Month in Review: January 2011

YAY! I remembered for January!

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Um, yeah, I got nothing.  I read Weight Watchers magazine and Cooking Light.

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
I've been watching a lot of "Criminal Minds" oddly enough.  I don't think we actually managed to watch any real movies except for the Uncensored episode of Family Guy that my husband got for Christmas...

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
We did a lot with friends and family this month. DS has been playing indoor soccer and getting really good!  Last week, he scored 7 goals!  We had  a surprise baby shower for a family from base and also had to say goodbye to a good set of friends as they are dealing with a move and a deployment all at once. 
My family came down to a Thirty-One preview party this past weekend and it was a great time to visit and enjoy each others' company since we hadn't really had the chance since Christmas.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Spending my birthday with my husband and kids was all I needed as I turned 30 this month.  My mom sent me a milk frother and a beautiful Cinderella statue which my daughter immediately saw and wanted to admire. :)  And my dear friend sent us a wonderful box of Christmas and birthday goodies.  The kids loved their echo mirophones and my new notebook and penguin ornament were perfect. :)

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Not a whole lot...  Saving up for next month!

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
This month was a mess.  I finally had some blood work ran and it was "normal" and then I started having galbladder attacks/spams which put me in the ER and on pain meds for a while.  Add on a second root canal and crown and I'm just ready to feel better.

What were my accomplishments this month?
I finished DD's quilt and I also finished the first month of the P365!  I ran an 8 mile race and lost my first toe nail to running!  I also recruited 3 members to my Thirty-One team and am super excited to help them get Qualified and feel confident in their business opportunity!  I was also accepted to 2 new scrapping CT's- Jo Hanna Designs & Edeline Marta Designs, both at TwoPeasinaBucket.

What were my disappointments this month?
The insurance company really messed up and told me the wrong insurance dates so I may be out of pocket for my root canal and crown.  And my tooth/mouth still is sensitive to hot and cold.  Bummer...

How did I do on my goals for the month?
Pretty good, all things considered.  Didn't get a book read, but you know, no big deal.

Anything else noteworthy to include?
The kids are thrilled about our upcoming trip next month.  We are too.  We are ready to get out of this cold!  Tonight, they are calling for at least half an inch of ice and it's already started!  And last month, there were 2 early release days on base due to snow.  It's been really yucky weather wise.  DS keeps asking if it's time for Spring yet and I couldn't agree more!  He's also been asking about family... if someone is still family when they aren't in our house with us.  And it's breaking my heart knowing we'll have to tell him soon that our family will be apart for a while.  I'm excited to find ways to try and keep us close but I know it'll just not be the same.  So for now, enjoy today!

Project 365: Week 4

Project 365: Week 4

Project 365: 2011 Version by Joey Lynn Designs
I thought I'd include the journaling here as it's sort of hard to read:
Sat:
Meet Analiese the octopus.

Baby girl sleeps with her now.
Sun:
These should line up with overlap.

Sigh... 1 more seam.won’t hurt.
This is my first large quilt.
Mon:
I love my Thirty-One Business!
C&C Meeting: got awesome gift!
Tues:
Analiese was reading this little fake plastic book to her little baby pony tonight. She made up a little story and told it to the pony.

So sweet.
Wed:
I love the internet.

But I send a lot of cards.
And Hallmark is my gold standard.
Thur:
No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books. ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Fri:
Thank you Miss Kendall!

True friends are deeply missed.
 
An Old Memory:
My grandpa has been on my heart SO much this week. Two years ago, Jan 25, 2009, we lost Grandpa. He’d gone downhill quickly and it wasn’t a “surprise” but it was sudden and it hurt. It still does.
 
I miss him so much. He was an amazing man. He was a Godly man who put family, friends and his faith above wordly things. He supported us no matter what bad choice we made... what turn our lives took.
My favorite memory is singing Christmas carols in the old truck with a broken CB radio. My call sign was “Bubbles La {Special Name}” and I was the best vocalist on the radio!

Giveaway Time

I mentioned my Thirty-One Business recently.  :)

And now, I'm giving something away.  I know how everyone loves a giveaway.  Pop on over to my Facebook page.  I'd love for you to Like my page, but legally, that's a No-No, so just comment in the Discussion thread for the chance to win. 

A winner will be selected at Random from the Comments left and will be notified via Facebook by 7pm on Jan 29th.

It's important the recipient reply to their notification with pattern choice & embroidery selection by 7pm Jan 30th. Your tote will be shipped to you as soon as possible which means, you'll also need to provide me with your shipping address.

Want to be sure to get one? Or want to stock up for some spring gifts?  Order yours here:

Thanks so much!  As I say in my post, I sincerely appreciate all who support me through kind words, encouragement, sales, hostessing and blessing their own lives by starting their own business!

Have a GREAT weekend.  And watch your FB messages :)

Need free kits & an awesome team environment?

Look no further!  We need you!

If you’re a potential creative team member, find out all the details and apply to join us here:

Owl Tree Studio Creative Team Call


On the flip side, if you’re a digital scrapbook designer and want to aggressively grow your business in 2011, find out all the details about joining the OTS design team here:
Owl Tree Studio Design Team Call



Check out my OTS gallery for a sampling of what I've created with the awesome kits I get monthly in exchange for promoting the OTS area and participating in the community.

Hope to see you hooting real soon!

So, about that awesome freebie?!?

Did you go download it yet?  Well, then go...  it's okay... I'll wait. ;) 

Bare Essentials by Jo Hanna Designs

Here's what I did with it.

Be*U

Enjoy & happy scrapping!

Freebie in Every Layout!

TwoPeas has some awesome new stuff debuting today.  And me, lucky enough to be on the CT for 3 designers :)  Whether a template or kit, there's a freebie in each layout, but HURRY! One ends today and you won't want to miss it!

First up, the awesome new kits by Kerry Stewart: Snow Much Fun.  Pick the color combo you like and off you go! Or mix and match for more fun.  She's offer the kits in many ways (full, papers, etc) to help you find just what you want.  Here's my son making snow angels with our latest snow fall of the season.  Template from Paislee Press Plate No 21 {freebie}.

Snow Much Fun

Snow Angel

Next up, is Edeline Marta's new kit "I Believe".

And my layout...  Faith

Template freebie ENDS 1/25 from Joey Lynn Designs

And finally... who loves a FREEBIE???

Jo Hanna has a new space up and running.  Check it out here

And get this:

It's amazing...  Layout from me to come!

Happy Scrapping!  Have layouts with any of these kits??? I wanna see!  Link me up!

Menu Planning Week 3

Hi all!

Another week when things were a bit more frazzled than I'd planned so everything got shifted by including an unplanned meal of frozen pizza instead of what was on the menu, so you'll see a repeat.  And I'm trying to use up things I have on hand...

Monday: Butternet Squash Pasta
Tuesday: Beef & Cheese Burritos
Wednesday: Tilapia & Polenta Fries
Thursday: Stuffed Shells
Friday: Shredded Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Saturday: Laughing Cow Alfredo Pasta
Sunday:  Pepperoni Pull Apart Pizza



I'm also planning a Thirty-One Gifts party on Saturday.  An exciting sneak peek of our spring line for my past hostesses and friends.  Thirty-One Gifts was started by a SAHM who wanted to contribute to her family without compromising her time at home.  So, she founded the company and included faith: Thirty-One Gifts is based on Proverbs 31:31 "Give her the reward she has earned, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."
I never dreamed I'd be doing this, but I'm thankful for the opportunity.

For the party, I think I'll make some of this: Peanut Butter Honey Fudge and maybe thaw a loaf of pumpkin bread.  It's about time with friends, not killing myself with prep :)
Check me out on Facebook- at 200 fans, I'll be doing a giveaway!

P365 Week3 & my friend the octopus

Here's my layout from last week:
Again, using this kit by Wild Blueberry Ink & Joey Lynn Designs

Week 3

And, here's my friend the octopus

Find the pattern here

Consider him a sneak peek for next week's P365.

Homemade is Back

No surprise...  I love that there are so many crafty bloggers and forums out there.  It's sometimes hard to step away from the computer and actually craft!  Oh wait, that's why I love digital scrapbooking ;)  But sometimes I actually "make" things too.

Meet our dragons.

Pinkie there will be travling to her new home soon as my god-daughter turns three soon.  I know she'll be given a good home.  I'll be sending a copy of The Paperbag Princess with it as well.  If you have a young girl, you need to have this book.  It's a classic!  It was actually a graduation gift to me from my high school Spanish teacher (and adopted mom as we used to say).

The pattern for the dragons can be found here.  Huge thanks to my friend Megan for showcasing hers and inspiring me. :)

Have a special little one in your life?

Check out these fabulous new offerings from Jo Hanna at TwoPeasinaBucket this week.

Book of Wonder-Girl

Book of Wonder- Boy

Notice that the hard part is done for you?  Just get your photos...  and go!  I love that this album also looks stunning with B&W or Sepia photos.  The perfect way to get your old photos captured as well.

I scrapped a photo of my friend's baby.

Sweet Baby Girl at 8 Months

Or maybe you are all caught up on every photo of babies in your life.  ;)

Happy Scrapping!

More about Tunisia

Some more pages to share.  With the recent events in Tunis, we keep the people there in our prayers for a safe resolution to their political unrest and are thankful for the opportunity we had to experience it when we did.  Beautiful place.

Day 4- Pages 3-4

Day 4- Pages 5-6

-Happy MLK Jr Day-

Day 4: Part 1- Tunis, Tunisia

We realize we were fortunate to be overseas to visit Tunisia when we were.  Here are the first two pages of our adventure:

Once again, using P365 Template Set 1 by Simply Kelly Designs

Arabian Adventures by Britt Ish Designs

Don't miss the blog freebie add-on :)

Menu Planning- Week 2 of 2011

I admit I go through my week and grab the recipes from blogs and such that look yummy and keep track of them here.  So sue me ;) Isn't that what a blog is for?

Monday: Grilled Pepperoni and Mozz Ciabatta Sandwiches
Tuesday: Indonesian Peanut Chicken
Wednesday: Spaghetti with Meat Sauce & Garlic Bread
Thursday: Crock Pot Chicken Chili with brown rice
Friday: Brats with Mac & Cheese
Saturday: Might try this: Sausage and Potato Casserole without the green peppers
Sunday: Baked Pasta & Butternut Squash

What's on your menu? Link me up :)  Am really looking for dishes that I can make into single serve portions of and then freeze them.  Kid friendly ones would make me swoon, but even ones appropriate for a recovering picky-eater like me would be awesome.

P365: Week 2

I've been having far too much fun scrapping this week.  I believe (if my math is right), I've created about 20 layouts. :) Um, yay!

Here's the next installment of my P365.  Again, created using the kit available from Owl Tree Studios created by Wild Blueberry Ink & Joey Lynn Designs: Project365- 2011 Version.

Week 2

You'll notice I shifted the dates a bit, a la my friend Jen.  It just flows better with the journaling and kudos to her for picking up the slight change.  I love that these templates are layered which allow to also change the font, colors, whatever if you don't love how it's put together as-is.  Me?  I love that I'm basically entering my photo a day, writing a line and then am done for the day. 
I am also posting the pictures to my 365project album.  There are some seriously talented individuals over there!

So, it's week 2 of 2011.  We're 3.8% done with the year.  How are you doing on those goals you set for yourself?  Huh?

Goodbye Malta

I can't believe I scrapped 6 pages about Malta in two days.  I started this project on Tuesday (pretty much with nothing- I gathered up the memory cards and just started).  And I now have 14 pages.

Malta, Day 3, Part 3

P365 Template Set 1

Let Your Hair Down Add On

More Pages to Make you Drool

If you're like me and covered in snow right now, how could this NOT make you drool and wish for some place sunny?  It's been keeping me warm all day just remembering how hot, sunny and perfect it was on the island of Malta...

Disney Cruise Journal- Day 3, Part 1

P365 Template Set 1 by Simply Kelly Designs at Digital Design Den

Taste of France & Italy by Britt-Ish Designs

Crumbled Papers by Britt-Ish Designs (same credits below)

Disney Cruise Journal, Day 3 Part 2

See ya real soon!

Love Birds

I've been scrapping a lot this week.  It feels good.

Newest release from Simply Kelly Designs at Digital Design Den is called Love Birds.  Check it out below :) Click my link to leave me some praise at 2Peas if you like it!

-Love-

More Disney Scrapping Pages

Seriously, these Simply Kelly templates are awesome for helping me get these pages finally put together.

How did I get started?  Well, I gathered the 3 memory cards & 1 CD that all held images I knew I wanted to include as well as the journal I kept while on the ship and created 2 folders on my hard drive.  One under my "Pictures" root which then was labeled "Disney Cruise 2010" and then a separate folder for each day of the cruise/vacation. I moved all the images pertaining to that day to its appropriate folder.

And I started scrapping, referencing the journal when memory fails.

I anticipate still ending up with a collage at the very end of random shots, but is awesome.  I've scrapped 8 pages of our trip today in less than about 6 hours.

All kits come from Britt-Ish Designs and complete credits can be found in my TwoPeas gallery.

Disney, oh how I love thee...

There are projects that we all avoid tackling, despite how fulfilled we know the finished product will leave us.  It can be anything from planning the weekly menu to throwing out all the crap in our pantry so we're more likely to actually reach that NY resolution to lose 10 pounds, from finishing that quilt top that's been sitting in the corner for...well...  a long time to finally scrapping those pictures we KNOW we have somewhere.

Well, that's how I've felt about the European trip we took this past fall.  Do you all know how many pictures I took?  I filled 2 8GB memory cards and have several pictures from my small P&S to encorporate as well as the Disney Photo CD we purchased on board.  Sigh.

But, then Kelly sent out her latest release to those of us on her CT.  Um, yeah, I can do that...  It's "technically" a Project365 set of templates, but they're incredibly versatile.  Just take a look!

P365 Template Set 1

How does she know it'll work for a P365?  It's the template she used to create her own personal project from 2010.  I think she's pretty safe making the claim ;)

But what did I do with them?  This...

Disney Cruise Journal 2010: Day 1



Turning Thirty...

and looking back on the past decade.

Turning Thirty