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.

What I have been up to...

Well this weekend seemed like it was full of stuff & at the same time I feel like I got nothing done. Do you ever feel that way?


Friday night I was on my own. The kids were away & David was on a business trip. He wasn't due in until after midnight so I decided to pack up some scrap stuff & head over to my friend Gabi's house. She had snacks, made me dinner, & was a fabulous hostess. I got four layouts done & we brainstormed some new challenge ideas for Scrapdragons.


I can't share my creations quite yet as they are for upcoming challenges. So you will have to check Scrapdragon & Scrappin' Mojo over the next few weeks if you want to see them.


Here is one that I can share...


I made this for an American Idol scrap contest I am in over at Scrap-tastic. I am so loving this challenge. Some of my favorite layouts of all time have come out of these challenges. Don't you love when that happens.

Saturday, David & I went over to the Neshanic Valley golf course & hit the range for a bit. After hitting a number of balls we played nine holes. It was a bit chilly, but I just love getting out.

That evening we headed off to see David's mom & took her out to dinner. It was nice to see her. We spent some time going through some of David's grandmother's things. She lived in her home for something like 50 years & there are all kinds of treasures stashed away everywhere. David & I took on the project of having the old family slides converted over to CD's to share with the family. David's grandfather was a professional photographer & there are some amazing photos in the collection. I am so excited to see what gems are in the collection.


Sunday we had plans to play golf again in the morning, but when we woke up it was only 20 degrees. That is just too cold for me to go play golf. I don't even like to ski in that kind of weather. So we ended up taking a drive out to the Woodbury Commons Premium Outlets in New York. It was a nice drive & fun to get out. Plus I got a really good deal on a Coach bag...gotta love that!

So that is about it. Today I am going to clean, do laundry, & work on laying out the ad booklet for my Rotary Club's upcoming Casino Ball. What are you all up to?

Scrapdragon Design Team Call!!

I hope all of you... my talented friends... take a moment to go over to Scrapdragons & check this out.

We are looking for four new members for our Creative Team. This spot doesn't involve getting a bunch of free stuff... you may not become famous... but hey, it is fun!!

We are trying to revamp the site & provide lots more inspiration. So if you want to be part of the action...be sure to pop over & check us out!!

Twelve years ago... On this day...

my baby Caleb arrived!!

Happy Birthday dear one!!

I can hardly believe it. Could it really be twelve years already?!?! When he was five days old he started having seizures that would stop him from breathing. The doctors prepared me for the worst. They said he might not live & that if he did he would be permanently brain damaged from lack of oxygen. I am happy to say that he proved them all wrong. He is a very healthy twelve year old boy & has not had a seizure in almost 7 years now. I am not saying he has not had his share of trials, but nothing like what they thought. He is a brilliant sweet child & I am so proud of him.

Connor & Kailey headed off to their other parent's house for a long weekend so I only had Caleb & Rachel with me today. We decided to have an adventure to celebrate Caleb's birthday. We started with breakfast at IHOP...now that may not seem like an adventure, but they were serving green eggs & ham. Plus all good adventurers need to be well nourished.

After breakfast we headed down to south Jersey to the bug museum Insectropolis. It took us a little over an hour to get there, but boy was it cool. It is the smallest little place, but the staff is super nice & for a kid like Caleb it was heaven. Even Rachel seemed to have a good time.




yes you are seeing things correctly...Rachel is trying a salt & vinegar flavored grasshopper.
I think the worm Caleb is eating is barbecue flavored. The kids bought some to bring home so I am sure they will share if you are hungry.
Look at this thing....pretty cool huh?!?!

On the way home we had a little side trip to Rita's Italian ice...yum yum.

Now we are going to celebrate some more with steamed artichokes with lemon butter...another of Caleb's favorites. We plan to just snuggle and watch movies tonight. I am so glad he is not too old yet for that!

Happy Easter!!

First thing I have to mention is this awesome strawberry...have you ever seen anything like it?!?! Rachel got such a kick out of it she made me take photos.

She thought it looked like a big smile.
It almost seemed a shame to cut it up, but we did.

My Dad & Marguerite just left to head back down to Cape May Point after spending Easter with us. What a a nice day we had. First my parents came over early in the morning with the makings for orange french toast with sausage & bacon. It was yummy & the girls helped cook.


After breakfast they headed off to Easter service & I stayed to get Easter dinner ready. I made lamb with garlic smashed potatoes & a huge yummy salad. Everything was perfect...I could tell everyone was enjoying dinner since hardly a word was spoken. We were all too busy eating.

Look at our pretty table. Kailey helped set it. I just love pulling out the good dishes & making things festive. The rose crystal glasses belonged to my stepmother's mother. I am so pleased to have them. Every time I use them I think of how much she loved to entertain & have family over.

After dinner we all relaxed as a family and the kids took turns showing Mema & Poppy all sorts of things. Kids can't seem to resist showing off to grandparents. I think it has something to do with how much they oooh and ahhh. They probably fuss quite a bit more than mom & dad usually do.

Here is Caleb reading with Mema. Caleb being dyslexic it is always a big deal to see how much progress he is making with his reading.

Mema had Caleb help in the kitchen to assemble the strawberry shortcake for dessert. She taught him how to make the whipped cream. I think he did a fabulous job they look good enough to eat & I guess they were, because we ate them all up!

Oh... and just in case you were afraid I forgot....Go check out...Scrapdragons!! There is still some time to complete this challenge! So go show me what you got!

Egg-citing Stuff Going On...

Last night Kailey had another concert at school. I couldn't make it because Caleb is still not feeling well & I had class last night. Do you think they could schedule one of these concerts so I could actually see my baby sing? Every single one this year we have a had some kind of conflict. I am really bummed.

Well at least her Daddy took lots of pictures. Kailey is the little blond angel right in the middle. Can't you almost just hear the lovely music coming from her.

Here is a shot of most of the fourth & fifth grade chorus...Kailey is in the middle row fourth from the left.

Today the girls & I decorated eggs. We had loads of fun. We are still all covered with dye & glitter. I can't wait to scrap some of these photos.

What we started with...18 hard boiled eggs!

The dye mixed with vinegar & water for the most vibrant colors.

Rachel used gold leaf on this egg...that stuff was pretty cool, but really sticky. I think this was our favorite technique this year.

The one I won't buy again was the camouflage egg kit...it didn't work well at all. The girls were a bit disappointed, but got over it quickly.

We had all kinds of fun with crayons on the eggs. This was a joint effort egg. We each added a little something & passed it until the whole egg was covered. It is the orange egg on the top left of the photo below. Pretty cool huh?!?!
This is all of our finished eggs. The girls did a fabu job again this year!! It almost seems a shame to eat them.

If you need a little creative boost....go check out Scrapdragon...the challenge is rockin' this month.

Stock up on the tissues & the vitamin c...

we have some yucky sick stuff here.

Poor Caleb has been miserable & sick since he got home from his dad's on Monday. Monday night he woke up around midnight and was coughing so hard he actually threw up. Well, I then spent the night trying to calm him down & get back to sleep. Around 6:30am I was able to get him to settle down. So I snuggled back in my bed for about an hour. When Caleb wasn't really feeling any better I brought him to the doctor to get checked out. It turns out he has strep throat. So he started on antibiotics yesterday. He seems to be feeling better, although he still has a fever & can't speak. He was eating a little bit again today though, which made me feel better.

Caleb & Connor are supposed to go on a little mini trip with Mema & Poppy tomorrow, but sadly I do not think Caleb will be well enough. I know he is really sick, because he seems happy to stay home with me.

Also, I am a little paranoid now, I am a bit tired & my throat is scratchy, so is it strep, or am I just tired from caring for a sick child.

I just hope we can keep it from running through all the kids this week. I would like to have them enjoy Easter.

Oh... and just in case you were afraid I forgot....Go check out...Scrapdragons!! I dare you.

I just had to post this...

I don't normally post twice in one day, but I just had to share my exciting news.

I was in an "Iron Chef" scrapbook contest on Scrappin' Mojo. It ran over four weeks. We had a project & a layout to complete each week with secret ingredients and special instructions. Each round people were eliminated. Well, I was pretty excited just to make it through each round to the end.

This contest was a real challenge for me. Many of the secret ingredients that they sent us & we were challenged to use were not things I would have chosen myself. I was really forced to think outside of the box. I was really happy with all of my creations. So as far as I was concerned I had already won.

Well today I found out that I actually really won. I am the Mojo Iron Chef !

I am really honored. Everyone in the competition did such wonderful creative things each round.

The sous chefs who were chosen are Kim & Amy. These girls totally rock. Click on their names to go check out their blogs. I know you will be inspired.

I was tagged...& now you are too!

So I was tagged by the fun & super creative Nikki Peterson...go check out her blog.

So here is the deal...
Link to your tagger and post these 3 rules on your blog.
Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

My Random Seven...
1. I was a championship dart player in my 20's. I was ranked fourth in the state of New Jersey for many years.

2. I live only a block from the hospital I was born in. Funny how that worked out.

3. I am the queen of typos. I type really fast & I almost never proof read. So there may be more than a few in this post.

4. My hubby gets really stressed out & I want to help to ease it. So... I secretly put Peace & Calming essential oil drops in his underwear drawer. He would laugh if he knew...he doesn't really believe in my hippie dippie stuff.

5. I love Def Leppard & want to see them in concert. Their music is such a silly guilty pleasure of mine.

6. My great grandfather was a famous architect & designed the Empire State Building. I was inspired & started college as an architecture major.

7. I love to play guitar hero at night with my husband after the kids are in bed. We played last night for over an hour!

so i am tagging these lucky people from some of the blogs I love to visit...
Gabi
Tracey
Jen & Amy (I am counting them as two)
Jenn
Deanna
Cheryl (I am tagging her because she never blogs anymore)

Stop by & visit them too.

Sorry if you have already done this one or hate being tagged, but I always think these are kind of fun.

Oh... just in case you were afraid I forgot....Go check out...Scrapdragons!! I dare you.

B-I-N-G-O!!

"B 12....I 26.....O 66...."

Last night my Rotary club had their first Bingo fundraiser. It was really a lot of fun & it will be a very successful fundraiser for us.

how cute are these cookies?

I have been a member of Bound Brook-Middlesex Rotary for about six years now. It is really a great organization & Rotary International is involved in so many amazing projects around the world. I am so proud to be a member of a group commited to creating peace & good will around the world.

The goal of our bingo night was to raise money for a Trima Blood machine for Somerset Medical Center. Of course we also hoped everyone would have fun too.

my husband looking like a deer in the headlights..."what number did they call?"

my friend Adrienne trying to manage eight boards.

the happy winner of our tv raffle with our Club Presdent Sonia Amorim

So overall I would say Bingo was a fabulous success!

On another note...yes I am going to plug my challenge blog again...Go check out Scrapdragons...I promise it will be worth it.

I am in the top 23!!

Well, I made it through to round two of the Amercian Idol Scrap challenge on Scrap-tastic. This is such a fun contest. I am really enjoying the challenges & I love the pages I have made so far.

For challenge #2 I had to choose a song title from a provided list as the title of my LO. I also needed to include at least one of each of the following: metal, star, & stamping.

Here is what I came up with...



Also, I am still pushing this contest...so go check out the Scrapdragon Challenge Blog.

There is a good one going on right now & the prize rocks. Gabi & I are giving the winner a $15 gift certificate to the CropAddict.com store!

Some people's trash...

can often be another person's treasure.

My daughter Rachel has had this thing she has done ever since she was a little girl. Any time we go to Michael's, (or any other craft store for that matter) she heads to the flower department & picks up any & all the stray & broken flower pieces off the floor. She then asks for a bag & proceeds to bring them all home. The people at the store always encourage her & even seem to think it is cute. Well now we have bags & bags of these flower pieces. Every so often she pulls them all out to make some "special" thing. This is what she has been up to the last few days.

She just cracks me up. I am not sure what they will be used for, but she is certainly having a good time with it.

Also, don't forget...if you like contests & scrappy prizes go check out the Scrapdragon Challenge Blog.



There is a good one going on right now & the prize rocks. Gabi & I are giving the winner a $15 gift certificate to the CropAddict.com store!

Slow Start on a Monday Morning

It was really really hard to get moving this morning, boy the clocks changing really takes some getting used to. Although it is all good now, the kids are off to school, my friend Gabi came over & took me out for coffee, & we sat a chatted a bit. It doesn't get much better than that.

I scrapped late into the night last night. Some of what I made was for an Iron Chef Challenge on the Scrappin' Mojo Board. This is the final round so we will find out soon who the big winner is.

The challenge was to use at least one yard of fiber on a LO & the other challenge was to make an Easter project featuring fiber.
Here is my take:




Oh & I got this from my friend Morgan's blog...it was kind of fun.

What Laura Means

You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You are a very lucky person. Things just always seem to go your way. And because you're so lucky, you don't really have a lot of worries. You just hope for the best in life. You're sometimes a little guilty of being greedy. Spread your luck around a little to people who need it. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Also, if you like contests & scrappy prizes go check out the Scrapdragon Challenge Blog.



There is a good one going on right now & the prize rocks. Gabi & I are giving the winner a $15 gift certificate to the CropAddict.com store!

I have been on a roll...

Have you ever had one of those weeks that although you are busy you still seem to squeeze in lots of creative time?

I have had one of those weeks. I can't show you too much of what I have been up to since most of it is Design Team stuff for Crop Addict. Although let me tell you if you do not get this kit yet, you may want to sign up. You really get quite a lot for your money. I usually make 4-6 layouts, a few cards, a project, & still there is lots left over.

Yesterday we went to see 10,000 BC with the kids. We went out to the local pizza place and had an early dinner first. It was so much fun. The movie was really a goo time & the kids LOVED it. It is amazing to me that we now have to pay adult prices at the movies for Connor now that he is twelve. Time is just flying by.

When we got home Rachel baked some yummy cookies. Then David curled up with a few kids & I curled up with a few kids. A little later Rachel came upstairs with me right before bedtime & fell asleep on me while I was working on my laptop in bed. Well, I must have been tired...because when David came up to bed a few hours later, I was asleep too. My neck is a little stiff this morning from falling asleep sitting up with a laptop & Rachel on top of me even just for those few hours.

Oh & at 6am (well, actually I guess it was 7am...I forgot to change the clocks last night) I was awakened by my doorbell ringing & loud knocking. It was the groceries being delivered. I had scheduled them for between 7am-9am...what was I thinking. Plus with the clocks changing I was completely unprepared. Just picture me jumping out of bed, scrambling around for some pants to throw on, & going down to answer the door before he drove away. Thankfully the guy was pretty understanding & got a bit of a giggle out of it.

Well, enough of that, here is my latest layout I made for the Scrapdragon's Challenge. It is to use album art as inspiration for a layout.

I was inspired by this Album Cover:

Be sure to go check this challenge out. I hope to see lots of you enter this time around. There is a great prize. You have until March 30th...so get going!

I am going to Hollywood!

OK, Well maybe not really. But I did enter an American Idol scrap contest at Scrap-Tastic.

And here is my layout for round #1



The Journaling reads:
Laura’s Top 10 songs for the moment:*
1. “Pour Some Sugar on Me” Def Leppard
2. “Bubbly” Colbie Caillet
3. “Monkey Wrench” Foo Fighters
4. “The Weather with You” Crowded House
5. “Punk Rock Girl” Dead Milkmen
6. “Shut Up & Drive” Rihanna
7. “The Way I Am” Ingrid Michaelson
8. “Cowboy” Kid Rock
9. “Me & My Gang” Rascal Flatts
10. “Bike” Pink Floyd

*Disclaimer:
Any views or opinions presented in this list are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of anyone else. Laura accepts no liability for the eclectic content of this list, for the consequences of bad music taste, or for any actions taken on the basis of the information provided. Readers are responsible for their own music choices. This list may be withdrawn and/or changed without prior notice.

I had so much fun with this LO!
The photo on the LO I just took myself today.

Check this out....

Scrapdragon has a brand new look.
There is also an awesome new challenge with a fabulous prize.

So be sure to go check it out!!

Time to catch up...

I know I am a bad bad blogger. Somehow life got a bit crazy & this is what I dropped out. So today I am going to take a minute & catch up. Just a few highlights.

First, I would like to say the crop over at CropAddict was so much fun. I not only played & chatted on the board, but I actually completed some of the challenges. I will post some of it in a little bit. Now of course I need to take some time to catch up on things around the house. I kind of let things slide a bit while I was glued to the computer.

Plus for the last two days I have had sick kiddos. The stomach bug really stinks. Everyone is miserable.

A few weeks ago we went out to Pennsylvania to visit David's sister Jennifer. It was so fun hanging with her. She made lots of yummy food & we just spent the afternoon visiting & relaxing. She is an amazing artist & truly gifted singer. The kids just love her and so do I.

Here are a few shots from our visit...







I plan to continue to catch up over the next few days.