"I Love to Hate..."

Hmm, I didn't think this challenge would be all that hard since there seems to be so many things I "hate."

I guess I have to say that I "love to hate" Chicago sports teams. I don't know why because they certainly haven't ever done anything to me. I guess it started growing up in a family that was full of Cardinals fans so they "hated" the Cubs. And yet I ended up married to a Cubs fan and have to watch ALL their games.

Then, for some reason, along the line, I started to "hate" the Bears. Again, I don't know why...I just do.

So now that I've had to put it "down on paper" I guess it's time to rethink if I truly DO hate these teams....

10 things I love...

Katie's on a "love" kick right now because we're having a Love Crop over at Scrapbookfriends.net this month.

So 10 things I love...
my family
my friends
books
scrapbooking
stamping
movies
my enV cell phone!
a clean, organized scrap room
Mickey Mouse
a variety of music

How's that for general? lol

Making progress...

on that disaster in my scrap room. The mess is still on the far side of the table but the actual scrapping area is almost cleaned up. Two shelves left to clean up in my built-in shelves area then I can tackle the rest of the room.

Hoping to get that all cleaned up today since everyone is home tomorrow so I won't be able to do it then. And Steve said we'd start rearranging everything on Saturday. Of course, we'll just have to move everything again when I start painting but at least it's a start on getting it how I want.

Better late than never

Last week's challenge was to blog a list: resolutions, memories of 2007, favorites or least favorites from 2007, hopes for the new year. Since my memories as still colored by the latter part of the year, I'm going off-topic....besides, I'm not much of a list maker. I did make up a list of things I want to get done with my scrap room...and aren't you feeling privileged that you get to see the list?

switch sides of room: tv/accessories/stereo set in built-in shelves

color-purples
lilac/lavender walls
darker curtains
lavender or white sparkly sheers
curtains over shelves?

new table skirt

cover bb with batting & ribbon

paint table? redo top somehow

shades to replace blinds

find "bar stool" to use at table

dye fabric of 2 deck chairs? or make new?

stencil & paint inspirational words on walls?

Pretty exciting, huh? Before I can really do ANY of the list, I desperately need to clean. Took these pics after picking up enough stuff the kids had dumped on the floor when they took stuff upstairs, just so I could move around.

Follow-up to "No wonder I'm twisted"

Dad gave me permission to post the pic I saw when I opened my card from them on Christmas.

I'm telling you, this is just WRONG!



And my reaction when I opened the card to see the pic above.

No wonder I'm twisted!

With parents like mine, that is. LOL

When Mom & I went Christmas shopping, she kept looking at these novelty boxer shorts and asking me if I thought she should get this one or that one for Dad. First it was a Santa pair then something else and then the Grinch. That's when I couldn't take it anymore and told her to STOP! The images she was putting in my head, I was trying VERY hard not to see. Did she want me to end up in therapy??

I kind of forgot all about it because she didn't buy any.

So after the kids opened their presents, Dad handed out cards to my brother and his gf. Hmm, he's holding mine...WTF? My brother and his gf each got gift cards and, since I didn't have many gifts, I thought maybe mine was bigger or something.

NOPE!

Really sweet card..then I opened it. Stuck inside was a picture of my Dad in the boxer shorts, bent over so I could read the HO HO HO across his ass.

I dropped that sucker on the love seat and started screaming "NO! NO! NO!" "That's just so wrong! That's wrong on so many levels"

Turns out there were TWO pics in there....Mom got a "Santa" outfit too and they posed together for me.

Seriously, can you SEE the years of therapy ahead for me after seeing that???

Oh, and of course, Mom videotaped the whole thing! lol

Favorite Christmas picture

Can you tell what our challenges have been this month? lol

I love this pic of the kids "fighting" before they opened their stockings at Nana & Papa's house last year.

Favorite Christmas song

Hoping this works! I absolutely LOVE Nat King Cole's version of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire).

Ok, it works. You have to actually click on the play button to see it. (Silly me, I kept waiting and waiting for it to load before I thought to try that, lol.)

Favorite Christmas recipe

Granted, this one is strictly Christmas like the challenge called for but she said we could post anything we make at Christmas time.

Since I only allow myself to have fudge at Christmas time, it's a Christmas recipe to me.

Fantasy Fudge
3 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter or margarine
1 small can evaporated milk (2/3 c.)
1-1/2 pkg. chocolate chips
1 jar marshmallow creme
1 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Line 9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan, set aside. Place sugar, butter and evaporated milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 4 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat.

Add chocolate chips and marshmallow creme, stir until completely melted. Add walnuts and vanilla, mix well.

Pour immediately into prepared pan, spread to form an even layer. Let stand at room temp 4 hours or until completely cooled. Cut into 1-inch square pieces.

Oh yeah!

Our challenge for this week is to post holiday pics and I eventually hope to get to that...sometime.

Right now I'm so excited because I will, sometime today, have a new "nephew." My BFF, Mandi, is being induced this morning and the little man will be here soon!

I'm so glad that she & her DH agreed to send me a PIX message so I can see him right away. I have to be out running around today and wouldn't have gotten to see pics till late tonight on the puter.

And, Mandi took the plunge and finally set up a blog of her own. I bet you'll be able to see baby pics over there soon! Check her out at http://thoughtsandthingsfromasmalltowngirl.blogspot.com/ (sorry, it wouldn't let me put in a clickable link.)

All I want for Christmas is....

Christopher home again.

If I can't have that, I'll settle for a day to just spend time with him without having to deal with "other" people.

Blog challenge #17

Katie challenged us to scrapbook something blue this week and post about it.

I did this for a Dormitories challenge on ScrapbookPlayground. Without going to check, I believe the challenge was to use the color of your bedding. Mine is light blue jersey sheets and a white down comforter so it was fairly easy to scrap with.


Other layouts and cards I got done this week for challenges on the playground:

Short & sweet (I hope)

Finally got pics of some recent purses.

Last one, for now, for my gf's shop in Florida:



I love the DCWV Glitter Stack!

For another friend, Anna:




The ribbons hadn't been trimmed yet when I took this pic but the camera was out, it was mostly done, so I took the pic anyway.

Now I'm off to link some layouts I got done AND look for a cheap Halloween craft for Jason's class to do at the classroom party in 15 minutes.

Long overdue update

The crop was AWESOME! As predicted, everyone wanted to know when the next one will be and the only complaints were minor ones. (Have music in the crop room, for example. Found out afterwards that there's a system at the B&B so a few won't get blasted by the boombox while others can't hear it at all.)

Mandi & I were discussing it again last night and it looks like there's going to be one in the spring!!!

Everyone had such a great time, TONS of food (that's one of the changes, lol....some will be "assigned" snacks and others drinks so there isn't as much left over at the end), SOOOOO many goodies! If I ever get around to unpacking my stuff, I'll snap a pic of the goodies.

Of course, I wasn't lucky enough to win one of the 15 big prizes and I hated that part of it because they were soooo good! Mom won one though and she was tickled.

It was great to see some online friends again AND to finally meet some IRL for the first time! (Hi Brigette & Chris...so glad you both made it and we finally got to meet!) Just wish that Katie's work schedule hadn't been so nuts so she could have been there more than just one day.

In other news, I should have a couple more purses to show you by, hopefully, tomorrow night. Of course, that will depend on if I get all my Cub Scout stuff done today for tonight's meeting so that I can finish them up today. I was suppose to grocery shop today but Jason's "feeling puny" (his words, lol) so I guess I shuffle my schedule and work instead of shop today.

Only 3-1/2 more days!!

And I'm so not ready to go, lol. well, mentally I'm ready but the only thing I have packed for the crop is my table treats & white elephant gift. If I ever get the stuff priced for the "yard sale" then I might actually get to try planning what to bring to scrap. Shoot, who am I kidding? I'll end up bringing my photo box, throwing all my paper in my CIS Paper Taker, grabbing a bunch of embellishments and HOPE that I actually get some scrapping done, lol.

In other news, my gf's shop opening got delayed till next month :( But other orders are still trickling in for purses and I still have some that I want to do "just for fun."

Jason has now gone to school 6 days in a row without any problems! (Picture me jumping up and down here. Ok, don't because it's really an ugly image, lol.) His dad spilled the beans early about me being gone this week-end but they're going to be really busy with golf, Jason's flag football game, fishing, going out to eat and just *maybe* going to stock car races.

Speaking of DH, he's postponing his retirement....at least, that's the latest word. He finally realized that he'd be cooped up in the house if he retired in the winter (DUH!) and he really wants to be able to go fishing & golfing. So now he's decided to wait till March 31 for his retirement date....we'll see if it changes again.

That's about all the excitement in my life right now. Maybe one of these days I'll get around to posting some purses again...

You'll never guess what happened....

For those of you who know the drama with Jason lately.....

He actually went to school this morning with no tears or whining!!

I'm hoping this means we're finally coming to the end of his separation anxiety issues but won't be surprised if tomorrow is bad again. See, after never using a babysitter, DH has decided that we can get one tomorrow night so we can go out to see some of his golfing friends. (It's one gal's birthday so we'll be heading up to her boyfriend's bar to celebrate with her.) What a time for DH to finally give in on using a sitter! Wish us luck that he doesn't have too much trouble with it so the sitter is willing to come back another time.

And for those who know about Dh: You can understand my excitement about actually getting out! lol He's such a homebody that we don't usually even go out to eat....and when we do, it's like this: Leave at 5:00, go eat, maybe run one quick errand and home again (usually no later than 7:00). Tomorrow night will make TWICE in a week that we've gone out! Monday night was the last night of golf so everyone met at the bar (different than the one tomorrow night). A collection had been taken to present to the bar owner for all he'd done to organize the league and as a thank you for the party he put together last month (tons of food, beer and prizes....all out of HIS pocket). Dh actually stayed out till 10:30...and his "bedtime" is usually 8:30, lol.

Off-topic but getting excited!

There are only 25 days till the best danged crop ever! Seriously, my friend Mandi has put so much working to making it awesome and I can't wait to get there.

Twenty-nine ladies are in for the most awesome week-end! For $105 we get 2 nights in a B&B, ALL meals *and* snacks/beverages, door prizes worth $12-15 each, goody bags, AND chances to win entries in the big drawings....15 of them so far, priced between $40-100, if I remember right. Seriously, *everything* for that $105...can you believe that?? Mandi's done such an awesome job. At one point, she said she'd be "making" a whopping $0.30 off it but I know she's bought some stuff out of her own pocket so that $0.30 is long gone, lol. (And she even paid the $105 too and figured that into the amount she spent on prizes, food, etc.)

And I get to go take a sneak peek of all the goodies on Thursday! Well, I've seen a little bit since she ordered CTMH through me and I saw something cool in the Joann's ad that I passed on to her last week with her CTMH order...but I get to snoop through all the rest of the goodies then.

I keep warning her that everyone is going to be asking when she's planning the next one. Good thing she's had such a great time planning this one, lol.

well, what do you know?

I finally remembered to take my camera upstairs! At long last, here's the Palm Trees purse for my gf's store in Florida:





Both sides are the same paper then I was able to use the scraps for the sides. Blue, green & clear beads for the handles.

And a Red Hat purse. This was actually my second choice of papers but the first one got ruined and I haven't had a chance to get back to that store. When I started it, I didn't have any purple ribbon so I thought I'd be slick....dyed some white ribbons with my CTMH inks! That ended up not being such a good idea as the ink ended up bleeding through all over the purse so I had to throw it away.

So here's my second attempt at a Red Hat purse after finally finding the purple ribbons that I wanted. (Well, almost....I actually had a darker purple in mind for the organdy but this is what was available.)

Slacking

With Dh on vacation, my puter time has been limited (not to mention my purse-making time!).

did this one for my almost-8yo niece's birthday. It's smaller and more appropriate for a child, I think, at just 6"x6".

Sorry this first pic is blurry. I took it and retook it at least 1/2 dozen times and couldn't get it any better for some reason.



And this is one that is going to my gf's shop in Florida after it opens in September. Again, sorry about the one blurry pic. I don't know why it'll take it just fine one minute and won't the next in the same spot, same lighting, etc.




If it all works out, I should have pics of at least 3 more purses in the next 2 or 3 days. Two purses are almost done except for needing to pick up ribbon tomorrow to finish off one (2 of the spools didn't have enough on them) and the other needs a handle that I'll get on Thursday.

It's been awhile....

but here's a couple more, finally. Last week was just nuts and I couldn't find much time to get these done.

Both of these were just for fun.

CTMH papers


I *will* be fixing the handles on this one. I just have to remember to ask DH to squeeze them closed because I couldn't do it, no matter how much I tried.

Pooh...wish now I'd thought to take pics of the sides. Instead of cardstock on the sides, I used more of the Pooh papers so it's the same all the way around.



For the ribbons, I used an orange-yellow grosgrain to match Pooh, a red organdy to match his shirt, blue grosgrain to match the bees' wings and a light yellow organdy to (almost) match the bees.

What do you think of the "bamboo" handles? They kind of look like bamboo but they're big beads!