Feeling Special...

This was a busy busy weekend. It was very fun & felt like it was all about me. Such a pleasant change since so much of my life seems to revolve around everyone else. Something that I am sure most mothers can relate to.

It started on Friday with the mad rush to finish cleaning up the house for the arrival of my mother & her husband. All the kids were heading off to spend the weekend with their other parents. After the house was clean & the kids were safely on their way, I headed over the the Bound Brook Elks club to drop off some last minute items & see how things were progressing for the Casino Ball.

After that I headed over to my local scrapbook store for a special sale & some make 'n takes. I bought some really fun stuff & started a project that I need to finish up. Hopefully later today. I won't post it for awhile because...shhh...it is a gift for my mom.

When I got home that evening my husband David had made me dinner & had a glass of wine poured. Talk about feeling pampered.

Late that night my Mom & her husband arrived. We only talked for a bit before I was just too tired to stay up another minute.

Saturday was the "Mom & Me" day...we got manicures & pedicures...got our hair done...& had a yummy sushi lunch just the two of us.
That night was the Casino Ball...here I am from a picture on my cell phone. We didn't have our camera & I am still waiting on some shots from my Aunt Beverly's camera.

Here is a picture of the plaque they presented me along side the flowers from my husband. He introduced me with a speech that brought me to tears. It was such a gift to have him support me & love me like that.

Overall it was a fun night.

On Sunday I brought my mom out to breakfast at the local diner before they headed back to Maryland.

Then I went off to meet my scrapping friend Jenn at another scrapbook store for more shopping & lunch. It was so great to get to know her better.

And believe it or not...when I got home I got cleaned up & headed out for a two hour board meeting for our swim club.

So like I said busy busy weekend...but it did make me feel special.

Today I am just finishing up odds & ends...a little scrapping, a little cleaning, catching up on blogs, & general things like that.

Hope you all had a great weekend too!

I made the top ten!

I am participating in an American Idol themed scrap challenge on Scrap-tastic.
Each round has a challenge that we need to make a layout for For round 7 here was the challenge...

Rock Star Style
This week's challenge is a product-based challenge.

Select THREE of the following products to include on your lay-out:
black cardstock background
lace
bling (such as gems, glitter, or Stickles)
metal (heavier metal than staples, please)
vinyl or leather
paint
transparency
anything animal print
sheet music

(NOTE: A product that fits two categories only counts once. For example, a leopard print transparency can be counted only once as either a transparency or anything animal print.)

The lay-out can be any theme and any size. We are looking for you to prominently feature each of the three items you chose in your design.

Here was my layout...



I used vinyl letters, a fancy pants transparency, & lots of stickles for bling.

This has been totally fun...the layouts everyone has been making have been fabulous.
I am so psyched to be moving on to round number 8. I am in the top ten baby!!

What an honor...

My friends Jen & Amy awarded me the Arte y Pico award. Thanks guys!! The idea of this award is to pass it on to five other bloggers whom you think are creative and contribute a lot to the blogging community.

So here are my fab five bloggers...

Gabi
Jenn
Lauren
Jake
Niki

I wouldn't be surprised if some of these fine ladies have already been given this award...they certainly deserve it!

On another note I am being honored at this ball on Saturday night. It is really such a fun time. If any of you are local & would like to come, please let me know. I have some free tickets & I would be happy to pass them along.



There are some awesome prizes like coach bags, an iPod nano, & even a Wii.

My husband is turning forty...

The big four-ohhh!! How can this be possible?!?! I am only like 24 years old right?!?! Oh no... that's right I am also going to 40... in July just a few months away! It is so hard to believe the years seem to be flying by. Actually being in our forties feels pretty good to me. I am exactly where I want to be. David'd actually birthday is April 15th...but it is a tradition in my house to celebrate birthdays as often as possible. So we will be saying "happy birthday" in as many ways as possible over the next month.

We had a busy weekend. My father in law & his wife Willean flew up from Florida for the weekend. We had lunch on Saturday & then headed out to the Flemmingotn outlets to do a bit of shopping. I threw a birthday dinner party on Saturday night at our friend's restaurant, the Spice of Life. We had a nice little group of friends to celebrate with, it was a great time. We had lots of yummy food & some really nice wine. The restaurant has been totally renovated since the damage from the flood. If you are local, take the time to check it out. The food is excellent, you won't be dissapointed. Introduce yourself to the owner Fred Llavarias & tell him we sent you. He is a fabulous host & will make you feel right at home.

Of course I was in such a hurry to get to the dinner, I forgot my camera. Luckily my father in law saved the day. He had his camera & got a few shots.

David is on the right with his cool new Tommy Bahama shirt. Lori & Chris are on the left. That is our friend & the restaurant owner, Fred, pouring the wine.

David's father & his wife Willean.

The whole group of us

I am not sure what David is doing with his hand in this shot...he really hadn't had any wine yet...so I can't blame it on that.

Willean, Cindy & Mark.

Bob, David, & Willean

Thank you to all who came to celebrate with us. David had a great time & it meant so much to him.

Please don't forget...there are still a few days to enter at Scrapdragon...click here to find out more!

Woo Hoo!!

Some exciting news here...

On a whim I decided to submit a few layouts for a page call at ScrapStreet.com!

Well I just got an email today & they are taking one for the May issue. So be sure to head over there & check it out.

Also, I made it through to round #6 of the American Idol scrap challenge over at Scrap-tastic I am in.

Here is the latest challenge...

Show us your cd cover!
Imagine you won American Idol and you are about to release your very first cd. What would you name it? What would the cover look like? Here's your chance to show us! Make sure it's a 12"x12" page.

Here is what I came up with...

The album title "Running with Scissors" just popped into my head with this challenge. I wanted something funky & this picture of Rachel with the clay mouth & eyes she made just seemed to fit. This was really fun to play with. I plan to start an art journal for myself & use this as the first page.

Two Peas Blog Challenge for today: What do you desire? (list everything)

Well, I don't know about everything...but here is a page I did for Round #5 at Scrap-tastic of my Diva Demands & these will do nicely...to start...

Here is what it says...

I want it all & I want it now!(do you think that makes me a diva?)

1.a personal chef to create yummy lo-cal meals

2. A full time housekeeper

3. an awesome stylist to keep me in style & looking cool.

4. Always plenty of Pelligrino with fresh lemon

5. A personal massage therapist.

6. A scrap room-organized & well stocked

7. An IPhone to keep me connected

8. A personal trainer to whip me into shape.

And lastly...If you need a challenge...click here....I dare you!!

Oh what a busy day...

I usually like lazy Sundays. The kind of day that you can get all those little projects done, maybe stay in your jammies, or lay around & watch movies. If it is a nice day I might even go outside & do some yard work. I kind of like to be home on Sunday & puttering around. Yesterday was not one of those days, but it was so much fun!

First, I couldn't really sleep. It was one of those nights where you toss & turn all night. So finally at around 7:30am I gave up & came downstairs. I had a sketch drawn & a picture printed for a layout I wanted to complete. I headed down to my scrap room & spent an hour working on it. It was a challenge for an American Idol themed scrap contest I am in. The requirements were to use a medium or large circle, to scrap at least 8 diva demands, & it was to be a two page layout. The contest is being held over at Scrap-tastic. Here is my take on the challenge:

I am really having fun with these challenges, they are not what I would usually scrap & I like that.

At noon we headed out to see My sister-in-law Jennifer in the play "Working" out near Philadelphia. She is so amazingly talented & it is always fun to see her in action.

I had to play with the camera to get good shots without my flash.

Jennifer during her big scene

Jennifer with the cast

After the play we went out with Jennifer & her friends for a nice dinner. We didn't get home until almost 10PM. So it was a long day, but loads of fun.

On a side note...last month Rachel had a school project to make a report comparing & contrasting Martin Luther King Jr. & Gandhi. She did a fabulous job on her report. Here are some pictures of her art project she made to go along with it. I am proud to say she got an "A"!

her "I had a dream..." Diorama

Rachel with her paper mache Gandhi head
Oh & don't forget to head over to scrapdragon!!

Here comes the sun...

finally it is bright & sunny & feels like spring has sprung. I just want to go outside and play.

Thursday, I had lunch with my dear friend Jen. We had been trying for months to get together & life just kept getting in the way. We have been friends since I was in high school. So let me see...that is like...gasp...24 years now!!! Well we had fabulous sushi, a great visit, time just flew by, & too soon it was time to go. So Jen lets get the calenders out now & start planning so another few months doesn't go by before we notice.

By the way, Jen is like the best gift giver I know. She takes great pride in finding the perfect gifts. Everything is perfect including the packaging I so want to be like her when I grow up. It takes time & thought & always makes me feel special. Just check out this yummy pink scarf, the adorable little box, & those cool retro tags. She also got me a great little glass chicken roaster, can't wait to try it out. Thanks Jen...you rock!


Tonight we are heading over to our friend's, the Fazen's, house for a Final Four basketball party. They have one every year & it is always a great time. This year we were asked to bring dessert. Rachel decided we should make a basketball cake...here it is...


What do you think? It is a chocolate domed cake filled with cookies & cream pudding. Rachel is quite proud.

Here is a shot I took of Rachel this morning in our backyard.

I think I probably have twice as many pictures of this ham than any of my other kids. This kid just loves to be in front of the camera. How do I get the other kids to want their pictures taken? They seem to have more of the attitude of "oh no! she is taking pictures again!!" I am sorry but I really don't think the thousands of pictures I take a year are nearly enough.