Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Pile of Leaves - FREEBIE


{Credits: My newest kit "Pile of Leaves"}
Isn't he the cutest? I could take pictures of all my kids all day long and not get tired of it! Trying to pick just one or two or three pictures to scrap at a time...now that's HARD! LOL

I LOVE that the weather is finally starting to cool off a little {well not going over 100 degrees is cooler for us in AZ}! LOL Ok so mostly it's cooler in the evenings! Anyway, everyone is starting to decorate with fall colors and Halloween goodies! I just LOVE it!!

To celebrate the changes in weather & seasons, I have a goodie for you!!

I know I am SO LATE with this month's color challenge at DSO, but better late than never, right?! I actually started working on my kit way early in the month but never got back to it until tonight.

"Pile of Leaves"
It has 12 papers and 18 elements!


Download:


and


I would LOVE to see anything you make using my kit!

Thanks!!

Happy Scrapping!!

Monday, September 29, 2008

Yatta!


Ben & I LOVE Heroes! Last week's 2-hour Season Premiere was AWESOME!!! So much happened & it was really fast pace! Can't wait for tonight's episode! We are so locked into this show! We love to hate Sylar and our favorite Hero is probably Hiro Nakamura. His power is really cool & he cracks us up!

Do you watch this show? Who's your favorite character?

Sunday, September 28, 2008

I've Been Tagged

by my Sister-in-Law, Merrianne!

I have the hardest time trying to think of weird/random things about myself {that I want to share}.

So, here goes...

1} I can't whistle very well. I think it's really cool when people can whistle actual tunes. My hubby can do it really good (makes me a little jealous)!

2} I really LOVE my new Swivel Sweeper! One of my neighbors has one and raved about it, so I found it online and got it! I hate sweeping so this makes my job so much easier (esp since most of our house has stained concrete floors - only carpet in the bedrooms)!!!

3} I usually only get my hair cut like once a year! I am secretly scared of going because I am having a hard time finding someone who will cut it the way I want it. I only had my hair exactly how I wanted a few times. Once was in Texas but it cost me like $80 (and that's because she also styled it without asking - but no washing - I always wash my own hair right before I go & arrive with wet hair) and it was AWESOME! Since I can't afford to spend that much, I can't seem to find someone who can do it how I like! How hard is it to cut straight across, then add a few long layers all around & taper a little in the front (and no bangs)?!!! If I could do it myself, I would. I checked and the last time I had my hair cut was 9/10/07! Think I'm due? YES!! Oh and each time I usually have 6-8 inches cut off because my hair grows so fast & it's too long by the time I have it cut!

4} Ok, Dad, if you're reading this, cover your eyes or skip this one!
Sorry to say, I pop my knuckles! Yes, I am the person behind you making that *snap, crackle & pop* noise! Actually ALL my joints pop! It's totally weird and I don't mean to do it, but they do! Yep, I'm probably going to have arthritis like my Dad warned me when I was younger! Ooops I should've listened to my Dad!

5} According to the dentist, I clench my jaw & grind my teeth. How can they tell? Well, your jaw is pretty strong and over time, I have chipped a few molars & worn them down because of clenching/grinding. They want me to wear a night guard, although, I catch myself clenching during the day. Ooops! I try not to, but somehow it feels good. Weird, I know!
6} I am totally addicted to Bath & Body Works antibacterial hand soaps! I love the scents (esp the new Enchanted Orchid)! I love the sales (5 for $15 or 7 for $20 ~ who can resist that?)! I have a cupboard full of them, yet I find myself wanting to get MORE. I also LOVE the Wallflowers (my house smells like Cinnamon & Clove Buds, except for the kids' bathroom that's Black Raspberry Vanilla)! And they have the new fall scents! Don't worry Ben, I've banned myself from that store for a while! LOL

7} My pregnancy with Anson was considered kind of high-risk. I found out with at the half-way mark ultrasound. They spent a long time looking at his heart. I wondered if everything was ok & you know the techs aren't allowed to tell you anything. My doctor told me that I had Single Umbilical Artery (SUA) which means that the cord only has ONE artery & ONE vein when it normally has TWO arteries & ONE vein. He said that the baby was fine for now and they had to watch him carefully. Apparently the baby can develop heart problems or low birth weight due to malnourishment. In the last trimester, at the end of every dr visit, I had to spend about 30 minutes taking the non-stress test. Basically I was hooked up to the baby monitor and had to count EVERY baby movement by clicking a button. Like clockwork, Anson was taking a nap during these tests, so I would have to spend extra time trying to massage my tummy or drinking orange juice (which gave me severe heartburn) trying to stimulate him. One time I even had to leave to eat lunch, then come back to see if he woke up! As soon as I would get in my car and drive home, BOOM! He'd wake up and do a HUGE somersault! Why couldn't they record THAT? I would stress a little about *what if* problems, but Ben gave me a blessing to calm me down. Anyway, he was born totally fine & his birth weight was normal. NO KNOWN PROBLEMS! YAY!!

Allright, so now you know some of my quirks, what are yours?

Now I tag:



**EDIT**
I have 2 bonus tags:

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Baptism & Scouts

This was an incredible baptism today! Like I said earlier, Jasen has been afraid to go under water for a long time. After months of practicing, HE finally told his parents that he was READY! There were some great speakers including Mark Mabry (the photographer of the amazing Reflections of Christ portraits that were displayed at the Temple), a sweet musical number (one girl played the violin and Anson was so excited & said kind of loudly "Nathaniel & Felicia have a violin too!" LOL), a couple kids reciting scriptures (Jasen's sister Brianna was one of them & she did GREAT), and 7 cute kids all ready to be baptized!

When Jasen went under the water, I got a little teary-eyed because it was so AMAZING and he didn't look scared at all! I know our Heavenly Father was with Jasen today! He's such a happy little guy! I'm so proud of him!
Jasen & his Mom
One of Patsy's friends made this delicious cake that looks like the Golden Plates!
How cool is that?
Brianna, Jasen, Patsy & Brian
{aren't they a cute family}

Patsy & Brian
My Mom, Patsy & ME
While I was uploading & editing these photos, my Cub Scout returned home! He had a BLAST at Day Camp! He also received this cool shirt!
He made a bunch of fun things & said this was one of his BEST DAYS EVER!!! I told him that he should write all about it in his journal so he doesn't forget.
Get this...he said "How could I ever forget THIS day?!"
I'm glad he had such a WONDERFUL DAY!

And it's not over yet...

Saturday is a Special Day

{can't help but sing the Primary song when I think of that}

Nathaniel is SO EXCITED for Cub Scout Day Camp today!!! A sweet family in our ward picked him up bright and early this morning to take him! THANK YOU! It's from 8-2. He wishes it was longer! He is such a cute Cub Scout! {Reminder to self - need to add his Bear patch & arrows on scout shirt}

Today one of my oldest {not OLD but known her since I was born} & dearest friends, Patsy, is celebrating her son's baptism today! He turned 8 in June but has been very scared to put his head under water as long as they can remember, so they spent the summer trying to help him get past his fear. Now he feels ready! So, we're going to celebrate with him! YAY! And she's having lunch at her house afterwards! FUN! Haven't gotten to hang out with her in a while.

Since General Conference is coming up next weekend, tonight is the wonderful General Relief Society Broadcast. I love going to listen to the awesome speakers! I always come away feeling totally uplifted and renewed! I also feel very blessed to be a woman, daughter, sister, wife & mother! Our stake is also having a big salad buffet after. I signed up to bring a salad. Can't wait to socialize and munch too. {FYI - my Mom told me that the RS Broadcast should be on the BYU channel tonight at the same time for those who cannot attend in person. Check your listings to see what time & channel.}

Oh and my sister-in-law, Merrianne, just tagged me! So, I'll be thinking of 7 things you don't know about me! Hopefully I'll have time to post later today (if I can think of that many things)! LOL

HAVE A GREAT SATURDAY!!!

Friday, September 26, 2008

Guess Who...

has a blog?!
Give up?
OK
My awesome hubby!!!
I helped him create his blog and he finally did his first post! He doesn't think he needs a blog and feels weird writing stuff about himself. So please go check out his blog, leave a comment & make him feel welcome in the blogging world!
THANKS! You guys are the BEST!!!
Oh, you probably want the link right?
Go HERE

Thursday, September 25, 2008

CONGRATULATIONS!!

I used http://www.random.org/ to select the winner of my Blog Birthday Surprise!


#47 Janan
Janan said...
Kaiya's
September 22, 2008 3:23 PM


{I know her comment doesn't make sense because it's one of MANY! hahaha}


I was excited to have so many comments that I decided to pick 2 more winners!
Janan had posted SO MANY comments (luv ya) that when I counted out the comments, it was JANAN again! LOL I had to keep hit the AGAIN button twice on Random.org to get these winners:


#22 Julie
Crazymamaof6 said...
So GNO this week!are you excited?i totally am... i guess.yes i am . i love a night out.it's been too dang long.
September 21, 2008 11:56 PM


#4 Charlie
charlie said...
Happy Birthday to your blog..Happy birthday to your blog..and I hope(as its one of my favs) there are many more!!!!!!!!!!mwahhhhhhh
September 21, 2008 3:30 PM

Charlie, I need your mailing address. You can email me at andreadickinson [at] yahoo [dot] com so I can get your gift to you!

THANK YOU for all the WONDERFUL comments!!!! I feel SO LOVED!!! Those of you who were posting more than one comment were cracking me up!!! LOVE YOU ALL!! :)
I wanted to post pics of your surprise, but Blogger won't let me right now. UGH! I'll have to come back and try later!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Happy Birthday Bloggy!!!

{photo from PinkCakeBox}

TODAY my blog is ONE YEAR OLD!!! wow!
{isn't that the prettiest cake? when I saw it I just had to show it off}

I want to THANK Julie for inspiring me to start my own blog! I just LOVE reading her blog daily! Mine is not nearly as fun & interesting & exciting as hers, but that's OK. I have accepted that she is WAY cooler than I am. LOL

I also want to THANK all my blog friends & real friends that read and comment on my blog! I just LOVE comments! You all make me feel so SPECIAL! And I LOVE reading all your blogs! I LOVE the laughs, sad times, good times & hard times that y'all have shared!

To CELEBRATE this great year of blogging by keeping in touch with friends, making new friends & learning new things, I'd like to host a GIVEAWAY!!! YAY!!!

Yep, you heard me...
it's my BLOG BIRTHDAY
and
YOU
get a PRESENT!!!

I'm going to keep it a surprise, but when I pick a winner, then I'll show you what you've won!
{oh and sorry but it's not Halloween related}
It's just a little sumthin I saw and thought it was cute to share!


Now here's how to enter:
LEAVE A COMMENT on this post!!!
Simple, huh?

Leave as many comments as you like and I'll randomly pick a winner!
{you don't have to have a blog to enter,
but if you don't have a blog please leave me your email address}

So, if you've read my blog & never commented, now is the time to introduce yourself! I LOVE making new friends!!

Hmmmm I think I'll end it on Wednesday at midnight!
(that's September 24th)

Now go on...leave me some LUV :)

Thursday, September 18, 2008

I can't stand these...

Have you had to wrestle with these before? These types of nozzles at the Chevron stations frustrate me! Maybe I'm spoiled {nah that can't be it} but these are so much harder than the regular gas pump nozzles!

I'm used to just placing the nozzle in the gas tank, grab the lever and set the *hold* trigger, then I go sit in my car & listen to music & talk to the kids while I fill up the tank. BUT you can't do that with these stupid things! You have to SHOVE the nozzle in the gas tank, HOLD it there using your body weight behind it, then grab the lever & set the *hold* trigger & continue to HOLD it in there tight otherwise it stops at the slightest nudge! Oh and some stations don't have the *hold* trigger, so you have to HOLD the nozzle in your tank & HOLD the lever at the same time! UGH!!!!

Can you tell I had to get gas today? And I stopped at the WRONG station? YEP, I got to do all those horrible steps while Anson sat in the car sweating & wondering why I didn't come back to hang out with him. THEN I also got to pay $60 to fill the whole tank because I think I was running on fumes & HAD to fill up that instant!

I remember when lots of gas stations had these *black boots* installed on their pumps. I hated it back then too! But don't know what happened because many stations removed them. YAY!!! This is why I avoid Chevrons! And they're usually a few cents MORE per gallon too!

Oh and it took me 4-ever to find this stupid pic! I found another one but that site wanted like $50 just to snag the picture online! WHAT??? Oh well, finally found it so you would know what the heck I was talkin' about!

Ok I'm done with my rant! LOL

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Discoveries & Fun Times

Oh my gosh! Have you seen this show on the Discovery channel?

I saw my first two episodes yesterday! {this was the only pic I could find - the dvd set but I watched on tv} I was totally glued & freaked out a little! Chilling goosebumps constantly on my legs! These shows are re-enactments of 'real' haunting/ghost stories but names are usually changed. WILD & interesting!

Ok, the only reason I even found this show was because the tv was still on the same channel from Sunday evening. Ben and I (and a kid or two) watched several episodes all about Dinosaurs. Not just any show though, it was all about the creatures who roamed the earth before dinosaurs and the evolution that led up to dinosaurs. It was so interesting & cool! It wasn't all boring talk it was computer generated dinosaurs & what the earth probably looked like WAY back then! We also watched Secrets of a Dinosaur Mummy, which was totally AWESOME! Some paleontologists found dinosaur remains {they named him Leonardo} that were fossilized & mummified in the Badlands in Montana! They theorized that the dinosaur died & fell into water, then was immediately entombed in mud {mummified} then when the water dried up it fossilized. SO COOL!! They went thru great lengths to get x-rays & gamma-rays & even special time at NASA to use their equipment. They were able to see the dinosaur's organs & whole digestive tract & scales on their skin, etc. It was really incredible!

Ok 'nuff of interesting discoveries! LOL

Yesterday Ben & Anson went swimming. I was tired from *power yoga* & didn't feel like it. So I watched them {from inside the house}. They were so cute playing together! Then one of the times I went outside, they were both chillin' on their own rafts! TOO CUTE! Sad I didn't get a pic of them!

Nathaniel was in charge of Family Home Evening (FHE) last night. However, we started finding fun songs online and the kids migrated quickly to the computer room for singing & dancing! So, we considered that our family time! haha Suddenly it was bedtime. We told him he could do the lesson another day this week. He was ok with that.

Today went to lunch at Barro's. Ben came with me and turned out that Alicia's hubby & Julie's hubby both came too. It was like a 'couples lunch'! It was so much FUN!! We should do it again! Thanks for the great time ladies & hubbies!!

I'm excited because tonight, I'm going with some friends to see the movie The Women. It's full of wonderful actresses & looks funny!


I'll let you know what I think. Have you seen it?

Friday, September 12, 2008

Remembering 9/11

I wanted to post about this yesterday. I remember exactly where I was 7 years ago.

Ben and I were still asleep and my Mom called to tell me to TURN ON THE TV we've been ATTACKED! I was trying to wake up and hear what she was saying. I was in SHOCK! I woke up Ben immediately and told him what was going on. From then on, I was watching the news almost non-stop for the next week. Nathaniel (3) & Felicia (2) watched with me & I tried to explain a little of what was going on. It was a sad day! One that we will remember always!

At school, the kids talked about it too. Ashley even made this cute chain in patriotic colors.
Everything she makes lately goes on her wall, this one she wanted to hang above her bed (she has the top bunk). But it's not just a red, white & blue chain, she has things written on it too.

I was impressed at the words Ashley chose (the teacher wrote a few things on the board to help the kids get started).

Here's what her chain says:
{starting from the blue link on the bottom - which she calls the top or where she started}
Blue - Never Give Up
Red - I LOVE my country
White - Don't be afraid to STAND
Blue - Everyone is a HERO
Red - Stand up for what you BELIEVE
White - I CAN make a difference
Blue - Never Give Up
Red - Everyone is a HERO
White - I LOVE my country

Some of them repeat but I just LOVE this! Oh she also said that the RED links stood for the Firefighters, BLUE for the Police Officers, and WHITE for normal people (civilians).

I had tears in my eyes when I read all her links and what the colors represented. I am so grateful for everyone who was brave & willing to help on that tragic day! Those who were lost will always be remembered!

Crazy Fun Week

I didn't realize I hadn't posted since Sunday evening! WOW!

Here's the week recap:

Monday was pretty good. Felicia planned our whole Family Home Evening (FHE) for that night. She wanted to talk about Baptism and the Sacrament. I helped her only a tiny bit because she wanted pictures to go with her lesson, so I got them out for her. She did GREAT! We all discusssed her lesson & she asked questions & we played a little game! She's a really good teacher/leader! She also planned a little time for Ashley to show off some of her most recent art! Ashley was so excited to do that!

Tuesday my back was FINALLY feeling better! I went to the gym with Alicia & worked our butts off! Oh and Ben actually joined us to check out the class we were doing. He's not a big fan of the classes, but tried it for me. He agreed that it was a good workout, but he probably won't do it again. After the gym, I was off to Barro's for lunch with Anson & friends. He enjoys going there.

Oh oh - and I have exciting news - my SIL Heather (and her son Trevor) moved back! So Ben went to the airport to pick them up & spent most of the day at his Mom's house with his sisters.

Dinner time was super funny! We were ALL laughing hysterically at the table, Ben was even spitting out food from laughing so hard! HAHAHA We were talking about *cooties* and remembering what kids we thought had them when we were in grade school. It was the worst when we had to do square dancing in P.E. and I did NOT want certain boys to even touch my hands! Eeeewww! Part of it was to tell Nathaniel not to be gross at school cuz then the girls won't like him! LOL Ben told me that he was probably one of the gross kids & I wouldn't have liked him if I had known him when we were younger!

That night Ben and I also got to meet Ashley's new teacher. The classes were pretty big so they just hired a 4th teacher and Ashley got moved to the new class this week. She was actually pretty excited about it. Her new teacher seems really motivated & has some great ideas for the kids. We also talked to the teacher she had been with this last month. She was sad to lose Ashley & she said she was doing GREAT! Then we got to have a little key lime cheesecake for dessert! It was delicious!!

Wednesday we went to the gym again and Ben tried the different class with us again. He liked it but again probably won't go again, he'd rather do his own workout. I'm just glad that he checked it out with me. It was fun having him there too. And boy was I sore after 2 days of full body workouts. That's what I get for layin' around all last week because of my stupid back spasm!

Nathaniel & Felicia have had several orchestra classes now and are still happy to be trying it out.

Umm I think this was the night of the 15 minute burst of rain. It was pretty cool. I went to see my Dad to pick up some more fresh peaches & Nathaniel called to let me know that it had rained about 10 inches (in case I didn't know). HAHAHA Ok, Arizona maybe gets 10 inches in one year! LOL He's too cute!

Thursday (which is still Today for me even though I'm typing this really late at night) was fun! I got to spend lots of time reading books with Anson. He brought me a stack of little Nemo books (ok these are Phonics books and consist of maybe 4-5 pages with one or two sentences on each page - they're for beginner readers). There are 13 in the set, but I think one was missing. He is a HUGE Nemo fan so he just loved these. He hasn't let me read very many stories to him. He likes to look by himself. So this was kind of exciting. I didn't make it to the gym because we were having a sweet *moment* even though it lasted almost 2 hours. He wanted me to keep reading & keep reading another then another then another! HAHAHA I LOVE spending time with him while the kids are at school. I have to take what I can get because he'll start school next year.

Friday is BUNKO!!! Need I say more?! LOL

Allright this turned into a novel. Gotta get to bed, so I can get some work done tomorrow. My house is trashed but I had a GOOD day with Anson (and Nathaniel, Felicia & Ashley once they got home from school)! YAY for happy good days!!!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Pictures, a Layout & a FREEBIE

Labor Day was so much FUN for us. We went swimming and I took lots of fun pictures! I totally can't believe how good Anson can swim! Last summer he was using a swim vest and this summer he hasn't used it at all. He started out just hanging out by the steps and dunking his head now & then. Now he can swim across the shallow end (as long as I'm at the other end with my hands reached out for him to grab). And that's with his face in the water! He is doing great! We have the cutest fish for kids! Well, Ashley thinks she's a Mermaid! LOL

The kids absolutely LOVE it when Ben is home & swims with us because he can lift the kids & toss them high in the air! Here's Ashley *flying*
Felicia way up there
Nathaniel getting tossed
Anson isn't quite ready for that yet!


Oh, here's the cool scratch post we got for Ginger.
She likes it, but she's not quite sure about the perches!
Ben rubbed catnip all over it to get her interested in it.

She hasn't been a fan of the catnip toys but straight from the jar & she's in heaven! She was rubbing all over that thing! It was hilarious!
Then she just sort of laid there just chillin'! hahahaha
Not really sure what the attraction is with catnip, but she definitely LOVED it!


Some days Ashley & Anson play together FABULOUSLY! Other days not so much. Luckily, this was one of the good days! They both found their bears that kind of match & have little sweaters. Suddenly they thought it was a good idea to take them to the bathroom & pretend to teach them how to use the potty! I asked them to do it again, so I could take pictures!

I'm not really sure why the step stool is on the potty, but Ashley said it was to *help* the bears! LOL

Anson's bear was up next. They even used a little toilet paper. tee hee

They also pretended to wash their bear hands & dry them. At least they're practicing good hygiene, right?! Well, they were having fun & not arguing at all, so I didn't mind what they were doing!
Yesterday we had our ward Primary activity day! The Primary Presidency went all out & set up water olympic stations! They all got to pretend they were someone from the scriptures & get wet at the same time! The kids had a BLAST!!!
At the end, there was a kiddie pool and tons of kids jumped in (including Ashley & Anson) and splashed everywhere! The older kids grabbed some of the buckets & water bottles (used in the games) to fill with water & pour on other kids! It was hilarious watching all the kids run everywhere playing and having FUN!

I thought the pictures of Ashley & Anson with their bears were so cute, so I had to use them for a layout. {It's also for the DSO Template challenge}

{Teriann Hanks "Blocky Template"}

I used my newest kit "Mimzy"

{which is on SALE right now - SAVE 20%}

I also have a little surprise for YOU!

I made this ADD-ON and you can have it FREE
{for a limited time}

If you want it, better hurry...

*sorry link has expired*

Please leave a comment if you snag it. Thanks!

I would LOVE to see anything you have created using any of my kits!

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Flavored Popcorn, Bag Reveal & Mimzy

Yesterday, my Mom and I went to see The House Bunny. Oh my goodness! It was HILARIOUS!!! We were the only two people in that theater room, so it felt kind of like a private viewing. It was cool. We just laughed & laughed the entire time! Also, my Mom introduced me to the wonders of flavored popcorn! We went to a Harkins Theater and apparently you can add powdered flavorings {and it's self-serve}. We got a large bag and poured some of it in a little baggie. In the big bag we poured lots of butter & powdered white cheddar. Mmmm it was good! Then in the smaller bag, I poured tons of butter & powdered caramel flavoring. WOW it was DELICIOUS!!! And yep, we ate all the popcorn! When we were leaving, we got the free refill and did the same thing again (divided white cheddar & caramel), so I could bring it home to the kids. They loved it too!

Then we went to Subway for our yummy fresh sandwiches & went shopping for a baby gift for my friend Melanie who's having a baby soon! Went to her baby shower today & she got tons of CUTE baby clothes - enough to fill a whole closet! She's going to be one fashionable baby! All the gals who put together the shower did an excellent job! Tons of CUTE decorations & delicious food!!

Last chance for my first grab bag!


I thought I'd show you what's in my bag:

My new kit - "Felicia's Flowers"
{which is more than the cost of the bag}

There are 13 papers {7 solids & 6 patterned)

And 39 Elements

A set of 6 Quick Pages


Do you like hand-made cards? Have you tried hybrid?

Here is a set of printable cards!

{These are just the *face* of the cards, so you can print & add to the front of folded paper or leave extra space when you print so you can just print & fold. You can also add extra embellishments if you want.} One is 5x5 inches & the other 3 are 5x7 inches.

One card says "Congratulations" and another one says "Thinking of You" and the other two are wordless.

Sunday is the last day of the sale for my grab bag!!

I almost forgot...I also have another new kit that just released today! And it's ON SALE!!! SAVE 20% off for one week only!!

"Mimzy"

Here's a better look at the papers

This was a fun kit to make. I just love these gorgeous colors! Check back tomorrow because I may have a little surprise for you!

Hope you're having a good weekend!

I need to finish working on my primary lesson for church tomorrow morning & get the kids in bed. I think they keep sneaking out to watch cartoons! haha

Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday FUN & Another HINT

My Mom and I are off to see The House Bunny today! We've wanted to see it since we saw the first coming attraction! I love Anna Faris and it looks so cute & funny!!
But not before I get to wash my bedding first. Let me just say that I HATE washing bedding. Well, it's not the washing part I dislike cuz I can get that part done pretty quickly with my awesome front-loader washer/dryer. It's making the bed that I don't like, especially the kids' bunk beds! AND I'm not washing my bedding because I WANT to it's because I HAVE to. Anson snuck in our room in the middle of the night or really early this morning (not really sure when) but Ben woke up around 3 or 4am because his foot touched a WET spot on our bed! EEEeeeewwww! Anson was next to me and very dry. He found out he had snuck in our bed near the foot and wet the bed, then changed and cuddled up next to me. Sneaky sneaky little guy!

It probably soaked thru our mattress pad again, so I'll get to wash our mattress too! UGH! He did that a few weeks ago and I had to get out the carpet/furniture cleaner & scrub the mattress and let it air out ALL day before I could put the sheets back on at bedtime!

I guess it's a good thing I'll be gone most of the day hanging out with my MOM! :)

Ok time for another shameless plug for my grab bag {sale ends Sunday}!

And here's another HINT. I made this layout using goodies in my grab bag.
Isn't she a CUTE kitty?! She's such a little sweetie!! She is the funniest when she's playing *laser chase*! She loves to chase the little red light from the laser pointers! Last night I was in the bathroom and she hopped in the tub to lay down. So I turned on the laser and had her skidding around the tub. It was hilarious!! I also love hearing the kids giggle like crazy when they're playing *laser chase* with her!!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Update & FREEBIE

I've been taking Ibuprofen throughout the day and a couple of pain pills, so my back is feeling kinda OK for now. It's still a little swollen just in the sore area. Anyway, I'll probably be back to normal in the next day or so. I know it took Ben several days to get better (and he even had to go to work during his most painful days).

Went with a big group of friends (well, to be honest I only knew about 4 people and met everyone else for the first time there) to see this show on Tuesday evening. It was FUN getting out and I'd have to say the musical was just OK. The actors/dancers were great & their voices were fantastic, but I only knew the very last song and some of it was boring. Maybe it was just my pain pill making me sleepy, but I like to be entertained way more than this show. Plus it was kinda racy. Definitely not one for kids. It was still a BLAST being out with friends chatting & giggling! Thanks Tangie for getting the tickets, and Cami & Molly for the the fun chat (and ride)! It was fun meeting all the rest of the group too!
I'm excited because I got a huge box of fresh peaches today! Well, my parents and I split the box & my Dad did an excellent job dividing it almost perfectly in half. I told him to step on their scale to make sure he wasn't jipping me! I was totally kidding & had to laugh when he walked into the kitchen with the bathroom scale. HAHAHA Turns out he was only ONE pound off! WOW!! Good Job Dad!! So, we get to enjoy our yummy peaches for the next week (if they last that long)!

My FIRST grab bag is ONLY $3 until Sunday, so if you haven't stopped by DSO yet, better hurry!

Time for another clue. . . Here's another layout I made using stuff from my bag.
If you haven't heard of My Meebas, don't feel out of the loop. I didn't know anything about them until Ashley found a link on one of her cartoon websites. Of course, my kiddos are totally sucked in by the commercials or any kind of *fun* advertising! LOL Anyway, it's a little game and you keep playing until your "meeba" is fully grown & then the top pops open & out comes your cute little "meeba"! Oh and it's a surprise, you don't know what exactly is going to pop out! Ashley loves it!

Have you seen Tina's Commercial Use Overlays at DSO? She has 3 sets & they are great! She gave me this set so I could play around with them & make a little giftie for you guys! Isn't she so SWEET?!!! Thanks Tina!!

Here it is . . . my FREEBIE for YOU!!! It's a set of 6 papers! I like the way these papers turned out, so maybe I'll make some more stuff to go with it later.

If you want these papers {personal use}

*sorry link has expired*

Please leave a comment if you snag them! Thanks!

Happy Scrapping!!

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Muscle Spasm & Little HINT

Hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day yesterday! WE did! After my big bargain shopping spree, we swam with the kids, then got Ginger (our cat) a scratching post {she's scratching our box spring mattress on the corners}, and went to the grocery store. I let the kids get a little candy & some donuts, then used my raincheck to get some chicken to BBQ for dinner. We had decided to skip lunch (there had been lots of snacking all day) since it was getting late and go to the store, then have kind of an early dinner. Otherwise, no one would be hungry for dinner if we ate lunch at 3pm. While we were at the store, Ben says "whoever came up with that plan is LAME cuz I'm starving!" I reminded him it was HIS idea & I was starving too! LOL

Dinner was delicious - Ben is awesome with the grill! Then we watched this movie while the kids watched cartoons!
It was HILARIOUS!!! We loved it!

Ben & I were putting some clean laundry away just before we went to bed, and I was reaching for a hanger to put the last item away when OUCH!!! The muscles all across the middle of my back totally spasmed & I could hardly breathe or move! So I just stood there in the closet with my skirt in one hand trying to breathe. Ben was watching tv {which is just to the right of our closet} and didn't notice for a minute or two (of course being in pain it seemed longer). He finally jumped up & asked if I was ok. I told him what happened! I mean what did it look like I was doing - playing *freeze tag*?! haha He grabbed the skirt & hung it up for me while I tried to get to my bed. Being the super sweet hubby that he is, he massaged my back for at least an hour!

When I got up this morning my back was feeling ok but while I was brushing Ashley's hair it super-spasmed again! YIKES! Dang it hurts! It's OK right now but I can't move very quickly or do much. Ben had this same thing happen to him a couple weeks ago & I kinda teased him because he would make funny faces & noises during a spam! I know totally mean, but I can't always help it when something's funny! Now I know realize I shouldn't laugh when he's in pain cuz now I know how bad it feels! LOL

Just a reminder that my FIRST grab bag is ONLY $3 for this week only!

Since all I've been doing today is laying down or sitting, I worked on a layout to give you a little hint of what's in my bag!
And Luisa sent me this lovely layout using some of my grab bag
Isn't her daughter the cutest?!!

Have a good evening!!