Scrreeeech......stop for a moment and sing a song!

My Blog Challenge today is to talk about your favorite Christmas song. Do you have one? What is it? Wanna scrap about it?

My favorite Christmas song I think is "I'll Be Home for Christmas". I don't know why I like that one so much. It gets me teary eyed. I think maybe because I'm usually away from my family around that time of year. Not my immediate family but my parents, siblings and their families. They're all in Florida. So I'm really excited that this year we get to celebrate together!

So yep, this year, "I'll be home for Christmas".........

Me Bad!

I've slacked! I know. So sorry! See! That's all I have time for, one to two word sentences!!! LOL!

I remember as a kid, Christmas just can't come soon enough. Now it's here, well, almost here, much too soon! And with Christmas comes my birthday! So not only do I have much to do, I'm getting older too! YIKES!!! I'm so busy with what's going on now and what is about to happen later on with my life! Just thinking about it all gives me a headache! Not bad stuff. Just busy stuff.

My daughter is starting VB practices this week. Games and tourneys will be here in about 4 weeks and will go on 'til June 2007! I'm trying to work on potty training my son this week. Wish me luck! Doing lots of Christmas shopping. Making a ton of cards to give away, sell, and give as presents. We're talking HUNDREDS to be done!!!! I still have custom albums to complete. Then I have a class at my house in a few weeks. Busy I tell you, busy!

But I love it! Never boring that's for sure....oh yeah, in a few weeks we'll be in Florida with my family! Yeay!!! I can't wait to be with them. It's been about 9 months since I've seen them all last.

Ok, well, I better go now and finish making some cards! Just wanted to stop in and check in with you all. How about you what are you working on?

TTFN...

Missing You

I knew that I would miss you,
My loving, loyal friend...

I knew the special joy we shared
would one day have to end...

But now the time has come,
And though I know it's sadly true...

I can't believe you're really gone,
And I'm here missing you.

Some think there is a heaven
For the pets we cherish so...

I think God meant for us
To give heaven here below!

You were a special gift from Him
And gave me so much love...

I know He must have smiled on us
From heaven up above.

So 'til I'm sure whre you have gone,
I'm comforted, you see...

Just knowing you were "In pet heaven"
Here on earth with me.

Stuka 1989 - 2003

Let's give thanks!!!

Join our 3rd annual GIVE THANKS event at STM!!! Catch the details here! Hope you join us....

My Most FUN Job Ever!

Ok, so I challenged the STM Chicks today of what was their most FUN job ever....so here's mine....

Many of the jobs I ever held were basically FUN, ok, so maybe not the job itself, stressful is more like it, but basically, there's a FUN element about each of them.

Starting from out of college I held a job as an Aerobics Instructor. Speaking of work! Whew! Work-out it was! I would teach classes back to back and sometimes I would go for 5 hours straight teaching aerobics! But hey, I was way younger then too :) I had LOTS of stamina! Heeheehee! That was FUN, the pay wasn't much, but I had a body a quarter could bounce off of! :)

After that I got a more serious job for one of the major life insurance companies. I had to make some kind of a living right? So I did that. Moved up the corporate ladder. Great pay and benefits but it came with lots of responsibilites and lots of stress. Managing people in the Call Center was not glamorous. But what I loved about it were the perks! After work outings, holiday parties, long lunch hours, friends. Those were the things I miss! Those were FUN, ahhhhh..... {my mind's wandering}..... the good old days. Left that to pursue my dream of being a full-time Mom. OK, wait a minute, I'm getting to the most FUN job I ever had!!! Keep reading....

About 3 years ago, I ran into one of my good friends from highschool. I was shopping at Victoria's Secret and she happens to be the manager there. We were joking around about how much FUN it would be to work there and she hired me on the spot. I worked around my family's work schedule. So that was neat. And then working there at the store......talk about S-E-X-Y!!! I loved it. I got to see first hand what's NEW, and we got to try out everything and I mean everything in the store so we know what we're selling and talk to the customers about. Speaking of customers, I'm sure you can imagine, I've met some quite "interesting" people. And some are "famous" people. Maybe someday, I'll tell you over a nice glass of mai-tais! LOL! Anyway, moreof the perks, we always got FREE sexy-wearables each month! LOL! So talk about great perks! Unfortunately, it had to be cut short. I had to quit. Why? If you're doing the math correctly, you would have figured out that's about when Connor came along. GOTCHA!

So kind of like Gaspe Chick, that job would forever change my life path. Happier family, bigger family and lots of VS wearables! :)


How about you, what was the most FUN job you ever had? Comment here!

Project Challenge! Christmas/Holiday Color

Make sure to check out my Inspire Me, Jozzie! Blog for a new Project Challenge!

It's the Weekend Baby!

TGIF! I have a very busy weekend ahead of me. I'm having some friends and family over Saturday to celebrate my DS 2nd year birthday! I'm going to be preparing some things today and the rest tomorrow. Thank goodness I'm home that I can do these things. I don't know how I did it when I used to work I tell yah! But I love this kind of stuff. I should have been a Party Planner too. :)

Then on Sunday, we go to a Parent's meeting for Sky High Volleyball. I'm not sure if I mentioned it, but my daughter made the Travel Volleyball group. It's an exciting experience! We're looking forward to all the FUN but it'll sure be busy.

Yep, this weekend sure is centered around my babies. But I love that! Maybe though I can squeeze in a hot date there in between?! :)

TTFN!

Recall: Provo Craft Metal Clips

Yikes! I almost bought some of these the other day! If you have any of these in your stash, you may want to return them at the store where you purchased them from. Here's a full article on it. Decorative Snaps and Metal Clips Recalled by Provo Craft Due to Lead Poisoning Hazard

Happy Birthday Connor!

Connor turns 2 today!!! Man, he's getting old!! I have Curious George because he just LOVES him! And he acts like him too!

My New Banner

Is it showing up OK to you? Let me know what you think....

Thanks!

Cranberries in Grand Marnier Sauce

Here's what I always make for Thanksgiving that is ALWAYS a hit! ENJOY!

1 sm. fresh orange
1 1/2 c. sugar
3/4 c. orange juice
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1/3 c. Grand Marnier

1) With a vegie peeler, remove 1 1/2 T rind from the orange and cut into thin slivers. Peel and seed the orange and chop coarsely.

2) Combine sugar and orange juice in a medium-size non-aluminum saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add cranberries, orange and orange rind. Simmer until cranberries skins pop, about 10 minutes. Add Grand Marnier and cook 1 minute longer.

3) Chill well before serving. Sauce can be made several weeks in advance and refrigerated.

YIELD: 3 cups

How about you, do you have any delicious Thanksgiving Dinner recipe? Post it or comment here so we can check out your blog to "savor" the moment. Visit our STM Forum and maybe some of the girls will have something to share to!

Food for Thought

Cherish your vision and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.

- Napoleon Hill

What scrapbook item would YOU be?

Here's a FUN STM Blog Challenge for all of you. We're all talking about what we want on our Christmas list and wishing for this and that. But what if YOU were a scrapbook item, just what would you be and why? Blog about it, make a layout about it, for now, fantasize!

Me? I would have to say an adhesive. I know, nothing exciting or colorful. But really with what's going on with a dear friend of mine, I would say I would want to be an adhesive. Why?

Well, let me tell you why. Did you know that according to the current stats, 40% - 50% of marriages end in divorce? UGH! Just what in the world is going on? Ok, so I'm not an expert. I've been married for almost 17 years and it hasn't always been peaches and cream, but let me tell you, been there, done that and I'm so glad I stuck it out. I wouldn't have Connor.....you know the kid that sticks popcorn kernels up his nose, almost had his finger cut off, the one that got a swollen face after he ate peanut butter cookies, yes, that's the one, that little angel I have who will be 2YO this Thursday, if I had given up. Anywho, I think many if not some, people just give up too easily. It took me years but it worked out. A dear friend of mine, wants to divorce her husband and it saddens me so. I don't want to go into details but she really hasn't exhausted all her options and I believe she should give it another chance. They have a 4YO daughter together.

Anyway, why an adhesive, obvious, I want people to stick together, unless there are absolute reasons not to of course!

I didn't mean for this entry to be so serious. Check back here and read some funny ones from the other STM Chicks.

How about you, just what scrapbook item would YOU be?

Which Camera Should I Get?

NIKON D80 Digital SLR Camera

CANON Rebel XTi Digital SLR Camera

Ok, guys I've narrowed it down to these 2 cameras! Which one should I get? Help me decide by posting a comment below!
Here's a great site to get camera reviews!

Cookies --- Who Wants Cookies?!?!

OK sign up here 12 Days of Cookies if you want to receive cookie recipes for 12 DAYS beginning December 1st!!! YUM!

Signed,
The Cookie Monster

Monthly Club Cards for November

Here's a sampling of my Card of the Month! What they get is all the card kits needed to make each card, less the adhesive and stamping. They also get a picture instruction listing all the supplies and how to guide to make the cards. This is great and fun for you to do or if you're an instructor, this is an easy way to put together your class where all you have to do is copy the instructions and cut up more supplies. All the idea is already done for you! My club members love the monthly kits they get!

Email me or comment here if you would like to join the club!

Want some tin?

If you're looking to alter some tin cans, here's a good source for it!

Can anyone say... Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy?

If you've taken medical terminology in school you'd know that a word ending in "-tomy' means a removal of....

Well, a week ago yesterday, the date was November 2nd to be exact, I had surgery called laparoscopic cholecystectomy (say "lap-are-oh-skop-ick co-lee-sist-eck-toe-mee"), which means, I had my gallbladder removed via laser. How fun was that?! It was a hereditary thing in my case and my gallbladder was getting diseased so we had to remove it. With this surgery, a laparoscope (a small, thin tube with a scope on the tip of it that is used to see the inside of your body) is used to remove the gallbladder. Several small incisions were used rather than one large incision, making my healing time much shorter and less painful. And you know what else? They didn't even stitch me up! They used some type of krazy glue!!! So less scars!

Anyway, I'm now doing much better, thanks for asking!

A New Look Once Again....

So folks - what do you think of the new look? Browse around, listen to some tunes and/or watch a video. Visit some of my friends too while you're at it. Then let me know what you think of my new place.

Hope you like it! I'm constantly changing....

Ciao!

My First Driving Experience

Good Morning!

For today's STM blog challenge let's go back to the good old days. Remember when you were just learning how to drive? What was that like? Who taught you? When did you start driving? What was the first car that you owned? Bring us back there. Maybe even do a layout and even if you don't have a photo of it, I'm sure you can download something off of the net. So let's burn rubber and blog!

So, let me bring you back to the good old days....my first driving experience. I learned how to drive when I was 16, in school, you know Driver's Ed. Got my permit but never really went and got my driver's license until I was 20 something. Why? I always had people that drove me around. My dad, friends, boyfriends. So I never really had the desire to get a driver's license. Plus we lived in the city....it was always hard to find parking spaces, crazy knucklehead drivers all over the place. :) So anyway, when I met my husband to be, he taught me how to drive all over again. Got my license then my first car, my parents bought for me a Nissan Sentra. Then when I got married, I had to leave the car behind. Go figure! So we bought a VW Fox. A stickshift!!!! OMG! I didn't know how to drive a stick but I learned. But boy, let me tell you, driving to and from work, during rush hour, with stop and go traffic, over 40 miles each way, I'm surprised I didn't get in any wreck or anything. But let me tell you, I was stressed even before I got to work! I did love that car though. It was white with a sunroof. I love having a sunroof. My next car will be a convertible. My husband still owes me one of those. Someday....

My NEW Blog!

Make sure to visit me here too! Inspire Me, Jozzie! and I promise to inspire you!

What's wrong with this kid?!

Last week it was the popcorn kernels up his nose, then a few days ago we found out he was allergic to peanuts, today, he twirled a stuffed animal around and around his finger that it almost cut off the circulation....

Ok, so let me back up and tell you what hapened!

Popcorn Kernels - See blog entry dated Oct. 15, 2006.

Peanut Butter Cookies - I baked some the other day and thought it would be harmless to give him a cookie. After a few bites, he started spitting it out and said, "Hot Mommie, owweee, pffft, wawa, wawa". Translation "Mommie, this is hurting me I want water NOW!" After a few seconds, his left eye started swelling up and he was upset as heck. I called the pediatrician and they advised me to wash his hands and face completely and to give him Benadryl fast to keep the swelling down. Luckily that was all that happened. No peanuts for him until he gets older. Hopefully he outgrows this. Being allergic to peanuts can be a very serious thing!

Decapitated Finger - NOT! - Ok so here's what happened with that... He has one of those stuffed frogs with the smile made out of black thread. Harmless right? Not with my Connor. He always turn harmless things to be harmFUL things. So, he takes the frog by the smile and twirled it with all his might like a Cowboy. Next thing you hear him screaming, "Owee, Mommie, ow, ow, ow" translation, "This freakin' thing is hurting me Mommie, what's going on, cut it please!" So yeah, his finger was blue/purple in color with the thread twirled around his little finger. It was so tight it was hard to cut the thread off. We did! But now the frog has no smile!

Awww Connor, all the episodes! You're so full of drama. I'm glad I have this post to keep my journal of you. I'm working on some layouts of all these things you do! Always keeping us on our toes that's for sure!

We love you!

My 3 Wishes

MY STM Blog Challenge for today was if the Scrapbook Genie will grant me 3 wishes, what would I wish for?

Here they are:

1) I wish for lots of customers and Matthew McConahey to come my way through my Dazzle In Style business!
2) I wish for lots of money so I can buy my camera, a wide format printer and scanner.
3) I wish for more wishes!

Ok, so we know that 3 wishes just aren't enough when it comes to scrapbooking! How about you --- what would you wish for?