…. all the beautiful kits from the designers that I CT for, that is.  I’m not complaining though!  Bring ‘em on!!!!  I love it!  I have 7, count them…7, pages that I’ve done that I can not show you.  Some of the kits just haven’t been released yet and others are for the Digital Artist Magazine… December issue.  So far I’ve done 4 pages that have been submitted to DAM by the designers!!!  Wouldn’t it be awesome if all of them would get published?!  It would be like Christmas!!!  I would say that it be would be so nice that I wouldn’t even need a Christmas present but …. no… not this year.  My husband is getting me the new Nikon D90 for Christmas and I can’t wait!!!!!  I want it now!  I’m totally in love with this camera.  If anyone already has it…. please leave a comment and let me know what you think about it.

Alright… I’ll show you a couple of LO’s that ARE in the galleries or will be put in there by tomorrow….

first… for the Cinnamon blog challenge that I am hosting again this week…. I did this…

the above LO also made it on the Gallery Standouts blog today!!!  Whoo hoo!!!  You can check it out here.

the next LO was also done for a challenge… The Digi Dare challenge.  This week I am hosting the challenge so please go check it out here… and if you’re a digi scrapper -join us!!!!

Last but not least…. Holly (Holly Designs) has a new mini kit coming to Shabby Pickle Designs tomorrow,  Here is a little sneak peak at what I made with it…

The fam and I went to Jamestown yesterday.  We just needed to get  away and spend some time together without the computers, toys, tv, ect.  Since Thanksgiving is coming up and both kids are learning about the Native Americans and early settlers, I thought it would be a good place to go.  The kids really enjoyed it so I guess it was a sucessfull trip!  If you know me then you know that I took a ton of pictures.  I ended up with 215… yes, seriously…. and that  was after I deleted the blurry ones.  I won’t show you all of them… don’t worry.  I do want to share with you my favorites though…

As I was uploading these photos to share with you I received a phone call from my husband.  The first thing he said was “How is your day going.”  ~And with that I knew it was about to change!  Sure enough, he informed me that his car was being impounded because he had not yet gotten insured since his sister gave him the title to it.  I’m not very happy.  I had just gotten a ticket in his car last weekend b/c his inspection was past due.  Low and behold he got a ticket for it again today.  So… let’s add that up… 2 tickets for expired inspection + inspection + new brakes and God only knows what else + 2 court fees + impound fees =EXPENSIVE!!!!!    I suppose that 46 in tv that is still sitting in the box in our room (Adam’s Christmas present) could always go back to the store ~LOL!

Geez Louise…. I’m up to my eyeballs in new kits!!!  They are coming left and right from all the CT’s I’m on.  Let me tell you somthing though…. THEY ARE ALL GORGEOUS!

Two designer’s have kits coming out in Digital Artist Magazine (DAM) in December and I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to create some pages for them.  Hopefully this means I will have at least two pages in the December issue!!!  Yay!!!  Another designer that I create for also has an alpha set coming out in the December issue of DAM…. and hopefully I will get a moment to create something with that…. if it’s not too late.  Anyway, my point to all of that is… I have some LO’s that I’m very proud of but can not show you until the December issue of the magazine comes out.  I do, however, have others to show you…

this LO was created using products from Cinnamon Designs for the blog challenge that I posted… go check it out here.

the next one is a LO using mostly Rachel Young goodies from ScrapArtist.com…

I’ve also got this one that Janelle (Cafe J) RAK’d me with.  Her new “Frolic” kit is being sold at AfterFiveDesigns.com where her new store is.  Thanks so much Janelle!!!

there’s still more… can you believe it?  I’m telling you… I’ve been busy!

This next LO is from the new “Pixiedust” kit by Holly Designs at Shabby Pickle.  WOW!!!  This kit is amazing!  It hits the store tomorrow and trust me… you don’t want to miss it!

Another one that you certainly won’t want to miss is “Whispers of Winter” by cre@-Bisontine at Shabby Pickle as well!!!  I love this kit!!!

How amazing are these kits???

I have 3 more pages that I’ve done that I am extremely proud of but I’m not exactly sure when the kits will be coming out.  As soon as I get the go ahead… I will show you!!!

Tomorrow is my turn to host my first DigiDare.  I will certainly come back to link you up and show you the page that I made.

So, I guess that’s about it for today.  I’ve been super busy at work and I’m really wanting a nap.  However, since dinner doesn’t cook itself… I suppose I should fix something.

Ok… so maybe not quite yet but… I HAVE gotten all my Christmas shopping done!  Whoo Hoo!!!  I am in the process of finishing up the gifts that I am making and that will conclude the presents.  I am sooo excited to have this all done!  I was in line at 7am this past Saturday getting Adam’s gift.  The store was having an awesome sale on what I wanted to get him!  I called the store the night before to see how many they had in stock and they only had two.  I just decided it wasn’t worth the fight… but when Kaleb woke me up at the crack of dawn I figured I would give it a shot.  Thank you Kaleb!!!

Several of the designers that I create for have come out with new kits so I am in the process of working on some new pages.  I will have some more very soon!  Stay tuned….

Oh btw… my digi friends… I have posted a new challenge on the Cinnamon Designs blog.  Go check it out!

Before I go…. look at these cute little pictures I got of Kaleb while he was out playing in the leaves today…

see ya later!

It’s been rainy and yucky since Tuesday and the gloomy appearance of the world around me really put a damper on my spirits.  Hopefully now with the rays of sunshine beating down upon my house I can feel warmth of happiness again.  Fall is such a beautiful season but it gets down right dreary with the rain.

The boys have been sick so that hasn’t helped matters any either.  I took them to the doctor on Wednesday and Kaleb seems to be improving from his sinus infection.  Johnathan, however, just can’t seem to get much relief.  He has a terrible cough that I’m still not clear what is causing it.  He had been running a fever but that is gone now.  In return, he is now plagued with the bothersome routine of having to do a breathing treatment every four hours because he has developed such wheezing with this cough.  I am suppose to be weening him off of the treatments today but I couldn’t take the risk of him having an asthma attack at school so I went ahead and sent his breathing apparatus with him to school.  Maybe he will exhibit some sign of improvement once he returns home today.  One can only hope.

I do have some LO’s to show you today… first of all, let me share my good news… A few days ago I told you that I would doing a guest stint with Cinnamon Designs for this month… well it has already turned into a permanant position and I couldn’t be happier!!!!  So… I will show you what I made with her new Winter Wonderland kit first.

..

this next LO is from MK Designs new kit called Fall In Heaven which is available at The Digi Chick

isn’t he just the cutest little scarecrow?

ok… moving along.  Sabrina Dupre and Nikki Beaudreau teamed up to make this adorable collab.  It’s called Shabby Tidings.  You can find it at Shabby Pickle Designs.  At first I didn’t think I’d be able to work with it right away b/c I do not have access to any of my Christmas pictures from last year…. but then it dawned on me… and this is what I came up with…

I also have this one that I made for this week’s Digi Dare (#108) but I haven’t put it in my gallery yet.  I will most likely get in there tomorrow.  I hope all you scrappers will join us in this week’s challenge!!!  I will be hosting the dare next week so make sure you stay tuned!!!!  (if the newest dare isn’t up when you check this then make sure you check back… it will be up soon!)

Oh btw…. I “borrowed” Leslie’s photo for the above LO.  (Thanks Doyle)  She took this picture during her visit to Brazil and seeing and how this week’s challenge was all about hero’s I couldn’t help but to share this photo with the rest of the world.  I just love the angle of and lighting in the photo!

I suppose that about wraps it up for today.

Have a delightful weekend.

I’m sorry I wasn’t here yesterday (DAD) but Adam’s parents were in town so there was no time to blog.  There wasn’t anything to blog about anyway…so I guess it didn’t matter.  Today, however, I have plenty for you.

First, I want to start off my telling you how proud I am of my oldest son, Johanthan.  The boy has always been smart.  He is just, naturally, a litttle sponge.  He has known how to recognize each letter of the alphabet since before he was even two years old.  He started talking at 6 months old and never paused for a breath- lol!  His vocabulary has always been advanced for his age and his doctor never failed to comment on this.  The kid even had the hang of reading by age four.  He is even exceptional in math as well.   Today I had my first parent/teacher conference with his kindergarten teacher.  As soon as I walked in the door she told me that I wouldn’t be there long. She had nothing but positive things to say about Johnathan and even said to keep doing whatever it was that we were doing at home because it’s working.  I don’t take all the credit though.  Though I admit that I think he benefitted from the fact that I took my Pre-K teaching experience and applied it to my everyday routine as a SAHM…. it is still him who deserves the recognition.  Again… the child is simply a little sponge soaking up everything!

His teacher showed me the breakdown of the score sheet that they used to test the students.  Of 102 possible points, Johnathan received 101!!!!!!  I’m so proud of him.  She also said that he scored part of his test at a first grade level.  Way to go Johnathan!  Whoo hooo!!!

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Ok… so tomorrow is election day and I’m still not sure how I want to vote.  I found a site that list all the issues and how each candidate stands on them.  I’m going to do my best to read up on that tonight.  There are a lot of things that I think are good ideas but I wonder if it’s just a quick fix that is going to end up hurting us in the long run.  I hate the fact that no one tells you what COULD happen to the economy if a certain plan goes into effect.  ~Or maybe someone has and I’ve just missed it.  If that’s the case… please feel free to inform me.  I want to make the most informed decision that I can.

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Since Johnathan only had a 1/2 day at school today I decided to take the boys out to lunch when I got him off the bus.  On the way we saw some of the most BEAUTIFUL trees in all their autumn glory.  Luckily I had my camera in the car so I could capture the sight and share it with you.

My boys and my brothers decided to play a little football today.  I had gone outside to tell them it was time to go and couldn’t help but let them continue in their “game” since I knew it was a good photo opportunity.  The rustic autumn scene and the boys in their sweaters was too much to resist.  Granted, most of the pictures came out blurry so I don’t have as many as I wanted.  I CAN’T WAIT TO GET A NEW CAMERA!!!!!

Alright… I’ll be back tomorrow to show you my newest LO that I did for MK Designs.

I hate being sick.  I know that no one likes it…. but I seriously feel like my house falls apart when I’m under the weather!  I can’t take it.  I’ve got to get back into action…. tomorrow.

Halloween went OK.  We never did end up trick or treating in the neighborhood.  The boys and I were all sick.  Johnathan even started running a fever just before we went out.  I decided at that point we were just going to go do the  “Trunk of Treat”/ Fall Festival that was going on at church.  I wanted to let the kids participate in the Halloween festivities but I didn’t want to overdo it and make them feel worse.  They both took a dose of Tylenol Cold and we were on our way.  Johnathan’s fever was gone in no time and we were off to have some fun.

I’ve got some good news on the scrapping end of my life… I get to be a guest for Cinnamon Designs this month!!!!  I’ve wanted to be on this CT for sooooo long.  I didn’t apply when Nathy first opened her shop and I’ve been kicking myself ever since!  Here is what I did with her latest kit “Happiness”…

That’s all.

Ciao.

This post will be short and sweet… the whole family has come down with the sicky ickies just in time for trick or treating.  It’s not going to stop us though.  The kids will be bundled up and Adam and I will just have to intoxicate ourselves with NyQuil when it’s all done.  That’s the price you pay to see your children smile I suppose.  I was suppose to be joining in Halloween festivities with my own friends tonight but I just don’t think that’s going to happen now.  What a bummer!

Ok… the real reason I am here is to show you this adorable LO I made last night…

I used the “Beyond the Rainbow” kit by Sabrina Dupre and Faith True at Shabby Pickle Designs.  The kit is obviously inspired by The Wizard of Oz and is OH SO CUTE!  The frame is by Jen U Designs and the stitching is from Syrin at Catscrap.

I’m sure I’ll have a ton of pictures to show you tomorrow… provided I even feel like getting on the computer.  Oh wait!- … tomorrow is Digital Scrapbooking Day where there is a sale in every store imaginable… oh yes, I’ll be online.

See ya tomorrow.

We now have 6 pumpkins!  The boys each carved their own Jack-O-Latern tonight from the pumpkins they got at the pumpkin patch.  I also brought home the pumpkin that I carved with my Pre-K class since we won’t be back in school until Tuesday.  Kaleb got to decorate and draw a face on a pumpkin in choir class at church last night so that’s one more.  Then… there’s always the other two little “pie” pumpkins that they got at the Fall Festival last Saturday.

The boys did such a good job carving their own pumpkins tonight!  Johnathan’s pumpkin was already starting to get a little soft so I had to work on it with him to make sure it didn’t get ruined while cutting.  However, he pretty much controlled the little carving tool the whole time.  Kaleb INSISTED on doing it by himself… and so he did.  I was IMPRESSED!  Tonight they reminded me that sometimes we just have to let go and see what they are capable of.  Most of the  time it’s easier to just help them b/c we’re afraid they’re going to get hurt or make a big mess, ect.  However, if we don’t let go… we’re hendering as much as we are helping!

Today was also the Halloween party at Kaleb’s school (my work).  Kaleb was soooo cute.  Everyone commented how adorable he was!  He seriously was the cutest one there… and I’m not just saying that b/c I’m his mom… people told me so!  LOL!

Here are a couple of pictures I managed to get…

Alright… moving on.  I rejoined LaurieAnn’s CT.  I really missed her designs.  She put out a new kit while I was taking my little break.  I’ve got it now and here is what I did with her new -Heartstrings - available at Scrap Artist…

I will also be putting this one in the gallery either tomorrow or Saturday.  It is made with O.N. Designs new Grab Bag (no.11) along with a few elements from their “Harmony” kit…

I guess that about wraps it up for tonight!

I know.  ~But I’ve also been a very busy mother, teacher, taxi, doctor, friend, and wife.

Ok… on to an important topic… the presidential election.

A campaign commercial came on the television so I decided to make it a “teachable moment.”  I started to tell Johnathan about how it was time to pick a new president and how we do that with an election.  To my surprise, he turned around and started telling ME how an election works!  GREAT JOB KIDDO!  I knew there was some buzz going on around the school regarding the election but I didn’t realize they learned (or even retained) that much information about it.  I was quite impressed with Johnathan.  I, personally, still am a little unsure of who I think the better candidate to vote for is… they both have their good and bad.  However, Johnathan has chosen to vote for John McCain.  When I asked him why he chose that candidate he said “because he has part of my name.”  LOL- I knew that was coming.  Apparently, in Johnathan’s world, anyone who shares his name or even part of it must be one cool dude.

I have some goodies to show you.

first… a new LO made with a collab that Holly did with Kasia at Shabby Pickle Designs -called Blast off!

you have to check out that whole kit…. it’s amazing!!!!

Next… I have a LO that I did with Shabby Miss Jenn’s new kit -Grandma’s Scrapbook… I just love this kit!!!

I’ve got one more that I’ll be putting in the gallery tomorrow.  I used Rachel Young’s new papers and awesome leaves that she has at Scrap Artist…

Tomorrow is our Halloween party at North Run where I teach.  I can’t wait to get Kaleb dressed up in his scarecrow costume again!  He’s just too cute!  Johnathan’s class is having an “Autumn Party.”  They can’t wear costumes of any kind at school… and it’s not even a real Halloween party.  Phoofey on them!

Ok… gotta go.  I need a little nappy nap.  The boys have started back up with choir practice and mission friends at church on Wednesday nights.  I am actually going to be in the Christmas program this year as part of the choir and we have practice tonight as well.

I worked really hard on Johnathan’s Optimus Prime costume so that he might have a chance at winning one of this year’s Halloween costume contests.  While his costume didn’t turn out exactly like I had hoped it was still contest worthy.  The rain, however, had other plans for us.  Although we weren’t able to make it to any of the costume contest, we did go to the Fall Festival at Johnathan’s school.  It too was suppose to be outside but got moved inside due to the rain.  With everything being held in the cafeteria it made it loud and cramped!  The boys decorated pumpkins, got their faces painted, played a few games, and threw pies at Johnathan’s teacher.  That was about all Adam and I could take.  It was a short experience but a fun one for the kiddos.  Naturally I got some pictures.  I love the one of Ms. Green after Johnathan hummed his pie at her.  He smacked her straight in the forhead.  LOL.

meet Optimus Prime

Decorating pumpkins

Face Painting

I’ve got one LO to show you.  It’s not in my galleries yet but will be by Monday…

Everything that I used in this LO is from the collab that MK Designs did with Lia Designs called A Godsend