I'm Embossy!

Hello Monday!

2012-01-23T20:07:00.000+01:00

The kids went to school today, for the first day in over a week! The week off wouldn't have been so bad, I would have filled it with hot cocoa, Lego Harry Potter, and lots of blanket time. But, unfortunately, we had snow storms, ice storms, and power outages. Hence, no Wii...no hot cocoa.. no hot anything for that matter...and the blankets weren't just for comfort and security, it was almost for survival.

I can admit that sometimes I think we all rely on modern technology a bit too much. I remember reading a blog at one time where the mother declared it to be "unplugged" week. No TV, no game systems, no laptops or computers and no cell phones. (In case of emergency, I'm sure she made exceptions). I remember thinking, Wow, we could do that... we SHOULD do that!!!

Well, we did and we didn't have any choice in the matter either. And it wasn't all that fun.

See, without modern technology and this little thing called - electricity, we are somewhat transported to a darker time.. a time the world once lived in. I'm not comparing our week to the dark ages, of course, but let's face it! We've all become accustomed to electricity and we've built our lives around it! We can't cook or heat the house without it, since we've gone away from wood fireplaces in most homes. If we had a fire pit or fire place in the home, it would have made our time a bit easier. But, I think I might be giving you the idea that we were out of power for a drastic period of time and we weren't... 36 hours at the most. But even with that short of time, our temperature in the house got down to almost 50 degrees. We were layered... we were huddled under blankets...we were bored. Wasn't much fun. But, it was nice to know that eventually the heat and electricity came back on and we were all "saved".... so much for this family roughing it huh?

For all you Northwest Washington people out there, I hope this storm didn't hurt you too badly and that you've got power now. And for all those living in the mid-west, from what little I saw on the news this morning, I hope you are all doing well and are safe too.

Weather, man.. it's a bitch!

Why, why WHY???

2012-01-22T23:08:00.000+01:00

So often in life, I've come across people who use short cut words in lieu of the proper words. I understand why, or at least I think I do. Maybe this name started because there was a child that couldn't prounance it properly, or it was just insisted upon or they just think it's funny?

Here is a list of names and words that I'd outlaw if I was president:

Nana
Pappy
Ma-Maw
Pa-Paw
Me-Maw
Pe-Paw
Grammy
Sissy
Bubby

Preggers
Prego
Hubby

Oddly enough, though I hate to admit it, I used to call my grandma Grandma Sis... and I did that because everyone else called her Sis. So, even though I have a list of words that are ridiculous, I have been guilty of using them in my lifetime.

I know several people personally that use these words and I don't mean to offend anyone, but as I was laying in bed last night I was thinking about someone who'd just asked me about my "hubby" and I just HATED it! So, I figured it'll do me some good to write about it.

Anyone agree? Got any other words out there to add to the ridiculous list of names/words?

Pins and Sons

2012-01-22T07:53:00.000+01:00

I'm an official member of Pinterest now and I'm loving it!! If you follow my blog at all and wish to follow me there, I'll have a button to install in this blog tomorrow. I finally figured out how to log into and post on my blog via my iPhone, so I'm feeling very high tech right now.

It's just a shame I'm still learning and don't know how to do that now. Baby steps.

We've also been without power and heat the last few days but thankfully it came back on last night. We've had some serious weather here in Seattle/Olympia and the kids had the whole week off. We could've played the wii more, had we had our electricity on, but we did spend quality time together.

Jean and I have also been catching up on the first season of Sons of Anarchy. Are you watching it too? If you're not, you should be. Great characters, lots of blood and drama and the lead character is very easy on the eyes. Wowzas!!

Snow, Snow and Pinterests

2012-01-18T20:12:00.000+01:00

I thought it was nice that the kids and Jean got a three day weekend for MLK Jr Holiday, and I can't say that I was anxious to get up bright and early on tuesday morning to take them to school. But we woke up to snow, lots of it, or so I thought. School was cancelled and we spent the day enjoying Wii games and hanging in the house. The kids did get out a little to play, but I wasn't going out there... no thank you!

Then, around 7:30 tuesday night, the school called to cancel classes for wednesday. We celebrated by making chocolate chip cookies (at 8pm at night), letting the kids stay up til 9pm and sleeping in. But when we woke up this morning, there was SO MUCH SNOW!!! I was surprised that Jean even had to report to work, but he called later on to say that they'd cancelled work. He'd only gotten half way. Upon returning, he got his truck stuck just outside the driveway, so the neighbors came out to help him dig his truck out. I thought it was really nice. Now, it's a little after 11 and we have no idea what to do today. Some kids are playing the Wii, some have gotten bored with playing in the snow, and I've enjoyed stalking my newest favorite website: Pinterest.

Anyone else been on this site? It's amazing!!! Go check it out, you'll love it!!

Birthday Girl!

2012-01-16T18:41:00.000+01:00

Today is my birthday... my ...21st birthday....

Ok, whatever, so I'm 35! Actually I don't feel bad about being 35, not like I felt when I turned 30. Something maybe clicks? I dunno. I feel very fortunate to have lived this long, to have seen the things that I've seen and to have met people that have changed my life.

This morning my family made me breakfast. Grapes, a grilled egg sandwich, and heart shaped pancakes. They were fabulous!!! I'm so lucky to have some wonderful people in my family. Tonight we've got a sitter for the kids and Jean's taking me out for my favorite dinner... Red Lobster. No holds barred when it comes to what I'm going to eat.... I haven't had lobster in forever!!!

Today is also the day to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. I feel so strongly about race and race wars... it just needs to stop. And I won't get into it today.. not today.

Carpet Cleaning Diva

2012-01-11T04:21:00.000+01:00

As I roll out of bed this morning, I promised myself that after getting my people off to school, I would promptly go back to bed and sleep for another few hours.....

But once I walked in the door to a quiet house, with no kids, no noise, and no Spongebob, I did the darndest thing.

I took out my vaccuum, the carpet cleaner and a perfectly fantastic playlist of songs and I started working on a project that has been long overdue. Cleaning the carpet.

We've only lived in this house 11 months, but from the stains on our carpet it looks more like 5 years. We are PIGS!!! Of course, if you've cleaned carpets before, you'll know that you should let them properly dry before placing any furniture on them. (I actually don't know if this is true, but I told myself it was) So, with nothing but time on my hands, and carpets that I couldn't walk on until they were dry, I played Lego Harry Potter (Years 1-4).

I am OBSESSED with this game!!! And I can't wait until my birthday when Jean has promised me he'll buy me Years 5-7. Call me immature... just don't call me late for dinner.

While cleaning carpets though, I was listening to Cobra Starship "You Make Me Feel Good". I truely love this song!! And I got to thinking that while I was totally feeling like a diva, cleaning away at the carpet stains and dancing around like a fool... this is the life!

If you can't find something fabulous about your day, you're doing something wrong.

No Excuses!

2012-01-09T03:10:00.000+01:00

There will be no excuses as to why I stink at this blogging thing.

I could tell you that I took time out to upack our house, that I spent time finishing old projects, that I started volunteering a good bit of my time in the PTSA at the elementary school, or that I have recently become totally addicted to Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4, but I'm not!!!

Needless to say, life happened and this blog to a back seat. Not only was it in the back seat, it was UNDER the seat with the old stale french fries and snack wrappers. There was a pen lid in there too, I think.

But, now it's a new year and a new me. Of course, that means nothing to you all here (the few of you that do show up to read), but if I can't talk about it, then what can I talk about?

Some highlights since last May you ask??? Sure, I'll endulge you!

I became President of the PTSA at the school. Basically, I take all the blame, do most of the work and stress out more than anyone else. I'm fine with that, I knew the risks when I took the job. I do love it though.

I went home for the summer to visit my family. I drove 2,225 miles with three kids by myself. Jean was deploying or he would have gone too. I must say, I was truly proud that I did it all by myself. We saw Mt Rushmore, the Badlands and the mighty Mississippi. It took 5 days. Everyone arrived alive and I didn't have a single drop of liquor along the way (I deserve a badge dammit!!) Spending time with my family was awesome and the best 6 weeks I've spent on vacation. I really missed them!

I attended my first Redneck Wedding! Complete with camoflauge cumberbuns and orange/green bridesmaid dresses. The brides mother looked like she was rode hard and put up wet, but I got to have a few drinks and party with the adults while my mom took the kids home. Whoo hoo!

I started smoking again. I plan on quitting soon.

I lost weight - close to 40lbs. I haven't told the rest of my family yet since I don't want to jinx it. I've been working at it though.

I've grown balls.... for real.. just ask Jean, he'll tell you!

Who knows what 2012 will bring, but I want you to know that if you're reading this.. I hope that this new year is expecially good for you too!

Pink Night Stand Makeover

2011-05-24T06:27:00.000+02:00

So I gotta share one of my "mind blogging" projects with you. I hope you love it... cause I've got more where this came from!!!

I forget where I got this little stand from, but it's been primed and waiting for a fresh coat of paint for almost 2 years now. (We were in Germany, what can I say?!)

It's been in the girls room this whole time and I wanted to make sure that the end results were worth the wait. I am loving it!!!

Before: With primer, but you can tell that the original color was a dark forest green.

And after:

I painted the whole thing a Watermelon something color from Home Depot, adding a little of the Cherries Jubilee at the bottom where the detail is. I also painted the sides, but then painted over it because it looked shady. Instead, I added some bling, of which is an adhesive strip I got at Michaels for 40% off!!! Took two rolls, but I love the look and it was so super simple to apply.

I changed out the knob for something more diamond/crystal looking, which I think just adds to it.

Thanks for checking it out.. :D

Damned Blog

2011-05-24T06:16:00.000+02:00

Well, not much is going to get me to write in this blog... but I do think about it quite a bit. I've been preparing different posts in my mind.

Thinking to myself, "oh, that'll be cool to put on my blog". "That'll be fun to showcase".

UGH!

I'm tired!!!

I do love blogs, I read them almost daily. But I really think my life is sorta not that interesting... but then again I hear that on the other blogs too.

Anyways.. I thought I'd update everyone on the couponing thing.

I've cleared my garage of usless stuff to make room for my stockpile... and my new $100 deepfreezer. Whoo hoo!! I've also managed to fill that bad boy up with some BOGO meats that've been going on sale. I've got a HUGE binder, filled with plastic sleeves that are also filled with coupons. I've been to the store twice to do some buying with coupons and I've saved a bit of money, but nothing serious.

I'm beginning to think that the Extreme Coupon show is more extreme than I thought it to be. (geesh people, it's not like they warned us... oh, wait.. they did!)

I will say that with a little bit of research and smart thinking, it's very possible for someone to save at least 25-30% on their grocery bill by using coupons. I'm hoping to really impliment it this summer when I go home for a month. I think my mom could use some stock piling in her pantry too.

How are you all doing at couponing? Do you coupon at all?

Welcome to Washington! Where's the coupons!?

2011-04-07T19:13:00.000+02:00

We've made it to Washington!!!! We have our things unpacked, for the most part, and we've got our van!!!! I can't tell you how amazing it is to have your own vehichle after a month of renting. Okay, so I had an awesome rental van.. with a camera in the back, and two tvs that came down, and heated seats... but I'm glad to have my old van back. No camera.. no tvs... no heated seats.. (unless we've had mexican for dinner!)

Last night, Jean hung up our first Cuckcoo clock. It's gorgeous. Unfortunately I don't have a picture yet... I need to get one. And then upload it. Among other pictures.

Who really wants to look at a blog that doesn't have pictures... LAME!!!!

Don't worry, I'm on it.

But the real reason I'm on this blog today is that I've made a decision about my finances. I'm feeling very confident about this decision too. I'm going to become a couponer. Last night I watched Extreme Couponing and I was entranced!!! I could totally do that!!! Maybe not to the extreme as some of them, but my family is in a need for extra money and this could be the thing that keeps the money in our account!!!

I haven't done anything but research so far. But now that I'm armed with information, I'm ready to get into action. But first let's evaluate the situation shall we?

We are a $55,000 plus yearly income family. (I don't work, outside of the home)
We have $10,000 in debt.
We pay $3,000 a month in bills. To include $500/mo in groceries.

Without getting into too many specifics, you can see that there is room for improvement.

My goal? To save enough money to get us out of debt. Along the way, I'm going to be checking in. (Maybe this will get me to write on this blog more often)

If you want to find out more right now.. these are the sites I'm checking out:

http://www.thekrazycouponlady.com/

http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

Good luck on your journey.

Saturday Morning

2011-02-05T12:06:00.000+01:00

We have 11 days until we fly out of Europe. It's bitter sweet, I tell you. We are finishing up the final touches on our house and our plans, everything seems to be falling into place. Or somewhat into place.

The wonderful ladies from LRS (Logistic Readiness Squadron) were wonderful enough to give me some wonderful gifts on wednesday night at the spouses social. One is a framed poem about Military Spouses (always makes me tear up!) and the other is a personalized European license plate printed with "LRS SPOUSE". SO WONDERFUL!!!!

Unfortunately, on the way home, I ran into a large animal and busted up the front end of my husbands car. This would be the same car that we were on the verge of selling for $1500. This would also be the only vehichle we had until we left Europe. I was unharmed and suffered no apprent injuries, which is amazing. The car is still going to be sold, thank goodness.. but for $300 and for "parts". BAH!!!!

Yesterday the stars seemed to align and for the first time in forever, all three of my kids were having sleepovers at their friends' houses. Jean and I were finally home alone!!! But of course, time is of the essence and we spent a good (*cough cough*) majority of the night (*ahem ahem*)...

painting the house...

what did you guys think? that we? we could have?

MY WORD!!!!

(of course we did..... we aren't dead you know!)

But, there are things that have to get done and we did spend the majority of the night painting away. We also cleaned up the (almost empty) house. We had dinner alone, enjoyed tall glasses of adult beverages and stayed up until midnight. I slept until 10.

Now, two of my three kids are home and life is good. Being in an almost empty house is sorta boring, but what really matters in life is right here with me.. my family.

Have a great weekend everyone. Maybe once we get stateside, I'll post the pictures of all the current happenings.

j

It's about damned time!!!

2011-01-31T08:55:00.000+01:00

There's been lots of things that happened in 2010, so maybe this is a good way to catch everyone up.

Top Ten:

Last January, I posted a resolution. I should say a list of resolutions. One of them was "Quit smoking". This is a resolution that's ALWAYS on my new years list, but never gets checked off... until this year. I actually quit. Going on 9 months now people... that's huge!!! I've smoked at least 1 pack a day for 15 years. It was not easy, but with the patch and the wellbutrin, I was able to kick the habit.
Another resolution I had was to gossip less... and although I'm not sure how that can actually get measured, I think I did better than I did the year prior.
Another resolution was to write in this blog every day. I think I posted in March, but then it all just fizzled out from there.
Getting back into writing this blog required some coaxing on my part, it's kinda intimidating. I don't know why. Especially since I'm sitting her typing this out and realize.. it's not too hard to do!!!
I do have to say that 2010 was a busy year for me. I was the president of the PTSA at the elementary school and that took up much of my extra time.
We are PCSing (Permanent Change of Station) in just a few weeks. We're leaving Germany and heading to the Seattle area.
Christmas this year was awesome.. I got my first laptop (using it right now actually)
2011 looks promising for Stampin' Up! I'm going to start back into my business once we are stateside again.
In less than 20 days, I'm going to see my family for the first time in 3 years...I can't wait!!!!
There's too much to list here... guess I'm gonna have to get back into blogging.. *fingers crossed!*

33 Randoms on a non-wednesday

2010-03-15T07:41:00.003+01:00

Today is the first day for Terra Nova Testing for the elementary school.
Mattie asked me if I remembered what her test scores were for last years and I could not remember.
She seemed dissapointed and I felt horrible.
The schools newsletter went out last friday with my nomination for the next years PTSA board.
I'm running uncontested.
I have this in the bag.
I'm nervous, but excited.
Alex likes to watch Dora in German.
I do not think he can not understand it, can but he sure does try to repeat what he hears.
This is our last year in Germany.
I'm going to miss it.
But it will be nice to be back in the states with regular stores, such as Hobby Lobby, Target and Lowes!
I only read 4 other blogs and usually frequent them at least once a day.
She just got back from Sierra Leone and I find it hard to cry when I look at her posts about her visit there.
I love thisblog because she's got a sense of humor. I also love the videos she finds and posts on her blog.
This womanseems to be the the greatest mother around. She has an uncluttered house, wonderful kids, she does not yell or scream and she manages to put a lot of thought and time into her posts (even with all the kids and life moving around her!)
I really like how Blogger has a new button for the left.
It's taken me forever to try to memorize how to actually do that on a post, and now they've made it super simple
Thank you, from all of us "computer unsavvy" people.
Now I can link you to pages in no time at all
You can bet I just googled some weird stuff to show you.
But decided against exposing you to my evil, freaky nature.
Why 33 random thoughts?
Cause I'm 33 and this is my blog.
I have to send out some kudos to some people.
I realized that I now have a follower!
Thank you follower .. for believing in me .. and following me.
I called my friend just to tell her about you.
Then I realized that I actually had comments on some posts.
About 5 total.
Seriously, this was big for me!
I felt stooopid for not realizing this earlier since some were MONTHS ago.
You people really do care! * Sniff sniff * Thank you!

Thoughts

2010-02-25T09:50:00.000+01:00

As I stand, in my pj's, cleaning house when I really want to just do absolutely nothing, my mind wanders. Should I make another post on my blog? What shall I talk about? Current events, personal problems, people that annoy me, people that inspire me? Would it be funny, or will it make people think? I've since come to the conclusion that I'm the only one reading this.

I took on a lot this year. Girl Scouts, yearbook, secretary for meetings. Along with all of that, I still have life and love and kids and dishes. So far, I think I've kept up pretty well. Sure, I haven't put 100% into everything I do, but when I walk away from a project I can honestly say "I'm happy with what I've done". And I think that's all that needs to be said. Having all these things to keep me busy and let me enjoy those times where I can just sit and wander.

I've been horribly emotional lately. It could be stress related. It could be just that I miss my family stateside. It could be growing up. I've been thinking about life and it's natural course lately. I remember being young and thinking how it would alwasy last forever. I couldn't imagine being 23, since I really didn't think I'd live that long. (I was somewhat self-destructive) Now that I'm older, I'm sad when I look back on my youth. Not because it wasn't good... cause it was. There was no abuse, no neglect, never a day that I went without food, shelter or an "I love you!". I was blessed. I'm sad because it all seemed so simple back then. So easy to live, to love, to hate, to make-up, to bounce back. Back then, life was a blank slate. I could have written anything! If I had to do it again... I wouldn't change it. The choices I've made have led me right here, at this computer desk, and into a life that I'm happy with. I would like to say that I would have made some small choices different, but then I think of the whole "butterfly effect" and realize that THIS is where I'm supposed to be. I just wished that when I was young, I would have enjoyed it more and not wished to be older. Then somewhere along the line I blinked... and I was here. I don't know how it happened so fast!

Too serious for a thursday? I agree!!

Monday's suck right?

2010-02-22T08:47:00.000+01:00

Today doesn't necessarily suck. Coffee is hot, conversations are good, and the possibility that I might get something wonderful accomplished today is 89%.

I have to work on some baby shower invitations today. There's only 17 of them, so it won't take long. I am awaiting on the details, as in the "who what when where".

My house needs to be cleaned. I looked around yesterday and saw we have a lot of nothing EVERYWHERE! I hate that. Spring can't come fast enough so I can air out this house and get my clean on.

I'm also waitng on news about my great-niece, who's being born/has been born. Haven't heard anything in the last 24 hours and I hope things went well. Then I realized I'll be 66 when she's my age. That sucked!

The yearbook deadline is coming up and I'm stressing a bit. I don't have enough pictures of the students and I'm missing events. I know that I'm the biggest critic of this project and most people will think it looks great, but I need more more MORE!

Maybe once the yearbook is over, I'll have more time to take pictures of my kids. Something I've been seriously lacking lately.

Saw this video this morning and really liked it. Hope I can figure out how to post it.

Jake is delicious in Vampire Weekend's video!

Random wednesday

2010-02-03T08:04:00.003+01:00

I'm debating on whether to post something taboo on my blog, just so I can discover if anyone ever reads this.
Chances are, I'd just look like an ass- and it would backfire.
I drink about 10 cups of coffee a day.
From the time I wake up, until I go to bed.
I've realized lately, while giving advice to family, that I should start taking my own advice.
And learn how to say "I don't give a fuck" more in my life.
I think I'm going to have a IDGAF post every week.
I think it would make me feel better.
I need to focus on the more positive things in my life.
Like my family.
And the friends that I really care about.
I think mean people suck.
Alot.
And I know too many!!!
I'm really working on keeping my resolutions.
But I don't see myself quitting smoking anytime soon.
It's the only thing that calms me.
I miss my family.
I wished I could be there for them.
But then again, I'm sure it would take me 2.0 seconds before they drive me crazy.
I love living in Germany.
It's very quiet here and full of sights to still be seen.
But I feel very disconnected to the machine that is commercialism that's in the States.
I need to rent movies more often.
What I thought should be in the "New Release" section is now hidden with the other movies.
I've had an old friend on my mind lately.
He died about 15 years ago.
It was self inflicted.
I don't know why he's been on my mind.
But I feel like contacting his mother.
I don't know what I would say.
His name was Eric.
I wish I could wear some crazy eye makeup like some 80's rebel.
But at 33, I'd just look silly.
And I don't have anything to wear with it.
Holy shit... I'm 33!
My kids watch more than 3 hours of TV a day.
And I'm not worried about that.
I haven't been out of this house in a week!
The roads have been too bad and the snow is finally melting.
I had a sex dream about my husband last night.
He was dressed like a pirate and it was goooood!
I wonder what that means?
I wished I could be on the beach right now.
Soaking up the sun and half asleep.
I've never been on a cruise.
Or on a train.
I want to be an actress.
Maybe I'll get my break when my kids are grown and moved out.
Maybe Jean would agree to move to LA.
It would be fantastical.

High Five Friday

2010-01-22T07:21:00.003+01:00

Finally, friday is here. Let's recap the week shall we?

Saturday was my birthday. I spent it in Girl Scout Cookie training for 4 hours, then enjoyed a crab/shrimp dinner (the rest of the family plugged their noses) and I got tons and TONS of birthday salutations. It was nice to feel loved. I also was begged to go out with "the girls", but really, I just wanted to stay at home and relax with my family. Guess I'm growing older huh?

Sunday I got to the elementary school around 10 so that I could work on the set decorations for the school play. I helped sketch and paint the pirate ship that covers the front of the stage, hung the sails and masts in the back of the stage, and decorated the stairs leading up to the stage. Didn't get home until 6 and was exhausted.

Monday was a no school day to celebrate MLK day, and it was nice to not have to do anything. except cleaning, laundry, and cooking.

Tuesday I skipped out on a Dining In meeting in the morning cause I was just tired and had too much to do. I made a Girl Scout "Cookies on Sale Now!" poster, printed out 18 copies of "rules and regs" of cookie selling on the base for my troops parents. I picked up the girls from school, took one to the Girl Scout meeting I was having and the other went to Drama class.

Wednesday I cleaned house and went to a PTSA meeting at 3pm. Drama lasted until 3:30 that day too.

Thursday I got to the school at 845 so that I could get pictures of the first showing of Pirates! to the other grades in school. Then I got some shots of kids in the library, in classrooms, and around the school. I headed to BK for some lunch and quick time with Jean before his lunch was over. After I got home, I worked for 3 hours sorting out money and yearbook forms, then counted the money I've collected for Girl Scouts so I can make my deposit soon. I took my kids, plus a neighbor kid (who had a big part in the school play) back to the school for the 6pm showing of Pirates! I spent the whole time snapping shots of the play and the audience. Didn't get home until 730pm. Took a shot of Cap't Morgans and passed out!

Today, I have a "tearing down the stage" meeting at 830. And since the Girl Scout cookies were delivered on base yesterday, I've got a 1240-1 time slot to get the cookies for my troop. Then at 7pm I have to attend Mattie's Girl Scout troop meeting so that I can get her portion of cookies.

Can I just say that I'm glad to see friday? This means that I have the weekend, and there's NOTHING going on!!! It did make me super happy to see the kids on the street actually walk back to me so that they could get their high-fives for the day.

So, since I'm utterly exhausted, but I've pledged to write in this blog more often, I want you all to give yourselves high fives as well.

Sometimes I wonder if anyone even reads this..... so if you've hung in there AND YES I'M TALKING TO YOU!! high five the next person you see. And have a happy High Five Friday!!!

Thirty-something, ugh!

2010-01-16T19:10:00.003+01:00

Today is my birthday. I'm 33. I like telling my family how old I am, because I'm the youngest and it just reminds them how time flies. On the other hand, I'm 33 and growing older fast than ever!!!

The first thing my oldest daughter said to me this morning was, "Happy birthday mom. In 33 years, you'll be 66!!" Demon child. Yep, that's my little smart ass. God, I love her!!!

Even though it seemed like today would suck, since I had a 4 hour training session to attend, I wasn't seeing the bright side. I was without my kids for a whole 4 hours!!! During this time, my darling husband took my kids to the store to get me some birthday gifts. Mattie got me butterfly earrings, Catey got me Chanel No5, and Alex got me 4-setting set of dishes. You might think that last one was odd, but it was PERFECT!!!

Today really was a great day.

High Five Friday

2010-01-15T07:40:00.005+01:00

High five everyone! Every friday morning, well every morning, I stand outside, watching all the kids on the street walk to the bus stop. On fridays, I hold out my hand and they'll high five me as they go by. It's fun, gets them laughing and hopefully, it will be something they'll remember when they are older.

Today the only kids who even remembered this morning were two boys from a few doors down. They even stood there, waiting for me to get up so that they could get their "five". I love it!!

So, I think in commemoration of the fact that I'm going to write in my blog daily, I'm going to adopt High Five Fridays in my posts. What do you want to see on my friday posts?

Until then, chew on this:

Resolutions

2010-01-14T08:33:00.004+01:00

My resolutions every year: quit smoking and lose weight.

Epic Fail year and year.

So, this year, I've decided to keep them on my list again, since the whole "if you don't succeed, blah blah blah", you get the picture.

My 2010 Resolutions:

1. Quit smoking. - now, I really would have to be committed and I'll need help. Until then, I'll probably smoke again before this is officially posted.

2. Lose 30 pounds. It's just 30 pounds right? Well, tell that to the cupcakes I made last night. Figured if I put my sights on a lower standard, then they'd be easier to reach.

3. Visit Paris. Since we live in Germany anyways, Paris is just an afternoon drive away. This could be possible since we want to travel there this spring.

4. Make homemade Christmas stockings. I know this looks more like a to-do project, but it's been on my to-do list for over 3 years, so now it's a resolution. And I have all year to do it.

5-7. Repaint childrens rooms, finish repainting furniture and make curtains to do children's room. Now this really is starting to look like a to-do list. But, again, been working on these for long enough, they've now become more of a priority.

8. Gossip less. This one is going to be hard. And I'm not telling you how well I'm doing on this resolution.

9. Learn German. Figured if I've been here 2 years and we're planning on another 3 years, I might as well learn the local dialect.

10. Teach a card making class in my home. I've been making cards for years now. Although I signed up for Stampin' UP! before we got here, I can't officially "sell" on base with the whole SOFA Agreement. But who says I can't teach right?

11. Do one selfless act every week. This is just good for the soul and karma, and should be on my resolutions every year.

12. Say NO more often. I really should.

13. Write on my blog more. Dear Blog, I've neglected you. I think of you often, but with all the happenings during the day, you are pushed aside. Always. I will pay more attention to you. You complete me!!

What are your resolutions?

Flu Season

2009-10-02T08:18:00.002+02:00

To celebrate this three day weekend, my kids have blessed me with the flu. Well, I don't have the flu... .yet. Two out of the three of them do. I got up at 5am to clean up all sorts of nasty messes, cause that's just what moms do, right? Thank god my husband can take half the day if needed to come home and help out. I'm not feeling so hot anyways. What really sucks is that they couldn't do this during the week, when I could sleep in instead of waking up to get them ready. I'm debating on whether or not to let the third child hang on them all day. Eventually he'll get sick anyways, and it'd just be best to do it now, then next week.

Until then, I'm going to get them all situated.. then I'm napping. I wish I had my mommy here to help.

To share and share alike

2009-09-30T07:54:00.003+02:00

You likey my new header? It's great right? RIGHT?!? Well, I can't help that I have such cute looking kids either, I have to give props to the father too, he's handsome as handsome can be.

Anyways, my new header is a small project I worked on this morning, following a tutorial I found on another blog. I'm still so new at links and blogs and posting, heck, I can't even post a video yet. But here's the link to this FABUU woman (mother of 4) who knows how to work Picasa like no other that I've found. This tutorial was so easy to use and so simple to follow. I loved how it worked and from now on, I'm going to have new headers whenever I can. LOL

Head on over to Clover Lane (you can find it in my favorite blog list) and check it out. For some reason, I can't copy and paste the tutorial onto this post... am I going crazy.. what am I doing wrong!!!

Anyways, it's awesome.

Life's highlights

2009-09-17T08:04:00.009+02:00

Thursday... ah, thursday. Life's been busy for me in the last few months. Once Jean came home from his deployment, we've been spending some quality time together as a family, and I'm sorry to say that I've neglected other things in life.

Now that the girls are both in school and it's just Alex and me at home, I've got more time on my hands. I'm busier than ever now too, since I've got 2 things I'm volunteering for. I've become a Girl Scout (Daisy) troop leader and I'll be creating the yearbook for my girls' elementary school this year.

You'd think my house would be a mess and we'd have take out every night, but it's not the case. Although I have begged for take out chinese food twice this week. My house is clean, my laundry is kept up on, and I've got everything where I need it to be. How did this happen? Do I really work better when I'm in crunch time?

Either way, I'm going to add in that I MUST write in this blog. I've had several people say they've actually read it... amazing!! And I know that I frequent several great blogs everyday, and if by chance those women took more than a week off, I'd be yelling at the monitor.. LOL.

Here's some highlights since my last post:

We went on vacation to Garmish, Germany. 8 days. 3 kids. tons of pictures. A bigger post will come later on for you all to see.

Alex fell, running through the house, the day before his 4th birthday party and split his head open. The German hospital here is great, we were in and out in 30 minutes. The only downside was Jean watching Alex get the anesthesia shot, he turned white and almost passed out! This made Alex's 3 trip to the ER, only days before he turned four. UGH!

I got a new hair cut. This woman is amazing!!! I wanted something that shouted, and something a bit more "european" too. The red faded quite a bit though, but it's still cute!!

The first day of school arrived and now I'm missing two pieces of my heart. How is it that they grow up so quickly!!??!!

I repainted a sign for my neighbor. It used to say "Liberty's Kitchen". It turned out nicely!!!

Thank you!

2009-06-05T13:11:00.005+02:00

A friend of mine requested a card for someone she wanted to say thank you too. She's from Japan, but the person recieving the card is American. My friend, let's just call her Mrs T, came from Japan a few months ago with a gift for me. Some beautiful Japanese craft paper.

I couldn't think of a better way to use it than to make a Japanese inspired card for her.

She loved it by the way.

The card I made is cased from Glenda Mosher over a Splitcoast Stampers. Her original is just stunning and the inspiration behind my madness.

Thanks Glenda for such a nice card to case.

German, Vampires and Werewolves, OH MY!

2009-06-05T08:23:00.004+02:00

So, as I type, I'm listening to my newest favorite band, Polarkreis 18. They are a German group out of Dresden, Germany, but their lyrics are 98% English. How I came across them, I'm not sure, maybe on German MTv when we got here, but I'm loving LOVING their music.

(I can't seem to figure out how to insert videos, so you'll have to google them.... booo!!)

Not to mention I can google translate the German lyrics they use and learn a bit of the language. Now, from that, I know how to say "We Are Alone" and "Move Your Ass" ... not sure where I can fit those in, but you never know..

I finished New Moon last night. I read 4/5ths of the book in one day, it was THAT GOOD!!

Do I have to tell you how badly I get enthralled with this series? Do you understand this obsession that is taking over the world? I just got the third book this morning, but I think I'll take some time to get my house in order a bit before I submerge myself into more of Edward and Jacob.

But there's something I've got to say about Bella. She's ridiculous!!! She's such a whiner and martyr!! She's "Oh, I'm not good enough. I'm not worth it" and "I can't have the Cullens' death be my fault." Seriously?

um, BETCH, they're VAMPIRES!!! They aren't going to go down without a fight and if someone like that, like a vampire, wants to die fighting for you, you should realize just HOW much you are worth. Remember, they could just kill you themselves if they didn't want to worry with it!

Do you see the monster in this poster? Well, apparently, she thinks it's her.... whatev!!

And (if you've read New Moon, you'll know, but if you haven't this isn't a spoiler!) her comaring herself to a zombie??? I almost threw the book down cause I was just so done with her!! "I'm the one who's the monster" um... how... how are you the monster here? You keep company with vampires and werewolves! And to know that Bella is played by Kristen Stewart, (she get's the lowest font size possible) who gets on my nerves anyway.

I didn't feel this way in the first book, but New Moon brought out the monster in me in regards to her, no pun intended.

Does anyone else loath her in this way or is it just me?

I love Germany in the Springtime

2009-06-04T08:24:00.006+02:00

Although, I wished I could say I love Paris in the Springtime, but I've yet to visit there.

Germany is beautiful too. The smell of summer is in the air... er, is that the smell of manure? It's hard to tell when you live in the country. The sun pokes it's head out behind the fluffy white clouds that stand out in the blue sky. The gardens are all full with colors upon colors of the most gorgeous flowers.

I've learned enough German to get by at the stores. I can ask the cashier how she/he's doing, say it's a nice day today, and then tell them goodbye and have a nice day. I love it! I need to learn more, so that I can actually carry on more of a conversation, but - baby steps.

The other day, I was at the German flower store, Blumenland, and as I was eyeing a reduced price hanging basket, a German woman walked up to me and proceeded to talk about the plant in German. I had this dumbfounded look on my face and asked if she spoke English. She said "Oh, you speak English? You're not German?". I was so happy about that. The military will tell you to do everything you can NOT to stand out as American, for fear of terrorist threats. I felt like I had achieved that, even if it was with one woman. (it's the small things in life that can give you pleasure)

So I'm heading out today to pay for a stamp set I got off a yard sale website. I'm totally stoked since it's a set I'd wanted and it's only $7!!!! Talk about a steal.

I can't wait to stamp with it!!!

The end of an era

2009-06-03T07:58:00.010+02:00

Alex is three.

It's not his birthday or anything, but I realize something.

When he was little, he loved to watch Baby Einstein and Blues Clues. Which he'd always refer to them as "Dein Dein" and "Clues Clues". awww..

Last week, he told me Blues Clues is for babies and he didn't want to watch it.

This morning, when I got up, I had 2 out of 3 of my kids in bed with me (how does that happen). When I got up, so did he. But instead of coming downstairs to eat, he turned his Ben 10 DVD on, tucked himself into bed, and was just chilling by the time I was headed downstairs to get coffee.

*sniffle sniffle*

My baby is growing up. He's not such a baby anymore.

He's been pottytrained for almost a year now.

He can play Lego Star Wars and Mario Kart on the Wii all by himself now.

He talks to me in a regular voice, without using baby words like "Dein Dein".

He's generous with his kisses.

He still uses his blanket at night and refuses to sleep without Bunny (from Easter) and Max (his stuffed Husky puppy we got from Heidelberg). I like that.

He's going to be a heartbreaker when he grows up. He's already very attentive to me, always putting his little hand on my cheek and telling me my hair looks beautiful today.

For me, this is an end of an era. No more diapers, bottles, pacifiers, pull-ups, baby toys, sippy cups, diaper bags, Blues Clues birthdays, onesies, breastfeeding, or highchairs.

From now on, I've got "first day of school", Spiderman birthdays, soccer games, sleepovers, bikes w/o training wheels, and all the big boy things that come with it.

In some ways, this makes me smile. Having babies in the house is a difficult time, they can be so unpredictable. But then again, so are tweens. In some ways, this makes me sad. They won't ever be *that small* again. Pretty soon, they won't need me as much as they did before.

Is this what happens when you realize your kids aren't *babies* anymore?

The vampire or the werewolf?

2009-06-01T17:46:00.011+02:00

It's a hard choice to pick one when you've got "Edible Edward" leaning in on your neck and "Juicy Jacob" who's got to be an animal in bed!

I just saw the new trailer for New Moon... Ca-Ream!

Say what? You haven't seen the first movie? You haven't even read the books?

Well, I shouldn't be too harsh on the book thing.

I started the first book, couldn't put it down. But before I got to the end, Twilight came out on DVD and I haven't picked up the book since then...

something about cleaning the house, and taking care of kids, and making cards, and keeping up with the blog, and don't forget to shower or the neighbors will be talking....

But, after watching the new trailer for New Moon... guess what I'm going to do after I post this.... yep, you got it!

I know it's going to take forever for the movie to get here in Germany and then it'll be EONS before it's out on DVD, so I might as well just read the book to find out what's going to happen.

ugh, me likey Edward, er Robert... did you see this deliciousness??

Guitar Hero says I ROCK... dat's right!

2009-05-31T15:20:00.004+02:00

So, I'm totally addicted to Guitar Hero. We've got World Tour, Legends of Rock, Metallica, and Aerosmith (listed as most to least favorite). World Tour seems to be a bit more easier and has better songs. I'm getting at least 4-5 stars on Hard and today I tried my hand at Expert... hahaha.. what a disaster.

I started off thinking I would play just a few songs, then 3 hours later my back hurts, my fingers are a bit numb and my eyes are bloodshot. My poor 3 year old son is BEGGING to play his game... I finally give in.

You know why I like it? It makes me feel like those silly keys that I'm hitting are ACTUALLY simulating the fact that I can play those songs on a real guitar. I also feel like a rock star if I turn it up loud enough.

I also like to show off, but that's besides the point.

I really should practice more though. Once my dear husband (who ALWAYS kicks my ass in points and accuracy) gets home, I want to shove that right into his face for at least the first day. Then I'm sure after that, he's going to get better and start beating me again... (at Guitar Hero, that is)

I tried to find some cool pic online that could emulate the "sexy guitar hero mom" I think I am, but this is all I got...

I'll leave you to ponder why anyone would actually post this picture of themselves? Guns, Guitar Hero and pubes peaking from behind from what looks to be a loin cloth.... you think Martha would call that "a good thing"?

I think you're right!

Followers meet Louse, Louse... followers...

2009-05-30T20:17:00.003+02:00

In case you didn't catch it in my last post (and no, not catch lice silly people!), we discovered we had lice on Easter.

Talk about an odd moment of silence when everyone wants to scream "RUN FOR THE HILLS, SHE'S GOT LICE!", but really they just smile with that look of "get the hell out of our home as quickly as you can, please".

Once we got home, it was nothing but stripping beds and treating heads. It didn't take too long to get through all the heads, only the girls had it. Once we got some of the bigger louse out of the hair, my daughter had the brilliant idea of taking some pictures of them for her classroom.

I'm thinking.. there's NO WAY my camera is going to get closeups that are good enough to share.

*AH-HA!*

Put the camera up to the eyepiece on the microscope and take pictures from there.

*gack!*

Those things are disgusting.

High-Five Fridays give me good mojo!

2009-05-30T11:21:00.008+02:00

Again, another FABULOUS selection of cards were created in my dungeon. ( I call it that since there's no windows and it's in the basement) I'm sooo excited and happy with what came from it though, I'm really feeling the mojo!!!

I went in with a plan... a sketch of possible cards... I hung it up right in front of me... but I allowed myself to think outside the box.... it helps if you have good music to shake your butt in the seat to..... it also helps if sometimes you get up and do some funky moves and then *look both ways* for anyone watching, before you sit again...

It's as Martha says, "A good thing"

... and this is what it produced:

{WARNING : MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS - IF YOU'RE GETTING OR EXPECTING A CARD!}

Ye Father's Day Cards:

I got a fabulous cut and highlights from Jen, so in appreciation, she gets a card... me likey... the card and the cut!

My BFF from a bagillion years ago just graduated college. She's got a tween son and 2-2 year old kids (b&g) that are about to celebrate a birthday.. how the heck did she find the time to go, let alone graduate college?

(you like the embossing? Me too, this card was just stunning, but you can't really see the dry embossing lattice work on the white CS that well)

A birthday card for the 2 year old girl twin:

For the 2 year old boy twin:

My neighbor asked for a card for her daughter's kindergarten teacher.... she said the teacher has the safari theme going on in her classroom, so that's what kind of card she wanted for her.... I just happened to come across the Jolee pack of safari stickers whilst browsing for the stickers to put on the twins' cards.

A good friend wanted a card for her cousin (or was it nephew?) He's got style, so he needs a card that reflects such. (althought I haven't printed/pasted yet, I found the fonts that SU used for the "Dare to be Fabulous" stamp online.... talk about feeling like you've solved the oldest mystery. So, to finish up this card, the inside will say "Especially on your Birthday!" As Martha would say... "it's a good thing".)

Happy Birthday Big Sis!

2009-05-29T08:24:00.011+02:00

So, a few days ago, my big sister got a package in the mail from me. Along with some German candies, goodies, and extra graduation cards for relatives, she also got her birthday gift from me. She'd asked for a box of general cards for birthdays. Unisex ~ for all ages. I sorta went crazy!

I hope she enjoys them as much as I enjoyed making them. Happy Birthday Onna, I love you!

Dang Schmitty, whacha been up to?

2009-05-27T09:17:00.008+02:00

Say what? Haven't heard from me since March? Wanna see what I've been busy with?

Volunteering gives you a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart. I've been doing more of that lately. Had I put more thought into it, I would have recorded the making of a meal I did for a family in need (complete with dessert too!) It would have made a nice post.

I donated some cakes for the Spring Carnival at the school. I also donated 2 gift boxes of cards for the silent auction. As Martha would say... "it's a good thing". Here's some pics of my favs

We found out we had lice on Easter. I told the hostess "Sorry, I just meant to bring the fruit tray". It took almost 2 weeks before I was in the clear to let kids go in/out. Lice ain't no joke people... and the party isn't over until you kick those little boogers out! Literally. It did, however, give me an idea for a whole new line of cards.

On May 7th I decided to quit smoking. *cheers* On May 9th I decided to start again. I know what you're thinking... just quit. But honestly, it was either smoke or choke the children.

I had a yard sale and made about 60 Euro. Not too shabby.

My 5 year old learned how to ride a bike in 2 days, without my help.

I've officially broke my record of the times I've had to rewash a single load of laundry. Record: 6. Laundry sucks!

I reorganized my shranks in the diningroom and livingroom. Don't know what shranks are?

I've taught my children how to make their own beds and fold their pj's when they get dressed in the morning. Now, people....this is big for me. I mean like HUGE. Whew, now if they'll just learn to flush the toilet everytime.

And that's my last 2 months in a post.

Soldiers and Birthdays

2009-03-25T11:09:00.008+01:00

A few cards I've been working on have been some for my darling husband and one for a girls birthday. I'm finally getting around to uploading and blogging them.

This one has a stamp that I "pre" stamped before we moved. I loved this set, and fits so perfectly well with our lifestyle. I hope he likes it. I started with a piece of white card stock, measuring 11x4.25. I scored near the bottom and the top, to make the card fold into the middle, and then covered it with green cardstock. (The final measurements are 5.5x4.25.) I then used my pre-stamped image, colored it in, put some stain over the top and used the "tear" scissors on the edges.

I backed it with piece of brown cardstock, then glued the top half of the image to the top half of the card. It doesn't stay put on it's own, so to get a decent picture, I had to hold the card shut. ugh!. The inside is a sentiment that came from the same set as the front image, but it was pre-stamped in green. (also have a few more in black for future cards) The sentiment is a rub on I got from Krystal for my birthday.

This card is one of my favorites. I started with a 8.5x5.5 piece of white cardstock. I added the teal paper, then put the designer paper on top. The yellow brads just seemed to fit, plus I like having some embellishment on the card, I think it gives it "zing". And I've heard that you should have things in threes, they're more Feng Shui? I dunno, but threes seem to be easy on the eyes. The image seen here is from a SU set, that I stamped in teal versacolor, then heat embossed with holographic powder. I backed the white paper in yellow, then red and offset it on the designer paper. The sentiment came from the same SU set, also stamped in the teal versacolor, but not embossed. The inside, stamped in the same color, simply says "You mean everything to me".

This next card is something I made for my daughters friend. She had a birthday party last weekend and I got her, as a gift, a starter set for a small scrap book. The card is a layout I've been wanting to use for a while, all circles. I love the color combinations. She enjoyed the card, as well as the gift. For this card, I started with a 10x5 piece of cardstock. I used my Creative Memories circle cutter to make the larger circles, but also used my SU circle punches as well. The flower comes from a SU stamp set that I stamped in black onto designer paper, then hand cut and glued to the circle. The inside simply says, Happy Birthday.

Thanks for looking!!!

New Cards

2009-03-16T20:36:00.009+01:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything, it's been hectic around here. This past weekend I threw a slumber birthday party for my 9-year old. We had around 11 girls, 10 years and under, here and it was fun, but exhausting.

Since Jean's been deployed, I've tried to keep the rountine going as best as I can. One of the suggestions "they" give you for helping children cope with deployments is to make them feel special by starting them on a new hobby or paying them some special attention. New hobbies aren't happening as of yet, but since her birthday was just before her dad left, I figured my oldest could use some 'special' time with her girl friends. We played some awesome games, had some awesome food, and I slept pretty awesome for the next few days.. LOL.

Anyways, in the midst of trying to prepare for this shindig, I've neglected to post the latest cards I've created.

Here's a bit of the meaning behind the madness for these:

I'm going to sell them at the local thrift store on base. Guess there was another woman selling them, and she did well at making money, but she's since stopped. The manager there knows me, and suggested I put some general cards up for sale, so here's my first attempts.

This one has been an ongoing theme for me. I just love these birdies, made from circles with portions of them snipped off. The wings are just smaller circles. The beak is actually a square and of course you can't have a cute birdie without the googly eyes. The branch is just cut free-handedly from green cardstock and the leaves are the same cardstock, folded and then snipped with a circle punch. The sentiment is some cheap-o stamp from Michaels or Hobby Lobby, but it works so well with the "sassiness" of the clever birdie.

The stamp set I got from Oriental Trading is TO DIE FOR!! It's called Home Cookin' and it's just lovely. I love the vintage kitchen feel I get from it, so I paired it with a wallpaper-esque designer cardstock. The sentiment is printed off onto white cardstock and the inside simply states "Good Lookin'!" The cool thing about this card, that you can't really tell from the picture too well is that the mixer is stamped once on the white card stock. Then it's stamped on the red/pink (whatever that color is) cardstock, but just the mixer is cut out and layered over the white stamped image. It's stamped a third time on the aqua cardstock, and the bowl is cut out and then added onto the image with some pop-dots to give it dimension. The sparklies (which show up nicely) is actually called Stickles, and it's the first time I've used it on any of my cards. I really enjoyed using the product, nice application, and beautiful drying. Basically, if you've never heard of Stickles... it's just a clear drying glue with glitter.

The inspiration for this card came from another one I'd made about a year ago. It's simple, clean and still a bit sassy. It's not my favorite, but hey, what can I do?!? The stamps are a set from Stampin' Up and the basic colors as you can tell are pink, white, and black. The inside is blank. The floral image is actually sitting on some pop-dots too, for dimension.

Sometimes you just need a card to say "hey, I'm thinking of you". I didn't want it overly done. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. So, that's where I was going with this card. Simple=better. I loved the designer paper, it's got a bit of sparkle to it as well, so that was enough glam. The sentiment is again just some lame stamp from a craft store that I've had for forever, but I've used it soooo many times. The inside of the card is still blank.

Also, I wanted to mention that all the designer cardstock came from my local craft store. I don't remember the brand, but it's got tons and tons of 4x6 sized papers, some having 3 pages per design. I was able to use 1 sheet for 2 cards, so each card seen here has an exact twin. I'm thinking that if I can sell both, then it might be a hit... so keep on making them.

And when I went back to the craft store to get more white cardstock, they had a brand spankin' new stack of different papers to choose from..... I happened to pick those up as well. One of them was a very retro kitchen theme.... and I was drooling just thinking about how to use them with my retro kitchen stamps... and I lame?? THIS is what makes me tingle... LOL

Well, other than my bad ass husband and this guy:

Now I lay me down to sleep..... la la la la la...

So, there you have it... some cool cards, and I finally got them on the blog.

Thanks for stopping by..... I sure do appreciate it!

Obession is her middle name

2009-03-06T17:05:00.004+01:00

And making Mickey Mouse shaped meatloaf is her game...

Dear God, this woman needs an intervention...

fast...

Baby Showers 101 - Jayme Style!

2009-03-06T16:26:00.005+01:00

This past weekend, I attended a really great baby shower. We played games that were original, the food was varietous (that's a word in my world) and the timing was perfection (2 hours on the dot!)

Got me to thinking about a document I'd written a few years ago. I've thrown several showers in my day. Seems most of us military wives end up knocked up sooner or later, due to deployments, boredom, you name it. So, when you attend several showers a year, you've got to be original. And you should plan somethinig that people will walk away from thinking "hot damn, that was a nice time!"

So, without further adieu, here's my two cents:

So, I was on this discussion this morning and was giving some advice on centerpieces and found myself realizing I knew more about showers than I thought I did. So I figured I'd share some of my thoughts with you all!! Being a SAHM (stay at home mom) in the military, I've been to/thrown lots of showers!!! Seems that's all that's fun around here is, a-hum, getting pregnant. :D

Planning:
When you plan a shower, usually give yourself a few weeks or so. Decide how many people are coming, how much you want to spend, if you are going to play games, will it be catered, will you make the invites? Are you co-hosting?? Will there be men there, will there be kids there?? Will you have a theme or will you go with just a color combination? Is this a surprise party?? Are you going to have gifts for the guests (prizes or take-aways)? Think about what kind of shower you are going to have, then sit down with a plan.

Invitations:
You can either make the invitations or buy them at the store. Handmade invitations can be time consuming and tedious and if you have the time to do them, it's all the more special, but if not, get them at the store. Plus, unless you are giving handmade cards as a "gift" to the mother, along with the shower, then you are “eating” a lot of money needed to buy supplies. Thirty cards require quite a few supplies; can your budget handle it? The invitation should be more about the mother-to-be than about you, so ask her what she likes. If you know the gender, great!! If not, rely on the neutrals: yellow, green, red, purple, white, black (yes, I said it, black). The invitation should have her name, the date of the shower, location, time, an RSVP (or, as I like to put it "Regrets to:") and who is hosting the shower. It is on the card that you can let people know if they can bring children or men. I had one customer ask me to put "no husbands or children please" on the card. You should also let the guest know if this is a surprise shower, a twin's shower, a "first time mom" shower, etc. If the mother has a wish list, I found it very cute to print it on vellum and just slip it in with the card. Or you can put on the card that she's registered at a store. The invitation should be eye catching, but be wary!! If you have an invitation that is plush, elegant, to-the-hilt... then the guest will be expecting an occasion that is such. So, make your invitation "match" the event.

Decorations:
Again, what kind of shower is it?? If you are going for a "don't break my budget" kind of shower, have it at someone’s house. If you have enough money to spend, get a hall. Either way, the location should be made clear with signs and decorations on the outside, for the first-timers, as well as the roads you turn to get to the location. The decorations should collaborate with the "mother to be" as well as what the invitations convey. You have the classic balloons and crepe paper decorations (very low budget), but here are some other ideas:

• Use a clear umbrella in the middle of a table, fill it with confetti, filler paper, flowers, whatever you want. Put a sign that says "Shower ___" or "It's a shower."
• Use various sized boxes on a table and cover them with table clothes. You will have "tiers" to set up the food. Decorate with small flowers or confetti; this is very clean and classic.
• Use a clear punch bowl, filled with water, and float blossoms and rubber duckies.
• Cut out letters (got a die-cutter?) and attach them to diapers that are hanging upside down on a cord for a cute banner.
• A large tray of baby items (to be used later on for a game) on a table where it's in full view of guests.
• Clear vases filled with jelly beans, M&M's, and skittles (for color and munching).
• Use gender-appropriate baby clothes on hangers to decorate around the room.
• Use a bassinette (either one the mother owns or as an added gift to her) to hold the thank you gifts for the guests. It might be too small for the shower gifts.
• Put several armless chairs together and drape a white cloth over them. Use a coordinating ribbon to wrap around the backs of the chairs to make it look like a long couch. (very classy, very clean)

Whatever or however you decide to decorate, make sure it can be within your budget and remember to think "outside of the box". Some of the most ordinary objects can become clever decorations if you just think about it. What does the mother like??

Food:
Potluck? Catered? Fingerfoods? Big meal? Again, it's up to your budget. I've had everything from chips and dip, to cucumber sandwiches, to pinwheels. I'll tell you what goes fast. Fruit kabobs with chocolate dipping sauce, or with fruit dip (not sure of the recipe, but it has cranberries and coolwhip with cream cheese?? It's goooood!) Pinwheels go fast too. How about pickles with cream cheese wrapped in ham? It's very tasty!! How about small strawberry shortcakes? Or cinnamon rolls?? How about just pizza?? Or you can go all out and make a meal. Either way, it will depend on the time of day you have the shower as to how much food you will need. Obviously, at noon or 4pm is no good for just appetizers, when everyone is so hungry. Punch is a necessity, I believe, at any shower. You can find fabulous recipes online. How about virgin daiquiris? Served in martini glasses?? *too cute*

Games:
(The icebreaker - and sometimes you NEED one!!) Bloomers - Play "hot potato" with a bag (non-see through) and tell the guests that whoever gets stuck with the bag has to wear the bloomers for the rest of the party. Everyone will get rid of the "huge granny panties" that are in the bag, but when someone is stuck with it, and they open the bag.... it's two large blossoms... er bloomers. Get some that are just darling, with strong stems so they can wear them in their clothes, hair, wherever.. but they must wear them!!!

Diaper the Baby - Have 2-3 teams, with one person as the "baby" and 2-3 "diaperers". Give each team a roll of toilet paper and without the use of tape or pins, they must "diaper" the baby. If the TP breaks, they can tuck it, but it will work best if the TP is in a constant roll and unbroken. The best diaper in the end wins a prize and winner is picked by the mother.

Cotton Ball Pickup - Have either single players or team effort, blindfolded and using a spatula. The object is to see who can pick up the most cotton balls and put them into the bowl. The trick is that you can't tell how many you're picking up, because cotton balls don't have any noticeable weight!!!

Price is Right - Using 4-5 items purchased at Walmart (where the majority of purchases in the US are made) or your local popular store, ask the guests how much each item costs and what the total will be all together. It's good to tell them where the products were purchased, so they have an idea. The guest with the closest guess without going over is the winner.

What's in that Jar? - Get 4-10 jars of food from the baby section. Tear off the labels and number the tops. Have the guests figure out what food each jar contains, filling in the numbers on paper. They can taste, smell, feel, whatever.. to find out the contents. And, they have some interesting flavors.. veal, spinach, etc.. yuck!!!

This is a Poopy Game!! - This is fun, actually. Take 4-10 candy bars, bite-sized or half of a whole, and mix them in a food processor (or chopped up as fine as you can get them). Put the processed candy bar in the middle of a (unused) diaper and microwave them until the contents are melted. Label each diaper and have a master list of which diaper contains which candy bar. The guests can use whatever senses they want to figure out which candy bar it is.. but it will look like poop.. LOL. You can either have a list of which ones you used, to make it a bit easier, or you can make it really hard and make them figure it out on their own.

Who's your mommy?? - This will involve some research, but you can go online and find celebrities and their babies. You can either have a list of both or make the guest's guess. For example: Blythe Danner's child is Gwenyth Paltrow.. who's child is Apple Martin. Madonna mothered Lourdes and Rocco. Judy Garland and Liza Minelli, etc etc. It can be fun, but time consuming.

Secret Drawing - Have sealed envelopes (with index cards inside) for each guest. Tell them that when you say "go", they should open their envelopes and draw the item listed on the index card. Make sure the item is simple, such as a bib or bottle, but have them all the same. Tell them, before opening, that "the best will be judged by the mom". What they don't know, is that the mom will be judging how the envelopes were opened, but only give that away when they are done. Then they can all write their names and addresses on the index card and you can use those to write down the gifts that the guest brought. Give index cards with info and gifts to mom-to-be to make thank you notes a snap!!!

Memory - Remember the tray that you used for decorations?? Near the end of the shower, remove it and ask the guests to write down what was on the tray.

Baby Bingo - *a bit too used in my opinion* but you can download the words and game board online.

Baby Scramble - also found online, with words such as bottle, diaper, bassinette, etc scrambled.

Mom-to-be questions - have a questionnaire about the mom or father-to-be to see how well they know them. You can be obnoxious and ask how the baby was conceived.. LOL.

Baby Taboo - pick out the "baby related" cards from this fun game and use the same directions from the box.

Baby Bottle Race - fill clean, or unused, baby bottles with either water, or punch, or alcohol (lol) and see who can drink the bottle the fastest.

Baby Scattergories - pretty self explanatory, just in the baby version.

How Big is Belly? - use toilet paper or ribbon to have guests "guess" how big mommy’s belly is around. The closest to the measurements wins.

Take away gifts:
Some people like to give away gifts to the guests to show thanks for coming. These don't have to be expensive, nor should they be. Most of your shower budget should be on food and decorations, not gifts for the guests. Here are some ideas that I've used in the past. Bake some muffins and put in a clear bag (from walmart, in the wedding section) with a tag that says "Thank you from _____'s Bun in the Oven!". Put small Hershey's kisses and candies in a bag with a small tag that says "thanks for being so sweet". Whatever you use to have as gifts, make sure they are small and inexpensive, unless you have the money to spend.

Game-winners prizes:
You can either use these prizes as gifts for the guest themselves, or as something the guest can turn around and give to the mommy-to-be. Small items, such as bibs and rattles are good for these kinds of things. Do you want the guests to keep their gifts? Bath and Body Works usually have sales on their small lotions and anti-bacterial gels. You can also get small candles or gift certificates to local stores. At my baby shower, we went to the Dollar General store and got 4 baskets (played 4 games), and each one was filled with a different theme. We had a gardening basket (with gloves, seeds, petite watering can, etc), a writing basket (note book paper, pens, and envelopes), a bath basket (shower gel, sponge, bath salts) and baker’s basket (cookie cutters, muffin mix, potholder, chocolates). Since we used so many items in each basket, it was nice to be able to find them all at the dollar store or for cheap at walmart.

Thank you notes:
Since you have the addresses and gifts written on the index cards (from the game), thank you notes should be a breeze. When I hosted my friends shower, I handmade the invitations and made the thank you notes to match. And, since I'd already mailed the invitations out for her, I already had the addresses for the TY's printed on the envelopes. If the mother-to-be isn't big on thank you notes, it's not a big deal, but always appreciated. :D

I guess the most important thing is organization. Figure out what kind of shower you want, plan it, organize it.. and when it comes time for the shower... relax.. have fun...and know that you've got it all worked out. Even the best planned showers are no fun if the host or the mommy isn't "having fun". It's the mommy's job to mingle and enjoy the attention; it's your job, as the host, to delegate, plan, guide and smile. The guests will take cues from you!! I've been to too many showers where there are so many guests, but noone knows what to do, so they just glide from one room to another, trying to figure out what to do. Guide the guests from one game to another, from gifts to food, but don’t be overbearing and dictator-ish. When the shower is all done, no matter if they are still gabbing and mingling, kindly let them know that you appreciated them coming and have them applaud the mommy (it's her day!!!). Then, you can relax, and mingle yourself. Everyone will leave in their own time. It's usually when they know for sure that the shower is over, they will be headed out the door. Remember to make the shower last about 2 hours. If it goes any longer, make sure you have smoke breaks/pee breaks for those who smoke (and pee.. lol) There's nothing I hate more than being in the middle of a game and having five people walk out to smoke. Then you have to find a way to politely corral them back in to finish the shower.

I hope this helps some one out there. I know I've searched the internet for some good ideas and this is what I eventually came out with. I've had all the ideas either tested myself or seen in person and I will tell you that they are good ideas!!

I forgot to tell you I love you today!!

2009-03-06T15:56:00.005+01:00

Another wonderful installment to the neverending barrage of cards my husband is going to recieve while he's in Afghanistan.

Baby shower thank you's

2009-03-06T15:52:00.005+01:00

My first installment to an order of cards for my client, these 15 "thank you" cards were a treat to make.

They came together so simply and they look stinkin' adorable, in my opinion.

I started off with white card stock. I added some green paper on the bottom, sewed it across the length, and taped the strings to the back to keep it together on the card. I then took my scissors and cut "blades" of grass, then after it was all cut, I went over the top again with some designer scissors... you know the one that makes it look like you've torn the paper? It gave the grass more of a grassy feel rather than a straight (manicured lawn) feel.. LOL

I took the Stampin' Up circle scallop punch and punched a scrap piece of paper several times. I took the scrap paper (with the punch punched out) and used it as a stencil for making the clouds. I used Brocade Blue chalk to rub it in, then brushed it off so it would look more "whispy".

The lady bug is a bit tricky. I took a 1" circle punch and punched out two circles. The I put those circles on the the sticky part of a post-it note and inserted it back into the punch to make an "oval" shape. I attached the two oval to make the wings of my bug. The black butt sticking out is actually a square. The head is a portion of the top of a heart punch. I added brads for the black spots to give it more texture, then applied pop dots to the whole bug to give it dimension.

Once the bug is placed on the card, I added some flight dots with a black SU marker in a random (but swirly) pattern.

I'm thinking of you, my sweetness

2009-03-06T15:46:00.005+01:00

Since my husband is now in the worst place imaginable, I figured he could use some mail to keep him going. I made this card earlier this week, and I'm hoping that he's not checking in on the blog or he'll ruin the surprise. (don't know how long it takes him to get mail there either)

I started with white cardstock (since that's really an untapped well right now) and added some designer polka dot paper, back with red. The green piece is just scrap that I had, but it was perfect for these types of projects. The stamp set is something I got from Oriental Trading and they are just great. The sentiment came from a Stampin' Up set (the name escapes me right now). I used my trust sewing machine to sew around the edges of the green paper to give it some texture. I also inked the edge of the polka dot paper with some brown, to give it a little vintage feel. I hope he likes it!!

Thanks for looking

Disney-bound with accessories!

2009-03-02T18:52:00.012+01:00

My dear friend Sheryl knows how giddy I get about making stuff. She rolls her eyes when I talk about "brads" or "embossing", like it's a totally different language to her. But I have to admit, when it comes to purchases, she's made many. She supports me, sorta like a $50 Wonderbra.

She has booked a trip to Disneyland Paris, and she's been shopping for days to prepare. She comes up to me and says she found a really cute bag/autograph book/pen set on Ebay. She says, "Could you make the book/pen for me?" "Sure", I say.

"And can you make the bag to go with it? And make the bag lined? And make the bag out of BDU's? And make the bag with a big strap for the disney pins?" "Yes", I reply to all of the questions. It wasn't unti she asked for a zipper or snap that I had to say no, since I've never done one, and didn't know how.

So, I get busy. I get the supplies, the material, and the plan. This is what I came up with.

Her daughters were totally stoked about them, and I hope the bag lasts for a long time so that they can remember their trip.

*BTW, she now wants one for herself, as do my girls, my other neighbor and my mother. Who knew?

Check back soon for a Step-by-Step (oohh baby!!) on her bag... zipper/snap/button included. (which ever I can figure out faster)

Someone loves me.. and her name is

2009-03-01T16:52:00.005+01:00

Krystal!!!

This is the package she sent to me for my (belated) birthday. She's such a giving person... thank you Krystal!!

Looks like I'll be sending her some goodies soon, she deserves it!!!

You sew crazy!

2009-03-01T16:35:00.004+01:00

So, since I've already been to the baby shower, and the mother to be has seen the card, I can post it with ease.

I used my sewing machine for a whole card this time, and I love how it turned out. I hope you do to, since I know mommy did.

It's been 7 years, and my ticket came up.

2009-03-01T12:44:00.015+01:00

Seven years ago today, I met Jean at the court house in Pensacola, Florida. I wore a purple suit, and he in his blues. Our only witnesses were my mother, my father and my step-mother. It was a very happy day indeed.

When I married Jean I knew what I was getting into. I knew he was in the Air Force (a lonely Senior Airman back then) and I knew that being a military wife would come with it's ups and downs.

Today I celebrate our wonderful seven years alone. Well, not totally alone, the kids are here. But he's not. And I miss him. But my ticket came up and now I'm the one who has to have her husband deploy. It's just natural when you are military to have your spouse leave you for 3 weeks to a year. It's the job. It sucks!!! But, it's the life we have.

This is us when we met. I was 23, with an 8 month old daughter. He was 24 and stationed in Pensacola.
We knew right away that we had something special. We were almost inseperable. I knew he was the right guy for me. He took to Mattie like she was his own. On the weekends, after he'd get out of work, he'd drive to my mothers' house and pick Mattie and I up for the weekend. Our first stop was Walmart to get what we needed for the weekend, and then we would just spend time. It wasn't until almost 18 months later that we finally took our vows. Then it wasn't even another month before he was shipped off on his first deployement.

"A year in Korea" is what he said to me. A year didn't seem too long at first, but boy was I wrong. I was finishing up my degree in college, so I was able to keep busy most of the time. After being gone 6 months, he was able to take some leave and buy me a plane ticket to Korea to visit him. By this time, he'd been promoted to Staff Sergeant. I spent a wonderful week with him, visiting a country I'd never think I would have seen, and having the time of my life. I remember thinking that this man would be here for me when I needed him. That he would be my security, my rock.

After the year was up, and he came home, we moved to our new (and my first duty station). Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter, South Carolina. Oddly enough, this was our first time actually living together as man and wife, and it was tough. We had some adjusting to do, but we did it. Living at Shaw, he was sent away for no more than 3-4 weeks at a time. He got to visit Las Vegas several times, lucky bastard!! I got postcards. During our five years at Shaw, we had two children. We bought a van. We came close to breaking up. We pulled through. We laughed more than we ever have before. And we learned alot about each other.

Then he told me. "I'm going to Korea for another year". My heart sank. This time I had three children and my mother no where around to help me. But I sure did have my military family there for me, and I think that's what kept me going. The plus to him leaving for another year was that we could pick our next base. And before he left, we were told we were moving to Germany. I had a year to prepare. I remember taking him to the airport early that morning. I stood tall with a stiff upper lip and I smiled as I waved goodbye, watching him make his way down the terminal. I also remember taking nearly 20 minutes, sobbing hysterically, there in the airport. I had to collect my composure, it was almost a hour back home to my children. That was the hardest time I'd had in a long time. You never know your strength until you are forced to measure it.

It's hard to be both the mother and the father. It's hard to keep it together when you feel like it's falling apart. It's hard to endure alone. He was there, mentally and verbally, and that helped. After 6 months alone, we saved enough money to fly me to Korea again. This time, I stayed for 2 weeks. It was a great time. It was also nice not to have to be a "mother" too. He took care of me. We were just together, in a way we'd hadn't been in a long time. I returned home charged up and ready to face another 6 months.

A year alone was well worth the chance to live in Germany. Arriving here was so fantastic. And again, thanks to him, I saw another part of the world that I never thought I'd see. We became settled in, travelled, and fixed the bonds that a year away can cause in a marriage. And I had him for almost a full year until he was told me he was leaving, yet again. This deployment is only 4 months. Not too shabby when you consider what I'd already been through. This time he won't be surrounded by kimchee or Koreans. This time it's a bit more serious. Afgahnistan. *deep breath* I know he'll be fine. I know he's going to miss us just as much as we miss him.

But, today, as I sit and write this blog, I remember all the things that have made "us" who we are. All the fights, all the love, all the deployments, all the memories. They remind me of why I am here and why I love him. He is my hero. He is my strength. He's my husband.

I love you baby. And I hope when we are old and gray, that this will be just another chapter in this beautiful marriage we have. Happy Anniversary!

Dresser Redo

2009-02-15T15:30:00.006+01:00

Figured I'd share some furniture makeovers with you. I'm always searching for furniture makeovers online and on blogs, and I've seen some really great things out there. Lots of great inspirational pieces.

Here's a dresser I got from the Airman's Attic in South Carolina. The Airmans Attic is sort of like a thrift store (but it's all free) for E-6 and below in the military. Most every base has an Airman's Attic. It's great for those young enlisted soldiers with or without families, but then again.. I stray from the reason for the blog.

It was in great condition. It had no major problems, except for the ugly color! I think what drew me to it was that it had great legs (kinda like JLo) and it had tons of potential.

Since this was WAY before I was blogging, there are no pictures to go with it's transformation. This is how it turned out. Notice my son's contribution of Star Wars guys!

I first painted the whole dresser white, then went over it very lightly with black paint on a stiff brush. There were some spots that came out too dark, so I went over them again with the white, but I don't really care for how it turned out. I'd love to redo this again, but that'll be a project for another day. My inspiration was to make this more of a 'crackled paint' kind of thing, but the paint was too much for me at the time. (gotta work with what you got sometimes)

My new furniture piece

2009-02-15T15:17:00.004+01:00

German homes have very, VERY, little storage spaces. Did you know that most houses that are for rent/buy might even come without a kitchen. Or I should say without a stove/sink/fridge. Interesting huh??

Anyways, there's used furniture places here, and I frequent them as often as I can. The prices are unbelievable and the craftsmanship is outstanding.

So this is the new piece that I got. It's for the livingroom to replace the POS that we got from Ikea. You likey??

Please forgive the lack of decor, but I took this right after the delivery guys left. I still have to stuff the shelves, decorate the top and hang some accent pieces on the wall.

Would you believe that I bought this beauty for about 110 Euros? With the current monetary exchange, that's about $140!!!! Plus, they only charged about 30 Euro ($38) for the shipping and assembly. And you can surely bet they worked for that charge. This sucker was heavy!! Once it was put together, it was hard for one of the men to lift the end of it just a few inches off the ground.

When we finally PCS (aka go to a new base) in a few years, I'd be more than willing to leave behind certain pieces of furniture JUST so I can take this with us. Usually you're allowed only 1000lbs per room when the military moves you, and I'm sure this will take up a good chunk of poundage.

Anyways, it was a great buy, and a wonderful piece to add to our family. Thought I'd share... and brag a bit (big smiles inserted here)

Someone once said "Let them eat cupcakes"

2009-02-15T08:22:00.019+01:00

I believe that it might have been me, when the teacher asked, "Mrs Hahn, what would you like to bring to the class?" Actually, I might have pushed the cupcakes anyways, without her asking, but still. So, off I go to make cupcakes for the 21 kids in my daughter's third grade class.

Since I'm new to this blogging life, and I'm REALLY enjoying it, I took this as an opprotunity to catalog everything I was doing.
This is me and my son:

and this is my kitchen after I cleaned.

Don't forget to notice the awesome coffee mug and the creamer too.

It's Valentine's Day, so I really wanted to make some heart-shaped cupcakes. I'd seen somewhere online that you could use marbles in the sides of the muffin pan to form the cakes into hearts... but as you all know, I've lost my marbles. I really don't think I had any to begin with, but that's for another therapy session! Hum... what to use?? I look around the house, then it hits me... "Google it!!!". I come up to a page that says you can use tin foil balls instead... BRILLIANT!!! Well, this is how it worked for me.

Not too shabby eh?

But this is how they baked.... not so good.

My friend says they look like butts... but I think she looks like a butt.

(you know I love ya Sheryl)

At least my muffin pan only bakes 6 at a time. I really want a bigger one, but that's for another day. So I chose to bake them as usual cupcakes.

Question: Do you know what this is?

Sheryl says it's afterbirth.... but it's just the powdered sugar with red dye... I'm making pink icing.... (btw, I love the features on my camera)

Off to work on the sugar cookies. For this I actually had the cookie cutters (that I borrowed from my neighbor) and the pre-made dough from the store. I rolled it out and then cut the shapes.

After baking and cooling, it's time for icing. This is when the kids start to hover and beg.

It's sad, I know, but every now and then I'll spoon a mouthfull of sugar down their throats for another race around the house.

The finished products? They were a big hit with the class. I really enjoyed making these, and I enjoyed sharing them with you!

Fax Me?? It the sign of the times I guess.

New projects

2009-02-11T09:33:00.003+01:00

So my dear friend is going to DisneyLand Paris with her husband and two girls. She's requesting an autograph book, complete with a pen and a bag to put it all in that the girls can wear. I'm loving it!! I love doing this stuff!!!

So, I got to thinking, what a great time to do another tutorial. I'll be posting it within the month, since that's when she'll be needing it by. I also got to thinking... what other stuff could I do tutorials on? Do I have enough people reading to even get responses? Are you all even out there?

Let's here some ideas!!!

How to automatically add a signature

2009-02-11T09:03:00.004+01:00

I've searched and sweated, and so you won't have to do the same, I'm going to tell you how I've added an automatic signature to my posts.

First, I went to Stampin' When I Can for her tutorial on how to do this, but it didn't work so well for me. You can either follow her tutorial, or you can follow mine. You might have luck with hers, but then again, you might not have luck with mine either. But here's how I did it step by step:

1. Go to My Live Signature and follow these steps:
1. Click on "Click here to start" and choose how you'd like to create your signature. (I chose to use their wizard to create one. It prompted me to choose the font, color, size and slope)
2. After you've chosen the slope of the signature, it will give you a "signature ID" number. I saved this onto a file, and I'm glad I did, since I used it several times.
3. On the same page that gives me the ID number, there is a link on the bottom that will say "Want to use this signature?" Clicking on it will open up a new window, where you will be promted to choose whether you want HTML code or BB code, you want the HTML.
4. Copy that code, then go to your blogger "Settings", then to "Formatting".
5. Near the bottom of the formatting page, you will see "Post Template". This is where you will be pasting your signature code. Save your changes.

Once you have done all of that, do a practice post. You will notice once you get to the "Create Post" page, you will automatically see a code where you would be typing. This is your signature. What I'll do is hit enter about 4-5 times, just so I can type (and think) clearly without the confusion of the code in my way.

If at any point in time you want to change the appearance of your name, just follow the same steps and paste your new code. hope those directions were clear enough, and I hope they help someone.

She's having a baby... and she needs cards

2009-02-10T10:50:00.028+01:00

So, as I promised on Splitcoast Stampers, I'm posting the cards I've been working on with details. First, I want to say thank you if you came here from SCS. I appreciate it. Second, I hope that I can get some subscribers. I'd also love to hear from some of you, if you are so inclined, but no obligations.

Let me tell you a bit about the client I'm making these for. She's already got 2 boys, ages 4 & 5, and now she's finally having a girl. She doesn't want to get all girly, but the cards should be feminine. She's also got the Lady Bug linens from Kids Line for the baby's room, so I used that as my inspiration. She preferred purple over pink, simple over busy, and less expensive over too costly. Most of the cards are super simple, with very little products used, helping her and my cost low. Others have a bit more, but not a whole lot. Oh, I should also mention that she wants around 25 announcements and about 15 thank you's for the baby shower this saturday. Got it?

***I should also mention that all the cards made here are half of a 8.5x11 sheet of white card stock. They were either cut vertically or horizontally, but either way, one sheet of paper gave me two cards... another cost cutter method. Plus the envelopes for them are on HUGE bulk sale on Create for Less, 250 for $19.49, not bad! Also, all the fonts shown on the cards are from Da Font***

Ok, let's get started. First card is a thank you card.

Very simple. Just took a card of white card stock and put an embellishment in the bottom corner. The scallop circle punch I got from Create for Less. I added a circle punch in white and then in red and inked it (in black) with "baby". The leaves are a neat trick. I take the green card stock, fold it in half, then use my circle punch to cut out just a sliver of the circle. Unfolded, it takes on the form of a leaf! Super easy! But, SU says that their punches aren't designed to punch through 2 layers of card stock at a time, so I'm sure one of these days that little theory will bite me in the ass. Until then, I make leaves!

Next card is also a thank you. This is one of my favorites for the thank you's too. I started of with white card stock. Added some green card stock on the bottom, but first cut blades of grass with scissors and fluffed a bit. I added the sentiment in red. I created the clouds by using the scalloped circle punch. But instead of using what I punched out, I used the negative of it (meaning the paper it was cut from, with the hole). I put it up to my cardstock, then rubbed blue chalk over the top, in various layers. It was actually the first time I've done that, but not too bad. The lady bug is my favorite. It's all from circle punches. Once I'd punched out the circle, I put it on a post it. (why must you ask? Well, it's so I can use the circle punch on it again, and the sticky post-it holds the paper, and the post-it is thin enough to cut through without any problems) Only this time, I punched it to make it look more like an oval. I did it again for the second wing, then added them together. The black "body" underneath was done in the same fashion, only it has more of a point on the end. I used black brads for the spots, which gives it texture, but it also brings up the cost. (and lowers my supply of black brads too) The head is a bit tricky. I wished I had a smaller circle punch, it would have been so much better, but instead, I used a heart punch and just had a portion of the heart showing. I feel like it has more of a turtle feel, but it's the best I could do. I added the entire bug onto the card stock with pop dots to give it depth and then hand drew the lines in the back for flight. For the most part, it's simple. With the exception of the time consuming bug and the brads. Wonder if she'll like it?

Next thank you card is super simple and super cute. I forget who first did this sort of card on SCS, but I've had the layout drawn for quite some time. Started with the white card. I used the stem stamp from Time Well Spent to outline the edge of the card. In the corners, I used the small flower from the same set. I also stamped the butterfly, from the same set, and colored it in with watercolor pencils. The thank you stamp is from another set, which the name escapes me right now. The flight lines are hand drawn too. Very simple, very cute, and appeals more to the purples than the pinks...which I think the client will enjoy.

Another simple and cute thank you card. This one I'm using as more of a "which one do you like" kind of thing. I took the medium flower from the Time Well Spent stamp set and stamped it twice on the white card. Once in pink, once in lavender, as to let her see the differences. I also stamped it in black on another piece of white cardstock so that I could color it in with watercolor pencils and then attach it to the card with pop dots. The sentiment is one of four in it's set, of which I still can't seem to remember the name.

And on come the announcements...

This first one started out as something totally different. But with a little cutting and adding, it became this. I bought the designer paper (aka DP) at the local craft store and it has a myriad of colors. I put it on 3/4th of the lower part of the card, then I added a scallop circle punch in pastel pink, layered with pastel purple, then white card stock. I stamped "baby" in pastel pink. The inside has a sample of what the announcements would look like after the baby is born. I printed the name, and guesses on the date of birth, weight, height, along with the names of the parents and big brothers. The font, of which is not shown, is diffent in all the cards, as to give her more options when ordering.

This announcement turned out better than I'd expected. I started with cutting the sheet of card stock down the middle so that the card measures 3.25 x 11. I then scored the flaps at 1 .25 and 6.75. I end up with a base of 5.5 and then flaps that measure 1.25 and 4.25. I attached some DP on the larger front flap, but left the smaller one untouched. The sleeve (er...band, whatever) measures 1x11. The pastel pink scallop circle covers the gap between the ends, and it's layered with a white circle punch that is stamped with a pastel pink ring and the letter "H" as a monogram for their last name. The inside shows the DP on the right side, with the middle of the card open for a photo and the right side with white cardstock layer onto pastel pink. The information isn't totally correct (as in the other cards) since the baby hasn't been born yet. But I wanted her to see what her options are.

This one isn't necessarily my favorite, but then again, the client might like it. I've never used the layout before, but I've had it in mind for a while. I used more pink in this one, which I'm not sure if the client will like, but it also incorporates some ribbon for a different twist. The main layer is half DP, half pastel pink. Both backed with white cardstock, then purple, and all centered in the middle of the card. The main image has the expected baby's name, cut with Creative Memories oval cutter, then layered on top of purple cardstock that I manually cut with scalloped scissors. The main image is also raised up on pop dots. The inside, which isn't shown here, has the same font as the main image. Thinking back, I wished I would have used a different color other than black to print the information.

My favorite!!! I luz this, and I think you will too. I started with white cardstock, go figure! LOL, and added some green stems from Time Well Spent.

The flowers are red scallop circles with pink, DP, and white centers. The leaves are green cardstock (detailed in the first card). The middle flower is popped up on dots too. The sentiment is part of a stamp (the rest is on the inside) in red and I think it looks really sweet! The inside is also stamped in red, and back in red cardstock. Simple and sweet, but the info has to be hand written.

Another favorite, and the last card.. This one is an announcement too. It's the other half of the full sheet cut front top to bottom. The red curved piece at the top is added on to make the top flap a bit longer, with some faux stitching also added. The bottom portion of the card has the cute DP attached. The lady bug is done in the same manner as the other one, but this time the black dots are colored in with a Sharpie, as to cut down on cost.
The bug is attached to a black scallop circle with with cardstock on top. The head is also a small hole punch, but I really think it's just TOO small. I also added the flight pattern too. The inside, which is a bit more formal is printed in black ink, and backed in black cardstock. The top flap (on the inside) has an extra strip of the DP to cover the transition from white to red cardstock. The lower flap of the card on the inside is reserved for a picture of the baby once she is born. I really like the color combination of this one. It has a more modern/formal style to it. It's also very simple without seeming simple.

It's about dang time!

2009-02-09T11:15:00.004+01:00

For a new post. I've been busy... we've all gotten some crud going around and it's finally gone. I've also been busy working on some cards for a friend, of which I'd love to post some pictures of what I've got so far, but *Voila* my camera is missing.... hum! I wonder which kid took it this time. Usually they are sneaking my camera away and then I end up with random pictures of the computer monitar, the cats' food dish, or the bathroom sink. Gotta love kids. We've also celebrated some birthdays recently. My husband just turned 33 and my second child is now 5. My oldest will be 9 in a few days, so I better get a move on if I wanna do some invites.

I've been strolling through blogs too. I've just realized how to browse other blogs.... wished I would have known that. I've got a few of you out there that I am constanly stalking and I just love them!!! I haven't told them yet that I love them, but I will. Why is it that these women seem to have it together so well? How can they keep up on house and home, kids and husbands, daily meals, friends, and STILL have time to blog it all with great stories and pictures? I don't get it. I sit here, sometimes for WAY longer than I'd really like and I don't get anything done. Maybe I lack the motivation?

I miss my family back home. I miss hanging out with them. Miss hearing about their new adventures. I miss telling them face to face that I love them. I miss the stores in the states.. Germany just doesn't have a good equivalent to Target/Hobby Lobby/Walmart.

So until I get my camera back... I guess you'll just have to hear about what's going on and not be able to see it.

Thanks for stopping by anyways!

Pokemon Birthday

2009-01-24T14:53:00.006+01:00

So we are going to a b'day party for a friends son. He's going to be 5 and we got him some Pokemon cards. Figured a Pokemon card was just what he'd like. I used the Creative Memories cutting system (which I love!) to make every one of the circles seen in the card. I started off with black card stock and cut the circle so that only a smidge of it was left un-cut so that it would be a full card. (get me?) The I cut a red and white circle from cardstock, a bit smaller than the card. I cut those circles in half and used one on the front of the card, and the other on the back. I added a strip of black cardstock across the middle of the circle. I attach the middle circles, alternating colors and using pop dots to raise the top two circles. The inside is printed in Pokemon font from Da Font and then colored in with yellow watercolor pencils. The inside circles are just white and red cardstock. He really enjoyed getting this card and I enjoyed making something for him. Thanks for stopping by.

waffles and blondes

2009-01-24T08:53:00.004+01:00

Waking up on a Saturday can be just peachy sometimes. Last night I'd gotten only 7 hours of sleep, since we've been watching The Mentalist on our laptop and didn't get to bed until 1am. Any of you seen it yet? The lead character, Simon Baker (aka the Blonde Deliciousness from Down Under) plays a man who sees fine details in situations and had once "faked" being a psychic until a murderer he'd sullied on TV decided to turn his family into his next victims. Now he's corroborating with the cops to help solve mysteries while getting closer and closer to the murderer that killed his family. Love The Mentalist.. watch it!

I seem to remember my oldest asking me while I was sound asleep if she could toast some waffles. She's almost 9, it's time she can use the toaster by herself. But I guess in the process of taking the Eggo out of the toaster, she sneezed all over her waffle, then just sat there, stunned and didn't know what to do. I woke up to "there's a booger on my waffle!". Dear Lord!

Even still, the weather is fairly lovely, we've got big plans to organize the house today, the kids are playing and not watching TV and I'm in a great mood.

My husband has decided to move his "man room" from the small cramped room he's in, into the bigger laundry room next to him. Which means, that I'll be taking over his old man room and finally have a craft room. So, I should post this, attach the pictures and get my shoes on since he wants to get started. By the way, thanks for reading my silly blogs.

j

Valentines Cards

2009-01-20T17:16:00.010+01:00

I worked on these today. Got stuck with a few of them, and a few almost became trash, but I figure "eh, what the hell!". Someone will think they are cute. Wanted to show off my new Martha Stewart heart punch, as well as some uber cute paper! Enjoy!

It's my Birthday!

2009-01-16T10:17:00.012+01:00

Fridays are great aren't they? Not only is today my 32nd birthday, but it's also a 3-day weekend and my husband has plans to take me out to dinner... without the kids!! I gotta show my love to my favoritest friend, Sheryl, for watching my offspring, for if it wasn't for her, we'd be spending my dinner at the bowling alley trying to buy off alone time with quarters for the machines.

I realized today just how lucky I am. I have people around me who care about me and who show it. Sheryl came by last night to give me my gift, which was a Martha Stewart leaf punch (luz it!) and a ceramic sign that says "Friends keep your secrets, laugh at your jokes and knows how to tell the difference". Or something like that. It makes me giggle to think about it, but she said "Looking at all that Martha Stewart shit made my head hurt". Just goes to show how much she loves me, enough to stare "evil" in the face! I'm still giggling. She also went outside her boundaries and "attempted" (as she put it) a pecan pie for my birthday cake. She knows that I adore pecan pies and they are my favorite.... but she tells me that she had to try it before she could give it to me... so I recieve it with a small section missing. It's all good, considering this is what I've done to it today:

This morning started with the sweet kisses from my husband. He says he has me trained since whenever
he goes to sit on the side of the bed to wake me up, I roll over with puckered lips. LOL. I hope I never have to stay the night in a hospital. The nurses and doctors will be getting some love from Mrs. Hahn!

The bus came to pick up the kids as usual, but at the second bus stop in our neighborhood, it was struck (while stationary, I might add) by a car that was backing out into the road. Needless to say, it was a bit dramatic and the kids are fine, but got to school late.

One after another, it was a stream of phone calls and instant messages with the hot topics of the bus incident and people giving me birthday wishes. It's only 10:30 and I'm hyped up on coffee and pecan pie and I've talked to almost everyone I know in Germany. (do you see why life just can't get any better?)

I've vowed to be in my pj's all day and do nothing but play Wii Guitar Hero. My darling husband is taking me to dinner, and then I'm gonna enjoy some wine when I get home. The weekend is full of glorious possibilities. Did I mention it's a 2-day weekend? LOL.

Just wanted to tell all of you who read my posts... thanks. I do this mostly to get out my feelings, but sometimes I think some of you will read these and laugh so hard that you spew coffee onto your computer screens. I actually like writing these, for it's a way to look back in the future on how I'm dealing with life right now.

Either way... thanks for being here.

j

Who loves 'no-school' days?

2009-01-14T08:32:00.011+01:00

I do! I do! I just wished I would have known a bit earlier so I could have gotten a few more zzz's. Oh well, at least I got 40 whole minutes on the computer alone this morning. It's Catey who gets up early, pretty much shooting rays of sunshine out of her rear. I don't know where she gets it! So, I guess today is mine....and now it's deciding what to do that's the problem. Do I clean house? It needs it, the bathrooms could use a scrubbin, the dishes need to be recycled in and out of the dishwasher, and I could round up at least 3 loads of laundry. Or do I give the dishes a quick clean up and then spend the rest of the day breaking up fights as I create something fabulous at the table?

My birthday is on friday. I'm going to be 21. Well, ok, maybe not, but really anything over that is none of your business. I really want this cake from Pink Cake Box

I convinced Jean to let me buy my own gifts this year and I got exactly what I wanted. My $200 craft order should be in by the end of next week, which is after my actual birthday, but it's $200 of craft stuff!!! Seriously, I can wait. I spent around $100 on Create For Less and then another $100 on Oriental Trading. I love both sites so very much. I kept thinking I should order Stampin' Up as well, but maybe it would be better to combine it with someone elses order to get the hostess benefits, since my order won't be enough on it's own. Did I mention I love my husband? My craft collection is growing more and more everyday, pretty soon I'll need an entire ROOM to put it all in.

We all seem to be over this flu-thing that we all had. Jean was the only one not to get sick, of which he swears it's because he chugs OJ when anyone is remotely ill. I'm thinking now, he might have the right idea.

j

Sundays are good days... for pj's

2009-01-11T16:35:00.008+01:00

Other than being a poet (LOL), my favorite thing to do is to be in my pj's all day long on cold sundays. I'm not sure what the actual temperature is here, but I can tell you that if I take a hot cup of coffee outside, it will be cold in 10 minutes.

Today is a good day. The laundry is done, lunch was delicious, I spent time with my kids watching The Night At The Museum, and tonight only shows the possiblity of a yummy dinner and playing Guitar Hero while my kids get bathed and dressed for bed. Then, tomorrow, it's back to the grind of school, work, and chores.

But it's sundays, slumbering into whatever room your feet take you to, that feels so good. Unfortunetly, my husband had to go into work for a few hours. Then again, when you are a soldier, you're on duty 24/7. Before he left, I kissed him and said, "play nice with the other soldiers hon!". God, I'm proud of him.

This past week was very trying. Each kid got sick at differnt times. I spent most of the week playing catch up on all the chores that I couldn't get done during the day. I just hope that it's passed and this next week will not only fly by, but will be better.

Tetris Schemtris

2009-01-09T11:28:00.009+01:00

I got an order for a custom card from my neighbor. She wants a card for a friend. Friend is 23, loves Tetris and is fun loving all around. After a few days of trying to get rid of the virus (of which we can see that's going to be a while) and trying to figure out how to make a card that holds up to my own standards... I came up with this:

Talk about a card that requires some patience and a steady hand. I had to score different colors of cardstock into very small squares, so that I can cut them out into the right "tetris" shapes. Even then, they didn't fit perfectly, but I think it turned out damned fine.

I had looked everywhere online for some ideas for making this card and I came up with BUBKISS! So, if I could eagerly say so, it's one of the first of it's kind. *grinning proudly, can you see me?* The customer was very pleased with the end result, which made me very happy. Now, I'd love love to hear how the birthday girl likes it! *fingers crossed*

If you'd like to see more, check out my gallery on Splitcoast Stampers.

why me?

2009-01-09T08:43:00.009+01:00

Why must mothers do the grossest jobs? Why is it that my gag-reflex is so much better than my husbands' that I'm the one doing the dirty work? Well, maybe it's the fabric that makes us mommies! It's the vomit-cleaning, the tantrum-calming, the "I stepped on a hotwheel while trying to pee at 2am", and the tons of coffee it takes to keep up that makes us the bad-ass mommies that we are. Right?

It's friday, one week since my oldest (aka Linda Blair) got sick, and now it's the second child, Catey, that's getting sick. I told you how the other children are when they get sick, now I will show you what Catey looks like:

It's the zombie like features, her silent "up chucking", and the sadness of it all that makes her special. She never misses the toilet, and always scurries back to the bed without a word.

I now understand what my mother meant when she said that all of her children were so alike, yet SO very different at the same time.

I'm just glad I don't have to pull out the "1.5 inches of mean action" rug cleaner that seems to give me hell everytime I use it.

It's cold

2009-01-07T13:17:00.002+01:00

It's cold here... 5 degrees Fah.....omg, my butt is soo frozen. Just thought you'd like to know.

j

Christmas books I've made

2009-01-07T11:29:00.025+01:00

After creating cards for many years, I decided to expand my work to notebooks. These are super simple to make, and pretty inexpensive too. Here's the recipe:

1 mini notebook with a metal spiral spine
2-4 sheets of your favorite colored cardstock
1 holepunch/eyelet setter - same size as holes in the notebook
corner-rounder punch
embellishments of your choice
Workspace with a hard mat
Needle-nosed plyers (2)

1. Take your notebook and with the plyers, form the metal to make a continous spiral (for easy removal from the notebook).

2. Remove the metal spiral by rotating it off the notebook and set aside. Take the original front and back cover from the notebook and measure it out onto your preferred cardstock.

3. Trace out the holes and overall size for the notebook on both the front and back cover. It is possible to make the notebook wider than the original, as long as the the height (or the lenght of the spine) is still the same.

4. Begin to cover your new front and back covers any way you choose, with whatever embellishments you prefer. I highly suggest that no elements cover the holes for the spine, as it's difficult to punch through so many layers, and you risk upsetting any balance to the notebook.

5. If you plan on putting in inserts (ie. for sections of a phonebook, or cookbook) then you can use the new front (or back) cover for tracing out the insets. Here, you can do inserts one of two ways. You can (1.) cut the inserts the SAME size as the covers and then attach tabs individually, having them jut out from the notebook. Or you can (2.) cut the inserts the same size as the cover, then trim away strips to "carve out" the tabs (making them level with the cover). Use the corner rounder to make it look like a tab. Did you get all that? I'll show you what I mean.

6. Once you have your front cover embellished and your inserts cut, now you can use your hole puncher or eyelet setter tool to make the holes for the spine. Put your book together in order, hold it tight, and then spiral the spine back on. Voila... a notebook!

Just one of those days

2009-01-07T09:16:00.007+01:00

Ever have one of those days? When at some point in time you want to curl up into a ball and call your mommy? I had one of those days yesterday.

I have three children. The oldest is Mattie. She's my science geek, book reader, smart-ass, just-like-momma, almost 9-year old. Well, she was sick on friday. She was up at 6am, vomitting in the bathroom. This is what she looks like when she's sick:

We are talking about screaming, crying, pathetic excuse for spitting, let the whole neighborhood know you are vomitting at THIS VERY MOMENT!

The "virus" lasted the day, and then it was gone. Tuesday (yesterday) rolls around and my youngest child, Alex wakes up vomitting too, at 5:45am. This is what he looks like when he's sick:

I walk, nay stumble, into the livingroom to see him standing there so matter-of factly, stating "MOM! I've just thrown up on the floor! Right there! You see it! I did that!". I shuffle out a "yes, alex, I can see that, now keep it down so you don't wake up the girls." He says "I should wake them up to tell them that I threw up on the floor!". I had to stop the boy! I've never seen someone so fine after getting sick, as if he just watched the whole thing instead of experiencing it. I clean it up as best as I can, then cover it with a towel until I can properly clean it up.

7am - Alex is laying on the couch, I'm trying to scoot my oldest out to the school bus and kiss my darling husband off to work, when disaster strikes. Alex has now vomitted down the side of my couch, and onto the floor below. We all shuffle for towels and garbage cans. It was madness. I rush to change the "I'm sick on the couch" set up with fresh linens, get the child cleaned up and head out to say goodbye to the rest of the family for the day. Afterwards, I got smart and set-up extra linens on the side so that I can do a NASCAR-worth 5-second bed change.

8am - After a few brief moments surfing emails, myspace, and the news, I pull out the carpet cleaner so I can clean up the mornings mess.
*This is where I veer to a story from 3 years ago, when I begged my dear husband for a carpet cleaner. Thinking he would bring home a large vacuum sized machine, he brings me the Bissel Spotlifter. What!?! How am I supposed to keep my livingroom cleaned with 1.5 inches of machine!!! If it was him in charge of cleaning, we would have the economy sized machine, but that's beside the point.*
I fill up the mini-machine, plug it in, and turn it on. The sprayer doesn't work, although the brissles still rotate and the machine still sucks. (literally) *ugh* No problem... just fill up my oh so expensive Ziplock bowl with the cleaner and water and put some elbow grease into action. Works pretty well for the first spot. I scoot over to clean the second spot when my hand accidentally hits the container and the cleaning solution flies (slow motion with the Jaws theme in my mind) all over a clean part of the carpet, barely missing the disgusting parts. *oh shit!* After looking at it for what seemed like forever, wishing life had a backspace button, I turn on the machine and suck up the water. I fill up the container again, and proceed to clean the vomit stain. I suck that up too. I walk into the kitchen where I stand over the sink to empty out the dirty, pukey, carpet water into the sink. As I do this, I stare out the window, dreaming of a life where this would never happen... this is my June Cleaver moment I guess.... and in my day-dreaming daze....I spill the dirty, pukey carpet water all down the front of me. I'd forgotten there were parts that open. *cummon!!* All of this before 9am!!!

The rest of the day didn't go so badly, even though he was still throwing up, and I only got a 10 minute nap on the couch. I almost prayed last night that I would be throwing up today just so I wouldn't have to deal with chores.

Being a mom is hard work. You get pulled here and there, against your will. You get spit on, bled on, puked on, pissed on, shit on, yelled at, looked up to, rarely thanked, underappreciated, laughed at, pitied, awarded, and expected to hold up the same consistancy day after day. There is no other place I'd rather be then right here, right now. With my chidren fighting over toys, my coffe cold and half gone, my laundry piled up, and all that I treasure in this world is alive and here with me. Being a mom can be pretty good sometimes, you just have to remember to keep on laughing and keep on keeping on.

First Impressions

2009-01-07T09:01:00.005+01:00

I've always thought first impressions were important... doesn't mean I don't screw things up here and there when it comes to first impressions, but my heart is in the right place. That's gotta count for something right?

I've been 'stalking' many blogs for a very long time. I've actually had this particular blog for months, but this is the first time I'm actually going to do something with it.

I'm a stamper... I make cards... I'm also interesting in making other creations like home decor, painting, and cooking. My favorite pasttimes, other than my children, are re-doing furniture or wall decor to make it my own. I adore looking at other peoples creations as well to get inspiration. God, I've found some talented people out there.

Growing up, I wanted to be the "June Cleaver" of my day.

Later, in my teens, I wanted to be the love child of Pat Benetar and Martha Stewart. I still want that now.. in my 30's, but I've come to realize that life just isn't like it is on TV... go figure. So, I try to do the best with what I have and I try to appreciate everyday of my life.

I have a great family that at times drive me insane... sometimes I can understand why some mothers eat their young. I try to laugh at every day things. My mother says that I need to keep a log of my daily trials, just so I can remember in the years to come. This was my catalyst to get this blog running. So, hopefully every day, maybe even several times a day, I will post what's on the brain. Hopefully you'll enjoy stalking me as I've done to so many others, and if you've gotten here by accident and roll your eyes... well then... what can I say.