New Year's Resolutions

It is time to think about New Year's resolutions. Which ones can you commit to? What will you do to make 2010 a great year? Let me know what's on your list!

Here is mine. I plan to frame this one and hang it so I will be reminded daily.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Now, Mom had a wonderful tree for her grandkids' first Christmas. Check it out!

Christmas Eve 1993

Scrappin' with My Sis

Yay! We had a few days together and did some scrappin' in between sit-ups. lol! Yes, we set a timer for 30 minutes and every time it went off we dropped and did 20 the first day, 25 the second day. So, we did a total of 200 sit-ups the second day. Now, that is one way to get some extra work in!

The theme was definitely Christmas this week! This one goes back to 1988 when we celebrated Christmas with my grandparents on Thanksgiving because my grandparents always left for the sunny beaches of Florida the next day. They only came back home after spring had sprung. Gotta love the hair styles my cousin and I were wearing then!

Brandon's first Christmas at Mom and Dad's with Sheri and me.

The whole family!

Brandon's first Christmas at Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa's.

Brandon and Luke.

Christmas 1994

Allison's first Christmas

1997

Another Sneak Peek

Ok, so those papers were calling my name again today! I really did try to ignore it! Here's another layout using the new Swirlydoos December kit. My son and I celebrating Christmas in 1994. He is sooooo cute! Just look at those cheeks. Time does fly-he is 16 now and the chubby cheeks are gone. Well, I guess I should attempt to get back to the studies since I have two exams this week. Yuck!

Sneak Peak

This is the December sketch challenge with the new Swirlydoos kit. I heard the papers calling my name last night around 10:30! So, I made this layout while I was waiting to pick up Brandon from a party. The little guys in this layout are Brandon and Luke way back in 1994. don't you just want to hug them?! We celebrated Christmas with my grandparents on Thanksgiving because they always left for the warmer weather of Florida the day after Thanksgiving and would stay there until the next spring. So, although these are Christmas photos it was actually Thanksgiving!

November Swirlydoos

Hey, I am finally relaxing and not studying! This is the only weekend I will be able to do this until mid-December when finals are over. Yuck! This is my sweet little niece a few years ago giving her best pout. I think this is a cute picture. This layout is based on the Swirlydoos sketch challenge for November. I received my November kit a week or so ago and this is the first I have been able to play with it. It has been calling my name for days! Well, I still hear it calling so I am going to get back in my scrap room and see what else I can come up with. Later!

Another visit

Being the scrapper that I am I took my camera when B-man got his cast. We had to wait three days for some of the swelling to go down. Even then his hand was still pretty fat. The doctor was a great sport and let me take pictures. Brandon will be in a cast for 6 weeks and no more football. He still wants to play in the two games they have this week. I think he lost some brain cells with those blows to the head earlier this month!

Here we go again!

Well, you remember that we had to take B-man in after a concussion during a football game, then he ran head first into the goal post without a helmut 11 days later. So, we went back to the ER because he was experiences signs of another concussion. Then, five days ago I got a call from the football trainer that he injured his thumb. By the time I got home it was pretty swollen so we headed to the urgent care. Here's the x-ray. Broken thumb, down at the base of the wrist.

Football

Ok, I got a new camera and now I can get some really good shots during the game. Brandon read this play and was able to sack the QB. Can't wait to print these and see how they turn out. Then, of course, I have to scrap them!
This was a diving tackle by B-man. I took this one without the telephoto lens. I just used photo editing software to zoom and crop. Hopefully, it will turn out ok when I print it.

Hey, I did another one!

Here's Ali's fall photo for school. I slapped this layout together really fast. In case you did not know this trick I will share it with you. I did not have another m for the word dream. So, I took two n's and snipped off the part I didn't need to make my own m. Then placed a small butterfly over the area where the two pieces are joined. Voila! I have my m. You can do this with a lot of letters: change n to r, l to i, d to a, h to n, etc. You get the idea. This will help stretch your letter sets. tfl!

At the corn maze 2008

Here's another one for the books! My mom, niece, nephew, and my kids are featured in this layout along with me. Wow! A picture with me in it! Anyway, this is my version of the Swirlydoos October sketch challenge. Gotta get back to it. tfl!

New Swirlydoos kit!

Well, so much for scrapping on a regular basis to keep my sanity! This is the first page I have done in ten days!!! This is my dd last fall trying to show us which way to go in order to find all the check points in the corn maze. It has become a family tradition for all of us to go to the maze, split up in teams and see who can find all the check points first. Hey! We are a competitive family what can I say?! I got my new scrapbook kit for October and couldn't even play with it until tonight. Waaaaay too much going on with school and the kiddos lately. I was pretty much useless after the Therapeutics exam last Thursday. Then I had to work for the next three days and then back to school for classes and two presentations this week. Anyway, got an A on the T1 (short for Therapeutics) presentation today so I felt like taking a break to scrap. All I know about the T1 exam is that I did not fail and the average for our group was an 80% so guess I did okay. Anyway, off to start another page! Have a good one!

My therapy for the day

This is my scrap therapy for the day. I laid it all out last night and just put it together today after work. It is a picture of my daughter some years back playing with one of her dolls. She rarely played with dolls being such a tomboy so I am glad I had the presence of mind to take a picture! I guess she was really bored that day! Now, it is off to get my son from football practice, cook some din-din then study some more for my Therapuetics exam. Yay! Btw, my son is doing fine after his concussion. He is dressing out for football practice all week but just can't have any contact. Off to the doctor tomorrow for a followup and then again on Friday for a release so he can actually play in the game Monday.

Scrap therapy

This was my study break yesterday. I have decided that I can scrap a little each day and still study, work, go to school, and run my kids around. Cooking may or may not be included on the list! This is for a Prima contest being hosted by Swirlydoos. The photo is of my one and only niece and was taken this August.

What a day!

Well, we spent three hours in the E.R. today because my son got hit pretty hard during the final minutes of his football game today. He blacked out so we took him in for a C.T. scan-confirmed concussion. It was an illegal hit by a kid that outweighed my son by at least 60 pounds, illegal since the play had already stopped. Anyway, he tried to get up after the hit and stumbled and fell since he blacked out. He was on the field for quite a while before he was able to finally stand and wobble off of the field. His vision was blurred and he had tingling in his arms. The very next play one of our players went after the guy and was given a personal foul and ejected from the game.

While we were waiting for the CT scan he told us that he put paper towels in his shoes. I was really worried that he was making stuff up at this point so we took off his shoes! I mean, seriously, paper towels in your shoes?! What? I did not see any paper towels and he insisted there were paper towels in his shoes we just needed to feel around in them. Now, have you ever smelled or seen a 16 year old boy after a full game of football? Gross! Stinky! Sweaty! So I just tapped his shoe on the ground and sure enough, along with all the mud and grass out tumbled some bunched up paper towels that he had stuffed into the toes of his shoes. Whew! At least he wasn't "losing it!" So, he will not be able to practice for 7 days now. He is not liking that.

We just went back up to the school to get all of his stuff and the lockers are locked. So, he can't get his backpack or work on his homework now. Just wonderful. He may be missing school on Monday anyway because he as to be seen by a doctor on Monday and then again on Friday before he can be released to practice again. Just an fyi: while we were at the E.R. there were at least 3 other boys brought in with football injuries. I know, I know, it is a dangerous sport but this is only the second time he has had to take the "trip" in the eleven years due to football. He has been to the E.R. three time for non-football related injuries so we have been pretty lucky.

lucky

Another Swirly layout from the latest kit. My dad took this picture of me waaaay back when! I titled it "lucky" because I feel lucky to have had the childhood I had thanks to my parents and my grandparents. I am thankful everyday for the heritage my family has given me.

Sleeping Beauty

Why is it that our children always look so innocent and adorable when they are sleeping? My kids could fall asleep anywhere when they were small. My dd is crashed on the living room floor by the fireplace here. She fell asleep standing up by her bed and just bent over at the waist to lay her upper body on the bed one time. Yeah, I have pictures of that! Another time she fell asleep sitting on the floor with her head resting at a strange angle on the edge of the sofa (almost looks like she could have turned her head all the way around!). Got pictures of that, too. Need to scrap them!This is another lo using the Swirlydoos September kit. tfl!

Prima scrappin'

Here's some more layouts with the new Bejeweled kit from Swirlydoos.

This is based on the sketch for the month featuring some baby photos of me with my parents.

My daughter in fourth grade.
Another picture of my daughter on her 9th birthday. Another layout that I did during the scrap weekend that I went to a few weeks back.

A Scrappin' Weekend

Last weekend I was able to go on a scrappin' retreat with my sister and some other scrappin' girls. All we did the entire weekend was scrap. Well, we ate a lot too. I didn't realize these girls were into the practical jokes-they got me good! I think everyone was "punked" at one time or another. Be ready girls! I will be prepared for you next time!

Anyway, I just got my latest Swirlydoos kit so I used that for most of my layouts. Somehow I managed to completely fill the trunk of my car with other items that were absolutely necessary for scrapping! Seriously, I had one mini bag for my clothes and toiletries. But, a trunkful of scrap necessities. Guess you can see where my priorities were!

Here's one of my Prima layouts. This is my dd a few years back giving me the "pout."

Another Prima layout with my latest Swirly kit. This is a picture of me at 5 weeks. Not sure if it was appropriate to title it "Angel" but maybe my parents still felt that way about me at five weeks!

Yet another Swirly layout. This is my dd a few years ago on the first day of school. I am no longer allowed to go to the bus stop much less take photos.

This is a photo of my niece and nephew during one of their many stays at my house so my sis and I could spend time scrappin' together. They just wondered around looking for Gary and plopped down in the neighbor's yard for a siesta. Aren't they just too cute?

Another Swirly layout using new Prima. This is one of me and my Grandpa Allison.

Ditto (Swirly kit) another picture of me. This one is in the PI.

Swirly kit again. This picture was taken in WallyWorld right after we all had our hair fixed up for Tim and Gina's wedding. I just couldn't believe that we were walking around Walmart with our hair all dolled up for a wedding! This is Gina (bride) and my dd (flower girl).

Well, that is all for now. I did more layouts last weekend but I will have to post them at a later date. Now that the kids and I are back in school it seems that I have no free time. But, I have sworn that school will not own me like it did last year. I still want to scrap and work out. Hmmm... can that be done while working too? Guess we will see. Thanks for stopping by-have a good one!

Did some scrappin'

Hey, I finally did some scrapbooking! Have been too busy with finishing up my community pharmacy rotation, cleaning house, and getting the kids ready for school. This is my daughter back when she was the "big dog" in elementary school. Now she is the "big dog" of middle school. (And, I just realized that I mislabeled the school on the journaling! This was Ballwin Elementary not Selvidge Middle! Guess that is what happens when I scrap older pictures.) Just so you know, I have redone the journaling but I am not going to take a new picture to download.

It's official!

Well, it is official! I did all the paperwork and received my offer of employment today. So, I will be working as a pharmacy intern while still going to StLCoP full-time. I can not official start until my summer rotation is over because you can not do your community rotation at a pharmacy that employs you. This means my plans/dreams are starting to take shape. When I started on this path three years ago I wasn't even sure I would be accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy program at StLCoP since they did not take a single transfer student that year. The advisor told me to have a back up plan because they can not accept transfers unless someone drops out so a spot becomes available. But, God has been leading me down this path and opening the doors for me!

Page #900

It is nothing spectacular but here it is-my 900th 12 x 12 layout. This is a picture of my mom and sister at my younger brother's wedding. Used the Invisibles from the August Swirlydoos kit and alot of distress inks and Glimmer Mist. The paper is Basic Grey and the Fancy Pants swirly was embossed with Tim Holtz distressed embossing powder then Smooched and inked.

Some new pages

Here's a layout of Allison, me, Brandon, and Sheri at the Cardinals' home opener in 2008. Gary gave me four tickets as a birthday present. He was nice enough to pack a soft-sided cooler with sodas, hot dogs, and cheese. But, the sodas were in cans so they were confiscated. And, he put a paring knife in there for the cheese. I think he was trying to get me arrested or something!
Here's a picture of my niece and me camping last summer. She is a ham! Used my Swirlydoos kit for this one. Can't wait for the next kit to arrive!

My next layout has been sitting on my scrap table for days because it will be page number 900. For some reason I think it needs to be spectacular so I haven't completed it yet.

A new driver

Beware if you live in my neighborhood because my son did get his driver's license today. Unfortunately, he cannot drive to school as sophomores are not allowed to have a parking spot unless they find a junior or senior to share a spot. That hasn't happened so he can't help me out by driving himself home after football practice every night. He doesn't seem old enough to being driving yet. Hmmm...wonder if that is how my parents felt about me at 16? I sure felt old enough to drive at that age though!

My first week

No new layouts to post until tomorrow because I haven't been able to take pictures of them outside. I have been working all week. Well, not working for pay-doing my three week summer rotation for pharmacy school. We have to log 120 hours this summer and next summer, plus 20 hours during two school years. The final year you log 40 weeks. Anyways, it was a busy, fun, educational experience that culminated in a job offer today! So, I am happy about that! I will be able to work every other weekend during the school year which will enable me to get more experience and still keep up with my studies (I hope).

Off to scrap, read, watch a movie or something. The night is all mine! Tomorrow is Brandon's 16th birthday get together. Notice that it is not called a party-teenage boys don't have birthday parties. Not sure how many guys are coming over to play video games on his new PS3 but he will have a good time. I have been ordered to stay away-especially no pictures. What's a scrappin' mother to do?

My first day

Well, made it through my first day of my summer rotation. It wasn't a full eight hours though. My feet are still killin' me! And, get this! I had applied for the summer internship, felt like I had the position but never heard back from anyone so I was disappointed. Turns out my preceptor had offered the position to me but the person who was supposed to contact me did not do so. She said she called and left a message that I never returned. I never got that phone call or I would have gladly accepted the internship. So, makes me feel better to know it was offered to me despite the fact I didn't get to accept it. I will apply next year. My preceptor is on the board so it won't be a problem to get it next summer (according to him).

Well, off to walk the dogs (my exercise for the day), cook dinner, pick up Brandon from football camp, and then get some scrappin' in before bed. Have a good one!

Dance

Here's a layout I did today using two tutorials from Swirlydoos. The flower was made using four different sizes of hearts then Glimmer Mist so the petals can be shaped. The other tutorial was for the fancy envelope in the background. The swirlies were stamped on transparencies and then fussy cut. The photo is of my brother and I at my younger brother's wedding almost ten years ago. Wow! It doesn't seem like it has been that long!
Well, gotta get back to it. You know, laundry, cleaning floors, and scrappin' in between. Tomorrow I start my three week rotation at the Walgreen's Pharmacy so I made sure I had some good shoes to stand in for EIGHT hours a day! Wish me luck!

Noah's Birthday

This is a two-pager for Noah's birthday. My sister took this cute picture of our nephews peeking over the table waiting for some cake.

Create

My niece and nephew took my daughter's paints outside to play. When we went to check on them this is what we found! My front porch was redecorated! Colorful, huh?

Last night

Here's the final layout for Wednesday. Me and Gina at her wedding in 1999.

I made it out to HHCA before rush hour last night. My son had a great time at Adventure Camp and is already making plans for next year. Glad to hear that! Now, if only he would get all that dirty, wet, stinky laundry taken care of today!

Off to the grocery store since it is $10 off Thursday. Then more scrappin'! Only a few days of leisure left since I start my community pharmacy rotation on Monday. Have a good one!

I can't help myself!

Someone stop me! I did another page after I said I need to stop and go get my son. Ok, this is it. I gotta get cleaned up and drive an hour to HHCA. I may not miss rush hour as originally planned.

More Passion...

This is another layout with the new Swirlydoos kit. A picture of my sister and her daughter. The other picture is my daughter. They all remind me of each other. Allison reminds me of Sheri when she was little. Chloe reminds me of Allison and Sheri when they were little. So, I have problems calling them by the right names when we are together!
This is the High Hill Christian Church "Crop for a Cure" held at the church in 2007. What fun! Twelve hours of fun, food, and prizes! Hmmm...when are they going to do that again?! Sheri and I had our "mess" spread out everywhere! An eight foot table still wasn't enough! Do you think we are obsessed?

Well, gotta call an end to the scrappin' for today. My son's week of Adventure Camp is over today so I gotta go pick him up this evening. I need to head out before rush hour so guess I better scrub all this ink and Glimmer Mist off of my hands now!

New Swirlydoos kit

This is another layout based on a sketch by Beggahuna. Here's my grandparents, Al and Lila Hartman. Love that Grandma has a butterfly on her jacket since butterflies are all the rage now in scrapbooking embellishments!
This is my take on the August Swirlydoos sketch challenge. This is my brother on his wedding day. I changed the color of the flowers with Glimmer Mist and reinker in a mini mister. You can make any flower match any layout with either of these techniques!

My scrappy place

My scrap room. All the shelves are thanks to my brother's handiwork.

Here's today's layouts

Both of these layouts are based on sketches by Beggahuna.

This is all I have gotten done today since I spent most of the evening visiting with the neighbors. Maybe tomorrow will be more productive!