Crafting Ireland, A Layout and 25 Things You Just Have to Know About Me :)

The announcement went out today and I will be returning to the Crafting Ireland magazine design team for 2013! You can see the blog post and a list of the other designers Here!

And I did get some scrapbooking in on Tuesday. I decided to create a layout about the "favorite things" exchange I did with my scrapbook friends using one of the Instagram photos I just had printed.

My photo had just a small mix of the items I received in the mail. And I decided to use a few of the cards and lists as well on the layout. Plus, I loved the fabric that came with Desiree's package and cut a piece of it into a heart.

Journaling:
I met the best group of women a few years ago on-line through scrapbooking and we still stay in touch! When Nadine suggested a "Favorite Things" mail exchange, I knew it would be a great idea. She divided us into groups and the fun began. I loved putting my packages together to send out. And really loved receiving my fabulous mail in return. The photo is only a small example of the goodies that arrived and weren't taken by the kids or eaten immediately. Love my Suziebeezie friends!

It was a fun layout to put together :)
*ETA - I am linking this page up for the current issue at Paper Issues, "Sew Cute, You Keep Me in Stitches" :)

And now, thanks to a fun tag by Julie, it's time to get to know me a little better :)

1. Where Were You Born? - Right here in St. Louis, Missouri

2. Were You Named After Someone? - Well, supposedly my middle name, Josephine, is because of my great- grandmother on my mom's side. But my mom also had a doll named Mary Josephine. And I always tell Mike (my husband) we were meant to be together because his grandmother's name was Mary Josephine and his grandpa was Michael :) Fate!

3. If You Have Children, How Many Do You Have? - Two. A Boy (10) and a Girl (5) that I blog about all of the time :)

4. How Many Pets Do You Have? None. Although we had a fish for six days that did not do well. The kids are always asking for a pet though. Dog, cat, fish, and now lately a guinea pig. Not sure about it though.

5. What Was Your Worst Injury? I was in a pretty bad car accident in 1998. But thankfully no broken bones. Just lots of bruising and neck pain. Plus some anxiety and panic attacks that started up then for a while.

6. Do I Have a Special Talent? I have been told on by many people, many times that I have a gift with children. Which is why I became a teacher. I remember a friend of my grandma's telling me I was like the Pied Piper at parties with all of the kids following me around :)

7. What's Your Favorite Thing to Bake? I am a disaster in the kitchen. Not my favorite thing to do. But I can bake banana bread. That is probably my favorite thing to make if I have to bake.

8. What's Your Favorite Fast Food? I don't like fast food. I gave it up in January and haven't looked back. Glad to see I don't miss it at all.

9. Would You Bungee Jump? If my life depended on it, yes. Otherwise, nope.

10. What is the First Thing You Notice About People? Their eyes. You can tell a lot by a person's eyes.

11. When Was the Last Time I Cried? When Evan and I were reading "Bridge to Terabithia" That book is so good, but so sad. And reading it from a parents perspective made it that much harder.

12. Any Current Worries? With a husband who travels as much as mine does, there are always worries. But I have learned to put them on the back burner and not let it stress me out. Too much. As for currently, a big wintery mix is heading our way today and I do not like wintery mixes!

13. Name Three Drinks You Drink Regularly? Water, Dr. Pepper/Ginger Ale and Mango Orange juice. I went the longest time without drinking soda, and now I am back on. Although next month my health goal is giving up soda. So we'll see how that goes.

14. What is Your Favorite Book? Hands down, "Jane Eyre". Ever since I was a freshman in high school. Has not changed.

15. Would You Like to Be a Pirate? Not so much.

16. What are Your Favorite Smells? Vanilla, Mint and fresh rain.

17. Why Do You Blog? I have two blogs. One is personal and private now. It was my original blog, and is almost like a diary. Love reading back on the older posts, and use it a lot for journaling on scrapbook pages. This current blog is more my "scrapbook" blog with a little personal mixed into it. I love connecting with other people in this hobby and have met some amazing women through blogging!

18. What Song Do You Want Played at Your Funeral? Ave Maria and anything by U2. Maybe Magnificent or Bad, which hold special meaning to me.

19. What is Your Least Favorite Thing About Yourself? Where should I start?! No seriously, it is easier for me to point out the bad rather than the good, so I am trying to focus more on the positives about myself these days then the negative. So will pass on this one :)

20. What is Your Favorite Hobby? Scrapbooking of course! :)

21. What Do You Look For in a Friend? Honesty but kindness. Someone who is not judgmental and will accept me for who I am.

22. Name Something You Have Done You Never Thought You Would Do  - In the summer of 2009, my husband and I flew to Ireland to visit his family and see U2 in concert for two shows at Croke Park. Some place I had only dreamed of visiting. But I had to get past my fear of flying and over an ocean no less. Plus leaving our two children behind was really hard for me. It turned out to be one of my favorite trips ever!!!

23. What are your favorite things to do? Hang out with my family and friends, listen to music on my ipod, scrapbook, do yoga and pilates, play computer games and read.

24. Any pet peeves?  People who can't admit they are wrong and blame others or are judgemental. Road rage or not using blinkers appropriately.

25. What's the Last Thing that Made you Laugh? Not sure. I like to laugh a lot! :) And my children and husband are always making me laugh!

And now that you have read more about me then you probably wanted to know, I am going to pass it on to you! I am not good at tagging others. So if you want to share 25 things about you, just paste and copy the questions to answer. But make sure you let me know when you post, because I will want to come see your answers! :)

 Have a great weekend!