Just Chit Chatter

Blog/Scrap Challenge - Bonus Topic

2007-01-29T23:35:00.000-05:00

What 100 things could I not live without??

Randomly, here we go:

1) Faith
2) Sterling
3) Divine
4) Sterling II
5) Chocolate
6) Vegetables
7) Hot Water
8) Fav pillow
9) Tivo
10) Netflix
11) Color
12) Sports
13) Music
14) Bible
15) Vitamin Water
16) BBQ Grill
17) George Foreman Grill
18) Ice Cream
19) Affection
20) Computer
21) Internet
22) Fruit
23) Starbucks
24) Toiletries
25) Books
26) Printer
27) Scanner
28) Toothbrush
29) Toothpaste
30) Milk Soap
31) Cell
32) Sleep
33) Voicemail
34) Caller ID
35) Friends
36) Loved Ones
37) The Red Lily
38) Tennis Shoes
39) Swimsuit
40) YMCA
41) Employment
42) Fluffy Socks
43) Heat
44) A/C
45) T.V.
46) News
47) Radio
48) Sex
49) Laughter
50) Pedicures
51) Manicures
52) Jeans
53) Scrapbooking
54) Sight
55) Hearing
56) Speaking
57) Feeling
58) Touching
59) Carmex
60) Target
61) Shopping Online
62) Baggy Sweats
63) History
64) Memories
65) Lipstick
66) Mascara
67) Eyeliner
68) Jehovah
69) Christ
70) Freedom
71) Scrapbooking
72) Sun
73) debit card
74) wireless bras
75) nail polish
76) library
77) love songs
78) girlie movies
79) red lobster rolls
80) airplanes
81) boston baked beans
82) camera
83) education
84) cc’s pizza
85) lilies
86) white roses
87) barq’s rootbear
88) candles
89) sentiments
90) strength
91) humor
92) smiles
93) a good cry
94) success
95) failure
96) respect
97) healing
98) beauty
99) rain
100) heals

what's yours???

Adieu!

Blog/Scrap Challenge Week 2

2007-01-22T00:33:00.000-05:00

Man....I'm running a little behind but I'm just in time because Nesa hasn't put up next weeks topic yet!! *whew* So for this week, well I guess I should say last week....anyway, our topic is to give insight into our Home Surroundings, those little things that make our house a home.

Sweet Home Surroundings

I am deeply grateful to have a "home" with my family! Growing up we never really had a place to call home because there were either so many of us living in one place or we were moving to a different apartment or house frequently. So as I sit and think about the "home" that we have been blessed to provide for our family it makes me extremely thankful, blessed and happy that my children don't have to feel the way I felt growing up.

I love my "home" because it's where I feel the most comfortable. You know I can where my pj's all day or wear my sweatpants that are 2 sizes too big or I can unzip my pants while I eat fried chicken, okra and candied yams!! LOL

My "home" is still a work in progress but I love it here and we've thought about moving a few times because we could use a little bit more space...but I just love it and am not ready to let it go just yet! There are a few things that make my house a "home":

1. I love the smell of my home...I always have a scented candle burning...I love candles and this one has become my favorites Yankee Canlde - Juicy Grapefruit man does it smell good!! And a
Pier One - Reed Diffuser is great to have sitting around the house too!

2. I love elephants and have them all over my house, when I first saw this table and mirror at the furniture store I had to have them both!!

3. It's very important to me that anyone who comes into my "home" can tell that we live here and it's not a show room! Yes, you can put your feet on the coach and sit on the furniture in the living room and no we don't have plastic on our couches...boy do I remember when my grandma had plastic on her furniture because she did not want it getting dirty! LOL Yea right...that's so crazy to me, ummmm maybe it's just me but we actually live in our house.

4. It's so important to me that my "home" is tidy at all times, just in case someone happens to be in the neighborhood and wants to drop by and say "hello" you know so I don't have to leave them hanging outside the door for 2 minutes while I stuff everything in a closet!! LOL Now that I have a husband and 2 children I've settled for just a little messy!!

5. I love color and have been trying to add a little bit here and there, still haven't gotten up the nerve to paint yet so the walls are all still off white. Dh has been bugging me to paint the living and dining room for the past 6 months but I'm so scared so I've added some colors to my kitchen...hey you gotta start somewhere! LOL

I love buying accents for around the house!

Like these, there's an event held here in Charlotte every year called Juneteenth, we bought these from one of the vendors after I had been tormenting myself for almost 3 months about what to put up on the ledge over the foyer. These were perfect!

And finally just one more thing that makes me love my "home" so much and it's the people in these pictures!! Our family photos hang on a wall right in front of our door so the first thing you see when you into our home is these photos and I love them!!

Adieu!

Blog/Scrap Challenge Week 1

2007-01-09T17:09:00.000-05:00

I have been challenged and boy do I need it!!! Nesa has so graciously allowed all of us at The Red Lily to join into her personal blog/scrap challenge with a different topic ever week!

So let's get this party started right, one of my goals for 2007 is the show my blog a lil mo' lovin so this challenge is definitely right up my alley!

Jumpstart: Morning Routine
rise and shine at 6:00 am to get up with Divine so she can get ready for school. I normally set her alarm clock for her so by the time I get upstairs she's already up and in the bathroom. Unless she happens to get up early then I can find her all dressed and ready to go to school, watching tv or reading a book. Making sure she stays on schedule can be a challenge because her bus arrives at 6:45am. So she gets dressed and grooms herself, while she's doing that I'm on the computer checking email and on The Red Lily. Then we head downstairs for breakfast or if she's not feeling breakfast we'll just sit there and chat about some of everything. Her bus arrives right in front of the house which is so cool and I love it....especially in the cooler months! I kiss her and she runs out of the house screaming "I love you mom and tell daddy and brother that I love them too!" I think it's awesome that she never leaves out of the house in the morning without saying she loves us! And I yell back, "I love you too sweetie have a great day!"

Sterl leaves out for work right after Divine has left for school so there are plenty of days when he gets up with Divine and gets her on her bus and off to school.......on those days I get to sleep in for about 30 minutes longer, love those days and him!

After she's gone I run back upstairs for about 15-20 minutes of computer time before I'm off to shower, once out I go back upstairs to wake Sterling II to get him ready for daycare. He's such a sleeper, I always have to kiss him or tickle him to get him up! He goes potty, brushes his teeth and washes his face and then I get him dressed. He eats breakfast as soon as he arrives at the daycare so I don't have to worry about that with him. I let him watch a little bit of Noggin while I finish getting dressed for work.

Then it's time for the mad dash....see I have a state owned vehicle for work and he can't ride in it so I have to drive my car to drop him off at daycare and then come back home and pick up my van for work. Because of the flow of traffic in the mornings if this isn't timed just right I could very well get stuck in traffic and my whole day will be off schedule. After I return from dropping him off at daycare I park my car in the garage and run in the house for a few minutes, 3 to be exact.....that gives me enough time to shut off the computer, fix me a bowl of oatmeal in the microwave and pour and cup of milk. I use the same bowl and cup everyday because I eat my breakfast on my drive to work, I know it's a shame but it is what it is and I don't mind it one bit. Oh yea...I almost forgot, I'm always laughing and listening to The Steve Harvey Morning Show on my drive too!

Well that's my morning routine and it varies, could end up turned upside down.....depending on my kiddos cooperation!!! LOL

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2007-01-01T23:24:00.000-05:00

man 2007 is here already! it seems that 2006 just flew right by...hope 2007 slows down just a little bit!

Our Christmas holiday was awesome, spent a lot of time together as a family and I think it was just what we needed!! Christmas day was so exciting for the kids, on Christmas Eve we went to MacAdenville to see the lights, it's a tradition for us!! Those lights are amazing and so beautiful puts you right into the holiday spirit. The kids had been watching a Santa Tracker all day...THANKS LINDSAY! They were so excited about it and my dd was calling all of our family and friends to hip them on where Santa was arriving next. We baked cookies and once they saw how close Santa was they quickly jumped in bed and was sound asleep, it was so cute!!

They got up that morning about 7am screaming, "Santa was here!!" The dd started asking so many questions like how does Santa "really" fit down the chimney? How much does Santa "really" weigh? and How does Santa keep his red suit so nice and shiney going up & down all those smokey chimney's? It was so funny to see that curious little look on her face!! Then they tore into their presents and we had so much fun playing the games they got, doing baby doll hair and putting together a Thomas train set! Here's a pic of my two kiddos with their favorite gifts.

DD got an American Girl doll which she absolutely loves, got her the matching pj's too!

DS got a batman blow up sleeping tent which I can't keep him out of, we might as well pack his bed up because he's slept in his tent everyday since Christmas!

We got dh a 8 drawer tool chest from Sears he was shocked and had no idea which was awesome because he's so nosey we never can surprise him with anything but we got him this time! I got a few sets of silk pj's, house shoes (which I desperately needed because mine were so ratty), toiletries and gift cards! It was a wondeful day there were smiles and hugs all day long!

I also received my 2nd gift from my secret lily from the mb at The Red Lily!! Doing this SL swap was so much fun!! She knew exactly what I wanted and included ALL of my favs!! And here's all the goodies that CC sent to me!!

*MM Shimmer Kit with Stickers

*Lil Davis Vintage Wood Alphas

*7 Gypsies 97% Certifiable Seal Stamp

*Ranger Acrylic Paint Dabbers

*Lil Davis Glitter Glaze

*HS Ghost Letters

Yummy!!! LUV, LUV, LUV IT ALL........THANKS CC, you da bomb gurl!!

Here's to a lot of blessed and prosperous days in 2007!!! Wishing you all the hope, love, happiness, joy and life that 2007 has to bring!!

Adieu!

Back Again!!

2006-12-22T22:23:00.000-05:00

yup and hopefully for good this time!! Let me say a big ole THANKS!! to blogger for beta switching because it has caused a big fat chester cheetah smile on my face! I got so frustrated because I would lose posts and couldn't upload any pics that I just gave up......the blogger tenacity was gone!! But, I'm back now and I was able to edit a few post and upload pics and I'm a happy blogger!! YIPPEE

Man, I'm sitting here drinking a cup of hot cocoa out of my NEW!! fav mug that was sent to my by my Secret Lily from The Red Lily message board. Why is it my fav...hmmmmm let's just say I absolutely LOVE Grey's Anatomy!! Check it out!!!

THANK U, SECRET LILY!!

Yup...yup, I know you're lusting over it right now but IT'S ALL MINE!!! I was so excited when I pulled it out of the box that I immediately poured a cup of eggnog latte that I had from Starbucks into it, kicked back and relaxed....enjoying my piece of Grey's. I was even tempted to run upstairs and watch a past issue of Grey's that I have on DVR!! LOL

Man the weather here was just nasty today, it rained all day, there were so many accidents and a parking lot of traffic on every interstate. I don't envy anyone who was out there wrapping up their holiday shopping in that mess.

But I do have 2 last minute gifts to get tomorrow so I'm so hoping for much better weather!!

So glad to be back blogging!!

adieu!!

Blog Challenge...who me?????

2006-09-13T08:38:00.000-04:00

ok well since Nesa is our official blog challenge hostess for this month and I'm stuck in an airport because my flight is delayed I'm gonna do my best to catch up on the blog challenge at The Red Lily I know it's a shame to the blogger world that if I weren't stuck in the airport I probably wouldn't be blogging. BUT, can I defend myself???? I've had so much headache trying to post and upload images that its discouraging to even blog.....what not good enough???? LOL

Anyway, I've gotten the okay from hubby to switch to typepad if I'd like to do that. I would just hate to pay for something that I can get FREE.

MY FAV SUMMER MEMORY

well that's hands down the trip that we took to Chicago this year for the week of Independence Day!! we had such a great time...dude my hubby is from Chicago and we've visited many, many times but i've never seen downtown Chicago before this trip! I mean really see it, taste it and then see it again at night!!! And who can complain about ALL of the good eats in Chi Town??? Some of my favs are:

Ricobeane..love their italian combo
Lawrences Fishery...love their FRESH shrimp and catfish nuggets
Giordanos...love, love, love their deep dish pizza there is NOTHING like it
Leenora...love their lasagna
Harold's Chicken....love of course their chicken, gotta try this
House of Bing......the best chinese food EVER!!! Pepper steak is slammin
And of course auntie Jean house for the best bbq ribs and potatoe salad

Speaking of auntie Jean she put together the most memoriable bbq this year, there were about 200 family members there. A few of her neighbors allowed us to use their back yards and it was soooo much fun to see everyone. Divine was trippin' because she didn't know she had so many little cousins!!! She kept saying, "mom is this my cousin too!?!?" she loved it and had a great time. Oh did i mention how the ribs melt in your mouth??? I did....OK!! It was such a good time, it's always good to meet family!!!

We also went to the 97th floor of the John Hancock bldg and had dinner, IT WAS AWESOME!!!! A view of the entire city and guess what I got a few points deducted from my scrappers card because I didn't have my camera!!! But, it's a view I'll NEVER forget, just breathtaking!! Oh and the Garretts Popcorn melts in your mouth!!! I bought a tub to take home and let everyone who came to my house get a taste!! We did some shopping at the mall, went to The Bean this thing is something else!!! We took some self portraits....I did have my camera this time!! The Taste of Chicago, well let me just say cheesecake and an India Ire and Anthony Hamilton conert that was off da hook!!! Later, on that night we went to a blues club and closed the place down!!

I had a ball in Chicago, my fav memory this summer.....it was so much fun, can't wait til next year!! We go to Chicago every year during this time of the year!!

Blog Challenge...Gotta Catch Up

2006-08-26T01:52:00.000-04:00

First, I must vent.....I am so annoyed with blogger becasue I CANNOT upload any pics!!! It just won't let me, it goes through the motions as if it's uploading and after I click the "done" button.....huh??? what??? the pic isn't there!!! I don't know, I've tried everything I can think of and took the advise from some other bloggers plus I went onto the help group and still can't figure it out. UGH....it's really been discouraging me from attemping to blog at all!!!

OK so enough of that, I'm determined to catch up on a few of the topics from the blog challenge....this is long, "I said I was cathcing up!!"

Wednesday's topic was all about scrapbooking products. Well, I started scrapbooking with CM products and then I wasn't jumping up and down because they were da bomb rather I used them because I thought that CM was the ONLY scrapbooking product company EVER.....I know silly me!! So I'd have to say that I don't like their products but I love their tools. I would recommend their tools to anyone especially newbies to scrapbooking. And let's just say, right now I really HATE stickers!!! Oh and I am on my 4th trimmer...just can't find that perfect trimmer!!! I will say that the 2 Friskars are a bust, they don't cut a straight line at all, no way!! Come to think of it, I also didn't like the wacky tacky tape that I bought. Especially the so called vellum because it wasn't "see through"....you could "see it!" And I hated cutting it to use it!

I am such a tool hoarder....and not that I don't hoard other products because we all know I would be lieing if I even tried to claim that tale but I love tools so whenever a cool tool is introduced I'm all over it! I really can't pick out one fav because I just love my tools....from my punches to my crop-a-dile I just love em!! The best tool I ever purchased was my Wishbade Personal Media Cutter it's AWESOME!!! Initally, I was nervous about making such a big investment but everytime I use it I'm happy that I took the plunge!!

I love all different types of products, just depends on what mood I am in when I buy them & then what mood I'm in when I scrap. I've certainly bought a few products and thought they were da bomb and when I pulled them out to scrap asked myself.....WHY?? And I have some products that I just couldn't live without at the time and then NEVER used them or they sat for months or even a year until I used them. Like, some products that I've bought on QVC, when I purchased the products I thought in my mind all of the wonderful LO's, cards etc. that I would create but there they sat being ignored!!! But, we now have so many different, cool products now that there's such a variety to choose from and they keep coming wtih more and that makes me smile!! Plus, I think I now can recognize what products I'll use and which products I won't use....now that has made a big difference in my spending!!!

Thursday's topic was all about your siblings. Well, I have 2 younger sisters, yup I'm the eldest of 3 and I act like it too!!! I think being the eldest contributes to my need to be a control freak!! LOL no really it does because I have always had to be in charge. But, that's a whole different blog topic...LOL..so one is 27 & the other is 24 years old and I just turned 32.

Honestly, I really don't think I am alot like either of them as a matter of fact I am least like both of them. I believe its mainly because I've experienced a lot more than they have at this point and they are still trying to find themselves. I do love both of them very much but really wish we all had a better sisterly relationship, there are a lot of restraints that keep us from doing things together. Like, we've NEVER been on a trip together...you know just for fun...just sisters hanging out! That's something that I really hope that we get to do one day. I am more close to my sister that's 27 because she lives here in the same city with me. We hang out, she comes over and we just chill sometimes. But my youngest sister & I don't have a close relationship at all. But, we're working on it so I'm praying that it gets better!

Now on to Friday's topic, well there were 2 topic and the one that I chose was: What is your absolute favorite outfit?? Plain & Simple I love to wear a nice pair of "fitted" bootcut jeans with a crisp laundered (did I spell that right?) white shirt and a pair of black boots. That is my all time favorite outfit, I dont' know it just makes me feel sexy, cool, calm and collected! Plus, I have to search & search to find a pair of jeans that are "fitted" and by that I don't mean a pair that I can fit, I mean a pair that fit my waste, hips & thighs perfectly because I am "so bootylicious!!" LOL

man, it's late and I literally have 1 eye open so I'm calling it a night!!!

adieu!!

Most Embarrasing Drunken Story

2006-08-22T08:27:00.000-04:00

Yesterdays, blog challenge topic at The Red Lily was tell your most embarrasing Drunken Story.

Well, I'd have to admit that my college days were filled with these stories. Let me just say that I partied way to much in college!!! I don't have the time right now or the space in Blogger to tell you those stories!!

Anyway, as a responsible adult, it would have to be the time that Sterling and I went to Hawaii for a week. Well, we were in Maui and took a "Mai Tai Catamarn Cruise", featuring ALL THE MAI TAIS YOU CAN HANDLE!! The cruise was awesome and just because I had my share of mai tais but, we met some wonderful couples from Massachusettes, California, and Australia. We all enjoyed the unlimited amount of mai tai's that were available on the cruise and had a wonderful time getting to know one another. After the cruise, someone suggested that we go to the bar of the hotel and have a "few" more drinks! So we were in the bar for about 3 hours drinking, laughing and having a great time! So I decide to gather everyone outside of the bar to take a group pic. We had exchanged phone numbers and email addys to keep in touch so we had to have a pic to remember each other because the way the drinks were flowing that might not be the case the next morning. LOL Here's the pic:

Now the funny thing about that pic is when I got home 6 days later I looked at that pic and asked Sterling, "honey why are all those umbrellas in my hair?" And started laughing histerically and asked, "you honestly don't remember?" And I had no clue....well turns out that's how many drinks I had! Everytime the ladies had a drink they would put the lil fancy umbrellas in our hair. OMG, that was a total blur to me, I did not remember that detail of the evening........due to too many drinks!!! Sterling said he remembered me having about 10, WOW...that's way too many!!!

After the pic we decided, "hey let's go swimming" LOL a bunch of drunken overgrown men & women goes running out to the pull and jumps right in...splashing, laughing just having a good ole time! Well, security comes running out screaming, "the pool is closed!" Initially, we ignore him & pretend we dont' hear him but he wouldn't go away! So we all get out and decide well, since the pool is closed lets just go to the ocean and take a swim. Now that I think back on it, how freaken dangerous was that because I know I was wasted, impaired and definitely NOT on top of my swim game. I remember trying to force myself to sober up quickly because Sterling isn't a great swimmer and I was soooooo nervous that something might happen while we were out in the ocean. So nervous that I couldn't even enjoy the swim, btw it was a beautiful night. So we said our good-byes to everyone and went to our hotel room for a good nights rest, which we definitely needed.

Oh and the next day, lets just say I couldn't get out of bed and we almost missed our flight back to The Big Island because I was so sick. Why do we do it?? After that experience, I immediately learned to be conscious of my alcohol intake limit!!! Everyone has one so know yours....let me tell ya, it'll save ya from being in a drunken stupper the next day...not a fun feeling at all!!

Bad Habits

2006-08-20T00:31:00.000-04:00

I haven't been keeping up with the blog challenge as much as I wanted to because "life happened" and I have had to deal with a few other things instead.

But, hey I'm jumping in there tonight...um bad habits, I wouldn't dare post the ENTIRE list because it is certainly full but here are a few of my bad habits:

1. I don't floss, maybe once or twice a month. My dentist gets on me about this everytime I see her.
2. I am not a breakfast eater. I know, it's the most important meal of the day but I just don't get up early enough to cook breakfast. I'm sure my dh would like me to.
3. I don't scrap my dishes before I put them in the dishwasher. Dh hates it with a passion!
4. I don't exercise like I should, I need to exercise more.
5. I love chocolate and I eat it at least once a day.
6. I don't take care of my rose bushes, I haven't paid any attention to them in weeks.
7. I never make my bed. Dh always makes the bed but if I get up after he does it just goes unmade.
8. I spend way too much money!
9. I never top off the gas tank in my car. Dh always tells me I need to at least stay at 1/2 tank because there could come a time when I need to get somewhere quick and don't have time to stop for gas.
10. I am 100% a control freak! I don't necessarily have to be right but I want things my way!

Ahem, that wasn't so bad! There you have it all of my dirty little bad habits....yea I'm still working on em' but glad I got em' because if I didn't I wouldn't be ME!!

adieu!!

August Blog Challenge

2006-08-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

ok ready, set, go.....wait....wait....I'm not ready yet!!! That was me, totally not ready for this blog challenge!!! LOL Let me explain, at The Red Lily we are doing a blog challenge for the entire month of August....how fun!!! I am so excited about it because I think it will get me into my groove of blogging on a regular basis...I so want that! How regular you ask, don't ask!! LOL The "challenge" for me will be to even blog everyday for a month and I'm gonna give it my BEST shot!!

So I am started off behind and playing catch up....NOT GOOD!!! But, it wasn't my fault BLOGGER was doing something really funky & weird and I still can't upload pics but I gotta go for it so I won't get too far behind!!

Our first challenge was "lists" and boy am I the list queen! I have to have my lists and I mean ALL my lists to function. On a normal list day I might have about 3 lists going consecutively. There's my scrapbooking list, work list and home list. Yup, I would say that I've mastered the world of multi tasking...wouldn't you??? Oh and did I mention that they never turn out to be daily lists they are always weekly lists because as each day goes by I check off the accomplished and add on as the week goes by. My lists are always only Monday - Friday lists....no lists on the weekends, by Friday I've normally completed my entire list. Hey, it works for me, try it...you might like it! The bottom line is......if I didn't have my lists, believe me I wouldn't get anything done and neither would anyone else in my household!!

However, when I saw this challenge, I tried to just combine all 3 lists into 1 big list! Since I'm about 2 days behind on this I've completed the majority of it, here it is and I've checked those that I've accomplished as of today.

Ash's To Do List:

1.termination (CHECK)
2.finish cleaning out emails (CHECK)
3.organize folders/create folders too (CHECK)
4.update route list (CHECK)
5.print mapquest for trip this weekend (CHECK)
6.update customer list (CHECK)
7.finish CHA new product list (CHECK)
8.confirm babysitter for this weekend (CHECK)
9.unpack from CKU-A
10.send emails to Terri (CHECK)
11.post projects from CKU-A
12.post/introduce Aug guest designer Kelli Crowe (CHECK)
13.finalize dh's anniversary gift
14.BLOG (CHECK)
15.fiish working on cd's for swap
16.work on cj LO
17.announce lily of the month (CHECK)
18.call @ product order (CHECK)
19.confirm Sept guest designer (CHECK)
20.email CC, make additions
21.get application notarized & mail (CHECK)
22.email all shipping quotes (CHECK)
23.pack for the kids for this weekend (CHECK)
24.pack for this weekend (CHECK)
25.pay bills (CHECK)
26.go to bookstore and buy books (CHECK)
27.get parking sticker for cpcc (CHECK)
28.email crop club about next crop date
29.enroll Divine in afterschool program (CHECK)
30.set up automatic drafts for Divine's lunch (CHECK)
31.go to Target

whew...1 down, and 2 to go before I catch up! I'll try to catch up tomorrow before we leave for the weekend!!! Thanks for the challenge Sue!!!!

adieu!!

Chat With Elsie Flannigan Tonight

2006-07-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

Join us for an inspirational hour at The Red Lily we will be chatting with Elsie Flannigan at 7pm EST!!! I will have her brand new book 52 Scrapbooking Challenges in my hot lil hands bright & early tomorrow morning....can't wait!!!! Elsie RAWKS, she's such a cool designer with a great spirit...drop on by and say HIYA!!!!

adieu!!

pedicured toes, here they are.....

2006-07-25T12:06:00.000-04:00

there's nothing like the feel of freshly pedicured toes & my fav OPI nail polish (20 Candles On My Cake)....I love me a great spa pedicure from my favorite nail spa around the corner! I really needed a pedicure, just makes my day happy...KWIM? Now off to pack for CKU-A....can't wait to try new techniques, hang out with fellow artists & Ali and SHOP...sHoP...ShOp!!! Can you see the big ole grin on my face!!!???!!!

edited: I thought it was just me, but apparently there's a problem with blogger and everyone is having trouble uploading pics....so I'll have to try and post the pic from last night & today a lil later!

adieu!!

"New Beginnings"

2006-07-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

okay, here's to "new beginnings" for a few reasons....I have totally ignored my blog for a few months and now I'm back!!! as if anyone reads it, anyway! LOL And there is an "official blog challenge" at The Red Lily lead by Adrienne who is an awesome artist and I love reading her blog! The challenge is to update every Monday and I'm takin' it on!!! It's a goal of mine and I'm gonna get it done. I really haven't grown to love it yet because I haven't been consistent with blogging so who am I not to give it a fair shake!

So on to my updates:

On May 23 I was in a very bad car accident and was pretty banged & bruised up with a torn muscle in my left calf...which HURT like CRAZY, I mean to even touch it or if the wind blew too hard (ok, that's a lil exaggeration but you get the point). I'm blessed to have recovered about 90% at this point but just blessed & happy to be alive. It really shook me up and now I'm so very paranoid as a passenger because I've only driven twice since then. Sterl says when I ride with him I have to get in the back seat because I'm too paranoid right now! As we drive I'm screaming, "look out", "watch it", "oh", "ah", "eeeekkkkkk" and it's driving him crazy!!! Car accidents can take a while to recover from, I had never been in one so frightning....you know a fender bender here & there but the impact was very hard. So I've been taking it easy and really getting some much needed rest so that I could heal & recover properly.

Today was my last appointment with my orthopedic surgeon who instructed me to continue to take it easy, take all of my anti-inflammatory meds and allow my muscle to heal all the way before doing anything too active. And that's just what I'm going to do! I have so much catching up to do in every aspect of my life...thank God that I have the most wonderful husband in the world whose been taking such good care of me, providing for us and keeping the kiddos in line. My mom & sister both live here and they've been a HUGE help to us!! Not to mention a few wonderful friends that have been praying and a great support to us. Then there's the ladies at TRL who have been there pulling for me and sending hugs & vibes my way!!! Man it's so awesome to have such wonderful people in your life...I'm so thankful!!

Well, there you have it....I'm updated and tired so I'll leave you with this pic of my son, Deuce...this photo makes me sooo happy!! I mean it really makes me smile, can't wait to scrap it!!!

***I am so frustrated, it won't let me upload my pic!!! It says it's uploaded but it's not here!!! I'll give it a try tomorrow because I'm beat!!!

adieu!

Cyber Crop.....Right Now

2006-05-13T12:30:00.000-04:00

Come and join us for an all day cyber crop today 11am - 8 pm EST at The Red Lily !!! There's games, challenges, trivia, scavenger hunts, LOTS OF PRIZES and chatter!!! Also, we'll be chatting with Ali Edwards at 5pm EST....drop by and say hello!!!

TOTALLY INSPIRED pt2

2006-05-04T22:44:00.000-04:00

WOW...what a week I've had and I'm gonna high jack this post for a few seconds before I conclude about my inspiring weekend at the Scrap Etc. Event.

You know, what do you do when you really bite off more than you can chew??? I think instinctly our answer is to chew as hard and as long as we can; not being conscious that we could ultimately CHOKE!!! Well, I've thrown those instincts right out the window...lately I've bit off more than I can actually chew but I've slowed down and carefully chewed smaller pieces and IT FEELS GOOD!!! It wasn't that hard so WHY was I making it so darn hard for ME!?!?!? I don't know either but thank God for wisdom and a reality check!!

OK BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG POST!!!

Since I've returned from the Scrap Etc. Event I've really been thinking about WHY? I SCRAP...this event has really put it all in perspective for me and initally I was a little embarrassed because I felt like I have been scrapbooking for over 8 years and my albums are really just photo albums because my children won't know anything about what their lives were like or how great their personalities were or even what their parents were like when they were too small to comprehend it all....but if you look at my albums they'll surely be able to list EACH and EVERY event we've every had in our lives!!!

Well that train stopped in Birmingham and I got off!!! And I feel so good about it!!! "Hey Cathy, I returned my ticket!!!" LOL

Honestly, for me scrapbooking had just become a chore.....trying to catch up on all the pictures!! I had even gotten tired of buying scrapbooking supplies because I was getting so mad at myself because I wasn't using them...NOPE, not anymore! Really, what scrapper gets tired of buying supplies, heck collecting is half the fun of it!!! I mean, I would look at all my pictures and just not want to touch them thinking..."I'm NEVER gonna be able to do this!" NEVER able to scrap in the moment, always doing a LO about an event that happened 5 years ago, trying to stay in chronological order!!!

I'm totally inspired!! I will tell real stories and I will have a voice in my scrapbooks!! I will record memories in my scrapbooks!! And shoot I will talk about me in my scrapbooks....I never do that!!! In addition, I'll have more photos of me even if I have to do a million self portraits!! LOL

Okay, I'm finished rambling but I really wanted to share how this event has really made a difference in how I view this awesome hobby that we all share and love! Again, thanks to Heidi & Cathy for encouraging me to "enjoy this process, never stop exploring and be proud of the creativity in me!!!

CathyZ and I

Heidi and I

Oh and I couldn't wrap this up without showing you some of the awesome products that I purchased with my winnings at Scrap Etc!!!

Of course I had to get a ton of Heidi's awesome products!!!

And I've wanted to get my lil fingers on these since Rhonna mentioned them while chatting with us in The Lily Pad at The Red Lily!!!

One last photo of awesome products!!! I also got a few stacks of patterned paper too!!

Man, what an awesome weekend. It's confirmed it's officially an annual event so you know where to catch up with me next year!!!!

TOTALLY INSPIRED pt1

2006-04-25T23:05:00.000-04:00

I'm sure it's going to take me a few days to really capture the moment of attending the Scrap Etc Event that was held in Birmingham this weekend because I have so much in my head that I want to say but my kiddos took forever to get in bed tonight, it's late and I'm so tired so I'm just going to ramble on until I can't ramble anymore and then pick up where I left off tomorrow...you don't mind do ya???

First let me say that I attended this event with some of the coolest girls ever. Adrianne my business partner, co-owner of The Red Lily; a few design team members Adrienne and Julie and a few friends and members of our community Niki and Kim...this event wouldn't have been the same for me without you ladies there to make me laugh until my cheek muscles hurt!! LOL I have to say that Adrianne is such a genuine, true and wonderful friend to me; we just get each other, we just click ya know!!! I'm so lucky to have met her and become great friends and then create a business with her too....we always have a BLAST together and will just about hit the road traveling anywhere to a scrappin event!!! LOL, it is the truth!!

Then to Monique, thanks so much for allowing me to get away for some much needed ME time and what better way to spend it than at a scrapbooking event that was a lot more than just scrapbooking....your themed held true because I was "TOTALLY INSPIRED"!! You did a wonderful job, the entire event was well organized and the classes were awesome....my life & my way of capturing memories will NEVER be the same!!! Thank you for an awesome adventure that I'll NEVER forget!!! I'LL DEFINITELY SEE YA NEXT YEAR!!! By the way shopping at your store was one of the best shopping experiences that I've ever had....you have THE BEST store I've ever stepped foot in not to mention winning that $500 gift certificate made it even better!!! Yup, Emily pulled my name as the winner of the referral gift certificate!!! I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!! When Julie, Adrianne and I registered we made a pact that if one of our names were called that we would split the winnings and that is just what we did and had a BLAST shopping for about 3 whole hours at Scrap Etc. the best scrapbooking store that I've ever been too!!! Here are a few pics to show some of the products that I selected with my winnings and us during our shopping excursion!!! (oopsie forgot to upload these and I'm going to bed, I'll share them in pt2)

Now back to the event, it was AWESOME...it was so much more than scrapbooking, it's was all about "SHE" as Heidi would say and it was a "MEMORY" not just an "EVENT" as CathyZ would say!! WOW...before this event I never really looked at scrapbooking the way that these two women have inspired me to do....so to both of you Heidi & Cathy thank you, thank you, thank you....really I will NEVER scrapbook the same and I will NEVER be exhausted and overwhelmed by scrapbooking; feeling stressed out like it's an obligation because really it's an opportunity....man I so get it now!!!!! Thank you ladies for sharing so much of YOU with ME, it was awesome!!

Okay, I'll leave ya with a few pics and then I'll be back soon because I'm not finished rambling about the event yet but I am sooooo sleepy!! Nite

This is such a great pic of all of us...(from left to right) myself, Julie, Kim, Niki and Adrianne!!

An awesome pic of Adrianne and I with props!! teehee

Julie shopping at Scrap Etc. spending up the winnings from the gift certificate!!

There was no half stepping wtih Adrianne, the first thing she grabbed as she spent her winnings was Cathy's new book, Clean & Simple Scrapbooking The Sequel

Monique and I were discussing 8.5 X 11 albums while this pic was taken...LOL after the announcement was made I was ready to shop, shop, shop!!!

Guilty As Charged!!

2006-03-17T07:41:00.000-05:00

I have officially been charged of "blog neglect" and I am not disputing it, I'm pleading guilty and I'll do my time!!!!

Things have been CRAZY these past 2 weeks there's so much to tell so here goes.....

I have a full-time job now and so that's been an adjustment in itself, just trying to get to bed at a descent hour and then get up "early" in the morning to get everyone dressed and off to their respective locations. Not to mention the fact that my daughters bus driver has been out on vacation and there's a sub who didn't come to her stop more than a few times this week!!! GRRRRR....that throws my whole day off!!!! *SIGH* but I think that we've mastered our new routine around here and next week will run smoothly, just like clockwork!!! yeah right *chuckle*

I love my new job, it's very rewarding, exciting and challenging for me and that's exactly what I was looking for; I'm so glad that I was blessed not to have to settle for the first opportunity that came my way. I was able to take my time, turn a few offers down and find what I felt was right for me. Which leads me into saying that hands down I have "THE BEST HUBBY ON EARTH!!" I am so thankful because he is truly the right man for me!!! teehee *smiling like chester cheetah* Because he never pressured me to get a job, in fact he wanted me to just stay home and maybe find a part-time opportunity. But, he agreed to let me make the decision. Plus, he gave me some exciting news last night.........

I am going to the SCRAP ETC EVENT!!!!!!! woooooohhoooooo you just don't know how exciting I am right now!!! I am floating on my scrappy cloud and I don't want to get off!!!! I've been debating about it since I heard about it from Adrienne (thanks girl!!!) and there are a few other ladies from our message board at The Red Lily that are going to so we definitely will have to hook up!!! Did I say how overly ecstatic I am???? Well, that wasn't all the news that my wonderful husband dropped on me.....I am going this evening to purchase this..........

aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh *SCREAMING* ilovehimilovehimilovehimilovehimilovehim!!!!!!!!!!!!! see ya when I get back from the store!!!!!

Late Night Desperation

2006-02-24T01:09:00.000-05:00

Let me first say "THANKS" to Adrienne's because she has been helping me get my blog just the way I like it....you RAWK girl!!! Okay, I've been playing around with my blog for over an hour now and I'm tired so can someone who knows or has the same template as I do "pretty please" show me how to get that . from the top of my banner, yeah right over the n in Monthly.....uhuh, you didn't notice until I pointed it out!!!???!!! *yeah right* So what...I want it GONE, I kept getting an error message saying that I must input something into the TITLE area and I DON'T WANT TO!!! *LOL* Any HELP would be greatly appreciated!!!

Have a little sympathy for a mom who has been potty training a "SON" ALL WEEK!!! See first I was told, "don't try and force him!" "he'll go when he's ready!" but no one ever said anything about what to do when he won't keep a diaper or pull-up on his behind!!!???!!! *huh??? don't hear anything* (hugh sigh} my son is ready he just can't tell me right now because he's only 2 yrs old and not the mention the fact that he WILL NOT keep a diaper or pull-up on his behind unless he's sleeping!!! To me that's a sure sign of being ready or being ready to be talked into being ready! *LOL* "Did that make any sense!?!?" So I had a plan, I ALWAYS have a plan!! I took him to Target and right there in the boys underwear section we had a serious talk...I told him, "mommy is so proud of you because you're ready to be a BIG boy!! So I want you to pick out your favorite "BIG BOY UNDIES" because there are no more diapers...they are gone bye-bye...see ya later (he always says this after he says bye-bye)! So show mommy your favorite "BIG BOY UNDIES!" are you ready?" He said, "yes!" and I picked him up out of the shopping cart and he picked out Elmo & Batman undies. When we got home I put them right on him! So we've been battling it out and ahum...it's too early in the fight to know who's winning!!! *LOL* I've been keeping a daily log so that I can see what his patterns are so Monday, I cut him some slack, you know 1st day on the job and all! *LOL* So Tuesday we were successful once the entire day and boy did we celebrate and do our happy dance!!! YEA...we danced and I made a great big deal out of it, he really enjoyed it too...his face lit up and he had his big ole kool-aid grin!! *LOL*And yesterday, we were on a roll...we only had 1 accident, he was excited and I was excited! I felt like we were moving in the right direction! Then today, you didn't even have to ask..."you can forget it no success at all!!!" But you know what that won't stop us from trying again tomorrow; I am so proud of my son!!! *LOL*

I Forgot to mention.....

2006-02-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

a few days ago I was just crusin' out here in blogger world and while at Nic's I saw her clock and thought it was COOL so I went to check it out at Clock Link and added one to my place and I think it adds a special touch!! Thanks Nic!!

Father / Daughter Dance Update

2006-02-18T16:21:00.000-05:00

I asked Divine to tell me about her evening at the dance and here is what she said, "We did the limbo, macarena dance and the cha cha slide! (she loves both of those) I ate cookies and had 2 cups of water and a soda to drink. Mommy, DJ Lamb is my favorite because he played my favorite song, "Hey Nikki, your so fine, your so fine you blow my mind...Hey Nikki...Hey Nikki!" Daddy and I took a very special picture together! (they won't be ready for another week or so) It was so special because I looked just like a princess and daddy looked just like my daddy! I had fun with my friends in my class , Briana & Skyler all night! It was a great dance and I loved it but I was so tired because I didn't get to take a nap so I wanted daddy to take me home!"

Divine after she got dressed!

Putting on the wrist corsage!

At the dance!

Divine doing the limbo !

Divine doing the macarena dance!

and...Dancing the night away!

While they were gone I was able to clean up my scrappy room and get started on a project too! Everyone enjoyed their evening!

"Let Me Call You Sweetheart"

2006-02-17T14:41:00.000-05:00

I had such good intentions on updating my blog for Valentine's Day but I was so busy and the day seemed to go by so fast. So I hope that everyone had a beautiful lover's day!!

My husband is "THE BEST" ever and no one can convince me otherwise! He made Valentine's Day so special for me and I'm so lucky that he knows just what I need when I need it!! Since it was a weekday we decided we weren't going to try and get a sitter and go out anywhere. And he told me not to worry about anything, "just don't cook dinner!" He didn't have to say it twice...I love to hear those words together! LOL When he got home from work, the kids were in their pj's and all ready for a movie and popcorn. He had all of my favorites downstairs for me:

a hot bath with bubbles
candles everywhere
chocolate covered strawberries
red wine (Gumdale Shiraz Reserve)
candle light dinner from Mickey & Mooch
silk pj's
perfume (Marc Jacobs)

I am so lucky to have such a thoughtful and sensitive husband that I am so "CRAZY IN LOVE" with!!!

Okay, on to today's news......"Let Me Call You Sweetheart"

That's the theme to this years annual Father / Daughter Dance at my daughters elementary school that's this evening! She is so excited!! Her grandma mailed her a very nice formal dress from Chicago. It's now expected that every year grandma will send a very nice formal dress for the dance because when we got the invite from the school here's how our conversation went:

me: "oh my goodness, it's that time of the year again...we've gotta go pick out a very pretty dress for you to wear!"

her: "um, mom no thanks I'm going to call grandma and ask her to send me a cinderella dress!" as she picks up the phone and says, "mom, what's grandma's number?" LOL

And grandma sent the most beautiful dress from a cute lil boutique in Chicago..."THANKS GRANDMA!" (I'll post pics later after she's gotten dressed)

We just picked up the boutonniere & corsage for them to wear this evening, they are adorable, take a look!

Now I'm off to wash and style her hair for her big evening tonight!

My goodies...I love coupons!!!

2006-02-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I had 40% off coupons for both M's & Hobby Lobby...didn't know that HL even had coupons...well now I know, thanks Catherine! The clerk even told me that they are in the newspaper (hint hint: in the comics) every other week just like M's!!YIPPEE...now I can double my savings I love a good coupon, don't you??!! teehee When I got to M's I was so tempted to buy ribbon but I blocked out all of the ribbon voices calling my name! LOL I had to get a few supplies for a project my daughter has to finish up for school this week and then I found 4 11X14 gold frames on sale, 50%off so I bought them all!!! I have the exact same frames in my foyer, so I was extremely excited!!! We just took some family portraits and the kids just took pics so I really needed them especially at 50% off! Man...I could stay in M's all day!!

Oh I almost forgot to send a shout out to the clerk at HL, I told her I would!!! LOL Because when I got up to checkout she gave me another 40% off coupon and I made 2 transactions so I got a few extra goodies!!! I just may be weird like this but when it comes to shopping I always throw a few "MAYBE" items in my shopping cart and not make the decision to buy or not until I'm checking out!! Oh come on I know I'm not the ONLY one...okay well maybe I am but my weirdness paid off this time!!! LOL

Here's what I snagged with all "3" of my coupons!!!

Joy of Cardmaking, A Second Helping
Stamp It, Spring 2006
EK Success Ticket Stickers
MAMBI Monogram Rub Ons
Pressed Petals 5" Chip Chatter Letters
Making Memories Trims, Brooke
Making Memories Gameboard Square Tags
Lil Davis Designs "The Art Dept" Chipboard Monograms

Chat With Nia Reddy Now!!!

2006-02-11T20:49:00.000-05:00

We are having a celebrity guest designer chat right now at The Red Lily Monthly Scrapbooking Kit Club with Nia Reddy 9:00p.m. EST. Come hang out and have fun chatting with us!!!

OMG...what an awesome chat with Nia!!!! She is so inspirational and her energy and creativity is so contagious!!! Thanks Nia, for your inspiration, honesty, challenges, tips, confirmations and just taking time out of your busy schedule to drop by The Red Lily to chat with us!

YOU'RE AWESOME, can't wait to see what the future holds for you!!!!

It's late and I should be in bed...

2006-02-11T01:51:00.000-05:00

but instead I am blog hoppin' and it's so much fun...look what I found...yep that's me! Nite all.

Your Fashion Style is Urban

You've got a style all your own... and it worksNot too trendy, not too freaky - you've got streetwear down to a scienceYou always look cute and put together, but keep it comfortable tooYou're the type of girl that creates trends and inspires others to be funky

What's" Your Fashion Style?

"Go To Your Room"

2006-02-10T18:07:00.000-05:00

...scrappy room that is!!! So on Wednesday my hubby and I were in a "heated" discussion and he just yelled out...."GO TO YOUR ROOM!!!" and started guiding me towards my scrappy room. When we got to the door he pushed me in and said, "you've been so grumpy this week so please don't come out until you've created something!!!" LOL I couldn't do anything but laugh, yes out loud and run in and close the door behind me before he changed his mind. LOL I love him so much for just knowing me and for getting it!!! He totally understands that I absolutely love scrapbooking and that it's definitely my stress relever! So here is what I was inspired to create while locked away in my scrappy room.

Later that evening one of my daughters teeth came out and she was so excited about the tooth fairy visiting her...well let's just say that there was a lack of communication in our household. Because I thought my husband was going to take care of it and he thought that I would handle it. Yesterday she said, "mommy I don't think the tooth fairy had time to stop by because she is sooo busy counting all the teeth!" LOL She's so dramatic and funny, her facial expressions were that of pure concern. Then it dawned on me....duh!!! Well, the tooth fairy didn't make it to our home until this morning and she was way to excited!!! My baby is growing up, it's so hard to watch but so exciting too because I can see how her personality is shaping into a great, determined and educated human being with a vibrant future awaiting ahead!

Blogger Times 2

2006-02-07T11:25:00.000-05:00

Okay I admit it...this is my second go round at the world of blogging. About a month ago I jumped on the bandwagon head first and 30 days later came crashing down on my head. LOL I had only posted 4 times in 30 days so it only made since to jump on a free site because I have so many busy days ahead of me that I don't know how often I'll be posting and if it's FREE then I don't feel as guilty! KWIM? So here I am again....another introduction please!!! Here a LO that I created for one the Big Picture Scrapbooking online classes.

"5 Random Things About Me"
1. I have an obsession with wanting a clean house! Oh well...too bad it's not a reality! With 2 small kiddos, a husband and an addiction to scrapbooking it ain't happening. I'm getting better at just letting it go and snuggling up with my loved ones or just croppin' all day! heehee

2. I am NOT a morning person! I deeply hate having to get up in the morning any earlier than 8am to do anything! If I had it my way I wouldn't step one foot out of my bed until around noon everyday. Hey, a girl can dream big can't she!!

3. I am a true sports fan but I love basketball the most! I could spend an entire day in my jammies just watching backetball games. I prefer college verses pro basketball but will settle. During the NCAA women's & men's tournaments I fill out a bracket of my favorite picks and make a "friendly" bet with my hubby.

4. I love my hair in a short cut! My husband isn't too fond of a short hairdo; well as he puts it he just "prefers" long hair. I like to change my hair length regularly because it's fun! At least every 2 years I go through a phase and switch between short & long hair.

5. I can't stand the feel of anything on the soles of my bare feet; not even carpet! So when I don't have my shoes on I definitely have socks on my feet. Hmmmm, this didn't start until I became a teenager because as a child I ran around barefoot all the time.

Thanks Big Picture Scrapbooking for an awesome online class and helping me start my AAM album!!! This was such a fun LO to do!!