I've Been a Busy Little Bee

Well, it has been a while, but only because the holidays make us all so crazy busy. I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. We visited my family for Christmas and will be visiting Andy's for New Year's. My brother and his family finally made it safely from Alaska. We were worried. They had tried to leave on saturday, but were snowed in. They finally were able to get there on friday evening. How great it was to see them all! And, boy, my nephew JAmes has grown so much! What a happy little guy he is!

This is one of the pictures from our Christmas cards this year. OMG we were so silly. We took about 100 or so pictures and none of them were turning out. So, Andy and I just started to go with it. We started to just take silly ones.

This year, we decided to go pretty simple for the teachers. Jake and I got mason jars and filled them with 8 different kinds of beans to make a layered soup mix. We added a bay leaf and a bouillon cube. On top went some ribbon and fabric. We added this to a bowl and included the recipe and also some candy. Finally, we wrapped them in cellophane and added a pretty ribbon and an bell ornament (which I had gotten last year after Christmas for like nothing!). They turned out lovely and cost only about $4.00 per person. Not bad. I also made some for my co-workers at the library. We made about 16 or 17 baskets. Also, a friend from AMR, Leslie, has been going through some pretty tough times. Stacey asked us to make her some 4x6 inspirational cards which she will be sending to Leslie to help her through her journey. I made about 6 for her. I just wish I could've done more. Please read her blog and keep her in your prayers.

Take care and ttyl! :)

Finally scrapped...WooHoo

OK, so I could've scrapped well into the night, but I finally went to bed. I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. But, oh, did it feel so good to actually touch the paper and embellishments. I finished some projects for swaps and what-not, and I also worked on a mini-book for my cousin who just had a baby girl. I'll post that when I finish it.

I finished my project for Stacey over at All Moments Remembered. She is awesome and some of the gals there are presenting her with this album with LOs from all of us. Stacey started her blog and store about a year ago, so this is her 1yr present to show her how much she means to us. We were supposed to make an 8x8 LO with a picture of ourselves on it, our name and message board name, when we joined, and what we like about AMR. (BTW, it isn't crooked, I just took a crooked picture, LOL) Here is mine:

Speaking of Stacey, she had asked us to make some gift tags from Santa to some needy children where she lives. I only finished 12, but love how they turned out. I used some tags that I've had for years, stamped a single image on them and then used chalk to color the image. To soften the background, I also chalked around the picture. Finally, I inked the edges and added some red fibers. Very sinple, but they look nice. Finally, I participated in a cookie recipe card swap and a candy recipe card swap. I laminated mine after making a simple digi card. They had to be 6x6, and could be digital or traditional.

A Few New LOs and Tagged

I've tried a few digital LOs lately. I'm enjoying collecting the stuff for them. Ha Ha...it's almost as addicting as collecting paper supplies. And, Downloading fonts is also fun. There are some great fonts out there.

This LO is of my Grandmom, Uncle Vic, and Aunt Betty. Uncle Vic has since passed and Grandmom has had a stroke. I'm not sure where or when the picture was taken, but I really love it. And since Aunt Betty lives in California, they don't get together too often. It must have been someone's wedding.

My nephew Nate just adores James. He doesn't let go of him too often. Love this picture of him. Such a cutie he is.

This LO is of my son, Jake when he was about 18 months during Thanksgiving.

This LO is of my nephew, James. What a sweetie pie he is. He was just born this April. Crazy how time passes. Don't you just want to kiss his cute little face.

My scrap pal, Chris, tagged me. How fun! You should check out her blog and her scrapbooking work. OMG is she talented!

(The rules….link your tagger and list these rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.)

Here are my "facts":
1. I love gummy bears. I buy (and eat) them often.
2. My father was in the Air Force and we've lived all over the United States and some countries, like Germany and Canada. I was born in Berlin.
3. I played the flute and piccolo in HS and college.
4. I used to run cross country and track, but now can't run at all.
5. I've had multiple joint replacements and set off the alarms at airports.
6. My Mom tells me that I used to think it was Baby Jesus, Mary, and Frank and we didn't kow anyone named Frank at the time.
7. I keep finding a few gray hairs, but am resisting getting my hair died to cover it. Would that make me old? OK, so it makes me strange.

The 7 people who I'd like to tag are:
1. Angie...a friend who not only loves scrapping, but also loves the beach. Check out her blog for some inspiration
2. Noel Joy...Love her style. She has the cutest girls.
3. Jessica...there is some serious talent here y'all
4. Nancy...been enjoying her blog and sensational work lately
5. Jenn...love her work and always is positive!
6. Liz...because she always has great ideas and style!
7. Jewlz...just look at her talent!

Halloween Eyeballs

OK. So who doesn't like to eat yummy treats on Halloween? I know I do, especially when it is fun making them. Well, Jake and I love to make Halloween Eyeballs. Yep, they look like bloodshot eyeballs. And, they are super easy to make (oh, and delicious!).In the photo, they are not quite set, so after about a half an hour in the freezer, they will be ready to serve.

Here is the recipe:

1/2 C butter

1 1/2 C peanut butter

2 C confectioner's sugar

1 tbsp vanilla

white melting chocolate

crisco

chocolate chips

red gel

In a medium bowl, mix the butter, peanut butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla. Form into balls. Place on wax paper and put in freezer for at least 1/2 hour to firm. In small saucepan, mix about 1 TBSP Crisco with white melting chocolate over low heat. Stir constantly and until smooth. With a toothpick, dip the balls into th echocolate to coat. Place on wax paper. Remove toothpick and insert upside down chocolate hip into the hole form the toothpick. After they set a bit, make squiggly lines going from the chocolate chip to make the eyeballs look bloodshot. Place back into freezer to set. After they are set, take a wet paper towel and smooth out the edges from the white chocolate.

To serve, cover a plate with lettuce and place eyeballs on them. Enjoy!

Halloween Party!!!

A Fanciful Twist is having a Halloween party tomorrow (Saturday, October 18)! How much fun. Check out her blog here, and then link to the other blogs that are also playing along with the party. There will be lots of fun.

For my part...I found these silly videos on you tube. Perhaps they will bring some fun Halloween memories from your past. I know I remember watching some of these.

Popeye's Halloween: click here

Donald Duck - Trick Or Treat - 1954: click here

A Scooby Doo Halloween: click here

Betty Poop Halloween Party: click here

Mickey Mouse Haunted House 1929: click here

Skeleton Dance: click here

I will try to have a tutorial on how to make chocolate peanut butter EYEBALLS...but, since I have to work, I might have to add that a little later for you.

Two More Digi LOs

Remember my post with the pictures of the Elizabeth Gardens? Well, I created the following LO using those pictures plus a few others that I had taken on various other trips. Amanda Probst was the guest designer for the AMR crop this past weekend. She issued her own challenge for us. She asked us to lift one of her pages using one of her sketches. I chose a single page LO from her November sketches. Her LO was perfect for using many pictures on a single LO.

I also created this LO for the crop. I just love these pictures of Jake at Grandmas's house. His face and the way he is wearing the bathing cap is just adorable. And, I really think the orange stands out with the blue. What a cutie he is!

Hopefully I will have some more LOs finished soon. I'm sure with football and cub scouts and Halloween and fall festivals (and everything else, LOL), I'll have a lot of photo opportunities.

(Finally) Some New LOs!

So, as many of you know, I have not been able to scrap lately. AMR had their monthly crop this weekend and I was not only able to participate in it, but also able to crop. Woo Hoo! Here are 3 of the LOs that I was able to finish so far. Each is a digi LO. Oh, and check back for (hopefully) some traditional LOs, too since the challenges are not due until wednesday. Maybe I can scrap tonight.

This first LO is of Jake. He always looks happy and has a great smile. The challenge was from the member spotlight (Sandy), who challenged us to take 3 colors from the photo and use them and only them in the LO. I chose black, tan, and white for my three colors. I really wanted the colors in this terrific photo to stand out.

This next LO was Debbie's challenge. She asked us to create a LO of a life altering event. I chose my arthritis and many surgeries. Since I didn't want to gross anyone out by photos of replacements or scars, I chose to make it simple and do the journaling on the back. There's been a lot of pain...(but I'm still walking). Isn't that the truth! And, you know, I'm happy that I can still function on my own. Somethings are a little difficult (and there is the constant pain), but I can still manage!

In this last LO, we were challenged by Heather to scrap our favorites. Funny how I love the color purple and didn't use that in my LO. Oh, and I just love older movies as you can see. Danny Kay, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney...well, you get the point. Maybe when I reach another milestone age I will change my mind. :)

I Found It!

Woo Hoo. Three years ago, when I moved to the Outer Banks, I thought I lost a drive with a lot of my pictures on it. Sadly, many of them were just digital and only on the drive. Others I could scan and, though it would be some work, wouldn't be a problem. Well, way down in the bottom dark corner of my laptop bag was my drive. On the drive were many pictures of Andy as a baby and throughout his younger years that his mother gave me, various pictures of Jake, and pictures of different trips to places like Disney and Ireland. Here are some of my favorites that I found on the drive.

This one is of Andy and Jake catching the big fish in Oregon Inlet. It reminds me of this one of Andy when he was younger. It was taken somewhere in the OBX during a family trip.

I just love these of Jake playing in the ocean.

Love this one of Jake dancing at Disney. He used to get a very serious look on his face and squat down to dance. So cute!

I also love these ones from Disneyland.

Someone is Having a Birthday!

My wonderfully talented scrapbooking friend, Chris, is having a birthday today! Check out Chris' blog. She has a really neat tutorial about typography. And she, of course, used lots of pictures for us visual types.

Chris has recently had some wonderful scrappy news. She has been published in various places, she was the guest designer for AMR, and she was named to the DT at The Scrappin' Supply Shack.

So, visit her blog and leave her some love. Then, have a piece of cake in honor of Chris.

A Few Tidbits

Do you ever find a good book that makes you love the author again? Well, this summer, I refound Michael Palmer. Loving his books! I own two and then this summer, Dad gave me The First Patient and The Fifth Vial. Over the last month I've also read Miracle Cure. I'm now reading Critical Judgment and The Society which I borrowed from the local library. Have I said how much I love these books? I read pretty much any genre of book, but I love thrillers and mysteries. Michael Palmer writes medical thrillers. The thing that makes his books believable, and in my opinion great, is that he writes about things that could happen to any of us. His books prey on our fears. For instance, do you ever wonder what happens to the blood when you get bloodwork? Why do they need so many vials when a drop might surfice? What if they take an extra vial for their own purpose? The Fifth Vial uses "fear" as a scenerio in the book. Check out his books! Read for yourself. I'm sure your local library will be able to borrow it for you if they don't have one in their collection. My friend, Angie, gave me this blog award a few weeks ago. Thanks! I love getting them. Funny thing is that I need to give it to 7 people. But, as my scrappal, Chris (who also got one), mentioned, everyone already has one. So, I'll give this award to everyone whose blog I read and love and any new ones that I come across.

So, I haven't been blogging as often. Well, if you didn't know, we moved a few weeks ago. Love the house, hate to unpack. School started, as well as football. Jake also starts cubscouts tonight. I started teaching a class for the CC here. Love it! But, it is a night class, so I often come home exhausted and don't get much of anything else accomplished. I've also been interviewing for FT jobs. This week, I have a second interview with the director here. Wish me luck! And, fortunately, Andy's business is picking up. Even though it is still pretty hot here, people are thinking ahead and either buying fireplaces or servicing the ones they own. I've been trying to do the alphabet POTD at the AMR board, but haven't been able to scrapbook. Maybe some day soon I will be able to scrap. I have the mojo, but not the time. Here are a few of my alphabet pictures.

Homework...for Us?

Yesterday was the first day of school here in Dare County. Since we are moving into a new house, we enrolled Jake in the new school. He was a little nervous about making all new friends, but when we were completing his paperwork for the school transfer, he saw another kid he knew from his daycare. He was in a different teacher's class, but they were able to see each other during recess. Jake is officially a "First Flight Fyer" now, not a "Nags Head Wave Runner". It is hard to believe he is in 2nd grade!

I had to laugh when I picked him up from school. The first thing he told me about was the homework. He said he didn't have homework, we do. I said, "Wait a minute, I didn't go to school today, how did I get homework?" He laughed and said, "that's OK, Daddy has to do it with you, too. It is for both of you to do together." And let me tell you, he meant it. While Jake was playing with a neighborhood boy, I took out the paperwork, aka homework, and started filling out the humongous pile of forms. Jake noticed and made me wait until Andy got home. It took us over an hour to read everything and complete them all.

I hope we get an A.

Sunny

Wow. It has been a busy summer for us. I haven't had much time for scrapping at all. Jake will be starting school in about a week, and I still need to get his supplies and a new backpack. Football starts soon, too. We are thrilled that he wants to play again this year. Some good news for me is that I will be teaching a class at the community college here for their compensatory education program. I am so excited about it! And, the best part is that I will be working with a wonderful group of kids.

Since I haven't been able to scrap lately, I decided to play around with digital scrapping while here at the store. I've never done digital scrapping or even hybrid and thought this was a blast. I will try it again.

So, here is "Sunny"! Amazing how huge he grew in such a short period. Andy and Jake documented it in steps along the way. They measured him and marked it on the post next to him.

Stalactite Anyone?

We just came back from camping at Yogi Bear's Jellystone Campground in Luray, VA. We just love it there. Usually we go camping for Halloween, but since we've never used their pools or the waterslide, we decided to go during the summer. The views were just as spectacular and the rangers and campgrounds were just as awesome. While there we decided to visit the Luray Caverns. We try to do this every visit since Jake loves it and it is not only educational, but beautiful as well. Admission costs $19.00 for each adult and children ages 6-12 are just $9.00. But, they do offer some discounts and the entrance fee also includes the cost of admission to the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum as well. The caverns are temperature controlled at a comfortable 54 degrees and the guided tour takes about an hour to complete. The paved path is about 1 1/4 miles in length.

Stacpipe Organ (this is a working organ that uses the stalctites for their pipes!)

Pluto's Chasm

Totem Poles

Titania's Veil

Fried Eggs Formation

Wishing Well
Various Views

My pictures do not do this cave justice. The formations are just magnificent. To learn more about each of the named formations and about the caverns, check on discover the caverns on their website.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Fishing

Last weekend, we met Andy's brother, John, on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel for lunch and fishing off the pier. The Bridge Tunnel is trulya remarkable structure. The first phase was completed in 1964, and an additional phase was completed in 1999, which opened the Bridge Tunnel to four lane traffic. Including the causeways, the span is 23 miles. It includes two tunnels and allows travelers to go from Virginia Beach, Virginia to the Eastern Shore of Virginia, including points north, like Maryland and Delaware. The total cost of building this was 450 million dollars which is entirely paid for by toll money costing each car $12.00 to cross.
We ate lunch in the restaurant that is located on the southern-most island of the Bridge Tunnel. The food is good and the restaurant, of course, has a spectacular view. Andrea didn't come, but John brought the kids, which is great for Jake. Afte we ate, the kids browsed the gift shop before we set out to the pier for fishing.

There are a lot of lookouts for you to see incoming ships and such.
Allison and I just hung out and played while the boys fished.

The boys really had fun. And, I'm sure Andy enjoyed seeing his brother.

The view from the pier is gorgeous!