Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you....

Happy Birthday Dear Crop Addict, Happy Birthday to you!

They are turning 3! In celebration of the big event there will be an online crop March 1st & 2nd!

Be sure to stop by, there are will be lots of games and cool challenges. If you like prizes I have heard that Debbie plans on giving away some amazing prizes... I heard something like $2000 worth of goodies for the weekend!!

So, I hope you stop by & get your mojo flowing!

I'll be there as much as I can over the weekend & will be there Saturday from 9-11am with my game & a fun challenge. So pop over & say "hi!"

Here are some of my March Design Team creations using the fabulous kit offered this month. The kits are available in the store so you may want to get yourself one before they sell out. Every month I am sure the kit is my favorite, until the new one comes and I have a new favorite. Debbie really knows how to put together great scrappy stuff!








Can you believe I made all of this with one kit?!?! The best part is I still have tons more stuff I can play with.

I promise you can't go wrong with these kits.

So make some snacks & head on over to the crop!

I've been tagged!

Well, I have been a really bad blogger lately. Some personal things have been going on & unfortunately my blog has suffered. I promise I will blog more about all of that soon. I just haven't been up for it. I have lots of good & few things not so good to share.

But luckily my friend Debbie has tagged me & inspired me to at least do that.

So now I'm tagged with a fun new game.

This is what I have to do:
You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details).

So here I go....

M - Married to the best guy ever!
A - Artistic. I love to create art in all sorts of ways.
R - Rebellious. I have always liked to buck the system a bit. Not in a crazy way, I just like to be my own person.
G - Generous of spirit.
A - A little "type A"
R - Ready for adventure. I like a challenge & trying new things.
E - Empowering. I love being able to support my friends & family.
T - Thankful. I love my life & I am grateful for all that I have.

I can't believe I have to tag 8 people... Let's try:

Gabi
Nik
Nancy
Michelle
Angela
Niki
Cheryl
Carla

So have fun...I will write more later.

Yippee...our sock creature is no longer nameless!

Rachel has finally come to a final decision. Our little striped friend will now be, from this point on, referred to as Milo.

What a relief for all of us.

Milo seems to be very happy about the decision.

I guess we really should have let him choose his own name, but like most parents, Rachel was sure she knew what was best for him.

He was really tired of things like "hey you" & "sock dude" so I guess all is well.

Thank you for all of your help & suggestions. We loved so many names & I am sure some of them will be used for Rachel's future sock creations.

NY Giants stun New England 17-14!!

There is not much more I need to say...

Growing up in New Jersey it seems only natural that I would be a Giants fan. Watching the game last night was just too fun. I barely have a voice this morning from all the screaming

I can't wait to have one of these babies hanging in my closet!!

Well I have had a stomach bug all week. So I am a bit behind in everything. I keep thinking I am feeling better & then uh oh....gurgle gurgle...not so much better. Plus I am easily tired out.

So this post will be short & sweet.

I am just going to post my latest layouts I did using the Crop Addict February Kit. This kit was just so fun I loved it all. So many possibilities. As soon as I opened it up the mojo was flowing.

These are the mailbox & layouts I created using Scenic Route also from Crop Addict. Click here to see the manufacturer challenge being offered. I am not much for themed paper. I am definately not one to run out & buy specialty paper for much of anything, but I am telling you this paper rocked & boy was it fun to play with!! I want more of it!!

So click on the Crop Addict link & order yourself some of this yummy goodness. I am telling you it will be worth it.

Some breathing room...

Well, this is the first time since last week where I have felt like I can take a breath. It has been just one thing after another. Today is a day where I don't really have anything pressing. There is still all of the everyday stuff & projects I want to work on, but nothing that is too urgent. So I am doing laundry, straightening up the house, & actually taking a moment to post here.

So for all of you people who are reading this & also, like me, may take on too much from time to time...why don't we all just breath in...that's it nice & deep...& breath out. Let us take a few more deep breaths. Whew...that feels better! Now I feel a bit more relaxed & ready to get on with the business of the day.

This past weekend I had my mom & her husband here visiting from Maryland. My Uncle Butch & Aunt Debbie came in from Ohio as well. It was so nice to have family here. I haven't seen Butch & Debbie in a few years & it was great to catch up. Plus we used this visit as another Christmas celebration & that is always fun. So we cooked lots of yummy food, exchanged gifts, & played games. The kids had a blast with all the extra attention & opportunities to stay up late.

Here is a group shot....

And I just love this one of my mom & her brother Butch....




So I guess now I can finally take down my Christmas decorations & pack them away until next year. I have actually enjoyed the extra Christmas spirit, but it will be nice to reclaim my home again.

Hope everyone had a great weekend...thanks for checking in!

I'm Back!!

Well I am back from California. I flew in early this morning & let me tell you it was an interesting adventure flying through Vegas following the Giants winning their playoff game. A whole group of rowdy, liquored up Giants fans got on the flight & it was amusing. Although I must admit I am a huge Giants fan & was a little caught up in the excitement. Luckily there were no drunken incidents & the happy fans pretty much passed out.

I am happy to be home, although I am exhausted. Rachel has a few favorite names picked for her sock creature & we will post her final choice soon. So if you have an idea...get it in soon.

Thanks & I hope to write more later.

So Much Fun...

First, I just want to thank everyone who has already contributed a suggestion for the perfect sock creature name. Rachel already has some favorites, but we are continuing on our quest for the next week or so.

If you have not done so already...click here...& read about what Ray has been up to.

Second, for all of you that are fans of scrap challenges, be sure to check out Scrapdragons. There is still some time to complete Challenge #9 & Challenge #10 is posted for you to get started on. So go check out all the scrappy fun over there.

Third, I am leaving tomorrow for California. I am excited to be participating in the Empowering Life's Energies course. I will be without computer time so I will not be posting here until next week.

Hope everyone has a fabulous week...& I will catch up when I get back.

We Need Your Help...

Our newest family member is need of a name!!

For months now Rachel has been in search of a sock monkey, but Rachel being Rachel, this could be no ordinary run of the mill sock monkey. So we were in search of something unique & special deserving of a place in our family. Unfortunately, no such sock creature seemed to exist.

So today, Rachel decided that we should make our own silly sock creature. Here is what she came up with...

Sock Creature making is serious business & not for the faint of heart. You need to be willing to take chances, stick your fingers up the creatures back side & not be too squeamish about needles.

It was a challenge...it was fun...& we have a fabulous new member of our family.

Here is our dilemma...we are unable to find the perfect name for out little buddy. So Rachel thought it would be a great idea to post him on my blog & see what our blog friends come up with. So if you have a suggestion please post it here in the comments. We will then choose from the names submitted.

Feel free to share our request with your blog friends. The more name ideas the better!!

Thank you for your help...we know he won't be nameless for long!!

More Milestones...

Well yesterday was my son Connor's 12th Birthday. I can hardly believe it. Where does the time go? He wants to celebrate by having a family dinner out somewhere & we plan to do that this weekend. My husband was traveling on business & didn't get home until after Connor's bed time. So being a mom I couldn't let the actual day go by without some kind of fanfare...so I baked a cake....Rachel decorated it....& we surprised him that evening. Rachel & Kailey had so much fun going through the junk drawer & pulling out all these odds & ends of cool candles & lighting it up.

Doesn't this look yummy?? Rachel had the idea to fill the center with preserves & decorate the top with chopped up brownies. This was perfect for Connor as the more chocolate the better!!
Connor contemplates what to wish for as he surveys the cake & all its candles. You can't see from the picture, but the tall thin candles acted like sparklers & the solid colored candles made their flames different colors. It was just all the leftover candles from our junk drawer, but it was pretty cool in the end.
I just love this picture I took without the flash...I think Connor looks so sweet & content with the candles lighting up his face.

on another note...it has been unseasonably warm here the past week. It was in the mid 60's yesterday afternoon. Rachel had a bunch of reading to do for her home study so she curled up on a chair on our back porch.

Even Ginger thought it was a good idea. So she plopped herself in the chair next to Rachel & enjoyed the sun & a story as well.

A New Year Has Begun!

Wow...2008 already. Can you believe it?!?!

I have been really neglecting my blog lately. Christmas here was busy & wonderful. I had a feeling of being very grateful & very blessed.

This year has started off with a bang. So many new things going on.

I am so excited to be continuing my course work at the Academy For Coaching Excellence next week in California. I am thrilled to be taking some time to do something that is truly just for me. Taking time for myself is one thing that I have had a hard time doing being the mother of four. I often find myself putting their needs & concerns before mine. The good news is that things are changing & I am learning that in order to be the best mother I can be I need to take care of my needs first. It makes me think of the safety instructions on an airplane. They tell you to put on your oxygen mask first & then help your children. Well that certainly makes sense, but somehow I wasn't applying that common sense attitude to my everyday life & activities.

I am also well into my projects for my first month on the Crop Addict Design Team. The February kit they gave me to play with is just yummy & the manufacturer kit I got to play with produced some of my favorite layouts to date. Be sure to check back for some sneak peeks of all the yummy goodness soon.

I did get one layout done that I can post now. It is a layout I did using all items from my stash of scrappy goodies. If you have some stash items to use up be sure to head over to Scrappin' Mojo. I am running a "use your stash" challenge for them over there & they are giving an awesome prize to the winner.

Here is the layout...


I hope to keep up with things here a bit better.

Thanks for stopping by!

Just Some Bits & Pieces

Well right now my sweet dear husband is busy cooking a special meal for the two of us. The kids are all with their other parents tonight so we have a bit of couple time. Let me tell you this is a sweet moment. All of the presents are wrapped & under the tree, the stockings are all hung & full, the laundry is just about done & everything seems to be coming together nicely. Whew!!

We are celebrating Christmas with the kids a day early on Christmas Eve as it is not our year to have them Christmas morning. One of the challenges of divorce & remarriage is the juggling of visitation & holidays. I must say though that I feel pretty blessed as we really seem to be able to work things out with the ex-spouses pretty easily. Also, since the kids all live with us, we really have the best deal & see them the most. I always try to keep that in mind & be flexible. I am grateful that they are all here under one roof. I have a full house & that is a good thing.

On Friday Kailey came home from school with this masterpiece. She was really proud of how her little gingerbread house turned out. I thought it was magnificent. Plus after we got a few pictures she was generous enough to let Rachel eat a few gum drops off of it. You are such a sweet pea Kailey!

Today I have been doing things around the house. Mending, laundry, a bit of cleaning, & odds & ends of things that need to be done.


One project I worked on today was this set of altered refrigerator magnets. I bought a set of these at the dollar store & then used pattern paper & stickles to jazz them up a bit. I put pictures of my kids & my nephews in & plan to give them to my Dad & Stepmother as a Christmas gift. I am so pleased with how they came out I think I may have to make a few more gift sets & perhaps one for myself. I think it will be fun to experiment with other paper lines & perhaps some Prima flowers.

Well, I can smell some yummy things in the kitchen. Maybe I should get off this computer & see if David needs any help.

Hope you are enjoying some quiet times as well.

Peace.

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot like Christmas...

The tree is up & decorated, the lights are on the front of the house, & most of the presents are wrapped. We got off to a slow start with David traveling so much & me basically doing it all on my own, but we are finally just about ready.

On Wednesday my dad & stepmother brought the kids into New York City to see Cirque Du Soleil - Wintuk. They spent the whole day in the city. What fun for the kids & what a nice treat for me. I spent the day in my scrap room creating. I didn't have to think once about the kids, where they were, or what they might need. It was a real treat.

Here are some things I created...

Today is another quiet day. Connor & Kailey have their last day of school before winter break. Caleb & Rachel are hanging out in their jammies, & I have been creating again.

Here is what I made today (Dad & Marguerite...if you are reading this stop here as the picture is one of your Christmas gifts....if you peek...just act surprised when you open it

This is one of those tin barn stars that I decorated with pattern paper, some black & white photos of the kids & some ribbon. It was actually pretty fun to make once I got the templates figured out.

A bit of humor for today...

Two nights ago we were having one of those family dinners where everyone is goofing around & acting silly. We were all laughing & just having a great time. If you have ever had one of these you know that it is often hard not to have your drink come spraying out of your nose at times. I love these kinds of dinners where the kids feel free to express themselves & their emerging sense of humor starts to shine through. The dinner was nothing fancy...just pizza that David picked up on the way home. These moments are fabulous for recharging my batteries, they remind me of how much I love my life & how blessed I am today.


But here is the real funny part. At one point I look over at Rachel & notice she has two small pimples on the side of her nose. Maybe it was the silly mood of the night or maybe I was just surprised to see the blemishes on my just ten year old daughter, I am not really sure, but I blurted out, "Wow Ray...you have two pimples on your face!" She immediately put her hands up to her face & shrieked, "what?!?!" She then excused herself from the table to go run & look in the mirror. She couldn't believe it. Well, that really isn't the funny part either I guess. What happened next was...


She announces that immediately following dinner she was heading up to take a shower & wash her face. When I went upstairs to check on her this is what I found.

She looked at me very calmly & said, "the mask says it dries up pimples, so I am going for it." It just struck me as so funny, especially since she wasn't really all that concerned, but was enjoying the amount of laughter her mock upset was producing.

A glimpse of my life...

I got this from another blogger Denise...who got this from another blogger!

i am: a creative & outgoing person
i want: my kids to be happy people
i have: a wonderful husband, 4 fabulous children, and 1 great dog
i wish: my kids came with an instruction manual
i hate: that my husband's grandmother is sick & dying. I just love her.
i miss: summers at the beach
i hear: my friend Gabi talking to me while I type
i wonder: if I will ever really feel like a grown up
i regret: not taking more chances
i am not: selfish & hateful
i sing: loud and often, but not well
i cry: for my kids suffering with learning differences
i am not always: patent with my kids
i make with my hands: scrapbooks, art, & cooking.
i journal: about me, my family & my friends
i confuse: the names of my kids when I am frantic
i need: nothing really...my life is pretty full
i should: be cleaning & doing laundry...but hey this is certainly more entertaining.
i start: my day waking up my kids with kisses
i finish: the day snuggling with my hubby after the kids are in bed...sometimes with a glass of wine.


please post a message if you decide to do this...so I can go check it out!

Some Gifts handmade by Rachel...

So if you are on her Christmas list you may want to close your eyes now.

Rachel has been busy for the last few days making jewelry, beaded bookmarks & key chains for Christmas gifts.

I took a picture of some of her creations. It is a crummy shot & does not really do them justice.

Here are some of them all packaged up & ready to go.

I love that she wants to make gifts every year. She is always so proud to present her gifts. I have to admit though I am glad they are finally done. Even though she makes everything, I often need to be on hand to help with the mechanics. She is only ten years old after all.

Want a chance to win some free stuff??

Then you have to check this out...

Head on over to CropAddict & check out the contest they are having.

Even if you do not win you will have fun, I promise. It is a great board, with a rockin' gallery, an awesome kit club, & a fabulous store. It is a great place for fun & inspiration if you are into paper crafts & scrapbooks.

If you register be sure to let them know I sent you...hee hee...I want to get my name in for that prize as many times as possible!!

While the cats where away...

the mice did play.

My mother in law stayed at our house to keep on eye on the kids while David & I were in Paris. She left us a note on the kitchen table letting us know how everything went & a request to print some photos for her that she took on Rachel's camera. So I finally got around to uploading the photos this morning & this is what I found...









How cute is this?!?! My mother in law completely rocks! She is a costume designer in New York & these are all her prototypes that she brings for the kids to use as dress up when she does not need them anymore. As you can see this time it was all girl stuff, but often there is a ton of cool boy stuff as well. How luck are my kids to have such cool dress up stuff? I am so glad that they had a blast hanging with Gemma while we were gone.

I always worry whenever we go somewhere without the kids that they will be sad without us. I guess I need to let that go now.

So did you miss me??

For those of you who missed me...I am back from Paris. For those of you who didn't even realize I was gone...guess what?? I am back from Pairs!

We left Thursday afternoon got on a plane around 6PM at the Newark Airport.

Here I am (not a particularly flattering photo of me...but hey it is part of the story) on the plane ready for my Paris adventure.

We arrived at Charles de Gaulle International Airport around 7AM Paris time. We took a taxi to our hotel...The Park Hyatt Vendome on 5 Rue de la Paix in Paris. The hotel was very luxurious & had we not been staying there for free, by cashing in my husbands hotel reward points, it would not have been even close to our price range. I think our room rate was about 600 Euros a night which is about $900 a night & with David's travel points we stayed three nights for free!!

Our friends Chris & Lori were already in Paris & met us down in the lobby. We all headed out for some croissant & café au lait at one of the corner places & then headed off to wander around Paris while our room was being prepared.

It was fabulous traveling with our friends as it was their seventeenth trip to Paris & they knew their way around. First we went to The Sacré-Coeur Catholic basilica, built at the end of the 19th century, at the top of Montmartre hill in Paris. The spectacular view of Paris from atop the hill there was amazing . The village like streets and squares, its cafés and restaurants, its painters on Place du Tertre, and the ticky-tacky tourist type shops were all so much fun.

Here are our pals Lori & Chris. We stopped & had crêpes avec fomage et jambon (crepes with cheese & ham) & David tried crêpes avec fomage et champignons (crepes with cheese & mushrooms) they tasted particularly yummy standing on the street in Pairs on a brisk afternoon.

Here we are on the steps to Sacré-Coeur

The next day we headed to the Musée Rodin. If you are even remotely a fan of this artist you must go there. I was just so blown away by the beautiful work. I could have spent hours in the gardens there. It must be beautiful to be there in the spring to sit & have a picnic there amongst all those fabulous sculptures.

Here is just one of the many pictures we took there. Can you believe how amazing this is?

David took a picture of me taking that photo. How funny is he?

From there we headed to Notre Dame de Paris.
My fabulous husband David caught this great shot of Notre Dame reflected in this large Christmas ball on a tree in the square. I just love this shot. Yeah David!

Well, I could go on & on about all we saw & did, but I am sure that is not as interesting for you as it is for me. So here are just a few more pictures (Click on the names of places if you want more information)...

The line for the Louvre Museum. This was before 9AM on Sunday morning.

My David getting some crepes at a stand along the Champs-Élysées.

The Arc de Triomphe.

Opéra de Paris

The Eiffel Tower

It did rain the entire weekend, but there was something sort of romantic about Paris in the rain. I am so glad my husband decided to surprise me with a long weekend in Paris. He is so romantic & fabulous. I am such a lucky girl!!