better and ready to do my normal things again! We've already had blood tests to confirm and an ultrasound at my fertility doctor. My first OB appointment is on July 3rd. I can hardly wait!

...

2008-05-28T19:33:00.002-04:00

Nothing much to say. Been busy busy with the merger at work and life in general...I found time at some point to throw these together and since I'm archiving everything on here for my future reference...here they be.

Family Photos

2008-05-24T12:49:00.004-04:00

I finally made another paper scrap! These photos were taken at Wal-mart when I was out in Indiana at the beginning of April. I just love them. I'm so happy we had them done as I'm sure they'll be something we'll treasure through the years. It's the first time I think any of us have been in a professional picture with my dad. So that was great.
Here's the details. Paper is We R Memory Keepers Hoopla collection. Ink is Colorbox Rose Petals. Random rub-ons and random acrylic stamp (together).
On other news...this weekend is conversion weekend for the bank I work at. Very stressful time, but kind of exciting too as we get to learn new things and offer new products. Should be interesting. It's also Memorial Day weekend! We're having a BBQ in a few hours here, so I really should get ready for that...

For a challenge...

2008-05-15T17:16:00.004-04:00

Elena is hosting a great chat and challenge session over at the Memory Works forum. She gave us an ad and we were to construct a layout based on it. Here's the ad in case anyone wants to play along...haha.

Also, Megan's mom recently posted this on her blog...if anyone can help, we definitely appreciate it!

If we could ask a favor, those of you who are so inclined, could you look me up on Facebook (Vicki Nurnberger nurnberv@gmail.com) and look for the add on called "Fund my Phone". This is the phone that Megan has for emergencies and for texting her friends. We pay by the minute on there, and we have been using quite a few of mom and dad's minutes this month already. If you go there, they will ask you to view a couple ads. For every 4 ads watched, Megan earns a minute on her phone. It would be great, and she'll be able to use it for talking with her friends too.

Another chihuahua scrap...

2008-05-13T16:16:00.005-04:00

My sister asked me to do another chihuahua page for her of her other new mama. How could I resist when she sent me such a cute photo? Kit is Cotton Candy by Mandy Mystiques.

On a sadder front, my niece, Megan, was diagnosed with leukemia on Friday (May 9th). She's being strong so far. She had a lumbar puncture done yesterday for her first round of chemo. I'm still in shock, as is the whole family. She lives in Minnesota, so I can't get to visit her quickly. We're hoping for July... Please keep her in your prayers...

California trip

2008-05-08T17:29:00.006-04:00

So I just got back from California late Monday night. I had a great time with great friends and have over 1000 pictures to go through and thin out and then get to scrapping. But right now I'm just plain TIRED! I had to work Tuesday and Wednesday and today was my day off. I had hoped to sleep the day away, but my mom called at 9:30 and ruined that plan. We went shopping to get my husband something for his birthday...and I'm going to aerobics tonight so I'll be ready for bed when I'm done with that. So...here's a few of my favorite photos for now, I'm sure I'll be back to scrapping in no time...

More Pups

2008-04-27T11:35:00.001-04:00

Just scrapping another picture of my sister's puppies. Nothing too exciting.
I have friends coming over this afternoon to scrapbook the day away. Can't wait!

Puppies, Puppies, Puppies!

2008-04-26T15:44:00.002-04:00

My sister's a chihuahua breeder...she had 3 pregnant chihuahuas...now she has 3 mommas! Glory had one pup, Daisy had 6!! (sadly 1 died), and Mulan had 3. This is my first page of many I'm surely going to make for her. If you'd like to see pictures of the puppies individually, you can view my sisters website here.

April Calendar Page

2008-04-23T15:54:00.004-04:00

I finally got to my April calendar page. I really really like this one. I got a great shot of my one flowering bush outside...and it just inspired me. It's such a beautiful day out right now considering it's supposed to be raining. I think that part is coming, unfortunately. The papers are from Piggy Tales, Gretel collection. And, I just noticed I have my dates a day off...sigh...I'll have to fix that soemhow.
My sister called a bit ago to tell me one of her chihuahuas is in labor. Unfortunately, it's not poor Daisy who looks like she's ready to pop...but Glory. I'm sure I'll be scrapping some puppy pages for her in the not too distant future.
I also did this layout today...boy I've been busy! This one is for a challenge on the Memory Works boards. It's always great when challenges get me motivated to actually do some paper scrapping! The challenge was to use yellow, hopefully I lived up to it...haha.

Megan & Grace

2008-04-20T09:23:00.007-04:00

My darling nieces, Megan and Grace. They live in Minnesota, so I don't get to see them too often. I took these pictures while I was home in Indiana at the beginning of the month. God was smiling on our trips, and they just happened to coincide with each other. Always exciting when something unplanned works out so well. Hopefully we'll be able to plan a trip to meet up again like that soon.
In other news...in just over a week (April 29th) I'll be heading to California for a visit with my friends. They're traveling nurses. They just started doing that last fall. First they were in Texas, and I unfortunately didn't get to visit them there. This time they're in California, and I can't miss an opportunity like this. It worked out so well because her mom is going out to see them, but didn't really want to fly alone. I can't wait. VACATION!
Scrapping got cancelled this afternoon...but I went ahead and scrapped a bit anyways. I did this for a journaling challenge at Memory Works. They wanted us to focus on journaling in the layout. So I found this great picture of my grandma reading to us kids like she did pretty much every day and it all stemmed from there.

The paper is by Fancy Pants, rubon is Basic Grey and photo corners are American Crafts.

More challenges...some good news today...

2008-04-17T18:58:00.003-04:00

This one was a "scraplift" challenge. We were given the name of a Digital Candy member and were told to go into their gallery and choose one of their layouts to lift. This round it was LoriJ. She has tons of beautiful stuff, but I finally decided to use her Beautiful Girls layout.

And this was the candy jar challenge. Mandy Mystiques supplied a mini kit and we had to use every element in it. That wasn't hard, her kits are always fantastic! This is a picture of my little sister's chihuahua, Bobo, smelling "flowers." Funny thing is, those flowers are fake and attached to her flip flops. I just looove this photo.

Now, the good news. I went for my day 21 testing today to see how the Clomid worked. Hooray! I ovulated. It was very painful for me, and apparently that's due to a huge cyst on my ovary. So, now I wait 2 weeks and see if I get my period or a pregnancy test... Wish me luck!

Mom's Wedding

2008-04-16T11:14:00.001-04:00

Another challenge over at Digital Candy inspired this fun layout. I had a blast trying to squeeze a bunch of photos into one layout. We were given the template to make our own, and this is my interpretation. I kind of want all of these papers and elements in real life so I can play with them, the colors are just too sweet. The kit is the Promise Collection from Shabby Princess.

Dad & Megan

2008-04-13T20:51:00.002-04:00

Just a page I threw together quick. I love this picture my sister took of my niece and my dad at a park in Indiana, so I wanted to scrap it... Kit is Spring Breeze from Andrea Dickinson.

Hershey Park

2008-04-12T18:47:00.008-04:00

Last summer my sisters, cousin and 2 of my friends and I all went to Hershey Park on a nice, sunny day. I finally scrapped a bit of it. I do have some paper scraps done of this day, but my first digital ones. Kit is Flower Power by Golden Girls.

Busy scrapping day...

2008-04-09T20:33:00.003-04:00

I got another scrapbook page done today. An actual paper one! Amazing, I know. But I just couldn't wait to use some of my new goodies from Memory Works. I used the new Sultry kit by Basic Grey. The heart sticker and arrow sticker were also part of the kit found here. I really love that paisley paper. I might have to get another kit so I can have more of it. I put a rub-on on the picture, it's from Basic Grey, Sultry as well. I inked the edges of the heart sticker with Colorbox fluid chalk. I love that stuff. And the pink alpha is by Three Bugs in a Rug. I had fun putting this little layout together.

**Updated with a much better picture of the layout. I actually figured out how to make it work with my scanner. So tech savvy...haha!

Digital challenges

2008-04-09T16:01:00.003-04:00

Have I mentioned before that I love the challenges over at Digital Candy? Well, I do. Here are two more entries I did this month.

This one was a challenge to take an ad out of a magazine and use it like a sketch to create your layout.

And this one was a lyric challenge. Using the lyrics from Sarah McLachlan's Ordinary Miracles. Wow. What a song! You can click here to see the video. It's from Charlotte's Web, so maybe you've heard it before...but I hadn't.

Some challenge entries

2008-04-06T12:36:00.005-04:00

I'm back from my fun, quick trip home to Indiana. I finally got rested up, and now I'm starting on some challenges. I love the ones Lacey is posting over at Memory Works. On this project, she gave us the "ingredients" of flower(s), tag(s) and ribbon(s). I made a cute little book to put pictures of my nieces in for my sister in Minnesota...once I get the pictures printed I'll just have to pop them in and get it in the mail.

This one was a "recipe" of a sketch for us to turn into a layout. I'm not sure that I am in love with it, I may do a bit of tweaking later on. We'll see.

Now I should probably get back to laundry and all that fun stuff that piles up while you're away...but I may go check out what digital challenges I can find first. We'll see.

April Desktop Calendar

2008-03-30T10:29:00.002-04:00

Digital Candy always has some great challenges going on for digital scrapping. It keeps me motivated, so I just love it. Every month they give a kit to make a desktop calendar out of. I really loved how it came out this month, especially since I showcased my pretty kitty, Pebbles.

I'm so excited to be heading home tomorrow. It doesn't seem like it's really going to happen, but I already paid for my tickets, so I guess I had better go. HAHA! My sister from Minnesota whom I haven't seen in almost 2 years will be there also, so it will be like a big reunion. My dad has no idea that I'm coming, so I can't wait to surprise him!

An Easter LO

2008-03-28T21:44:00.003-04:00

This Easter was nearly a bust. For years, my little sister has been keeping us all young and entertained with her passionate hunt for the Easter eggs. We were certain she was going to be "too old" this year, but she surprised us and said she wasn't. But Easter morning, she woke up sick. She didn't eat any ham or cranberry sauce at lunch (her favorite Easter treats) and she actually took a nap or two! Very strange behavior for her. She still insisted she'd hunt eggs as long as we hid them inside. So, we did, and she hunted. It was enjoyable until she got to the last few hard ones. Then she was just plain exhausted, so I helped her get the last ones into her basket and then she took another nap. What an Easter to remember! At least I remembered to take a few shots, even though there isn't much excitement to them.

Feb. and March calendars

2008-03-27T19:48:00.005-04:00

So I got behind on Lacey's calendar challenge. I'm caught up now, and hopefully I'll stay that way. Here's my Feb. and March pages...only 9 more to go!

I'm headed home to Indiana on a quick trip to visit my dad come Monday. I can't wait. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor on March 17 (his birthday) and we've had a bit of a rocky road since. This is my first chance to get home and give him a hug. Luckily, they're feeling better about his prognosis everytime he goes to the doctor. They still don't know if it's cancer or not, and won't really know much more for at least 6 weeks. But for now, it's not as big a worry as it originally was...thank goodness!

A challenge entry and other random stuff...

2008-03-16T09:50:00.004-04:00

There's a challenge at Digital Candy to scrap the music you love. It's to go into a "book about me" when you complete all of them. I missed the first few challenges, only found this site recently. But I thought this was such a neat idea! Here's my take. I have a very diverse taste in music, even though this doesn't make it seem like I do...haha. I just always find myself reaching for the same CDs when nothing else is pleasing me, and these just happen to be the girls...

That also made me remember this tag I made. Well, I've made several, but this is my most recent one. Haven't made one since...don't know when I will make my next...just thought I'd share.

On other news...I went to the doc yesterday morning to see if the Clomid worked...no dice. I have to up my dose...I'm sure I'm going to become such a lovely person to be around soon...I hope it's all worth it!

An Alpha Freebie

2008-03-11T17:36:00.002-04:00

I started out making a kit with wild and funky colors...finally talked myself out of it. But during the course of it, I made this alpha. I thought it's too cute to just throw away, so I'll pop it on here for free. Enjoy!

Download it here.

Through the Years

2008-03-04T21:11:00.004-05:00

Scrapping at Jodi's on Sunday was a blast. I only got 3 pages done, though. LOL. I was too busy chattering and helping my friend's with theirs I guess. But, all together we completed 8 pages in 4 hours. So not too shabby. It was the first of many days like that, I hope. But, of course, I haven't taken any photos yet! (Shame on me!!) So, no new paper scraps to share yet. But I did make this cute digi page of me and my sister for a challenge over at Digital Candy. I used a kit from Digital Divas' Design called Country Cottage.

The challenge was to create a "timeline" with your photos. So, I found that pretty simple with my old photos. My sister and I had photos done every year from birth until she turned 18, I think...somewhere around there. Then we started getting lax about it and get them done every so often. Ah well...such is life when you grow up, I guess.

Pups

2008-03-01T15:27:00.004-05:00

Well, this morning was such a pretty morning with fresh fallen snow and the sun shining...I couldn't resist snapping pictures before I headed off to work. The dogs were being extra cute, so I took a ton of them. I scrapped a few this afternoon. The kit is from Tatic and called Funny Nature.

Tomorrow afternoon I'm going to a friend's house to scrapbook with no interruptions and room to spread out. I need to pack up some papers and things to work with yet today so I'm all ready to go. I can't wait. It's been too long since I've paper scrapped. Then I'll have to take pictures and get them all uploaded...haha.

1985

2008-02-28T20:33:00.003-05:00

More old photos. Yay! Still playing in digi-land. This kit came from petit moineaux and is called Orangeade.

Nothing else of any excitement is going on in these parts...so I guess that's all I'll post today. Oh! I don't think I'll get to my February calendar page in Feb. considering tomorrow's the last chance. I never got any good photos for it, but hopefully I'll figure out something so that I continue with the project.

I've been tagged...

2008-02-25T15:53:00.002-05:00

...so I guess I'll play along...haha!

The Rules:
You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name.

My middle name is...Lee (Woohoo! Mine's short too!)

L...lefty! Yes, I'm a south-paw.

E...entertaining...at least people around me are generally laughing...hmmm.

E...ever-changing. Life makes changes, so I make changes. Interesting how that works.

A little freebie

2008-02-24T14:26:00.002-05:00

I used to make digital scrap kits...I used to enjoy doing it too! So today, I decided to spend a micro-second of time and play a bit. I came up with some papers I sort of like. If you like them too, then feel free to download them and enjoy them. I'd love to hear what you think of them.

You can download them here.

Just a wee little scrap

2008-02-22T13:33:00.002-05:00

Some of the old pictures I received are tiny, and therefore the scans are tiny. So, I picked up a few "tagger" scrap kits at Candy's Treats so that I would be able to make them look like they're big and fantastic anyways. This is just a picture of my grandma. It looks like it's from one of those photo booths at the mall. Though, they probably weren't found in a mall back then...haha!

Fridays

2008-02-19T17:18:00.003-05:00

I love T.G.I. Friday's. Their sizzling chicken & cheese is the best! Yesterday we drove to Williamsport to meet my nurse friends for the afternoon. They're traveling nurses and currently are serving time (haha) in California. I can think of worse places to be in the winter, that's for sure. But, they were home for a little vacation, so we were glad to get to see them. We went to Friday's for dinner where I had lots of fun playing with my camera. I made this lovely layout today to showcase my favorite picture of my hubby to date.

I'll probably scrap some of the other photos once I have another day off. Though most of them I actually want to print and paper scrap them! Shock, gasp! I don't know if I'll remember how, but I'll do my best.

On a roll

2008-02-17T13:00:00.003-05:00

I'm so inspired by all these old pictures that have finally made their way into my possession that I just can't stop. That and all of the generous freebie digital scrap kits I've been finding lately have kept me well supplied with creative energy. So here's one more for the weekend. This is my mother as a baby. I have the date is 1953, though I think this picture was taking in 54. I'm not exactly sure. (Sorry for publishing a birth year, mother...haha.) Another great kit I picked up from Kalanice.

1988

2008-02-16T17:17:00.003-05:00

Just threw together this page of me and my sister in 1988. Loved the bright colors in this kit I got here. I hope it didn't get too busy, but I like it even if it did.

Told ya so...

2008-02-13T19:54:00.007-05:00

Well, I got busy on a layout with my newfound old pictures already. I was inspired by the pinks in this kit I got from Mandy Mystique's blog. It was a freebie to celebrate her grand opening, and is now on sale at buzybeescrapper. The alphabet spelling out "family" is something I've had for awhile, I thought it worked great with this kit. I thought all the pinks worked well with the pink tones in this photo.

And here are a couple of surprise pictures. While looking through my cousin's photo albums...I came across pictures of my dad's dad. This is odd due to the fact that this cousin is from my mom's side...hehe. So here are the two pictures I found and snagged. Notice my grandfather had an afinity for carrying his camera around...as do I. Coincidence?

I hope to get the rest of these old photos scanned over the next few days so I can order prints to make the book for my mom. Very exciting.

Old photos

2008-02-12T16:11:00.000-05:00

My cousin recently gave me some old pictures he had inherited from our aunt. The one above was taken when I was a baby. Those are 2 of my 4 sisters and my mom with me. Obviously, I won't remember that one being taken.

This one is a picture of my mom's dad in his army uniform. The back reads Private "Dutch" Renshaw. Taken at New Cumberland. That's the first picture I've ever seen of him in uniform. I think it's pretty cool.

And this one is my mom's mom when she was a girl. It's hard to picture grandparents ever being young, so I love this photo just because it lets me actually see her. There were a few more of my grandma when she was younger...I'm so glad to have received them!

I can see these photos becoming some scrapbook pages in the near future. I'm actually considering making a book with all the pictures of my mom and her mom and dad for my mom's birthday. It's coming up fast, though...so I don't know if I'll achieve it or not. We'll see!

Kim's Birthday

2008-02-03T14:46:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law's birthday was last week. I made her a card using a few papers from My Mind's Eye Bohemia line. I thought it came out pretty nice, but the picture doesn't do it justice. Here it is anyhow...

I also made a digital layout of the event. For every birthday, the family tries to get together for cake and ice cream. It's never a big thing...but just as the quote says, the small things really are the big things in life. It's always great to get the family together. I used the Wild Sorbet kit from Michelle Coleman of LittleDreamerDesigns.com.

January Calendar

2008-01-26T14:08:00.000-05:00

So Lacey is hosting a challenge to make a calendar page for 2009 a month throughout this year. I've been meaning to get mine started...finally did it. I chose to work in an unconventional size. I'm making a 6x12 calendar. I'm planning on making a stand for it at a later date. The calendar is going to be for my husband's grandmother. I couldn't decide what kind of pictures to use, so I decided to go outside every month and take a picture of something in nature to be the focal point. So, without further ado, here's what I came up with.

Another digi page

2008-01-18T19:53:00.000-05:00

The dogs are running around like mad lil critters and I'm working on a migraine. What a fun combination! Even with all that to entertain me, I still felt like scrapping. I picked up this awesome kit from GABHappyscrap. She puts together some great kits! This was a freebie, and I just love it. The alpha in that reads "Airport" came from A Scrap in the Bush. It is a great freebie she just posted. I really think that alpha worked great with this kit.
I decided to do a page with pictures from my most recent trip to Indiana. My cousin and I flew out for a few days to celebrate an early Christmas with my dad, step-mom, step-sister, sister and brother-in-law...and all the dogs. On the way home, our plane was delayed, and these pictures ensued. What else is there to do when your plane is delayed for hours? Complain? Or take pictures? We took pictures. It was good fun.

On other news. I go on Wednesday to have an HSG test to determine if my tubes are open and ready for eggs to travel through them. Hopefully they are so I can get started on medication, and hopefully announce a pregnancy sometime in the not too distant future...ha. I think my dogs may go mental if they lose any of our attention, but then, they're already there so how much would really change?

Feeling Crafty

2008-01-16T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, I still can't get to my scrapping stuff, one of these days I REALLY have to organize it! So, today I decided to play with my sewing machine. I don't sew much, but when I do, I like to make something nifty. My sister in Indiana raises Chihuahuas. The last time I was out she showed me pictures of these "snuggle sack" things. They're basically a very small sleeping bag that the dog can snuggle down into and be warm. I decided to give it a go with some fleece I had found with Eeyore on it...my sis loves Eeyore. I sewed 3 layers of fleece on the bottom for cushion and kind of quilted them together a bit so they wouldn't get all bunched up. The top is one layer of fleece, and I even added a touch of lace around the edges. It's not completely done yet, I need to finish up the top and trim the strings, but that is for another day. So, here it is at it stands now. Layla thinks it's pretty cool.

Riffy

2008-01-12T18:24:00.001-05:00

Well, I knew he'd be jealous, so I got busy making a page for him as well. This is our beautiful tuxedo cat, Riff Raff. His age is ??? We got him as a stray. He's a shy, but loving cat. You'll generally find him sleeping on the stairs or at the base of his scratching post. He loves that thing.

I've been doing digital layouts quite a bit lately as my paper stuff is in an inconvenient spot waiting to be reorganized...but I haven't been too inspired to get into that yet...haha.

Pebbles

2008-01-05T18:47:00.001-05:00

A little over a month ago, my husband and I adopted a new cat. She is about 3 years old, and beautiful. Her old owners are getting ready to have a baby, and were concerned they couldn't give her the attention they were used to. We gladly welcomed her into our home, and she's slowly becoming a member of the family. She's still a bit put off by our rambunctious dogs, but every day she is coming out of hiding a little more. At any rate, I finally got around to making her own page for her. Our other cat will surely be jealous, so look for one of him soon.

Another box

2007-12-31T18:40:00.000-05:00

I made this exploding box back in October. At the time, my sister was keeping four puppies for a friend of hers who was in the hospital. They are both chihuahua breeders. We thought this might be a great get well present for her. Please ignore all the clutter in the background...lol.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2007-12-22T19:36:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a year! At this time last year, I was still working at McDonald's, though I was on a leave of absence through the winter. I would do that every winter because I'd always get extremely sick hanging out the drive-thru window in the cold... So, I happened to need to go to the bank one day, and noticed a sign in their window that they were looking for help. I went online and applied, and within a week or so, I was working there. (started Jan. 3, 2007) What a change from fast food! And a much needed one, as well.
In Feb. I had a pretty bad accident on my way in to work one morning. I was driving our Toyota Tacoma and hit black ice on our curvy mountain road. I hit a bank and flipped onto the roof. Somehow, I was able to crawl out on my own steam and was remarkably not hurt too terribly bad. I am still getting monthly adjustments on my back, however...who knows how long that will have to continue.
Working at the bank is a part-time gig, so I though I would try to sell some scrapbooking supplies on the side. I signed up with MemoryWorks in April. I had my first show in May and another in July. Then work got crazy with vacations and what not, I was working nearly full-time, and have been ever since. I'm hoping things calm down soon and I can start scrapping and having scrap parties more. I really enjoy that far more than bank work.
My husband and I started looking into fertility treatments in October...nothing has really been done to this point, we're just in the beginning, testing stages. Hopefully it works and we have a baby some day soon. What a blessing that would be.
So now, here we sit with one week left in the year and nothing really exciting to report on...but that's how real life is sometimes...

Merry Christmas! Happy New Year!

Leaving...on a jet plane...

2007-12-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

I'm flying to Indiana in a matter of hours. An early Christmas. I can hardly wait!
I'm very nervous that they're going to lose my luggage, though. But I have no choice but to check it because I'm hauling Christmas goodies along with me. Ah well, I'm sure all will work out great.

Over at MemoryWorks, I was involved in a Secret Santa Swap. Today was gift opening day...sooo fun! I got some great scrapping supplies including the McKenna kit from K&Co, pretty buttons and rub-on transfers. Lots of other goodies, but no time to list them.

See ya in a few days!

Nothing new...so here's a video...

2007-12-05T14:59:00.000-05:00

Well, my life isn't that exciting right now. Just mostly hectic with work and getting ready for Christmas and activities every weekend. So I was enjoying some downtime and came across this youtube video. I'm sure it's widely seen already, but new to me and amusing.

http://view.break.com/403233 - Watch more free videos

I'm going to a Penn State men's basketball this Saturday night with my little sister and my cousin, so maybe that will give me something interesting to talk about.

Where does time go?

2007-11-10T21:34:00.000-05:00

Wow, it seems like just yesterday was the last time I posted...and now it's been nearly a month. I wish I could say I have been supremely busy, but that's not the case. Or that I've been working on lots and lots of scrapping stuff to share, but that's definitely not the case. I guess I've just been neglecting my blog. Ah well. I'm back for now.

A kind lady from the MemoryWorks team posted a challenge on her blog that I decided to attempt to take part in. I did a digital layout based off of her layout "First Day" in her idea gallery.

Here's my take.

I got the kit at Peppermint Creative. I definitely recommend checking them out. They have tons of great kits for digital scrappers. This one is called Twinkle Toes and is actually currently their free download.

Vaaaaaaaacaaaaaaaaation!!!

2007-10-19T13:28:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow I leave (after work) for a few days of rest and relaxation at my dad's house in Indiana. My sister lives with my dad and has about a dozen chihuahuas there (she's a breeder) so this should be fun. I'm excited to see my dad, but I'm also planning a day of running around trying to see some of my friends who live there. One just bought a dog kennel in Muncie, so I'm going to see that. And another has just moved back to Indiana after living in Alaska and Arkansas for over 6 years with the Air Force. I haven't seen her since my wedding almost 4 years ago. How time flies.

So here's a few digital pages from some of my trips home last year to set the mood.

A day off.

2007-10-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Ah, a day off. How I've longed for one of these lately. I didn't get to sleep in, though. I had to take my dog to the groomer's and then get the oil changed in the truck in preparation for our trip to Indiana next week. Boy will it be great to go on a mini-vacation.

I didn't achieve anything scrap related today, though. I would have liked to, but decided a nap was more intriguing. I did finally print labels to put on the back of my Memory Works catalogs, though. That's an achievement to be proud of.

I hope everyone is having a lovely day.

Thoughts for the day...

2007-10-13T15:45:00.001-04:00

Wow. Fall has hit hard and fast here, and it's lovely! Last weekend at this time it was 90 degrees and humid...today, 60, sunny, breezy and beautiful. I really should be outside...but here I sit, clacking away at the keyboard. I had a lovely photo shoot with 2 of my dogs until all of my batteries for my digital camera decided to die at once...sigh. Guess it's time to get new ones, they really don't seem to hold their charge very long any more. Here are the shots I loved most, anyhow:

These are the lovely ladies who live in my household. There's Layla on the left. She is a CKC registered Chihuahua. Chloe is on the right. She is half rat terrier and half...spaz? They're both quite playful and friendly, but can get a bit rambunctious. I was just lucky enough to catch them being somewhat sleepy and enjoying the sun, or else I probably would have had nose prints on my lens.

I hope everyone has a lovely day!

Back woes...therapy scrapping...

2007-10-11T15:32:00.001-04:00

I made this page awhile ago...but just got back from the doctor cracking my back, so thought I might put it up on the web and talk a bit about it.
I was in an accident in February. I was on my way to work one morning, when I hit black ice. I fish-tailed a bit and then hit a bank which flipped me onto the roof. Amazingly, I got out of the vehicle on my own and didn't suffer any major injuries. I did injure my back, though. I am still having monthly manipulations on my lower back, and some days it hurts so bad I just want to cry. I try to remind myself that at least I am alive to feel the pain and that helps...just some days are harder than others...

Exploding boxes!

2007-10-09T16:44:00.001-04:00

Well, I made this explosion box a few weeks ago and I LOVE it! I'm addicted, and have gotten my friends super excited about making their own.

I also decided to try making a smaller version, and I love the way it turned out, too, though I don't know what I'll do with it. It's on loan to a friend while she works on making her own box to use as a reference.

Some of my favorite digital layouts...

2007-10-07T22:34:00.001-04:00

This is one of my very first digital layouts. I don't think I was too creative, but I love these pictures and the colors work really well together. This was our first group vacation to the beach. It was such an experience! We went again this past summer, and hope to go many more times in the future.

This one is from our last vacation. We went to Outerbanks, NC. It's amazing how different the beach was here. Our group got a bit smaller, our house was much nicer and the weather was perfect. We don't think we'll go back to the Outerbanks any time soon, though, as it's quite a drive from central Pennsylvania. It was definitely another great experience, though.

This last one is my absolute favorite digi-layout at the moment. It's a picture of our outside cat, Shrek. He has since disappeared, but I still think of him often. I just love this picture and all of the colors in the kit I used.

Ok, that's all of the digital I'll share right now.

If you have a good art program on your computer, I highly recommend trying this great new art form. There's tons of free products out there for the taking, just follow the copyright laws and enjoy!

Gotta start somewhere...

2007-10-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

Well, this will be my first blog here. What would I like for the world to know? I guess I will share a little of my scrap-philosophy. I'm not a perfect scrapper, far from it actually. I enjoy my imperfections, though. They set me apart. I rarely measure my cuts, and I often end up with some wonky looking mats. I eyeball all of my placements, and don't sweat the small stuff like the picture is just a fraction of a centimeter not level. These things make us human, and should be embraced. Scrapbooking allows everyone to do things their own way, and no one person can say that theirs is the right way. I love that. It truly is an art-form, but yet, you don't have to be extremely creative to enjoy it. There are products that anyone can use, and there are products that most people don't even know where to begin with. I'm enjoying learning new things and being able to let my creativity shine.

I have done traditional paper scrapping for about 10 years off and on and have within the past year started digital scrapping. I like how quickly the digital scrap pages are to make, but have yet to print any of them out to put in books. So, traditional is my main focus, and that's OK. I'll share some of both here, honestly, it's hard to tell the difference sometimes!

My scrapping interests right now are mostly pictures of myself as a child. I was fortunate enough to have a mother who loved taking pictures as much as I do, so I have tons of lovely pictures to work with. This particular photo was for a challenge on the Memory Works forum where we were to use a sketch that was actually made for a card, and transform it into a layout. I'm really happy with the way this came out. I used the Vintage Brass collection from We R Memory Keepers for all of my patterned card stock and Heidi Swapp's "cherish" acrylic stamp. The ribbon is just some random ribbon I had laying around. I was about 3 years old in these photos and mugging with my doll I had gotten for Christmas. I hope to continue scrapping my childhood over the next few weeks and hopefully finish my "baby" album before Christmas so that I can work on a few other crafty projects to give as Christmas gifts.