And Now for the Rest of the Story . . . .

Many of you have probably seen this scrapbook page before since it is one I actually made a couple of years ago.  Yesterday while I was setting up some new albums on-line, I pulled out my two 8x8 albums that I made chronicling my summer of 2007.  And that's when it hit me . . . I truly enjoy scrapbooking and why aren't I doing more of it? 

Since September I have scrapbooked zip, zero, nada pages.  Throughout the summer I managed to scrapbook a mere 12 pages.  And this is from someone who, a year or so ago, could spend hours scrapping away a weekend.  I found scrapbooking inspiring.  I found it relaxing.  I found it just plan FUN!  I found it filled my creative need.  I love looking back on what I have created and, if I do say so myself, admiring my work.  And above all, I found it rewarding! 

So, you ask, why don't I simply make the time and scrapboook more?  I really don't have an answer to that question.  But I truly do believe that I need to begin to scrapbook more.  I really miss the process and it makes me sad that I am not making the the time to do it more . . . .

Long Time, No Post . . . Part Trois

Okay, okay, I know what you all want to say.  Here she goes again . . . saying she is going to start to blog. She has told us that before and look what it has gotten us . . . zip, zero, nada a thing in over 6 months.  So what makes this time any different? 

Well, let me tell you . . . This time I have actually signed up for a class on blogging and scrapbooking called "Blogging for ScrapBookers" at shiemelle.com.  Hope that helps . . . Wish me luck!  I am honestly going to try to do better this time . . . . .

So what all has taken place since we last met.  Let me see . . .

• I did not take the job with Auglaize County.  I continue to work for ACESC and am presently and officially called an ED Transition teacher.  Great title for someone who is teaching math in the mornings and working with students who we would like to transition back to the regular classroom.  Unfortunately there are not to many of these . . .
• Aiden is well on his way to be toilet-trained and still is as adorable as ever.  His official name for me is 'Mena' . . . Love it!
• ScrapScription is growing faster than either Lori or I could have imagined.  We offically started our monthly kit club ScrapScribers in August and are preparing to send out our 6th monthly kit.
• traveled down to Hilton Head in June with Mark, Leslie, Chris, and Aiden . . . Hot, hot, hot!
• Lori and I flew to CHA in Orlando . . . hot, hot, hot and muggy there too . . . much smaller than the show in Anaheim but we got a lot accomplished and purchased
• bought the newest iPhone (3GS) and sold my old one on eBay in less than 30 minutes for $199.99
• ran over a dead deer on I-75 on my way to school one morning in late October . . . fortunately State Farm did not total the car and I now have it back as good as new
• sold the house in Hilton Head . . . Mark went down and donated all of the clothes to charity
• going to get hardwood floors in our main living areas and new carpeting in master bedroom
• started planning our trip to Alaska in June . . . we fly out June 11
• Mikey is going to run a limited NASCAR schedule in 2010 and Jimmie Johnson won his fourth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship . . . UGH!
• having my mother live close by continues to be a challenge
• leaving for CHA Anaheim with Lori, Mark, and Gregg on January 23
• my Uncle John passed away on December 18 at the age of 93 . . . He was married to my Aunt Jeannette for 70 years . . . Amazing!
• ScrapSchool 2009 officially took place on October 17 and 18
• Did I tell you how adorable Aiden continues to be?
• Christmas 2009 has come and gone . . . very low key this year

Guess that is about all for now.  Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Long Time, No Post . . . Part Deux

Okay, okay, so as a blogger I suck . . . .

Since we last met much has happened including . . .

• the county decided to close down my unit at Elida Middle School and after 10 years I am totally bummed that I will be switching buildings
• Aiden turned 2 and is more adorable than ever
• we, actually mainly Mark, are cleaning out the garage
• life with my mom living so close by is definitely an adventure
• there are only 3 more days with students this school year
• ScrapScription is in the middle of an amazing sales month
• Mega Meet was an unbelievable success; better than either Lori or I could have imagined
• I have scrapped a grand total of 1 page
• Did I say there are only 3 more days with students this school year?
• Mark and I made it to Washington DC and back without a hitch . . . way, way too crowded for my liking
• OBX trip got cancelled this year but we are heading to Hilton Head with Chris, Leslie, and Aiden instead
• Lori and I are all registered and airline tickets are bought for the July CHA Show in Orlando
• have a job interview tomorrow after school for a position in another county . . . not really sure how I feel about this
• hit an all time high score of 136,300 points on the mind numbing Bejeweled Blitz game
• not doing real well on the losing weight, eating healthily, and being more active front . . . there is always tomorrow
• springtime has finally arrived in Ohio . . . my favorite season
• sold my original PT Cruiser and am now driving June's PT Cruiser . . . hope to get flames added to it this summer
• Oh yea, there are only 3 more days with students left this school year!

Have a great Memorial Day everyone! I'll be watching the Coca-Cola 600 which ended up getting postponed a day due to rain in Charlotte. Hoping that Tony Stewart or Ryan Newman can win this one!!

Guess What's Happening Tonight?

MSU is playing for the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship!!

Go Spartans!

Play All Day ScrapScription Kit . . . .

Just thought I would take a minute and introduce you to ScrapScription's newest project kit, Play All Day . . . . Lori did a fantastic job designing this kit and all the little details she added are too stinking cute. Hop on over to the website and check it out . . . .

Cold one here today but thank goodness we didn't get the snow they are getting on the east coast. Have a great day everyone . . . .

Long Time, No Post . . .

Sorry about that . . . the days continue to fly by.

Since we last met . . . .

• I attended CHA for the first time in Anaheim, CA . . . something I can now check off of my 'bucket list'
• spent a great two days with my sister Cathe while visiting Anaheim
• missed going to my special ed conference in Columbus due to the weather
• Lori and I launched our new scrapbook website, ScrapScription . . . come on over and visit
• the Steelers won the Super Bowl Bowl
• I entered my 61st year but I refuse to discuss this event any further
• attended a scrapbooking weekend getaway at the Craft Farm in Somerset, OH with some of the girls from the Tarragon Scrappers
• my baby turned 29 . . . . you know who you are Kate
• IEP season is now in full swing at school
• NASCAR revved up with a new season and Mikey landed in the top 10 at Daytona!
• I started working out with a personal trainer once a week
• I started going to Dream Dinners again
• my cleaning lady started coming once every 2 weeks again
• Aiden is still as adorable as ever
• our "bonus" daughter, Julie, and her husband Shane, welcomed Hayden Bradley into the world
• it has snowed, melted, snowed again, rained, melted, snowed, and melted again but I truly believe that spring is just around the corner . . . typical Ohio winter
• scrapped very little but love what I have completed
• bought 21 packs of newly released Thickers from Lifetime Moments . . . definitely my scrapbooking weakness
• got all excited and weak in the knees as Lori and I took delivery of all the new products from CHA we ordered for ScrapScription future kits
• discussed with Leslie about finding our house in the Outer Banks for June but still have not sat down to finalize plans
• planned Mark's and my spring break trip to Washington D.C.
• tried to eat less and healthier . . . sure is darn hard at times

Well I guess that is about it for today folks. Hope everyone has a great Sunday . . .

Tampa Here We Come . . .

Well, not me, but the Pittsburgh Steelers, the AFC Champions! Way to go Ben and the rest of the Steelers!

Haven't been back to school since last Wednesday. Thursday was a snow day, Friday was canceled because of the negative temperatures/wind chill, and today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Only 4 days left in the week and then Mark and I head to Anaheim for CHA! I am so excited!! Meeting up with my sister Cathe shortly after we arrive and she will be spending the night with us at the DoubleTree Hotel & Suites and then she is going to the show with Lori and I on Sunday. Excited! Excited!

Did some scrapping over the weekend. Did this layout for my 2008 Album. Picture is from last August when Leslie, Jude, Aiden, and I headed down to Westerville to watch Josh and the Shawnee "Band of One" give their final performance of the band camp week. Been sitting on this layout since last fall, so I am thrilled to have it done.

Also did this layout about the upcoming Presiden-tial inaugu-ration to-morrow. Going to put this in my Book of Me album. Hidden journaling talks about my excitement about a new change in the leadership of our nation. Used a Valerie Salmon sketch as inspiration. Love how it turned out!

Well folks I had best get moving . . . still sitting around in my pjs. Have a great day everyone!

Two of My Favorite Things . . .

are black and white photos and freshly fallen snow before anyone walks through it . . . .

Started snowing yesterday around 7:15 AM and didn't let up until about 6PM. School is canceled for the day and the view out of the den is absolutely gorgeous! Blue sky, sunny, and freshly fallen snow. We were plowed out last night so Mark took the Corvette to work this morning. Maybe I'll venture out later in the day . . . . then again maybe not!

Tuesday's Ten on Tuesday list was 10 Things You are Good At, so here is my list . . .

1. procrastinating
2. "scraplifting"
3. being a mother (or at least I think so)
4. scrapbook shopping
5. writing an IEP
6. planning a party
7. being a wife (or at least I think so)
8. reading a book while driving in a car
9. knowing what is going on in NASCAR
10. 'surfing" the web

Just 9 more days until we fly out to California!! Can you tell I am excited?! Heading down to Lori's on Sunday to begin planning what we want to start to get together for Mega Meet. Then when we are at CHA we can find papers to go with our proposed ideas. Clear Scraps has already posted their new releases and the new arrow acrylic album is just too stinky cute! Can't wait to see what our other supplies have in store to show us!

Well I had better get my butt in gear. Want to clean up my scrap area and make room for my new Silhouette that came yesterday! Sure will be fun to start using this . . . . Have a great day everyone!

I Simply Love . . .

all the new ways to send a message! Our weather this morning is kind of yucky; snowing, windy, and falling temperatures. Already this morning I have received a text message from WLIO, our local TV station, telling about a 2-hour delay at Elida; an email from the school about the delay; and even a phone call from the Alert Now system that Elida is beta testing this school year! Love, love, love technology!!

Can you believe it? I actually scrapped this weekend! It has been over 2 months since I scrapped . . . with the holidays and all, things have been kind of weird around here and I have not been in the mood to scrap lately. Last time I actually scrapped was at the LM crop back in November . . . very sad state of affairs don't you think? Anyhow, the new year of challenges has begun with the Tarragon Scrappers and I needed to complete a project using a scallop by January 15. That was an easy challenge since I love using scallops. Here's what I came up with . . .

Papers for this layout are all from Scarlet Lime September kit I received and the design is based on a layout by Valerie Salmon I found on the their website.

Also did this layout for our January sketch challenge. Really liking how this one turned out! The sketch for this layout can be found on the Inspired Blueprints blog and I used Christy's 8.5 x 11 design and 'lifted' it. Loved how the green Bazzill cardstock went off the edges of the background and these pictures of Aiden at Christmas were perfect for this sketch.

Guess that is about it for today. I'll post my Ten on Tuesday list tomorrow . . . "10 Things You're Really Good At". Keep your fingers crossed for a cancellation today . . . Have a great day everyone!

Sorry Dick and Chelsea . . .

Pittsburg 35
San Diego 24

Great game! Big Ben was on a roll . . . Next opponent Balitmore and the AFC Championship!

Well the Best Laid Plans . . .

Supposed to be in Columbus right now putting together my Dream Dinners meals and then heading over to B & B Scrapbook to crop the day away with the Tarragon Scrappers . . . no such luck! Snowing big huge snowflakes right now and ice down Columbus way makes for hazardous driving and I decided not to risk life and limb. Totally bummed right now . . . .

On a totally lighter and much happier note . . . Lori and I are now official members of The Craft and Hobby Association, better known ass CHA. CHA is an organization of artists, craft/hobby store, and on-line craft/hobby businesses that holds bi-annual buying shows that bring together all the products manufacturers. Since our website is not officially up and running, there were a number of hoops we had to jump through to get our membership but we managed to pull it off!

Got Lori and I registered for our show badges on Thursday so now the final piece of our trip to California the end of the month is in place. We fly out of Columbus Saturday January 24 and land in Orange County before noon. Mark and Gregg are 'tagging' along and plan on checking out the sights while we attend the show. Should be meeting up with my sister Cathe right after we land and then we plan on spending the remainder of the day in search of the perfect scrapbook store. Saturday night Cathe, Lori, and I taking a class at The Red Bee from Tersea Collins.

Guess that is about it for now. Cold and snowy here today. . . Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Sick Day and Now a . . .

2 hour delay! Yesterday I took an honest to goodness sick day. Over Christmas break I contracted a case of conjunctivitis (i.e. pink eye but that sounds so juvenile). After going to the urgent care place here in town on Christmas Day, I got a prescription and quickly started feeling better. Fast forward 10 days and I still didn't feel quite up to snuff. My eyes were still swollen and stinging like a bee. Got an appointment with my own doctor and headed in there yesterday . . . hence the sick day. Looks like I developed an allergic reaction to the eye drops for the conjunctivitis and that was what was causing the current problem. Told to pitch the original drops and I was put on a new eye drop, to offset the allergic reaction, and a 24 Claritin tablet. Feeling much much better this morning!

Yesterday's Ten on Tuesday list was 10 Things You Want to Do in 2009, so here is my list . . .

1. return to the Outer Banks for vacation this summer
2. make ScrapScription a viable on-line business
3. read the Bible
4. read and/or listen to a book each month
5. learn to digitally scrapbook and simply scrapbook more
6. lose weight
7. run a 5K
8. make the appropriate decisions for my mother's care
9. start using PowerPoints at school
10. chill more and take time to smell the roses

Heading down to Powell this weekend to scrapbook with the Tarragon Scrappers. Looks like we have a number of new women joining our group, so it should be a fun day. Since I am going to be in the Columbus area thought I would take the time to stop in at Dream Dinners and make up some dinners. Lori is going to go with me to the 8 AM session and that should be fun. Going to be making five chicken meals, two beef, and a delicious sounding mango glazed pork chop. Can't wait to start doing this again . . . Love having great meals already to simply heat up and eat!

Thought I would share this layout with you that I did back in November while I was at the Lifetime Moments crop. Got the idea from Janna Wilson from one of her sketches from a Got Sketch? on-line class that I signed up for earlier this year.

Well guess I had best use this 2 hour delay to my advantage. Think I will go in and clean up the kitchen. Have a great day everyone!

2008 Favorite Layouts . . .

Saw someone post on their blog the other day about their favorite layouts that they completed during 2008. Interesting idea, so I thought I would give it some thought. After reviewing what I got done last year and taking layouts on and off my list, these are the layouts I came up with.

This is probably my favorite layout from my Summer 2007 album, which by the way was an 8 x 8 album. While working on this layout, I feel in love with the 8 x 8 format. Not really the kinds of patterned papers I normally gravitate to but I found this layout on line at Little Red Scrapbook that was perfect for the 'lifting'. Lori came up with the title . . . . which just happens to be the zip code for Freeport, Maine, the home of LL Bean.

Love the buttons up the side of this layout! Because I stopped on the tarmac to take this picture, got in trouble by the ground personal for snapping away. Oh by the way, another 8 x 8 layout from Summer 2008 album.

Pictures of the motel Cathe, Judy, and I stayed at in San Clemente. Love how the colors of the these old KI Fire papers and embellishments play on the Southern California architecture of the motel. (8 x 8 layout)

Scraplift of a Lisa McGarvey layout I found on line. Probably my favorite part of this layout is the angle of the photo that Mark took. (Yet again, an 8 x 8 layout)

This is a layout I worked on for my All About Me album. (Fooled ya here, this is a 9 x 9 page format!) Second time I 'lifted' this design inspired by Leslie Lightfoot. Love the look of the eclectic embellishments across the top of the layout.

One of my favorite layouts I did about Aiden last year. Total scraplift of a Cathy Blackstone layout. Loving all the small pictures showing his growth throughout his first year. Love it when I can go into my stash and find all the same papers that Cathy used on her layout! Most of Cathy's work is done on 12 x 12 pages, so that is what this one is.

Another layout using a lot of photos. Lift of a Tracy Miller layout I found on line. Started mixing 12 x 12 layouts with 8.5 x 11 layouts in Aiden and my 2008 albums. Really liking the look of 12 x 12 layouts.

One of my favorite scrapbook layout designers is Miranda over at Lifetime Moments. This is my take on "Mirandiizing" a layout. In other words, embellishing your layout with lots of buttons, Heide Swapp ghost shapes, and bling! This is also a 12 x 12 layout for my 2008 Album.

Loving the American Crafts travel papers on this layout and the suitcase embellishment. Got the idea for this layout design from Valerie Salmon's Got Sketch? blog. This layout actually goes in my Hawaii 2008 album which I am doing in the 8 x 8 format.

Another take on the same sketch I used for the 9468 Miles layout. Same basic desgn but did this in 12 x 12 format, used using different papers, and switched some design elements around so it doesn't quite look the same. This is my favorite layout of all last year . . . Isn't Aiden the cutest thing ever? I could just kiss that face all day long!!

So there you have it . . . My favorite layouts from last year. Have a great day everyone!

Home Again, Home Again . . .

Finally returned from Bluffton/Hilton Head yesterday morning. Our trip actually started out on Friday morning when we pulled out of the driveway at 6:03 AM. Then about 20 miles later I realized that I had left my large Vera tote sitting on the floor in the bedroom. Now mind you, I am not taking all the blame for this one because Mark vacuumed floor in the bedroom just before we left and claimed he didn't remember seeing it there. Ooops! Turned around and headed back for it . . . . my life was in that bag! By 3:30 in the afternoon we were tired of driving, and sitting, and we pulled off in Clinton, Tennessee for the night. Up and at 'um bright and early this morning and we finally arrived back in Lima at 11:58 AM . . . . technically still Saturday morning according to Mark.

Didn't take too many pictures while I was down South but thought I would share these two with you. The first one is my view from The Wreck of the Salty Dog, where we had lunch one afternoon. Also while driving around Sea Pines we stopped and I took some pictures of the area. Sea Pines is absolutely beautiful and tranquil to drive through!

Heading down to Lori's today to work on our new business venture. Things are really starting to happen quickly now. Hopefully we will be up and running by mid-January and I can let you all in on what's up then. Keep checking back for the big grand opening . . . .

Need to get pre-planning this week for next Saturday's Tarragon Scrapper's crop in Powell. Think I will head down a tad earlier in the day, stop by Dream Dinners, and assemble some meals. For about a year or so I was going every month but since the store closed in Troy, I haven't done any meals in well over a year. Lori is going to head on over and join me. Since it is so cold outside this time of the year, I am planning on simply leaving everything in my car while I scrap. Watch it be 60 degrees outside on Saturday and that plan will fly right out of the door!

Guess that is about it for now. Not a whole lot else going on here. Have tons of laundry to do, need to get the Christmas decorations put away, and want to definitely get back into the swing of scrapping on the weekends. Haven't done much at all since the LM crop in November. Have a great Sunday everyone!

And My 2009 Word of the Year Is . . . .

clarity. There I have publicly stated my word for the year and clarity it is . . .

(noun)
1. clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.
2. the state or quality of being clear or transparent to the eye; pellucidity

So what is your word for the year? Have a great day everyone!