A Babbling Brooke

I scrapped today...FINALLY

2009-05-11T16:21:00.001-07:00

I created this for the teacher that carpools my son. She's a new grandma. I used Urban Prairie by Basic Grey. I really enjoyed creating it. She loved it.

Breathe In...Breathe Out....

2009-05-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

That's about all I have extra time to do these days. So many things on my list of things to do. I have a literall list of things I want to catch up on. Things have slowed considerably at work with all the snowbirds having left, but my schedule is still full. I got promoted, WOOHOO!! Very exciting and rewarding after only six months, but I have worked hard and put my all into my job. My free time is spent with every minute I have with Ross. He mainly misses me at night when I have to close,but I expect this after him having my undivided attention for the past 7 years. But all in all, we are adjusting very well to my going back to work.

We spend alot of time outside. Went to the public library, finished his first major book report together. We do whatever we can fun when homework is out of the way.

He is growing up WAY to fast. Another thing on my list (this week) is for him to get a haircut. Between my schedule and the hairstylist's, he is LOOOOONG overdue.
Only four more weeks of school left. We're excited about his end of year party. Field trip to Jungle Gardens, yay!! Lots of pictures to update my blog with!

Let's see, what else has happened? Ross and I did the March of Dimes walk with Team Publix and had a blast. He walked the whole thing like a champ (5 miles). I also spent an entire night in the ER with him. Ended up he had Croup, seriously?!?! Learned a lot about Croup. Sheesh. And of course, I had to work the next morning at 9 so no sleep for me. Worked all day having been up for over 24 hours. But I managed. It has taken me over a week to catch up, but am better now. I don't feel like a zombie anymore.

Well, I am off to get ready for work. Have to close tonight. Day off tomorrow. And I am sooooooo looking forward to it!! Hope all my blog friends are well.

Post of a working girl

2009-03-09T09:58:00.000-07:00

So I had a few minutes before getting ready for work, and thought I would blog a halfway real post. With pictures and everything...WOOHOO! Not much new. I have been working six day work weeks since the end of January, but that will slow when season slows in the next month. Making money while I can. And that means that there isn't much time for much else. No scrapping lately, but soon. I am itching to. I want to take LOTS of pictures with my new camera which I LOVE!

We did go to Ross' family fun fest last weekend at school and had a lot of fun. REALLY needed some time together as a family. Had breakfast in the morning and headed to the school. They had lots of stuff for the kids and prizes and of course lots of goodies. Ross mainly wanted the cotton candy...pure sugar high...oh yeah

He was so cute. Loved playing with all his friends. This is Amanda. His very BEST friend since kindergarten.

And yes that look on Ross' face is PURE happiness. He adores her and she just adores him. They are so adorable together. May have to keep an eye on this...plenty of time to worry, right? They are still so innocent.

I sure miss my boy. Seems like we are apart more than together with my schedule, but he's adjusting well. And I was so ready to get back to a real job. I love it.

I spend most free time catching up the laundry and cleaning whatever part of the house gets lucky that day. But all is good. We are all happy and currently healthy. We have all had some nasty bugs over the past month. Ross missed an entire week of school. I only missed one day of work, but only because they MADE me stay home. I worked through with fever and all. Four days for the fever to break, but hey, have to keep going. SL only lost half a day when he had his turn. Thank God for Immodium. And bleach.

Well, I hope to have some layouts to share soon. Tomorrow is my first day off in nine days, and Lynnie and I are headed for some over-due retail therapy. Hope the shelves are well stocked, LOL.

So far behind...and loving it

2009-02-16T11:57:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to do a quick update and say I am still alive. All I do is work, work and work some more, but I love my job. I am currently on a nine day stretch without a day off, but tomorrow is a well deserved day off, WOOHOO!! All those dollar signs, yeah right!! Hoping my pal Lynn can make a run to to do some retail therapy, but that depends on if her schedule works with mine...sigh. We all had the flu and it was nasty. Took four days for my fever to break, but I only missed one day of work. They MADE me stay home. Ross ended up in the ER when the Tylenol wouldn't keep his fever down any longer. We are all well now. Sylvester got it last, but got over it the quickest. GO figure....men, LOL.

No scrapping lately, but my desk is calling to me. I'm hoping the six-day work weeks will be ending soon. Only time will tell. So stick with me and I'll post some pics soon. Hope all my pals are doing well. Come play on Facebook. Lots of fun!!!! Look me up if you know me, and add me, say hi!!

Mommas don't let your babies....

2009-01-09T16:38:00.000-08:00

grow up to be cowboys. Atleast not forever. Sheesh. They are some kind of grumpy when they get home....and dirty. Ross and SL went to work cows last week (Daddy was SUPPOSED to take pictures because I was working-but I have none from the ranch). So I took some after they got home. They wre F.I.L.T.H.Y From head to toe and tired. I cleaned dirt from Ross' eyes, ears and nose for 30 minutes and then he still had dirt after his shower in his nose. Ewwwwwwww!! But dang if he wasn't cute!!

Merry Christmas....and remember,

2008-12-24T07:12:00.000-08:00

the true reason in all the rush and worry of the holidays, why we celebrate this joyous day......

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!!!!!

We've been Elved

2008-12-09T08:26:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I've been tagged....

2008-11-24T16:34:00.000-08:00

By my cutie patootie pal Renee. I have to list seven random facts about me. So here goes...

1.One of my worst pet peeves is being late!! Can't stand it!!

2.When I put on my mascara, I almost always sneeze. Not sure why, I think it may have something to do with opening my eyes wide. Whatever the reason, it is most inconvient when balck mascara is combined with the violence of a sneeze, sheesh.

3.I LOVE anything chocolate. ANYTHING!!

4.I can bend over with my feet together, and legs completely straight, and put my hands flat on the floor. Not as easy as it sounds. Try it, but make sure your flexibilty is in well check.

5.I HATE doing dishes but LOVE to vaccuum.

6.My favorite color is green. I tend to think this has something to do with the color of $.

and #7.I can't grow a plant or keep it alive to save my life, unless.....it's a violet. I don't know why, but I have exceptionally beautiful violets ( currently six of them) that bloom on a regular basis and are huge! Everyone says they are a very hard flower to grow, but they must like me.

So know I must tag someone else. So, I think I will choose.....

Lucy

Can't wait to read her answers. She is incredibly talented!!

On the job front...an update...I finished orientation today, woohoo!! Start working on Saturday. I am so excited!! I will keep you up to date, but O am feeling really good about this job!!

WARNING Proud mommy post...

2008-11-19T08:31:00.000-08:00

That's right you've been forwarned that there will be lots of gushing and making over my handsome little man. But, dang if he's not the cutest thing all dressed up and in a tie!! He had his Fall program at school Friday, and he really wanted to wear a tie this year. They are required to wear a white shirt, black pants, black shoes, but the tie was per Ross' request. And all I could think of was the cute pics that this would entitle me to. So I just wanted to share some of these. He is a handsome little guy. Watch out mommmies with daughters~this one is gonna be a handful.
This is probably one of my favorites, as if I could have just one....as if...

he's trying to be serious here, but you'll see this is going to change....

you can see with this big smile, he's relaxing...and that means....

yep, here come some true boy poses....wouldn't be Ross if there weren't some silly ones.

and another one....

we'll end it with this cute cheesy smile. I have more, but I won't make you oohhh and awww any more than needed in one day. But he is pretty darn handsome, huh????

I'm going back to work.....

2008-11-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

And I am SOOOOOOOO excited!!!!! Just a quick post to let all my well wishers know that today was my interview. They hired me on the spot!! WOOHOO!!!! They normally do not hire on the spot and right now, with things as slow as they are, they haven't been hiring. But they liked what they heard and seen in the interview, did my drug test and hired me!!! EEEEKK!! I am so excited.....did I mention that already, LOL. God never let's me down. I am ready to go back to work for so many reasons. I'll keep you updated. Thanks to all of you that have been praying!!!

Christmas Workshop...

2008-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

Starts Saturday at Bad Girls!!!! WooHoo!! Free classes, and fun fun fun!!!!! Hope you'll play along!! I'm sure that Mrs. Wendy is gonna make it ever SO special.

I got the best news today....

2008-11-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

I am going back to work!!! Woohoo!!!! I have been waiting for a call back after putting in my application and they just called me this morning!!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!
My interview is on Thursday!!! I am SO ready to get back into building my retirement and getting back out in the work force. I will be doing what I was doing before I quit work to stay home and raise Ross, only with a better company! I LOVED my job at Winn Dixie, but the company slowly went down hill and has some restructuring issues and such, so I am moving on to bigger and BETTER!!! I enjoy working in customer service and working with people. I am nervous and excited all at the same time!!

I am a hunting widow again this weekend, which I am NOT complaining about, LOL. I enjoy the short time to myself. I can get so much more accomplished when my boys are gone. I always look forward to the minute they come home, but I take my time alone as a blessing! Here is a photo of the deer SL got a couple weeks ago. A ten point!

He will be on our wall. Not sure if I am excited about this, but it was important to him. So we'll have him in about six months from the taxidermist.

I hope you are all having a great weekend! Mine seems to be shaping into an exceptional one!!!!!

Be still my beating heart...

2008-11-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the cutest robot around! Ross was Wall-E for Halloween and this was a special day because it's the first time he got to dress up and go trick-or-treating. He was SO excited and So tired by the end of the night, LOL! But he was so stinkin' cute and has the Wall-E voice nailed!!

His treat bag was actually a small cooler and if you have seen the movie it makes sense. That is what Wall-E carries. We even put the B-N-L logo on it (AC Thickers and my QK cookie cutters for the circle). It was a great day and even though he got a little spooked we all slept well.

Hello Beautiful...

2008-10-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

How yummy is this!!! I am so drooling!! I love these color combos and the music notes....can't wait to get my hands on some of these pretties!! Go check them out here Their website is beautiful and you should really go look around and take in all the eye candy :)!!! Have fun!!

Yummy Chatterbox Goodness

2008-10-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

So this is what I found when I opened my Google Reader yesterday...Is that not some of the yummiest scrappin' goodies you have EVER seen. Chatterbox is doing this HUGE kit for Sam's and I am so gonna have one even if I have to stalk my Sam's club for the next month. And if I am lucky enough to win one, I am gonna buy another one and give it to my mommy. Or better yet, I'll buy a whole bunch and give them to all my scrappin' pals for Christmas presents. That way I'd be helping out my favorite company at the same time. Sounds like a plan to me.

Go and see all the yumminess at Melody's blog and if you really love me, leave my name in the comments and maybe, just maybe I will one. And if I win one, and you are a scrappin buddy, you're gonna get one for Christmas. Yes that is bribery....bwahahahahha!!!

Guess who came to our house...

2008-10-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

The tooth fairy, of course! Ross lost his top front tooth and he is THE cutest thing EVER!! And I'll think you'll agree that the freckles add to his charm. Sigh. But after seeing these photos, I realize even more how much of his "little" boy features are being replaced by his handsome Young man features. Where does the time go? I remember hearing grown ups always saying how time flies, and now I see it for myself. I remember him hiccuping in my tummy like yesterday. Sheesh. Maybe the next tooth he loses, I'll leave a note for the tooth fairy to give to Father Time and ask him to please slow it down, just a tad. Good grief!!

Well, I didn't make it to round 5 at Bad Girls TD. But I am SO proud that I made it through 4 rounds in my first attempt! And I had so much fun and learned A LOT. So look out, girls. I'll be back next year.

Finished Accessorizing...finally

2008-10-04T12:22:00.001-07:00

Class #4 for BG Top Designer was masterfully taught by Miss Bethany and it was all about accessorizing. I love this photo of my niece and I wanted to show how beautiful she is in this photo with lots of pretties, without taking away from her beauty. I think that by following the instructors guidelines, I did the photo justice. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The Pink Paislee PP worked out perfect and then I just started picking my embellies by my color scheme. I also used the circles to unify the LO and not lose the movement around the page.
Hope I make it to the next round! I'm a bit nervous about this week. It's getting crazy in the class now that we are getting near the end. Come see the amazing gallery at Bad Girls and get inspired!!!

One of my VERY favorite photos ever..

2008-09-24T07:28:00.000-07:00

And now of my favorite LO's EVER!! I did this page for Class #3 for Bad Girls Top Designer! It was fabulously taught by Miss Sri and she gave us the best instructions for a "less is more" approach for a great way to express SO much with SO little. I am SO happy with the way this page turned out!!! I have never scrapped this photo even though I love it so much because I wanted the LO to be perfect. And after reading Sri's guidelines, I immediately knew I wanted to use this picture and had a visual concept in mind right away. I just love the end result. It portrays exactly how I feel about my honey when I look at this picture!!

You should really hop on over and check out the gallery and pour over the amazing work there!! There is some amazing pages for this assignment and I pray that I did the teacher proud!! Cross your fingers for me and hope I make it to round 4!!!

Another Class Complete

2008-09-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Class #2 for Bad Girls Top Designer was Mixing Patterns. Our lesson was taught by the talented Miss Emilie Ahern. She explained the basics of mixing several different patterens so perfect! This class was a true challenge for me. I'm not really sure why, but it was. I finally settled on colors and found some pp that flowed for me. This was another fantastic class. I'm already chompin' at the bit, wishing I could start the next one!!

Assignment One~Complete

2008-09-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

Class one over at Bad Girls for Top Designer was assigned by THE very talented Miss Cari Fennel. I love this class~LOVED it!!! The assignment was layering perspectives and it was so much fun. This is my LO. I adore these photos of Ross. He was so amazed by the little snails in our backyard. I treasure this sense of wonder in small children and was fortunate enough to capture this moment. Cari gave us great instruction and set us off to our homework. I absolutly LOVEd this assignment and couldn't be happier with my work.
If you missed signing up for design school, atleast come over to Bad Girls where you can join in to get some great instruction from the uber talented Design Team. School is in session, WOOHOO!!

Meet our new babies..

2008-08-25T07:01:00.001-07:00

WallE and Eva (Ross named them). Our baby gerbils. When Ross' gerbil died we took two young gerbils from the pre-school teacher over the summer. They were SUPPOSED to be two GIRLS, but ahem, they obviously are NOT! They had four babies a month and a half later and only two survived. The small one is a little boy, WallE and the larger one is the girl, Eva. They are SO stinkin' cute! We have decided to keep them. One with the momma and one with the daddy. They are so loving and social, that I felt bad thinking we had to break them up. So now they will both have a baby to live with. And hopefully the method we used to sex them early is foolproof.... sigh. But they are cute!!!

Week In Review

2008-08-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great week this week. Ross' first week back to school was a good one. We all really like his teacher this year. He made a 102% on his first spelling test, WOOHOO! He is finding out quick that second grade is ALL about work and more work. Lots more studying and tests. Starting this coming week, he will be carpooling with his kindergarten teacher. It was a huge blessing that she offered us this chance. We will not only save some money in gas, but it will give Ross some more incentive to be more independent (he needs this badly) and will be fantastic when I go back to work. HUGE blessing.

Let's see, Tropical Storm Fay was a dud(thankfully) as it came ashore. We hardly got a drop of rain UNTIL the following FIVE days! Sheesh. Never seen a storm linger so long. We had no flooding (again, thankfully) and just a bit breezy.
I actually got to scrap a bit and am itching to get back out to my desk and create. I think I am going to start working on playing around with cardmaking a bit. Just to challenge myself some. Get outside of my comfort zone and push the mojo. I need to start playing with my Bad Girls August kit as well. I have a picture from vacation that I want to get scrapped with some of the yummy stuff in my kit. Perfect colors.

Hope you all have a great week. I plan to try and update more now that life is getting back in the groove. NEED that groove!!

It feels so good...

2008-08-22T13:09:00.001-07:00

to actually "create". It's been to long since I have been able to sit at my desk and COMPLETE a layout. But I did today and it felt so good! I love this picture of Ross. The look is SO him. And the little one of his silly self. That's my boy.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from vacation. We had so much fun and I'm so very glad that we took the time away for ourselves. It was WELL worth it. I have plans for layouts for most of these!! I love the jellyfish and the tiger photos!
Thank you to my pal Renee for giving me a cute little award for my blog! She is so sweet. If you haven't went and checked her blog out, please do. She is very talented and you will get a good laugh for sure!

Catching my breath...

2008-08-11T12:37:00.000-07:00

finally. Things are calming down. Seems that maybe we are getting around to a bit more stability and a little less chaos. So, where to begin. Well, back at the first week of July, my DH's nephew-the same one that I took care of as a baby when I first met my husband-who is now 16, had some serious reconstructive surgery to correct an injury from when he was younger. We were asked to work at the family marina while he was in the ICU for 7 days and while my SIL was home taking care of him. So we were very busy at the marina for two weeks and as soon as she could get back to work, I received a horrible phone call from my SIL. Her oldest son, 32, had hung himself and committed suicide. SO SO sad. It sent us all just in a spin that has taken a while to get straight from.
The same week, as they tried to get arrangements made and things sorted out with his death (we were working back at the marina just to help any way we could so that their family could be together), our nephew who had the surgery had some serious complications and set backs from his original surgery. He was rushed back to Tampa and is doing okay now, but is now going to have to have some more surgery. They feel that the stress and shock of his brother's death played a big role in the complications.
So, we have just been helping where we are needed. There has been some family bickering amongst a few of my in-laws which I'm sure has a lot to do with the stress. Just a shame that everyone can't come together at such a hard time.
We decided to cancel our vacation to the Keys. So many factors played into that decision, but I feel it was the right one. We did take Ross to Sea World and Busch Gardens this past week. We felt that it was unfair to him that we were unable to spend as much time as we would have liked with him over the summer. It has been hard on everyone. But we had a fantastic time and it was worth the five days away from home and stress. We are all refreshed and ready for school to start and Sylvester will be back to work next week.
I am so not good with chaos. I love my routine and stability. But I will soon have more time to myself and back where I need to be. I plan to start work after Ross gets settled into school. I am so looking forward to going back to work. Love working with the public. I'll fill ya in more on that later. This post is plenty long enough.
I'll post some photos of our vacation on my next post. I plan to be able to start posting regulary now that I can breathe some. Then again, life takes things where it wants and I'm hoping it's not back down the road of chaos!!

SO much...

2008-08-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

going on with us right now. I haven't posted in a while. As a matter of fact, it was right at the same time my life went completely CRAZY. I don't have time to go into full details, but my next post will. I promise. I have been working at the family business just helping out in a time of need. There has been surgery, death, family fights,and so on and so on. I am ok and my immediate family is fine. We are all just trying to hold each other together helping where we can, trying to get through this .
I'll post with all the details soon. Just wanted all my bloggin' pals to know I'm still alive and kickin'!!!

To long....

2008-07-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

since my lat post I know! Two weeks! Sheesh. Things have just been CRAZY busy. I got sick for a bit and then my nephew went in for some serious surgery and DH and I were asked to keep the family marina while his sister was tending to him. Just craziness. But I have been scrapping here and there.

I did this page for the Bad Girls birthday scraplift challenge. I had SO much fun doing this page. I have had so many people love this picture of me, I think I'm going to use it for my avatar. And hey, I think I actually look a bit skinnier, so yeah, I'm all over that,bwahahahaha!!

Speaking of which, my weight loss is kinda at a standstill right now. I haven't been able to work in my exercise anyhwhere in the midst of all my hectic crazy days, so I can't wait to get back on track. I am such a creature of habit.

I went and seen Menopause~the musical with my mom, and pals Lynn and Ann on Sunday, and had the BEST time!! We laughed for a solid hour and a half. I recommend it to anyone!! Made for a great girls day out too. I think we are gonna make it a priority to make this a regular thing to get together. We have SO much fun together. I love that we can just be ourselves and not have to feel like you're having to be fake or act like someone you're not. KWIM? Just having a great time together and loving the company.

Well, I need to go put up my VERY swollen feet. Working 10 to 12 hours in the heat is taking a toll on me. I am one tired chickie at the end of the day. Hope all is well with my blogging pals.

SIGH....

2008-07-01T14:46:00.000-07:00

So, I knew I needed to update with a post, but I have not much news or excitement to share. Not even any photos. I'm hoping that my creative/energetic spirit kicks in. Like real soon would be good.
I missed my weigh in last night~sigh~but I know that I am probably the same as last week. If there was a loss it was ounces. I know I haven't gained, but my losses are SLOWING way down~sigh~and I need them to get kicked in gear and maybe the rest will follow. Waiting in sheer anxiety to hear about a design team call that I have tried for~sigh~and I really FEEL like creating, but I go to my desk and then look at stuff and walk away~sigh~.
So, here's hoping tomorrow is a much more productive day. It will be starting with my 7am walk, so maybe~just maybe~it will start off GOOD!!!!
Thanks for reading my uneventful post and I promise the next will be MUCH better!!!!!

I've been taggged...

2008-06-25T09:04:00.000-07:00

By my my bloggin' pal Renee. Go check out her blog here Renee . WARNING: make sure you have no liquid in your mouth when reading her blog as it will probably hit your computer!!! LOL! She is so funny! And inspirational to top off her great personality. I love to see her posts pop up on my Google reader~look forward to it actually. So here goes, thank you, Renee, for taking my tagged virginty~yep this is my first one.

1.Ten years ago.
I worked as a directs receiving manager at Winn Dixie. (loved this job~gave it up to stay home with my son~best decision I ever made)

2.Five things on today’s “to do list”
Go get a new battery for my van. Do the dishes. Do laundry. Make two cards. Work with my Bad Girls kit.

3.Snacks I enjoy
Sugar -free jello pudding,WW yogurt, chips and salsa, All-Bran crackers w/Laughing Cow cheese, most fruit

4.Things I would do if I was a millionaire
Sheesh, this could be a lonnnnng answer, but I would invest a big part of it to make sure we could live off the interest and never have to work again. I would buy a new house w/ a scrapbook wing. I would make sure my mom had everything she ever wanted for all the stuff she gave up to raise me and my siblings. Make sure my son would be set for life-although it would be a trust as I believe he should know the value of working for things. I'll stop here.

5.Places I have lived
Illinois ~ MANY places in Arkansas ~ Florida

So that's it. Not to painful. Now I have to tag four others, so let's see. I tag..
Iris
Dena
Wendy
Ruth
Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 4 people and posts their names with links to their blog, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answers.
Thanks, again Renee!!

YUM.....

2008-06-24T15:55:00.000-07:00

My new treat to myself...and it is ssssssssooooooooo yummy!!!! Just add a splash of diet 7UP and you get zero points and a good relaxing buzz! It's pour and serve, no mixing required. It is a VERY good thing......

Like the energizer bunny...

2008-06-24T14:25:00.000-07:00

I keep going and going and....well you know. I lost another 1.2lbs this week~woohoo!!!! I'm at an even 44 now!! Some days it really seems like this journey is dragging. I've found that some days I feel SO fat and find myself getting discouraged easily. This is the first time I've had this happen since I started WW. I've had down days, but I have really found that I am having to encourage myself more. Not sure why this is. I feel better, I'm going down clothes sizes steadily, yet I just feel like I'm not doing all I can. This has mainly been an issue for the last couple of weeks. Not really sure what triggered it, I just know that it has affected my mind set some. I don't feel discouraged in the sense that I want to give up, but more so that I'm not doing my best. Truth be known, I'm probably not. I am still walking atleast 3~4 times a week, but have dropped off from exercising as much while at home mainly because Ross is out of school. I tell myself that this is not a valid excuse, but it's just that this is the way it rolls on a daily basis. Sheesh. Oh well. Just a hurdle I must get over. This is a constant war and new battles seem to imerge from no where. Part of my problem, I think, is that I have SO much more to lose!! I need to stop thinking about that and just moving forward. My pal Lynn made a very good point at our meeting last night. I'm a lot closer to my goal than I was, even if it is still a ways off. Thanks, Lynn. That helped me more than you know. I'm so glad I have some real friends supporting me. I know that I could NOT do this without them!!!!

Stellar Speller

2008-06-20T06:09:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was a great mail day. You know the kind when you get something really good out of the mailbox instead of junk mail and bills. I got Ross' end of the year report card and his SAT rsults. So I'm gonna just start bragging now and try not to beat around the bush. My son ROCKED his SAT's!!!! Now, I don't know what is actually on the SAT for a first grader, but it does show his grade equivilant and his national percentile ranks and he is off the charts!!

He scored a perfect score in 8 different catergories and the ENTIRE reading/spelling section he scored as high as he could. Yep, he got EVERY single one correct!! He also scored perfect in science and part of math, but his overall math was his weak piont. Anyhoo, he is atleast a 3rd grade level in everything, averaging at 4th grade and he is reading and spelling on a 5.8 grade level!!!!!!!! That's like sixth grade people!!! I'm just so proud of him. SO PROUD!!

Hope you didn't mind me gloating but I believe his horn deserves to be tooted!!!! Oh, and I got so excited about telling you about his SAT scores, I forgot to say, he ended up with a 95% overall grade for the school year on his report card as well!! Look out second grade........

Angel

2008-06-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is my mom in 1951 in Chicago. She is either holding my gram or great-gram's hand. I LOVE this photo. She was sooooooooo pretty. When I went through my Chatterbox papers, this pallete jumped out. I am so pleased with the end result. My mom liked it, but added after the fact that she doesn't like purple. But it REALLY looks good with all the other colors with the b&w pic.
Don't you agree????

So weigh in was good. Lost another 1.4 this week. Should hit the 45lb mark next week!! I am seeing my goal now. Doesn't seem so far away. Just seems slow getting there at times.

I want to congratulate my pal, Lynn, for reaching a big milestone w/WW. She hit her 10% goal!!!!!!! Woohoo, chickie!! YOU rock that scale you big loser, bwahahahahaa! Love ya!!

The simple things

2008-06-16T07:08:00.001-07:00

I know I need to slow down and enjoy them. Remember when you were a kid and loved doing the little stuff. Like climb a tree or just look at all the small stuff around you. I do. I remember not being able to wait to get outside and play. I want to get back there to that place and stop worrying about the stuff that really isn't going to change if I worry about it or not. I feel so energized and productive and hope that nothing will come along and knock it all for a loop. See, there I go worrying again. Really need to stop that and enjoy what matters most.

Not so Happy Father's day...

2008-06-15T06:38:00.000-07:00

...for many of us in our family. This is the first Father's Day without my gramp and my mom's dad. He was a father to me and my siblings because ours refused to be one. He was the strength and backbome for many of us and he is SO missed. We love you Gramp and it's not the same down here, but I'm sure heaven is a singin', happier place with you there.

We are celebrating the day with my hubby and Ross. Celebrating what we are thankful for and we are so grateful that he is such a good daddy. He really is. Ross is his whole world.

Hope you enjoy the day with your father-no matter who may play that role. And for those of us remembering ours, be thankful we had them and for the diffrence they made in our lives.

My Everything

2008-06-14T20:04:00.001-07:00

This would be him. My everything that I had been looking for all my life. So many times in different parts of my life, I had felt a void and tried filling it with things that I thought made me happy. Until I had him, I never knew what those voids were. He most definitly completes me. I am so thankful, so blessed.

I think my mojo is bbbbbbbaaaaaacccccccckkkkkkk!!! Woohoo!!

Found a bit of my mojo..

2008-06-11T07:40:00.001-07:00

I have been in a slump lately and while

walking with my friend, Ann, on Sunday, she mentioned her birthday was today. And I wanted to give her something special. So, I remembered she had emailed me some pictures of her beautiful new grand-daughter, Victoria. I decided I would make her a quick little brag book with the pictures. I hope I did such a beautiful baby justice and the book is pretty enough to show her. She is the cutest little girl. I'm happy with the book for doing it quickly. I'm pretty sure Ann liked it,hahahaha. She was a bit surprised and delighted. I'm gonna turn her into a srapbooker yet.

iPOD Junkies....

2008-06-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

That is so not the term that you would expect to hear in any description of my husband. Now, it's not that he isn't cool or anything like that, but let's just say that those of you who know him, also know that hearing that he even has an iPOD much less is addicted to the stupid thing is wacked. For those of you that don't know him, he is about as country boy as they come and would rather the world still have dirt roads and horse and buggies. Seriously. EVERY single time I mention the word iPOD and my DH having one, the person says, "Sylvester has an iPOD". Every time!

But he wanted an iPOD and I bought him one and now I am sentenced to atleast an hour a night to importing his favorite cd's into the thing. He HAD to have the 80GB so it could hold more. 20,000 songs more!! He will NEVER put that many songs on the thing. But he has the room if he ever wants to. Whatever.

For the past couple of nights, Ross has been getting his fix of the addiction as well. It's actually quite cute to see the two of them. Each one has an earphone and Ross loves to listen to the old Ray Stevens comedy songs. (I warned you my husband was a redneck). But anyhoo, Ross loves the one song 'It's Me Again, Margaret'. HE just thinks it is the funniest thing. And they both sit there and laugh at the same parts of the song. It really is hysterical!! Just for these moments, the iPOD was worth EVERY penny.

Well, I didn't make it to weigh in this week due to bad storms that hit right at meeting time, but I can tell you I stayed the same as last week, but it's that time of the month so I can't expect to much. KWIM? And coming off a 4.2lb loss last week, I can't be dissapointed either. Next week will be better. The bloat will be gone.

Hope you have a great week. Enjoy the summer. We sure are.

Lazy days...

2008-06-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

...of summer have begun. Although I still get up early to walk. Starting at 7am these days to try and beat the heat. We had a family day today that was nice being together. Really nice. It's till up in the air what we're doing tomorrow. Maybe a bit of shopping~for DH~which means boring tool shopping}insert eyeroll.

We're still debating what we're going to do for our family vaca. We have a cabin reserved for August in the Keys to go lobstering, but we are seriously considering getting our money back because of the price of gas. We just figure we could make some really nice memories for the $ we'd be filling up the boat and truck with. I am still voting for the Keys. I've been looking forward to it. But, reality bites. Gas is ridiculous. We're not making any hasty decisions. We have plenty of time to decide. I'm crossing my fingers for the Keys.

I think I'm going to stay up and scrap tonight. I feel a bit of my mojo. I have a LO started I need to finish and move on. My blogging pal Renee has a fun challenge goin' on and I think I may join in. Go check it out here http://reneelamb.wordpress.com/.

Hope you have a happy weekend. Make it a scrappy one!

No stopping me now

2008-06-02T15:52:00.000-07:00

So today was weigh in at WW and guess what? Yep. I lost 4.2 lbs. this week and blew right on by 40, yes that's FORTY!!!!!!!!!!! I am at 41.4 lbs. lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Woo flippin' hoo!!!!!!!!!!!! I just know it's gonna be another great week!! My new challenge is to be at 55 lost by the end of June. I can do it.
I CAN DO IT!!!!! There's no stopping me. That drive and will power has kicked in and I feel it going into over drive! I CAN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Perfect end...

2008-06-01T07:07:00.000-07:00

...to a busy week! Whew. I'm tired. Ross' last week of school was a busy one, but a fun one all the same. After the long holiday weekend, he went back and I finished helping Sylvester tie up some loose ends with the boat. On Thursday, Ross' class had a beach party and we had a blast! Ross LOVES the beach and the water! And mix in all his buddies and you have a party!! We had a great time.

On Friday, his classs had a half day and they celebrated the kids who had birthadys over the summer. Add some food in a mix of hyper kids who know they have four hours left of first grade, and you get a....headache. No, seriously, it was fun. So nice to see them all so happy. I of course got some cute pictures. This one is Ross with his buddy Damien and his sweetness Amanda. I love that they have all known each other since pre-school and are growing up together. That they are all growig in Christ and can pray together and learn the good things in life as well as get an outstanding education. For this, I am so blessed and so thankful. I have watched Ross and his friends grow and become close. He has some friends have to move away and has made some new ones along the way, but there are pretty much the same kids that are growing up together and it is awesome to see them be able to have that opportunity in a society where most kids are pushed through a system and hopefully learned the bare mininmum to move on. On top of his relationships he's building with God and his friends, he is receiving top-notch education. Again, I am SO thankful.

After the couple of days of fun, this is how Ross ended up Friday night. Fell asleep right where he sat watching a movie he had been waiting to come on t.v. Sound asleep. Oh, to be able to sleep so sound.

And last night we had our pictures done by a very good friend who had done a shoot for us before Ross was born and let me tell ya, he is amazing. You can check out his work here http://www.readphotography.com/. He is AMAZING! And a true friend. He took some shots that I get heart wrenched just looking at. It was an incredible end to a great week. I even caught a tarpon this week on top of every thing else! The photo shoot was the cherry on top though. It was something I will always remember and will have the memories to treausre on my walls and scrapbooks.

My Tarpon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

What a great day! I caught an elusive trapon! Perfect day. Beautiful weather. Seas were calm. No sharks in sight. Lots of tarpon~not many hungry ones. Mine wasn't that big~ only about 90lbs. But it was a blast!!! Thank you to my hubby for a great day! Now I just want to catch a bigger one...wahhahahahhaaaa

Been thinking lately...

2008-05-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

About lots of things. How blessed I am, my family is. Thinking about where I want to go with my life. Thinking about what I have done with my life since I stopped working full time to raise my son. Just taking a lot of things in and wondering where I will be in the next year. I have enjoyed being home to raise my son, but he'll be seven soon and I feel like I want to get back out and work with people. I really like working with people and with the public. I like to think I am helping in some small way in people's day to day. Sounds kind of silly, but I really like it. And I'm not even really an outgoing person either. But I take pride in any job that I take on and become totally immersed in it.
I've been thinking about people who have been in my life, a lot lately, too. Some have come and some have gone. Sometimes I think I try to hard to be nice to people. I think there are people that just don't want anyone to care about them. I guess because people like that really don't care much about themselves. I've been thinking why are they like this? Why can't people just be nice? Is is such a hard thing? Apparently it is for some. These type of people seem to latch on to anything that comes along and go for the ride until they're through using them and discard them like anything except another human being who has feelings. I just don't get it. It really bugs me and I can't seem to let it go.
And then there are those people that I know God put in my life as a true friend. Someone that you just know wouldn't hate you if you made a mistake or couldn't ever forgive you. The kind that doesn't judge you. A TRUE friend would never hold things over your head or take something you've said and put it into context that suited them. You could have them over at your house without feeling they were better than you and find faults. That realize we are all different. They would take an apology as just that. Not condemn you for being imperfect. I have been blessed with a friend like that and it's been so long to have someone I feel like I can really trust. It's such a good feeling. Sometimes the person you think is your friend isn't and the one who may have been off in the background is who God has put in your life instead.
Well, I've probably rambled enough. People just never seem to amaze me. Wouldn't this world be so much better if people quit making excuses and just did what was right? Now thats something to think about.

NO gain~NOpain..

2008-05-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

That's right. I said it correct. NO gain then NO pain in the world of WW's!! BWAHAHHAHAHAAA! I still have officially not had a gain since January!! So, I am at 37.2 lbs. lost!! Yeah baby!!! Not a major loss this week but I still had a loss!! And I had to go back and check, but this was not my worse week either. So therefore I am a happy camper!!!!!!

This week is going to be a BIG loss. I can feel it. Wanna hold me to it? Kay. I'm game. I will have my biggest loss yet this coming week. That means I have to lose 4lbs. which is my biggest loss as of now. I'm gonna do it. I can feel it!!!

Sugar&Spice...

2008-05-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

I just LOVE this photo of my mom!!! No, I adore it. She looks so sweet and girly. Then I look at her knees and remember all the stories I've heard about her growing up and I have to smile.

She was so stinkin' cute and had quite a bit of the SPICE thing going on too. That baby buggy she is standing with was one her favorite things. She said they called them prams. Sure mom, baby buggy.

I did this LO with some of the awesome goodies in my Bad Girls kit. LOVE these kits. Yep. SO hooked.

My next challenge will be to use some of these goodies to do a boy page. Yeah. I got a few boy pictures so I better challenge myself to think outside of the box. I do have some more really, really cute pictures my mom gave me that I am thinking I may do a mini album with. Lots of dolls and toys and cuteness that would look oh so amazing with my kit. Sigh. So many ideas. So little time.

On a different note, I hope to get out and catch a tarpon soon. I'm itching to catch one. But I'll wait until the seas are calmer. Not real big on the idea of being out there rocking and rolling with a 100lb+ fish on. I'd rather be a little more sure footed. LOTS of extremely ~~LARGE~~ HUGE sharks out there. Yeah. No. I'll wait for better weather. KWIM?!?

Summertime....

2008-05-15T04:18:00.000-07:00

I am so looking forward to summer. Just two more weeks of school. And a little more than a month and S.L. will be done working for the summer too!! I hope we do lots and make lots of memories. I can NOT wait to go to the Keys in August! And hopefully I won't be to awfully scary in a bathing suit. By August, I hope I've lost enough to matter!!

I did this LO for Prima's May skecth. I love the Dude collection. So bright and fun. The sun is created with Prima flowers. My guys love the boat. And all the things summer brings.

Tarpon have started running and I'm also looking forward to catching one this year. Seems like every time I was able to go last year, something came up. Don't have a pesky work schedule this year so hopefully I'll have more chances.

Have to get little man to school. I'll post some more tomorrow. My mojo is flowing so I hope to post more pics! Have a blessed day!

Quickie...

2008-05-13T04:09:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that I lost another 2.4 lbs this week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, my new obsession is to increase my weight loss to atleast 4lbs. a week. I think I can, I think I can..... I will!! I need this to go faster.

So thankful for the 36.5 lbs i have lost. SO thankful. But with SO much more to lose, I must increase my weekly losses. Hello exercise, you are becoming my new inner voice. I have to do more!!!

Wish me luck! I CAN do this!!! Have a fantastic week! Hope you achieve all your goals for the week.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

I have had a great day. I got to sleep in until 9:15 and then woke up to Ross running to get his card from the drawer where he's been stashing all the things he's been creating.

His daddy took him to town and said they had to go get some things to work on the boat, and I never caught on, because apparently he never told Ross where they were really going so he wouldn't blow it with his oh so suttle way of saying they aren't up to something. So I believed they were out doing errands but they were out buying a few surprises for mommy.

Ross picked out the prettiest bouquet of flowers and I also got a store bought card from him and daddy both. I personally love his own card the best!!! They also bought dinner and even though Ross wanted fried chicken, daddy was thinking of me and my points and got me rotisserie chicken. They also got me yummy spring rolls. This is one of my new favorite types of sushi and it's all veggie in rice paper. Delicious.

I also went and seen my mom this morning and gave her my card and gifts. She loved them. She cried and cried. These photos are of the little acrylic key chain I made her. It says-never, never, never, forget. It really turned out cute.

There are pictures of my gramp in it. It's the perfect size. 2x3. I used Heidi Grace's Oh So Moody line and the colors turned out perfect. She LOVED it. These are a couple of the pics inside.
I also made her a frame with a pic of her and I that my aunt took while she was here. I hand wrote the quote-A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unecessary. She cried over that too. Love that. Love that she loved them so much.
I hope you had a great day and remember to call your mom if you haven't already!!!

Teacher appreciation

2008-05-10T14:06:00.001-07:00

This is what I've been working on for Ross' teacher. I'm happy with the finished product. I love how the Daisy D's paper looks! Gives it a classic look instead of being too juvenile. His teacher is also a scrapbooker so I hope she will enjoy it.

I've been MIA for a few days and laxed on posting, but I've had a terrible head cold and feeling blah. I feel considerably better today. Looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning. I walked the past few days, but man the humidity has been awful. I look like I hosed off after I get done on the trail. I do believe we skipped past spring right into summer. Still better than some places STILL getting snow!! No thank you. I'll take the heat any day.

I'll post sometime tomorrow and show you what I did for my mom. She is THE best. Hope all the mommies out there have a fabulous day! We deserve it. There is is NO harder job or more rewarding out there!!!

Living to be a loser.....

2008-05-05T16:40:00.000-07:00

So tonight was weigh in and it was a good week! Down 2.4!! Woo flippin' HOO!! I was correct in going back to more of the fresh foods. I really believe it helped. My exercise was about the same. So it must be what I ate even though it has all been within my points. I'm SO happy!!!

Ross started his week off good. 100% on his spelling test, got his colored work hung on the teachers wall and started with a green. He didn't have the best week last week. Two yellows-both for talking. Sheesh. I must say (with very guarded words) that I think I see an attitude change for the good. He seems to be less whiny and has been happier. I'm hoping this is a permanent change. Then again, I'm not looking forward to what the next stage may bring. The bigger they get, the bigger their problems.

I miss my aunt. I talked to her yesterday and she sounded good. Pray for her. She finally was released to go back to work after breaking her arm so badly. She wanted to get back, but I know that it will be hard after being off so long. She works night shifts (she's a RN) and she has been off her regular schedule. I hope she gets back into the swing of things and God makes it an easy transistion for her and with little pain and stress as her arm is still healing. It was such a bad break.

Hope you and yours have a great week. I'm finishing a book for Ross' teacher as a thank you gift for the end of the year. I can't believe that school is almost over and that I have a soon to be second grader. Wow. That made me feel a tad older. But I'm looking better!! Ha HA!!

They do exist!!!!

2008-05-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Cutie Bugs!!! Can't say bugs are a favorite of mine unless they're this stinkin' cute! Mojo was a flowing today. Actually it's been yearning to overflow, and I have not had time to sit out at my desk for more than 5 minutes. Sheesh. But this was a photo that I wanted to scrap and I didn't let things like fighting with the pesky hospital about my bill get in the way

(I won that battle, by the way-$0 balance-thank you very much).

Always called my sweet boy my cutie bug and he still is. He wasn't quite two in this photo. Sigh. Where did the time go? I like the way the Technique Tuesday bugs turned out on the corners. There is a green one in the lower right corner, but it's hard to see in the photo. But I am really happy with the outcome. And~gasp~ I used pink on a boy layout! It just made those pink antennas pop! Hope you enjoy.

Gonna go create some more. It's that kind of day. Just wanna create today and have something accomplished and not just half done.

Slow down???

2008-04-29T04:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post. Last night was weigh in @ WW. Only lost -1.4 this week. Thinking I may be at a bit of a slow down, so I'm going to change up my exercise and eating a bit. I haven't been cheating on my points, but I think I need to eat more fresh foods like fruit, veggies. Got away from them a bit. I ate more of them for my points than I have been lately. So wish me luck. I'm VERY thankful I still haven't had a gain, but I gotta kick up my metabolism this week!

Have a great week!! Hoping it will be a productive scrapping one for me.

Mommy and Ross day...

2008-04-27T08:17:00.000-07:00

We had such a great day yesterday, just Ross and I. We got up early and got ready to go to the big event. The Webkinz Extravaganza at the mall. He was SSOOO excited. He waited all week to go and worked hard at school to be able to go. We were early before the store opened and he was first in line which pleased him tremendously! He participated in all the fun activities. My friend Jen, happens to be the manager at the store and she and her girls there were the BEST! They made the day special for Ross.

He had the best time. We then went to Toys-R-Us to pick out the prize he worked hard for by passing the next level of his timed math drill. He is loving all things Scooby Doo right now ( I have no idea why) and has been wanting the Mystery Machine from the show in a bad way. So he finally earned it and we went and picked it out after we left the mall. He has to earn the characters still by passing the next level. But no worries. He has subtituted with other little toys he has to be Shaggy and Scooby. Peter Pan is taking the place of Shaggy and he found a little dog that is the right color to play Scooby. Hope they don't have an identity crisis.

It was a nice day. Love when it's just him and I. Those memories seem to be a little sweeter somehow. Just doing weekend chores today. I want to work in some scrapping, too. Need to catch up from our day of play yesterday. Hope you have a great weekend. Spend some time with those you love.

Feeling yucky but blessed

2008-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:00

Been feeling yucky the last couple of days. Bad stomach pains that resulted in NO sleep Wednesday night. I mean none. I got to catch up on rest while Ross was at school yesterday. I needed it bad.

Feeling much better today. Beau is such a good dog. He stayed right beside me all night while I was sitting on the couch hunched over. He had to lay next to the bed while I was sleeping during the day. He knew I felt bad and he showed he was worried.

He is most definitly Ross' buddy. Always has to be where ever Ross is. If he's playing on the floor, Beau has to go get his own toy and lay next to him. Of course this also results in being dressed up and made to play in games of make believe that dogs only have nightmares of. He has been a pirate, a horse, a rodeo bull, a shark , to name a few. But he never wants to be away from any of us. Such a good dog.

Just being thankful today for the things in my life. Thankful my husband has a good job. That my son is healthy, smart, happy, and so loving. Thankful that I can be home with him for now. Thankful that the economy isn't hurting our family life. Thankful for my God and the many blessings that he makes apparent to me daily. Thankful for my family and the time I get to spend with them. Thankful that WW is working for me. Thankful for LSS"s and retail therapy. Thankful for "real" friends that want to listen and I can be myself around. Thankful for life in general.

Hope you and yours are thankful for what you may take for granted. That you have a car maybe that you can put gas into even if it horribly expensive. That you're healthy enough to sit in front of this and read it and not laying in a hospital. That you can see your loved ones while others may be lonely. Think about what you are blessed with instead of how miserable you feel.

Finished project

2008-04-23T15:47:00.001-07:00

Finally got the album done for my aunt and was able to give it to her before she left this morning. This is the third bird album I have done for family members. They are tribute albums to my grandpa who went to heaven last October. I love doing these. They are all different. Each one has pictures that realte to him and the person receiving it. I am refining the process each time and finding different elements for each one is cool.
Hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I did creating it.

I am so relieved

2008-04-21T16:19:00.001-07:00

So, tonight was weigh in. My scale said I had gained and I was panicking a tad bit. Okay, I was freaked out! I haven't had a gain since I started WW in January and refused to accept the fact that a gain may be feasable at some point. I was quite angry actually, beacuse I didn't go off my points -AT ALL- and I actually increased my exercise this week. So the possibility of a gain was quite frustrating.

But, thankfully, when I stepped on the scale, she wrote down -1.5. WOOHOO! Yes, ma'am, I will take that. Maybe the exercise built a little more muscle mass. That sounds like a good explanation. I'll go with that. Whatever the reason, I still have not had a gain and the smallest loss makes me happy.

It's getting hot. Perfect ice cream weather. It's such a good thing I don't crave ice cream. Chocolate on the other hand, calls to me. Sigh. WW has some pretty good chocolate snacks that do the trick. Can't wait to set up the sprinkler. I still like to get out there and play with Ross in the water. As long as I'm not actually submerged in any. Not really crazy about being in water. But sprinklers, squirt guns, slip-n-slide; they're all good.

I'm going to look into how much it costs to go the Y. Mainly to keep up my routine over the summer. Walking the trail now is fine, but the heat is definitly already becoming a factor. Hopefully it won't be to much. I can quit after summer and rejoin next year. That's the plan anyway. I've really started to LIKE exercising.

Well, gotta go make sure Ross is getting his math homework done. This week will be a bigger loss on the scales. I just feel it!!

Yumminess....

2008-04-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Have you SEEN the new stamps for Creative Cafe? UUMMM... YUM! Of course the specific ones in this picture are not in my possesion, but they have several others that spoke my name today! Love them! They match the previously released rub-ons that are oh so adorable. More inspiration has been shot in my vains!

Have to finish a project I've been working on for my aunt (hopefully by Sunday). I'll post pics when it's done.

Ross is a happy camper today. He is captivated by all things speed racer. I'm sure because of the movie previews. But guess what Wal-Mart had stocked on the shelves. Yep. He is the proud owner of his own Mach 5. So all is happy in the world of this 6 year old.

Well, I'll post some new pics of my project hopefully if the next couple of days. Hope you have a scrappy day!

Inspired today

2008-04-16T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling inspired today and my creative juices are flowing. So just a quick post and then back to my desk. In the middle of a project, but a quick post is never hard to fit in, right?

If you have ever used a craft knife on a project, then you MUST try the Fiskars fingertip craft knife. It will make your cutting jobs a breeze. You get no soar fingers and it is so easy to control. It is simply fantastic. It looks a bit strange, but once you try it you will wonder how you ever lived without it. I don't have any affiliation with Fiskars, I just love this little knife. Perfect if you have lots of detailed cutting or as in my case, cutting out the shape of a mini chipboard page. Go to a LSS that may have them to demo and try it. You will love it.

Ross is taking SAT's this week. I tried to explain the importance of the testing to him without stressing him out about it. He was worried that it would be hard, but after I told him that it was all things he had already learned he felt better. My main concern is that he focuses and pays attention to what he reads. If he does those two things, he'll ace them!

Well, just wanted to do a quick post and not get behind. Just gotta remember that it just takes a few minute and some actual thinking to do a post that is meaningful. Love blogging. So glad I decided to do it.

Have a happy hump day!

THI*RTY~!~!~!~!

2008-04-14T16:06:00.001-07:00

Spring means new beginnings and renewal as well as many other things. But new beginnings is where my heart is at right now.

I have lost to date 30 lbs. !!!!!!!!!!!! I am ssssssssssoooooooooo HAPPY! But even more I feel like I am actually getting somewhere and my goals are able to be seen at the end of a very long tunnel ahead of me! Next will be 40 then 50! F*I*F*T*Y! I can hardly wrap my head around that. 50. That's almost what my son weighs. I have a long way to go, but after tonight's weigh in, I feel like a new person is emerging. Actually it's not a new person. It's a person that I remember. A person that I liked to be and felt good about myself. I felt pretty. I am seing that person come back to life and it is AMAZING.

I feel for the first time since I had my son-almost 7 years-that I,me, myself is coming back to life. I LOVE being a mommy and a wife, but I put ME on the back burner for to long and my fire has been rekindled!! I lost myself for a while and it was okay to be where I was, but I wasn't happy with how I felt. I need to be that happy person FOR my son and husband. I'm getting back there, and it feels WONDERFUL!

Life lessons

2008-04-13T05:15:00.001-07:00

We were going to go to the cemetery today, but some things came up and we won't be able to go. I was looking forward to going. We haven't been there since my grandpa died last year in October. Saturday would have been his birthday and my grandparents 66th anniversary. Can you imagine 66 years? I know there are so many things that I could learn from their marriage. They didn't have a perfect one, but my grandpa lived to make my gram happy. He did whatever he could (even though she was an unhappy person most of her life ) to try and make her happy. He loved her SO much. So, I try to practice the same love in my own marriage. A lot of times I may not want to do things, but I do it just the same. Sometimes I can see his thankfulness, but most of the time it goes unseen. But I can try. A lot of wives have their husbands in the war or their work takes them away from their family. I need to stop and look at what I'm blessed with instead of complain.

My husband is a great daddy. He has been teaching Ross to cast his own line. He's been doing pretty good. You can see in this picture that he can hold the line and flip the bail and cast all by his self. He's still working on not reeling the line in to close to the rod tip. They went in the boat yesterday and practiced with a bait and he did really quite good. I am BEYOND thankful he's a great daddy. I never had one.

So, I've been scrapping lately and have some big goals set. Wish me luck. My passion has been set free after being choked for to long. Gonna get some things done this week while visiting with my auntie. She looks fabulous! I hope I got those genes and will look that good in my sixties!

Tomorrow is weigh in at WW. Been walking a lot this week, so hopefully it will be good news. I haven't had a gain yet and I don't want one! Yikes.

Have a great week! Hope you think about life lessons you should be studying a bit more.

And I'm off...

2008-04-11T14:42:00.001-07:00

....to the airport. Just a quick post to say I'll post some pics over the weekend. Busy, busy with my Aunt coming in and Ross only had half day of school today. Cleaned my car out (it needed it) and gave Ross a nap (he needed it).
Hope you have a happy weekend. Kiss those you love and say what you need to say =) !!

My Auntie is coming!

2008-04-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Going to go pick up my Aunt tomorrow from the airport. I'm really looking forward to her visit. It will be a surprise for my Gram's birthday. This will be her first trip home since Gramp passed last year. We are planning a trip to his grave and dinner with the family over the weekend. It will be a nice time being together which we do not do enough.

Hopefully I'll be able to spend more time with her this visit now that I won't be working while she's here. Maybe work in some scrappin' time one day. She is a scrapbooker as well.

Ross just adores her-the feeling is mutual I think!

She is the sweetest. And she looks pretty good for her 60's dont ya think? Can't wait to see her. Maybe one day I"ll be able to go to Texas and visit her. They say there are some great scrapbook stores out there-hee hee!

My bookworm...

2008-04-08T16:22:00.000-07:00

I am SO proud of Ross. He is such a smart boy. Not that I'm trying to be partial. I'm just really so very proud of how hard he works at his school-work. He is so good at reading, writing and his spelling is just stellar. It comes so easy to him. I am so glad that he is blessed to not have to struggle. He isn't exactly "fond" of school. There are certain aspects that he enjoys ( playground of course), but math is more of a challenge. He really has to "work" at it. But he did get a 100% this week on his math test!!!!! WOO HOO!
I just wanted to get it out how proud my boy makes me. We are so fortunate that he can go to a good school with great teachers. I hope that he finds school and it's challenges something that he will look forward to and want to do good.
Hope I didn't ramble to much. I'm just really a proud momma today.

I 'm a big loser...

2008-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

...again this week!!! Down another 2.6 lbs!!! Total of 27.6!! WOOHOO!!! I also marked another milestone last night. I knew we had friends coming in town and I was so anxious to see if they could tell how much weight I had lost since seeing me in October, And they did-immediatly!!
This makes me SOOO happy!

For others to notice is big for me. Anyway I'm thrilled!! Had a great walk this morning with my pal Lynn.
Ross went back to school today after his spring break and was not excited about it. He woke up crying at 5:45 saying he was going to miss me way to much at school! AAWWW! My sweet boy! We got past it. I love every stage that he grows into, but some days I really long to hold that "little" boy that seems like I held just yesterday. He has always been a momma's boy, yet he is all about being JUST like daddy.
Hope you had a happy Monday and a good week ahead!

Shy....

2008-04-06T10:45:00.000-07:00

...little violets??? I think not! Mine are blooming proof that spring is definitly in the air. Love my violets! They are one of my "happy" things. And they make dishwashing a lot less mundane.LOL! They fill the entire length of my kitchen window. Everyone says that they are one of the hardest things to grow, but I don't have to even really try. I can't grow ANYTHING else. I think they are just in a happy, perfect spot. My mom says my great-grandma would be proud of my violets. She said that she always had them growing in her house. Mine are all different varieties, and colors. Love finding different kinds whenever I'm out. I never knew how many different kinds that there were. The one in this photo was actually one I found on the clearance rack, overwatered, and droopy. But the blooms were so different, so I nursed it back and it's re-bloomed three times since.

Hope that you had a happy weekend. Take time to look around and take in the new spring life around you. It might just be what you need to pick you up!!

Dinner tonight...

2008-04-05T09:26:00.000-07:00

....will be wild turkey. Although I won't be eating any. It's best fried, but fried is not best while on WW. So I'll be eating salad and a Smart One most likely.

DH shot a nice bird this morning and this is the spread. Seen lots of turkeys, and got a good one.

His collection of tails is growing. He thought he would hang this one over my scrapbook desk and I said UHH, no. It looks just fine with the other ones. I need to now find something to hang where the that spot is so I don't come home to find some carcass hanging there one day. Sheesh!

Got pictures printed and setting on my desk and paper picked out for one set already. I'll try to post pics of anything I do happen to get done. Have a happy Saturday!

Water Fun

2008-04-04T07:56:00.000-07:00

We had a nice day at the marina yesterday. Ross just loves to go out there and spend time with Aunt Ruth and sit behind the counter with her. He likes to draw and then go out to the bait tanks and get bait with her for the customers. I'm so glad that he's able to grow up and play there and make memories. His daddy grew up there as did most of his aunts and uncles, so it's nice to see him follow through in the same place making lots of fun memories. He loves the water. I guess it's just IN him to love it.

We had a picnic lunch and he got to play with his cousins who he just adores. They're on spring break too, so it was a good day to be together. The weather was beautiful. It's getting hot here quick! Makes walking a lot more uncomfortable, too. But I went this morning and feel so good afterwards.

Planning on hopefully working on some scrapping in today. As long as Ross stays busy. I'm sure we'll go outside at some point later when it cools down. Not much of his vacation left!

Hittin' The Trail......

2008-04-02T16:06:00.001-07:00

.....the walking trail that is. First day back walking with my buddy Ann. It sure felt good, too. But was I ever pooped out by the time we got to the end of the trail! It's amazing what the two weeks off the trail from having the stitches did! However, even though I was exhausted, we actually beat our average time by 11 minutes!! Go figure!
Looking forward to walking again Friday. Gotta get my metabolism kicked back up where it was! I haven't gained any since I was I on the mend, but I only lost minimally. I've got some ever close approaching weight goals and I am feelin' the need to burn some calories!!
Gonna go have a picnic tomorrow with my sweet boy by the water. Spring break is flying by! Can't wait until Lynn gets back from San Diego. I forsee retail therapy in the very near future!
Hope you had a happy hump day!

Imaginarium Fun

2008-04-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

We had SO much fun today! The Imaginarium was awesome and we look forward to going back soon! Ross got do everything, even touch snakes and a baby alligator! He was so brave. And when the man was telling us about the Ball Python, he explained that she was expecting babies soon. After each presentation of an animal, he would ask if any of the kids had any questions, and Ross did about the python.....how did the babies get in her?!!!!!!!! Well the man handled it well and I guess we will be having an in depth talk about animals mating soon. Yay!

It was a great place! Lots of different hands on things for the kids. We picked a good day. It wasn't crowded at all. I think it was a great spring break plan.

Bye Bye tax woes...

2008-03-31T11:49:00.000-07:00

Our taxes are done and off to the accountant!!! I am SO glad they're done! I know, Iknow I could have had them done a LONG time ago, but my husband being self employed means it's not an easy task. Now that I'm home full time, I have no excuse but to "git-r-done", hehehe! And no reason to be scrapping more!!!!! My mojo is flowing. Have a happy Monday. We'll be off playing tomorrow-diggin' for dinosaur bones?!?! I'll post pictures later!

Check out my Slide Show!

2008-03-30T19:14:00.001-07:00

Isn't this cool? It will be saved at the bottom of my blog for you to enjoy as I add new layouts!! Hope you enjoy!

Happy Scrapper

2008-03-30T13:02:00.001-07:00

That would be me. Happy my mojo is back and I don't feel restricted as I've felt for about a year now. I'm getting back to where I need to be. I did this LO for a sketch contest and I'm happy with the result. Love these pics of my gramp and my son. Miss him SOOO much. Miss his voice, his advice, his hugs and kisses. Glad Ross got to make memories with him while he was still feeling well and got to know him as I grew up knowing him. A lot of kids aren't blessed to have ever known their great grandparents, much less have such a close relationship with them.

Hope you're having a good weekend. Going to have a busy week. Spring break has started and we have plans for quite a few of the days this week. I'll try to update in th evenings!

108%-A+...

2008-03-29T15:04:00.000-07:00

Is what my sweet boy scored on his spelling test this week! That's right, 108%! He got ALL his spelling words correct as well as both of his extra credit words- chrysalis and metamorphosis. Pretty good for a first grader, indeed! He studied his heart out and his reward... a brand new pair of Lightning McQueen Crocs he's been eyeing! We also got his report card Friday and he's still got an A average! WOOHOO! Only one more quarter to go.
Go my little man-GO!!!!!!

Want a PEEK....

2008-03-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

at what I worked on today? Well here it is!! I LOVE these pictures of Ross! He is so silly. There is journaling on the tag behind the small picture that reads: You are such a silly boy! And I am so lucky that you're mine! I love you , Ross! -Easter 2008.

I used Flair's Easter Surprise collection ( thank you Mitzi - treasuredmemory@comcast.net for holding it for me). I had a lot of fun with this. Hope you like it!

I'm finally scrappin'!

2008-03-28T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just finished a LO and submitted it for a contest. I'm very happy with it, so I hope those judging it will be too. Just finishing it and being happy with the results makes me feel like I've got the ball rolling. The juices are flowing!!
Spring Break officially starts tomorrow and we are so looking forward to it! Got some fun stuff planned. As well as getting some more projects finished and submitted.
In general it's been a good day. I just feel happy and feel like things are where they're supposed to be in life right now. SO good to have that feeling. Haven't had it in too long and things have really just played out for a purpose lately and I am so happy with what God has rendered as the final results in matters of my heart. It's good to be content. Good to have family and friends that you can rely on no matter what.
Hope you have a good day,too. It's a lot esaier to be happy. Live with NO regrets!
I'll post pictures of my LO's after I know whether they were chose or not. Cross your fingers for me!

Introducing...

2008-03-27T15:49:00.001-07:00

Lucky and Scooby. Our new Koi. Lucky is the mostly white one-he has only black spots with no other color. Hense ross named him Lucky as in the dalmation from 101 Dalmations. Scooby is the orange and white one ( Ross is infatuated with Scooby Doo right now). So all is right in our fish tank. And I have a content boy for now.

I have three differnet projects I'm working on. I'll post some pics when I get them done. My pal Lynn is leaving for San Diego for an entire week tomorrow. Gonna miss her! But I'm so happy for her being able to get away!

I only was able to take out two of the five stitches so I won't be walking yet this weekend. The three in the middle where it was cut the deepest have to stay in until Sunday! Sheesh! But I'm healing well and God has kept away any infection. For that I am SO thankful. I'll be still helping out my DH with the boat washing,but I will stear clear of the back of the boat- completely.

Scrappin is on my mind.....

2008-03-26T13:22:00.000-07:00

and not accomplished-fully. I have a LO started atleast. When will my hectic life just settle on down. Just seems around any given holiday that life goes bonkers for a few days. Don't understand it,but hey that's life.
Well, our fish went to heaven and we will be picking out a new one tomorrow after school. No tears have been shed so all seems to be taken okay. My boy is such a tender heart like his daddy. But he knows we tried to save the fish and has this to take solice in.
I know I said no more fish if this one died, but man, I just put all that work into that nice clean tank-and then there's the pleko fish still in there. Just as well to go get a new tenant.
My foot is much better today and I'm taking the stitches out tomorrow (WOOHOO) so just maybe I will be able to walk this weekend after all. We'll see how it feels after they're out. I REALLY need to get some exercise in-SOON!!!! I'll be calling my walking buddy Ann!!!
Have a great Hump Day!!

Prayer works!

2008-03-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

The fish is still alive this morning! Ross wanted to lay hands on the fish tank and pray one last time before bed last night and made me pray for the fish again at bedtime prayer. He's still floundering pretty bad, but our faith is still strong!
Why is it that a male can not rinse out his dishes or flush a toilet? What is it with them? They want a clean house but not play any role. Whatever. I will try with all I've got in me to raise my son to know better. Hopefully genes won't play to big of a role in who wins the battle!
Really want to scrap today. I want to start pursuing sending more stuff in and get published!! This is something that means a lot to me and I WILL stop making excuses and find time for myself to do it. I need to FOCUS!! My happiness seems to always get put on the back burner and I need to get it put back over the fire and let it burn.
Spring break is next week and I have some fun stuff planned for Ross. Hope I will get to spend some time with Shandra and Adyn, too. We miss them. I should be able to get back to walking this week or beginning of next anyway. My walking shoes are still not comfortable. Maybe after I take the stitches out.
Have a blessed Tuesday!!

It's official

2008-03-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

I've lost 25.4 lbs as of today-3.4 lbs. this week! WOOHOO! Love WW!! Can't wait to get back to walking as soon as my foot is healed. I have really started to love walking. Exercise in general has become something I look forward to. Which is REALLY odd for me. Never would have seen this discovery coming, but I feel so good after I get done exercising, I can't help but like it.
Any how, looking forward to another great week. Fish update: he still doesn't look good, but the fish tank does; all nice and clean. We still believe he'll come around ( God willing). Let ya know in the morning what the outcome is.

It's a Monday

2008-03-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Well, it is proving to be a Monday already. Woke up to Ross' goldfish half dead and I'm in the process of trying to save him. Sheesh! He is currntly in a fish hospital (a pot outside the fish tank) in hopes of trying to save him. We prayed over him, so our hopes are high. He seems to be taking a turn for the better! We've had it for quite a while and he is so big and really a pretty fish, I just can't not try to save him. If he does die-there will be no more fish. DONE!
On a better note, my little cutie is off school for a professional day so we have an extra day together. Enjoying having more time to my family and myself for scrapping. Tonight is weigh in at WW, cross your fingers for me. Missed last week due to my foot. Hoping to hit the 25 lb mark! WWOOOHHHOOO!! I'll let ya know my results!

Easter Blessings To You and Yours

2008-03-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

We had a great day together. Woke up to a very excited little boy who made out like a bandit from THE BUNNY! We went to see my sister in St. Pete and had a really good visit! The kids had a ball and we enjoyed a beautiful prayer at dinner from Ross! I love seeing the hand of God playing His role in my son's life. This is so important to me. I love to hear him witness to others and tell them how important Jesus is to him. I am SO blessed.
Hope you and yours enjoyed your day together and may God bless you all richly through the year!

In stitches

2008-03-22T17:37:00.001-07:00

So this is the result of being a nice wife and cleaning the boat-5 stitches (think it should have been 6)! My DH told me not to mess with the boat because I'd get hurt *insert eyeroll*. But while he was napping, I thought it would be nice to wake up to a clean boat for the next day of fishing (he's a guide). Well he was woke up to the screaming voice of our son instead who was freaking out beacuse of the pool of blood where my foot should have been seen. I had picked my foot up over the hose and kicked the *old* *sharp* prop. OOPS! Oh well, the boat looked good!

All dressed up

2008-03-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

So I like green and orange together, so hope the orange text is easy on the eyes. Wanted to share a page of my mom that was actually picked on Prima's gallery. Love this photo of my mom. The flowers were some that I won off of IOD. Heritage isn't really my "thing", but I wanted to scrap this picture. I'll be sharing more layouts with ya. Lots of new stuff making my mojo flow and I'm hoping to get to play at my desk this weekend. Going to celebrate Easter in St.Pete with my sister and her family. I haven't seen her in too long. Really looking forward to visiting and the kids getting to play. Hope everyone you love has a Happy Easter and remember the true meaning of the day!!!

My first post EVER!

2008-03-22T13:37:00.000-07:00

So, I took the plunge with a little poking in the side from my blog expert friend, Lynn, to just go and create a blog. So here it is. Actually looking forward to exploring this side of the computer. I hope those reading will enjoy my babbles. I promise I will be making some constant changes until this FEELS right. Still making it my own. More to come soon!