A Layout and the Promise of Bad, Bad Weather (Plus Chance to Win CHA goodies!)

I made this one last week just for fun! Sorry about the bad, uneven, cut off photo. But for some reason I just could not get a good pic of it! Goes back to summer of 2009. I've been wanting to scrap these photos for a while. Evan sharing his Lego rockets with Erin. Let's just say this is a big thing. And it was a game he played with her for a bit : ).
Used a Kelly Purkey sketch for this one as the base and went from there. The bottom photo and rocket are on pop-dots to give it some depth, which you know I love on my layouts!

As for weather, we are expecting a pretty big storm for our area! Ice, 6-10 inches of snow at least. For around here, that can pretty much bring everything to a stand still. I feel ready, but am worried about power outages with the ice. They are saying 1/2 an inch to 3/4 of an inch. Back in 2006, we were without power 5 days with that ice storm! Let's just say it's on my mind.

And I am back to the doctor with Evan in a little while just to make sure his ears are clearing up. He is still complaining about pain and he's been on the antibiotic since Friday. I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Because if this medicine isn't working, we need something else!

Have a great day! And for those in the area, drive safe! :)

*ETA - If you would like a chance at winning some CHA goodies, go Here!

Busy Thursday, Books to Read, and a P.J. Story Time :)

Well so far this morning I have...

made sure the kids were up, fed and to school,
started a load of laundry,
cleaned up the breakfast dishes and started the dish washer,
swept the downstairs floors,
and made my bed.

So I am taking a small email, blog and Facebook break while I eat my breakfast before I...
watch and episode of Modern Family while I fold and put away our the clean towels and kid's clothes,
exercise,
and pick up Erin from school right after lunch

Thursday mornings are usually busy around here if I am not out running errands. I find I am always trying to fit so much in those few hours she is at school twice a week. All the things that are harder to do when she is home.

And maybe just maybe if she takes a nap today, I will probably just lay down too since I am fighting off a cold, and read a book :)
As for books, I put in a request for lots of books and a few audio CD's with the library. I love being able to do that on-line!

Getting this one on CD...

and this one, too.

S.K.'s new book.

I've read all the books in this series so far and this one is the latest.

Virals is a new series from the author of the books they made into the Bones t.v. show. I've never seen the show, but have heard good things.

I've read all of Dean Koontz's books as well. So of course I want to read his new one.

This looks like an interesting autobiography to me. I find her story fascinating for some reason.

Very interested in this book as well. I've been reading quotes from him on Facebook recently and nine times out of ten they strike a chord with me.

This book I am actually getting through Paperback Swap I've been wanting to read it for a while. And they didn't have it at the library, but did at the swap site. Since I had a credit, I thought I would see if they had it. If you have never checked out the site, it's pretty cool. I have sent off quite a few books and received books in return for the cost of postage. Usually around $2.40. Lots cheaper than actually buying the books new. And most of the books I have received were in "new" or "like new" condition. I only had one that was questionable.

As for my girl, she had a little pajama story time at school the other night. The grandparents came along, too. The children sang a sweet song for us and then we listened to two stories. The second one, Stone Soup, they were able to act out a little bit. Almost like a play :0) Then we had desserts and hot chocolate for a treat.

We have a busy weekend ahead between play dates and birthday parties. So I'll be back on Monday with a new post I am sure.
Plus Tuesday is the day I am finally able to share the projects I made for Scrapgal
I am so excited about the new challenges we have coming up there as well this month. I had the journal challenge and hope my scrap friends will play along!!

Craft and Hobby Show (CHA) Winter 2011

I'm not going to be buying a lot. I really don't need it.
But I will say, I am looking forward to a few of these lines coming out.

This one...

and this one by Crate Paper. Which you can see here
in their entirety.

The upcycle collection by Cosmo Cricket is one I think I'll really like. Showing in this post

And I really like the look of Pink Paislee's new Hometown Summer collection. They haven't shown the whole collection yet. It should be on their blog sometime this week.

And I'm sure there will be some American Craft Thickers that I will love. And wondering what Basic Grey is going to have out this time around. Oh and Studio Calico also has a line coming out with some cool papers.
But as for me, I'm sure I will want a few things, but don't plan on spending very much at all. I'm really trying to use what I have :0)
But it's always fun to see what's new!

Snow Day with a Peek :)

Lots of snow here today! At least seven inches so far. And no school today for Evan or Erin :)

We are going to go "sledding" in a little bit with some friends.

Just across the street at the park. But there is a little hill that is perfect for the little ones.

And another little peek at one of my layouts for February over at Scrapgal. I have to be honest that I received a line that I probably would not have bought for myself. But so far so good :) I've completed two layouts and am almost done with my altered object. Plus, I am creating a project to share on the scrapgal blog. May do one more layout, too!
It will all be revealed on February 1st in the Scrapgal gallery :)

A Scrapgal Sneak Peek and My Little Gymnast

This is a tiny peek of one of my layouts for February. It's not quite finished, but I'm pretty happy with what I have so far :) The manufacturer of the month is Graphic 45 and we were each given a kit of goodies to use that included a few other brands as well.

As for Erin, she loves her gymnastics class. A lot :) Mike actually took her this past Wednesday for me because I attended a funeral mass for a friend and colleague. I'm not quite ready to talk about that here, but I was grateful Mike could take off work so I could go.

He brought the camera with him and took several photos. This is one of my favorites because it's one of the reasons I signed her up for gymnastics in the first place. She's such a little monkey. Always swinging and climbing and flipping over. And it's amazing how much she has learned since she began last June. She listens so well to her teacher. And the tasks they are asked to do are not easy. But her teacher is really good with small children and is very calm and patient.
Mike was pretty surprised at how far Erin has come in such a short time as well. And as long as she is having fun and enjoying it, then we'll keep signing up for sessions.
I am definitely going to have to make a scrap page about it!

Layouts to Share

Ok, that was a nice little blog break :) I guess a week isn't to long, but my goal this year is to share posts a little more frequently than once a week. I think it's because we are finally getting back into a routine here. And it just feels like there is so much on my to-do list sometimes!
And now that we are getting back into routine, we are apparently supposed to get a lot of snow here today and tomorrow :)

These two layouts were actually made last April at a misting class I took at the Creating Keepsakes Convention. But I have never shared them on the blog. The photos and topics of each layout are mine of course. The first layout, "Those Curls", we were using a masking technique with an American Crafts Thicker of our choice. The one I used went pretty well with the story I was telling I think :)

This layout, I wasn't to crazy that we were using black to mist with. But then I had a great time putting the design block together. Another fun story I wanted to tell about the little gate in our backyard that Erin is always trying to sneak through. Yep, she figured out how to unlock it :)

I really did like using the mists and would like to use them a little more often this year. More for masking techniques then just misting over a whole page. But I thought it was creative how April masked the design box element.
I was hoping to go to CKC this April again, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen.
Maybe in 2012 :)

Starting Off!

I officially began the Wellness Journey class today. This is the cover of my little 6x6 album using the Basic Grey Green at Heart line.

And I'll show you my goal page even though it is one of my least favorite photos of me ever! It was taken on the day of Evan's First Communion. And I really could not believe how awful I felt I looked in the photos when I saw them. I'm sorry but I did. That dress did nothing for me. And it got me thinking about changes I want to make. Changes that I am finally feeling ready for now that Erin is a little older.

The first week of class involves setting up and beginning a fitness program to stick to. My goal is to exercise five days per week. Monday is 30 minutes of cardio+strength training. Tuesday 30-45 minutes of cardio only. Wednesday is supposed to be rest day. Thursday is 30 minutes of cardio+15 min.of strength training. Friday is 30 minutes of cardio and Saturday is 45 minutes of cardio. Sunday is supposed to be a rest day as well, but I think on my rest days I will do Yoga.
And this morning I have already done my workout.
As the weeks progress and workouts become easier, I'm sure I will be adding time to them. I just need something I can feel successful at.
I've done a lot of exercising over the years. I'm definitely not a novice. And was even up to jogging for 30 minutes at a time. But then I will go through a several week period where it's sporadic depending on circumstances.
I'm done with that! :)
I just think sometimes you get to a point in your life when you are finally ready for something to happen and know that you can be a success. And you are tired of where you are at.
I'm there!~

What's Happening at Scrapgal!

The January challenges and contests are up at Scrapgal! You can find them here

My official layout and blog post assignments aren't due until February. I have a few weeks to work on them once my package arrives.
But I definitely plan on participating in a few challenges in the meantime. Especially the color challenge, sketch challenge (also known as page of the month) and the snowflake challenge.
So if you are up for some really good challenges and the chance to win some fun prizes, I hope you will join us! :)