Reflections

Well it is almost the end of 2008. Tomorrow is Christmas and I am finding it hard to really get into the holiday spirit. It is difficult for me to really feel the spirit of Christmas this year. So I thought if I listed out all the major events in my life the year it would give me some perspective on the whole thing and maybe I could get into the spirit of Christmas.

In January, my Uncle was murdered. This in the end caused huge issues in my family. People fighting and lashing out at one another, it was and continues to be just awful.

Also my girlfriends and I planned a great scrapbooking retreat weekend. Which should have been a nice way for me to relax and unwind... not so, it turned into being a really stressful weekend and I ended up going home a day earlier. The end result is that two of my really close friends had a very strained relationship for a really long time. Again... awful.

In February, my dad seemed to be struggling with some health issues but he kept telling all of us he was fine. It turned out the he had congestive heart failure and he was pretty much drowning on the inside. Luckliy the doctor figured it out in time and he was able to get rid of the fluid.

In March, I turned 37...

April and May were pretty calm.

In June, my oldest turned 7, we went on a trip to South Dakota and missed one of the worst storms that Omaha has ever seen and when we returned home we had a lot of downed branches and minor damage to one of the gutters on the front of the house.

In July, my youngest turned 4, we had mini tornado touch down in our backyard and rip one of the neighbors trees out of the ground and into our yard destroying the back fence, it was a mess for WEEKS back there.

In August, my baby brother got married so a trip to Colorado was on the agenda. It was nice to see my mom and step-dad along with my baby brother and his new wife. Although the stress of finding a dress and getting it altered was excrutiatingly painful. I'm a plus size gal and I don't really care to have my upper body exposed but every dress I looked at seemed to be strapless, spaghetti straps or very revealing. YUCK... who wants to see that!

In September & October things seemed to be going well.

In November, my dad had a sudden heart attack at work and died. For those of you that have had a parent pass you know my pain. For those of you who haven't I cannot even begin to describe the pain you go through. For me I haven't been able to really grieve because one of my siblings finds in necessary to yell and scream at me every chance he gets. It isn't pleasant and it isn't an easy thing to deal with. In addition to that he has been the most vocal about what he deserves period. Which I cannot for the life of me even begin to understand.

So most of December has been spent dealing with my dad's affairs and trying to get it all done and over with, I really just want it to be done. I'm ready for 2008 to be over with and I hope and pray that 2009 will be better. It doesn't even have to be spectacular.... just calm and quiet would be nice.

Thanks for reading, I'm usually not an overly negative person and I know things could always be worse. I am thankful for what I have, I'm finding it hard though to appreciate anything at this point.

Hugs,
Michele

One Week Until...

THANKSGIVING!

This year we will be hosting our family Thanksgiving dinner. While I am excited, I'm nervous too. Last time we had Thanksgiving at our house it was CROWDED... We've got a new house now but our family is also larger so I am hoping that we've covered our bases and I have enough things to keep the kiddies busy!

Now normally I won't allow my MIL's oyster stuffing anywhere near the turkey but my FIL had some surgery last year and we didn't have a big family dinner. He love's the stuffing and he especially likes it when it is cooked in the bird, so... since he can actually eat solid food this year I am throwing my disguist out the window and stuffing the bird with oyster dressing. My DH is extatic as well. Truth be told the only two people who eat it is my FIL and my DH. Go figure.

The other item on the menu that has never made sense to me is baked beans. My MIL won't give me the recipe or even tell me how she makes hers so she is making them and bringing them over... Growing up we never had baked beans for any of the winter holidays but I am told it is a southern tradition... Which I don't get because none of us are from the south! Anyway they are out of this world rock star yummy so I'm looking forward to it.

I haven't gotten any of my projects done so I am sad about that but I'm hoping that over this long holiday weekend I'll get back into the swing of it and get stuff done! I'm also sad that I missed an online crop at Paper Popscicles...

OK and this week I've discovered Facebook... well I've always known it was there but I finally created an account and have slowly started adding friends. It is kind of fun and a great way to stay in touch with people.

Well I better get back to work... happy creating!

IT'S HALLOWEEN MOMMY

We got up this morning and my youngest informed me that it was Halloween and that we would be goin trick or treating this evening. Gotta love the little ones. We will be heading out with the kids but when we get home I'm getting to work... I've spent far too much time away from my scraps this month! Happy Creating.

Stuff I got done this weekend

Sadly I was unable to get logged on to Busy Bee this weekend so I spent all weekend at Lovebug participating in their Scrap Your Stash Online Crop. I sure got a lot done and I had a great time everyone was so friendly plus I learned a few new techniques and can you believe I had no idea what Thickers were! I'm still not sure that I know what they are but I get that they are pieces of foam with adhesive.... Anyway here are a few layouts that I completed and a card holder.

My Weekend Plans

I will be participating in two online crops this weekend. One at LoveBug.com and the other at Busy Bee . Come on over and check them out!

Menu Plan Monday

Kind of running behind today... so I don't have much to say!

Here is our menu for next week!

Monday - Roast, Mashed Potatoes, Fruit
Tuesday - Italian Slow Cooker Chicken, Broccoli, Fruit
Wednesday - Chicken Orzo Florentine, Salad
Thursday - BBQ Ranch Chicken & Bacon Wrap, Fruit
Friday - Sesame Chicken, Rice

Falling Sky

I don't normally scrap photos that I don't take but while we were on Vacation this storm came through Omaha and it was a pretty powerful storm. We were lucky to still have our six trees in our yard after it was all said and done. We came home 3 days later and there were still trees blocking roads and branches all over the place. Anyway someone sent me these photos and I thought that they were absolutely beautiful. I scrapped these for a challenge at ScrapMuse. The challenge was to create a layout with falling somewhere in the title.

Family Fun On Vacation

I've been enjoying myself over at ScrapMuse's online crop today and here is a layout that I completed for a challenge. The challenge was to Scrap your favorite thing about fall using fall colors.

Unexpected Beauty

Here is another layout from vacation and this is actually on the way to Custer, SD. We came up over this hill and there was this massive lake with green hillsides all around it. It was the most unexpected thing!

Girls Will Be Girls

September Sketch Challenge at Paper Popsicles... I really like the way this turned out it was a simple sketch but it had so many possibilities. To make the flower I used a transparency and the cricuit machine. From there I added liquid applique around the side of the flower knowing that when I heated it up it would crinkle the edges of the flower and cause it to curl. Once it completely dried I dusted the liquid applique with some chalk and added the button.

A New Sketch

Please post a link in the comments if you use the sketch, I'd love to see what you've created!

40% Off Clearance Items

Even though Paper Popsicles regularly has items 35% less than retail, right now you can get an extra 40% of Clearance items.

The Great Pumpkin Search

I just thought this looked like fun!


The Great Pumpkin Search Registration
If you are interested in participating in the Fall 2008 Online Shop Hop: The Great Pumpkin Search where you will search for a hidden pumpkin on participating stores' websites...for a chance to win prizes, please submit your email address that you will use during the shop hop, along with your contact information below.
There is no cost to participate and no minimum purchase required.
The Shop Hop is scheduled for October 15 - November 16th, 2008.

Menu Plan Monday - Family Favorites Edition

We have many family favorites or what I call go to meals. They are simple and delicious and the kids can help make them. This week we are going to have Pizza Bread. I honestly don't know where this recipe came from but as a child we would make this every time my Uncle Harold came to visit.

Sadly, my Uncle is no longer with us but everytime we make this it so special to know that I'm giving my kids what my Uncle gave to us, time together learning and creating!

Pizza Bread

6 Hoagies cut in half

1lb hamburger - cooked and drained

1 can pizza sauce (the size depends on how much sauce you like)

2 cups Colby Jack cheese shredded

The above is the base of the pizza you could swap out the hamburger for sausage, pepperoni or your favorite meat topping. In addition, you could add other things like mushrooms, onions, olives, etc.

Lay the Hoagies out on the cooking sheet. Top with pizza sauce. Sprinkle the meat topping over the bread and then add the rest of your toppings. Top it off with cheese. Put it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 - 15 minutes.

This Weeks Menu

Monday - Monterey BBQ Chicken, In a Flash Beans & Strawberry Shortcake

Tuesday - Pizza Pork Chops, Orzo w/Parmesan & Basil, Broccoli & Strawberry Shortcake

Wednesday - Bronzed Chicken, Salami Pasta Salad & Applesauce

Thursday - Chicken Nuggets, Leftover Salami Pasta Salad & Applesauce

Friday - Pizza Bread, Salad & Grapes

Saturday - Tacos, Salad & Grapes

Sunday - Traditional Spaghetti Dinner with the Family

Martha Stewart Blogs???

No joke check it out!

Martha's Blog

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days?

Well lately, I've had a string of those days...

It started with my youngest child restarting the microwave with a bag of popcorn in it (yeah big stinky mess) and has culminated today with the Alternator going out in my van!

Yep... now all I can do is just laugh about it because if I don't I'm bound to start crying and not stop for days!

SO after dinner this evening I plan on emursing myself in my scrapbook room and not coming out! That ought to relieve some stress!

The Beckoning of Lovely

While reading Katz Blog today she had a wonderful link to this amazing project. Check it out!

Altered Journal

Di Hickman's tutorial on this altered journal was so simple I don't know what I thought it would take me forever to do it. I'm glad I dove in and got it done!

CK Random Challenge 1

Yesterday I posted about the CK Random Challenge Generator. While I was at the site I created three challenges for myself. This is the first one I have completed... well sort of...

I ended up using the sketch and that was about it. This layout is from a recent trip we took to South Dakota. This was such a beautiful site in person and I remember feeling in awe when we drove up over that hill and saw it, the pictures really don't do it justice mainly because we were in a moving vehicle and no place to pull over. I decided to us a rust red background and accent it with yellow and blue patterened paper simply to get the pictures to POP.

Menu Plan Monday - Sept 15th

Yes it is only Sept 13th but I do menus on Saturday because that is when I shop!

Monday - Pulled Beef BBQ Sandwiches & Pasta Salad

• Pulled Beef BBQ Sandwiches

I use beef ribs, usually about 3lbs. Put them in the crock pot along
with some beef broth and cook them all day.

Get home pull the ribs out and shred the meat with a fork.

Transfer the shredded meat to a baking dish pour your favorite BBQ sauce on
and bake for 30 minutes

• Pasta Salad - As a busy mom... I cheat a little and use Suddenly Salad, everyone likes it so why re-invent the wheel!

Tuesday - Roast, Mashed Potatoes, fruit and veggies

• Roast - Pretty basic - crockpot, cream of mushroom, beef stock and a whole day of cooking
• Mashed Potatoes - Instant
• Fruit & Veggies - Whatever we have on hand most likely - Pineapple and Peas

Wednesday - Pork Chops, applesauce & veggie (no special recipes here just basic cooking)

Thursday - My Extra special Tuna Salad Bagel Sandwiches - Left Over Veggies and Fruit

Friday - Sesame Chicken, Brown Rice & Lentils

Saturday - Take Out because the Kitchen will be closed

Sunday - Our traditional Family dinner is Spaghetti... so no matter who's house we go to on family night we will be having spaghetti!

Inspiration Anyone

I thought this was a cool challenge - The challenge is to essentially pick your top 5 songs that represent something in your life, invoke emotion, or remind you of someone/something significant.

Things of Interest

I spend a lot of time surfing the net, reading articles and genereally looking for inspiration.



Well here is a list of things I found today that I found to be inspiring:


Have you checked out the Random Challenge Generator at CK?



Do you have friends that tell you they don't have time to scrapbook? I know I do, some people just don't get it... anyway I found this site called smilebox You put your pictures in and whoala done!



I found this one to be a great post about using fake flowers instead of purchasing the $$$ scrapbooking type!

Happy Anniversary Baby!

Yesterday, was our 10-year wedding anniversary. We took the kids to some friends house to play while we spent a nice quiet evening at home by ourselves. DH and I made dinner together, watched some TV and just snuggled. It was a good thing! When we went to go pick the kids up they had made a cake and frosted it for us, it was so sweet! It was a good night!

I've Completed a Sketch

I should probably start by saying that typically I sketch my layouts by hand. I've long since been a fan of Becky Fleck and I just keep thinking... I wonder how she does that... Well, I've been playing with a bunch of different software this evening and I'm thinking I need to do some more research but I was so excited I decided to make do with what I have and forge ahead. Here is my sketch!

If you decide to use it please post a link in the comments so I can come and check it out.

Who Wants Goodies?

Scraps of Life has a little giveaway going on... simply post a comment on her blog and you are entered! Yeah!

Seriously I like this blog, it has two of my favorite things sketches and recipes! Click on the title and it will take you right to the blog... or check out my favorite links, I'm adding it there too because she has some good recipes... I'm eyeballing the peanut butter popcorn at the moment! YUMMY!

Catching Up

Well today I'm just doing some catchup and getting organized. I'm working on my sketching style and finding a program that works for me to create sketches in. Once I get that figured out I'll be posting my final sketches right here on my blog... so if you don't see one today check back!

It's Been How Long???

I cannot believe that it has been over a year since my last post!

There has been a lot going on and it seems like it has been that long since I've seriously done any scrapbooking or creating of any kind. So I've decided to search the web for some inspiration and get back to it.

You know how sometimes you see things and you wonder...hmmm I wonder what that is all about and then you somehow stumble on it one day and think... Geeze Luis... I'm such a dork!

Well that happened to me tonight. In August I bought an Ipod Nano and I'm happy to say that I am addicted to PODCASTS! I honestly thought I would only use it for music but I've discovered a whole new world!!!

So I'm out there searching for downloadable content to play on my ipod and I stumble across a whole bunch of sites that have RSS feeds. Now at work I have Office 2007 so I'm able to add feeds to Outlook but at home I don't so I was copy and pasting all of these links ino an email to send them to myself out work so I could subscribe to all of them tomorrow.

Then I noticed on one of the pages that the feeds button in my IE tool bar was orange... never noticed that before... so I thought hmmm what the heck I'll click on it... Then I realized that there was a subscribe button... so of course I click on that... then my favorites menu pops open and low and behold there is a RSS Feeds tab that I never notice.... Right about now all sorts of light bulbs start going off in my head... *ding, ding, ding... we have a winner* so I spent most of the evening going through all of my bookmarks and checking for feeds... which is how I ended up here again!

So I'm super pumped and I believe it is time for me to clean up my scraproom and get reacquainted with all my tools and create something!