I saw this on Gina's blog and call me crazy, but I enjoy these things sometimes...
A - Available or single: Married...
B - Best friend: My aunt Mary... we were friends before she was my aunt
C - Cake or pie: Either one, heck! why not both?
D - Drink of choice: not pregnant... coke pregnant... anything that doesn't make me wanna puke
E - Essential item you use everyday: soap
F - Favorite color: right now it's red
G - Gummy bears or worms: worm
H - Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
I - Indulgence: a Twix
J - January or February: I don't really like either month...
K - Kids & names: Three - Hannah -2 & "Paprika" due in April
L - Life is incomplete without? my family
M - Marriage date: October 12
N - Number of siblings: oldest of 5
O - Oranges or apples: allergic to both, but i love the smell of apples
P - Phobias or fears: BUGS of any kind, especially roaches
Q - Fave quote: "Stand for Something" Gordon B Hinckley... also a book by him
R - Reason to smile: my little girl
S - Season: We don't have seasons here. In Utah & up north, I LOVE spring... can't beat the smell of lilacs
T - Tag 3 or 4 people: If you are reading this, I expect to see it on your blog! :)
U - Unknown fact about me: hmmm... my life is an open book...
V- Vegetable you don't like: celery. really, what is the point. it just gets stuck in your teeth
W - Worst habit: being cranky with Hannah & Thomas
X - Xrays: No thanks! I'm pregnant!
Y - Your fave food: Filet Mignon from Ruth's Chris or a good BBQ beef sandwich with a sweet potato on the side... hey! I am pregnant and hungry all the time! :)
Z - Zodiac sign: Leo. But I don't really pay attention to it.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
A to Z... All About Me
Do you like my new look?
I think I have the after-Christmas blues... I needed something bright and cheery to liven things up! And Robin's kit did the trick! I tried to do a wintery theme to my blog header, but I just couldn't make it work! It was 77 friggin' degrees here today!!!!! And about 95% humidity! I actually decided to go with a black background because I really like how Audra's layouts stand out against the black background on her blog.
I am taking down my tree on MONDAY! I am so excited I can't stand it! I never thought I would feel that way. Every year I get so sad when I have to take it down. I don't know why I am in such a hurry to get it down. I think it is because I get to rearrange my furniture when it comes down and I can't stand how crowded and cluttered my house looks right now. I will miss the pretty white lights and I am sure that when it is actually down I will be a bit sad. I had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. In fact, I still haven't finished all of my Christmas presents... still working on a few projects. :)
I realized that I am in a very earthy natural scrapbook mood lately. I can't seem to break out of it, either. I look at brightly colored kits and don't know what to do with them. Maybe changing my blog will help! I had so much fun with Robin's kit. We'll see...
I have a secret....
and no, I am NOT having twins! I can just see my inbox filling up with questions about that one! :) This is about digiscrapping... but I can't tell anyone until January 1st, so you'll all have to wait a few more days! I am hoping to have a new blog design up and going by then. It could happen... just because I haven't started working on it yet doesn't mean anything!
Okay, I swear that December just started! It is NOT possible that it is the 30th already. I am 23 weeks pregnant! MORE THAN HALFWAY! But just barely and I am already miserable more than I am not. I promise I wasn't this big with Hannah yet. Mornings are okay, but by nighttime I am HUGE!!! I think this little girl just wants to stretch out and play at night. I can't breathe and the heartburn is terrible! EVERYTHING gives me heartburn. I can't drink anything. Water gives me heartburn. I am allergic to dairy and fruit juices. I am allergic to Splenda & NutraSweet. I can't drink too much soymilk or I get sick. I can't drink citrus so that rules out lemonade or tang. Soda is terrible! I have to drink a Pepsi or Mountain Dew every afternoon for my headaches, so I make sure that I do NOT lay down after drink it. I am trying to drink some cherry kool-aid right now. We'll see if that works. Anyone have suggestions?
I went to Ross today and got 4 really cute pairs of maternity capris. I had to return a bunch of stuff for my mom, so I didn't have to pay anything! Well, I ended up paying $5. I felt so strange buying stuff just for myself. I tried to find something that Thomas would like but they didn't have anything. And then I was going to get a dress for Hannah, but I didn't love it for the price. And I was going to get something for Baby Paprika, but I have BINS and BINS of clothes in my garage. I just can't justify buying more clothes for her yet. Although I should be looking for her My First Christmas outfits. I could probably get those pretty cheap. Hannah had such cute Christmas dresses that it makes me sad that Baby Paprika won't wear them. Maybe someone else will have a baby girl in time for Christmas...
Okay, cherry Kool-Aid isn't working... or maybe it's the tortilla chips. I'm not eating salsa with them, though.. I think I am just going to have to deal with this until she drops. I am already taking 150mg of Zantac twice a day. Can't up that dosage. Any suggestions? Anyone?
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Christmas Photos
I didn't get a single good Christmas photo... But here are a couple anyway!
This is Hannah and Uncle Jacob (my brother) on Christmas Eve. Uncle Jacob (& Aunt Amber) got Hannah a Dora doll and those adorable gaucho girl pants!
Hannah with her stocking... It's supposed to be a decorative stocking, but I decided not to buy a new stocking until next year when I get one for the new baby, too.
Hannah playing Dora Chutes & Ladders with Mommy & Daddy. She wasn't too sure about this whole taking turns thing! She liked moving her Dora figure and counting the spaces. She LOVED spinning the little spinner. We had to pry it out of her hands when it was someone else's turn!just another day...
Isn't it sad? Just 3 days ago I was bustling around here trying to get everything done and now today is just another day! Christmas is over for the year. I am really itching to taking down my Christmas tree and start organizing things around here. If it weren't for that whole bad luck to take your tree down before New Years thing, I would do it. I am not a superstitious person, but with all we have going on this year I'm not taking any chances! :) We need all the good luck we can get!
Friday, December 22, 2006
3 posts in ONE DAY!
In an effort to relieve some stress, I grabbed a hammer and pounded the old
bottom of our Christmas tree, and put it in the new stand. So, our tree leans a little to
the right, and it pretty lopsided, but at least it is standing upright again and we can use
the lights! :)
We took Hannah to see Santa yesterday at the mall. It is actually the same Santa that
Hannah has seen every year. We had to wake her up from her nap to see Santa, so
we didn't even bother with the purchased photo. We knew we would be lucky
if she would even talk to him! So, Hannah had to sit on the chair next to
Santa while I snapped a quick photo. Not gonna happen! Thomas had to hold her there for me to snap this one! Then she was upset later about not telling Santa what she wants to Christmas. Little monster!
And this is one for my sister-in-law, Chrissy, who requested a pregnant belly photo! :) I am almost 22 weeks. Please remember that this photo was taken at 8pm after a LONG day and no sleep the night before. And I have started swelling... it's already started! :) You won't even recognize me in a couple of months!More stuff...
I just read my sister-in-law, Leslie's, blog. And I completely agree with her! The reason that times seems to fly is that the stores don't let you enjoy the season you are currently in. They are already pushing the next holiday down our throats before this one is even done!
I know I say this every year, but this time I am DETERMINED! I will get everything done for next year before Dec 15th. We have been so rushed trying to get everything done this year that it doesn't even feel like Christmas! Of course, it is 80 degrees outside so that doesn't help. I did get some baking done for friends but I had to stay up until 2am to get it done so it could be delivered at church. I did digital Christmas cards so that was pretty simple. But my house is a WRECK! I don't have any thing wrapped yet. I have 4 loads of clean laundry on my loveseat waiting to be folded, 2 loads of dirty laundry on my bedroom floor waiting to be washed. 2 bathrooms that haven't seen bleach in about 2 days! And a family room floor that hasn't been seen in days either! Hannah has it completely covered with toys. And I think I am getting sick! I have had a sore throat for about two days now. I am not sleeping at night again and I can't take naps. I love being pregnant! The next time I even think about wanting another child, someone remind me that I don't SLEEP when I am pregnant! Merry Christmas!
Traci Reed's Creative Team!!! & other stuff
I don't think I ever mentioned this! I was a Guest CT in November for Traci Reed. Then she asked me to stay on for December and I applied for a 6 month term with her CT and was accepted! So, at least until June I am on Traci's CT!!!!!! I am so excited! She is so talented! And she just started selling at NDISB.
Also, I made popcorn balls last night. Well, technically I used the popcorn ball recipe and actually put them flat in a 9x13 pan instead of shaped in balls. Hannah doesn't like them and Thomas doesn't either, so yet another dessert that I get to eat all by myself! They are so good and so easy to make! AND they stick to your teeth! So much fun for little kids! Here' s the recipe...
Bring to a boil:
1 cup sugar
1 cup Karo (light)
1 small box Jell-O (any flavor - I LOVE raspberry at Christmas)
When it boils, add 1/4 tsp. baking soda and stir until it foams. Then pour it over popcorn. One batch of topping will cover 3 bags microwave popcorn. Stir the popcorn until it is completely covered. Then with buttered hands, shape the popcorn into balls. This will BURN your hands so be careful! OR you can take the less painful route and just spread it into a wax-paper lined, cooking-sprayed baking pan. Then just pull of a chunk when you want it!
I was going to make lime ones, too, but since no one but me liked it, we're gonna have to find a different baking project for today! I actually need to go out and find canning jars for tomorrow morning's baking project. I started baking cakes in jars last night and ran out of the right kind of jars. I have to have 30 jars done by tomorrow morning so I can take them to the church and leave them in the fridge there. I don't have room in mine. We are making them as gifts for the teachers in our children's primary (like children's sunday school). I have to be at the church at 10:30 tomorrow morning for the Christmas program rehearsal. So I'll be up baking at the crack of dawn! ;) Hannah is gonna love me tomorrow! :) She'll probably be running in between the pews tomorrow making a big mess and being loud! She is such a stinker! But a darn cute one today! Her hair is perfectly curly today and she is just in a funny little mood!
I think my blog may get a makeover in the next few weeks! I am getting tired of this one again... I think I will keep the white background and just change the topper and some of the info... It's all outdated! I need to make a new blinkie, too. I should probably get my layout assignments done first, though! Okay...I'm going now!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
I've created a "Crappin'" MONSTER!
Over the last several days I have been cleaning out my craft closet and I found TONS of unscrapped photos and TONS of scrapbooking supplies. Well over 2000 sheets of cardstock! And that doesn't include the patterned papers! So, I decided that rather than scanning the old photos and digiscrapping them, I am going to ...gasp... PAPER SCRAP them! If I can even remember how! I am sure that about halfway through the project I will get frustrated and start digiscrapping again. But this will give me a project to work on at night while Thoma has the computer comandeered. I'll be a digiscrapper by day, but a PAPER SCRAPPER by night! :) I so feel like a superhero! :)
So, on to the "'crappin" monster creation... Have you seen the Blues Clues episode about The Great Big Book About Us? Well, it is Hannah's favorite! They make a big scrapbook about their favorite things. So, we were at AC Moore yesterday and Hannah started talking about wanting to make a "'crapbook" about her things. So, I bought her a little $.79 brag book album and some Dora stickers and Mickey stickers and told her that we would start on it after Christmas was all done. She has done nothing but bug me about her "'crapbook" since we left the store. We are going to take some photos of her favorite things and have them printed. It is only a 10 page 4x6 album so it probably won't take her long to fill it up. But I figured it will give her something constructive to do and the entire thing will cost less than $10, including getting photos printed. I am just going to print 2x3 photos, 4 to a 4x6 sheet. Maybe it will even keep her quiet during church... wishful thinking!
Speaking of church, Thomas and I are narrating the Christmas program this year. I haven't even looked at the program. And my throat is starting to get sore... last year the entire choir, the pianist and I (the narrator) were all sick. I started choking halfway through one of my readings. I was choking so badly that I had tears streaming down my face. I couldn't stop reading though because the entire reading was set to music! I didn't want to throw off the timing! Everyone thought I was just emotional. lol We'll see what happens this year. At least the readings aren't set to music so I can stop and cough if I need to!
We are going to take Hannah to see Santa today... maybe. It depends on how long the line is. If we ever leave the house!!!!!!! I have been waiting for TWO HOURS for my girl of a husband to get ready. As soon as the tv goes on in our room I know it will be at least an hour before he is ready. I walked in there with his freshly ironed shirt an hour ago and he hadn't even made it to the shower yet. A good episode of Scrubs was on and he HAD to watch it...with the shower running! At least we don't pay for the water here. It is 80 degrees and rainy outside today. Hannah can't even wear one of her Christmas shirts to get her photo taken with Santa because they are all long-sleeved. I am probably just going to take it with me. Her hair is a MESS, too, because of the humidity! I hope I charged my camera battery. And I need to get some mini-DVs for the video camera, too. The to-do list is getting longer the more I wait for Thomas... he's gonna love it!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Just a quick hello...
Things have been so crazy around here getting ready for Christmas! I baked all last weekend and all the Christmas cookies are now gone! I actually think there are a few M&M cookies and a few pieces of fudge, but I have successfully eaten ALL of the Santa's Butter Cookies and the Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal cookies! Can't blame any of it on Thomas either. He doesn't like either kind of cookie. We made 10 plates of goodies for friends and family here in Jacksonville. Mostly friends, since our family deserted us here in Florida. :) I am finished with my Christmas shopping. I still have to make some Christmas presents for family... I'll post photos after Christmas just in case any of my family is actually reading this! Let's just say I found a very inexpensive way to make an adorable personalized gift! So cute! :)
And, just in case anyone is reading my blog who digiscraps... be sure to check out the RAKScraps December 2006 Mega Kit on CD and the admin add-on kit, too! Oh my goodness! This one is amazing! I have the Add-On kit already and am anxiously awaiting each mega kit download link. BUT if you don't want to wait for each link to be posted individually, you can purchase the CD with the entire kit or the entire kit and the admin's Add-On. Check out this photo...
The kit is available at ScrapDish, but ScrapDish doesn't make any money from the kit. All of the proceeds go to RAKScraps and keeping the community free to everyone!
I am attempting to tackle cleaning out my craft closet. It was literally stacked floor to ceiling with bins and boxes and I couldn't find ANYTHING. Half of what was in that closet needs to be thrown away, I just haven't ever gotten around to doing it. I figured if I am ever going to do it, I should do it now. I am really trying to streamline stuff around here. So, with my Christmas money from my parents, I bought some plastic shelves at Wal-Mart and some Cropper Hopper paper organizers (on sale at Michaels & AC Moore this week & online at JoAnn's). I got the paper holders for $3.49 each. 50% off at AC Moore. Okay, I am so fed up with JoAnn's. They do not price match their own website at the stores. Isn't that crazy? Every other store in the entire world does! And they never have anything that their circular says they will have. I am sticking to Michaels from now on. They always have sales, coupons and enough stock.
I have been craving Mexican food lately. But I can't eat any out at restaurants because it always has cheese in it. So, I stopped by Moe's on the way home from doing errands and grabbed a cup of Pinto beans, chips & salsa and a small drink for $2.60. I LOVE their pinto beans. I mix in a little salsa and eat it with their fresh chips. YUM! Okay, enough about that. I have blabbed long enough... I am off to make a bunch of Christmas ornaments for Thomas to give out at work. The fun never ends! He told me on Tuesday morning that he needs 10-12 hand-painted ornaments by Thursday... shouldn't have been a problem but I can't find the shells I need and no one had any sand. I finally found some at Lowe's in the decorative potting soil aisle. Who would have thought it would be there? At least they sell it in small bags (2lbs). I have no idea what I would have done with 20 lbs of sand. I could go dump it at the beach! :) With my luck, they would arrest me thinking I was stealing sand from the beach! ;) Have a Merry Christmas everyone!
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Our Broken Tree
Since we put our Christmas tree up, I have been telling Hannah that she can't touch it or else it will fall over and break. Well, she has been pulling on the garland and playing with the ornaments anyway. Tonight, my sister-in-law, Amber, was over here and we were talking. Hannah started pulling an ornament off the tree. I told her to "stop touching the tree right now!" I heard a little creaking sound and jumped out of my chair just as the Christmas tree toppled over and came within inches of landing on Hannah. The plastic tree stand broke from her constant pulling! I made sure that she was okay and grabbed my camera. My poor sister-in-law was scared to death! She laughed at me for grabbing my camera, but we scrapbookers just can't help it! Here are the photos...
And, no , this photo was NOT posed! She was so embarassed!
So, I had to turn off the lights and prop the tree in the corner! A fully decorated tree is pretty heavy! You can picture 2 pregnant women trying to wrestle a Christmas tree into a corner! Not pretty! Hannah finally said, "I'm sorry your tree broke." She didn't admit to breaking it, though! Little stinker! So, I don't know what we are going to do for a tree this year. I have a couple of other trees in the garage. One is HUGE and there is no way it will even fit in our living room. The other one is a small craft-style twiggy tree. It won't even hold half of our ornaments. Maybe then Hannah won't try to grab it! The tree was only $20 at Wal-Mart 7 years ago, so it isn't a huge loss. We were planning to buy a new tree next year anyway. But I refuse to do it this year, when we are in an apartment that doesn't have enough space for a big tree. So, we may just have to make do with the twiggy tree. I'll post more photos as things happen!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
so sleepy
and I have no idea why! I went to bed at 10:15 last night and didn't get back out until 7:30!!! Now, I didn't say that I was sleeping the entire time! Hannah was really fussy so I kept waking up when I heard her over the baby monitor. I woke up at about 3am and had to pee, but it was cold and I refused to get out of bed. Needless to say, by the time I got up at 7:30, I was nauseous. And REALLY had to PEE! I know, too much information! I am so far behind on my to-do list, it isn't even funny! I tried really hard to get my Christmas card photos printed yesterday, but Super Wal-Mart screwed them up and then the other Wal-Mart lost my online order. So I sent them to Costco and they were ready at 10am this morning. But I had a presidency meeting this morning and haven't had a chance to pick them up. Hannah threw up last night but has been perfectly fine since. But she is starting to feel warm as she is sitting on my lap right now. I hope she doesn't puke in the car. Because I would seriously gag. I don't do well with puke. Thankfully Thomas was home last night and could give her a bath while I cleaned up the puke. Gross. No more fast food for our family, thank you very much! Well, I am going to go to Costco before Hannah gets sick or cranky. Later...
Monday, December 04, 2006
Men!
They are such babies when they are sick! Thomas is supposed to be starting at a new dealership today, but he is home sick. He has the flu. Lucky me! I really hope I don't get it. And I REALLY hope that Hannah doesn't get it.
Sorry I haven't been posting much lately. Things have been really crazy around here. With Christmas coming and Thomas's dad coming to visit this weekend, I have been running non-stop. I'll be exhausted by the time he gets here! Hopefully Thomas will be able to get off work. Since he is starting at this new dealership, there are no guarantees! And now that Thomas is sick today... Jim might have to hang out with Hannah and I this weekend. :) Hannah needs to get to know her Grandpa better anyway. She'll warm up to him right in time for him to leave. That is usually how it works!
I am already behind on my Christmas To-Do List! Yikes! That's not good! I need to make recipe books. Typing the recipes is what takes forever! I only have enough pages for 19 recipes, so it shouldn't be too bad. I think I am going to do just desserts. That would be the most fun! And I am going to do them in 6x6. I was going to take Hannah to the beach today to take her Christmas picture, but it is COLD... only 60 for the high today. And it is so windy. We may have to just use a photo by the Christmas tree if I can get her to sit still long enough.
Anyway... that's all folks! Later...
Monday, November 27, 2006
It's a GIRL!!!!!!
We are so excited! We had a sonogram this morning and we found out that we are having another little girl! I am so grateful for that! I don't have to buy anything but diapers! She looks perfectly healthy. Her brain and heart are both perfectly developed. We could see all four chambers of her little heart and both of her little kidneys. She has a beautiful little spine and LONG fingers! I know it is hard to tell right now, but her little profile looks just like Hannah. I am just so relieved that everything is okay with this baby. I have had so much stress lately that I wasn't sure that she would be okay. I am scanning photos right now to upload.
Oh! And my brother and his wife are having a girl, too. And my sister and her husband are also having a girl! The Porter family is going to be overrun with girls! The more the merrier!
This is the view from above her head. You can see her perfectly splayed long fingers. She's gonna be a piano player! :)
another shot of her profile. and yes, she's kicking again!
and there is a shot of her perfect little foot. it doesn't look like she has curly toes, but we'll see!Saturday, November 25, 2006
Just some new layouts...
I just submitted a few pages to Creating Keepsakes and Simple Scrapbooks. I have never been published before, so we'll see if anything happens! :) I am so sad! I just found out that my favorite scrapbooking magazine is no longer around! Scrapbook Answers is gone! Their last issue is this month. I love to look at Creating Keepsakes and Scrapbooks, etc. and Simple Scrapbooks for layout ideas, but they generally don't have much content that is applicable to digital scrapbooking. Scrapbook Answers always included free fonts and a free digital kit and free digital artwork to use in layouts. They usually had at least a few pages dedicated to digital techniques. So sad...
Today should be a pretty uneventful day. I am not planning to leave the house again until I have to go to a baptism at church at 5pm. I haven't even changed out of my jammies yet! Hannah hasn't taken her nap yet, so I have to wait to shower until she falls asleep. She just gets into too much trouble if I shower while she is awake. Little stinker! I just realized that today is the 25th and I have TONS of digital layouts due for my Creative Teams. I have no idea how I am going to get everything done. I have about 6 or 7 layouts that I HAVE to do. And no photos to go with them! Yikes! Better get started...
But, here is a layout I did last night. More of an introspective layout than a fun, playful one...
Royanna Fritschmann's Power of Friendship Kit at Divine DigitalHand Stamped Alpha from Michelle Coleman's Second Mile Blog
Special Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for her torn paper action
Photoshop 7
Fonts: Susie's Hand
I am going to go scrap... Later...
Friday, November 24, 2006
Will today ever end?
Is it just me or has today gone on FOREVER??? I just looked at the clock expecting it be 8:30 and it is just past 6:30! YIKES!
Thanksgiving dinner was pretty uneventful. We had dinner at my brother and sister-in-law's house. I had so much fun cooking the dinner for everyone and then barely any of the food got eaten. Okay, a lot of food was eaten, just not in proportion to the amount of food I made. So we sent home HUGE trays of leftovers with everyone. I wish I had brought home more pumpkin pie, but it is probably a good thing I didn't. I ate two pieces last night and then a piece of apple pie this afternoon for lunch! :) And I had sweet potato casserole for breakfast! I love Thanksgiving!!!
I have been in a reflective mood lately and trying to figure out what I really want from life. The more I have thought about it, the more I have realized that we really have very little control over our own lives. We have control over our day to day actions and the decisions we make. We have control over how we treat each other, but the big things... that is where we lack control. We can't control when or where tragedy or disease will strike. We can't control another person's actions. I can't make my husband do something he doesn't want to do. I can try to make Hannah do something that she doesn't want to do. But in the end, she really has to decide how she wants to behave. And even when we do make our own decisions, we don't get to control the consequences of our decisions. There is no such thing as a consequence-free action. For every single thing that we do or don't do there is a consequence. We may not feel the consequences for a long time, but there are consequences. And sometimes the consequences don't happen to us. Our decisions affect not only ourselves, but our spouses, our children, our parents, our friends and even perfect strangers. A simple decision like whether to turn left or to turn right out of our neighborhood could potentially be a life-altering decision. How many times a day do you find yourself asking "What if...?" or saying "I wish I had..." I do it a lot, but what good is it doing me? No good at all. We have to take the decisions that we have made and accept the consequences, good or bad, and learn to make the best of our situations. I was recently reading an Anita Stansfield novel, "To Love Again". I love Anita Stansfield's books. But there is a part of the book where one of the main characters is talking with his therapist. By the way, I wish I had a Sean O'Hara sometimes! :) I don't remember if it is the therapist or the character who comes to the conclusion that each event in our lives is a thread in the tapestry of our lives. If you pull out one thread or one event, the entire thing unravels. Our decisions, good or bad, affect who we are. And how we deal with the consequences that come affects who we are and who we become. And my point is... we just have to take what is dealt to us, make the most of it, and get on with our lives, hopefully learning something and improving ourselves.
We have a doctor appointment on Monday morning to find out if we are having a boy or a girl. I am sure I have mentioned this at least 10 or 12 times already. Any predictions??? Maybe I'll post a poll later! :) I think it's a boy. I really really really want a girl, but I think it's a boy. And I am okay with that!
I am going to go scrapbook now before Thomas gets home from work and decides to commandeer the computer! Later...
Monday, November 20, 2006
another layout...
my sister ashley, me, my sister-in-law amber & in the background... my daughter eating paint! :)
Laura Burger's Clubhouse View Kit at DigiScrapShak
Hand Stamped Alpha from Michelle Coleman's Second Mile Blog
Special Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for her torn edges action
Photoshop 7
Fonts: Susie's Hand
a couple of new pregnant layouts...
Royanna Fritschmann's Power of Friendship Kit at Divine Digital
Hand Stamped Alpha from Michelle Coleman's Second Mile Blog
Special Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for her torn paper action
Photoshop 7
Fonts: Susie's Hand
Fine! Be that way!
I just tried to switch to the new Beta version of Blogger... since it BUGS me to switch every time I login. And what do I get? A "No thanks. We are only switching over a limited number of blogs right now..." Well then why the heck are you bugging me about switching??? okay, that's out of my system...
I went to the doctor today. Everything looks okay. Same old complications still exist, but the baby's heartbeat sounds great. And if the little monkey's movements are anything to predict his/her future behavior by, I'm gonna have another active little monster! :) This little monkey is constantly moving! I am only 17 weeks and I have been feeling this kiddo move for the last 2 to 3 weeks. I am so excited for my sonogram next week. I really hope that everything is okay with the baby and that he/she is healthy. I am just excited that I will finally be able to give my baby a gender identity! Poor Hannah is so confused. She doesn't know what to think because sometimes Parker is a "he" and sometimes Parker is a "she".
Here is a photo of my sister, my sister-in-law and myself last week while my parents were moving. I'm the one in the middle. I feel so fat/ugly standing next to these two. They had both just freshened up and look amazing and I had been chasing a stinking toddler for hours. Brats! If you look closely you can see my daughter in the background, EATING PAINT!!!!! At least it wasn't lead paint. What a little nerd!
Ashley is due about 3.5 week before me and Amber is due 2 weeks before me. I am already starting to swell and retain water. I have got to find a new hair color. I have a LOT of gray hair and it doesn't seem to matter what brand of hair color I use, the color fades so quickly! I use shampoo/conditioner for colored hair. And I don't like that it turns red. Any suggestions?
Well, that's about all for me. I am gonna go try to scrapbook for about 45 minutes until Thomas gets home and then I am going to fold laundry and clean. I have got to get this place organized before his dad gets here on December 9th. Less than 3 weeks and at my pace, it's gonna take that long. I almost wish we were having Thanksgiving dinner at my house because then I would have to get it done in the next two days! I really could do it as long as Thomas would take some junk down to the garage for me. I can't do that on my own no matter when it gets done.
Talk to y'all later...
Friday, November 17, 2006
Just another Friday
Okay, Thomas really depressed me today. I called him on my home from doing errands and he asked me what else I was planning to do today. I told him that I was going home to hang out. And he says, "Yeah, that's right. Because you don't have any friends now that your family moved." And you know what? He's right! I hate it when that happens! I was going to take Hannah to playgroup at church last week, but something else came up. And Thomas doesn't work until 12 next Monday, so we'll miss playgroup again. And I have a doctor appointment anyway. I really hate not having family around. Oh well! I told Thomas that he can't expect me to have friends on my own if he isn't willing to have friends, too. It is much easier to have "couple" friends to hang out with. Especially with Thomas's weird schedule. Anyway...
Hannah & I both got flu shots this morning. Hannah's pediatrician ordered extra ones, so I got one at her office. My OB doesn't have any. Strange? I thought so. They were giving out free ones at Thomas's work for employees and he didn't feel it necessary to get one. "I never get sick." Watch, he'll be the only one to get sick this year! Hannah has a cold, though. The pediatrician told me to give her Dicel, a new cough/cold prescription medication. I LOVE it! It takes about 3 days, but it clears Hannah right up. And it has allergy medicine in it, so if it is allergies in addition to the cold, it takes care of those, too. Gotta love that! I keep hoping that Hannah will want to take a nap so that I can. I don't think it's gonna happen. At least not while I want to sleep.
We are putting up our Christmas tree this weekend... probably on Sunday. I am soooooooooo excited! I LOVE Christmas! And Thomas will be off work on Sunday. I need to get some new ornament hooks. I really want to get a new tree, but can't justify the expense. Our apartment is TINY. We have a 7.5 foot tree that is absolutely gorgeous, but it is HUGE. It would literally take up our entire office, if it even fits. It has a 6.5 foot "wingspan" for lack of a better term. So, we are using our little scrawny 6 foot tree. It's a pretty tree, but I bought it back in college, so it is starting to get a little run-down. I want an 8 foot slimline tree. It's only $150 at Garden Ridge right now... pre-lit... no more stringing lights for hours! I had over 1500 lights on my tree last year. You could read sitting next to the Christmas tree! ;) I'll make do this year, but if we are in our own house next year, I am buying a new tree! :) I'll post photos as soon as we take them. I have to start organizing. Thomas's dad is coming in town in a couple weeks and I have got to de-clutter my house or he'll go crazy. I haven't been able to do anything for weeks, so things have just been piling up. Thomas is off work at 6 tonight and he works early again tomorrow, so he is just going to have to help me! He's gonna love that! Hee hee!
Gonna go scrapbook now... I have a lot of really cool kits to use! Later!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Clara Wallace's Christmas Paper Pack at ScrapDish
snowman element from Jeanine Baechtold's Merry & Bright Element Kit at ScrapDish
stitching from SaraAmarie's Brisk Autumn Breeze Kit at Plain Digital Wrapper, recolored
numbers from Correen Silke's Summer's End Kit at Silkescraps, recolored
Special Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for her Inked Edges Action
Photoshop 7
Fonts: century gothic; Susie's Hand
Image Copyrighted by Meredith Cardall, 2006
Long time, No Blog
Things have been crazy busy around here again. My parents are officially living in Chicago. They left yesterday morning. The house is all empty and they closed on their new house today. It has been hard for us. This morning I kept thinking that I would just drop by Ruthie's house when I was out doing my errands. Then I realized that Ruthie's house is now 18 hours away! Hannah has been crying for her Grandma. She told me earlier that she doesn't like me or our home. She wants to go find Grandma's new house in "'Cago" and stay there.
Little stinker woke up this morning with a snotty nose, but no fever. Then she took a nap and woke up with a fever and an even messier snotty nose. I had to call the mom of the little girl I babysit on Thursdays and cancel for tomorrow. Poor Hannah looks sick. Her eyes are droopy and all she wants to do it sit on her little couch and watch movies.
So, good news! I was asked to be on Traci Reed's CT for the month of November! I couldn't have picked a better month! She just finished her The Reason for the Season Collection at A Cherry on Top. 6 beautiful Christmas kits! And she also did a Snowy Collaboration kit that I get to work with! So much fun! It's a good thing I put off scrapping my Christmas photos for the last two years! I am working on a Christmas project. I am creating a recipe book of favorite family recipes. I am trying to get some Porter and some Cardall/Miller recipes. So, if you have a favorite, send it to me. I was going to print out full-size color copies for everyone, but that would get way too expensive, way too fast. So, I may have to make them smaller than I originally intended. I am trying to make all my fonts pretty big so that they can still be read if they have to be shrunk down. I have been a digiscrapping machine lately. I have already done 20 layouts this month. They are all posted below this post... Chrissy, if you are reading this, let me know what you think about the recipe book for Lyndsey & Tyson. We have them for Christmas & I have no idea what to get them. I don't really know Lyndsey that well and I have never even met Tyson. Anyway... back to digiscrapping... that just means that my house is a wreck and I am behind on my homework. I just can't concentrate on reading right now. I keep falling asleep.
Speaking of my pregnancy... things are going pretty well right now (keeping my fingers crossed). My symptoms haven't gotten any worse. They aren't necessarily better, but at least they aren't worse. I did have an allergic reaction an antibiotic over the weekend. Not fun! I had to take two Benedryl just to stop itching, but I could NOT sleep after that. I went to bed around 10 or 11, woke up at 2am and couldn't go back to sleep until after 5:30am. Then I had to get up at 7am for church. And of course, Thomas had to work on Sunday and Hannah was an absolute nightmare at church. She would not stop talking LOUDLY. So, I had to take her out in the hall, where I found my brother and sister-in-law. The whole family was out in the hall for the better part of the meeting. Which was too bad because the speakers were really good. I wish I could have heard more of what they were saying.
I am going to get going. I need to work on some birth announcements I am doing for a friend. What an adorable baby! :)
Saturday, November 04, 2006
My Daughter is a Terror!
I WILL NOT TAKE HER IN PUBLIC ANYMORE!!!!! At least not until we go to church tomorrow morning! She is an absolute terror! Yesterday, I took her shopping with my mom and sister and her husband. Hannah kept running away from me in the store. She was climbing out of the cart, trying to run out of the stores. The only time she sat still was when we got her a hotdog at the food court and then she managed to get ketchup EVERYWHERE and spill her Sprite all over her pants! Then my mom decided that she wanted to take everyone to see The Santa Clause 3. What a BAD idea! Hannah sat through the first 10-15 minutes. Then she started yelling that she wanted Grandma. I passed her down to Grandma, where she sat for about 7 minutes. Then she wanted Mommy. She sat still for another 5 minutes, then started crying that she wanted to go home. So, I took her downstairs (ampitheater style seating) and tried to get her to sit downstairs and watch the movie. But she didn't want anything to do with that. She wanted to go home and sit on her couch and watch Dora. So, we left the theater. As soon as we got into the lobby, she started SCREAMING that I was a mean mommy and she wanted to go watch Santa Clause with Grandma. She screamed all the way to the car. I finally got her calmed down and told her that if she wanted to watch the movei, we could go back in and sit quietly. She said she wanted to sit quietly. I tried again to get her to sit at the bottom of the stairs for quick get-away purposes. No WAY! She ran away from me and climbed the stairs to get to Grandma. Shelby, my lovely sister, was sitting in the end seat and it took her forever to realize that I wanted her to move over a seat. Even though I was saying it pretty loudly. Sometimes she doesn't pay attention to what we are saying. So, I sat down and as soon as I sat down, Hannah started screaming that she didn't want to sit in the dark, she wanted to go home. So, I dragged her little hiney down the stairs and out of the theater, with her screaming the entire time that she wanted her Grandma & Santa Clause. She screamed the entire way home. We got home and she cried and cried and cried. She said "I won't do it ever again. Take me back to my Grandma and my Everybodies." NOPE! And we aren't going back to anymore movies again. Not until they start doing the free summer kids movies again. Then I'll get to take TWO screaming kids! :) Then, dumb Mom that I am, I took her shopping again today. I had to get her a heavy jacket because it is getting rather cold here. I couldn't take her horrible behavior. Thankfully my mom and Ashley & Dylan were with us. Hannah LOVES her Uncle Dylan. He walked her around for a while. But she just runs off everytime she gets a chance. It scares me to death. I told her that someone was going to take her away from me and she would never see Mommy & Daddy again and her response was "Good. I don't like you. I want to go to Chicago with my Grandma." What did I do wrong? Are all Barely-2-yr-olds like this? Because I don't want another one!!!!!!! She hasn't been sleeping well lately and she has been so cranky and clingy! I am sure it is because of all the changes and stress we have had lately, but she sure doesn't make it easy to accomplish even the simplest of tasks. And keep in mind that I am not supposed to be carrying her AT ALL. I had to lift her about 10 times yesterday and almost that many today. She won't stay in a cart or a stroller. She knows how to unbuckle herself and climb out. I am so scared she is going to bust her head open. Goodness knows I don't need that stress, too! Anyway.... enough of that. She is a really cute kid and when we are home, she is great. Well, most of the time. She is sooooo smart! She told me all of her ABCs again today. And she knows most of the words to a lot of kids' songs. It's a good thing she is so darn cute! Speaking of.... We were driving in the car yesterday and some moron was in front of us. So, my mom yells, "What the heck? Get out of our darn way!" And from the backseat, you hear this little voice saying, "What the heck, peoples?! Get out of our way! We are going to see a darn movie!" And earlier this morning she asked me where her "darn dolls" were. I am going to kill my family if they don't start watching their mouths around this kid. She not only picks up certain phrases, but she knows when/how to use them. I have never called her dolls her "darn dolls" but she knows that people say that when they are frustrated. She is too smart for her own good.
well, Thomas should be home from work soon. I am looking forward to a quiet evening with low stress.... hopefully! :) I am going to go finish dinner. I threw a roast in the crockpot earlier with some Sonny's Sweet BBQ sauce. It's not even close to my favorite sauce, but Thomas likes it. I prefer Woody's Sweet Sauce or Sweet Baby Ray's. Both of which we have in the fridge. I think you can tell a true southerner by the number of kinds of BBQ sauce they have in their fridge... we have Kraft (yuck! but Hannah likes it), KC Masterpiece (it's okay), Sweet Baby Ray's (soooo good), Woody's (the best) & Sonny's. We had a couple of other bottles but I threw them out last week because we NEVER ate them. Thomas's dad loves to come visit us because we take him to a different BBQ restaurant every night. He is coming in December, so I am trying to get ready. Smokey Bonez is a new one here. It's a chain, so if you have one near you, give it a try. Their sauces aren't traditional BBQ sauces. I really liked their BBQ Beef Brisket Sandwich. Thomas loved their ribs. Hannah got chicken strips.
I am going to go now. I have to pick Thomas up at the clubhouse in a few minutes. I am going to see if I can convince him to go to Publix with me and get some buns for dinner and get a Coke/Pepsi at the gas station. I think I have earned one after dealing with the princess today! :)
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Happy November!
So, it is November 1st and it is 85 degrees outside. And HUMID! I think we are supposed to get another cold front sometime soon, but you just never know. I posted some photos of Hannah in her Halloween costume. Thomas had to work late last night, so he didn't get to see her trick-or-treat this year. I took her up to his store so he could at least see her in her costume. She was so funny. Thomas took her up to the front desk where the managers all sit. They had music playing and Hannah started dancing. Everyone was laughing at Hannah. She was shaking her little booty like there was no tomorrow! Her little tutu was moving! She was so wound up all day! And she didn't even eat any candy until later! Maybe it was the cookies... I think all the excitement finally caught up with her, though. She fell asleep at 10pm last night without a fight and didn't wake up until 7:30 this morning (YEA!!!!!) and then she fell asleep this morning at 11 for her nap that she usually doesn't take until 3pm. Should be a fun evening! At least Thomas is supposed to be off work early tonight.
I hope that everyone had a great Halloween! We sure did! We miss everyone and wish that we could have gone trick-or-treating with all the cousins this year! I can't wait to do this by myself next year with TWO kids! :) Fun Fun!
