outnumbered

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-31T05:32:00.000-08:00

1. Today the high is supposed to be 58 degrees. 58 in January!

2. When the older kids were getting ready for school, it was 45. Apparently, 45 degrees=T-shirt weather in my 13 y/o's mind. (I guess I should be grateful that he didn't have time to change into shorts.)

3. My friend, Steph, tagged me on a shuffle me challenge. Went to my i-pod and discovered that most of my music has disappeared. I tried to figure out what was going on, but now I'll have to pass it off to someone in the house who knows more than me (which really shouldn't be difficult.)

4. Enjoying the CHA peeks on the web.

5. Having issues with things fizzling out lately: the sink, one of the van doors. Small things, but they sure can be inconvenient.

6. I have a date today with my card making supplies.

7. Should probably also have a date with the laundry. Hmm... Card making. Dirty socks. (Such a tough decision.)

8. Happy to report that my youngest did not lose any gloves this week. Nope. This time, it was a sweatshirt.

9. Posted this on TaDa Creative Studio's facebook page.

The banner part comes from a chipboard mini book by Maya Road. The papers featured are from TaDa's Goody Two Shoes Collection. I also made pockets to slip in small treats or notes.

10. Posted this layout at Designer Digitals.

PS: My dh sent me this article link that I found interesting. Apparently, there's a section on Google called ad preferences that lists what Google thinks your age, gender and interests are. (If you scroll down the article past the "more" section, there is a direct link to your ad preference.) Mine stated that I was female, 25-34 (I'll take that) and was interested in home furnishings, recipes, etc. My dh's stated that he was male and interested in gardening, electronics etc. It also stated that he was over 65. Ha. Too funny.

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-24T19:47:00.000-08:00

1. Tuesday almost slipped by me.

2. Taught a class at Owens tonight.

3. Snow's been scarce this year. This weekend was the first time we received a sled worthy amount of snowfall. So we took advantage of it.

4. Well, the younger two did. Sledding for the youngest. Snowboarding for DS3. The two older ones had scheduled activities (not that they would have participated anyway.)

5. Good thing they went because the snow is mostly just a memory now.

6. BTW, ds4 is wearing jumbo sized gloves because he's already lost two pair that were his sized (including the ones that were in his stocking.)

7. Dh is an avid gardener. During the winter months, he houses some newer and fragile plants in our basement. This week he brought this up.

8. He wasn't trying to make it bloom. It was just a happy accident; so nice to have a splash of color in the midst of January.

9. Paper project:

10. Digital Layouts:

Just for Laughs, Tuesday the 17th and the front cover of our 2011 book. I don't actually have all my 2011 pages finished but I do have the cover now. (:

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

1. One of my children (who shall remain nameless) had a tournament this weekend. I knew the tournament was Friday and Saturday, but he assured me that he only needed to be there Saturday. I asked him to forward the e-mail, since one of my other boys also had to be somewhere Saturday and I wanted to coordinate my chauffeur duties.

2. So he forwarded the e-mail after school on Friday. I learned that he actually did have to be there on Friday. Friday at 3:30. I was reading these instructions on Friday at 3:15. (What an interesting start to the weekend.)

3. Also needed to make 4 dozen brownies this weekend. Fortunately, I had more than a 15 minute warning for those.

4. BTW, if you add oreos to brownies that you make from a mix, they'll receive rave reviews. (Well, they will at least if most of the recipients are teenage boys. From my experience though, guys that age aren't that picky about dessert.)

5. Some of them also aren't that picky about the state of their rooms. I'll let them remain nameless too.

6. Come to think of it, I actually made 5 dozen brownies. Sent off the 4 dozen Saturday morning. My youngest was dismayed when he woke up and realized they were all gone. (At first, he thought his brothers just ate them all.) So I made another batch. (Tossing some marshmallows on top of brownies-made-from-a-mix will also make a certain 10 year old happy.)

7. Other grand weekend activities?

Mostly this. I bought it for Josh at Christmas. It's a 1000 piece one depicting jellybeans. I bought it partly as a joke since he'd asked for candy for Christmas. Most of us have been plucking away at it though.

8. No school on Monday for the kids but I did drive one of them to a friend's house Monday night to work on a project. I asked him "So, when is this project due?" Said child stated that he wasn't sure, but shuffled through his folder to check. "Oh, it's due tomorrow!" (Is it any wonder that my natural hair color is becoming more gray by the minute.)

9. Posted this simple CD calendar at Ta Da Creative Studios this week.

10. This week's layout:

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-10T16:09:00.000-08:00

1. I think my oldest is messing with my mind.

2. He had to read a book for biology and said he needed my help to clarify some parts. So I read it. Over 400 pages of deadly virus material and in-depth description.

3. I do like mysteries and such. However, when I'm watching tv, I'm one of those people who cover their eyes when they get to the gruesome scenes. (Can't really do that when I'm reading a book though.) So I forced my way through it...and what has he asked me to clarify?

4. If your guess was absolutely nothing. You win.

5. What do I win? Probably nightmares. I think this might even top the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. Maybe.

6. On a happier note, dh bought a new (well, new to him) car for work. His old one was dying a slow death.

7. He called his last one silver (although it was more of a mauve). This one is blue but has a purplish tinge.

8. I'm not sure why he doesn't appreciate it when I refer to them as his pink and purple cars.

9. This week's card:

Butterfly from Wild One Kit, paper from K& Co., and cardstock from Papertrey Ink.

10. This week's layout:

Layout Credits

Ten on Tuesday

2012-01-03T11:01:00.000-08:00

1. First post of 2012.

2. Christmas decorations are packed away.

3. Kids are back to school. (It sure is quieter around here.)

4. Instead of big picture resolutions this year, I thought a few smaller monthly goals might work best for me.

5. To record these, I used Andrea Victoria's 2012 skinny calendar. I masked off the date section and plan to use that space to list the goals.

6. I'm not sure if a pretty list will actually help me keep up with the goals, but I figured it couldn't hurt.

7. I'm also planning on recording the books I read throughout the year. No particular reason, just thought it would be interesting to see the compiled list at the end of the year.

8. This week's card. Hybrid card featuring Ali Edwards' 2011-13 Date Stamps Value Pack, My Mind's Eye patterned paper and Doodlebug Designs alpha sticker sheet.

9. Basketball layout.

10. Josh layout.

Ten on Tuesday (the alliterative version)

2011-12-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

1. Santa Snacks: No, they don't believe in Santa, but they decided to put out snacks for the fun of it. What still remains a mystery to me is: Why they decided to put out the entire batch of sugar cookies and why did they put it on the couch?

2. Birthday Boy: The oldest member of our family celebrated his birthday on Christmas Day. Well, celebrated is a misnomer. (I think he'd be happiest if we forgot he had a birthday.)

3. Festive Favorites:

4. December Disappointment: Most of us didn't care, but DS3 was not happy to have a green Christmas this year.

5. Holiday Hit:

He did enjoy his boxing gloves, but this one made it on the list mostly because I can never resist a pun.

6. Cash Camouflage: Some of the boys received cash as part of their loot. Dh and I were trying to figure out how to wrap it, so that it wouldn't get misplaced.

I don't think they were impressed with our practical solution.

7. Dinner Disaster: As I mentioned, Christmas was also dh's birthday. My plan was to make a beef stir fry for his birthday dinner. The beef part didn't quite work out. (And I couldn't run out for another try because it was Christmas after all.) We had rice. We had snow peas. Then we filled the rest of the menu with leftovers and items from the freezer. For instance my youngest had a pancake (from brunch), rice and chicken nuggets. Weirdest dinner ever.

8. Musical Mixup: We learned this week that DS4 thought the lyrics of Carol of the Bells went like this:
(ding) false alarm
(ding) false alarm
Then, he asked us what they lyrics actually were and we had to admit that we didn't know.

9. Paper Projects:

Tree was a facebook post for Ta Da Creative Studios. The other two are hybrid projects using Designer Digital supplies.

10. Scrapbook Share:

Credits at Designer Digitals.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

1. The decorations are up (for the most part).

2. Cards are mailed (for the most part).

3. Presents are purchased (for the most part).

4. Obviously going for a theme today.

5. Opened the box with our stockings in this week and was happily surprised to see a new tree skirt I must have bought at the end of the season last year.

6. Although one of my kids thinks it's too bright. (It's a simple red one with peppermint piping. Not exactly 80s neon or anything.) When he's an adult, he can choose his own tree skirt. As for now, red it is.

7. DS2 is in the cast of an upcoming school play. The play is written by students and the title and any play information is supposed to be kept secret. I did get a clue yesterday though when he said his costume "shouldn't be very difficult". This quite naturally made me surmise that his character wasn't a werewolf.

8. My conclusion was confirmed. He has gone on record that he is not playing a werewolf. One possibility eliminated; only a few thousand to go. I knew reading all those mysteries would help me with my stellar detective skills.

9. This week's layout:

10. Since the next Tuesday falls after Dec. 25th, just wanted to wish everyone who celebrates a Merry Christmas!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-12-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

1. No. I am not finished Christmas shopping.

2. No. I'm not really even close.

3. However, the tree is up.

4. The ornaments aren't actually all on it yet, but the tree itself is up.

5. Speaking of trees, I had a tree trimming layout published in the Nov./December 2011 issue of CK. It (among several other layouts) was featured on the CK blog yesterday.

6. Yesterday, I also posted for the Ta Da Creative Studios blog.

7. Yesterday, I also went to the grocery store, but there's no link for that.

8. Layout #1:

Credits here.

9. Layout #2.

Credits here.

10. And a card just to switch up the pace a bit.

All digital pieces come from this kit by Pattie Knox. White cardstock is from Papertrey Ink. Black is from Bazzill Basics. Quote is a variation from the Big Bang Theory.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-29T08:37:00.001-08:00

1. The extended Thanksgiving weekend was very enjoyable.

2. Decided to go with the four pies after all. (Pumpkin, apple, cherry and chocolate.) The chocolate was the first one to be polished off.

3. Watched two movies over the break too, Super Eight and the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. I was skeptical whether the Pirates movie would be as good as its predecessors since sequels rarely are. Have to say I was pleasantly surprised.

4. Also played Apples to Apples. Didn't win the game but I had to laugh at the cards that I ended up with. (Quite the combination.)

5. Saturday, Josh and I were up bright and early for a cub scout activity. Seven am seems so much earlier on a Saturday.

6. We went to Construction City. Dozens of scouts and leaders construct buildings made of over sized cardboard.

7. Then they get to tear them all down. (The boys are quite enthusiastic about that last part.)

8. I think the only disappointing part of the weekend was the shopping (or rather the lack of it.) I'm definitely not one to brave the Black Friday shopping, but usually get at least a few good deals online.

9. This year? Nada. Not even one thing.

10. Gifts are also the theme of this week's layout.

Journaling:
Every year, we ask the boys to write out a Christmas list. It helps give us some ideas when we go shopping. This year, Josh was having some trouble coming up with anything to put on his list. I decided to help him out by going through some categories.

Books?
No.
Toys?
No.
Clothes?
(Just gives me the get-real-mom look.)
Candy?
Yes. Candy would be good.
Computer things?
No.
Video games?
Not really. I guess there just isn’t anything I want this year.
(This is where I savor the moment and enjoy his lack of materialism.The moment didn’t last long.)
I guess you and Dad can just give me cash this year.

Credits here. (And at the rate I'm going, maybe I should take him up on his idea.)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

1. I noticed that my first line in last week's post was that it was pouring buckets of rain. Pouring buckets of rain again. (Not complaining; as long as it's not snow--I'm good.)

2. Thanksgiving in a few days. It'll be just the six of us at home this year.

3. Getting together with extended family is nice, but I rather like it small too. (And not having to drive in the buckets of rain doesn't hurt either.)

4. Turkey's thawing in the refrigerator and all the food has been purchased as well.

5. Bit of ridiculousness but I'm actually entertaining the idea of 4 pies. 4 pies. 6 people. Like I said, ridiculous..but it would mean everyone gets their favorites.

6. Made this card. Credits here.

7. I actually picked some photos out to update some ones that I had hanging up in our house.

8. We won't say exactly how long the photos had been in need of updating.

9. Since I had the photos out already, it was quite simple to turn them into a card. (Much, much easier then any attempts at a family photo.)

10. Also, made this layout this week:

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-15T05:22:00.000-08:00

1. Poured buckets of rain around here yesterday.

2. In fact, DS2's 7:00 meeting at school was cancelled due to weather.

3. That would have been quite convenient for me. Would have been. Had he checked his e-mail beforehand.

4. Slowly starting to shed my bah-humbug attitude.

5. Although if I didn't start seeing Christmas trees at the end of the September, I wouldn't have that attitude in the first place.

6. Grade cards for the kids came out this week. I'll have a parent-teacher conference for DS4 this week.

7. They usually only have them for elementary students in the district, so this will most likely be my last parent-teacher conference. Ever. (Which seems kind of odd to me.)

8. Afterward, I'm planning on taking DS4 out Christmas shopping. (See. Told you I was losing the bah-humbug attitude.)

9. Made this.

Credits here.

10. And this.
Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-11-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

1. I think I need to stop looking out for the bus. My seventh grader was running late this morning and I waited on our porch to warn him if the bus was coming. I was fully convinced that I heard it. He scampered out, wearing a sweatshirt but leaving his coat behind. After a few minutes, it was evident that I was wrong. So I decided to bring his coat down to the bus stop. This is (of course) when the bus arrived, catching me in my pink striped pjs and fully cementing my title as coolest. mom. ever.

2. Halloween weekend and end of the school quarter fell together this year. Made things interesting.

3. For example, Josh and I were painting his costume at the same time that Caleb was making flan for Spanish class. A dish that he was planning on making all on his own. (When he asked "what's a sieve?"; I realized that it wasn't going to be a completely solo project.) Like I said, it was interesting.

4. Josh's minecraft costume:

5. Not everyone was sure what it was. (Guesses ranged from robot to legoman.) One of the high school kids who was passing out candy though said it was epic. So I guess that's good.

6. Josh also made some pumpkins.

This one was just for fun. It's supposed to be a creeper. (Also, from minecraft. Yeah, he's a bit obsessed.)

7. This one was for school.

He needed to read a biography and then the family was to decorate a pumpkin based on the chosen person. Josh picked Neil Armstrong. So we took the easy route. Painted the pumpkin white to create a moon and then planted the American flag on top. Easy peasy.

8. Made this:

Credits here.

9. And this:

Credits here.

10. Since it was Halloween, it seemed entirely appropriate to receive some scary news. Scarier even then pink striped pajamas. DS1 received his driver's permit this week. Eek!

WCM contest

2011-10-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Hey, it's not even Tuesday and I'm putting up a post. That's because I was excited to see my name among the World Card Making Day winners. The timing on the announcement couldn't have been better. Drove two of my kids and the super sticky flan that my freshmen needed for his Spanish class to school this morning. Super sticky flan leaked super sticky caramel sauce on one of the seats and the floor of the van.

Needless to say, happy news was quite welcome! Thank you Paper Crafts!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

1. Attention locals: I'm looking for a box approximately 14 inch square. (Not sure exactly about the size. I need it for a Halloween costume, so basically big enough to fit over a 10 year old's head. Thanks!)

2. Halloween costume is one of my must-do's on this week's list.

3. Kind of makes me nostalgic for last year. He wanted to be a ninja. Went into the closet and pulled out the ninja costume we already had. :) Didn't get off so easy this year.

4. He wants to be a Minecraft character. (And if you've never heard of minecraft...I envy you.)

5. Went to a play at my kids' high school.

6. I've always said that Caleb (DS2)has been drawn to the spotlight.

7. This time around it was quite literal. He operated one of the lights at the production.

8. Cast and crew worked really hard and turned out an excellent performance.

9. Posted a card at Facebook for TaDa Creative Studios this morning.

10. This week's layout.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-18T13:36:00.001-07:00

1. Feels like a Monday, since the boys didn't have school yesterday.

2. Went to the orchard yesterday with the two youngest. Second time this fall. Last time I forgot my memory card. This time I remembered.

3. Josh took some photos too.

4. Like this one where his brother pretends to eat a rotten apple.

5. Or this apple smashed in the road. Boy things.

6. I had another repeat activity that wasn't nearly as enjoyable as the apple orchard. Went to the grocery store and used the self checkout. I scanned in one of my last remaining items and the screen locked up. (This is the second time in just a few weeks.)

7. It took many failed attempts but eventually I was on my way. Hopefully this doesn't become a regular thing because I really don't need to spend any extra time at the grocery store.

8. Josh wasn't the only one to take photos this week. Austin had a school assignment where he had to take some pictures of our dog.

9. If you're guessing, treats were involved in getting Kirby's attention, give yourself a gold star.

10. This week's layout was inspired by the 3K3W challenge at Designer Digitals. It features my not-so-successful family photo attempt.

Maybe I should have had treats.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

1. DS3 turned 13, which means 3 (yes, I said THREE) teenage boys in the house. I titled my blog outnumbered because of the boy:girl ratio, but I suppose it fits the teenage:adult ratio as well.

2. DS2 tried to convince me that it wasn't true, since the teenagers are equal to the non-teenagers in the house.

3. Funny, but that doesn't make seem any more equitable.

4. I have to say that his chocolate cake turned out fabulously (if I do say so myself). Mostly due to the frosting; which I kind of just made up along the way. So I'll probably never be able to make it exactly the same again. But really when you're talking cocoa, butter, powdered sugar, chocolate chips and vanilla; it's hard to go wrong.

5. My youngest is considering being a Vulcan for Halloween.

6. Perhaps we're watching too much Star Trek on Netflix.

7. Just to clarify, when I say Star Trek; I don't mean the classic series. No matter how hard he tries, my dh will never convince me that it's a good show.

8. Just like he'll never be able to convince me that Spaceballs is funny.

9. Hard to believe that he likes those and yet had excellent judgment when it came to picking his spouse. Go figure.

10. This week's layout:

Ten on Tuesday

2011-10-04T05:35:00.000-07:00

1. One of my favorite times of the year. Oldest turned 16 last week and DS3 has a birthday this week.

2. Austin's cake of choice was carrot cupcakes arranged in a 4x4 grid. (Yes, math is his favorite subject. Why do you ask?)

3. Nate has asked for chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate chips. (Grids are completely irrelevant.)

4. Had a little worry when it came to Austin's gifts. Ordered everything through Amazon. The last estimated shipping was on his actual birthday. Sure enough, nothing had arrived by the morning of his birthday. Then I had a delivery. Not by USPS, UPS or FedEx. Nope. Via blue PT cruiser with flames down the side. Not sure what delivery service that was, but I was thrilled to see him. Until I opened the box. I had placed another order for Nate/Mark a few days after the first order. That's what arrived. (Thankfully, USPS brought Austin's gifts later in the day. Whew. Close one.)

5. Austin also chose Max&Erma's for his birthday dinner. Went there and the restaurant was closing down due to a water main problem. (Construction going on nearby.) I thought my husband was playing a practical joke, but no. (Went over the weekend instead.)

6. As if two birthday cakes in eight days weren't enough, I also wanted to make some apple related recipes. I had high aspirations on Saturday but started flagging during the apple prep. Then I thought...3 recipes....3 older kids. So, I called in for reinforcements. Austin took care of the apple crisp; Caleb did the apple cake and Nate made the applesauce.

7. Josh was exempt because I only had three recipe plans and because he didn't feel well over the weekend.

8. Stayed home from school yesterday too.(At least we made it through one whole month before the first absence.)

9. Made some cards over the weekend. (Technically, I started some cards over the weekend, I don't believe any are finished yet. Sometimes, with cards I work start to finish and sometimes I just move on to whatever is working at the time.)

10. This week's layout. Super quick one due to the template. Which leaves me more time for baking, I guess. :)

PS: Hi Laura! Saw your comment and didn't know how to e-mail you directly. The label and the monkey is from a kit by Pattie Knox at Designer Digitals. I just layered the branch over the T and erased the top part of the T. HTH

World Card Making Day

2011-10-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Happy World Card Making Day!

Since, it's cold, wet and rainy, card making is exactly how I plan to spend the day. Got a jumpstart and made these two for TaDa Creative Studios.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-27T12:40:00.000-07:00

1. Made apple crisp and banana bread this afternoon. My house is smelling really good right now.

2. Went to the apple orchard this past weekend. (It's why I made apple crisp. First, of what I'm sure will be many apple-y recipes.)

3. Went to the orchard. Brought my camera. Didn't have a memory card in it. I was more than a little annoyed with myself. (That memory card thing happens way more often than I care to admit.)

4. Wished I'd had one of my scrapbooking friends with me.
a) They would have most likely offered me sympathy; rather than just jumping to ways I could solve my memory problem. (Memory problem being mine, not the camera.)
b) They would have had a camera. :)

5. Still a good time. Gathered up a bushel in no time.

6. Apparently too quick of a time. Last year, we went at the end of the season and had to really work at it. The boys had to climb the trees to even find any suitable apples at all. The younger two stated that they actually preferred it that way. So they've asked to go back later in the season.

7. Somehow, I don't think I'll have a problem with that. (And I'll probably check my memory card status about a 100 times before we actually venture out.)

8. Finished the book from last week's post. (Lisa, it was a good book. Not this-is-the-best-ever kind of book, but an enjoyable light read.)

9. Posted this at Designer Digitals.

10. This guy turns 16 this week. Crazy.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

1. Teaching a class at Owens tonight.

2. Reading this book.

Already read the first of the series and this is the third. I'll have to go back and search out the second.

3.Made some cards including this one.

4.Beautiful weekend weather. Saturday, Josh and I went for a bike ride. Sunday, dh and I managed to coax everyone to the park.

5. I wasn't surprised when throwing the football around turned into a tackling event. Somehow, playing frisbee became a tackle sport as well.

6. So, even they were hesitant to go initially, they all admitted they had a good time.

7. I try to tell them that their mother is never wrong. For some reason, they tend not to believe that theory.

8.Made this layout:

Credits here.
9. And this one.

Credits here. I received many comments that my two oldest look like twins. In these photos, I can see what they mean. It cracked me up though. Their coloring is so different, that no one's ever said that to me before. Ever. In fact, when they were little, I had more than one playground encounter, where someone would ask if they were related.

10. Blogger posting is different. I'm liking it.... (okay, thought I did. Can't quite figure out the spacing.)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

1. I'm really glad it's Tuesday. Yesterday made me feel like this:

2. Started off with one disorganized child who almost missed his bus. (Almost missed as in scooped up his unzipped backpack and made a run for it.) Then his brother, Grumpy, woke up and did his best to spread his mood around.

3. Then I went to the grocery store. Not my favorite place in general. Went to the self check out line. Checked out a week's worth of groceries, put some coupons in and the computer froze. Froze as in the complete order was gone and everything had to be rescanned. Now fortunately, the ladies at the checkout lane re-rang everything for me. Unfortunately, they rang up an extra item. So I had to scoot over to customer service to get it fixed. Then I came home and went into hiding.

4. So let's talk about a better day. Sunday. Sunday I was on trash detail. Yes, dealing with trash was better than yesterday. I was with DS2 and other high school students at the Greek American festival. It was a wonderful event. There were dancing demonstrations. The dancers ranged in age from three to adult. (The little ones were so cute!) There was also live music and of course, lots of food. We also toured the beautiful Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral after our shift was over. My biggest regret, of course, was not having my camera with me. Next year, I think I'll just be a festival attendee.

5. Posted this project at the TaDa Creative Studios blog yesterday.

6. Also had a few nice surprises this week. Saw one of my layouts(Maverick) featured at the ClubCK blog.

7. I also had this layout featured at GSO.

Credits here.

8. Both of which counteracts the effects of Monday and trash detail rather nicely.

9. Also made this week was this layout:

Credits here.
10. And this aka card:

Designer Digitals has a spot in the gallery to create a card with both the username and real name. That way if the real name is unfamiliar, it can always be looked up. My username is pretty basic, but I made one so that my first name was included. (The template to make one, btw, is a free upload.)
Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-09-06T05:32:00.000-07:00

1. School's officially underway.

2. We took the traditional back to school photos. This year's version though required retakes. Too dark for the high schoolers in the morning and the younger two looked exactly like kids who wished they were still on their summer break sleeping schedule.

3.

And at least one of them tried to pretend they actually were on their old schedule.

4. Sadly, I still need to take DS1's back to school photo. He started a day later than everyone else and I just keep forgetting. Today's his third day, so I'm calling that close enough (assuming of course I remember when he comes home.)

5. So far we've had one missed bus and one forgotten lunch. I'm choosing to think we're getting out the kinks early rather than setting a precedent.

6. DH set up a new server. What does this mean? More space! Being married to a tech guy has its advantages.

7. DS4 needs to write weekend diary entries this year. They are basically stories of what he did during the weekend.

8. Always a good reminder of how boring we are. :)

9. I'm sure his entry this weekend will be something like this:

"Friday after school, I played video games. Saturday? I have no idea what we did Saturday. Maybe we watched a movie. Sunday we went to church. We played hearts in the afternoon. I shot the moon but I still didn't win. Monday, we went for a bike ride to go get ice cream. The ice cream store was closed! We went all that way and the only thing I got was a back ache."

That's what I'm guessing he'll write. We'll see how close I am. PS: I'm guessing his back wouldn't have hurt as much if the ice cream stand had been open.

10.

Finished a layout using the long lost photos that I had developed last week.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-30T19:13:00.000-07:00

1. Barely squeaking this one in before it becomes Wednesday.

2. 'Twas the night before school and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

3. Obviously, not true because
a) I'm still up
b) I'm sure there are others but at least they're making a good effort to shake off their summer sleeping schedule
c)mice. eek. there better not be any, stirring or otherwise.

4. I should clarify. First day of school for everyone but the oldest. He's quite okay with that arrangement.

5. Can't say that everyone else is as enthusiastic.

6. Every year it seems that there is one elusive school supply item on the list. This year it was green pens.

7. Also had to make a last minute run this evening to get a pair of new shoes for J. Second pair. Turns out that the ones we bought last week were actually a size too big. I guess his definition of "fits fine" was rather subjective.

8. We had a few disposable cameras that we've been meaning to get developed for quite some time. Little did I realize exactly how much time had elapsed.

Tomorrow, these two will be in 5th and 7th grades. (So, like I said....quite some time.)

9. Layout 1:

10. Layout 2:

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

1. DS and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. Didn't take any photos.

2. Took the boys go-karting today. Didn't take any photos.

3. Annual cook out at a friends' house. Only took a handful.

4. Just not feeling the photo love lately.

5. But I did participate in a rousing volleyball game at the cookout. I have the grass stains to prove it.

6. Went shopping for some back-to-school supplies with my 3 youngest today. Not clothes. Just the supplies. Took about an hour.

7. I'll let you know when I mentally recover.

8. Also felt my first earthquake today. Just a wobble here in Ohio. At first, I thought it was due to something the boys were doing. Then I thought, that maybe, I was just losing it---I was still in mental recovery after all.

9. Received this to put on my blog:

My layout's on page 111 of the magazine. (:

10.In other layout news, posted this at DD this week:

Ten on Tuesday

2011-08-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

1. Made a few in-state excursions.

2. First up was Cedar Point.

3. Where DH made some new friends.

4. And we learned DS3 is more the loner type.

The water rides were basically running at no-wait walk-right-on when we got to them. DS3 and DS4 went on Snake River Falls. DS3 wanted to ride a second time and he ended up having the whole boat to himself.
5. A few days later, we went to the Mohican area to visit family.
6. We stayed at the Mohican State Park Lodge.
7. While we we were there, we did a little canoeing and hiking.

8. Being careful of the tree roots.

and enjoying the sites.

9. Which was more taxing? Canoeing and Hiking? or Cedar Point? Cedar Point. No doubt about it.

10. It may have had a little to do with starting the day off with this ride. Next time I think I'll stick with the carousel.

Credits here.

Wednesday wrap up

2011-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

1. Missed another Tuesday. It's becoming something of a habit this summer.

2. Bought a bottle of corn syrup today. Why? For fake blood, of course.

3. At least it's more creative than video games.

4. In non-blood related news, I received the new IKEA catalog and this issue in the mail today.

5. I do love a good mail day.

6. Maybe I'm missing Tuesdays because there's really not a lot of news to share.

7. um...I reorganized some of the paperwork in our filing cabinet...

8. Yeah. See. I told you not much.

9. Actually our air conditioning went out. Not such a big issue though since DH and DS were able to fix it. Just an inconvenience for a few hours. And then I couldn't cook because it would heat up the house. That was tragic news. (But I got over it.)

10. A trio of layouts:

Credits here, here and here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-07-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

1. Almost let another Tuesday slip by me this month.

2. Almost...but not quite.

3. Mostly they're slipping by me, because my DS and I have been sharing a computer this month. (Yeah...that's working out well.)

4. Since I posted last, we had some family visit from out of town.

...oh, and their parents too ;)

5. Took them to the zoo on a record breaking hot day. Then J came down with a virus, so I exposed them to that while they were here too. I'm quite the hostess.

6. Had some CHA projects at TaDa's booth.

Photo courtesy of the fabulous Margie Higuchi. (In this photo, I made the flower, xo banner and the far right card on the ledge.)

7. Driven my kids to various activities and in return they've driven me....(okay not really; but I couldn't resist the play on words.)

8. Had a coupon for a photobook that ended today. So I finished my 2010 album tonight.

9. Amazing how a coupon can provide so much incentive. (Also amazing how the discount isn't so great once I keep adding pages to the book.)

10.

Credits here.

CK Reader's Pick Poll

2011-07-09T05:44:00.000-07:00

There's a new one up and I'm happy to have a layout in the running!

Click here for the link to vote for your favorite layout.

Conversation from today

2011-07-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

I was helping DS4 clean his room this afternoon. I threw away 5-7 cards. He told me they were from a board game and pulled them back out.

Me: Josh, are you a trash picker?
J: You can call me that if you want to. I prefer to think of myself as a restorer.

TaDa Creative Studio

2011-07-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

The sneak peaks are in! Here's one:

For the other two, visit TaDa's blog.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

1. Guess what I did today?

2. Played dodgeball. (What? I'm shocked that this didn't immediately come to mind.)

3. Nate suggested it. While some of us may have been a little reluctant at first, it actually was quite fun.

4. What better way to work out any petty annoyances with someone than to wing a ball at his/her head?

5. Um...yeah. I mean, what better way to work out petty annoyances with someone than to engage in a family friendly activity that fosters competition and cooperation?

6.In less active news, I finished the book Weird Sisters. One of the better books I've read lately.

7. TaDa Creative Studios will be announcing their new lines soon. Excited to see and work with them. I posted this project on their Facebook page this past week, using one of their current lines: Sizzlin' Summer.

I know. Me posting something on Facebook. Dodgeball and facebook in one week. Crazy.

8. Put on my chauffeur hat a lot last week. (Basketball camp, VBS, etc.)Thankfully, this week it gets to be a little dusty.

9. Had a card included in this post at Paper Crafts magazine's blog.

10. Posted this layout at Designer Digitals this week.

Credits here.

Wednesday wrap up

2011-06-22T06:16:00.000-07:00

1. Ten on Wednesday because Tuesday seemed to fly by at warp speed.

2. We finished up the drywall projects I mentioned last week. Basically, just repairing the dings, scuffs and nail holes in their bedrooms and repainting those spots. Learned that some of my kids are precise and detailed when it comes to this type of project. Some? Not so much.

3. Also painted DS2's bookshelves black and spray painted a filing cabinet and paper organizers. Took a quick low-light photo of the filing cabinet this morning.

4. Dh said it looked space age. Since he's a sci-fi fan, I chose to take this as a compliment.

5. Someone in our house also got a bit older.

6. Older, but not necessarily more observant.

7. On Father's Day, I went to buy dh a cake. Picked this one up.

8. Did you notice what's amiss? If not, you're not alone. I didn't notice it until after I brought it home. Look a little closer.

9. Yes, Father's Day was re-invented as Farther's Day. DS1 suggested that we try to remove the r and fix it. DS3 then suggested that we leave the first part as is and just take away the h. Pre-adolescent humor is alive and well at our house.
10.This week's layout:

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-06-14T05:22:00.000-07:00

1. Summer break has arrived!

2. Also arrived are strawberries from dh's garden. Here's the first batch of the season.

3. I used the second batch to make the frosting for my cupcakes. I called them neapolitan cupcakes because I layered vanilla and chocolate batter for the cupcakes and topped it off with strawberry buttercream frosting.

4. The cupcake recipes were simply okay. The frosting though? It was fabulous.

5. Teaching a class at Owens tomorrow evening.

6. Put the boys to work fixing some drywall yesterday. (Hello, summer vacation!)

7. Actually, it was a small chore, just making sure they're somewhat productive between video games and water fights.

8. Posted a blog post for TaDa featuring these two projects.

9. Which means yes, I did make two batches of cupcakes within seven days. The neapolitan ones were for a church potluck. And of course, I couldn't very well feature a cupcake topper without a cupcake.(My kids aren't into paper crafts usually, but for that reason; they fully support cupcake toppers.)
10. Finishing up my 2010 layouts. Posted this one at Designer Digitals. Love the pattern papers that Andrea designed!

Credits here.

Wednesday wrap up

2011-06-08T05:27:00.000-07:00

1. Tuesday slipped by me.

2. Summer break is just days away.

3. I think I'm looking forward to it as much as the kids.

4. The end of the school year is filled with assemblies, banquets etc. I'm thinking there should be one for parents. After all, we: explain homework, check homework, buy stuff so they can do their homework, find missing homework, (or look for homework that is said to be missing only to hear later that it was at school after all), make sure they actually do their homework, hear never endless complaints about homework. And really that's only the homework part of it; haven't touched on the rest.

5. Then again, if there were a banquet; parents would probably have to plan it and bring the food. So never mind. Summer break is reward enough.

6. Volunteered for field day last week.

7. Another mom and I were in charge of 15 kids that day. Let's just say it was an excellent reminder of why I'm very, very thankful for teachers.

8. Switching the subject to post a public service announcement for the members of my household: Summer break isn't the only date that is fast approaching.(PS No, I'm not talking about Father's Day. Or Flag Day.)

9. Saw this post on CK featuring one of my cards from Card Creations Vol.9. It doesn't mention my name, but it really is mine. Honest.

10. Layouts I posted at Designer Digitals this past week.

Credits here, here and here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-31T05:27:00.000-07:00

1. Storms rolled through our area early Sunday evening. Dh and I heard a noise outside. When I looked out at the woods across the street, a few of the trees were being pulled up as if they were weeds.

2. Needless to say, we all hightailed it down to the basement. Technically, it wasn't a tornado but there were tornadoes confirmed up in Southeastern Michigan.

3. We didn't receive any damage at all, but two of our neighbors did.

4. In other non-storm news, we (like so many other families not on summer break yet) are wading through the end of the year activities/projects/ etc. (One day at a time. One day at a time.)

5. I think my brain, however, has already decided to go on summer break. I'm becoming so forgetful.

6. The other day, for instance...wait a minute...what was I talking about?

7. Here's one example. Completely forgot about DS4's books that he'd checked out for his science fair project. Ended up with an $8 fine.

8. Knew I wasn't going to get out of that science fair completely unscathed.

9. Must becoming forgetful because I'm been focusing all my brain energy toward beating my sister at Scrabble on facebook. (Yeah. That's it.)

10. Latest layout:

Credits here.

A little bonus rambling. Closing down some windows on my computer and came across some captions that DS4 is doing for his Ohio Scrapbook project.

1. The pro football hall of fame is in Ohio and it has nothing to do with Ohio except that it is in Ohio.

2. Wendy’s is a business that started in Ohio. I’m sure you heard of it.

It could be the lack of sleep talking, but these two cracked me up.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-24T05:57:00.000-07:00

1. DH and I went to a wedding on Saturday.

2. This was the second weekend in a row where the two of us dressed up and went out. (The previous weekend was DS1's academic banquet.)

3. There was a prediction that the world was going to end. Coincidence? Hmm.

4. Back to the wedding. It was lovely. Here's a shot of the cake.

The fact that it is leaning and I cut the top off was purely for abstract reasons...yeah...that's it.

5. Weddings always make me remember two things. I'm very thankful for my husband and I'm quite happy I don't have to wear pantyhose every day.

6. Then Sunday, DS4 made slime. He needed an extra set of hands for the pouring part, so he enlisted DS1. This was before he added food color. (Green naturally.)

7.Back on Mother's Day, I picked my own present. Photos of the kids individually and then a family group shot. (Well, technically the gift was cooperation for said photos.)

8. You'd think I'd be done by now. Nope. First, I delayed because I wanted to get my hair cut. Now, that's accomplished, but I need for it to stop raining.

9. Speaking of haircuts, I had about six inches lopped off. My kids returned home from school and none of them noticed. At dinner, DS2 was sitting across the dinner table from me. "Mom, did you get your haircut?" Such an observant lot I've raised.

10. Layouts from this week. Both were super simple because of templates.

Credits here.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-17T15:40:00.000-07:00

1. Tuesday? Feels like it should at least be Thursday.

2. Science Fair is now complete! I've moaned about it, but in reality it was quite easy this year. No prodding. No procrastination. (And this is from Josh who practically has a PhD in procrastination.) My sole contribution was buying fruit at the grocery store.

3. The thing I do like about science fair is the opportunity to take your child out to lunch afterwards. This year, Mark happened to have the day off too. So it was just the three of us, which doesn't happen often at all.

(I was nice enough to catch him in mid-chew.)
4. Coming up next for Josh is an assignment that I'm more enthusiastic about: the Ohio scrapbook project. Josh groaned and said he'd rather do another science fair project. Silly boy.

5. Been making a lot of cards the last few weeks and realize I have a few habits.

6. When I make Christmas cards, I almost always start to hum a carol. Doesn't matter that it's not even close to December.

7. I also tend to conjure up rather specialized greetings. An example? "This is the absolute last time I'm bailing you out of jail."

8. I refrained from using it though.

9. Quarterly sale coming up for Designer Digitals this weekend.

10. This week's layout:

Credits here.

Dynamic Duo Blog Hop!

2011-05-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

TaDa Creative Studios and Punky Sprouts have teamed up to showcase projects from their design team members. First up from TaDa...well, I guess that would be me. The project below features the Lil Blooms and the Punky Posh mixed medium mini book by Punky Sprouts. All papers featured are from the Big Top collection by Ta Da Creative Studios.

I created a snail from the Lil Blooms by using the larger size for the body and then the medium one for the shell. I also inked the edges.

Happily, I discovered that my book had enough pages so that each of my four boys had a double page layout. I simply used some leftover/duplicate photos that I'd had from past years and added those to the pages. It was a great way to utilize the photos and it also showcased their transition throughout the years.

Then, I added some of their group photos to the back cover.

Thanks for stopping by!

For a chance to win FREE products

Each day go to the following 2 blogs:
Ta Da Creative Studios
Punky Sprouts

Post comments to show your participation. New inspiration will be posted daily. At the end of the 12 day hop, please go to each manufacturer’s blog and post a comment telling them your favorite album style and favorite paper collection used in the samples shown during the hop. Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win both! 3 winners will be picked!

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

Holidays, Observations and Celebrations....

1. They've been a lot of them since last Tuesday. I've already mentioned my Cinco de Mayo dessert that turned out to be surprisingly good. I'll probably make it again if I can wreck another polvorone recipe. (I'm guessing that I probably can.)

2. Then there was National Scrapbooking Day. Can't say that I scrapbooked, but I did make some cards. I figure it's close enough to count.

3. Then Mother's Day, which was actually like pretty much every other Sunday. I tend to like my Sundays though; so it worked for me.

4. I did get a coupon book from DS4 that he made in school. One of them was for cleaning out the car. That's one I'm definitely claiming because our van is sorely in need of it. (Poor guy didn't know what he was signing up for.)

5. Speaking of DS4, he turned 10.

6. Which means that there are no more single digits at our house. (sniff. sniff. moment of silence, please.)

7. He chose to head out to the go-karts. Happily, he reached the height requirements to drive solo. (He barely squeaked by. Good thing his hair wasn't a bit shorter.)

8. Then back home for dinner, cake and presents.

9. For some reason, the present part always seems to be their favorite.

10. A layout from me. Hint of summer in the making.

Credits here.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-05-05T05:32:00.001-07:00

Today's post is brought especially for you because of Cinco de Mayo.

DS1 is in Spanish class. They're having food in for Cinco de Mayo and he signed up to bring in dessert. We found this recipe online and I started to make it last night.

Now, it seems fairly straightforward and simple but somehow I messed it up. (I'm thinking I accidentally doubled the butter.) The cookies were supposed to be round, but mine looked like one large cookie-sheet-sized cracker.

Normally, I'd start over. However, we were out of butter. I had seen a few cheesecake recipes in the Mexican desserts. So I just made a no-bake cheesecake filling, using a recipe I've made lots of times in the past. Usually it uses lemon juice but I substituted lime. (Again, thinking Mexican. My limited experience with Mexican cuisine immediately thought Mexican>Margaritas>Lime. Also, I was out of bottled lemon juice and the only lemon in the house was earmarked for DS4' science experiment. So, lime it was.)

Then I threw in some sliced strawberries. No real logical or Mexican themed reason for this addition. I guess it just seemed like a good addition with the cheesecake filling.

Then I used a spatula to scrape up the polvorones from the cookie sheet and put the crumbs in a plastic bag. I refrigerated the cheesecake filling over night and added the crumb topping this morning. So it's like an upside down cheesecake.

Recipe ingredients:
Messed up polvorones recipe
Package of cream cheese
1 can sweetened condense milk
2 Tbsp. lime juice
sliced strawberries

Instructions:
Bake cookies not exactly as directed. Slightly panic when they come out of the oven. Scour the kitchen and the internet for other ideas. Decide to make cheesecake. Beat the cream cheese with the sweetened condensed milk. Squeeze in some lime juice. Slice some strawberries in a bowl. Fold in. Refrigerate. Scrape up cookies for topping. Put on top the next day.

I'll find out later whether it was actually any good. I don't have a name yet but I'm thinking of calling it: desesperación (which is Spanish for desperation).

Next time, I think DS1 needs to make his own dessert. It probably would have gone more smoothly.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-05-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

1. This is actually my second blog posting of the day.

2. First was over at the Ta Da blog, with this project:

3. Thankfully, I have a friend who had a few wooden spools available for me to use. Last week, I couldn't find baker's twine. This week it was wooden spools. (Baklava though is always easy to find in Toledo; so there are perks.)

4. Normally, at this time of year; things are crazy busy. This year (I may regret saying this later) but May seems oddly doable.

5. Either that or half my kids have simply forgotten to tell me what they have coming up.

6. J does have the 4th grade science fair coming up. (I'm not sure why, but this has always been one of the school projects that I have liked the least.)

7. At least this one...(drum roll please)...will be the last one.

8. Parts of their childhood that I'll never miss: potty training, Chuck E. Cheese and science fairs

9. Made this:

Credits here.
10.and this:

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-26T05:31:00.000-07:00

1. Some Easter traditions remain the same: church services and then the after-services photos.

2. Also traditional is the questionable cooperation.

3. The rest of the Easter traditions are a-changing. Take egg dying. Josh and I were the only ones interested, so we had a fun time just the two of us.

4. Then there's the egg hunt. I hadn't planned on one, but last minute (aka Easter Sunday); Josh mentioned that he would've liked to do one.

5. So we had an impromptu one just for him. (I had to go to the store anyway. It was a three day weekend after all. The cupboards were bare.)Just an aside, grocery stores are fairly empty on Easter Sunday.

6. DS2 and DS3 put it together. They had to improvise a little due to our lack of supplies.

7. The part I found most amusing was that DS2 made a list and wrote down where all the eggs were hidden. See, back in the day, we had a color coded egg hunt; so that the older kids' eggs were harder to find. Only problem was that for two Easters in a row we forgot where we put one of the eggs. And for two years in a row, it was one of DS2's eggs that was lost. Obviously, he carries the trauma to this day.

8. In other non-Easter related news, my brother and my 4 y/o nephew came up for a visit on Friday. When they were about to leave, I requested a photo of the five boys together. (Only one. My kids aren't that cooperative for photos. See above.) My nephew's response? How about three photos? Then he kept increasing the # every time his cousins groaned. (I think he needs to visit more often.)

9. I thought baker's twine would be an easy thing to find locally. I was wrong.

10. Tickled pink when I saw this layout on Ali Edwards' site earlier this week.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

1. It snowed yesterday. 10 days ago it was 80 and yesterday it snowed.

2. Happily, it was a quick snow and by early afternoon, it had all melted away. Took this picture around noon just before it was gone.

3. Internet went down at our house for almost three hours yesterday.

4. Not sure which one was more annoying: the snow or the internet.

5. Finished our taxes on the 13th. So even if the deadline hadn't been on the 18th this year, we would have still been a few days ahead. Go us.

6. I'm finding myself in the need for a VCR. Finally going through our old stacks of recorded tapes and getting rid of them. While most of them are surely old episodes of Star Trek TNG, there's always the possibility that one of them might be a recording of the kids. However, we've discovered that our VCR doesn't work anymore.

7. Hence, the need for a VCR. (and the opportunity to use "hence" in a sentence.)

8. Kids received their 3rd quarter grades, which means summer break is only one quarter away.

9. We've been starting a plan for our summer vacation 2012. (This summer it's all day trips and short outings. Next year it'll be bigger.) Thought I had something in mind but not everyone's in agreement. Made a top 10 list and had them vote. I might now be more confused than ever.

10. Posted at Designer Digitals.

Credits here.

My Core’dinations Creative Frenzy

2011-04-15T12:20:00.000-07:00

What? I'm posting and it's not a Tuesday? Why yes, I am. I have three projects featuring Core'dinations cardstock.

First up is an Easter banner. It's not specifically Easter though, so I can use it for other occasions as well.

Next is a headband. I created it by adding texture to the cardstock and die cutting the flowers. I then added buttons and sewed it to the ribbon.

So, then I had one project featuring pastels and one featuring flowers. I thought I'd balance things out by creating this mustached M&M guy. He's wrapped around a pack of M&Ms and the top edge of the M&M package does double duty as his hair.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-04-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

1. Skipped last Tuesday's posting because Mark and the kids were home, taking some time off for spring break.

2. We didn't venture out any farther than the orthodontist, but still it was good to have the time together. Whoever invented spring break was one smart cookie.

3. April Fools. DS4 wanted to get my dh, so we come up with this.

Replaced the peanut butter cup with a fake one. Worked like a charm.

4. Bees have been taken out of the refrigerator to outside. (Yet another reason to be happy with the spring weather.) They've emerged from hibernation already too.

5. Apparently I thought it was too quiet around here. DS3 started taking drum lessons.

6. Not to worry though, I have these.

7. Proving the adage that good things come in small packages. So tiny.

8.

Credits here.

9.

Credits here.

10. Yep. I have a thing for banners.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-29T05:50:00.001-07:00

Starting off with a few Designer Digital posts.
1. The designers at DD have created this beautiful kit called For Humanity Kit: Japan It costs $10 and 100% of the proceeds go to relief efforts for Japan.

Here's a layout that I made using the kit:

2. DD is also celebrating its 6th birthday by having a birthday sale.

Speaking of birthdays, we did a little celebrating in our family too.
3. DS turned 14.

4. However, there was some discrepancy about his age.

5. Some times I get a bit sentimental about them getting older. However, I must confess there are advantages. For his birthday, he decided on a local Japanese restaurant. Much, much better than our Chuck E. Cheese days.
6. And he wasn't completely mortified when his dad suggested this photo. Close. But not completely.

and in other news.
7. Two of the boys are home from school. Went to the pediatrician yesterday. Strep throat.
8. The two youngest (who squabble at the best of times.) Add in some extra grumpiness because they're sick...and well...it could be a long day.

Layout/projects
9. Finished my Disney album this morning. Hooray. Here's one of the layouts I finished yesterday.

10. And another one that I posted at DD this week.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-22T06:18:00.000-07:00

1. Just received the news this morning that I'm going to be a design team member for Ta Da Creative Studios again. Excited to be back!

2. (Warning: proud mom moment ahead). DS2's rating was announced. He came in 27th in the state math competition!

3. My brother and his girlfriend became engaged over the weekend! (As a bossy older sister I can only wonder what took him so long.)

4. Bought a dining room table. It only took us a year or so. We went to a furniture store fully expecting to come home empty handed and surprised even ourselves.

5. DS3 decided not to wear green on St. Patty's day. Guess he figured that his first March 17th in junior high made him pinch proof.

6. His hypothesis was incorrect.

7. Finishing up our 2010 Disney family vacation album...getting there.

8. DH planted some fruit trees in the backyard. He's quite happy to be digging in the dirt again.

9. I need some new reading material. Any book suggestions?

10. Normally, I'd post layouts or cards here. But it looks like I need to go work on something. :)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-15T07:46:00.000-07:00

1. Back in February, Caleb placed sixth in the regional Mathcounts competition and was able to go to the state competition.

2. Which means we went to Columbus this past weekend. (View from our hotel room.)

3. Like last year, we decided to go down the night before and stay overnight. A change of venue this time of year is always a good thing. (And the younger boys didn't mind the hotel pool at all either.)

4. The five of us who weren't dealing with numbers had a few hours to kill. So we went to North Market.

5. Caleb won't get the official results for awhile, but he's satisfied with how it all went.

6. Posted a few things at Designer Digitals this week.

7. This one:

8. This one:

9. This card:

10. and this one freshly made this morning:

Credits can be seen here, here, here and here.

Two on Tuesday

2011-03-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a slow week. Rather than straining my brain, I'll just post:

1. a card:

Credits:
31 days circle numbers by Ali Edwards
cardstock by Papertrey ink
2. a layout:

Credits here.
Journaling:
Josh has always been a deep sleeper. That was rather fortunate when he was a baby because he could sleep through whatever his brothers dished out. Fast forward to elementary school and it’s not such an advantage anymore. Since he wakes up later than his brothers, we bought him his own alarm clock. We selected one with an “extra loud” alarm and placed it at the foot of his bed. The first time he used it, it went off on schedule and the extra loud alarm lived up to its advertising. The problem was that everyone in the house heard it except for Josh. It went on and on and on. I popped in to his room and told Josh that his alarm clock was going off. I saw him sit up, crawl to the end of the bed and turn the alarm off. I left the room and returned my attention to his brothers who were getting ready to leave. After they caught their bus, I went back to his room. I wasn’t surprised to see that Josh had fallen back asleep. I woke him up. Josh sat up, looked over at his clock and remarked, “Why didn’t my alarm go off?”

Ten on Tuesday

2011-03-01T12:20:00.000-08:00

1. Hello, March. It's nice to see you.

2. Hopefully, you won't pull the same tricks as February.

3. Like last week, when the kids had only one regular school day. (The rest of the week was one scheduled closing, one delay and two snow days.)

4. I had a bit of headache most of that week.

5. I'm sure it's a coincidence.

6. Watched part of the academy awards.

7. Just popped in for a bit and the next thing I knew they were announcing best picture.

8. Didn't matter that I'd only seen two of the ten nominated movies, somehow I just got sucked in. (The two I watched, btw, were Inception and Toy Story 3)

9. Made this.

Credits here.
10. Posted this. (I made this a few weeks ago, I think. Never got around to posting it though until yesterday.)

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-22T16:20:00.000-08:00

1. Another February Tuesday and another post about the weather...sheesh. Either I need to get a life or I'm really looking forward to spring. (I'll pretend it's the latter.)

2. We received ice over the weekend. Our schedule was the same since the kids and Mark were home for President's Day anyway.

3. Monday night, more snow came down and the kids received (yet another) snow day today. I'm sure they're not going to be so happy in June when they're making days up. Today, though, they were more than happy with their four day weekend.

4. Ice.

5. On Monday, we took the boys sledding. At the bottom of the hill the land curves up slightly, creating a basin. The weather pattern of snow-melt-ice meant that the bottom was ice. Only not solid ice. Nate went down the hill. The ice cracked underneath him and he found himself in about 4 inches of icy cold water. (That was the end of the sledding for the day.) (update:just to clarify, this wasn't a dangerous situation. more like being in a mud puddle. only lots colder which is why we whisked him out of there right afterward.)

6. We have it on video too. So we can be sure and pull it out at his graduation.

7. To recap, this time Nate went sledding, the ice broke. Last time he went, he broke his sled. Hopefully, breaking something every time he goes won't become a habit.

8. Tickled to see one of my cards in this post.

9. Made this.

Credits here.

10. and this.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

1. February warps your brain weather wise. Friday I heard myself say. "14 degrees. That's not so bad." Of course, the previous morning was -5, so it's all about the context.

2. Thankfully, this week is predicted to be a much needed warm up. (30s, 40s etc.) So, took some pictures of the fort because it might not be around for too much longer.

3. Speaking of things that are fleeting. Bowl of M&Ms at 2:30 pm yesterday.

4. Bowl of M&Ms at 6:15.

5. The M&Ms were a strategic purchase. Elementary kids get candy on Valentine's Day. Older kids don't. Things could have gotten ugly.

6. We don't do much for Valentine's Day at our house. Josh even made his Valentine's box at school this year. I was looking forward to seeing what he created and was puzzled when I saw the same black shoe box that he took in. He explained that he had decorated it as a robot, but had to rip it open to get to see the valentines. (The ripping description was said with much excitement. I have the feeling that he enjoyed ripping it up as much or even more than actually making it.)

7. Mark's worms have arrived. Oh. Joy. (In case you're confused, that is sarcasm.)

8. Although it was funny to hear myself saying "Mark has worms."

9. I'm still the fourth tallest in the house. Holding on by less than an inch. Nate checks so often though, I'm sure I'll be able to know the exact date when the status changes.

10. This week's layout. Based on the Ten on Tuesday postings.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

1. When it's been a slow week, I sometimes fall back and add a line about the weather. This week wasn't a slow one but I'm still talking about the weather because it's kind of hard to ignore it.

2. Tuesday into Wednesday was predicted to be a huge snowfall. The official total at the airport was 6.5 (it was accompanied with lovely freezing rain). An inch of snow was predicted to fall on Saturday and 6.6 inches came down.

3. The two youngest here rather like the white stuff.(Snowball fights; fort making etc.) I prefer to hibernate.

4. Caleb had his math regional finals on Saturday. There is an open round at the end of the competition where the contestants answer math questions. I yet again realized how much my math skills have atrophied since high school.

5. Nate's basketball team finished their season. This is Nate's first time ever playing basketball and he made his first basket in their last game. (I've only missed one quarter of play time this entire season. If you've guessed that it happened to be the quarter where he made his basket, sadly you would be right. Mark was there though; so at least he had one parent to witness it.)

6. The boys and I have been working our way through the first season of Chuck. (Fits right into my hibernation plan.)

7. Also fitting into the hibernation plan: Picross 3D. It's a ds game that Caleb received for Christmas. He and Austin insisted that I should try it. I think they're regretting this decision. Should have known that hanging around these video game guys would have got me hooked on something eventually.

8. Another chauffeur trip down to the orthodontist today. Nate had brackets put on his top set of teeth. (The bottom half will come later.)

9. He knew from Caleb that Doritos were on the "do not eat" list for braces. He made sure and ask if Cheetos were alright. (12 year olds have their own unique priorities.)

10. Made this. Based on a dinner conversation that we had this week.

Credits here at DD.

PS: Speaking of Designer Digitals, their quarterly sale is starting this coming weekend.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-02-01T05:42:00.000-08:00

1. In an earlier post, I had mentioned that I scraped frost off my windshield for the first time on Nov. 1 and snow off on Dec. 1. I went on to wonder if I should be scared of Jan. 1. Well, Jan. 1 was a pleasant, unseasonably warm day. I should have looked out for Feb. 1. By all accounts, the snow storm is on its way.

2. One of those accounts was the amount of people at the grocery store yesterday. It was like an obstacle course complete with shopping carts.

3. Then at the finish, I got to tackle the "why, oh why does this woman feel the need to stand so close to me" challenge. Seriously, why would you feel the need to stand hip to hip with a stranger at the checkout lane? Watching me pay for my groceries can not be that interesting.

4. Started reading Animal Farm this week. Wasn't a scholarly pursuit. Well, at least not mine. Austin's reading it in school and wanted some clarification. Which means I started reading Animal Farm.

5. I don't find it nearly as painful as he does. But I can sympathize. I had to read Brave New World in high school. Found it painful. After all, I had other things to do. Things like buying banana clips and watching the Cosby show.

6. There are bees in my refrigerator. That's not some odd kind of euphemism. It's one of Mark's gardening things. They're currently hibernating in the crisper.

7. I've been warned that worms are on their way. Thankfully they won't be in the refrigerator.

8. Made this. (Super cute photo is of my nephew and taken by my sister.)

Credits here.

9. and this.

Credits here.

10. If you need me, I'll probably be out shoveling...or at least making sure someone does it. ;)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-01-25T05:56:00.000-08:00

1. I'm ready for spring.

2. I realize it's only January, but I'd be completely okay if it decided to make an early arrival.

3. My oldest survived his first high school exams.

4. So did I.

5. Actually, he didn't ask for much assistance in studying, except for social studies.

6. That was enough.

7. Not really much going on.

8. Finding it hard to come up with ten things

9. so I'll just conclude with a few layouts

10.

Credits here and here.

Ten on Tuesday

2011-01-18T04:37:00.000-08:00

1. My first Owens digital scrapbooking clas of 2011 is next Tuesday (25th).

2. I'm in the midst of converting the den/craft room into another bedroom.

3. First step is clearing out and reducing what's in there. Not such an easy task. I think it's like trying to put an elephant on an elevator. No matter how thin the elephant is, it's still an elephant.

4. I shared my analogy with my two oldest. Austin informed me that putting an elephant on an elevator wouldn't be a good idea because it would exceed the weight limit. Caleb told me he watched a NOVA special on elevators. (Then I proceeded to learn more about elevators than I ever wanted to know.)

5. I don't think they fully appreciated my analogy.

6. This week, I learned that you can play Scrabble on Facebook.

7. I also learned my sister isn't nearly as speedy as I am. (PS. T, if you're reading this; it's probably your turn.)

8. Just because Josh's alarm was advertised as "extra-loud" doesn't mean that he still won't sleep through it.

9. Watched Inception this weekend. I would definitely recommend it.

10. Still following along with the Document a Decade Layered templates at Designer Digitals. This week was 2002.

Credits here.

Eleven on the eleventh

2011-01-11T13:49:00.000-08:00

11 items today instead of the normal ten on Tuesday. (Do I know how to walk on the wild side, or what?)

1. Started the day off with a trip to the orthodontist. (Yes, I get to spend both my money and my time there. It's the gift that keeps on giving.)

2. Double appt. Nathan had an expander put in. (Because despite what people may say to the contrary, his mouth isn't big enough for all of his teeth.) Caleb had his braces put in.

3. It's going to sound strange, but we didn't really know that the braces were going in today until we got there. It was his first appt. of the "stage two" process. All the other first appts. we've had were about getting molds, photos, records. Not this time. (Poor kid requested soup for dinner.)

4. After the orthodontist, I headed out to the grocery store because a) it had been a few days; I'm sure the grocery store was missing me and b) snow was in the forecast.

5. Sure enough there was about an inch or so when I finished shopping and it's been falling steadily ever since. I'd say that conservatively we're at about 4 inches so far.

6. After school activities were canceled and of course, the kids are hoping for a snow day tomorrow.

7. Austin and I shoveled the driveway. One of us was neat and precise. One was not.

8. In other weekly news, I completed my fake New Year's resolution and made eclairs. My youngest two didn't like them at all. Mark and Caleb loved them. Austin and I were somewhere in the middle. For the amount of effort that went into them though, I think I'm going to stick with the bakery if I'm ever in an eclair mood.

9. Here's the recipe I used for those. Eclairs. I also made these bars for a potluck and they were given thumbs up all around.

10. And here's some zero calorie projects from this week.

Credits here and here.
11. I finished grouping and templating my 2010 layouts through November. Only two or three December layouts to finish. (Blogger says templating isn't a word, but I think it should be.)

Ten on Tuesday

2011-01-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

First one of the New Year. (:

1. Spent New Year's Eve dealing with a cold.

2. We had plans for a get-together before the germs took hold. Mark didn't really want to go, but the boys did. Solution? Mark dropped the boys off to the party and we stayed in, watched a movie and ate eclairs. Eclairs aren't exactly typical NYE fare but they seemed like a good idea.

3. So good that my NY resolution was to learn to make eclairs.

4. Mark picked the boys up well before midnight so we could usher in 2011 together

5. in pyrotechnic fashion

6. As for resolutions, I go back and forth about them. On one hand, I like that this time of the year is a good way to reflect back and change things that need improving. On the other hand, it's a bit like hitting your head in the wall to keep resolving to do the same things. (It doesn't do any good and it gives you a headache.)

7. My solution is to refocus and make attainable short term goals(like make eclairs.) Nothing on the list is longer than a few months' duration.

8. For instance, I'm starting 365 again. For January. (Which I realize isn't 365, so I guess I'm technically doing project 31.)

9. Today's photo is what is left of the snow in our front yard.

10. What I made this week (aka as my last three layouts of 2010):

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

1. Both sides of our extended family live out of town. Since Mark only had a bit of time off, we decided not to do any traveling this Christmas. While there are disadvantages there, I liked the low-key easygoing tone of Christmas this year.

2. And I'm okay with not driving an icy winter roads either.

3. Took the boys sledding a few days before Christmas.

4. Squeezed in another batch of Christmas cookies.

5. Spent Christmas eve at our annual church services. Then topped it off with some take out from a Mexican restaurant. Yummy. If they're open every year, I think we may have found a new tradition.

6. Then the big day. We just let everyone sleep in. (We learned early on that some of our kids will sleep in no matter what day it was...and we used that to our advantage.)

Not so easy for our early risers though.

7. Had to laugh at this.

8. Caught up on some blog reading and was happy to see one of my layouts included in this post.

9. Been de-cluttering closets. Weirdest find? 4 inch rubber spider....and it was in my closet.

10. Going through photos from last year, grouping them into layouts, finding templates etc. Quite a bit of productivity but not a lot of final results yet. Except for this one which I made today.

Credits here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-21T07:00:00.001-08:00

1. Merry Christmas!

(Credits: Christmas Joy Mini Kit by Mindy Terasawa)

2. I think it all looks a bit pixelated online. IRL, only one photo is blurry/pixelated. My dh. It wasn't because I was annoyed with him or anything. It just happens to be the only photo that I could find of him that he was okay with. I told him it was blurry. He said it was fine. I pointed out that he didn't have his glasses on while he was looking at the card. He didn't seem to understand the relevance.

3. Finished the card on Sunday. Should have waited until yesterday. Then I could have used his driver's license. Because it actually looks good. Seriously. A good BMV photo. I had mine taken this year as well. It looks like the stuff childrens' nightmares are made of.

4. In other photo card trivia, I had a bit of trouble deciding who goes where. So I arranged us according to how our birthdays fall throughout the year. Even the dog.

5. Christmas shopping is by and large complete. There is the possibility that a few of the online items may not arrive on time. If so, I'll just propose the theory that it's actually a good thing because it extends the Christmas season. Yeah. We'll see if that flies.

6. Did some baking. The boys did some decorating. Even my dh and DS1. Of course, that was only because they wanted a cookie with frosting instead of a plain one. Whatever works. (It was actually requested that we make another batch before Christmas. I'm thinking that's doable.)

7. Boys are still in school. Although I think at least part of their minds are already on winter break.

8. Ortho appt. for DS3 today. The forecast is for more snow. Uggh. Hope it's not too bad for driving. (Forecasters were wrong. No snow after all!)

9. This song is stuck in my head. Just when it gets out, one of my kids (or my dh) will pull it up on Youtube and play it again......

10.
Credits can be seen here.
Second time in two weeks that I made a layout using photos from the same week. What in the world? Oh, wait a minute. The boys' photos on the Christmas card were actually taken on Easter. That's more like me.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

1. When I last posted, my kids were itching to set up the tree. They took the boxes down from the attic last Tuesday. Usually, they're a speedy group. This year though, they didn't finish hanging the last ornament until yesterday morning.

2. Can't complain (free labor and all that.)

3. In case it's not apparent, I'm a bit of a slacker when it comes to decking the halls. Maybe Christmas in general. I send most of my cards digitally (via e-mail or just posting online.)Most of my shopping is online. I love Christmas but when it comes to the hustle and bustle, I'd just rather not.

4. Well, at least not all of it. This week, there was Caleb's band concert.

5. Church get-together.

6. Nate's basketball game. (Nothing to do with Christmas of course, except that it's played during the winter time. They squeaked by, winning by one basket.)

7. And this week wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the snow. Snowfall started Thursday night. Woke up Friday morning at my regular time and checked the online school delays/closings. Nothing. So I sent my oldest off to walk to school like he normally does. Then the middle two got ready and waited for their bus...and waited...and waited. We finally realized that there actually was a delay. DS1 went to school two hours early. He just stayed and worked on some projects. (Guess who will be updating the school closings in paranoid fashion from now on?)

8. Saturday was actually spring like, but that changed quickly. Sunday looked like this:

9. I think we ended up with about three inches or so. Not nearly as much as other parts but enough to give the boys their first snow day yesterday. (They were hoping it would extend to today. Wishful thinking.)

10. What I made this week:

Photos from February. Credits can be seen here.

The last picture was taken yesterday and then I actually made this yesterday. (I know. I was shocked too.)Pattie's new template seemed made for it. Credits can be seen here.
One of the cards I made last week:

(It features paper/stickers from Echo Park and cardstock from Coredinations.)
My favorite thing I made this week? Peanut Butter Kiss cookies for the church get-together. Yum.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-12-07T13:23:00.000-08:00

1. This week I volunteered one morning in Josh's class. Learned what a hygrometer was.

2. Back on November 1, I scraped the first frost from my windshield. On December 1, first snowfall. Wonder if I should be concerned what January 1 is going to bring?

3. Spending an inordinate amount of time on the Amazon website.

4. With all that looking, I feel like I should be done buying gifts.

5. I'm not.

6. Boys are itching to set up the tree. In our house, that's a guy thing. So it's up to them to coordinate it with my dh.

7. I get the putting away part. (Which actually works for me.)

8. Made a boatload of cards in the past few days to submit to the PaperCrafts call.

9. My table looks like I made a boatload of cards. (Started to clean it up. Then I realized that I don't like how some of my supplies are organized, so I started to re-organize it. However I didn't finish it. So basically, it still looks like a tornado went through it)

10. Hmmm...looks like I don't have a layout to share this week. Guess I need to get on that...and spend less time on Amazon, perhaps.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-30T05:35:00.000-08:00

1. My MIL graciously hosted Thanksgiving this year. As much as I appreciated the invite, I have to admit that I missed making the meal this year. Normally, I'm not a fan of cooking but for some weird reason, Thanksgiving is an exception. Maybe it's because the menu is already pre-planned. Figuring out what to make for dinner is always more a challenge than actually making it.

2. Or maybe I just missed having my Black Friday turkey sandwich.

3. Speaking of Black Friday, I happily spent that away from the crowds by shopping online.

4. Then I spent Cyber Monday actually shopping in-store. Whatever works.

5. I put up a few more Ebay auctions this week.

6. My last Owens digital scrapbooking class of the year is this Thursday.

7. Josh finished the 6th Harry Potter book yesterday.

8. I finished a book yesterday too; but I know Josh found his more enjoyable than I found mine.

9. This layout went up on the DD blog on Wednesday for the 3k3W challenge. 3K3W is always one of my favorites. Since the products are already chosen, part of my work is done for me before I even start. I do love shortcuts.

10. And another layout that I posted this morning.

Credits can be seen here and here.

Ebay Auctions

2010-11-27T09:28:00.000-08:00

Forgot to mention earlier that I put up a few things on Ebay this week. They end later today.
Large Stamp Lot: Inks, Technique Tuesday, Hero Arts etc
Retired Quickutz Uppercase Paige Alphabet
Quickutz Lowercase Paige Alphabet
Quickutz Hand Tool and Cradle

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-23T05:29:00.000-08:00

1. The quiz bowl vs. parents/siblings night was last night. Parents/siblings ended up winning.

2. I may talk a lot of smack, but in the end I didn't contribute very much. (It's so much easier answering the questions in my head in the audience.)

3. I had one incorrect answer and one correct answer. The question I answered incorrectly was to name a four letter word that described a home built by an animal. My answer was lair and the answer they were looking for was nest. (The sticking point was the word built.)

4. The answer I did get right was to name the tennis player with the most wins in the 1990s. The answer: Pete Sampras. Pete and I go way back. You can read about our history here.

5. Nate also answered one correctly. Both Austin and Caleb pulled larger numbers for their respective teams.

6. Started and finished a photobook for my mom for Christmas yesterday. Used a CK one and plugged in my photos which made it quite convenient. One present down...the rest of them to go.

7. Josh is up to the 6th book in the Harry Potter series. (One of the funny things his teacher said at our conference last week is that Josh will sometimes get so engrossed in his book during silent reading that he won't even realize when reading time is over. His whole class will be on to something else, the teacher will be giving instructions and he'll still be reading away.)

8. OSU vs. UM game this weekend. 1/2 my kids wore scarlet and gray to school today. 1/2 wore maize and blue.

9. Made this layout this week.

Credits can be seen here. Made another one but it's top secret. (Actually, not so top secret, but it's for the Designer Digitals blog this weekend. PS If you're related to me and reading this blog; you're probably in the layout.)

10. I don't usually discuss news events on my blog. However, this one has been on my mind. I was horrified to hear of the recent kidnapping and murders in Ohio. Then, I was stunned to learn that they took place in the county that I grew up in. The county that my brother and his family; and so many of the people that I grew up with still live. Like every area, it has it's own problems. Before last week, this type of violence was not one of them.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-16T04:40:00.000-08:00

1. Grade cards came home. No surprises. Mostly because I'm able to (and do) track the grades of the three older ones as the quarter progresses. (Love that!)

2. I'm thinking that a compare/contrast on the technical aspect of school (theirs vs. mine) might make a fun scrapbook page.

3. Because of grade cards, some of the kids get time off for parent teacher conferences.

4. Yep. Some. My high school freshman isn't exactly thrilled with that arrangement.

5. DS2's quiz bowl team has officially won first place in their league. (If it seems I've mentioned quiz bowl a lot, it's on Mondays. Still fresh in my mind on Tuesday mornings.)

6. DS3 is starting basketball. The kids have tried a large number of sports throughout the years. Somehow basketball was never an interest for any of them until now.

7. Mark and 3 of the boys have finished the Star Wars movie series this week. (One of the guys had a project due and told them to go ahead without him.)

8. The movies have influenced DS4 to lapse into Yoda speak from time to time.

9. I hope it's a short-lived phase.

10. Stuff I made this week:
Thai Honey Peanut Chicken It was a five star recipe. (Five stars meaning that 5 out of 6 people liked it. Which is actually a good rating at our house. I'll be making it again.)

Credits can be seen here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-11-09T08:15:00.000-08:00

1. Fairly uneventful week.

2. Found out today what Nate's braces are going to cost. Add that on to the total that we received for Caleb's last month. I wonder if the orthodontist is hiring...

3. Cleaned out my refrigerator yesterday. (Hey, I told you it was an uneventful week.) I'm officially renaming the top shelf as "the place where sticky condiments go to die."

4. Game night at church. Played scattergories. Would it be obnoxious to say that I won by one point when everything was tallied?

5. It would? Okay, then I won't mention it.

6. Caleb's quiz bowl team is still undefeated. In a few weeks, they go against the parents. I asked him if the team will be upset to lose against us. He said " No, because we're smarter..." I pointed out that if he was smarter, then he actually wouldn't have made that statement. He insisted that he meant to finish the sentence with "...smarter at quiz bowl questions."

7. We'll see if he can back that up. I am fresh off a Scattergories win after all.

8. Oh, right I'm not supposed to mention that.

9. My van rolled past the 100,000 mile mark. Appropriately enough, it happened on the way to the kids' school.

10. A layout I made. Just one. It was an uneventful week in many ways.

Credits can be found here.

Ten on Tuesday (the Halloween edition)

2010-11-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

1. Pumpkins (part A): We didn't go to a pumpkin patch this year. The only one who was interested was me, so picked ours up at the supermarket instead. Picked up four. My oldest is generally anti-Halloween but I picked up four anyway (and then figured I'd carve it myself.) Josh started carving his. First time to do it on his own.

As I was taking the picture, I suggested that a different knife strategy might be in order. A few minutes after taking the photo, it was time for a bandaid break and Josh said he was done for the day and wanted to carve the rest "later".

2. Pumpkins (part B): Never save a half-carved pumpkin with the intent to carve it later.

3. Pumpkins (part C): Nate was the only one who finished carving his pumpkin. Caleb and I just didn't make it in before Oct 31st.

4. Events: Both Nate and Josh had after hours school events that they attended midweek. On Saturday, the two younger boys, my dh and I went to a community Halloween trick or treat. We went with Josh's best friend whose uncles also happened to be my dh's college roommates. (Did you follow that?) Anyway, one of the roommates was there too with his family. My dh hadn't seen him in years, so it was a fun way to catch up.

5. Costumes (Nate):

6. Costumes (Josh):

7. Costumes (Chipotle excursion): Okay, this one needs some explaining. Since, all of our Halloween activities took place before Halloween. Halloween night was open. Caleb had seen that Chipotle was offering $2 burritos to anyone who came in dressed like a processed food. Two things the boy appreciates: Chipotle and a good deal. So, the three younger ones all participated. Their costumes say so much about their personality. Further analysis will certainly appear in an upcoming layout.

8. I had to scrape frost off my windshield yesterday morning. I would share a picture but some things I'm just not into documenting. (Note to self: Find snowscraper, it'll probably work better than the piece of cardboard that was fished out the recycle bin.)

9. Election day. Which means tomorrow is officially my favorite day of the year! No more political commercials, mailers or voice mails. (It's rather disappointing to get three voice mails and then realize that they are all about politics.)

10. Some of the stuff I made this week:

Actually, "I made" is a bit of a misnomer for the July layout. It's a quickpage at Designer Digitals, so the only think I did was to plug in the photos (easy peasy).
Credits for the layouts can be seen here, here and here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-10-26T04:35:00.000-07:00

1. My class went well last Tuesday. It was about 25% of the first class size. It's amazing how much more class material can be covered.

2. The guys have been into watching Star Wars movies lately. Mark has been trying to convert them since they were little but they've never really been interested until now.

3. In fact, watching the movies is what inspired DS3's costume of choice this year.

4. Went to DS2's quiz bowl match yesterday. It was the first home match and the first one I attended. They were behind in the beginning, but pulled out to win.

5. In between all the Star Wars movies, Mark and the two older boys also finished the Lord of the Rings trilogy. One of the questions at the quiz bowl match was to "name the hobbit....". Yep, he got that one.

6. Doing some organizing here. I've gone through about 90% of my craft room and have tried to completely pare down the extra stuff that I don't use. Gave some to a friend at church. Donated some to the art class. Getting ready to sell some on Ebay. It feels good to lighten up in here.

7. Yesterday was also the Cross Country Banquet for DS2. We were supposed to bring a dish. My plan was to bring apple crisp. Long story short. Quiz Bowl lasted longer than expected and Kroger makes a good back up plan.

8. DS4 is 95% finished with the fourth Harry Potter Book. (He finished the 2nd one earlier this year and stated that he was going to save the rest for later in the year because of reading requirements. He's still in the first quarter, so I don't think that plan is quite working.)

9. It's been a fairly uneventful week. So I'll resort to talking about the weather. The weather's been nice. Seriously nice. As in I wore shorts on my walk yesterday. In October. In Ohio. Holy sentence fragments, batman!

10. Finishing off with two layouts I posted this week. Both are at Designer Digitals. One continues the birthday theme I seem to have been on as of late and one was for a challenge to create a layout based on your beliefs.

For the I Believe layout, I had photos in mind before I started the layout. Began with the third photo in the grouping. Then I went to my older photos and my plans went out the window because I couldn't resist using them for all three of the remaining spots. Credits can be seen here and here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-10-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

1. There will be no birthday related posts in this list.

2. Oh, wait a minute. We did finally take Austin out for his birthday dinner. (He wanted to go on a weekend since his birthday fell on a Tuesday and this was our first one free since his birthday.)

3. Made some stuff including this:

(Which I guess is birthday related too. I really should refrain from making sweeping statements before I know what I'm talking about.)

4. Made tacos for dinner and wished I would have bought some tomatoes. (Not for me, I never wish for tomatoes; but some of the guys like them.) About 30 seconds later, my dh brings in some tomatoes for his garden. Which is eerie because a) I never mentioned anything to him and b) I didn't realize his garden was still producing tomatoes this late.

5. When I say that a certain someone's skateboard should be removed from the living room because it was hazardous, I logically didn't expect that it be placed in the middle of his bedroom floor.

6. What I should have remembered is that kid logic and mom logic are two entirely different things.

7. Fortunately, I was saved by my athletic prowess and natural grace. (Or more likely: experience. This is not the first time I've had to navigate through obstacles in a dark room.)

8. The boys had the day off yesterday, so we went to the orchard in the morning.

9. And the Apple Store in the afternoon. (We don't really have any nearby, but DS1 has been wanting to visit one for awhile, so we made a small road trip.) He said that I should make a layout for yesterday and call it apple day. (I have to say that I think it's funny that my influence has him thinking in layouts.)

10. Speaking of layouts. My second digital scrapbooking class takes place tonight at Owens. I'm much more relaxed the second time around now that I have some experience with the logistics/technicalities.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-10-12T05:40:00.000-07:00

1. Dh had the day off yesterday. The kids didn't. Bet you'll never guess how we spent the day.

2. I'll answer that further on. In last week's post, I mentioned that we had lots of upcoming birthdays. DS3 turned twelve.

3. We had a surprise get-together for my MIL. (My SIL's nine year old twin girls are taking a cake decorating class and were happy to decorate grandma's cake.)

4. The leaves are really starting to turn around here. Love that fall color.

5. Learned this morning that Designer Digitals is having their first retirement sale. They have 942 items are marked down 40% through Saturday morning at 6am EST.

6. Josh read the second Harry Potter book a few weeks ago and stated that he was going to save the third one for next quarter, where he could use it to help fulfill his reading requirements. Couldn't quite hold out until next quarter.

7. Made homemade apple sauce with dinner last night. I think it's the first time I ever made it. It was quite popular (and easy).

8. Any guesses on how we spent yesterday? We built a base for a storage shed. What? No one guessed that? Here's the deal. When we realized that Mark had the day off and the boys didn't, we decided to tackle a home improvement project. I had three in mind, but suggested the shed to take advantage of the nice weather while we had it. Mark wasn't sure if we'd be able to finish the entire project, so I suggested we just do the base. It's a good thing too because that part alone took us 4.5 hours (including 3 trips to the home improvement store and a lunch break).

9. Then when the boys trickled home we took advantage of our child labor.

PS He really isn't screwing into the level. It's just in front of him.

10. And on one of our trips to the home improvement store, I found wallpaper for our kitchen/dining room in the clearance aisle. (Because clearance aisles draw me in like a moth to a flame.) I had removed the wallpaper from the kitchen/dining room about a year ago (yikes! was it really that long ago?) and realized why it was papered in the first place. The walls were bumpy and uneven (and not in a cool textured kind of way). Decided to paint it anyway and see how that worked. It didn't. But yesterday, I found the wall paper and as you can see it's quite an amazing match to the color that we had selected for our paint(and at less than $4 a roll!!!)

Class Update

2010-10-06T04:30:00.000-07:00

Last night, 16 ladies and I got together for a digital scrapbooking class at Owens Community College. It was a really great group of people and I had a fun time teaching the class. Received lots of good feedback and some constructive ideas that I will be implementing down the road. I have an advanced digital class coming up on the 19th and it sounds like some will be returning for that one as well. (I'll take that as a good sign!)

Ten on Tuesday

2010-10-05T04:53:00.001-07:00

1. This is it! My class is tonight. Excited. A bit nervous. I'll tell you how it went tomorrow.

2. Speaking of tomorrow. Nate's birthday. He'll be twelve. That much closer to being a teenager. Which would be scary, but he's had the attitude of a teenager since his toddler days.

3. Also tomorrow, school council elections. The last few days have been campaign headquarters at our house. Both Caleb and Nate are running. 5 spots for each grade. For Caleb, only 5 people applied, so he's in automatically. For Nate? 17 people. Yikes! So the odds aren't fun, but we're hopeful. And yes, he did put the fact that his birthday is on election day into his speech. :)

4. I was supposed to take a batch of oatmeal cookies into church on Saturday. Somehow I left out some of the flour. The result was a chewy, super-sweet granola like substance. So, the kids happily took care of my mistake and I picked some cookies up from Meijer.

5. The cross country finals were yesterday. There were two divisions. Caleb was in the lower division for boys and came in first for his school. So, on one hand, he was a bit bummed that he didn't make the upper division. On the other, he was happy to come in first.

6. I had this layout posted on the DD blog this past Wednesday for the 3K3W challenge. I've said it before and I'll say it again. Love challenges! Gives me a push to try something new.

For this one, I was trying to adjust the lighting on my photos and somehow turned my green walls orange. I liked the effect because it highlighted the tape much better, so I just copied the adjustment layer for each photo.

7. Speaking of the DD blog, I loved this hybrid post featuring some Halloween decor ideas.

8. Speaking of Halloween. Josh decided he wanted to be a ninja. I thought to myself, "Hey, I think Caleb was a ninja when he was in fourth grade". Went to my closet and sure enough. Can't get much easier than that.

9. It must be a good week for birthdays. One of our church members turns 98 today! When she was in her 30s or 40s, the doctors gave her only a few weeks to live due to health concerns. I guess she proved them wrong.
My friend, Mary, is celebrating the big 5-0 this Friday! Hope your family spoils you rotten!
My MIL is also celebrating a birthday! Yep, more birthday cake for the Davenports.

10. Just a reminder that Sunday is 10-10-10 in case you want to do or photograph something special this week.

Happy Tuesday!

World Card Making Day

2010-10-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

You know, I never seem to actually hit WCM day. This time around I was helping at my church. In a bit of happy coincidence though, I did make some cards on Friday. Which in a way, makes me ahead of the game, right? Feel free to humor me and say yes.

Here are three of the ones I made on Friday.

Wednesday Wrap Up

2010-09-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

1. What is now becoming my usual Tuesday post was pushed back to Wednesday, mostly because yesterday, this one turned 15.

2. First time since his Lego days, that his top request wasn't video game/computer related. Instead, it was this shirt:

If you watch Big Bang Theory then you already recognize where it comes from and if you don't, I guess you know now.

3. Probably not the most enjoyable birthday ever for him. He had a few projects due today. He'd procrastinated, so he spend most of the evening catching up.

4. When we were in school, my dh and I never had to worry about school assignments during our birthdays. Both our birthdays fell over school vacations. However, I'm sure that neither of us would have procrastinated back in the day.

5. You probably shouldn't believe part of that last statement. I'll let you decide which.

6. Nate's birthday is next week. So, if you live in the area and have the need for birthday cake; I can probably take care of you.

7. Three of my kids put on shorts this morning. It's currently 45 degrees out.

8. They changed.

9. I made these layouts this week:

10. The winter ones were made with Lynn Grieveson's new Ashby Kit. It's become one of my favorites. It's not a winter kit but I love how it worked with my winter pictures. (I actually have three more unfinished winter layouts and I'm sorely tempted to use it for all three of those as well. But perhaps I should go for a little variety. Perhaps.)

Happy Wednesday!

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-21T14:32:00.001-07:00

1. Went to Open House at the junior high and high schools. While they are both fine schools, it affirmed the fact that I'm glad I no longer attend jr. high/high school.

2. Watched an episode of Hoarders on netflix this week. Immediately felt the need to clear out stuff.

3. Dh must have felt the same way because he cleared out his clothes that he hadn't worn in ages from the closet and got rid of a few computers as well. hmmm....perhaps we should watch another episode. (BTW, when I say a few computers. Dh works on computers for fun, so he always has a few non-working ones that he's used for parts hanging around.)

4. Had the first school absences today (both A&J). That didn't take long.

5. It's been a fairly uneventful week. Spent loads of time chauffeuring.

6. C tried out for the quiz bowl team and made it.

7. C&N both joined the school newspaper staff.

8. Two more reasons why I spent lots of time driving.

9. J wasn't nearly as ill today as he was last night.

10. I banished the phrases "bored, boring, boredom"; so he told me he was unentertained. Guess who's going to school tomorrow?

Card Share

2010-09-17T05:54:00.000-07:00

Just seeing if you were paying attention.

Here are the real ones.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-14T11:56:00.000-07:00

I really like this type of posting...can you tell?

1. Went shopping today. DS1 needed shirts and I needed to quash the grocery grumbles of..."we're out of juice?" "Mom, do we have...?" I estimate this trip will give me about a 4 hr. reprieve until the grumbles start up again.

2. Mentioned earlier about magazine orders. The middle two in middle school are halfway through their fundraiser. They both really get into these type of sales and are quite competitive. Good for the school I guess. Not quite so good for my sanity.

3. Lovely, lovely weather. 70's with just the right amount of fall crispness.

4. Made a bunch of cards yesterday. Usually I like about 70% of what I make. Yesterday, about 10%. Just the way it goes sometimes.

5. One of the layouts I made this week.

6. Really need to get my hair cut.

7. This mailing went out. My classes are on the first page. Exciting! (Well, for me anyway.)

8. Bought one of DS1's birthday gifts. The only one that wasn't video game/computer related. DH gets to take care of all of those.

9. Lots of tree trimming, construction projects going around the neighborhood this week. So much for piece and quiet.

10. Making fish for dinner and then chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Guess which will be better received?

how I can tell that school is back in session.

2010-09-08T06:21:00.000-07:00

1. Magazine fundraiser forms.
2. E-mail updates from the school.
3. Backpacks and lunchbags in the storage center.
4. The small pile of playground mulch on my kitchen floor this morning.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-07T09:51:00.001-07:00

Warning: Image intensive post ahead.

I think my photo problem is worked out. So I went a little overboard and decided to randomnly select ten of my favorite summer photos. (And yes, I do feel a twinge of mom guilt because I realize that my kids aren't represented equally. Ah, well. Can't be even all the time.)

These are SOOC. My favorites mostly because of the story I see when I look at them and not for any technical achievements. Perhaps, I should get busy scrapbooking and attach that story along with them.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-09-01T06:13:00.001-07:00

What?! You say it's Wednesday. Well, since I just took the trash out to the curb and trash day is Wednesday, I tend to believe you. But I'm still keeping the title. It'll just be Ten on Tuesday- the Wednesday version.

1. Really, really need to deal with the whole photo upload thing. Because as much as I like to ramble and drone on and on and on, photos are much more fun.

2. They've gone back to school. If blogs had audio, you'd hear nothing.

3. Not even the dog. He's gone back to his morning napping schedule. He realizes that mornings are much less exciting now.

4. I'm now officially the mother of a high school student. That just doesn't seem possible.

5. DS3 started junior high. That doesn't seem possible either.

6. DS2 woke up first on the first day of the school. Probably the biggest impossibility of them all.

7. I think my hand is starting to cramp up from the back to school paperwork.

8. Over the weekend, we helped clear out the last bits from my FIL's store. He's had a tv repair shop since before my dh was born. He's retired and the store is set to be sold this week. We found some interesting odds and ends for us to bring home too, including the 1977 license from my dh's bait shop. (Dh was a kid when he had his shop, and has told us that he spent almost all his profit on candy and other treats.)

9. We also went fishing over the weekend. We meaning everyone male. I kept them company but spent most of my time looking at the new IKEA catalog.

10. Off to go throw something in the crockpot for dinner.

Nobody told me there'd be snakes

2010-08-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

I mentioned before that Caleb joined the cross country team this year. It's a very literal term because that's what they do. All their meets and practices take place in natural environments. No concrete for these kids.

Now I like nature. I go camping, hiking etc. There are a few things I do not like and snakes are the biggest. When the kids were little, I used to wait outside the reptile house while Mark took them through. During one of Caleb's practices, I walked the trails while he went running with his team and came across one. Freaky. But I thought it was a one time thing.

Yesterday, he had a meet and there was another one. Aaack!

I'd show you some photos but I was too busy stifling my scream and getting the heck out of dodge.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-08-24T06:03:00.001-07:00

1. Last week, 4 out of 5 days were spent at dr/dentist office. Another visit yesterday. (They weren't for any illness. Well visits, cleaning. The offices were booked up pretty solidly, so with 4 kids; it was just spread out.) Glad to be done with all of that though.

2. Picked up some kind of bug along the way. Blech. I think I'm near the end though.

3. Friday, we went to our annual BBQ at a friend's house. She lives near a town fair that's held at the same time.

4. Caleb ran the 5 mile race at the same event. Nate ran part of it unofficially (about 1.5 mile or so).

5. Saturday, dh and I celebrated anniversary #17.

6. The six of us went to another town fair, Saturday morning. There was a little drizzle. I thought it would let up. It didn't.

7. Later, dh and I went to a furniture consignment shop. (Still looking for furniture to adapt. Still didn't find anything.) Coincidentally, I found out later that the 17th anniversary theme is furniture.

8. Not feeling quite well and then walking around in the rain all morning was not a good combination, so we ended the day by bringing home some Chinese food.

9. I'm out of books to read. I think I need to fix that. Really liked this one.

10. I think this is the only project I made this week:

Credits and Journaling can be seen here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-08-17T06:51:00.000-07:00

1. Summer break is winding down. My chauffeur duties are increasing.

2. Lots more back to school shopping this week. (I tend to just buy sale stuff as I go along instead of one big shopping trip. If I happen to be going into the store or driving by one that has good deals, I'll stop in.)

3. Which is why I bought 8 boxes of Kleenex yesterday. (All of their class lists include at least one box; most of them two).

4. J was also happy that I picked up some dry erase markers. He needed one for class but the other three were all his. (We have a dry erase board that he uses practically every day and his markers were running dry.)

5. I've been influenced by many before/after shots of furniture online. I went to a local thrift store, hoping to find something I could rescue. That didn't pan out but C spotted a graphing calculator and a regular calculator paired together for $3 total. He needed the graphing calculator for math this year....so he pretty much saved us about $80-$90.

6. Another C post-he started cross country practice.

7. Yet another C post-because he started cross country, he needed to get a physical exam. Turns out he's grown again. He's up to 5' 7" now.

8. I was walking in a park yesterday and spotted two deer in a creek. A mother and fawn.

9. One of my friends at church showed me a shutterfly book that she made. I influenced her to make one after she saw mine. That was pretty cool to hear.

10. And in drumroll news.......I finished my 09 layouts. Yeah! The guys are going through them selecting the ones that they definitely want in the book. (Or in J's case, the ones they definitely don't want in the book.) It was fun to hear them laughing over some of the options this weekend.

Here are two of the last ones I made:

Credits are here and here.

Layout 8/13/10

2010-08-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Created this layout for the template challenge at Designer Digitals:

Personally, I love templates. Almost forget how to scrap without them.

Complete credits for the layout can be found here.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-08-10T04:24:00.000-07:00

My dad passed away on Thursday after a long battle with brain cancer. I thought today's post would be ten things about him.

1. He was 71.

2. He was born on a day with single digits and died on a day with single digits. (4/2;8/5)

3. He'd pepper in "How do I explain it to you?" throughout conversations.

4. He was the third boy in a family of four boys. He also had a sister who died in infancy.

5. He worked in a factory for over 30 years until his retirement a few years ago. Several of the guys came to pay their respects and shared stories. My dad was a hard worker but he also wasn't one to dally at the end of the day. When his shift ended at 3:30, he was generally one of the first out the door. That is, except for one day when they nailed his metal lunch container to the table. :)

6. He died at 3:29 pm. My brother was the one who noticed how it coincided with work shift.

7. He has two daughters and one son, 6 grandsons and one granddaughter.

8. He loved to garden. You couldn't leave his house without him passing on a bag full of vegetables. If you told him a dozen potatoes was plenty, he'd be sure and give you two dozen. If it was winter, he'd give you canned vegetables.

9. He served in the Army and graveside military rites were performed.

10. He was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2007 and given six months to live at that time. He endured four brain surgeries and the follow up cancer treatment. My dad was a fighter and I know he'd want to be remembered for that.

Ten on Tuesday

2010-08-03T08:28:00.001-07:00

Liked the format from last week, so I decided to repeat myself. (Repeating myself...something I've grown quite accustomed to since having children.)

1. Impromptu camping overnight at Maumee Bay State Park on Sunday night. (Bit of presidential trivia. Obama stayed at Maumee Bay--the resort--during his presidential campaign, right before meeting Joe the Plumber. I'm sure he remembers his stay in Toledo area fondly.)

2. Photo uploading is still a glitch in the computer transition.(Which is why there are no pics in today's post.) Things are moving in the right direction though.

3. Found Veronica Mars in my Netflix instant play. Others may like to have the latest in entertainment. I guess I prefer mine circa 2006. (That way it matches the photo on my blog header.)

4. I think tonight is my book club meeting. Confession: Haven't read the book or even picked it up from the library. Oops.

5. Completed the first step in removing the wallpaper border from my 9&11 y/o room. Still have some of the backing and residual goo to deal with, but the happy images of trucks, boats and planes is no longer visible. Much to the relief of my children, especially my 11 y/o. I guess he doesn't enjoy living circa 06 as much as his mother.

6. Bought my first back to school supply item. Box of Crayons. .25 at Meijer. Only one box needed this year.

7. Dentist appointments for three of us today, including myself. Blech.

8. I was fortunate enough to have an item picked up for the PC issue that I mentioned in my last Tuesday post. (Yes. My mind needs to go toward happy thoughts when a dentist visit is on the horizon.)

9. Made these for dinner last night. Substituted ground turkey for lamb. I think I've linked the recipe here before. It's one of those very rare recipes that all six of us like.

10. Looks like rain. (When you can't think of anything else to say, might as well reference the weather.)

Happy Tuesday.

Ta Da Creative Studios

2010-07-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Wanted to give a shout out to my hometown based manufacturer, Ta Da Creative Studios! They are currently introducing 3 new lines at the CHA show. (My personal favorite is the Big Top collection. I always tend to lean toward cute and this definitely fits the bill!)

Here's a link to sneakpeeks of their new collections and more images here. (And cardmaking me is thrilled that they are being released in a smaller size!)

CHA

2010-07-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

My google reader is chock full of CHA updates and peeks. Always fun to see! Here's a highlight of some things that have caught my eye.

1. My favorite trend: Pint size papers.

I've flipped and flopped so often about digital vs. traditional vs. hybrid layouts. I think I've comfortably landed on staying completely digital for scrapbook layouts. That being said, I'm still a die-hard cardmaker. I'm obviously thrilled to see the trend of smaller version paper continuing to be offered.

2. Favorite Tool: Sew Easy Stitch piercer by We R Memory Keepers

This item has probably stuck in my head more than any other item that I've seen posted. I enjoy hand stitching on cards and it looks like this tool would be an asset for me.

3. Favorite alpha: Jillibean Soup
(The image isn't posting right for me, but here's the link on their blog.)

4. Favorite accent: Crate Paper Fabric Art Brads

Love the patterns and the texture.

5. Favorite line: Cosmo Cricket Togetherness

10 on Tuesday.

2010-07-20T10:34:00.000-07:00

My friend, Mel posts a Ten on Tuesday list. Then, today I saw that Katrina followed the same format. So I decided to cheat and copy them both. (Cheating and copying---have I learned nothing in my childhood???)

In actuality, I've been meaning to post and this type of format is just what I needed. Here goes:

1. Love having the boys home. Wish summer was even longer. That being said, their friends Mario and Luigi need to go on a vacation.

2. Been noticing an ever so slight upswing on the scale. So I pushed myself harder on my workout this morning. (and then I ate an apple turnover).

3. Planning on seeing this movie with the family this week.

4. Ran out of books to read this week. Fortunately, we're hitting the library soon (and the pool but that has nothing to do with reading.)

5. Happy Anniversary to my sister and her husband! I'm thinking its #14.

6. My dog turns three tomorrow. So in dog years, I guess he's now of legal age.

7. I have a new computer that my dh assembled for me. (In our house, computers are of the DIY variety.) Things like this remind me that I'm a creature of habit. I'm sure I'll appreciate it when all is said and done but right now I'm gritting my teeth through the transition.

8. Didn't finish my 09 layouts. See post above.

9. New cleaning routine. During the day, the four boys and myself each pick a different room and put the timer on for 20 minutes and clean it. (We all have objectives that we try to meet that are spelled out in advance.) When it's finished, we grade each other. An "A" means they are done. A "B" means they need to clean for five more minutes etc. etc. (an F means they need to repeat the 20 min.) We've only done it twice but it's worked out wonderfully and so much gets done in a short amount of time. (PS I retain veto power on the grades, just in case they're annoyed with each other at the time of the grading.)

10. Made a lot of cards for the PC call yesterday. I'm sure I'll be sharing some of them soon. (Although, I'm crossing my fingers that I won't be able to share all of them.) Along with that I made a DIY lightbox to photograph them. I'm not exactly sure if I like the results but I'll share that later too.

getting there

2010-07-12T07:54:00.001-07:00

I've been focusing on finishing up my layouts from 09.

Signed up for the DD Just Finish it challenge (because really nothing motivates you to get it done than actually having a deadline).

So this is the one in the blog post:

Super easy. I ended up only using two items for the layout: Summer WordTransfers No. 01 and Summer Layered Template Album No. 01

I also ended up finishing about four more before the post, and about four more after the post. Most are just super simple; which is how I roll most of the time anyway. Here's another:

Now I'm hoping that I can finish another four or so this week. Because that's about all I have left. Yeah!

Comfy

2010-07-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of comfortable stuff. Jeans. Pajamas. Comfort food. I would not have done well if I'd lived in the time where girdles were fashionable.

One of my favorite comfy things lately?

These shoes:

Well, not exactly these shoes. Mine aren't pink. I bought them on a recommendation, they came in wide sizes and they were even on clearance. Now, they're marked down even more, along with other styles.

Hmm...maybe I do need some pink ones.

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated or associated with Land's End at all. Just a happy customer that found a pair of comfy shoes to fit my Fred Flintstonesque feet and wanted to share the info.

Making Stuff

2010-07-01T10:23:00.001-07:00

Since we've been back, that's what I've been up to.
First it was cards:

Then some vacation layouts:

Then I decided that maybe I should delve back into my 09 stack. (Much more fun to scrap winter photos in the summer.)

While this was going on, I was also working on a home project. We have a quirky bit of dead end space behind our front door which we've attempted to use in a mud room capacity from day one. We've tried a myriad of hooks, shelves, boxes etc. None of which really worked to keep everything contained. We also had an entertainment center we weren't using anymore. So we went from this:

to this:

I saw a similar conversion on someone's blog and it stuck in my head. Wish I could remember who it was, so I could give them credit. A vertical piece was added to provide three compartments. That piece, the backing and the paint were the only things we needed to buy to finish it. (Oh, and pretend I painted that bottom portion. My plan is to slide in a canvas bin or two to store shoes.) I also plan on adding hooks for coats later as well. Crossing my fingers that this storage solution will actually be a solution.
Then this morning, it was back to layouts. I finished another one for the vacation album. It also doubles as my birthday layout.

layout credit links: day one, day two, coming home, weather conditions and birthday
card credits: 50th birthday-paper: American Crafts and October Afternoon, five: AC, letter stickers-My Little Shoebox
fungi-paper: Cosmo Cricket and AC, letters: AC

Haven't posted in awhile

2010-06-22T14:57:00.000-07:00

..but there's a good reason for that. We've been on vacation.

Day1: Drove from Ohio to Northern GA (Photo taken either in southern TN or northern Ga from van passenger seat.)

Day 2:Drove from northern GA to Orlando.

Day 3: Epcot

Day 4: Hollywood Studios. (This is the Tower of Terror. I told all the boys what the ride entailed. For some reason, my dh never got the info; so this ride took him completely by surprise--which I still find quite amusing.)

Day 5: Magic Kingdom. It also happened to be my birthday which is not a bad way to spend the day. :)

Day 6: Animal Kingdom. This photo was taken on the safari during a rain storm. Interesting to see how the animals handled the rain. Afterward, we headed out to Daytona Beach, which is where we spent Day 7. (and those are on another camera--so we'll just skip to....

Day 8: Daytona to Charlotte NC (the sunrise at Daytona)

Day 9: Charlotte to Home (with an impromptu stop at Hocking Hills. Seemed a shame not to stop since we were driving right through it.

And now we're back. No matter how wonderful the vacation, Dorothy had it right. There's no place like home.

almost here.

2010-06-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Today is it. The last day of school. Hooray for summer!

As always it's been a busy build up to the last day. Over Memorial Day weekend, we went to my inlaws. My MIL had organized her photos in boxes according to date and wondered if I wanted to look through them. (It didn't take much arm pulling, trust me.) I came across a photo from around 03 that I hadn't seen before. All of the guys were in the tree in my ILs' backyard. It was adorable and I thought it'd be funny to recreate it. So we did.

Can't say they quite fit as easily as they did in the past. BTW, Nate took the recreation literally. He looked worried back in the original photo, so he did the same for this photo too. (Oh, and I so need to figure out how to reduce eyeglass glare.)
After Memorial Day, school events/activities were plentiful:

band concert

field day

awards night

wax museum

and the fifth grade fun day

Just to name a few.

Have I mentioned "hooray for summer"?

Card Conclusion

2010-05-26T15:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the novelty of the card share seems to have worn out before the month ended. While it was fun sharing my old cards at first(for me anyway); now I'm just motivated to make something new.

and I will.

First, I needed to make an Abe Lincoln and a dog costume. (You'd think it was Halloween). Nope. Just the end of school hoopla. With Abe, I've had lots of notice. The dog gave me 48 hours.

This was the conversation yesterday.
"Hey, Mom. I have a book report due on Thursday and I have to dress up like one of the characters in the story."
(I think...he probably picked a boy that shouldn't be too hard.)
"I decided to go as a stray dog."
I dolove that boys' creativity, but ...sheesh. My homework quota just went up. Today I did a quick stitch up of ears and tail to brown sweatshirt and...done.

Note to self: teach the boy how to sew this summer.

MAy 21&22 Cards

2010-05-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

May 20 Card

2010-05-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Nothing to do with the card above, but just wanted to report that my brain has apparently left the coop. This morning, I slept in. Which sounds lovely, but it wasn't a planned sleeping in. I looked over at my alarm clock and saw 7:11. I thought to myself, "I must have slept well. I'm waking up early." This is because I paid attention to the :11 part and not the 7: part because my alarm is usually set for 6:25. Took me until 7:18 before I realized my mistake.

Which fortunately wasn't such a panic. My middle schoolers are the ones up at this hour and I've been steadily making myself an unnecessary part of their morning for some time now. My current function is to recite the time randomnly and remind Caleb that naps are meant to be taken on the bus and not on the living room couch before school. Because I wasn't there to serve as his reminder; I did end up packing C's lunch and he did have to scurry a bit but no permanent damage.

My lack of brain function is not limited to alarm clocks. Nate went to a Mudhens game with his class. (Baseball...if you don't talk Toledoan.) Extra $? Check. Baseball hat? Check. Sunscreen? No. The baseball hat was to protect him from the sun; you'd think the sunscreen would have followed naturally. Nope. Luckily, the baseball hat did a good job protecting his face. Trouble was he was wearing shorts. The boy is as fair as they came, except for his knees which are now an alien shade of pink.

And then there's Josh. Unlike the older boys, I pack the elementary boys' lunches. Josh has packed lunch every day except twice. I don't mean every day this year. I mean for the entire time he's been going to elementary school. First. Second. and through his current 3rd. 98% of the time, he wants PB. Not PB&J. PB. I forgot his sandwich. I included the drinks and the sides. Added in his snack for mid-day. Somehow though, I completely fogged out and never made his sandwich. The PB sandwich that I've been making every school day for nearly three years. You'd think it'd be as automatic as brushing my teeth, but no.

Good thing summer's on its way.

May 18 & 19 Card

2010-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

and a few layouts too.

Credits for the layouts can be seen here and here.

May 17 Card

2010-05-17T05:24:00.001-07:00

So I took the weekend off from card posting. Post garage sale recovery. Incidentally, the garage sale didn't go quite as well as in year's past. We're blaming American Idol. Crystal Bowersox is from NW Ohio and she was in town. So we figure everyone was too caught up to go to garage sales. ;) Seriously though, one lady did ask if we had a radio available because Crystal's live concert was on right then.

A few things I like about this card.
1. Josh's handwriting. Whenever I want a kid type print, I seek out a kid and Josh obliged. (And whenever I want adult legible print, I seek out my oldest. He surpassed my penmanship when he was about six.)
2. The mummy's re-used from the ribbon packaging and I really like using my packaging up for other things.
3. MME's line has a digital equivalent. I like when that happens. I didn't take advantage of it in this card, but it's fun to mix and match when it is an available option.

We had a very low key weekend. The week is jam packed with end of the year stuff, so it was nice to relax. We did go out for putt-putting (something Josh had wanted to do on his birthday--but we postponed it because it was so cold last week. I'm glad we did because the weather was so much nicer).

The boys had several projects they needed to work on for school as well. Nate will be taking his map test today. Any one else remember memorizing the states in fifth grade? So many things have changed when I compare their school days to mine but that is one thing that we have in common. Only, we had to memorize states and capitals. Nate needs to memorize the states and their zip code abbreviations. For some reason, Missouri kept tripping him up. After this weekend though, he may forget the other 49, but he ever needs to send a letter to MO, he'll be set.