The Digital Life and Times of Meg......

Project Life / 52 / 365...2nd set of prompts

2012-01-09T00:49:00.002-05:00

So...how was your first full week of 2012? I have been reveling in having my hubby in town - normally, he travels 5+ days each week so it has been SUCH a blessing to have him home during the holidays.

I saw several amazing LOs for the various "Projects" that everyone is taking on this year.... You can see some of Yvonne's GORGEOUS family & pages HERE SO very grateful to have such talented and beautiful people playing along with me...guess I need to post a few of my LOs, too, right??

It's been a week of ups & downs for me - celebrating the return of a dear friend's soldier son (YAY!) and hearing of the heartbreaking loss of a child to cancer for some grade school friends...praying for peace for them....

Before I get all sappy, here are your prompts for this week:

The place you were born
Breakfast & togetherness
List the first 10 things that come to mind about the last 24 hours

Can't wait to see what you come up with!!

2012-01-01T00:30:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year! Hope that 2012 will be the best year yet for you and yours. I'm planning on making some small but (hopefully) meaningful changes this year.

One of these changes includes starting and finishing some sort of Project Life/Project 365/52 series so that I have this nifty set of LOs ready to be printed in a cool 2012 book at year's end...instead of 20 gigs of unsorted, unedited pictures, a stash of awesome digi products sitting unused, and a wad of guilt over not "getting it done!"

So - with that off my chest - I am thrilled that you have chosen to join me on my little adventure. Each Sunday (at roughly 12:30am Eastern), I'll post that week's prompts. These will be "meaty" enough that you could use them in several different ways. There will be "all about ME" prompts along with some that are meant to provoke some thought & maybe even some interesting photos.

Whether you're doing a book about you ('cause we always scrap about other people, ya know?), you want some out of the box ideas to create some different LOs, or if you just want a place to be encouraged & inspired as we chug along in our creative endeavors, you're in the right place.

Let's get started! Here are your prompts for Week 1 - January 1-7:

Pick one, or some, or all. You can post your LOs at our FaceBook Page HERE

1. Tell about the day you were born.
2. Creativity is curiosity explored....what are you curious about?
3. How did you choose your children's or pet's names?

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

PS - if you need some fabulous digi supplies to do this project, check out all the amazing goodness that can be found at my fave digi site on the planet: JessicaSprague.com Jessica teamed up with Becky Higgens to offer a digital version of Project Life. There are templates, digital kits & all sorts of fun stuff there to make this easier for you.

2011-12-30T22:02:00.001-05:00

Hello everybody! Hope your Christmas or Hanukkah celebration was awesome and that you are gearing up for a fabulous 2012.

The incredible Jessica Sprague has teamed up with Becky Higgins to offer a digital Project Life - I know, I squealed when I heard it, too!

I have some friends who did Project Life in paper form...and it is an amazing album when you're all done.

CLICK HERE to go to the page to see all the digi loveliness.....I think the Cobalt collection may be my favorite....but that changes daily.

The whole Project life concept just calls to me - I love the idea of capturing the everyday and I was struggling with what to do about this album.....P365 is just too structured and kinda kills the joy of creating for me....so I thought about committing to a p52 - one LO per week using as many (or as few) pictures as I needed to get the job done. Of course, special events might get their own LOs, but I love the flexibility (and lack of pressure that this approach provides).

So - anybody else up for it? I have this fabulous list of prompts that have several ideas for each week - in fact, you *could* turn this list into a P365 if you were super-motivated.

Here's the scoop:

I'll post the prompts each Sunday (starting on Jan 1st) and I'll have a FaceBook Group that you can post your LOs, etc. to as well.

Hope to see you there!

October LOs

2011-10-23T12:08:00.000-04:00

Howdy! It's been quite a whirlwind here - SpragueFest in Las Vegas, kids testing for purple belts in Taekwondo, ITBS testing....whew!

Thought I'd post a few LOs that I've done recently.....enjoy!

Loving Every Day with You Carina Gardner - Italian Soda Shop Set 4 - coming on 10/31/11
LO inspired by a Genia Beania template

Happy Halloween Carina Gardner - Raven - Spooky Papers & Borders

Present time! Echo Park Hybrids - Holly Jolly PP2 and Elements 2 - coming on 10/24/11
Jessica Sprague Template+ 1.04 Font: Pea Missy with a Marker


FREE template available on Tuesday, 11/1/11 at www.jessicasprague.com

Hope that you & yours have a wonderful Halloween - with lots of fun & candy!

A little catching up.....

2011-09-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

Things have been crazy around here lately! I won't bore you with all the details...but instead will share some LOs that recent events have inspired...hang on - it's a bumpy ride!

http://www.jessicasprague.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-97519

http://www.jessicasprague.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-95911

http://www.jessicasprague.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-96825


http://www.jessicasprague.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-96277

http://www.jessicasprague.com/cpg/displayimage.php?pos=-95655

Lot's going on - Disney, new puppy, finding some of the praying mantis in our yard - big and small adventures....stay tuned - more to come!

It's July already?? When did THAT happen?

2011-07-06T00:21:00.000-04:00

Ok - I admit it. I love summer. No - I adore summer. You might ask why - since we are a homeschooling family that does so year-round - so summer isn't a time off for us. I just love the heat, the clothes, the water, the food, all of it. I love summer.

So - it's a total bummer that I tore my left hamstring about 10 days ago. No swimming for me. No running, no riding the jet ski at the lake. Bummer. No - I will NOT tell you how I did it...let's just say it was a less than graceful moment and we're moving on....

So - what to do with all this down time? Well, how about digiscrap? Yes!

Here are the results from the first few days of sitting around with ice on various body parts - don't laugh - I heard that!

My laid-back, happy-go-lucky kidlet & his fun 'do after a bath with Daddy.

Jodie Lee - Floral Beauty Brushes1 - coming soon!! EZ-PZ Template 09 - This Is Love (background, ribbon & stitches) LO inspired by Tiffany Tillman.

My whole face smiles when I see this LO. Ware has always been our "smiley" baby. All of his baby pictures - and I do mean ALL of them - have this fabulous contagious grin....and he still is that way 5 1/2 (don't forget the 1/2!) years later.

Through the years
Splendid Fiins - Evidence Date Stamps - coming soon!! Fleuriste Paper Pack Jessica Sprague Template+ 1.01
Fonts: Traveling Typewriter; Georgia

Where have the years gone? Hard to believe that Bennett and I have been married for 15 years...and have known each other for almost 20 - we cannot be that old! Every day I find a new reason to fall in love with him. However, there are few nights when I want to smother him with a pillow in his sleep. Snoring is evil.

Hope you enjoyed the latest - I'll have quite a few more soon - 6 more weeks of this PT & restricted activity mess. For the record - sit & be quiet is not one of my strengths. You need somebody to be loud & slightly inappropriate? I'm your girl. Hey - we can't all be Sandra Dee.

2011-06-27T07:30:00.001-04:00

The Blog Hop is over - but the sale goes on! There is still one more day to grab lots of digi products & classes at a VERY low price - check it out:

Sale Extended Thru Tonight!

Hi there! Our sale has been going so well, that I've decided to EXTEND it by one more day to keep the fun rolling! Plus, check out TWO new classes to register for, and lots of brand new products to enjoy today!

Birthday Sale Continues! Save 20-75%!

Our birthday sale is extended another 24 hours! EVERYTHING is discounted. You'll get:

35% off of ALL digital product,
20% off of all online classes (even giftable classes for that special someone you know wants to learn Photoshop!)
All 27 Photoshop Friday tutorials for $1 each (Retiring forever at the end of June!)

I'll be hanging out in the General message board all day today, answering questions and chatting, feel free to stop on by to say hello!

Advanced Portrait Editing

Take your portraits to the next level with advanced editing and retouching techniques. This two-week video-based online class will show you how!

Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. on July 1. No registration limit.

Class runs July 18-31!

Price: $40
20% off until class starts!

Art of Digital Design II

Ready to grow your design skills to a whole new level? Develop yourself as a strong and competitive digital designer through this 5-week course with Carina Gardner. Art of Digital Design 2 is feedback driven so that you can build confidence in yourself and your designwork!

Registration begins July 4th. No registration limit.

Class runs Aug 22-Sep 25!

Price: $325
10% off the month of July!

July Open House

All summer long, we're growing our skills with a focus on digital scrapbooking and photo editing. If you're a BEGINNER, you can register for either or BOTH of Jessica's beginner level Photoshop classes for 30% off through July.

In addition to the discount to join the class, look forward to MORE activity in the forums and galleries, scheduled webinars with Jessica, bonus content, contests, and more! Join our July Open House by registering for Up & Running with Photoshop and Photo Editing: Good-to-Great Workflow from now through July 31!

Our New Products

Dots & Stripes
Candy Shoppe Papers
by Echo Park Paper Co.

$4.99

Dots & Stripes
Candy Shoppe

by Echo Park Paper Co.

$3.99

Antique Fair
Transparent Overlays

by Jodie Lee
$6.00

French Floral
Overlays 1
by Jodie Lee
$6.00

Evidence-Arrows
Stamps v.1
by Splendid Fiins
$3.99

Evidence-Arrows
Stamps v.2
by Splendid Fiins
$3.99

Americana
Kit
by Carina Gardner
$5.99

Gretel
Paper Pack

by Cosmo Cricket

$3.99

Gretel
Elements

by Cosmo Cricket

$1.99

Our Brands

Our Sites & Blogs

Hope you enjoyed the blog hop & that you grab some more digi & class goodness - take care!

4Ever BlogHop 2011 - FREE goodies from the designers & CT at JessicaSprague.com

2011-06-24T22:00:00.057-04:00

Welcome to the 2011 4Ever BlogHop celebrating the 4th anniversary of the best place on the planet to enjoy all things scrapbooking (digi, hybrid & traditional) - JessicaSprague.com!

If you arrived here first, or you want to make sure that you start at the beginning of the blog hop to get all the lovely goodies, then CLICK HERE to go to the blog of our amazing Jessica Sprague.

The amazing and talented Designers and Creative Team at JessicaSprague.com have come together to offer this amazing bloghop chock full of freebies! Here's a look at my small piece:

CLICK HERE to download the goodies. Adorable photos of my oldest child not included! ;-)
Links de-activated - hope you enjoyed the blog hop!

Be sure to look for the quote strip included in all the downloads - gather them all, unscramble the message, send your completed message to tori@jessicasprague.com - all submissions will be entered into a random drawing to win an additional fabulous prize!

Next stop on this fabulous Blog Hop is the wonderful Shell - CLICK HERE to go on to her blog.

This is stop #34 of 47 - if you've missed any, see the note at the top of the post to go back to the beginning & collect all the goodies! Then come join us at JessicaSprague.com for continuing birthday celebrations & fun - see you there!

Some fun from June

2011-06-17T10:27:00.000-04:00

I've been really cranking out the layouts - I have been so inspired by the amazing & talented people I have around me! Here are some of the new ones:

Pink Boots!

Carina Garder - Dress Up Kit - coming soon! DigiLovely Template Tuesday #18 Fonts: Lucida Grand & Georgia

We three....

Splendid Fiins Flea Market Brads 2 - coming soon!
Little Girl Paper Pack JSprague - Template 02(left)

Pretty in Pink

Carina Gardner - Sugar & Spice Kit - coming soon! In The Making Design Template (Dec 2009) Font: Century Gothic

Looks like June has been all about Harper! Can't think of a better subject - hope you enjoy these little glimpses into the magical world of my little girl.....

JessicaSprague.com is FOUR!!

2011-06-13T09:35:00.000-04:00

JessicaSprague.com is FOUR! To celebrate, they're (we're) throwing a HUGE Birthday Bash & Summer Sale. From June 13-26, you can save 20% off of every self-paced class, and 35% off of ALL digital products.

In addition, grab all 27 episodes of Jessica's amazing Photoshop Friday tutorials for just $1 each before they're retired on June 26!

As part of the celebration, starting on June 24, you can participate in an incredible 49-person blog hop, picking up a sweet digital freebie at each stop! Best of all, on June 26 Jessica will be making a special announcement of a brand new class coming up in July.

We only put our site on sale two times a year, so don't miss out on this GREAT savings opportunity! For all the info on the Summer Sale, Photoshop Fridays, blog hop, and the new class, just CLICK HERE!

Speed Scraps, anyone?

2011-06-04T11:24:00.000-04:00

Join me at JessicaSprague.com for Speed Scraps all this month - woot!

7 Days in May goodness.....

2011-05-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

It's MAY!! It's getting warm (OK, hot - but that's how we Georgia girls like it, right??), the kids are starting swimming & diving, the pool is open, the beach is calling my name.....AND, it's time for 7 Days in May at www.JessicaSprague.com - can I get an Amen? Where else do you get SEVEN days of challenges, templates, goodies and other amazing stuff - just because it's May??

Check out my favorite so far:

7 Days in May Template by Liv Esteban

This is my oldest, Zane, when he was just a few months old, hanging with my grandfather, Pop. I had dressed Zane in this adorable little baseball outfit - complete with cap - and he and Pop sat and "chatted" for quite a while - it was just awesome. Zane is 10 now but still remembers Pop and the fun times they shared.

So - go check out the goodies at www.JessicaSprague.com - and don't forget about the big anniversary blast coming later in June - it's gonna be fabulous!

I'm baaaaacccccckkkk!

2011-05-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

My name is Meg and I am a bad blogger. Is there a support group for people like me?

I wish I had the time/energy/motivation/fascinating life to have enough to blog every day or even every other day. But it would read something like this: Monday: Today I did laundry, cooked, ranted so that 3 kids would do all their school, played chauffeur to 14 different places, stayed up too late, and didn't get done haf of what I needed to. Tuesday: see Monday. Wednesday: see Monday. Thursday: see Monday. Friday: see Monday, etc...... I know, I wouldn't want to type it either.

Then there's that whole out of town, Scout trips, out of the country, stop-the-world-I-wanna-get-off whirlwind that has been our lives the past few weeks. Some things never change, right?

But - I have some WAY cool news to share: you absolutely MUST join in the Annual 7 Days in May - the week of May 23-29 at JessicaSprague.com! 7 days of scrap challenges, freebies, and more fun than is probably legal in Georgia!

And - there are a few more cool things I need to share. For starters, check out these awesome little layouts featuring the way cool design vibes of the Queen of Quirk - she's awesome!! I was lucky enough to get to do two layouts with two different offerings from her - check these out:

Chef Zane

It's a start templates 1 Old Boris Kit Font: American Typewriter

You & Me

Cora Paper Pack Jessica Sprague Template+ 1.11

Aren't they adorable? Yes, the hubby is kinda cute, too!

So - mark your calendars for May 23-29 for the 7 Days in May & I'll see you there!

Congrats Charl!

2011-04-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

Wow - what a finish to the Masters! Haven't seen that many in the hunt for a green jacket on Sunday in a while. Sorry to see the Aussies shut out...again...but happy that a S. African won on the 50th anniversary - to the day - of his countryman, Gary Player's Masters win. So much tradition....

But - gotta say, watching on my couch in Smyrna while listening to the kids bicker about cleaning their rooms leaves a LOT to be desired. Hopefully, it will be another 43 Masters Tournaments before I miss being in Augusta again. The Thur & Fri that I got to go with Daddy (and also Zane, on Friday) were fabulous, though. Temps in the 70s, light breeze, sunny weather and the course just immaculate - which is amazing given the ferocity of the storms that blew through Monday night leaving huge trees broken on roofs and debris everywhere. The landscape team at The National are simply awe -inspiring.

Here's a quick LO of the 3 of us at the course - gotta say, having a Junior Patron along was fabulous - we got to the head of every line and Zane was treated like royalty!

3 Generations at the Masters

Springtime Paper/Element Pack #1 Springtime Paper/Element Pack #2 Template: JSprague Template 12; Fonts: Century Gothic & Georgia

Next year, Zane will probably be as tall as I am - he's growing so fast! Now, the official down time known as Post-Masters Depression begins....we Augustans will be a bit reserved for a while as we console ourselves that we have to wait a whole year until the nest Masters Tournament.

It's April and that means GOLF!

2011-04-03T22:53:00.000-04:00

I grew up in Augusta, Ga. My parents are still there. We have this little golf gathering each year during the first full week of April - perhaps you've heard of it - the Masters? I never realized just how incredibly spoiled I was - I lived about 1/2 a mile from the course, schools closed that week and everybody went to the course to see the tournament. The biggest names in golf rented houses on my street. For years, our traditional dinner for the Friday of Masters' week was to have Arnold and Winnie Palmer over for dinner - no biggie, right? Nancy Lopez and her husband stayed with us one year - awesome!

So...I go off to school in the "big city" - Atlanta. Spring Break is not - gasp - in April but the end of February - what?? We actually have classes and tests during Masters' Week - WHAT??

Needless to say, my attendance during that week in April was a tad sparse.....and I was headed east on Interstate-20. Often, Masters' Sunday is also Easter Sunday - kinda cool when my two of my favorite things get combined! It is cool when the players witness their faith when interviewed. Bernhard Langer gave a moving testimony one Easter/Masters Sunday when he won the tournament - talk about grace under pressure - you've just won the most prestigious golf tournament in the world, you're about to get the coveted Green Jacket, and you take time out to give thanks to the One who made it all possible...very cool.

So - Easter has a special place for me and I love creating LOs with Easter pictures - here's one of my favorites:

We had gone to 103 West (one of my fave Atlanta restaurants) for Easter brunch and Zane got his face painted - cute little bunny! Don't you just love the fun arrow? That is the brainchild of my dear friend, Liv Esteban - her collections of fun doodled arrows is available Monday at JessicaSprague.com - go check it out!

Hope you & yours have a blessed & joyous Easter - look for me at Amen Corner!

Ten (actually 30!) tiny toes...

2011-03-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

Do you ever look back through your older pictures and realize how incredibly blessed you are? Did that a bit last week - with the inspiration & push provided by Cosmo Cricket's adorable new kit called "Ten Tiny Toes." It reminded me of the picture we took when Ware (our 3rd) was just a few weeks old for his birth announcement. As we struggled to get pregnant the first time, we weren't sure that we would ever have any kids - much less 3! So, going back to this photo and creating this LO really reminded me just how incredibly blessed we are. Check it out:

Ten (actually 30!) tiny toes...

Ten Tiny Toes Candy Candy Lil' Girl & Lil' Boy Paper Pack Fonts: Century Gothic & Myriad Pro SemiBold LO inspired by Tiffany Tillman

I know - I squealed a little bit, too! Baby feet are the cutest ever! And...even better, this kit is 25% off today at JessicaSprague.com - woot!

So - thanks for walking down memory lane with me...now, go count your blessings - you can thank me later.

Harper's 7th Birthday!

2011-03-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

So - our baby girl is SEVEN! I just can't believe how time flies..... We had fun making her cake - she decorated it with little hearts & carefully placed each & every one - OCD, anyone?

We also made the requisite trip to Chuck E Cheese (aka Hell on Earth). I think that place would be a LOT better if they handed out tequila shots and valium at the door.....and let the parents decide whether they or the kids had to take either one!

But - we had a good time & I have the LO to prove it...after all, if it's not scrapped, it didn't happen, right?

Papers, etc. by Cosmo Cricket - Lil Boy - Girl Kit; Template by Liv Esteban from Digi In Deep class

You can get these yummy papers, etc. at JessicaSprague.com on Monday for 25% off!

Don't blink - Harper will be grown!

And the winner is....

2011-03-09T10:41:00.001-05:00

ZANE! Yes - finally - Zane won 1st place overall at his Pinewood Derby! That had been a goal since day one....with Daddy (former Pinewood Derby champ himself) researching all the best ways to gain speed, Zane spent hours and hours sanding, painting, polishing, and polishing, and polishing - until the car was perfect. And the work paid off. With a blistering top speed more than 0.2 seconds faster than the next fastest car, it was a dream come true for Zane.

I am so proud of all the work he put into it and so enjoyed seeing Bennett and Zane spending time together...but I am especially glad that Bennett made Zane do the vast majority of the work. Aside from using the scary band saw, Zane built that car from the ground up.

Papers by Liv Esteban - Gentle Morn
Liv Esteban Needs + Wants Eyelet Set #2 - available Mon, Mar 14
Font: Speedy 12 Frames inspired by Anna Aspnes

Way to go, Zane! Look out Pack 11 Cub Scouts - he still has one more year to race!

Do ya love to eat as much as I do?

2011-03-06T19:56:00.000-05:00

I love to it. Ok, I said it. Thankfully, I am blessed with a fairly high metabolism so that doesn't cause too much angst in the closet! Food so central to who we are - what we eat helps define our culture, our families, and even our bodies. Food is life. Food is love.

I made a LO showcasing some favorite recipes that I've picked up over the years....some of my favorite memories are of the times I spent in the kitchen with my Granny while she cooked up a storm...every dish platefuls of love.

Recipe Cards & Borders by Echo Park Hybrids at JessicaSprague.com

Taekwondo Belt tests

2011-02-15T09:56:00.000-05:00

Our two older kids take taekwondo. It was something that we tried on a lark - just to do something different and probably because my kids are obsesses with the Japanese anime cartoon of Avatar. But that's another blog post....

What started out as a "let's try this and just see if we like it" has now truly become a part of who they are. Our little taekwondo school - Perfect Strength Taekwondo - was started by one really nice guy who wanted to combine the discipline and strength or martial arts with the compassion and love that comes from his faith....and he's doing a fabulous job. After just over a year, we now have 3 levels of belts practicing together, sharing bible verses, and becoming an extended family. It's awesome. If you live anywhere near Smyrna, Ga, or know anyone who does, they should come check it out - send me an email for details.

Harper & Zane just earned their green belts - not bad for just 13 months of study! That's their 5th level belt!

One of my favorite moments was their orange belt test - they had to break a board! It was very nerve-wracking and was the cause of much worry - but in the end, they were both champions! Here's a LO that I did to celebrate the achievement:

Template & papers by Crystal Wilkerson (Playground collection) Font: Myriad Pro

So....I am a proud Mommy...and looking forward to getting the little wild man (our 5yo) signed up soon!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2011-02-06T23:25:00.000-05:00

2 of my 3 kids are totally "Daddy's Boy or Girl." Ware is a complete Mommy-boy...but he is the baby and only 5, so things could change. But Zane & Harper have been all-Daddy-all-the-time since birth. In fact, Zane's very first act was to turn his head & look at Bennett when he heard his Daddy's voice right after birth - we have the picture to prove it. But, I will spare you the trauma of seeing me immediately post-partum...it's not pretty.

But - this is: on Saturday, our local Chick-Fil-A hosted Daddy Daughter Date Night. It was awesome. Harper knew about it since last week so by the time Saturday rolled around, she was literally vibrating, she was so excited! She picked out outfits & hairstyles, and changed her mind, for days prior to the Big Event. I have a feeling that Prom may send her completely around the bend and I'm a bit nervous about the whole wedding thing....I was kinda hoping for a ladder & a check....but since she's not allowed to date until she's 40, I have a few years to stress over that yet.

So - faced with the BIG EVENT that is a date with Daddy, Harper finally pulled together an outfit & hairstyle (with some very nice input from Daddy - he's a budding fashionista - who knew?)...and the two of them went out on their date. It was awesome.

Crystal's {PLAYGROUND} Paper Pack Crystal's {PLAYGROUND} Element Pack Crystal's {Sweet Vintage Charm} Papers
Glitter Action by Atomic Cupcake Font: Pinktoque Dots LO Inspired by TTillman 25 Days template

Here's Harper's complete outfit:

Yep - that smile stayed on all day & night & even was going strong today. Harper loves her Daddy..and that's just awesome.

It's February!!

2011-02-04T17:41:00.000-05:00

I love February. Not because of the winter yucky weather we Georgians endure (today = 33 degrees and rain.....seriously?!), not because somebody dreamed up some holiday to sell cards & candy, but because of some important days....no, not that one.

My wedding anniversary is February 17th. I am married to one of the greatest guys on the planet. He is calm and measured, thoughtful and does not run through life all willy-nilly. I, on the other hand, tend more towards the bride-to-be at the last sale day at Filene's Basement. We are good for each other - balanced - zig & zag, yin & yang. This does, however, mean we have some LOUD conversations sometimes....Ok, I'm loud, he's usually not. Plus - he's really handy & techie so he can fix anything...and I do mean ANY THING. Plus, he's cute. Yes, I am married to the only super cute geek on the planet - yay for me! Anyway, the 17th is a pretty cool day.

My daughter - the fearless one, the one who "rocks AND rolls" - has a birthday on the 25th. Which, oddly enough, is actually the day we originally wanted to get married, but because Lent & Easter were early that year...blah, blah. It's always entertaining to see what she'll dream up next. This week, she announced that she's going to grow up to be a Super Hero, a veterinarian, and a singer/dancer, and a great whistler. Yep, that's my girl. She will totally rule at anything she wants to do....and lord help you if you try and get in her way.

Another reason to love February is that we start seeing signs that all the winter gloom may be over soon. We live in a city that is nicknamed the Jonquil City. There are those pretty yellow daffodils planted everywhere - including our yard! So, they start poking little green sprouts up about this time of year....it gives me hope. This Southern girl detests any kind of weather that requires more than one layer & demands shoes. Plus, the days start getting noticeably longer. Fabulous news for us SAD sufferers!

So - what do you love about February? It's OK, you can like "that" day. I won't laugh (loudly).

Speaking of things to love - you need to go check out this fun hybrid project that you can use for "that" day or any day you just LOVE - here's my version:

and here is the original from In The Making Designs at JessicaSprague.com:

You can grab it for only $1 until Sunday night - woot! The download includes .pdf files to make the exact one shown in the preview and .psd files to make your own version like I did - enjoy!

SNOW!!!!!!!

2011-01-10T11:12:00.000-05:00

OK - I admit it, I'm a Southern girl, so when it comes to snow, I'm like a little kid! Bennett laughed at me last night as I jumped up every few minutes to check on the status of the rapidly accumulating snow. "They" forecast 2-4" of the white stuff for us. "They" got it wrong.....as usual. We have a glorious 6-7" and the giant hill in front of our house is again Sledding Central as the neighborhood kids (young and not so young) gather to play. Pictures coming soon!

In the meantime - go check out the goodies at JessicaSprague.com today - awesome new products from Nisa Fiins (aka Splendid Fiins). Here's my take on her new Make a Mess Painted Masks and Photo Masks:

Make a Mess - masks vol. 1 Striped Paper - Delicious: sweet pea paper pack;
Fonts - Inked God & Georgia

Go check it out!

And so we begin....

2011-01-01T23:31:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Happy New Decade! Can you believe it?

Ten years ago, I was cradling my 3 week old baby boy, trying to come to grips with all that is new mommy-hood. Now, that baby is 5 feet tall and has 2 siblings. Over the past 10 years I have gained gray hair, a few lbs, some much-needed patience (still could use some more tho), gave up a job (shoulda done that about 10 years ago, too!), and took on about 17 jobs to replace the paid one (teacher, chauffeur, cook, maid, referee, etc.). So - where were you 10 years ago?

One of the things I hope to do this year is to get to know my cyber-friends a bit better. My life has been dramatically altered for the better by all the wonderful people I have met through my digi-scrapping passion (another new thing for me this past decade - I'm creative - who knew??). I'll go first - I saw this idea on another blog and it looked like fun. Feel free to make your own list & post a link to your blog in the comments - looking forward to learning more about you! Here goes:

100 Things About Me:

1. I am in my early 40’s.

2. I have 3 kids, one of which was a complete surprise.

3. I homeschool my kids. Much to my surprise, we all LOVE it.

4. Shasta daisies & George Tabor azaleas are my favorite flowers to look at.

5. Gardenias are my favorite flower to smell.

6. I could NEVER be a vegetarian.

7. I cuss a lot. I spent too many years in law firms - lawyers think the F-word is everything but an article.

8. I am a Christian.

9. I do not believe it is my place to judge others. Jesus called us to love…and I try to do that.

10. My kids eat & love vegetables - all of them. Yes, even brussels sprouts.

11. I am absolutely fascinated by sociopathic criminals.

12. My biggest pet peeve is a hidden agenda - don't try and manipulate me - just ask.

13. My husband knows more about technology than ANYBODY else I know - period.

14. I love wine, vodka, dark rum, good tequila. Gin tastes like treated pine boards.

15. I don’t smoke. I hate the smell of cigarette smoke but love pipe smoke.

16. I have never even tried drugs. But, now that I'm done having kids, I admit to being very curious about a few of them.

17. My first car was a 1968 911E. Damn, I miss that car.

18. My current car is a 2005 Toyota Sienna minivan. Sometimes, being a parent sucks.

19. I have no pets. I miss my cats.

20. My kids have 3 gerbils, two frogs and a bearded dragon lizard.

21. There is a dog in our future - as a reward to our oldest for enduring 5 years of allergy shots.

22. Clutter drives me nuts.

23. I like Krystal burgers.

24. I don’t like mayonnaise, avocado or cantaloupe. Everything else is fair game.

25. Salt & Vinegar potato chips may have been divinely inspired.

26. I prefer chewy to crunchy - except for peanut butter.

27. I could eat asian food every day and be quite happy.

28. I am trying to learn Mandarin, Japanese, and Spanish. My French is almost useless these days.

29. I believe that sweet tea is redundant.

30. I think the world would be a better place if more parents spanked.

31. Noodles are my favorite food….followed closely by poached lobster.

32. I could not live without music & reading.

33. I read over 100 books a year. Before kids, it was 3 or 4 times that amount.

34. I type like I'm playing piano but I can still type over 80 wpm.

35. I own a sewing machine but don’t really know how to sew.

36. I want a maid & a lawn service but can't get comfortable with having somebody work around me.

37. I am married to a borderline hoarder - it drives my anti-clutter gene nuts.

38. I watch more TV than I should.

39. I love hot (Bikram) yoga.

40. My homeschooled kids are never home. Fridays are the only day that we have nothing scheduled each week.

41. My new favorite gadget is my Nook color. Hoping that techie hubby will hack it for me!

42. I have never left a bookstore with less than $100 of purchases.

43. I understand I overspend on books. I am working on that.

44. My kids all knew how to cuss by age 2. Not proud of that one.

45. I've started cussing in French. They are not studying French.

46. I don’t get as much satisfaction out of cussing in French.

47. I am not a people person. Most people are idiots.

48. I hate stupid drivers.

49. My politics are extremely Libertarian.

50. I truly believe that the gov't should but the hell out of my business & that people should learn to take care of themselves.

51. I hate it when smartass people quiz my homeschooled kids.

52. I love it when my homeschooled kids know the answers & then stump the questioner.

53. I don’t like to shop in stores.

54. I am on a first-name basis with my UPS guy and mail carrier.

55. I am addicted to FaceBook, as are the rest of you reading this. Don’t deny it. Don’t resist the truth.

56. I have reconnected with many old friends and family thanks to FaceBook.

57. I used to believe that I was too logical and linear to be creative.

58. I now know that I am very creative.

59. I don't play video games.

60. I'd rather watch paint dry than gamble in Vegas.

61. I'd spend a fortune on a fabulous meal but can't stand to pay lots for a hotel room (you spend most of your time in there with your eyes shut!)

62. I have very expensive tastes. Good thing I'm not very into "stuff."

63. My kids have to earn screen time (tv, Wii, DS, computer, etc.).

64. They all could operate both a PC and a Mac by the time they were three years old. Proud of that one.

65. I think that world travel is the best education you can get - as long as you avoid all tours & touristy places.

66. I think the best way to understand another country is to understand their food.

67. I have everything but gangsta rap on my Ipod.

68. Most of my best friends (prior to becoming a Mommy) were men.

69. My husband is probably the least jealous person on the planet.

70. I will probably never learn as much as I want to.

71. I would love to write a book one day.

72. I have no idea what I would write about.

73. I read everything but romance novels.

74. I have to have a fireplace in my home.

75. All 3 of my kids will be taller than me (I'm 5' 10").

76. I breastfed my kids until they wanted to quit. It was also easier & cheaper than formula. Plus, the diapers smelled better.

77. I used disposable diapers. I would use them again if I were going to have more kids.

78. I think all Christmas trees should be real.

79. My favorite candy is gummy bears.

80. I collect sheep.

81. I've visited lighthouses on 4 continents. Yes, really.

82. San Francisco and DC are my two fave cities to visit in the US.

83. My daughter was a water birth. Wish all 3 of them had been.

84. My husband is 3 1/2 years younger than me.

85. He is my best friend. Corny….but true.

86. I am confrontational. Hubby is passive-aggressive. Makes for some interesting arguments.

87. Despite weighing less now than I did before kids, I gained an inch in my waist for each kid.

88. I should floss more than I do.

89. I hate my coffee table & wish we had a big ottoman instead.

90. I make the best egg salad ever.

91. I love photography. I still own several film cameras. I cried when they stopped making Kodachrome.

92. I am without a paycheck for the first time since I was 11 years old.

93. I think everyone should learn to swim, balance a checkbook, do CPR, and cook the basics.

94. I detest needles. Two years of infertility treatments did not help that.

95. I’m allergic to tetanus shots. I haven't had one since I was 12.

96. I have very strong opinions on religion, politics, and different types of homeschooling.

97. I think funny men are sexy. My husband is hilarious.

98. I miss old-fashioned manners.

99. I don’t like people being in my house for very long. 3 days is plenty.

100. I don’t like talking on the phone. I will email all day.

Your turn! Hope that 2011 is the best year yet for you all....

Snow, ice, flu & no roof!

2010-12-18T22:13:00.001-05:00

After weeks of meeting with waaaaaaayy too many contractors, finally deciding on one, negotiating the minefield that is dealing with your insurance company AND the mortgage company over reimbursements, the weather turns to doo-doo. This is GEORGIA people!! We play golf in short sleeves over Christmas break! We do NOT have snow, sleet, and ice for days and days! I'd love to get my new roof put on.....but the temp has to be above 40F and there can't be any frozen slick stuff up there.....sigh.....

With my luck, the temp will come up roughly the same time my in-laws pull into the driveway for their 5-day visit over Christmas. That will just rock. Hammering from 7am to 5pm for 2-3 days while I try and entertain and cook 3 meals a day for Nana & Papa.....pray for me!

To add to all things merry and bright, 2 of my kidlets have the flu. Again. Didn't we JUST do this back in October? Weren't we told that we were NOT in the high risk group so we couldn't get the flu shot until November? So when all FIVE of us go the flu in October, the doc said "No need to get the shot now." Um...yeah...about that....seems that there are at least TWO forms of flu running around. So, we've missed Taekwondo, Scouts, piano lessons, and haven't done a whole lot of school...it's just a banner week.

OK....enough whining. There is good news to share - Bennett comes home tonight and he actually gets to STAY home until Jan 3rd - woo hoo! Maybe he can manage the contractors, in-laws, AND the kidlets.....and I can run far, far away to a quiet place? A girl can dream, right?

Other goodness is from the amazing Linda Roos of In The Making Design. This chick rocks! She has a fabulous new kit coming out on Monday at JessicaSprague.com - you should go check it out! Here's my take on her new kit:

We all wore our favorite colors for the photo shoot. Yes, I look like a deer caught in headlights....see post below. Hope you find some peace & joy during this Christmas season.....check back soon for more fun!

Cool new stuff, pictures, & snow?

2010-12-12T22:11:00.002-05:00

Ok - I live in Georgia....where it is supposedly kinda warm, right? So, the fam and I head over to get our pictures taken (more on that in a minute), as we leave the house, it starts to SNOW.....seriously? I have friends in the northern part of the US...and they had temps 20+ degrees higher than we did today.

Tomorrow, it's supposed to get down to 10 degrees. Ten. Ten is NOT a temperature. It's half a football score or how many days I'd like to cruise the Greek Isles....it is not an acceptable reading for a thermometer in Georgia.

New stuff - one of my uber-fave designers, Linda Roos, is realeasing some fabulous new stuff tomorrow at JessicaSprague.com. I adore Linda's stuff - I've been following her and downloading her freebies from her blog for almost 2 years! Now she designs for the divine Ms. J....awesome!

Anyway - Linda is coming out with new elements packs tomorrow - cool wax splatters and wax seals - fun stuff! Here's my take on the wax seals:

Linda Roos - In The Making Design Wax Seals
Papers also by Linda - blog freebies!

Aren't they adorable?? They come in four colors - blue & black in addition to the red & green you see here. Definitely check out Linda's stuff tomorrow!

So - pictures - have you ever tried to stuff several octopus (octopi?) into a sack? That seems like a good analogy to sum up how my day went today. The kids were cranky, hubby was stressed about making his flight (snow+Atlanta airport = disaster!), and I was so frazzled by the time we got there, waited almost an hour AFTER our appointment time, that it was just a disaster. Yes, that wild-eyed, frantic look on my face is a pretty good indicator that I really should have listened to my sister-in-law and let her take our pictures....sometimes you just never learn. Oh...and Harper spiked a fever during all the fun so she looks like she'd rather be curled up in bed than on display.....yay.

But - here are some of the results:

We all wore our favorite color t-shirt - at least the colors are fun!

Back to life.....back to reality....

2010-12-05T19:23:00.000-05:00

I had an awesome weekend. I left the 3 minions at home with Daddy and I escaped to scrap with friends for 2 days. It was wonderfully fabulous - nobody called me "Mommy," nobody woke me up at the crack of dawn asking for Cheerios, I got to shower without having to scream a conversation over the sound of the water about why you HAVE to finish your math problems. I even managed to get some good scrapbooking done....more on that in a minute.

So - despite his having a yucky cold, my wonderful hubby stepped up the challenge that is wrangling our 3 kidlets solo for a couple of days. I think he realized that if he didn't give me the break that there might be fewer kidlets next week.

After my two days of bliss, reality crashed down hard. Reality is a bitch.

I came home to a kitchen table that looked like the Keebler elves had exploded on it. There had to be 4 boxes worth of graham cracker crumbs on the table, the chairs, the floor. I hate crunchy floors.

Then - the kicker. As I'm shoveling the crumbs off the floor, I see hunks of hair.....pretty long hunks of hair. In a slight panic, thinking that the middle minion had cut her gorgeous wavy, mink brown, waist length hair, I yelled for her get downstairs NOW. Her hair is fine. Who's hair is this??

Turns out, the youngest minion - the 5yo - had cut huge hunks out of his bangs. There's big piece that sticks straight up right in front. He looks like he's wearing an Alfalfa toupee.....backwards. We haven't taken our family Christmas picture yet. Just awesome.

Ok - about that scrapbooking.....I did the first draft of our Christmas letter....to go with the as yet untaken Christmas picture....at least the 5yo has hair in the letter's pictures. And, I got this great Top 10 layout done. I love it because looking at it makes me smile - it's photos of some of the highlights of 2010. We are truly blessed.....despite the crumbs and bad haircuts.

Awesome new template from In The Making Design....

Template - ITM Top 10
Postage Stamps - ITM Postage Alpha
Numbers - iKari Designs Dates
Yellow and teal paper: Crystal Wilkerson Playground papers
Stripe paper - Moody Grunge by MHains

Linda Roos (In The Making Design) created the awesome template that's available tomorrow at JessicaSprague.com.

Hope it makes you smile, too.

Photoshop Friday fun!

2010-12-02T22:49:00.000-05:00

Yep....tomorrow's Friday - can I get an AMEN? After this week, I'm so very ready...plus, I'm escaping to scrap with friends. That's right - 48+ hours with NO KIDS. See post below for why this sends me into giddy world!

But - here's a peek at the goodness coming tomorrow at JessicaSprague.com for Photoshop Friday:

The amazing Linda Roos (of In The Making Design) created this fun little mini album that can be done hybrid or pure digi - it rocks. Here's my take on it:

12 Days Photoshop Friday template by ITM Design
Frostbite papers

I used Linda's template, her amazing Frostbite papers, and my own photos to create this little album of fun pictures from previous Christmases - my kids LOVE seeing pictures of themselves from when they were "little." Hello - they're 9, 6, and 5....they're practically still babies.

So - stop by Jessica's site tomorrow, pick up this little gem for only $1. See you on the other side of the weekend!

Oh how the mighty have fallen.....

2010-12-01T23:48:00.001-05:00

Those of you who are now stay-at-home parents that USED to be in the "working world" (I giggled a little bit too, when I typed that) will totally get what I'm about to lay on you....

As much as I adore my children and love how we home school and the opportunities that allows me to have - like being right there when each kid connected the dots and READ for the first time - way cool....some days I just wish I could wriggle on that torture device known as pantyhose and rejoin the magical land that is the "workplace." You remember it - the place where you got to finish sentences...the one where the phone ringing was not the Bat Signal calling all whiny 3 year-olds to your immediate vicinity...the one where you got to pee all by yourself. I miss working some days. A lot.

I had one of THOSE days today. I used to have a "real" job...where I went to an office, actually got to talk to grownups, and even managed to drink my coffee without reheating it in the microwave 17 times before I finished the cup...or just forgot it was in there. For the last 10 years of my working career, I handled the contracts for a web-design firm....drafting them (without the use of crayons or construction paper), negotiating them (did you know that it is easier to negotiate a $4 million web strategy contract with a large home building supply company than it is to get a reluctant 4yo boy to poop in the potty? For real.), and managing the delicate balance between what sales promised and what delivery could actually make happen. Not unlike the balancing act that occurs when your 6yo daughter tells you that Santa in bringing her a real princess crown and a real throne.......um, yeah...about that...

So today...in addition to talking with contractors (we're having MAJOR work done on our house - more on that later, I'm sure), we had lessons for 3 kids, errands, piano lessons, cleaning the house, dinner, etc. Basically, more accomplished by Noon than most corporate employees get done all week. By the end of the day...by bedtime...I'm tired. Knowing that we have to get up a tad early to make it to older son's allergist appointment, I try to get all 3 kids to bed at the same time. This is not unlike trying to herd kittens.

Like every night, I issue the same command: "Go upstairs - to your OWN room. Go potty, wash your hands and get ready to brush your teeth." Silly me....I actually think that may work one day. I go up to the office (just down the hall from their 3 bedrooms) and look for a document I need for tomorrow. The next thing I know, I hear a crash. Looking down the hallway, I see that older son has flipped middle daughter over his head, bent her pinky finger back, and younger son is running in circles in the hallway, flapping his hands like a deranged chicken and yelling "Pootie-Bottom!" at the top of his lungs.

Boarding school is sounding better by the minute....in China, perhaps. I'm going to take a in-house position at a fancy corporation....in Maui.

What if Jesus wrote a Christmas letter?

2010-11-30T11:54:00.000-05:00

I stumbled across this on another blog and it resonated with me......hope it does the same for you. What if Jesus wrote a Christmas letter? It might go something like this:

Dear child,

It has come to my attention that many of you are upset that folks are taking my name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate my birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival. Although I do appreciate being remembered any time.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed with children of your own. I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate my birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Now, having said that, let me go on. If it bothers you that the town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting my birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santas and snowmen and put in a small nativity scene on your own front lawn. If all my followers did that, there wouldn't be any need for such a scene on the town square because there would be many of them all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree a "holiday tree" instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made all trees. You can and may remember me any time you see any tree. Decorate a grape vine if you wish. I actually spoke of that one in a teaching explaining who I am in relation to you and what each of our tasks was. If you have forgotten it, look up John 15: 1-8.

If you want to give me a present in remembrance of my birth, here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way my birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and lonely this time of year. I know. They tell me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know them personally. They just need to know that someone cares about them.

3. Instead of writing Fred complaining about the wording on the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family this year. Then follow up... it will be nice hearing from you again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them the story of my birth, and why I came to live with you down here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love them.

5. Pick someone that's hurt you in the past and forgive him or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take their own life this season because they feel so alone and hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving everyone you meet a warm smile. It could make the difference. Also, you might consider supporting the local hotline. They talk with people like that every day.

7. Instead of nitpicking about what the retailer in your town calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there. Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't allowed to wish you a "merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you from wishing them one. Then stop shopping there on Sunday. If the store didn't make so much money on that day, they'd close and let their employees spend the day at home with their families.

8. If you really want to make a difference, support a missionary, especially one who takes my love and good news to those who have never heard my name. You may already know someone like that.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas" tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few gifts and give them to the Marines, the Salvation Army or some other charity which believes in me. They will make the delivery for you.

10. Finally if you want to make a statement about your belief in and loyalty to me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do things in secret that you wouldn't do in my presence. Let people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget - I am God and can take care of myself. Just love me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all the rest. Check out the list above and get to work. Time is short. I'll help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love.

And remember,

I love you,
Jesus

FREE class and some more goodness...

2010-11-21T10:16:00.001-05:00

OK...they say the first step in dealing with an addiction is admitting you have one. Here goes: I am addicted to digi-scrapping and all things Jessica Sprague. There. I said it. Somehow I feel slightly giddy instead of like I need an intervention.

With that thought in mind....I got the chance to play with Liv Esteban's magical new creations - scrumptious digi papers with fun paint splatters and textured paint swashes. Here's the first of many LOs I'll be making with these awesome backgrounds:

Papers: LivE Designs - Painted Play Splats & Painted Paper Swishes
Template: JSprague 1.10
Font: Century Gothic

So....you want some fun paint stuff to play with, too? Then click HERE to get yours - they'll be available first thing Monday - enjoy!

Don't forget about the awesome new FREE CLASS taught by the divine Ms. Jessica Sprague herself - join us at the Spraground on November 29 for a class on Inspiration. Jes' classes are not to be missed. Run, don't walk, to sign up for this class....it's FREE - what do you have to lose?? You can learn all about the class HERE and sign up while you're there.

Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving - I know that I certainly have a lot to be grateful for! See you back here soon....

Yummy $1 goodness and a FREE class - woot!

2010-11-10T08:51:00.000-05:00

Ok - things have been crazy around here - I've been meeting with 4-5 contractors a day since last Friday and I think my brain is turning to mush. There are dirty dishes in my sink, clean dishes in the dishwasher, my kids are running out of underwear, and I may need a back hoe to get the crud out from under the kitchen table. Just go ahead and send your Mom-of-the-Year nominations my way.

I am learning (the hard way) that it is just not possible to do 17 things at once and do them all well....or heck, do them at all! You'd think that a relatively intelligent woman would have figured this out before her 40's....I blame the blonde hair - it attacks me sometimes.

But - there is a light at the end of the tunnel....let's just hope it's not an oncoming train!

So- who wants some free and almost free stuff? I thought so.

Go to may favorite website in the world, JessicaSprague.com and scroll down to check out my über-cool layout about books.....as you're scrolling, keep in mind that all those nifty products are only $1 today!

Bookplates by LivE Designs

Then, after you're done picking out your $1 goodies, reward your thriftiness by signing up for a FREE class taught by the amazing Ms. J herself - Inspiration Everywhere - your holiday goodness starts now.

You can thank me later.

Phew - we made it!

2010-10-31T22:28:00.000-04:00

So - we managed to get through another Halloween! It was hard this year because Bennett had to fly out mid-afternoon so he missed the trick-or-treating....which left me with 3 sugar-hyped kids to chase around the neighborhood....got my workout tonight! I'll post some pictures soon....

So - tomorrow is November - can you believe it?? Where has the year gone? Hard to believe that it's time to start thinking about turkeys & pumpkin pies.....

But - if you want to start your November off right, be sure & stop by Jessica Sprague's site tomorrow for More in Store Monday - there will be LOTS of new goodies - including some fun tape labels from Liv Esteban and the big release of Carina Gardner's A-MAZ-ING new lines - you do NOT want to miss this!

Check out my examples:

Template: LivE Designs from Digi in Deep
Papers, brads: Carina Gardner from Coquette Flirt
Font: One Fell Swoop

Tape by LivE Designs: Tape It Up Days
Template 17 by Mandagirl Creations
Papers by In the Making Design: Basically collection
Tag by In the Making Design: Tell the Story Blank 2
Font: Impact

See - I told you they were awesome! Hope your Halloween was filled with sweetness and that your November begins a time of reflective thankfulness.

One Buck Wednesdays always make me smile!

2010-10-26T20:49:00.001-04:00

Yes - it's that time again - $1 Wednesday at JessicaSprague.com - woot! There will be LOTS of fun things on sale for only ONE BUCK - go check it out!

My favorite things are the templates - and Jessica's are the best - so detailed, so well thought out and they always come with lots of goodies and there will be TWO of them on sale for $1 on Wed.

Here's my take on one of them:

Isn't my hubby cute? Yes, I am lucky enough to be married to the cutest geek on the planet!

So - are y'all ready for Halloween? My kids are bouncing off the walls in anticipation - I think their blood sugar goes up just thinking about it. What are your kids going to be? So far, I have a cheetah, a T-Rex and a Martial Arts expert....but that changes daily...pictures on the final decisions coming soon.

Rainy days and Mondays.....

2010-10-25T08:39:00.000-04:00

Well - today is actually both! Woke up at 5am to crashing thunder and pouring rain....we need the rain but I also need the sleep! We might be joining the land of the living again this week - so glad this flu and bronchitis stuff is almost over. Poor Z is still coughing up a lung but hopefully, that will ease off this week. We are so behind on lessons - gotta put the nose to the grindstone this week!

But - on a bright note - check out this awesome new photo mask from the Mask Me collection by Liv Esteban over at Jessica Sprague:

The paper is from Liv' URAwesome collab kit and the overlays are from Anna Aspnes. I've been looking for a great way to scrap this photo for a while - and this was it!

Oh - and if you have teen or 'tween - you gotta check out the fun new album class that Jessica put together - awesomeness! Here's my take using Splendid Fiins Teen Add On kit:

So - off to drive in the rain to the dentist - hope your Monday goes well!

One Buck Wednesday - it's the best day of the week!

2010-10-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

OK - you love digi stuff, you want to hoard LOTS of it (don't we all?), but the budget is not so accommodating...... Here's the answer: One Buck Wednesday at Jessica Sprague's site - woot! Check out this layout I did for Jessica's Template 1.07+

Don't you just LOVE the swirls & the distressed frame? All the fun elements you see here are included - and it's only a $1 - today only! The fabulous papers are from Jessica Sprague's Tablet Class.

So, RUN, don't walk, to grab this & lots of other goodies on sale today for just $1.

So freakin' excited & PROUD!

2010-10-18T12:45:00.001-04:00

OK - you know that feeling you get when you are so excited that you squeal, dance around the room, & wear a big goofy grin all day? That's me, today.

Despite feeling puny with whatever gunk it is that I have, my spirits have been truly lifted today by logging on to Jessica Sprague's site of all things awesome and seeing this:

Yes - MY layout to show off Liv Esteban's awesome EZPZ5 template & more - RUN, do not walk to Jessica's site & grab this kit from LivE Designs - it has 2 papers, the template, several overlays & more. Suhweeet!

Off to do more happy dancing..... ;-)

More in Store Monday at JessicaSprague.com

2010-10-17T23:00:00.011-04:00

Here's a sneak peek at the goodness coming on Monday for the More in Store Monday - don't you just LOVE this template from Liv Esteban (LivE Designs)? Plus, it comes with different papers, options for the 5, overlays & all sorts of overlays - so many options, so little time!

So - run, don't walk, to Jessica Sprague & pick up your template set from Liv - you can thank me later!

You know all those old photos you have?

2010-10-10T13:25:00.003-04:00

Click HERE to go to class page

Well - you need to scrap them! Join us tomorrow at JessicaSprague.com for the newest instructor-led class (with the amazing Jessica herself!) - the Family History Album Class! Capture all the precious memories - the funny stories, the history of you & yours, the big events and the tiny details that make life so special - now's the time to do it!

For many of us, family history can be intimidating. It's a heavy phrase that has a lot of meaning and typically connotes a lot of work, research, effort, and - for most of us - TIME that we don't necessarily have to commit to a huge project.

That's where this class comes in. If you've never started a family history album, or you don't know WHERE to start in recording your own family history, you've come to the right place!

In this first album, you'll focus on details and a few stories about your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors. Nothing too overwhelming, right? :) This is THE place to start if you've been "meaning to get to those old photos" you inherited! You'll find space for dozens of your vintage photos in the categories of "Parents", "Grandparents", and "Great-Grandparents", plus space for other photos you'd like to include. Other albums in the series will focus on extended family members, as well as dive into lots more details about those closest: parents and grandparents. Consider this our OVERVIEW album! The album format is flexible enough to accommodate you whether you've got lots of photos or very few.

In addition to creating the album, Jessica will discuss strategies for digitizing and organizing documents, memorabilia, photos, stories, and more so that you can begin a larger-scale, ongoing family history project as well.

Can't wait to see you in class!

That sound you heard? Me - squealing with delight!

2010-10-07T11:36:00.003-04:00

I am so excited!! I just got word that I am joining the Creative Team at Jessica Sprague's place of all things awesome - www.JessicaSprague.com! YAY!!

You wanna learn how to digi scrap? You need to bump up your photography skills? You have a desire to create/beautify your blog? You in the market to become a mad designer?

One place - and ONE place only - has everything you need: www.JessicaSprague.com

I had the honor of meeting Jessica back in the summer of 2008 when I was reluctantly dragged to CKU in Houston by my dear friend, ScrappyGuy. We suffered thru some really boring classes....and then struck gold: Jessica's Beautiful Evidence class. Just WOW. It is still my favorite class ever - mainly because so many things clicked for me. I was hooked. I have the dusty paper stash to prove it.

So - stay tuned for LOTS of awesomeness coming soon!

You know...I should do this more often!

2010-08-10T23:07:00.004-04:00

So - have YOU laughed today? Just seeing this layout* makes me giggle a bit on the inside - just got back from a fabulous long weekend in Chicago for Jessica Sprague's inaugural showing at the Craft & Hobby association trade show (CHA)...just wow. I got to see the fabulous Jes in her element sharing the things she loves with so many people and getting to see the light bulbs go
on when they realized that it WAS easy and that they COULD do it, and gosh darn it - it's FUN! I am blessed to be able to say that I was there and played a very small part in what is sure to be her continued and much-deserved success!

Wow- how do you sum up one of the most fabulous weekends of your life?? Getting (finally!) meet Jared, hanging with Gary, Joan, Kari, Tori, Carina, Laurie, Jenn, Crystal, Kristen, Jana, & Jeanne, getting to meet Ann and her hubby, Miki & her daughter, Kelly, Kim, and so many others (I'm terrible with names....it's embarrassing!)....just awesome.

How do you pick a favorite moment from a weekend where you hung out with your favorite people, did your favorite things, laughed until your tummy hurt & LOVED every minute of it?

You don't.

You make LOs like the one above, think of feral macaroni, swings, walking tours, wine mixups, chocolate cake for 8 (when there are 5 of you), having your hubby meet & spend time with some of the amazing people (gotta say, that's in the top 5!!), and hope that a few more good friends will be there with us next time. Missed you Liv, Joan, Kendra.....

*It is with a grateful heart that I say thanks to Liv Esteban, Jessica & Anna Aspnes for the cool stuff to go into the LO above....it makes me smile every time I see it.....

Now....go find someone to laugh with...you'll be glad you did.

6 Changes

2009-12-22T19:53:00.002-05:00

So - who's up for some change? Some REAL change....change that works and helps you out on a daily basis and doesn't jack up your tax bill or ruin the economy? Here's the scoop: I've been a casual follower of the Zen Habits blog - pretty cool guy that talks about making your life more simplified so you can focus of what's important instead of stomping out fires everyday.....his new site, 6 Changes, is all about adding/changing 6 habits with very simple steps. You in? Good!

OK. Here are my 6 things I'd like to do:

1. Exercise daily.
2. Wake up earlier.
3. Declutter/organize for 30 min each day.
4. Make daily housework happen with the kids.
5. Create everyday (photography, scrapbooking)
6. Daily devotions with the kids.

So - now that I've publicly declared my intentions......will you help hold me to it? I'll do the same for you......

Off to read the 6 Changes site to see what my next steps are......

Amazing goodness from Jessica Sprague!

2009-10-31T15:38:00.003-04:00

Check out the amazing new class being offered for FREE by Jessica Sprague - woo hoo! She may be one of the most awesome people on the planet! How cool is it that she is giving us this fabulous class, right around the holidays when everybody else wants to be in your wallet and did I mention that it's FREE?

Be there for registration - on Nov. 2 - that's Monday! See you in class!!!

Tomorrow is October? Seriously?

2009-09-30T20:17:00.002-04:00

I know.....I know.....I didn't blog about the second half of the week.....I'll post the pics - I promise!

But - in the mean time, if you click HERE, or on the photo above, you can download this cool photo to be used as a texture or overlay on your papers, photos, etc. When I saw these gorgeous trees on the hillside, coming down out of Provo Canyon last week, I immediately thought of my Spraground friend, Veevs, and her love of textures. So far, I've made several papers that will surely show up later in a Christmas themed kit.

So - enjoy the texture - take a deep breath & relax.....or at least that's what I keep telling myself after I realize that tomorrow is OCTOBER - holy cow - when did THAT happen?

Wed, part 2

2009-09-24T12:10:00.006-04:00

So, after lunch - where we all ate too much - we took a fun group photo - Gary has it & he'll be posting it on his blog (link to that on the right side of this blog). Then the group sort of divided between those that wanted more retail therapy and those that wanted to go back to the hotel & enjoy the precious few moments of peace and quiet that we can only get when we have a hotel room to ourselves! I'm sure that the shoppers had an amazing time and I can only imagine that invading a mall with the likes of Jess, Liv, Kari, etc., would have been a hoot and a half! They did come back with quite a few goodies and showed them off to us all - cute!

Since we didn't eat lunch until almost 2pm, we bumped dinner up at Los Hermanos to 8pm. We met in the Timpanogos room at 7:45 and proceeded en masse down the sidewalk to this adorable little Tex-Mex restaurant right on Center Street...the restaurant never knew what hit them.

Imagine roughly 20 or so Sprague Festers - all excited to see each other and enjoying just sharing each others' company....loudly....all at once....and these two sweet little boys who drew the short straws and had to wait on our table - yes, they put us all at one huge long table in a back room - guess they knew we'd be trouble! You have to feel sorry for the two guys - first, there was Kari with her "half Diet Coke, half Cherry Coke with lots of limes" to drink and then everyone's orders...it was amazing that we got fed at all - much less that it was what we ordered (or at least close) and pretty OK food. Some of it wasn't hot but I have enough chef friends to know that serving 20 different dishes at the same time & having them all be hot is next to impossible. But can I tell you - I have found the next best thing to nirvana: Bavarian Cream stuffed churros. Oh my...imagine a churros - you know, those fried dough sticks covered in cinnamon & sugar? Now imagine it hot, just out of the fryer, and stuffed with delicious vanilla cream....just wow.

The two waiters were so sweet - of course, we were all talking - loudly - all at the same time - laughing...and these two guys had to try and take our drink orders, our food orders, then bring condiments, then dessert & then divvy up 20 some-odd bills (yes, they actually let us do separate checks!!) and each time they had to interrupt somebody (OK, everybody) who was talking...they looked completely overwhelmed...hope they recover soon.

After dinner, we waddled back to the hotel where Jess said that she had a little "somethin' somethin' " for us all....what?! Doesn't she know that her gift to us is that she gave up precious time with her family (after they had all been sick for a week) to come be with us for a few days before DSE? And sweet Liv - this amazing woman who is so nice and so funny and one of the absolutely most genuine persons I have ever met - who came even earlier from halfway around the world to be with Jess - good thing since Liv ended up playing nurse to the Sprague family as they were all sick...and then had a major hand in the goodies that were handed out...but I digress...

So - Jess gets up and starts giving this amazing speech about how grateful she is for our coming to Sprague Fest & how much it means to her to have all of us be on JS.com & the forums, etc. and made us all cry. It still blows my mind to see how humble Jess is - when she has every reason to be the Diva....she almost seems surprised at the success of JS.com. Some days I just want to tell her: "Jessica - this is what happen when you give freely of yourself and your God-given talents....God returns it to you ten-fold!" She also gave some hints of some digi goodness to come in the future - stay tuned!! Then, she handed out these cute gift bags with fun little chipboard albums, chipboard embellies, these yummy chocolate lollipops - that she and Liv made themselves - where did they find the time? But - the coolest part is this amazing frame with this very cool quote: "Friendship is a sheltering tree" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge......yes, Jessica & Liv, you are so right - and thank you for being a living, breathing example of that to us and for the gift of your friendship.

Sprague Fest - Wed - part 1

2009-09-23T18:55:00.026-04:00

It's Wonderful Wednesday! Gary, Gail and I slept in until 8am (10am ET) and then grabbed a quick breakfast in the Concierge Lounge - thanks, Bennett!!

So - the group kind of went in different directions for the morning & the 3 of us decided to do the Provo Canyon Loop - about an hour+ of amazing views, loopy roads & just lots & lots of beauty.

First stop - Bridal Veil Falls - pretty little waterfall - but it was freezing cold to we thin-blooded Georgians. This nice family agreed to swap photos with us so they took ours first. We were so cold that we dashed back to the car & almost drove off before we remembered - oops - that we needed to take theirs too!

Next was Sundance - yes, that Sundance. Surprisingly small place on a tiny barely 2-lane road - can't imagine how crazy it gets when the film festival is there.

We wandered a bit & took some gorgeous pictures....I couldn't get enough of the pretty flowers and plants they had growing everywhere - such color!

As we continued around the canyon loop, the aspens were just amazing. Even thought the leaves were still green, the bright grey/white of the trunks gave such a depth of light to the forest - it was unlike anything we had ever seen, being more used to darker forests with the deep brown of the oaks & pines.

The group met back up at a book store (surprise, right?) and we decided on The Old Spaghetti Factory for lunch - seems quite a few of us share a love of mizithra cheese!

But for me, the best part was talking & laughing - IN PERSON, with all these amazing people.

While we were there, Kari started ragging on Laurie for not posting the last few times to make Digital Superstar status on JS.com. Laurie, always up for a challenge, whipped out her cell phone & crossed that task off her list! We all got to cheer - IN PERSON! Got this pic to celebrate the moment:

Oh - I forgot to include a fun picture of Laurie from yesterday - isn't she the cutest thing in the world? Just love the tiny baby bump - have you ever seen a tinier or cuter preggo?

Tuesday - Sprague Fest is finally here!!

2009-09-23T18:06:00.010-04:00

Tuesday - Sprague fest begins - woo hoo! The event that we've been waiting for for literally months is finally here - we get to hang out - IN PERSON - with all these amazing people that we've grown to love through just the typed word and their gorgeous photos & LOs....how cool is this?

The plan is to meet in a conf room that Jess reserved for us at 10am. So Kari & her adorable 2 1/2 boy, Cougar, Laurie, Deb, Amy, Tori, Jeanne, and I all meet up in the Timpanogos room...and wait...and text Liv & Jess....and wait...and call Liv & Jess...finally, Liv comes down (can I just tell you how awesomely amazing it was to finally meet this fabulous woman in person??) and tells us that Jess is sick....such a bummer! So sorry that she feels under the weather & can't come play with us today....but she needs to rest & save her voice for speaking & teaching. We sent up some emergency Diet Mt. Dew & lots of hugs.

The group wandered down to Gandolfo's NY deli and had some a-ma-z-i-n-g sandwiches - yum! Then, we finally got it together enough to make it to Temple Square in SLC by 2pm. We managed to find parking and find each other (it's a pretty big place!) and took some time to stand outside the square & just absorb the beauty of the architecture & the love that so obviously went into building it all. We wandered around the North Visitors Center and the gardens of the Temple Square....taking lots of pictures - gee, ya think? Tori and Laurie graciously and patiently answered my barrage of questions about LDS history & practices. We got to see the inside of the Tabernacle (where that little singing group hangs out sometimes...) and then we went up to the top of what used to be the Utah Hotel but is now a beautiful place for receptions and lunches and has a eye-level view of the top of the Temple - just wow. Liv gave us all these beautiful silver necklaces - so thoughtful and so very Liv - who else would think of bringing gifts like this when you have to travel around the world??

Since I had to pick Gary, Gail & Joan up at SCL airport in a couple of hours, I parted with the group - who all went to go shopping - and wandered by myself up to the Great Salt Lake. To be honest, I was a little bit disappointed. I think I was picturing this vast body of water surrounded by gleaming salt flats....yes, it's a big lake - but I grew up on the biggest lake east of the Mississippi so I'm not that impressed with large bodies of water. Yes, it's salty - even more so than the ocean. But, it stinks.....and there are no salt flats - just yucky, stinky mud that is just teaming with flies & other bugs. I was surprised to see seagulls - Utah is a landlocked state - seagulls, seriously? But, at least I can say I've been to the Great Salt Lake.

Off to SLC to gather the other 'peeps - it was like the perfect storm - but in a good way. Just as I'm pulling into the parking deck, Joan calls my cell phone saying she's here & has her luggage. Gary & Gail come down to baggage claim within 10 minutes and we are on our way back to the hotel with literally 1 second to spare to get our free 20-min parking at the airport - suhweet!

We head back to the Timpanogos room to meet the crew & Jess has joined the land of the living! She is feeling well enough to make it to dinner with us. Off to the Training Table we go - Kari worked here for 4 years & really knows the drill. She had us in stitches with her ordering techniques & the do' and dont's. Lots of burgers & cheese fries later, we head back for a good night's sleep.....

The fun starts tomorrow!

2009-09-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

OK - after an amazing day in Provo where I did literally ANYTHING I wanted - nobody said "Mommy," nobody came to talk to me when I was in the bathroom, nobody tried to kill anybody else the minute the phone rang, no work (maybe the best part!), I ate what I wanted, when I wanted - and didn't have to cook or clean or do laundry or manage homeschool...I even took a nap!! It was awesome.

The bad thing is that that is just Monday....and I'm already missing Bennett and my kids - how can that be? The very sound of their little voices was setting my teeth on edge just yesterday before I left....being a mommy is a funny thing. Plus, it's weird to travel without Bennett - he and I have some amazing adventures together....but I digress.

So - tomorrow, we meet in the lobby at 10am - then we're headed into Salt Lake City to tour around. Since many of our group either grew up here or went to school here, it should be awesome.

Then, tomorrow evening, Gail & Gary arrive - my partners in digi-crime! Can't wait to start running around Utah with some really good friends. Down time is nice - and much needed - but travel is only fun if you have someone to share the experience.

So - it's hummus, broccoli & strawberries for dinner in the room (healthier than a cheeseburger, right?), a good night's sleep and then FUN!

Wow - a day totally to myself!

2009-09-21T08:24:00.003-04:00

OK - so here I am in Provo! The flight out was nice - met a lot of people from SLC who all had suggestions about what to see & do - I had no idea that Utah had so much to offer.

So our flight lands about 20 minutes early - which is nice because that meant that I could get my bag, pick up the rental car & get to the hotel before it was to late (I'm still on Eastern time - 2 hours later). We all get to the baggage claim - out of the 4 huge carousels, there is only one that is active. There is a huge crowd - probably 6-8 people deep around the carousel - I can't actually see the carousel, just the blinking sign above that is flashing flight numbers for the - wait for it - TEN flights worth of luggage that are all on this single one! Needless to say, that blew my gained 20 minutes & then some.

Then I realized how spoiled I am to live in a city with a huge international airport- with well-lit and well-marked signage to find things like where the freakin' rental cars actually are! So after wandering around & asking several uniformed people, I found it - across two streets in this dark and un-marked building. Maybe the nice SLC'ers don't really want to many tourists clogging up their pristine National Parks, etc.?!

Got the car, piled in all the luggage & headed South to Provo. They are doing work on the highways so traffic - even at 1opm (MT) was really clogged.....sigh.....

Found the hotel - it's not in the greatest of neighborhoods - but at least I have a rental car. Heather at the desk - maybe the first Goth Mormon I've ever met - was extremely nice getting me checked in.

So - here I am - it's 6:30am (MT) and I'm off to the Concierge Lounge for coffee and b'fast. Then I may do some yoga or swim or workout or stay in bed all day reading - who knows? I can't remember that last day where I truly had nothing I had to do or anyone to be with or take care of....it's sort freeing and paralyzing all at the same time. Just shows how much I need this week!

Look out Provo - here I come!

2009-09-20T09:31:00.003-04:00

I can't believe it's finally here!! The scrapbooking event that we've been hoping for & dreaming about for ages - especially after CKU Houston Annette let it be known that some kind of all or mostly digi scrapping event was in the works - I'm going to Provo TODAY!! Well, tonight, actually....but still!

The first few days will be SpragueFest - where some wonderful people who know each other from hanging out at JessicaSprague.com will be hanging out - shopping, talking, eating, laughing...and taking LOTS of pictures!

I hope to post at least once a day - pictures & blurbs so that I can put it all in a digi scrapbook - so, happy reading & next time - come along for the fun!

You gotta love all things Jessica Sprague.....

2009-06-22T11:34:00.003-04:00

OK - most of you know that my new love (OK, obsession) is digital scrapbooking and my hero in this area is the amazing Jessica Sprague. Well - it is even better today. RUN - don't walk - to register for the FREE photo editing class at her website www.jessicasprague.com. Her classes are awesome because you have access to the class videos & materials FOREVER.....how cool is that?

Plus - this week, they are celebrating their 2-year anniversary - so stick around for the daily freebies & the Birthday Bash - woo hoo!

So - have an awesome Monday & be sure and "friend" me at JessicaSprague.com - see you there!

Easter alpha digi freebie & more!

2009-04-06T22:00:00.004-04:00

I love this time of year! Despite the pollen (yes, here in Atlanta, the rain is sometimes yellow due to all the pollen), I love the flowers, the new green leaves, the birds singing & the return of our adorable hummingbird families who squeak & dive bomb each other over the feeders mounted outside our kitchen windows.

But - my favorite part is Easter. My faith is important to me and the remembrance of what this time of year is all about goes far beyond the pretty dyed eggs and chocolate bunnies for me. I hope that you all have that sense of comfort from your faith - if not, let me know and I'll be happy to share mine with you.

I also love to digiscrap layouts of my family all dressed up in their Easter finery. With that thought in mind, I have created this set of Easter alphas for you in purple/pink, green, blue & yellow. They have just a little sparkle thanks to the awesome actions of Atomic Cupcake. Plus, I have included a picture of some gorgeous dyed Easter eggs....hope they add lots to your LOs! Click HERE or on the image above to download.

Also - I wanted to say thanks again for everyone who took the time to check out my friend, Lucy Adams' book - If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny. Lucy has managed to combine the Southern humor of Jeff Foxworthy with the all-too-true witticisms of the ultimate mom, Erma Bombeck, into what may be the funniest book about raising kids in the South that I have ever read - if you want to know more, check out the posts below. I'm still donating all the proceeds from sales through the links on my blog to the 3-day Cancer Walk.

So - I'm off to Augusta on Wed with 3 kids and a bearded dragon lizard (new pet) and no hubby! He's staying here to install 4 new toilets....sounds like a humor book there, doesn't it?? Hugs!! Meg

It's HERE!! Check it out to win a free book or cap!

2009-04-03T12:30:00.001-04:00

So - I have this friend from high school, Lucy Adams, who wrote this amazing book - called "If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny" which may be one of the most hilarious books I've ever read. Run, don't walk, to get your copy - my husband laughed so hard that he literally fell out of bed one night....I think some of the stories might have hit a little close to home for him...if ya know what I mean??

See - Lucy is an awesome Southern Mom who actually remembered to write down all the side-splittingly funny things her kids did (and continue to do). Imagine that Jeff Foxworthy & Erma Bombeck got together on a book about raising kids......it's THAT funny.

Here is a fabulous excerpt from If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny:

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I am blessed with (and tortured by) children who think profound thoughts. They never ask uncomplicated questions like why the sky is blue or endeavor to discuss the Big Bang
Theory.
No, I’m hit with musings like, “What’s worser, Daddy gassing or being in love?” Not an easy one to answer, because it depends on when you ask me.
I find comfort in knowing that they do it to my husband, too. One morning, as the noise level around the breakfast table skyrocketed, my husband calmly walked over to the radio and shut down the commercial announcer in midsentence. He then breathed a huge sigh of relief. Our two year old daughter queried as to why he wouldn’t let her listen to the music, to which I responded that her daddy felt over-stimulated.
“By what” said our eight year-old, “diagra?”
Yet, inopportune comments at inopportune times often endow me with an opening to teach values and to put life (usually, my own) into perspective. My children’s questions and observations compel me to see the confusion of the world through their eyes. How lovely to spend my spare time wondering if I’m invisible in camouflage pants or considering what’s scarier, a T-rex or a tornado?
My children enrich my life as they press me into saying what’s more “importanter,” wearing shoes or wearing underwear? I would much rather focus on that intense and
timely issue, than perusing my stock portfolio or planning my work day.
After all, what does the tooth fairy do with all those teeth? And who would win a fight, a centipede or a scorpion? And what is the difference between the white sox and the red
sox, besides their socks?

(Excerpted from If Mama Don’t Laugh, It Ain’t Funny (Palm Tree Press), by Lucy Adams. Repreinted here by permission of the author.)

If you leave some love, I'll also send you the link to download this awesome quick page tag album - this beautiful tag album is made my Katie Pertiet & I added papers by Carrie Stephens from her Spontnaneous Delight Collection. This album prints perfectly on the Avery 53215 printable tags!

You can buy a copy of Lucy's awesome book now (they make great Mother's Day gifts!!) by clicking HERE or on the image of the cover above. I've given several of these out & everybody tells me that they went back & bought more to give to their mom or to other women they know & love. For all sales made from this link, I'm donating all proceeds to charity!

Leave some love for Lucy to get a freebie - and one lucky person will win a signed copy of the book & another will win a cool hat!

Take care, Meg

It's HERE!! Check it out to win a free book or cap!

2009-03-25T11:16:00.011-04:00

Out of the Mouths of Babes

365 Template Freebie!

2009-01-07T21:36:00.005-05:00

OK - so it's been a while since I've posted anything....let's just say that with end of the year stuff, 4 family birthdays, Christmas, Bennett's new job, 3 kids, home school, my work, and the usual day-to-day stuff, that life has been beyond nuts. I'm giving serious consideration to giving up sleep!! I need the extra hours in the day!

So - have you all been intrigued by the 365 Project?? You can get a feel for what this is HERE. But basically, it's a photo a day for a year - to track the everyday things that we all forget and take for granted but also the little moments that take our breath away but are so fleeting that if we don't take the time to record them, they are lost forever....

Confession time: I probably won't do this for 2009. Heck, I haven't even started scrapping most of 2007...except for our amazing trip to Okinawa which I did as a completely paper album....may be my last one of those for a while...I'm so behind it's not even funny. I look at it this way - when my kids leave home, I'll still have plenty of projects to keep me busy!

But - in the spirit of supporting my fellow scrappers (especially the digi ones), I've created a new template to help make things go a little more smoothly. A big thank-you to Atomic Cupcake for her amazing action that created the distressed edges to the various pieces of my template! So, you can click HERE or on the picture above to get the template. Enjoy!! As always, I love to hear your feedback - any & all tips appreciated! Take care & I promise not to be gone too long.....Meg

In honor of Bennett's 1st day at the new job!!

2008-12-01T20:07:00.004-05:00

Hi everybody! Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.....we hosted my family - it actually was pretty OK. I had several days to prep and my mom kept the kids out of my hair on Thurs so I could do all the crucial stuff....plus my awesome grandmother - also named Meg - came over and it was great for her to see 4 of her 7 great-grandkids. Then, the 5 of us got Fri - Sun to hang out......personally, I know that we have SOOOO much to be grateful for - we have each other - after that, nothing else really matters.

It snowed here in metro Atlanta today!! Cool...kinda rare - especially for pre-Feb......

Today my dear hubby, Bennett, started his new job!! We are so excited - as a computer consultant, he had been traveling on and off (mostly on!) for the better part of the last 4 years....this job is less than 5 miles from the house! He's now with a local boutique consulting firm - he's the new director of their business intelligence practice (OK, I know...the geek stuff is gettin' heavy). In honor of his new job and the wonderful opportunities for our family that it brings....I made a new paper kit! It's Bennett's favorite color - PURPLE...and of course, it has glitter and fleur de lis...also faves. These 12 papers include grunge, glitter, snowflakes, glittered edges circles, fleur de lis, diamonds, damask, flourished edges, an entire 12x12 glitter sheet, and other goodies.

Click HERE for part 1 (the first 6 papers) and then HERE2 for part 2 (the next 6).

I do have to give a shout out for some of the awesome overlays (found on DigiFree - a daily addiction) that I used to help create this paper kit...in no particular order, they are:

TotallyD Overlay Grunge01
Scrapfiends Wallpaper Overlay04
Fryske's Harlequin 2
LynneSimmons Textured Overlays Grunge1
Beth Long ColdWinter SnowflakeEdge
lvd goingincircles001
05_O_Edge Flourishes2

That, to me, is the best part of the digi scrap world - we can share our creative talents and from that create things that are greater than the sum of the parts.....wow...deep...careful, the English major is showing! Anyway - Happy December 1st!

And we're off.....the Silly Season has begun!

2008-11-23T21:39:00.005-05:00

OK - it's officially what I like to refer to as the "Silly Season." The time when (mostly) we women run around doing 4x what the normal person should be expected to do on any given day, cooking too many big meals, being too exhausted to enjoy them when we finally get to sit down, buying gifts for people that neither need nor want what we spent too much $$ and too much time and too much energy getting, wrapping, etc.

You know - it almost sounds like I'm sort of a Grinch....I'm not. I just wish with all my heart that we could get back to what Christmas REALLY means...make it simple - a time for real peace & joy - not chaos and all about the loot under the tree. I have been trying for years to get my extended family to agree to limit gifts to things we make or maybe to adopt a family that truly needs some help...instead we keep buying cashmere sweaters and too much candy for the stockings....sigh.....

But - in the spirit of what the Season means to me and my family - I have two things to offer: first, this set of four (4) glitter alphas in gold, silver, red & green glitter - each set includes caps, lower case, punctuation and the phrase "Merry Christmas" - enjoy! You can either click HERE or on the preview to download.

Second - try and be a beacon of true peace & joy this season - regardless of your beliefs or faith, nobody needs any more stuff - but there are a lot of people out there who need to know that somebody cares. Go care......I do.

'Tis the Season.....part Deux!

2008-11-17T17:19:00.005-05:00

OK - this past week has been a blur - I won't bore you with all the gory details (and there were some, believe me) but let's just say that I'm glad to be back home & focusing on my favorite time of year again - Christmas!!

Despite the fun that was had by all at my hubby's 20th High School Reunion, I would much rather be making goodies to give to you all...so here goes: Today there are a variety of shapes in 5 different colors/patterns. This files includes all the shapes you see here in red, green, silver, and gold glitter AND in candy cane stripes - fun! Enjoy! You can click HERE or on the preview to download. A thank you to Atomic Cupcake for her amazing actions! Check back later this week for fun Xmas words & glitter alphas.

My uncle continues to improve - despite a major setback last week. More surgery is scheduled for this Thursday so your thoughts & prayers are requested. Now I'm off to cook dinner for the first time in almost a week - yes, it's been that crazy around here. I think we're on a first-name basis with the drive-thru staff of most of the fast-foods around here....and my waistline shows it!

Exciting new things on the way!

2008-11-09T22:34:00.004-05:00

Wow - talk about a couple of weeks of ups and downs - both personally and for the country. Regardless of your politics (and for the record, I'm a Libertarian), it has to give you pause to think that in a country where less than 50 years ago, it was perfectly legal (and even encouraged) to discriminate based on the color of skin, that so many people could look beyond the evil of prejudice and vote for a candidate who is not a white man. It is my deepest hope and prayer that Obama's presidency be one of positive growth for our country and that wisdom prevails in all situations.

But - on the personal side, hubby, Bennett, got a great offer for a LOCAL job!! It's a good move for him professionally and it will drastically reduce his travel hours - such a relief! We celebrated by christening our new fire pit - it was such fun to have s'mores out by the fire, listen to the crickets and look up at the stars. We will definitely be doing more of that this winter!

So - on to freebie-time! I have created a new Xmas kit - did I mention I love Christmas?? Such a happy time for me and my family. In today's freebie, there are 8 papers in various shades of red & green. A big thank-you to Anna Aspnes for her amazing sparkle overlay used in 2 of the papers - go check out her stuff at Designer Digitals - simply perfection! Check back in the next few days - I have a cool set of Xmas shapes in 5 different colors and some alphas to give away, too. You know me - there will definitely be some glitter in there! You can click HERE or on the preview above to download the papers. The file is large (80+ megs). If you have any trouble, you can email me at megstocks (at) gmail (dot) com and I can break the files up for you. Enjoy!

'Tis the Season.....for nerves!

2008-11-04T16:21:00.005-05:00

OK - I admit it - I'm not good at sitting around and waiting for stuff to happen. I'm one of those people who can handle just about anything - calmly and without freaking out - except the unknown. So - this election stuff is killing me. No worries - I'm not about to launch into a political diatribe - if you've read any of my stuff, you know where I stand....I'm just ready to get it over with and deal with the consequences....good, bad, or indifferent.

That being said - you all benefit from my nervous energy! Yesterday, I mentioned that I love Christmas - especially the shiny, glittery parts. So, I made a bunch of bracket frames in various glitter colors for you. There are 7 in all - Red, Green, Silver, Gold, Purple, Dark Blue and Light Blue - give me a shout if you want them in any other colors - happy to oblige! The images above show all the colors and the red one shows what the entire frame looks like. These are all page-sized (12x12 or 3600x3600 pixels) but are easily resized for smaller pages or frames on a page instead of using them to frame the entire page (like I do!).

You can click HERE or on the main image above to download.

So - hope you enjoy these - I'd love to hear from you if you have any requests - I love to play with shapes, glitters, etc. and make fun frames, shaped papers and journaling mats - more of those to come soon!

Take care - say a pray for peace for our country and our world - we need it!

2008-11-03T11:58:00.003-05:00

Hope everybody had a fun Halloween! My 3 mini-goblins were dressed up as a Clone Warrior, a princess, and a tiny dinosaur....fun! Hubby took them around the neighborhood and my hips are already showing the damage - can't stay away from the Reese's Cups!

I want to share a bit about me - I've been torn the past few years about Christmas - I adore Christmas - I love the lights, the decorations, the special music at church, and most of all - the time set aside to remember the birth of my savior, Jesus Christ. But - the stress caused by the commercialization of the holiday (when did Xmas become all about the loot?), had me really bummed. Both hubby and I have pretty large families and by the time you add siblings, parents, kids, it really adds up - last year we spent WAAAYYYY too much money on things - just stuff that people may or may not even want and most definitely didn't need! My attitude really suffered - which meant that my family's joy was diminished...let's face it, when Mommy isn't happy, nobody is happy! This year, I want it to be different. I want to focus on the friends, the family, the food, and the real reason for the season. That being said, I've decided that I'm going to make most of the Xmas presents - especially for the adults. I've decided to use my gifts and make digital scrapbooks for both families of some vacations we took this year. I'll also be baking some more and planning more meals with friends & family. Finally, I want to do something with our homeschool group - I have this idea about an "angel tree" but for people in retirement homes who don't have anyone nearby....I'm still working on that one.

So - now that we're into what I call the "Silly Season" - that is, the holiday madness that seems to get bigger and crazier as November and December roll along, I thought I might help out a bit by giving this Christmas-themed freebie. In the freebie are: 2 swirl glitter overlays (one red, one green) - a special thanks to OVineyVines for the cool overlay and to Atomic Cupcake for her amazing actions! Also in the freebie is a layered .psd template in the shape of a Christmas tree - the top one has a star that you can either take off or leave. Finally - the freebie has 4 acrylic snowflakes - these are pretty large but you can re-size them - they look great over colored backgrounds or even as frames behind photos. Try them repeated on various colors to make a cool background!

You can click HERE or on the preview to download....enjoy!

Wicked good weekend...and freebie, too

2008-10-27T17:11:00.003-04:00

Wow - what a fabulous weekend I had! Got to escape the day-to-day and scrap with some good friends and just hang out - it was fabulous! Got to give a shout-out to all my Peachy friends - thanks for a great w/e! I didn't get a whole lot done - but that may have had something to do with the fact that I was torn between 3 different projects (2 of them paper - eeeek!) and I was really tired...I even slept until 10am on Sunday - haven't done that in forever. Then, I got to go home (thanks for driving, Gail!) and get all dressed up to see "Wicked" at the Fabulous Fox Theatre with my hubby - fun!! It was awesome!

So - in the spirit of sharing, here are some grungy, swirly papers for you - you can either click the preview above or HERE to get them. Enjoy!!

My uncle continues to improve - hopefully, he will be moving to a PT/rehab part of the hospital to work on regaining full function in his left foot/leg. He still has a long way to go so your prayers would be appreciated still.

On the home front - my hubby, Bennett, is still slated to be on a project in Fla starting next Monday - this means 5 to 6 days a week travel and he may only be home about 30 hours each w/e....can you tell I'm freaking out about this???? Being a solo parent, handling all the kids, work, house, homeschool, having no partner around - not to mention the fact that he's my best friend and I miss him.....it just sucks when he travels. It's so hard on all of us....even him! BUT - he is meeting with a big company HQ'ed about 5 miles from our house today - if that works out then he might be able to make a fabulous career move and have ZERO travel....talk about an answer to prayer!!

Have a wonderful Halloween - check out some of my earlier posts to grab some Thanksgiving freebies & maybe I'll even post again before Turkey Day! Take care, Meg

Jessica Sprague Freebie & Grungy Tgiving final elements

2008-10-10T10:46:00.004-04:00

OK - sorry to be out of the loop - my uncle had HUGE surgery to replace part of his aorta due to an extremely large aneurysm. He's still in ICU and they hope to start weaning him off the ventilator today. But - I have a grateful heart because the surgery was extremely risky (85% chance of survival and 50% chance of paralysis and/or major organ failure) but - he is doing great - has moved his arms and legs, his kidney function is good and his lungs (so far) are staying clear of infection. He is not out of the woods yet - a lot could still go wrong - I'd be grateful for your prayers for healing, no infections, peace for my aunt & our family and for a strong recovery.

But - you are here for the freebie - right?? OK - the final installment of Grungy Tgiving. Click HERE or on the preview picture for the download. Happy Scrapping!! Check back soon for some fun swirly grungy papers I'm working on........Take care, Meg

So - finally October 10th gets here and the amazing new class given by Jessica Sprague is revealed - and it's FREE!! Check out the flyer above (click on it to go to her website and learn more). I cannot tell you how amazed I am by her creativity and her generosity. Just when I think that we've pretty much been-there-done-that in the world of digi scrapping, she comes up with something totally new...like this. Hope to see you all there!!

Jessica Sprague Freebie & Grungy Tgiving final elements

2008-10-10T10:42:00.004-04:00

So - finally October 10th gets here and the amazing new class given by Jessica Sprague is revealed - and it's FREE!! Check out the flyer above (click on it to go to her website and learn more). I cannot tell you how amazed I am by her creativity and her generosity. Just when I think that we've pretty much been-there-done-that in the world of digi scrapping, she comes up with something totally new...like this. Hope to see you all there!!

Grungy T'giving - Part 2

2008-10-03T22:14:00.006-04:00

So - talk about a week of ups & downs. It's been great having Bennett around (his project with AT&T finished up & they haven't decided which new BI project he's going to be on next). Then my fave Aunt Carol came to visit - the most creative person on the planet - she organized a closet and helped me rearrange the kids' rooms...yea! But, the reason she's in town is because my uncle (her brother) has an aortic aneurysm and is having surgery next week. Just too many bad things can go wrong with that kind of surgery....keep him and us in your prayers!

OK - on to happier things. The first part of Grungy Thanksgiving was available this Monday....what's a kit without some alphas? Here are 3 sparkly alphas, some word art and some pictures to coordinate with the papers that you already have. You can click HERE on on the preview to get them....Enjoy!

Pumpkined out....before October??

2008-09-28T17:55:00.005-04:00

Has it really been 2 weeks since I posted? Man, life just gets in the way sometimes! Things have been crazy around our house - Bennett and I had a fun trip to DC with an amazing time at the fancy parties at the French ambassador's residence (very pretty mansion on Embassy Row), a fabulous time touring Mt. Vernon and learning more about George Washington - the more I learn about him and our other founders, the more I am convinced of my Libertarian (i.e. get the government out of my life, off my back & out of my wallet!!) leanings....but I digress....

Click HERE or on preview to download

As you know, one of my many passions (obsessions?) is all the amazing digi goodness you can find on the web and the wonderfully generous people that create all of it. I am constantly awed by how talented people are and the beautiful stuff that they share. But - I have to admit that even though it is not even October, I'm getting a little burned out on the Halloween kits. All the pumpkins, ghosties, goblins, and stuff are really cute....but I have all I could ever use for the rest of my life!!

So, I'm jumping the gun and I made a Thanksgiving kit! You get the 6 grungy papers today and I'll post the coordinating 3 alphas a few days from now and then the elements & stuff a few days after that. As always, I'm kind of new at this so any and all comments, suggestions, helpful hints, etc. are always welcome. CU is fine - just please give me credit. Speaking of credit - I have to give a shout out to Atomic Cupcake for her amazing actions that I used to create the alphas and to Sugarplum Paperie for her fabulous dirty overlay that I used to give the papers the grungy feel.

Enjoy the papers & check bck in a few days for the alphas and the elements. Take care!

Ooooh.....glitter......fun!

2008-09-12T21:28:00.000-04:00

Ok - time for another template - gotta love that glitter!! This is a layered .psd template so you can move stuff around and add or delete as you wish. Enjoy!

Just a note on 9/11.....I know that it was a couple of days ago....but every day is one that we should remember and give thanks for those work and sacrifice everything - even their lives - to keep us safe. I had the joy of being at the Atlanta Braves game on 9/11 (it was home school day at the Braves....is there a joke there somewhere?) and they had this really cool ceremony honoring al the first responders - police, firefighters, paramedics, etc. It ended with a flyover by F-18 Hornet jets...I think I still have goose bumps!

So - how did you spend 9/11? Click HERE (or on preview) to download.

This weekend is crazy - flag football game, a homeschool family picnic, a Cub Scout swimmimg party, a birthday party...and somewhere in all this we need to get the hose clean, the yard mowed, the laundry caught up & everything ready to leave the kids with my mom for 5 days....yeah, right. Pray for our sanity!

That went so well...why not try a template?

2008-09-04T23:09:00.000-04:00

Wow - my first venture as a "public"digi scrapper went pretty well! Thank you all so much for the kind words - both about my venture into creating digi stuff as well as my crazy family....don't worry...you'll hear more about them later....

So - how about a template? Thanks to the awesome Jessica Sprague, I was encouraged to create my own templates (along with my fellow classmates). This template is my first attempt for any to share - be gentle!! Special shout-out and thank-you to Atomic Cupcake for her amazing distressed edge action - run, don't walk, to the Atomic Cupcake website and gather as many cool actions as you can - they take digi scrapping to whole new levels.

So - for the DigiMeg Template #1 with Circles & Distressed Edges, either click on the preview above or you can get it HERE. I'd love to hear what you think - cheers, jeers, and helpful hints all welcome - I'm new at this - just been at it since June '08 and I know I have a lot to learn.

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend - I'm going to drive to my parents' house to pick up my daughter (she spent the week with Granny & Papa) so I'll be in car a bunch - away from the laptop (bummer!).

Take care, Meg

Family should be a 4-letter word

2008-09-03T22:23:00.000-04:00

Like the alpha? Love the gold & the glitter & the fun symbols?? Keep reading!

OK - just got back from a long w/e with my entire family: parents, my sister (and her husband & 2 kids), my brother (and his wife and 10 mos old). On the surface, it seemed like a nice time - we stayed at my parents' lake house and got to visit....oh, if it were just that easy....let's just say that passive-aggressive and loose grips on reality do NOT mix well with 7 glasses of wine. The highlight of the weekend was when my dear, sweet, little sister hurled a ceramic vase at me because I had the nerve to actually answer one of her questions (yes, it was to me) in a direct and honest fashion. She missed....may have had something to do with the 2 bottles of wine mixed with all the "do not drink while on this medication" pills she's on.....guess the truth DOES hurt! For those of you who know me...I was nice and not my sometimes snarky self.

DIGI FREEBIE ALERT!!

Enough happiness......guess what??? I made an alpha!! Check out my digi goodness - you can get it by clicking HERE or on the preview pic itself. Gotta love the glitter!! I just love the DigiFree Blogspot - check it out HERE - so I thought I'd make something to share, too. So - thank you all the wonderful people at DigiFree - this one's for you!

Hint - this is a .png file with all the characters on one page - takes up less space & is easier to work with on digi layouts (thanks to Jessica Sprague for teaching me that very cool trick....up close & in person, no less!) Let me know if you have any trouble with it.... Like everybody else, if you use it, please credit - thanks!

Have a wonderful week...I'll touch back soon with more digi goodness......take care, Meg

Computers...the best & worst of times!

2008-08-28T00:18:00.000-04:00

OK - so I gotta say that I am totally and completely hooked on this digi scrapping thing.....now I just have to figure out what to do with my many $$$ worth of paper scraping stuff....but I digress....Computers & the internet...wow!

It's just so awesome to be able to check the weather, catch up on the news, read the Bible (any & all versions!!), do shopping, manage the family social life, do research (comes in really handy for that home school stuff), and just be able to find info on any topic at any time....amazing!

Then you have some dumb@$$ at AT&T who decided that the Fri evening of Labor Day w/e would be a good time to roll out the new code that Bennett has been working on. Which means that I will be taking all 3 kidlets solo to my parents' lake house (pray for my sanity)....until Bennett can get there late, late, late Fri night (Sat AM?).

OK - enough griping!

I just had a wonderful evening with my awesome new good friend, Gail. She & I met at this little Italian restaurant in the Smyrna Square after her choir practice and it was so nice to spend some time with a kindred soul....she and I have so much in common that it is scary. We both home school, both our husbands are quieter than we are and are sort of nerdy in their own endearing way, we both love to sing, we both struggle with the balance of family/school/personal.....anyway, it was nice. You know how you meet somebody and you just feel like you've known them forever? Yeah, that...

So - I will be without the internet for 5 whole days.....eeeek! If nothing else, maybe I can get the TONS of free digi stash that I've been downloading organized. If you are not already an addict, check out the online digi classes at Jessica Sprague's site and then go check out all the free digi goodness you can find on this fabulous blog - it gets updated every day!! I'm running out of hard drive space!! Is it weird that all I want for Xmas is a 500 gb (ooooh....or even a terabyte) drive??

Anyway - have a fab Labor Day & I'll see you all next week!

Gettin' by with a little help from my friends....

2008-08-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

OK - so I'm taking this really intense digi scrapping class from Jessica Sprague and this weeks challenge had us making an entire 24-page album after we made all our own templates....phew!

So - I made all my templates and I'm working on getting the papers, pictures, elements, etc. loaded....lots of work! I noticed that somebody posted this very cool website that has tons of grat ideas for LOs - for when you get that digi block that I suffer from daily. Check it out:

http://pagemaps.com/

This would have saved me hours!! Oh well....at least I got some more experience with designng LOs...part of our class is incorporating design elements....practice makes perfect?!

Off to lunch with my sweet grandmother.....then home to fold laundry and get ready for a small medical procedure on Monday morning...yippee....

Have a fabulous rest of the weekend...take care, Meg

Torn between two loves....

2008-08-12T20:57:00.001-04:00

Like working mothers everywhere, I have a dilemma. Do I continue to divide my time, energy, talents, etc. between my family and my professional work or do I go on the long-term mommy-track and give up my 2nd (3rd, 4th?) job of doing all the contracts, etc. for an interactive media design firm here in Atlanta?

This has an added pressure - as a homeschooler, I don't have the luxury of my kids being educated by someone else - all the lesson planning, teaching, evaluating - I do all that. I love it and I feel overwhelmed by it - like all great endeavors it has challenges and rewards.

I do get to work from home 3 days a week - but that has its pros and cons as well. The flexibility is nice but there is little or no separation of work and personal time. When you work from home, your co-workers don't care if they interrupt lunch/dinner/math lessons or whatever.

While I love what I do professionally - I adore the minutiae that is required for contracts review and negotiation (especially in the area of internet-based apps as the law is woefully behind the technology) but I regret having to cram lessons in the morning so I can be available for work in the afternoons. I detest the crabbiness that comes from being pulled in multiple directions all day every day - by 5pm, I'm ready to duct tape my kids to the mailbox and/or tell my boss to shove it. Since I get to do neither, the pressure builds. This does wonders for your love life, too.

So - what's a girl to do? Yes, we can afford for me to quit. But since I only get paid for PT (20) hours a week and after we pay for a sitter, gas, dry cleaning, lunches, etc., it's not the money that keeps my attention. I fear never getting a break from the kids. I dread never having a real "reason" to wear things other than jeans or sweats or put on makeup. I fear becoming that "frumpy" mom you always see at Target. I dread totally losing touch with the legal and professional world. But - I hate that I work many, many more hours than I get paid for...dilemma.

Off to watch some Olympics and ponder this some more......

Foot update

2008-08-11T20:46:00.000-04:00

Ok - went to the orthopedist - the Xrays don't show anything newly broken (never mind the 5 bones I smashed last May that will obviously never be the same), BUT - the doc thinks that I may have snapped the tendon that allows you to curl your toes under - sort of explains why the pinky toe seems to be pointing more & more towards the sky. So - the doc referred me to a podiatrist. Either it can be fixed by being "buddy-taped" (as it is right now) or it will need surgery......because I need more stuff on my plate right now - don't we all?

Busy week!

2008-08-11T11:44:00.000-04:00

You ever have one of those days (weeks, months, lives?) when you just wish you could say "Stop the world! I want to get off!"?

OK - today I'm supposed to manage 3 kids, clean the kitchen, do home school for the 2 older kids, be available for work between 1-5pm, go get my left foot checked out (I think I broke something - again!), go do allergy shots for Zane, clean the house, do laundry, cook dinner and whatever else has slipped my mind...all with a smile on my face. Yeah, right.

My sweet grandmother just called - she is my dad's mom. She is also Meg - which can be confusing but is cool in that she is a pretty amazing lady. She invited us for lunch on Sunday - it's been too long since we've seen her so I'm glad we're going to go over there. I wish she lived closer - she's only about 20-30 min away but with Atlanta traffic and that pesky thing called life, we just don't see her as often as I wish. It would be really cool if she lived in the townhomes down the street- then we could just ride our bikes over (something else we don't get to do as often as we'd like).

So - I do a lot of downloading of digital freebies for digital scrapbooking. I use a lot of online file sharing sites....I've developed some faves and I thought I share my thoughts with you...here goes:

1. www.esnips.com - free; 5gb of space - no wait for downloads; can be a bit persnickety sometimes.

2. www.4shared.com - 5 gb of space; free; BUT you have to wait for download links unless you have a premium ($$) account; pretty reliable.

3. http://rapidshare.com/ - bigger - more space and bigger files; free - BUT you have to wait (sometimes 90 seconds) for link unless you have a premium account.

These are the main ones I see from the digi scrapping world - I know that there are many others...feel free to add your faves in the comments section.

BTW - www.woot.com has a killer deal on an 8gb USB thumb drive today...check it out.

I have a blog!!

2008-08-11T04:25:00.000-04:00

Check me out - I have a blog - now everybody else can spend the hours they should be working/sleeping/playing with the kids reading all about my life!

Just kidding - I guess it's sort of the natural progression of things. I'm married to a techie-type and we currently have 4 laptops in the den alone (at least that I know of...haven't checked under the couch lately....) and who knows how many PCs and Macs floating around the house.

It's 4:28am ET (damn insomnia) and I really should be sleeping - long day tomorrow...instead I'm creating a blog, organizing my digi stash (more on that later) and trying to coordinate the two home school group calendars with my family calendar and not forget anything important....since I'm basically in charge of the free world these days, that is about as easy as brokering world peace.....pray for my sanity!

OK- I'm going to post this - whee- and then get back to organizing.....have a fab day!