Thursday, October 30, 2008

You could win a mini book class!

You could win a mini book class by Karen Grunberg!

Now through Nov 1, go here and leave a comment on why you'd love to take her class.
If you leave my blog address in your comment, you'll enter me in the drawing, too and, I'd LOVE to win a mini book class!
If I win with help from YOU, I'll put all the names of everyone who helped me win in a hat (or just use a number generator, LOL) and RAOK one person :)
So come on, you only have two more days. Go comment!
TIA :)

WHOO HOO .. Another POTD!! :)

This is a blessing b/c it had been a month since I had done any actual layouts and I felt like my creativity was shot and wondered if I was ever going to get motivated to scrap again.
So to have my recent "Precious" LO picked as the POTD is such an honor. Thank you, M2R!
http://moments-2-remember.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=4153

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Okay, I've been silent long enough...

Doug and I both watched the $3 million dollar Obama infomercial tonight .. And yes, that's what it was. He's just trying to sell you something and, I'll admit, he's a good salesman.. Alot like the car salesman I bought my '98 Chevy Malibu from that raked me over the coals.

Tell me.. Where on earth is he going to get the money to do all this stuff he's promising?
Did he say? Because I didn't hear it. Doug didn't either.
Tell us, Mr. Obama, PLEASE. Where is the money going to come from if you aren't raising our taxes?

I normally can't stand Yahoo News. I usually just ignore it when I sign into my email but tonight, hey, there is actually something interesting on it!!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081030/ap_on_el_ge/fact_check_obama_ad *** ETA - SINCE I POSTED THIS ON MY BLOG THREE HOURS AGO YAHOO NEWS HAS REVISED THE STORY AND DELETED OUT THE PART ABOUT THE WAR SPENDING.. HMMMMM.. VERY INTERESTING...

WASHINGTON – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was less than upfront in his half-hour commercial Wednesday night about the costs of his programs and the crushing budget pressures he would face in office.
Obama's assertion that "I've offered spending cuts above and beyond" the expense of his promises is accepted only by his partisans. His vow to save money by "eliminating programs that don't work" masks his failure throughout the campaign to specify what those programs are — beyond the withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
A sampling of what voters heard in the ad, and what he didn't tell them:


THE SPIN: "That's why my health care plan includes improving information technology, requires coverage for preventive care and pre-existing conditions and lowers health care costs for the typical family by $2,500 a year."
THE FACTS: His plan does not lower premiums by $2,500, or any set amount. Obama hopes that by spending $50 billion over five years on electronic medical records and by improving access to proven disease management programs, among other steps, consumers will end up saving money. He uses an optimistic analysis to suggest cost reductions in national health care spending could amount to the equivalent of $2,500 for a family of four. Many economists are skeptical those savings can be achieved, but even if they are, it's not a certainty that every dollar would be passed on to consumers in the form of lower premiums.
___
THE SPIN: "I've offered spending cuts above and beyond their cost."
THE FACTS: Independent analysts say both Obama and Republican John McCain would deepen the deficit. The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates Obama's policy proposals would add a net $428 billion to the deficit over four years — and that analysis accepts the savings he claims from spending cuts. The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, whose other findings have been quoted approvingly by the Obama campaign, says: "Both John McCain and Barack Obama have proposed tax plans that would substantially increase the national debt over the next 10 years." The analysis goes on to say: "Neither candidate's plan would significantly increase economic growth unless offset by spending cuts or tax increases that the campaigns have not specified."
___
THE SPIN: "Here's what I'll do. Cut taxes for every working family making less than $200,000 a year. Give businesses a tax credit for every new employee that they hire right here in the U.S. over the next two years and eliminate tax breaks for companies that ship jobs overseas. Help homeowners who are making a good faith effort to pay their mortgages, by freezing foreclosures for 90 days. And just like after 9-11, we'll provide low-cost loans to help small businesses pay their workers and keep their doors open. "
THE FACTS: His proposals — the tax cuts, the low-cost loans, the $15 billion a year he promises for alternative energy, and more — cost money, and the country could be facing a record $1 trillion deficit next year. Indeed, Obama recently acknowledged — although not in his commercial — that: "The next president will have to scale back his agenda and some of his proposals."
___
THE SPIN: "I also believe every American has a right to affordable health care."
THE FACTS: That belief should not be confused with a guarantee of health coverage for all. He makes no such promise. Obama hinted as much in the ad when he said about the problem of the uninsured: "I want to start doing something about it." He would mandate coverage for children but not adults. His program is aimed at making insurance more affordable by offering the choice of government-subsidized coverage similar to that in a plan for federal employees and other steps, including requiring larger employers to share costs of insuring workers.
___
THE SPIN: "We are currently spending $10 billion a month in Iraq, when they have a $79 billion surplus. It seems to me that if we're going to be strong at home as well as strong abroad that we've got to look at bringing that war to a close." These lines in the ad were taken from a debate with McCain.
THE FACTS: Obama was once and very often definitive about getting combat troops out in 16 months (At times during the primaries, he promised to do so within a year). More recently, without backing away explicitly from the 16-month withdrawal pledge, he has talked of the need for flexibility. In the primaries, it would have been a jarring departure for him to have said merely that "we've got to look at" ending the war. As for Iraq's surplus, it's true that Iraq could end up with a surplus that large, but that hasn't happened yet.

My son is hilarious :)

If you were a child in the mid 80's you might remember the "My Buddy" dolls. My little brother had one. They were super cute and the theme song was something like "My buddy, my buddy. Wherever I go, he goes".. blah blah blah.
Well, that song is playing in my head over and over again right now.

Caleb's new obsession are two little plastic rubber ducks that my niece (Gracie) brought him on Sunday. He's been carrying them around the house non stop since then. Wherever Caleb goes, so do the duckies. It's quite cute and he is now saying "YELLOW" as a result of receiving the yellow duck.

He's attached to them like another child would be to a favorite blankie or stuff animal.. The very FIRST thing he did this morning was go get his ducks! LOL
And on the rare chance that he puts them down to eat or sleep, the ducks sit in the window sill of his bedroom, looking out the window... tee hee
So I thought I'd share some pics of Caleb's new babies :)



Here he is looking for the yellow one. Notice the concerned look on his face that he can't find it >



YAY.. A Layout!!!

Okay so, let me first say.. It's not the greatest. I'll be first to admit that. But, it's special and I like it. This is me at four years old.
Hopefully this is a sign that my mojo is returning.. We'll see...
I really REALLY need to get my act together and crank out layouts as I have a client now that I need to scrap for in addition to trying to get Caleb's first year completely done (he's 28 months now.. I'm SO behind.. Poor kid!)

Some of the products used on the layout are from my friend Jenn's kit club. I love love LOVE her stuff. She is so talented and makes the cutest ticket stubs for journaling. Here's a link to her Etsy shop.. Go check it out!


I sanded the Thicker alphas to reveal scratches of white then inked over the scratches with Chestnut Roan chalk ink.. It looks really cool IRL :)




Thanks for looking :)

I actually scrapped a LAYOUT!!! Oh my God!!!!!!

Picture to come tomorrow.. It's 3am, I need to get my big butt into bed but dang, it feels good to finally scrap!
YAY!!!!!
Night :)

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Another fly by post...

I just have a second to post while Caleb's speech therapist is here...

I actually scrapped a little last night! Nothing major, just a small little mini book for a friend (a re-do) using my Bind-It-All machine. I love that thing and have made 7 books with it so far and also used it to bind my Page Maps sketch cards into a book :)
I used
3 Bugs paper
from my friend Tracy (thanks again chica!) on this and the dino and monogram on the cover have CTMH Liquid Glass on them to make them more dimensional.
I also used an acrylic piece from Hambly and a few chipboard sheets in the book.

I hope you like it, D :)


I'm hoping to actually get some LAYOUTS done tonight. HOPEFULLY.. tee hee

I'm pretty sure the thing on Caleb's eyelid is a sty. His ST Katy looked at it and she's pretty sure about that so Doug's going to get him some ointment for it tonight.

Also, Caleb started saying YELLOW, BLACK, GRAY and....
CALEB
yesterday.
YAY, he's saying his name!! Only, it comes out like "CAY WUB". It's soooo cute!!!

Also, have you seen this new Christmas line of paper from Sass Lass? OMG, it's SO cute! It screams two year old boy to me and I hope I can get a few sheets of it for his Christmas pics :) They just keep coming up with the cutest stuff over there.
I tried to post a picture of the line but I can't right click on the pics for some reason.. Sorry. Just click on the link above to see it. It's SO cute.. Especially the "Reindeer Kisses" paper :)


Well, that's all folks. Must go wrangle Caleb so he doesn't follow Miss Katy out the door. Byeeee!

Monday, October 27, 2008

Another WOW!

A scrapbook friend just sent me this video.. It's pretty powerful.

A little sad today..

One of my favorite online sites, 4 Scrappy Sisters, is going out of business. The message board will remain through the end of the year but the store will close SOON.

Please take a moment and browse the store.. Everything is now 30% off - the ENTIRE store. Even stuff that was already on sale.

Also, the new NOVEMBER kit ROCKS and is perfect for those Fall photos. Doug told me I can get it since it's the last one so I just ordered it. I cannot wait to get my goodies!!!
Here's a pic - $27.00 for all THIS:


You get: 3 Bugs In A Rug Autumn Line & Paper Trunk Wrangler Line 3BRG Autumn Collection: (Double-sided) 1 sheet – Rise & Shine 1 sheet – Pumpkin Patch 1 sheet – Sun Flowers 1 sheet – Fall Foliage 1 sheet – Fall Stripes 1 sheet – Little Acorn Paper Trunk Collection: (Double-sided) 1 sheet – Side-Saddle 1 sheet – Giddy Up 1 sheet – Spurs 1 sheet – Buckaroo Cardstock: 1 sheet Prism Tomato Soup 1 sheet Prism Goldenrod 1 sheet Prism Med. Tan 1 sheet Prism Med. Light Blue Alphabet: 1 package Prism Felt Alphabet – White or Brown Embellishments: 1 Prima “Ready, Set, Go” Transparency Sheet 1 Sheet 3BRG Autumn Die-Cut Tags 1 Pkg DaisyD’s “Family” Rub-ons 1 Prima Glitter Accent - Brown 1 Prima Bling Swirl – Multi Color 4 Tim Holtz Journal Tickets 6 Tim Holtz Word TIickets 2 Ka Jing Gems - Orange 4 Scrapworks Metal Accent Brads: • 4 SEI Orange • 4 Amer. Craft Lgt Blue • 4 Amer. Craft Coffee • 4 Bazzill Green • 4 Bazzill Tan Assorted Basic Grey Buttons 2 Prima Textured Flowers w/ bling center (colors will vary) 2 Making Memories Pass Port Flowers (colors will vary) 2 Maya Road Chipboard Homes (styles will vary) 1 Maya Roads Chipboard Mini Album 1 Autumn Leaves Clear Stamp (styles will vary) 1 Yard May Arts Ribbon – Green Burlap Ribbon 1 Yard May Arts Ribbon – Brown/Tan Grosgrain

* Dang these are going fast.. Only 4 left.. I would hurry!!!

Then here is the card kit that is only $16.00.

You get: We Are Memory Keepers Urban Window Collection WRMK Homemade: (Double-sided): 1 12x12 sheet Keepsake Quilt 1 12x12 sheet Wild Blossoms 1 12x12 sheet Strawberry Preserve 1 12x12 sheet Cotton Throw 1 12x12 sheet Hand Dipped 1 12x12 sheet Needle Point Cardstock - Prism: 1 12x12 sheet Cream 1 12x12 sheet Tomato Soup 1 12x12 sheet Dark Brown Alphabet Sheet: 1 pkg. American Craft Thickers – Vinyl Brown Daiquiri Font Embellishments: 1 pkg. Cloud9 Rain Drops “Good Times” 1 Prima “Dress Up” Transparency – Remember 3x5 1 pkg. DaisyD’s Picture Hangers – Cream 1 pkg. DaisyD’s Photo Corners - Brown 1 Press Petals Metal Word – Dream 2 DCWV Die Cut Flowers – Red 1 Prima Paper Flower – White 3 Button Brads - Brown Brads: American Craft • 4 White – Small • 4 Amer Craft - Green • 4 Amer Craft – Copper Med 1 Maya Road Chipboard Bird & Branch 1 Prima Bling Strip – Blue (styles will vary) 1 MME Bling “$” symbol 1 Inkadindado Clear Stamp Set – Thinking Of You 1 Yard May Arts Wired Croquet Ribbon – Cream 1 Ft. Croquet Ribbon - Brown

* there are only 6 more in stock, I would hurry!!

There is also a SURPRISE Christmas kit for only $12.00 and it will include all new Christmas products from the last CHA.

So go check it out. GREAT stuff!! :)

Sunday, October 26, 2008

A Visit with Gracie & Bree...

My sister in law brought my nieces over to play for a bit today. Caleb hadn't seen them in a while but every time he sees a picture of Gracie, he tries to say her name only, he doesn't say his "r" s good so it comes out like "G WAY SEE", lol. He just loves Grace, she's like a little Mama to him.
Here are pics of the three of them. Trying to get them all to look at the camera and smile was a trip and Caleb wanted to sit on Daddy's lap, he was real clingy today so, I didn't get the best pics but, here they are.

Caleb, Grace (8) & Bree (5):





And here is Gracie reading to Caleb. She LOVES to read to him :)


AND, My sister in law scrapbooks a bit and Gracie has started scrapbooking so I gave them two of my 12x12 girly albums and about 4" of girly scrapbook paper from the K&Co packs I've gotten at Big Lots and online. Who needs 3 or 4 sheets of the same paper.. Why not give it away. Know what I mean?
:)

It looks like it's going to get cold this week, too. Possible chance of flurries Tues and Wed and low temps of 28 & 29 degrees.
WOW! I'm not ready for Winter yet... Hopefully they are wrong and Fall will stick around at least another month.
But just in case, Doug just went out and winterized the hoses and faucets outside and we bought Caleb a hat and mittens yesterday.. I suppose it's inevitable and I need to realize that. Winter is coming *sigh*.

No football today .. The Colts are playing TN tomorrow night.. Should be interesting. So I think if Caleb lets me tonight, I'm going to finally SCRAPBOOK!! WOW, what's that? It's been SO long.. LOL

Have a good rest of the weekend, folks :)

Check this out.. a FREE Jessica Sprague class!!


I'm not a digi scrapper but this hybrid class sounds very interesting.. I'm signed up for this.. Can't wait!!

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Check this out!

I found this cool site called Wordle and look what I made! I'm going to use this as a background on a LO.
These are some of the words Caleb was saying at 27 months, shortly after he finally started talking.
Cool, huh!? (click to make bigger)

I (think) Caleb might have pink eye... Need input

He's had a sore on his upper right eyelid for a few days now.
We have spiders, unfortunately, because we built our house on land that used to be a cornfield so, I was sure a spider probably bit him in his sleep but now, I'm not sure..
Anyone have any experience with pink eye? I've looked it up on the net and it looks like it effects the actual whites of the eyes and his whites are FINE. It's just that he has this pink sore on his eyelid.
I'm not sure what to do other than to take him to the Dr. next week so I thought I'd ask for your input. Email me or comment here if you have any experience with pink eye you'd like to share.
OH and, no other symptoms other than a fever earlier in the week that went away after a Tylenol dosing and a runny nose. But, he's teething so I figured those were from that. Just not sure.. ???
TIA for any help :)

In other news, my SIL might be bringing my nieces over to play sometime today. I'm excited to see them and Caleb loves his cousin Gracie, she's like a little Mama to him so, I'm excited to see them play.
I'll be sure to take lots of pics :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

WOW!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner...


We're going out for a little while so I'm posting the winner of the Kaiser album a bit early.
Drum roll please................


.............................................


.............................................



.............................................


............................................



.............................................

#20 - Mardi!!!
Mardi said...
Oh my goodness I absolutely love the picture in the pumpkin patch. It is priceless! I am very new to PS also and I would love to take a class in it. I am so the visual type person. Great blog!
October 22, 2008 6:56 PM

Mardi, please email me your address and CONGRATS!!


Just playing around in Photoshop

Caleb is napping.. Poor little guy has a cold.. His nose won't stop running and he's STILL teething! Ack.. when will his 2 year molars FINALLY come in? Seems like it's taking FOREVER!

Anyway, I decided to play around in PSE some more.. Here are some pics.. Which do you like for scrapbooking?

Original:

Antique with a tad bit of color:



Vivid color:


And then this is that same picture from a few posts below only, I used the antique action on it. Whatcha think?

Then here's our munchkin climbing up a homemade ramp made out of metal roofing at the pumpkin patch on Saturday. Daddy is on the left there and he's 6'5 so you can see how tall this thing was and Caleb just walked up it no problem.. Scared the crap out of me!


Mimi Marsha climbed up the ladder and met him up there, Thank God!
That kid isn't afraid of ANYTHING (except water on his head) and that really scares me sometimes...


Awe.. Here's my little guy a few weeks ago. Isn't he just so cute! I am LOVING my PSE now!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

40% off EVERYTHING at Just Let Me Scrapbook

My friend Jenn told me about this sale.
Save 40% off the ENTIRE STORE at
JUST LET ME SCRAPBOOK.

So sorry to be an enabler but 40% off is AWESOME!!!
Enjoy!
:)

Come share your layouts, ladies :)

Hey girls!
I have volunteered to help out on JUST YOUR AVERAGE SCRAPBOOK. It's a blog that features unknown scrappers that have AWESOME talent. If you've never been published, please email us a few layouts and we might just feature YOU soon :)
Send one or send 50 layouts, it's up to you.
Please email them to:

averagescrapbooker@gmail.com
I hope to see YOURS soon :)

Also, here's a small, quick little mini album I did for my friend Tracy, who has twin 4 year old boys. I used a Hambly clear overlay and several sheets of chipboard to make 7 pages front and back. I used my Zutter Bind It All and it took me all of 10 minutes which, is about all I have right now since I am mothering not one, but TWO babies since Doug is sick, LOL.
The hardest part of making this was going through my ribbon stash to find the perfect ribbon, tee hee :) Quick and simple. Gotta love it!




And don't forget to leave me a comment on the below post for your chance to win a "2008" Kaiser Craft blank MDF album. I'll draw a winner tomorrow night. Good luck :)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Doesn't look like I'll be scrapping anytime soon and.... a RAOK!!!

(sigh)
Both my boys are sick. Doug is at the doctor RIGHT NOW to find out what's wrong with him.. He thinks Pneumonia. Caleb had a fever all day yesterday and didn't sleep much last night. No clue what's up with him, possibly teething but, maybe not. Maybe he's fighting whatever Daddy has.
I don't get to scrap unless Daddy watches Caleb so, if Daddy's sick, that's not going to happen.. So, we'll see.
I had planned on doing at least 5 layouts this week from challenges on M2R. (pout pout)
I have their October kit I need use up .. I am literally chomping at the bit to use it. I took the pumpkin patch pics specifically to match the papers in the kit. LMBO.. How lame am I! tee hee

In other news though, I finally started working with photo actions from
this place. LOVE THEM!

Here's one I did at 2am this morning. Not sure if I like it or not on this particular photo (vivid color action):

Before:




After:


What do YOU think? Which would you use on a scrapbook layout? Is the bottom one TOO bright?
I know NOTHING about PS Elements other than very very basic stuff and how to add color here and there so, I'm not sure how to adjust the actions.. I guess I should probably figure that out soon.. LOL

Sooooooo... I have some news!!!!
In honor of my blog being two weeks old, I'm giving away a RAOK (Random Act of Kindness). I'll use an online computer generator to determine the winner on, let's say, Friday at 9pm EST.
So leave me some love on this post for your chance to win
this brand new Kaiser Craft 2008 album worth $6 >



And oh yeah, how flippin' cute is this!!?? I'm in total LOVE with this.. GOTTA have it!!! Prima makes the best stuff!! >


That's all for now, folks. I better go play with my little guy. Have a great day!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I'm so excited!!!

I *finally* figured out how to do this:

Before:


After:


WHOO HOO!!!!

WHOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm the featured Layout of the Day over on Creative Scrappers! WHOO HOO!

Here's the layout >


Scrapbook Heaven - 40% off KIT sale

One of my fave sites, Scrapbook Heaven, is selling their kits 40% off this week. Check them out!!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Pumpkin Patch Pictures!!

We went to "1 Fun Farm" in Farmland, Indiana on Saturday and here are some pics:

A big smile for Mommy >


He could have cared less about the goats (and other animals). But, he was SUPER interested in their fence, LOL >

Skipping in the pumpkin patch to Mommy. Look how happy and cute he is! A tad bit of editing and these pics will be so cute for scrapbooking :) >

"Hey Dad, how 'bout this one" >
How cute is my child! However, he would NOT cooperate for pics of him with the pumpkin he and Mimi picked so, I'll just have to sit him down for a photo session later on :)

I think I've FINALLY found MY perfect scrapbook album!

I've been looking for a LONG time for a GREAT album.. I tried CTMH, American Crafts D Ring, The Perfect Scrapbook from Colorbok and plain old cheapos from Joann's and I really think I've finally found one I love.
The new Paperie LEATHER 3 Ring albums from Making Memories.
They are embossed and oh so pretty.. Even perfect for little boy layouts, which is what I have.
I HIGHLY recommend them. I got mine at www.scrap-a-latte.net for $12 (I had a 40% off coupon) but even at full retail, they are SO worth the price! ($20)

Here's the one I have (POOLSIDE):

Sunday, October 19, 2008

WHOO HOO!!! I've been published!

Well, sort of, tee hee. One of my layouts has been FEATURED today on YAS's blog. WHOO HOO!
Check it out >

http://youraveragescrapbook.blogspot.com/2008/10/flurry-of-featured-scrapbookers-jenny.html



THANK YOU ANNETTE for picking my layout to feature today. You ROCK!!! This is SO exciting!!!
WHOO HOO.. Now I can use this blinkie!!



In other news, everyone wants to know what I've been up to lately and where I've been. Well, my Mother In Law has been here from Houston so we've been busy busy since Wednesday.
Thursday I had a very important doctors appointment, Friday we all went to the Indianapolis Childrens Museum
http://www.childrensmuseum.org/
and then yesterday, we took Caleb here http://www.1funfarm.com/index.html
to pick pumpkins and PLAY!!! Here are a few unedited pics:

Playing in the sandbox at Playscape >

Loving on Mimi Marsha >

Sliding down the slide giving Mimi Marsha a HUGE grin >

Playing in the "garden" with the shapes puzzle >

Sitting in the Indy car!! >

On the carousel with Daddy. He was less than thrilled with it. I guess you have to be three before they let kids sit on the animals that go up and down so he'll probably enjoy it more next year >


Thursday, October 16, 2008

Mimi is here!!!

Caleb's Mimi (my mother in law) arrived Wednesday evening from Houston, Texas and Caleb is just so in love with her. He has been giving her kisses and hugs all night and wanting her to hold him and sit on her lap.. I've never seen him this affectionate with anyone other than Doug and myself. It's pretty cute :)
Here are some pics:



Tuesday, October 14, 2008

WILL WORK FOR CHEERIOS!

So here's Mr. Caleb tonight.. Vacuuming our house on his own (literally).
He would vacuum in a few spots then go over and move the canister.. Then vacuum some more, move it again. It was HILARIOUS!! What a cute little helper he is!
And then he cried when we put it away. Poor lil' guy. But soooo cute!