New Computer Woes

So I finally caved and let Dhubby buy a new computer. I even let him spend A LOT more than I had initially planned too.

The plan was this new computer would become my computer and then he would get to take my old desktop system to school, along with the new all in one printer. The only thing I said was I wanted to take all my files off the old computer first to put them on the new one before we switched.

I spent all day on the computer monday and didn't even scratch the surface of getting my files all arranged and tuesday it was just too much for him I guess to have a new computer in the house and have it just sit in the box. After lunch he dived in and set it up.

Now all my email addresses and everything are basically sitting on the floor inside a big brick. It just irks me that he couldn't let me do it in my own time. That he HAD to be the one to touch it all first. MEN!!

Going AWOL this weekend.

It is my 11th anniversary this Saturday so we are going to the in-laws, they promised to watch the boys tomorrow night so that we can have a little date. There are so many new movies out that Dhubby wants to see so we may do a double feature. Hopefully Grandpa has been taking his pain pills cause the rug rats are ready to play!! :)

Can you believe that I have been married for 11 years? Well you probably can but it seems like a lot less time if you ask me. Sometimes I feel like we just got finished with college -- can't believe that was 11 years ago too. Man that makes me feel old. Luckily my hubby loves me just the way that I am fat and old.

Doing it Digital...

I just did this quick layout today digitally. Pretty impressed it only took me about 15 minutes to do the entire thing. Normally would take me 15 minutes to maybe come up with paper for a paper layout. Dhubby took the picture of me and the boys walking at a rest stop in Illinois.

The kit is...
Daddy's Got the Blues
at Digital Freebies
by TracyB

The flourish is...
from 2Peas -- the January freebie!

So Tired.

I don't know why but lately I am just so tired. I get plenty of sleep at night but I just feel tired all day long. I don't know what my problem is.

My first Pinch Hitter challenge layout.

I had a really hard time with the challenges given to us Pinch Hitters on Have Your Way With Paper. Our sponsors this month were Karen Foster Designs (I got some February paper and some bowling paper and stickers) and Krenik (I got black, copper, dark purple and glow in the dark iron-on thread). The product that I got was really cool but it was the challenges that are killing me.

For the Karen Foster paper we had to use at LEAST 3 different fonts. Well that isn't too hard for me but the paper stumped me for the longest time. See I have a problem with patterned paper. . . For some reason I can't look at a piece of patterned paper and just see a part of it on a layout. I see the whole thing and can't seem to break it down in my head like some people can. I can with solid colors but patterns really throw me for a loop. And then well there is the paper that I was given A. my kids are too young to bowl -- so I don't have any bowling pictures. I did think that I could use it with some pictures of my son playing with his t-ball set and using the 'strike' portions of the paper and stickers. And B. the other paper is this pastelly (not my color) February paper (what the world happpened in February???).

Well I ended up using the February paper to create this layout. And now that I finally wrapped my poor tired little brain around it I am really thinking about getting the rest of the months and doing a page like this for every month of E's first year. It would really help get that album finished quickly and I can always add in extra pages in between the months.

So here is my challenge sponsor layout.


The fonts I used were...
February = Wild Wild West (cut out of KF paper on my wishblade)
2005 = Arial (again cut out of KF paper on my wishblade)
numbers and days of the week = Georgia and Georgia bold (my favorite fonts)
Journaling and the other stuff = my very own handwriting.

Here is a close up of the left and right sides too.

The Puzzle is Done!!

Here are the pieces that I created for the puzzle swap that I am in.

Theme = Americana





Theme = Boys





Theme = Celestial





Theme = Flowers





Theme = Quotes in Blue





Theme = Scrapbooking





Theme = Stars and Quote





Theme = Summer

I have 2 puzzle pieces left

and then I will be finished with the Scrap Spot Online's puzzle swap that I am doing with some friends. I just hope that they will all like their pieces -- they are due on Monday, so I need to get these last 2 done so I can get them in the mail.

And then if anyone ever suggests another one of these and I sign up -- please shoot me.

I love puzzle swaps -- I think they look so neat when they are all done but I hate how badly I worry about each and every piece making sure it is perfect cause I don't want the owner to be disappointed and then I procrastinate till the very end and have to work on them day and night to finish them.

2 more and then I am done.

2 more and then I am going to clean off my desk.

2 more and then I can stop worrying about how they look.

2 more and then I will post them.

OH my achy fingers from gripping the exacto knife so hard. I hate cutting around all those puzzle connector things. Why can't puzzle pieces just be square -- it would make this go much faster.

Top Ten -- Week 4

Top Ten List of Songs that has special meaning to it for you

This one is going to take a me a while but I wanted to put it up here so that if anyone else wanted to list their top 10 songs to give me inspiration they can!! :) *hint hint*

Top Ten -- Week 3

The TOP 10 Things I Want to Be Remembered For Are...

1. being a good person.
2. being loyal.
3. being fun to be around.
4. having good taste.
5. being a loving wife.
6. being the best mom that I can.
7. being a wonderful cook.
8. creating great things.
9. being smart.
10. always trying.

Pumpkins Pumpkins Everywhere!!

Well at least in my layouts, seems like I am almost 6 months out of sync with real life. It is beautifully spring outside. The birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming and the pollen -- well it is there too. Oh I forgot about bugs -- they are coming out too (lucky us, I actually had to remove a tick from I.'s head the other evening after we played outside -- ticks scare me!).

Well my layouts are all fall right now, I am at the Oct/Nov time of 2004 in my chronological order of scrapping. So I am getting closer to being caught up, although now I am really close to E.'s birth so that will slow me down since I still need to do his first year album.

But here are a couple that I did this past weekend.



I love the symmetry of this layout a whole lot!! Did the title on my Wishblade -- I believe the font is Markus the Cow (but don't quote me on that cause I went through a whole bunches before I found the perfect one). And I would like to thank MeMe from my Quickutz Yahoo group who cut out the cute little pumpkins for me! :)



Well here is my layout with the cute little pumpkins are made out of chipboard with a coat of pumpkin colored paint, some MM rub-ons, and then a good thick coat of UTEE to make them shiny. Then I decorated them some more with some paper ribbon and some hemp. Learned something this weekend -- don't heat emboss over ModPodge, doesn't work so good!

Now for some reason my scanner ate part of the layout tonight but I was feeling kind of lazy and not really like redoing it so the title is "St Joseph Pumpkin Mountain" journaling in the corner reads...

"Every year in St Joe they celebrate the start of fall and halloween by carving tons of pumpkins and stacking them into pumpkin mountain. At 9pm they flip the switch and light all the pumpkins. They also had a little fair with animals, ice cream, and rides. Ian loved it and slept all the way home."

Happy May First

Can you believe it is May first already!?!

Did you ever make May Baskets for your friends and neighbors? I think that it is a really cute tradition and something that shouldn't be lost.



I made it by taking a 12 x 12 sheet of scrapbooking paper, drawing a big circle on it (mine was 11 1/2 inches in diameter) and then cutting it out with my deco scissors (see they are good for something). After cutting it out I punched holes around the top too. Then I untwisted some Twistel and threaded it through the holes and made a handle with it too. The paper flower on the front is also made out of Twistel (I have been using this stuff up lately). I untwisted more of it and then I folded it up and put a brad through it to hold it and the petals are just green Twistel behind the flower. Easy Peasy!!