Another Sneak Peak

Here is another layout from the July Scrappy Giraffe Kit

The entire kit contents should be up on the site tomorrow, it is huge, filled with lots of fun stuff...plus some more layouts.

Didn't do much today. Went to a doctor's appointment, took a nap, did a little scrapbooking, went out to eat. I have totally been ignoring my diet this week, but I guess that is what vacation is for. Will start up again next week. I actually miss eating healthy. Getting some fruit cravings and everything. Haven't been working out either. I guess it is good though to take a break every now and then, right? That's what we'll say at least. Well that is all for now. Have a good day!

Vacation Part 1

So we made it home. Got driving and decided to go the whole way...all 16 hours. The girls slept a lot more this time so it worked out pretty well. Got home on Wednesday day morning at 7:30 a.m. Took a nap, then Kent drove 3 more hours to go to his Grandma's funeral. I stayed here with the girls and began part 2 of our vacation. Here is a review of part 1.

This picture pretty much sums the whole trip up....rain!!!!


Here is the lovely Ruby prior to her run-in with the poisonous snake. The girls really liked her. They are still talking about her.


This is the hike we were on when Ruby got bit by the snake.


In Brian and Keesha's "swimming pool" during a rain break.


On hike #2 during another brief rain break.


The girls helping Keesha make something. My brother doing the dishes {how awesome is that? } The girls really liked Brian and Keesha too...they wanted to stay when we left.


We stopped briefly to see the girl's cousins before we left...here they are lounging. They are wet because it was raining, not because they were swimming. They weren't allowed in the pool.


So that about sums it up for part one. Stay tuned for part 2 coming your way soon.

On our way home

So it seems that things just keep getting worse. Ruby the dog is doing well, but she had to spend another day at the hospital, so we couldn't roam too far. It also continued to rain off and on. Emma woke up ill this A.M. for about 2-3 hours. She threw up twice. She wanted to go to the doctor so that he "could take the food out of my tummy" {which I thought was quite insightful...aren't my children brilliant? =) }. Then all of sudden she was fine and was eating, happy and cheerful for the rest of the day. Very odd. Then Kent received some bad news, his grandmother passed away this morning. It was expected, but of course, is still very sad news. So after pricing a plane ticket for him to go home {yikes!!}, we bypassed that option and will be heading home tomorrow. Going to try to stop by his sister's house on the way so the girls can say hello to their cousins,etc. We're going to break up the trip into 2 days as you can only do a 16 hour straight road trip only so often in one week. So to Keesha and Brian....thank-you so much for opening your home to us. We really enjoyed seeing you both and had a lovely time. Maybe next time things will go better on both ends =). So until I arrive home....good-bye!

Hello from Virginia land of the snakes

Greetings from Virginia! It seems that I am the only one awake, so I wandered up to the computer for a lovely blogging session. We had an okay day today. Unfortunately, it has pretty much rained since the moment we got here. There are flash flood warnings and everything. During a brief moment of rainlessness here, we went to the top of a nearby mountain and started on a hike. We made it maybe a half a mile when Brian and Keesha's dog started acting wierd. I made the comment it looked like she was having a stroke...we continued on a bit and then she really started acting strange, not putting any weight on her front paw and wimpering. We checked her out and she looked to have a bite mark on her front paw. A snake bite (vet thought probably a rattlesnake or copperhead)! So Ruby (the 65 lb dog) was hoisted on Kent's shoulders and carried out of the park. Me being the good doctor that I am, couldn't for the life of me remember anything about proper 1st aide for snake bites. A lot of good that $100,000+ education did me. So then we drove very quickly, (but safely...mom), down the mountain across the country to an emergency vet clinic where she is now resting comfortably getting IV fluids and is expecting a full recovery. That was the excitement of the day. Now it is raining very heavily again. I really hope it stops as we would like to go to Washington D.C. tomorrow. Well that is all for now. Have a good day! Oh yes...and a special welcome to my newest blog reader Angela =).

We made it!

After 16 long hours...we finally made it to VA. We left last night at about 9:30. The girls did not fall asleep as planned and instead watched movies most of night. Finally fell asleep around 4 am. We're tired, but doing well. Not going to post much now...maybe later =). Have a good day!

Good-bye!

We're off! I may not be blogging for a week or so. If I'm able I'll post but we'll just have to wait and see. Not sure why my side bar is messed up...will try to figure that out later. Before I go...a little sneak peak at the July Scrappy Giraffe kit. It is my favorite kit from them so far. Have a good day!

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm packing things for our trip...need I say more?? I cleaned the car out and vaccumed it, made supper, ate, did wash, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher, cleaned the house up a bit, layed out the girls clothes to pack, found the air mattress, found a tent (we might go camping one night), washed the gray right out of my hair, layed out my clothes, packed food...I think that is about it. I'm kind of tired now. Oh ya....this was all after I worked a full day.

Had a cute conversation with Emma tonight. I was cleaning her up and saw that she had a new ouchy. Asked where/how she got it. She very calmly explained how she was in Mexico last night and how she got put in jail while she was there and that is how she got the scratch. Interesting, huh? Well, must run, I am sure there is something else I could/should be packing.

Old Friends and Big Hair

Well...I didn't get any pictures taken today. So in honor of all of my lovely old friends, I thought I'd post some old pictures. In this first one I am embarrassing myself also. This is circa early 90s when big hair was really cool. We were very cool my roommate and I =).

******ETA: had to take the big hair down....it was screwing up the side bar and I can't have that...I'll try to put back up soon. *******

Photo number two is in my dorm with my friend Iago who I have known since 5th or 6th grade. We shared lockers in 7th grade because we were both retarded and didn't have any friends...but we didn't really become friends until 9th grade. Is that about accurate? She is standing in front of my closet door beside a picture of the head of my high school math teacher. Don't know why I have the head of my high school math teacher on my closet door. I made him a shirt though....isn't that nice?

***missing pic***

And lastly the cutest photo is of me and my frytown friend. I am the short one which is kind of funny cause I now look like a huge overgrown beast next to her.

another missing pic....still trying to figure the stupid sidebar out!!!

That is all the reminiscing for now. Hopefully I'll take some good pictures soon so all of you that live in my photo albums can relax and not worry about showing up here. Have a good day!

Lots of little things

1. No pictures tonight. I don't have any (shock!). I have 5 layouts sitting around here that I can't show you just yet. Maybe someday. Will try to take a picture of something for tomorrow.

2. For those that used to live with me in college {Nancy, Helen?}, please check my profile for my contact info. I just added it especially for you. Anyone else who would like to email me, please feel free to. I love email.

3. I got my health screen results back from work. This is what sort of inspired me last year to get off of my butt and start moving. I am pleased to report that I am healthy. Aren't you excited? My cholesterol is 148. My HDL is 69 and LDL is 66. I'm quite proud of those numbers. My lone kidney also appears to be functioning properly =).

4. I think I found a winner. I love macaroni and cheese. Makes me happy. Made some tonight that isn't absolutely terrible for you and was pretty tasty. Here it is:

Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

From Cooking Light Magazine Jan/Feb 2005

3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Cooking Spray
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 oz sourdough bread, torn into pieces
1 tsp butter, melted
12 oz large elbow macaroni
2 cups (8 oz) shredded extrasharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup egg substitute
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 (12 oz) can evaporated low-fat milk

1. Preheat oven to 375
2. Place tomatoes in a 13x9 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with black pepper. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until browned, stirring occasionally.
3. While tomatoes cook, place bread in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until crumbly. Toss crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle crumbs on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for 12 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently.
4. Cook macaroni in boiling water 7 minutes; drain. Return macaroni to pan; place over medium-low heat. Add cheese and remaining 4 ingreients; cook 4 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Stir in tomatoes. Sprinkle each serving with about 3 T breadcrumbs.

Yield: 8 servings (1 cup each). 357 calories; fat 11.4g; Protein 18.1g; carb 45.2g; fiber 2g; chol 33mg; iron 2.7mg; sodium 669mg; calc 350mg

*******Cooks notes: 1. Next time I'm probably not going to bother with the tomatoes. They were tasty but didn't add too much other than time to the recipe. However, if you LOVE tomatoes, do it. 2. I used plain old wheat bread for the crumbs...seemed to turn out fine for me. 3. I apparently forgot to add the egg substitute. Not entirely sure that it was missed. Maybe I'll try to remember next time to add it and see what happens.

Well that is all for now. Must run. Have a good day.

Mini-golf

Bella and I went mini-golfing today. There was moments of brilliance (each a hole in one) and moments of terribleness. Here are some shots from the afternoon



Went to Target after golfing. Got some stuff for our big trip. I'm really looking forward to going somewhere...that is I'm sure until we get into the car and actually start moving. I'm not a big fan of driving =(.

Here is my last published layout I'm putting back up. This was in BHG Scrapbooks Etc. In more scrapbooking news, I had a page requested by Creating Keepsakes for their Idea Annual. It is due out mid-November.

Well, have a lovely day!

Another layout reposted

Here is the layout that was in Creating Keepsakes School Special Edition. Bella is VERY proud of this. Everytime we go to the scrapbook store she needs to find that magazine and look at it.

I enjoyed my day off today. Woke up late and barely made it to daycare in time for Bella to go to swimming lessons. I even took Emma to daycare today. Usually I end up having her at home with me when I take a day off, but today I just needed to be alone. Then I came home and wasted my whole morning taking a nap. I then went to see the trainer. I'm doing well. I'm down a pound and my body fat % is now officially in the "lean" range. Just a little more fine tuning and I'm done =). Then went to Walmart to buy some Clif bars and my new addiction....Diet Mt. Dew. I've never been into pop at all mainly because I've always hated diet pop and I've never wanted to drink the full calorie stuff much because of that reason...full calorie. But now, as the diet mt. dew bottle says, "tuned up taste"...they really did. It is very tasty. I like it a lot. Got a Subway on the way home. Worked on another layout for MMM. I have about 3 now that might make the cut. Picked up the girls. We went for a walk tonight. Emma actually walked with us instead of being pushed in the stroller. She did very well. The girls wanted to run so we ran probably 1/4-1/2 mile total. Emma kept saying, "I'm beating you Mama!" and I said, "yes, you're very fast" and then she said, "yah...you not!" She's cute. Bella and I discussed all the ways to beat up a bad guy who is trying to steal you. We saw lightening bugs and Emma was quite impressed with the "lights on their bottoms". Always interesting conversations with those two.
I believe we finally made a decision on our vacation. Better start cleaning your house, KDED cause we're coming. With family nice enough to host us, we are actually going to leave the lovely state of IA. Going to VA visit brothers, sisters, cousins. Not so sure about the 1029 mile drive, but it will be nice to go somewhere for awhile. Anyway, have a lovely day.

Hair cuts and a few layouts

Here is another layout from the June 3 scrappy boys kit. Again...don't particularly like it. I was having a heck of a time with this paper. I didn't like it as much I thought I would.

I am reposting this. This was my layout that was published in Memory Makers June issue. It was very tiny and in the corner. Not sure they could have made it any smaller =). Oh well, can't complain too much. Here it is all big!

Got the girls hair cut tonight. It was Emma's first real haircut. Prior to this I cut it about a month or so ago when she got a large wad of bubble gum in it. Thought maybe a professional should take a whack at it. They both look good. The girl did a good job, but she had a major attitude problem. Angry and bitter, rolling eyes at colleagues, etc. Oh well, guess that is what you get when you go to a walk in place.
Taking the day off tomorrow. I'm excited. Hope you all have a good day!

Lazy Weekend

Had a good weekend, didn't do too much which is always nice. Worked on a couple layouts for MMM. Still going to try to enter that =). Here is another layout from the June 3 scrappy boys kit. Nothing spectacular, but I tried.



Bella has one more week of swimming lessons...hopefully I can survive getting up early for another week =(.

Did a little clothes shopping today. What fun that was. That is the first time in a long time I can say that...honestly. Anyway, must run. Have a good Monday!

Obnoxiousness all around.

Wow...my computer is being completely obnoxious tonight. There was almost no post. But you can breathe a sigh of relief...here it is. My computer and my children were acting similar tonight. Yikes. Kind of had a rough night. Well any night we go to the grocery store seems rough. Walking through those hallowed doors of Hy-Vee turns a switch on in Emma's head...the "hey, it's time to be as obnoxious as I possibly can be" switch. Then Bella joins in on the fun. Lovely times.

Anyway, here is a layout I made tonight of my son. What? you didn't know I had a boy? It's been my little secret for many years. Actually, as you might guess, this is not my child. It is an online friend's child who I had the privelege of making this nice little thing for. I have no clue how to scrapbook for boys. I had to stop myself for reaching for the flowers and the bling quite a few times. I think it turned out okay.

Well, I am tired. Must run. Have a lovely Friday!

New Header

Just came on to add my new header...what do you think? The other one was too "slick" for me =). Have a good day all!

Dirty

This is what I pick up from daycare almost every day....dirty children. This picture doesn't even do it justice. She was covered from head to toe with a fine mist of dirt. Lovely. Usually Bella is the same way too. Oh well, I guess they are having fun.

Here is a layout from the June 3 scrappy boys kit. Emma all cleaned up.

Now that I'm done with my June layouts for the DTs I'm on, I'm actually hoping to do some scrapbooking stuff for myself now using whatever products I so desire. That should be fun. Maybe I'll start on MMM entry, since I am obligated to give that a try. Anyway, this getting up early thing is killing me so I'm going to try to go to bed a bit earlier tonight. Gotta run. Adios.

No pictures for you

No pictures tonight. Blogger is once again being obnoxious. I tried about 10 times without any luck.

First of all...thanks to all of you who commented on my last post...I greatly appreciate it. Thanks also to the new posters...you're welcome to comment anytime =).

Bella started swimming lessons today. Had to take her to daycare early. Got there and found out they were supposed to be at the pool at 8:30, not the daycare. Had to take her there myself. Now tomorrow we have to get up even earlier to be there by 8:15. Yes...I know to most people that is not early...but to me it's like the crack of dawn. Yuck. She came home today with a nice sunburn, love that. Really wish they would pay more attention to that stuff.

Had to go the medical supply store tonight to buy a new stethoscope. My old one was 10 years old and the tubing had turned to rock and was in a permanent nice U shape. I made the mistake a few weeks ago of trying to straighten it out and oops it cracked, almost the whole way through. So for the past 3-4 weeks I have been walking around with a stethoscope with a bandage tape holding it together. Nice, huh? Very impressive I'm sure to parents. Anyway today, it broke entirely into 2 pieces so I was forced to abandon it and buy a new one.

So that is the extent of my exciting life today. Thrilling isn't it? Hope everyone is having a good day.

Can you tell a difference?

A long time ago when I started the whole bodybugg thing, I said I would post some before and after pictures when I met my goal. Well I am about there...just some fine tuning here and there to do =). Anyway, here are my pictures {click to see larger}. What a difference! The first photo was taken on Bella's first day of 1st grade at the end of August. I had started exercising about 3 weeks earlier when I decided that I had let things get out of hand {also had a health screen at work and they told me that even though I was not overweight, I was overfat}. I developed some bad eating and exercise habits in Idaho and was in the worst shape of my life. I exercised for about 6 months regularly and gained a fair amount of muscle, but was not doing a very good job with my eating...so really hadn't made any progress. So I started the bodybugg at the end of December. The after picture {taken today by the lovely and talented Bella} shows me about 18-19 pounds lighter and with about 7% less body fat.

That shirt which is the same one in both pictures is now huge on me, where as before it was tight. The pants in the before picture have been retired and my new ones, which are actually getting a bit loose, are 3 sizes smaller! I weigh about what I did when I got married {12 years and 2 kids ago}, but actually think I am smaller...I am more muscular now. So there you go....I figure if I {who loves food and loves to eat like a pig} can do it, anyone can! Anyway, I'm pretty proud of myself. It has taken some hard work and changing of my attitude towards food {and some mourning over the fact that I CAN'T eat anything I want} but I think I have the tools to stay this way forever {if I want to =) }

Anyway, the JUNE SCRAPPY GIRAFFE KIT is up. Something else to note is that they are having a design team call. So if you would like to join little old me on the design team for the next 6 months, just apply =). Click on the above link for details.

I also keep forgetting to tell you all that I had a layout requested by scrapbook trends magazine. It will be the September issue. I've never been published with them before.

Well, that is all for now. Have a lovely day!