Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop

Welcome to all the sb.com neighbors who are joining us for our Hot Days of Summer Blog Hop!! I hope you are all excited to get this started because I sure am! This challenge will last the whole month of June and weekly challenges will be posted alternately here or on my sis's blog (shopgirlaudi). Mini challenges will be posted randomly once a week so be sure to check out both blogs daily. Don't forget to post and check in weekly, here on our blogs and on the sb.com thread for this challenge. If you have any questions about the challenge posted or any other questions or comments, please DO NOT post it here. Please ask on the sb.com thread. The comment section here should be used solely to check in and to post the link to your completed LO. With that being said....let the games begin :)


Mix It Up

There's a style of scrapping that I admire in alot of different artists and I like to call it "the everything but the kitchen sink" style of scrapping. This is where they pile on the product, mix up manufacturers...different patterned papers, lots of different, random embellies...things you wouldn't think would "go", but somehow, they make it work. So, this challenge will be fairly easy as there are no strict specifications on theme, colors, ect. The only requirement is that you "mix it up". This might be "out of the box" for some of you. It was for me at first, but now it's something I like to do alot. Here are the rules:

1. Your page must be NEW for this challenge and not entered in any other contest or challenge. You have until Sunday night to upload your finished LO (one or two pager) to the sb.com gallery and then link here in the comment section.

2. You MUST have at LEAST 4 different patterned papers from four different manufacturers represented on your LO. Be sure to list your manufacturers in your product list. Colors are your choice. You are free to add whatever embellishments you choose, but if you want to "mix that up" too... go right ahead! The more manufacturers on your page, the better!
Have fun with it! I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Don't forget to check back during the week for the mini challenge :)


Here's my page for the challenge. My four paper manufacturers are Fancy Pants Summer Soiree (the cut out clouds and sun), We R Memory Keepers Rainbow paper (stripes), Paper Studio (small dots), MAMBI (grid background paper). Can't wait to see the rest of the entries :)

Here's my sis's LO for the challenge. I think the papers she used were BG, We R Memory Keepers, Colorbok, Scenic Route.

Two thumbs up for 2 Peas

So, I heard back from customer service at 2 Peas today after messaging back and forth a few times yesterday and trying to get my situation explained and they said they were going to send me a new pack of the Prima journaling cards. That is WAY cool and I did NOT expect that. I mean, it was only a few cards and really it wasn't a big deal, but at the same time, shipping is just so high and if I'm paying that much, I should get my package intact and undamaged. Either way, I'm very happy with the way they handled the situation and that it was resolved quickly, so 2 Peas has not lost a customer in me. I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that! Miguel....not so much! LOL :)

I managed to do a LO today. I had printed out pics and hoped to work on it last night, but that didn't happen. Did it today though after I worked out. Which btw, I have been forgetting to post about. I'm STILL doing the bike...at least 5 times a week. I think it's been like 3 months now. I see a difference, I feel a difference, just not the fast, big changes I was really hoping for. I am trying to figure out how I can find some time to go walking/try running again somewhere nearby. Maybe like after my mom comes home from work, I can leave Mikey for about an hour or so. I'm just not seeing the same results with biking that I was with running. My legs look AWESOME, but I need to work on the rest of me too! I wish we could afford a gym membership. Well, Miguel has one, but I just can't see paying like $60 or so for the both of us...that's just too much money that can be used elsewhere.

Anyway, so can't remember if I posted a couple of weeks back about Mikey having allergy problems...sneezing, stuffy, what not...the usual...and we had taken him to see a ped...an ACTS friend of Miguel's in fact and I had explained to him how Mikey was snoring and seemed to sometimes "catch his breath" at night while he was sleeping and he had brought up the subject of sleep apnea and how that could come about with having large tonsils like Mikey has. Anyway, he advised us to change Mikey's allergy meds to something stronger than the OTC stuff we had been giving him. So we switched to Claratin and at first it seemed to help and there were a few nights there where I noticed more and more that he was breathing "easier", but then a few more nights passed and it seemed to progressively be getting worse. He is really snoring loudly, kind of choking or "gasping" for air while he's sleeping and I can feel his chest really "pulling in" when he's trying to take a breath. It totally has me freaking out and checking him every few minutes through out the night which has left me with VERY little sleep. I checked out his tonsils today and they look SO big...I mean literally touching each other and he looks to have some small dark red and white-ish spots on them. We are taking him to the same ped tomorrow and asking more questions about the sleep apnea and the possibility of getting his tonsils removed because I really think that is what we are going to have to do because it's just not getting better. I can't even imagine what it must feel like to not be able to breathe properly. I know it's a fairly simple, quick procedure...I had mine out when I was about 8, but the thought of him having to be put under is totally freaking me out. So please keep Mikey in your prayers. I'd really appreciate it!
Okay, I think that's all for now! More later.

It looks just like I invisioned....

The LO I did today turned out just like I had wanted with the small exception of the dumb paper "buckling". I used some Glimmer Mist on it...had never done that before and had been dying to use some. I love the effect, the way it looks, but I don't think the thin paper did so well. I'm guessing it's probably meant more for heavier weight paper or cardstock. If anyone has any tips for using it on thin paper or knows that it's not really meant for thin paper, please let me know! Thanks! :) So, the page was a lift from Cobb something or other...need to find out her exact name...on 2 Peas. Of course, I didn't lift it exactly, but still...wanted to mention her. Chon and I took those pics on Saturday with our new "summer scarves" we got at Target...lol...they are really cute! Now I want a whole collection of them! :)

Got some stuff I had ordered from 2 Peas today. I was kind of bummed that the Prima notecards were missing one and two of them had some kind of "smudges" on them. One looked alot like a lipstick fingerprint and the other was just a black smudge of something. I emailed customer service earlier, but have yet to hear anything back. I hope they will offer to fix it somehow. Hmm...that's all for today...not much else going on. This is Lij's last week of school. On Thursday, they have a field trip to see The Night At The Museum and Friday is early release and his dad is taking him and the other kids to go see Up. I know Lij has been wanting to see that. Since Lij will be staying with his dad for the weekend, maybe we will take Mikey to see it on Saturday. Miguel has his ACTS retreat next weekend so let's see what we can go do this weekend. Maybe next weekend Chon and the kids can come over?? Okay, that's all for today...oh, this puts my LO count at...53 for the year!

You are not forgotten.....

I want to take this opportunity to personally thank all the men and women who have ever fought for our country.....past and present. A few years back, I had a cousin fighting in Iraq for about a year, I have a friend who had also been deployed there on more than one occassion I think, and I remember right out of HS when the war with Saddam had started in the middle east, we had an uncle and a whole bunch of people we knew from HS who were serving over there. So I have personally been affected by this, and I know what it feels like to worry and wonder. But I also know the amazing sense of pride I feel and the enormous amount of gratitude that I have for these people who put their lives on the line daily so that we, back here safe in our homes, can enjoy the freedoms that we sometimes take for granted. And for the families of these men and women. The mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, children... who give the ultimate sacrifice of living without their loved ones or who have lost a loved one already. I admire them, and I pray for them, and I keep them in my thoughts and prayers. I extend my sincerest thanks and gratitude for all of you involved....the soldiers as well as their families. May God bless you and keep you all.
I heard this song a couple of days ago on KLOVE and it choked me up. Just thought I'd share the lyrics. If you get the opportunity, look it up...I saw a video for it on You Tube...such a beautiful song!

"In God We Still Trust" by Diamond Rio
You place your hand on His Bible, when you swear to tell the TruthHis name is on our greatest Monuments, and all our money too,And when we Pledge allegiance, there's no doubt where we stand,There is no separation, we're one Nation under Him.Chorus:In God We Still TrustHere in AmericaHe's the one we turn to every timeThe goin' gets roughHe is the source of all our StrengthThe One who watches over usHere in AmericaIn God We Still TrustNow there are those among us, who want to push Him out,And erase His name from everything, this country's all about,From the Schoolhouse to the Courthouse, they're Silencing His Word,Now it's time for all Believers, to make our Voices heard.In God We Still Trust,Here in AmericaHe's the one we turn to every timeThe goin' gets roughHe is the source of all our StrengthThe One who watches over usHere in AmericaIn God We Still TrustHere in AmericaHere in AmericaHere in America,In God We Still TrustHere in America,In God We Still TrustHere in America

There is nothing left to buy....

LOL I spent the day with my sis today...doing our regular shopping day thing. We hit up M's first and that's how I felt there...like there was nothing left for me to buy. Have it, have it, don't want it...like it, love it...looked bigger on TV! LOL Get it, Chon ;) Really, there was NOTHING I really wanted. And I had so many coupons to use too! I left with a small circle punch I was wanting for making lollipop flowers...used a 50% off coupon for that. And the Sassafrass Lass Whale Of A Tale pad which was on clearance for $14.99 so with a 40% off coupon, I think it was around $9 which is not bad at all for all the stuff you get in there! I know, the last time I said I wasn't too crazy about the Whale Of A Tale, but it was on clearance and with a coupon...just couldn't pass it up! I just love Sass!! :) We also went by Scrapbook Heaven. OMGoodness! No offense to anyone who shops there, but each and every time we go...it's such a disappointment. I literally leave there with one..maybe two things or nothing at all. Okay, I'm lying..I never leave with NOTHING :D Ha, ha! Seriously, for this store being as big as it is, they do NOT carry all the new product that 911 does. They do have alot of stuff....just not my style. I was telling my sis today, that their stuff is too "themey"...and they don't have nowhere near as many aisles of new stuff like 911 does. I was hoping for some Jenni Bowlin, some Fancy Pants, maybe some October Afternoon...you know, all the stuff that's coming out...but nope! I left there with four sheets of paper and a Glimmer Mist because I've been wanting to try one. Oh, and a couple of yards of some really pretty Prima lace trim that my sis also got. There is just no comparison for me...911 is the store I prefer to shop at :)

So we got back to my sis's after shopping, ate lunch and got our scrap on! I only had one page planned and it literally took me no time at all, but I am LOVING the way it turned out. It was a lift off a 2 Peas artist I have bookmarked...Cobb something or other. I used cardstock as my base...well, I had a sheet of MM stamp edge paper underneath, but what was showing the most was the cs. I NEVER....did I say NEVER? Yep, never use cardstock. I know I did when I first started seriously scrapping again about five years ago which is why I have alot of it now, but I hadn't used it in AGES. I'm definately more of a patterned paper kind of girl. IF I do use it, it's mostly either white or black and I always make sure to keep stocked with those. The other rainbow of colors...don't buy them anymore...just have what I bought way back when. Anyway, I really loved the way it turned out. And although like I said, I prefer patterned paper, I won't completely rule out using cardstock the next time I scrap. Okay, that's all for now. It's late and I'm tired. Mikey is playing Lego Indiana Jones...a game Miguel got today. And I think he needs to pull himself away for a while...lol..headed to bed. More later :)

I need a 12x12 step program.....

lolol Didn't I just say I was "good" on sb stuff for now? Didn't I just say I wasn't going to shop for a bit? No, I didn't...you can't prove it!! :D I put in this order at Emma's Paperie sometime last week. I was perusing galleries/blogs and came across the sweetest looking page on Melissa Frances' blog. It was a page done by Sherelle Christiansen and the papers were just LOVERLY! They were the Melissa Frances Fresh Twist papers...not sure of the name because my invoice said FRENCH...the packaging said FRESH. I also got a whole bunch of Jenni Bowlin diecut papers and some of those journal stickers that I just LOVE! Either way, I bought all these wonderful goodies at Emma's Paperie which I have ordered from many times before. They always take such care to wrap your packages all pretty like with colored tissue papers and include a sweet treat with your order like chocolates or some hard candy. This time though I was pleasantly surprised to find a roll of American Crafts ribbon tied to my package with some bright pink raffia! YAY..bonus!! So nice...they have excellent customer service, awesome variety of products, great prices...check them out if you haven't already. Oh, and SUPER fast shipping....got my package in THREE days from when I placed my order :)

I also did a few pages this week. The first was kind of "eh" in my opinion..didn't LOVE it, but it was my first for the week and I was just getting my mojo going. I really wanted to document this "ritual" that Mikey and I have before he goes to bed at night. I'm trying to do that more...to do pages with journaling about things I want the kids to remember. The other two, one was about myself and some things I just can't live without...other than my family. And the last one, was a lift off of the Melissa Frances blog using some of those new papers I got. I really LOVE the way that one turned out! I love that pic of Mikey wearing one of Lij's hats! Anyway, that's all for now :)

And the shopping continues...

Does it EVER end? I know I can't be the only one. Do you ever feel like you buy these few things and then you think to yourself "I'm good with things for now...I don't need to buy anything else" and then you go to M's or see the HL ad or get a sneek peek of some upcoming products and the cycle just starts all over again?? Yeah, me neither! LOL :) Well, I spent the night at my sis' house this past weekend. She picked me up on Friday and stayed the night and stayed the better part of Saturday because Miguel was helping at the church selling and delivering bbq plates. Anyway, so we did some shopping on Saturday. We went to M's by Ingram and I bought this new Carolyn Gavin 8x8 pad that I hadn't seen before when I got all my new CG stuff for Mother's Day at the M's off 1604. It's an 8x8 pad of punch outs...flowers...birds..LOVE the birds...viney looking things...it's GORGEOUS. It was $9.99 and I got it with a 40% off coupon. It has 24 sheets, 3 of each pattern. So at 40%, that is a GOOOD deal! Seriously, go look for it...NOW!! You will just fall in love with it and buy it and look at it all day! LOL I also got these rolls of felt border ribbons my sis had told me she had seen way back when I wasn't shopping, but when I could shop, I just couldn't find them anymore..go figure. But they had some, so I got four different colors. Also got a pack of those CG diecuts that we are going to use as prizes for that challenge me and my sis are hosting over on sb.com. I can't remember if I mentioned it here yet. So, I'm going to get the link for it and post it here in case anyone wants to play. US residents only. It's going to a month long thing and it should be TONS fun if we can get at least 7 more players. We also went by a different M's...Northwoods, after her dh got home and I found some of that MM Sabrina line stuff on clearance so I got some of that for prizes too. Along with some cool stuff we found in their $1 bins and a pack of MM Travel line packaging tape that was clearanced for a dollar! We also went by Scrapbook 911, but there wasn't too much I wanted. Well, not true...they had a TON of new DB glittered stuff that I just wanted to buy one of everything of, but knew I couldn't, so I narrowed it down to the "GOTTA have its" and only spent $9 and some change. And I didn't actually spend anything. Mimi let me use my $10 store credit..thank, Mimi :) Also got the new issue of Memory Makers..going to look at it later today. That was about it. I did alot of my cleaning today. So my week as of now is pretty free. So maybe I'll get some more scrapping done this coming week with all my new goodies. Here are some pics to share :)

I'm on a roll.....

My scrappy mojo has been in overdrive lately! Well, maybe not in overdrive, but in the last week, I have gotten five pages done and I think that's pretty darn good! I can't remember the last time I have gotten that many pages done, so I'm pretty happy about that. This puts my LO count for the year at 48...yay!

Other than that, I haven't done much this week. With my mom out of town this week, it's only the kids and myself home since Miguel is at work the majority of the time too, so I haven't had much cleaning or laundry to do either. Which is probably why I've had so much free time to just sit and scrap. Anyway, nothing else new or exciting to report...lol Here are some pics :)

Oh btw, if you see any big, blank spots, that's where my journaling goes. I've since added it, but too lazy to take and upload more pics!

Happy Mother's Day

I hope everyone had a great day and got pampered and all that good stuff. We mothers sure deserve it! Do you ever notice how around Mother's Day there are so many people out at the stores buying gifts and cards and flowers. And for Father's Day, you just don't see as many people. There's a reason for that I'm sure! Not to say that fathers don't deserve some kind of recognition, but in my opinion, we are the ones who bear most of the burden of raising our kids and keeping house and all that good stuff that just never ends! So to all my "mom" friends out there....here's to YOU :)

So today wasn't anything "spectacular". I spent most of the day cleaning and doing laundry and keeping Lij and Mikey from going at each other. I am at my wits end with those two..seriously! Miguel picked us up around 5:30 I think it was and I made a quick run to M's because Chon called me and gave me the 411...lol..on those Sassafras Lass pads they had there. Last time we went, they had the Whale of a Tale on clearance from $24.99 to $14.99, but I wanted the Hog Heaven one. So I was going to keep an eye out for that one to go on clearance. And today they were..at the one by Ingram. So were other pads like the We R Memory Keepers ones. So, we swung by there real quick and I got the Sass pad and a We R Memory Keepers one. As well as these Sabrina journaling stickers that were clearanced for .99. I used my GC that Chon gave me AND a 40% off coupon I got yesterday so I only paid $15..YAY :) Afterwards, we went by Miguel's parent's for a bbq, but that wasn't much fun. Everyone was sitting in the backyard, but there were flies everywhere and ants were crawling in my shoes so me and Lij went to sit ont he front porch and that's where we were pretty much the whole time we were there. At least it wasn't hot or I would have been mad and miserable! lol Mikey was running around like a crazy and getting dirty so he had fun. And so did Lij. We just sat on a bench in the front yard and talked and Miguel came up for a TINY while. That part was nice. But I was glad to be home and showered....AGAIN...and in the a/c....thank you God for A/C :)

Yesterday, Miguel had taken me to M's and I picked out my own Mother's Day gifts. I guess that's good because I got stuff I wanted, but it would have been nice to get a card with something heartfelt written inside. I got this awesome new Prima paper pad called Rock Out Bro..think that's what it's called! And this awesome new K&Co stuff designed by Carolyn Gavin...LOVE that stuff! I also got myself a pack of some M by Kay diecuts at Target when we went to get my mom a new coffee maker for Mother's Day. In the late afternoon, we dropped the kids off home with my mom and caught a movie. Miguel had been wanting to watch that Xmen Wolverine movie. It was really good. I was surprised that I loved it. Plus, it's always a bonus seeing Hugh Jackman without his shirt on! Hee,hee :D

What else? I think that's it....my mom is on vaca and left to Las Vegas today. They'll be out there for a week. I hope she wins some money and shares :) LOL Okay, sharing some of my fave pics from today....good night all :)

Number 43

Here's the page I did for the challenge Chon and I are hosting over on sb.com. We picked four products: polka dot paper, a bingo card, trim i.e. Paper Frills, ribbon, ric rac...ect, and the color combo of orange/yellow/blue. I was having a hard time coming up with something I liked until I finally just stopped stressing over it and over thinking it and it just "flowed". It's kind of simple and back to my style of working on a corner of my page and "clustering" stuff. I really love that look though. It seems I'm finding the "styles" that suit me best and this is one of them. Anyway, if you frequent sb.com, come check out our challenge. We will be giving away a nice RAK :)

Another one....

I decided to join in on a challenge over at sb.com. In the whole four plus years I've been on there, I have never done one! This one sounded pretty neat because it had a specific color combo. I love trying out new color combos especially ones with bright and fun colors as this one. We had to work on a white background which I also love doing. And use the colors orange/lime/yellow. I used this cool pic my sis took of Mikey at my Uncle's house on Easter Sunday. I traced some of the papers and the title in black for a little contrast and I just loved the way it turned out! Me and Chon were thinking of coming up with a challenge of our own and posting it over on sb.com. I'm in the process of writing it out and getting all the details down so if you frequent the sb.com board, look for our challenge there :)

FINALLY!

A page I LOVE! This was a lift off of the latest issue of Scrapbooks Ect. Sadly, I think it was the ONLY page I saw in there that inspired me or that I thought "Hey, I want to copy that!" Which is kind of a waste. I mean, scrap mags cost what? Like $6. And to only have liked one thing in there....I should have just looked at it in the store and tried to retain the LO in my head! Don't know how that would have worked though since most days, I can't remember much! That's why I stopped buying scrap mags to begin with, but that day we were doing our grocery shopping and I saw it and just thought I'd get it since I hadn't bought one is so long, but now I know....not to buy them anymore.

So, I really love the way it turned out. And I finally used my Cricut Expression again. This is only the second time I've used it. I really should use it more...it was alot of money to just have sitting there. I really love it though. And I love that I have that option there" just in case". I LOVE that black bordered label I used on there. It's Jennifer Pebbles from 2 Peas. They are printable digital elements. They're called Swank labels I think and I just LOOOOOVE them! I can see myself using them on alot of stuff since I love that whole artisan shape for journaling elements. And yes Chon, I will send you the file so you can save them to your computer too :)

What else? Not much else is going on. Today was Miguel's first day back to work and I missed him terribly :( It's funny, but even after being together for over 5 years, I still get so happy to see his face. When he got home today, I heard him at the back door and I just ran and attacked him...lol..with kisses that is ;) Tomorrow is back to waking up at 6:30 to get Lij ready for school. I just HATE it and can't wait for the summer. I am NOT a morning person...AT ALL. Of course, over the summer, it will be non stop refereeing fights between Mikey and Lij so I don't know which I'd rather do...that or wake up early...hmmm....

Okay, that's all for today. Oh yesterday while perusing the sb.com superstore for one of the hourly challenges (the one I won I think), I came across some American Crafts clear backed alpha stickers that I just LOOOVED. They are that font that I am so crazy about that looks like those old TT Calamity Jane font stamps. Anyway, I got THREE packs! Yes, I'm afraid to run out! LOL But I swear, that is the LAST of my shopping...for a while...or at least today....the week? I'm not making any promises! LOL :D

It's Over....

National Scrapbooking Day AND Miguel's vacation :( I didn't even get any scrapping done today. Except for one 8x8 page for my BOM that I did for a challenge over on scrapbook.com. And I don't even really like the way it turned out. I really wanted to scrap and I really wanted to participate in one of the challenges, but I just wasn't "feeling it". Oh well, it is what it is. I did, however, win a prize over on sb.com for one of the challenges they had. All we had to do was link up six of our fave products from the Superstore. It was just a random drawing and I won!! I was so happy and excited when I saw my name on the list! I was yelling "I won, I won!!" and Mikey and Miguel were just looking at me like I'd lost my mind! lol I can't wait to see what they send me!

So, Miguel's vacation is over. I am glad for the time we got to spend together, for the time the kids got to spend with him, but I'm so sad that he will be going back to work and back to the stupid, crazy hours that he works where we hardly ever see him. I get so used to having him here when he goes on vaca. I'm sure the kids do too and it will be hard to adjust back to not seeing him much at all.

Oh, I forgot, Miguel took me to Hobby Lobby today and I got two more albums. I had to get the American Crafts cloth ones because that was pretty much all they had. I like those, but I really like the Paper Studio ones I had been getting because the spine is thicker so I can put more pages in there. Plus, they were cheaper than the AC ones. I pretty much organized and seperated all of my pages and filled up two albums for Mikey so I needed a new one to start on him. And I have one for Lij that's almost full so I needed one for him as well. The others I have still have room for more pages and those are FAMILY, KIDS (both boys together), ME & MIGUEL (which has pages of us seperately and of us together). I might want to seperate those further later, but for now, that will work fine.

What else?? Hmm...can't really think of anything else that's been going on. It's late and I'm sleepy so I should probably go to bed. Oh, I forgot to mention that Mikey is much better now with his ear/throat infection. And thank God, the OTC stuff I was taking worked and I didn't end up giving it back to Mikey. I felt so much better today! Still blowing my nose alot, but I feel a million times better! Thank you to all who sent well wishes! Okay, really going to bed now...good night!

Oh, I TOTALLY forgot....the winner of the Martha Stewart paper pack and extra goodies is......

APRIL!! (blog is Scrapper forever) April, please email me at laura6615@sbcglobal.net with your mail info and I will get this out to you soon :)