tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81041362356485863292024-02-19T01:00:08.464-05:00The Buck StopKarenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-4664404661543333432009-03-28T23:19:00.005-04:002009-03-28T23:34:28.554-04:00Catching up... AGAIN<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">After a weekend off last week, we went scrapping again today. We went to a new place and had a lot of fun. Old friends - good times. :-) I was ill-prepared, but I still got two pages done and three well underway. Yay, me! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">After the crop I came home and watched Bolt with Johanna. We cuddled up on the couch with the cat and relaxed. I love those quiet moments with her.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Speaking of Johanna, she started Karate this past week. She did SO WELL! I was really proud of her! My little warrior got her gear and is all set to kick some booty. LOL Here is one of the stances she's been practicing.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318447230995240354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 257px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTsV_1OfMFKaOW4yI_EXLph3eNbv1jcrHIB2TjuXol3xMI1E9xL8ha3SqLfqkZ4Hr-0ERYo7dxoGNM-iL2GbtjSkwukOYSc-DvRQ4yNW_UZX-oAqFqN0rD-pKhV0Q4xqIXdzLN-7qU9_A/s400/Ninja-main.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Last week I signed-up for Facebook. I was reluctant, but Tim talked me into it. He said it was a great way to connect with people from high school. Oh, my gosh... it is AMAZING. In two days I had made contact 30 friends. Some of them I was really, really close with. It has been incredible seeing them now and finding out about their lives since I last saw them. Most of them haven't changed a bit. It's stirred up memories that had a thick layer of cobwebs on them. ;-) Trouble is... it can be very addicting... must step away from the computer. lol </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Anyway, I need to unpack my scrap crap and get to bed before Tim starts banging on the floor. lol Thanks for stopping by!</span></p><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-24585846208225248512009-03-16T15:39:00.004-04:002009-03-16T15:58:03.014-04:00Finally!<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Finally, I'm back on-line! Tim hooked-up my scanner yesterday. It took awhile to catch up, but I think I got everything.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Caitlin is in a play. I guess she has a pretty big part, too. She is being very secretive about it; she wants to surprise us. I'm dying to get to a practice to take pictures, though. The play isn't until May, so I'll have to work on wearing her down. :-)</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">This past weekend, I didn't have any recent pictures to scrap so I went back and found some old ones that I had never done. Below is a page about Johanna's first tooth coming out. The "teeth" that are the title, are flat stickers that I put on pop dots and covered with a heavy layer of diamond glaze. I wasn't sure about them when I bought them, but I'm so happy with how it turned out. The actual tooth is in a shadow box. I made the shadow box from scratch by drawing the tooth and cutting it out. I'm really happy with that, too. (Thanks for the idea, Lori!!)</span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313876730633594642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 396px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixa9Pw_sAGCXSIP95PYyhmmGfUt5wNa41MiZ8tSUDKeNrl4nY5BPE7tq_Qr4ZV3O6A9wECuMeXZX-ICkoYNRi-JN2GuYvBERMlM3M_FDrzABGaJP_AJxgnXyczVvuK44q_H-LzQmPSzsaR/s400/Tooth.jpg" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Speaking of Lori... (sorry, my friend, but I can't resist)... I had a wonderful UNbirthday party last week!! My BFF showered me with lovely gifts and a fresh fruit bouquet. Imagine my surprise... since my birthday isn't for another month! LOL We've had some great laughs over that one! Such a great memory, in fact, that I HAD to scrap it. No doubt this is a birthday I'll never forget... and I won't let her forget it either. LOL! Here is the evidence.</span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313876718784837602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv4NEFIugd-QB-8h6PuqLO0WWINGkvFeidyRFp6Ig-tuRH5yVxVAQ0ZuoRHMpsZm7xMJ2kdd1s3JpbG7SjVHOJg3H-6VepqB6L3M-UrV7cqwjTYXjDGL9tB-IU6DWJtQFPi1ESgMcukL5D/s400/Unbirthday.jpg" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Well, I've been dieting for about a month. I went to the doctor's office to weigh-in today. The good news is, I've lost a grand total of 16 lbs.! Yeah!! I'm SO excited. A long, long, LONG way to go, but I'm really happy with the start. I'll keep you posted.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today we're enjoying warm weather. Feels like spring, but they tell us another cold front is coming soon. Yuck! </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow night is Johanna's spring program. I'll have pics from that on Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by!</span></div><br /><br /><div></div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-17441585860132305692009-03-03T08:20:00.006-05:002009-03-03T08:40:30.765-05:00A Day At The Races<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">On Saturday, Tim took Caitlin to the motocross races in Indy. Actually, it was Caitlin who contacted one of Tim's old friends and got the tickets for everyone. Tim & Caitlin even got press box seats. The second photo, below, is Caitlin in the press box. Oh, and this took place in the new dome stadium for the Indianapolis Colts. Tim said the place was awesome. The other picture is of Caitlin with her friends. Funny story about the guy withOUT the hat or sunglasses on his head. His name is Drew. He is an Abercrombie model and was featured on an episode of America's Next Top Model. He wants to go out with her, but she just wants to stay friends. I wish I had her problems at 17! lol</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308953875098190594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZrl-eVgEQmco-J4P-PGcxXDXzV2F5rE20WUoExIDCsazmldlmp293SC8xRzj0bAibzgWQCq78vvBvV7KKiStGWZfzIATS3oXhRKs7q_p5ZoDa2kpHqwQclzzMkxZ7JwUp0hJtyY60mKfy/s400/Drew.jpg" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308953877694013074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 290px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QhxTEFm4t1s8qVEip1anUcq5AVmXd6AstxclXuHdPMi5iecW5Hu-YtWhxMzqnuugt6qFX4y1xX7FSWJyiHt4AGGWlpwGeRQ7XfS5qpPEQcXo3ebtwkFCqjucNgbtV2_7l785kW20H-yF/s400/Press+Box-1.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The other day, Johanna and I went shopping for a dress and some "clicky shoes." She's never really worn dresses much and was so excited to be shopping for girly clothes. So, I decked her out in the dress, new panty hose, new shoes, and a sweater. She looked SO CUTE! </span><br /><br /><p></p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308954534713485122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP46n6PTL_59PgKaKb2afWhXOUevOmm7fzG0S9Gl6n_Pe4sHEzkOUXKrQWYdHGrt3OSvK3sltayO8zWwom0qzkI7pvBRniP2xBUxj8xK4np_uTaKcEeWuIAKVvYRSWCk7fm5nvNmfAv4O1/s400/Hanna+Dress.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">She has a show they're doing at school in a few weeks that she can wear it to and I think it will also serve as her Easter dress.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Not much else going on. I keep applying for jobs... and I keep getting letters saying they'll keep my resume on file. Watching the news these days, it gets a little scary to think how long it might take. Okay, a LOT scary.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for stopping by!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-70452622024932739392009-02-17T19:17:00.006-05:002009-02-17T19:32:50.212-05:00Electronic Issues - Good News & Bad News<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's always something. Last week, Tim's computer died. I mean, it fried. It was old and he had been band-aid'ing it for a looooong time. Thankfully, he had everything backed-up on a separate hard drive (yeah!!). He went and bought a brand new computer - rather than the refurbs he usually gets. Only problem is... most of the new computers are coming with MS Vista OS. Many programs that we've been using for years are not compatible with the Vista OS. This includes the software that came with our scanner. I guess the good news for me is that the large-scale scanner is now on my desk. Bad news is... it takes up a LOT of room. We'll figure it all out, though.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Johanna had a sleep-over this weekend and they had a GREAT time! We went to see Coraline 3D. I can't believe I am almost 47 years old and I had never seen a 3D movie. It was really cute! The girls had a blast. I think we're going to have a sleep-over again in a couple of weeks when Tim & Caitlin are out of town. At one point I heard Payton say, "Johanna, I love your mom. Er, I REALLY like her." LOL THAT is what it's all about.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Miss C is doing a lot of volunteer work with a local group that supports people who have had severe brain injuries. I am so proud of her for that. Now she is getting me involved, which is very cool, too. They make a lot of cards. The center wants me to come and give them some help with what they can do more/differently. I'm looking forward to getting involved with that.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Valentine's Day was nice. The girls each got a gift, as did I. I got Tim something I thought was really cool. I found these four stalks of bamboo that were shaped into two hearts. This particular bamboo is supposed to be "lucky bamboo." Tim had a few bad days right before Valentine's Day, so I figured it was the perfect gift to turn his luck around. :-) Here is a picture of it.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5303927842857280002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 203px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTCMah1cwFjQRAm2B827E4BZQkki-r1YFU-qJz_sMhLnwdZCGllnhr755cOtjL_zhkyeYTtxhNhpA1eOHm-0G1TBWHGbBqOyOmn4l02NUKAvmHLDrIpQj47CiqtNYeHO5heB-626D5B886/s400/Bamboo+Hearts.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Isn't that COOL?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Until my scanner is fixed, that's about all I have to share. Hopefully, Tim will have me all hooked-up tomorrow night. Take care and thanks for visiting!!</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-8135413717249002102009-02-12T23:52:00.004-05:002009-02-13T00:05:31.921-05:00Im"poster"<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Last weekend, Tim and Caitlin went to a motorcycle trade show. Miss C has always been a daddy's girl, so it's no surprise that she shares his passion for the sport. What was particularly funny, though, was that she was mistaken (repeatedly) for a pin-up model. She was in a booth of Tim's friend. They had this poster with a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">scantily</span> clad model (as usual). Caitlin was wearing an "Exhibitor's" badge, so many of the men stopping by the booth thought the girl was Caitlin! They even asked her to sign their posters... which she did! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">LOL</span>!! Here is a picture of Caitlin looking at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">someone's</span> badge so that she could personalize her autograph. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">OY</span>!!</span><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5302142328277914994" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 360px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjOwsOfFCPNNdtkJOp6TgsowPwWF5pJlucNOZqH_2DWsBUT_PiDvVRd0BxgkatcOw3QZ8V6xdUJQzRSy7vTJSVYSyW1Eg4u8SPtnzbPqCEdJo4n-XJ3_tP2ZWY-gShdD6SaiTAvwgJ8aeD/s400/Autograph-1.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">How HILARIOUS is that!? Guess what I'll be scrapping next?? :-)</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">This weekend they'll be at it again. They're going to a show in Indy. Next, they're going to a race in Indy at the end of the month. Don't they know they are SERIOUSLY cramping my scrappy schedule? <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">LOL</span> Just kidding! (Sort of.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">That's about all for now, I guess. Johanna is having a sleep-over on Sunday/Monday because of the holiday. I'll be taking her and her friend scrapping, which should be loads of fun! Then, Monday, we will go to the movies again. This time, I'm toting the camera!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Thanks for stopping by!</span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-50987655217428484992009-02-08T23:21:00.006-05:002009-02-08T23:52:55.476-05:00Winter Blahs<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Clearly I have some catching up to do. I think the brutal cold, snow and ice are taking their toll on me. We've been stuck at home so much that there's really not much to tell either. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today, it almost felt like spring around here. I opened the curtains and blinds in our bedroom, opened the window a bit, and cleaned my arse off in there. I even guilted Tim into helping me. ;-) It had become a bit of a dumping ground for things without a "home," and today we reclaimed our space. I threw out a LOT of stuff. I vaccumed the heck out of everything that didn't get out of my way. I almost forgot how huge that room is!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I've started a home improvement project - the guest (girl's) bathroom. The wallpaper has been peeled off and the new paint has been purchased. Oh, and Tim rescued a light fixture that actually might work in there. I'm really excited about getting it done. We've got some big framed mirrors around the house, so we're going to replace the early 80's sheet of mirror with a nice, decorative one. I'm usually very good at finishing a project I start around the house. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty obsessive about it. One thing was stopping me, though. I **HATE** the vanity and floor in there. I want to switch both out but have NO IDEA how much that will cost. So, tomorrow morning I am going up to Home Depot to pick out what I like and find out what it would cost to have it installed. If it's reasonable enough, I'll see if I can get Tim on board. We'll see.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I made a layout with the picture I posted below. I'm really happy with how it turned out, but I'm not happy with how it scanned. The page is so bumpy and bulky, a lot of it is blurry. Here it is anyway...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300651775614634226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrtjORsSJvGfd9jgT7gPbf2IDdqFrtcBsCvETlgWy10w1gHVu7qLHyPWszQZat3Qx_Nh_EWbxieY1ZE0ZgIw3MbL1a4_Dog1rBpV-c1tGEQpR9uR_1k5VECtYCi-a8dIRoqYVndufOeUVI/s400/snowday.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The company that maintains our property really screwed up with the snow removal. We have about a 4' pile of ice and snow in front of our house. They literally piled all that on top of our boxwoods. I'm sure at least six of them are toast. Now we're going to have to submit an invoice to the Board of Managers and see if we can get reimbursement to replace them in the spring. Yeah, right. Wish us luck with that one. Here's the pile where our boxwoods are buried.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654779262171874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfR8b_IcG6U3Vuf6ZjqsSvMxQ56Yrt3WHptlX0g3AoxFJ71Y0NKOqsMOMq04hcLcZ1MTsxx-8h-Lp7L-3pzqlLZsVvk6K7F_1GAJqroITM2H7LNPwhC0oWcMefUXZRjf9ivbZcuSj1jExP/s400/Pile+of+ICE.jpg" border="0" /><br />And here is a picture of Johanna on top of the pile.<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300654786082699026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 216px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 379px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx7VGxOoac22y2UVEinf1ycrAYQFG6w8K5W8kTd2TFxGPUL2RYtbnBrqQ36NR9lSve4guRlJYwExwr-mt0PeX5T3gvpuDf1noownMBb0wiaVBYaEDFIQqch1afb_bX-m_ZU8pAj4IHNLZg/s400/Hanna+Hill.jpg" border="0" /><br />Needless to say, Tim is NOT a happy camper! Who can blame him?<br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />Well, I've got to get up early in the morning, so I'd better wrap up for now. Thanks for stopping by. I'll try to be better and keeping my posts current.Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-24471562410774929452009-02-01T20:07:00.003-05:002009-02-01T20:22:42.364-05:00Super Bowl Sunday!<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Super Bowl Sunday is finally here! It's half-time now. I'm sad that the black and gold are winning, though. Still hanging my hopes on the red and white.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Anyway, I'm going to quickly post a few more pictures from yesterday because, well, Johanna was just so stinkin' cute!!</span></div><div><br /></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298003623444556306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR3bu9jfK6-XLuyRcIGXs7brQR0mg7jxoSsftneZwr8D7rGHTwehYY3qzA6XS8QeamXofLgXeF3kpeCjSx8613jF0Adig2sZcOLXQAPy_o8aeYvM1QBdTpksyjGJo6b2J15mQg7X5XOwri/s400/Icy+Trees.jpg" border="0" /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The trees were truly beautiful. Thank goodness we didn't lose our power, though.</span><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298003626545404546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-ka1c9AVLiUl69UaagkW6bQNN0HQcfxuLpwlGNKZsSxterVMSeDkWKxQQVhjmxx8Es5bDaHFZ4rllKwr9gZ3vWqu-l5c82LR5FRCvVa2eOQZKQxjfmfPzDcWRWpSP1Xdq82QF9OI-Ik-/s400/Holly+Bush.jpg" border="0" /><br />And here is the ice on our holly bush.</div><div> </div><div>I'd better get back to the game. I'll have some layouts to post tomorrow. Thanks for stopping by!<br /><div></div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-16463595747501720512009-01-31T22:08:00.004-05:002009-01-31T22:23:50.230-05:00What A Week!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Exhausting. That is the word of the week. :-) The kids were home four days this week due to ice and snow... and a LOT of it! We were virtual prisoners in our own home (only a slight exaggeration). Caitlin was a little like a caged animal. LOL Johanna was just bored and mommy needed to "entertain" her. The temps were so cold that I couldn't even let her play outside very long. It hovered around -7 wind chill all week. The bright side... we didn't lose our power. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today, the temp went up a bit and the wind died down. While I was gone for awhile, Tim took Johanna outside to build an igloo. Here is a pic from the day. I'll finish some more and post them later.</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297662659629715394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-URjaUt64NltUj2j7ByC8o_IpXybU2ED_q3FCnEuUldzWymzxjv-xkR1Vy_kT0OEBDSKNNbEV9rHSUKzGO0Q2-Z9Veq2rJv3I8blxnacaGEy6anxvQ6ayY8LCncDQVNfR4EylQ_h63kLV/s400/Jhanna+Snow-blog.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My "Ice Princess." :-) </span><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I'm really looking forward to the Super Bowl tomorrow. I'm praying for an upset and that the Cardinals will win. I'm thinking they are no match for the Steelers dirty tactics, though. I'm sure they'll mame a key player in the first quarter. Boooo! Thugs. I'm not bitter. ;-)</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Due to the recent imprisonment, there's not much else to tell. I'll post more pics from today later on and I'm sure I'll have a few thoughts to share about the big game. Thanks for stopping by!</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-5790650121700505182009-01-22T07:07:00.004-05:002009-01-22T07:23:39.318-05:00A Breath of Fresh Air<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I make a concious effort to keep politics off my blog. I will say, though, that this has been a very emotional inaguration and transfer of power. I am very optimistic for this country's future. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Obviously, I did watch the inaguration on Tuesday. As a matter of fact, I got so caught up in it, I was taking pictures of the TV screen as it was happening. I can be such a loser. LOL Anyway, I was surprised to see the Representative from our District, John Boehner, walk in to the ceremony directly in front of President Obama. Not only is he our Representative, he is our neighbor; literally. He lives about a mile away from us and Tim knows him. How cool is that? That's like -- one degree of separation from the most powerful man in the world! I didn't realize until the next day, when I sat down to get the pictures off our camera, that Congressman Boehner was standing directly behind the President as he took his oath of office. Here is the photo...</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294090400509627666" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Y7PpunBL1HQ9wAtkOkMqT7WbRmvoG9g8gtIQadI-eeds_KRS2Ll0-_MQMdaVooz8_-gcKNJ7ReuJvf7_-2FLI5x_brB9zn043-dqHF0ph6PbJx9D3DUTa8VPAkDxnO5cwGFFVj2_rYVM/s400/Swearing+in-sm.jpg" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">He is the gentleman just to the left of President Obama's right hand in the picture.</span> <p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I really liked the Lincoln "theme" to this inaguration, too. My only real concern was the amount of money that was spent on this lavish day. I know it was an incredibly historical event, but I'm not sure we couldn't have had a meaningful ceremony that didn't cost quite so much. But, enough about politics.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I have to get the kids off to school now. I'll be back later on with more. Thanks for stopping by!</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-69479382812274943522009-01-19T21:41:00.002-05:002009-01-19T22:56:41.932-05:00Blast from the past...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When I was in Jr High School, there was a "must read" book called, "Are you there, God? It's me, Margaret." It's primary focus was dealing with the changes in an adolescent girl. In my world, it really was a "must read." EVERY teen girl had read that book. Anyway, I digress. For some reason, this book title made me think of a title for a layout about Miss C. I want to call it, "Are you there, God? It's me, the mother of a teenager."</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I need to know how to survive the next year and a half. I wasn't 18 until April of my Senior year. My best friend wasn't 18 until the second month of college. My dear teen will be 18 years old one month after the beginning of her senior year of high school. How does the mother of a teen manage that? One week she wants to quit golf. The next week she wants to transfer to the other district high school after the golf season. The next week, she wants to graduate early. Truth is, she can do whatever she darn well pleases at that point. In all honesty, I want my mom. I need her guidance. I need her wisdom. She figured out how to deal with my independent nature. God knows how she put up with me. So, here I am... the mother of a teenage daughter without my mom to tell me what to do. [sigh]</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Johanna, on the other hand, is still easy. Today was a holiday from school, so she had a friend over for a sleep-over last night. She and Payton had a great time! They had fun until about 11:30 PM, slept in, had pancakes for breakfast, and then we all went to a movie and lunch. We went to see Bedtime Stories. It was really cute. Lunch was a blast. We have another date for a sleep-over for President's Day next month.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-43532464219836589032009-01-13T23:09:00.008-05:002009-01-13T23:34:54.631-05:00Totally Addicted to HGTV<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'll be the first one to admit it... I spend WAY too much time watching HGTV. I'm totally addicted to it. Today, I got a great idea watching Vern Yip (formerly of Trading Spaces) on his new show "Deserving Design." He took photos of different things in the person's neighborhood, turned them black & white, printed a large copy, and then framed them for the home. I got to thinking about some of the pictures I have that I'd love to see on our walls. I'll share a few of them here.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">The first one is a sign right behind our house. It is on a national list of "most stolen street signs" and has been since I was young. I asked Tim to go get this for me but he is just too law-abiding. ;-) There's a funny story behind that sign, too. I was looking for housing when I was in college. I checked out a house on campus with four other girls. I walked in the front door and THIS SIGN WAS ON THE MANTLE! How funny is that!? Wouldn't you just LOVE to live on the corner of "Grinn & Barret"??</span><br /><div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290997685790084962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 169px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1r82NK4fRf5CkL8aCdUFeM5dF5JR0oYwZ8GgsI52mSyJWY_hN3wEBkyBncyQzhreCDWv75Fvn080RB_TqFn8vel0htStSndluaXzxqBqqeyT_8PZ-pNwE0plQk5ZlE2vxcZcBdVnJqNaC/s400/Sign1b.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div>This one is of some train tracks by our house. My brothers and I used to walk along these tracks when we were kids. We never played any "chicken" games, though!</div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290997683556354706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 279px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKCa-qoVmKBa_dUgmCjMYCTeGWfIFJaetmzsGpOLkcD5veCVmP5w7735Epk45YUA2B8XOV9iErkniAxlH-NyPHnYiUbJBAK6foP4G9f-mIqrUDxp7UAC03lkXySFSsBIowz0QfE54-wi3D/s400/DoubleTracks-b&w.jpg" border="0" /></div><div></div><div>This picture is of one of my favorite local places. It is an abandoned factory that made gun powder used for canons and bullets. Lots of history here. Local lore is that it's haunted. We use to go here on Friday nights after the football games to scare the life out of each other. Good times. LOL</div><div></div><div></div><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290997690359973490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 267px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0O_wCB3las1IEqUOEqy6-HbT0lBhTF9ubL5IodmyuTqV0FHCjCxzdpJyru7IOb8DzxdcgYXxUFTCDFrSadD1ugEA4qumFUDiHWIhQ6btYG2qpDjT753ELjgip46KAvNiablZ4ctC7xzPH/s400/a-bldginside-b&w.jpg" border="0" /></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'm going to be doing this project sooner than later! I think pics like these would look great in my hall or at the bottom of my steps.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">While I was looking for these pics, I ran across an old pic of Tim and me. I need to think of something really creative to do with it and time is an issue. This is a picture of us at our engagement party at Tim's brother's house. Next month, Tim and I will be celebrating 20 years together! OMGosh... that's SO hard to believe! This picture was taken just a few months later, in May. Needless to say, we have BOTH changed a LOT. My friend saw this picture once and said, "Karen Buck, it looks like he walked up to you and asked you if he could pay you $5 to pose in a picture with him." LOLOLOL! She didn't think we looked like we "belonged" together at ALL. I saw the potential, though. ;-) Now, I have to pay HIM to pose with ME. hee hee Anyway, here's the pic... </span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291001000588563410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixo_ugJ2nACwUzcczMm-39Wh_Y6xHYruReQJMdTMd9gob6o4LpkGDkjI7mnbXWjnXLgzza87nHT3GarstRcsmJMsPOqDydjh38BNvAZiyyrqrg5K8ibOqBNz1Um8-607XRe0NR4norPz7E/s400/Tim+%26+Karen+-+engagement.jpg" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">To my creative buddies... please share any ideas you might have for something very SPECIAL to do with this picture of me and my sweet hubby.</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I guess that's enough fun for one day. Thanks for stopping by!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-54883847040977323702009-01-11T21:16:00.012-05:002009-01-11T21:51:32.485-05:00A Nice Weekend<span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Thank goodness the bad weather held off this weekend. I was so glad that Lori and I made it to the crop on Saturday. Even though Lori was really tired from her son's sleepover, we had a great time, as always. I got three altered projects done. Not too bad. I was really happy with how they all turned out. One of the things I made was a "lift" of something I saw online. Here is the result:</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiLyWxlbrRgMzmOsYvbeq56rYrPWKArvjYhWNlJla2GtNJWyOyDNR7adzcHIRG8WcIvIasGQHy5cpq6i-SbZheKJ8YMmFiSfyZhmbyl1VhBxgFcqA6mP-kAp2LLm_o0MdWuuw-7CO5-gf/s1600-h/Calendar-FRONT-January.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290232170552868834" style="WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGiLyWxlbrRgMzmOsYvbeq56rYrPWKArvjYhWNlJla2GtNJWyOyDNR7adzcHIRG8WcIvIasGQHy5cpq6i-SbZheKJ8YMmFiSfyZhmbyl1VhBxgFcqA6mP-kAp2LLm_o0MdWuuw-7CO5-gf/s320/Calendar-FRONT-January.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-5eLg4E0oeWzNpPY9pgON82xMBypwTbhbXxuFu6a__6BLLL_96_H30icFRUYwfgOLhpg2r-faVasivEFi8T-QCX_-f-PMkxKqPJ52Weto6XdmqObQZ8X8J_MpowuQqrQEwLzv-lrB6hb/s1600-h/Calendar-SIDE.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290232176490573026" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 295px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ-5eLg4E0oeWzNpPY9pgON82xMBypwTbhbXxuFu6a__6BLLL_96_H30icFRUYwfgOLhpg2r-faVasivEFi8T-QCX_-f-PMkxKqPJ52Weto6XdmqObQZ8X8J_MpowuQqrQEwLzv-lrB6hb/s320/Calendar-SIDE.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFp9_mwSV4v5O4A_FwIT5O5aQDPITsMAIj_je2q8YAjuCjDDVmuxliVLElvN7aQFbbjivqaVektGWfjfTeD58sx07KmUJGnLFb9HHqu-Wc77erkC02mteiqOQFdL14iFgLzW_U5Mxq6HZ5/s1600-h/Calendar-OPEN.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290232181528904818" style="WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFp9_mwSV4v5O4A_FwIT5O5aQDPITsMAIj_je2q8YAjuCjDDVmuxliVLElvN7aQFbbjivqaVektGWfjfTeD58sx07KmUJGnLFb9HHqu-Wc77erkC02mteiqOQFdL14iFgLzW_U5Mxq6HZ5/s320/Calendar-OPEN.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgCZeJpTh2wM0BZmI3orXqKh6BZaRvrEqXnkfWiEHN4YKGzHHPd4C6EgAU0NalhikmAxIP2YdeZxKmhSbBHKDKbOKEoQxyKQAq2fdL2Ze6lPGIJbwZUtAgqiwahcMmbMDXF2Hbzxpb9xy/s1600-h/Calendar-NOTES.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290232184064530786" style="WIDTH: 285px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFgCZeJpTh2wM0BZmI3orXqKh6BZaRvrEqXnkfWiEHN4YKGzHHPd4C6EgAU0NalhikmAxIP2YdeZxKmhSbBHKDKbOKEoQxyKQAq2fdL2Ze6lPGIJbwZUtAgqiwahcMmbMDXF2Hbzxpb9xy/s320/Calendar-NOTES.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Except for the monthly calendar stickers and the lines for notes on the back of each month, this is copied from another papercrafter's blog here: <a href="http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1421590">http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=1421590</a> .</span> <span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">You can follow the link in her comments to her blog for instructions, too. She even provides a link to the calendar she used. I used clear stickers from Provo Craft. They are easier to read and only cost $1.49. Another thing I liked about the stickers was that it makes them almost laminated, protecting each page. You could also laminate the printed ones with a Xyron.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today, as always, it was "Football Sunday" around here. A very sad, sad Football Sunday, though. The Eagles beat NY and the Steelers beat the Chargers. Bummer on both counts!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Caitlin did something very odd today... even for her. ;-) There is a new boy she wanted to go out with tonight. Since it's a school night, she knew she had to really "sell" it to us for us to let her go out with him. They were going to dinner and to his parent's house to watch a movie with them. She actually did a PRESENTATION to get us to let her go out with him! She brought up pictures from his blog, a Mapquest map to his house, his parent's phone number, and all of their names. How could we say no? Well, we couldn't. I can't wait to find out how this one went and to see where it goes. I didn't have the heart to tell her that she had me at, "He isn't an athlete." LOL! Oh, and I saved her presentation to use on a layout... so stay tuned. :-)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow it's back to the grind. It's supposed to be 4 degrees in the morning and it's my day to take Caitlin to school at 6:30 in the morning. Yikes! That's a brutal way to wake up.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Thanks for stopping by!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-88853971584676424392009-01-09T08:13:00.003-05:002009-01-09T13:12:26.643-05:00Seek and you shall find...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have been asking people for years if they knew who wrote the song "A Little Good News Today." No one I asked had even heard of it. Just as I thought I was truly losing my mind, I googled it and found the song! It was written and performed by Anne Murray. I'm going to add a link to it with the other songs listed on my blog. Given the current state of the economy and how depressing Tim and I find the news these days, I thought someone else might enjoy the song, too.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I've gotta run, but I'll be back later with more!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-52167669737803936372009-01-06T07:34:00.007-05:002009-01-06T07:53:12.061-05:00Uninvited Guest<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I finally got the pictures off the disc so I can show you the uninvited "guest" we had the other night. I have this pretty Christmas wreath I put on the door the last couple of years. For some reason, both years a bird has chosen my wreath for their [temporary] home. Problem is, when we open the door, it flies off and scares us to <em>death! </em>Well, the other night it decided to fly IN instead of OUT. So, we had the task of luring this little cutie OUT of our house. Thankfully, it exited pretty quickly. </span><br /><div><div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1B4co1G0OJkGMpiXSxD9yp5_0htmoTAZT1VuZsgIitKPAUs8c-CjL7GHW0cp6lfNOqoOJToYWD-GtfN_yxR1I_WCqoKopQFnJrX9pIkAgd96pkZOfHT7Njm7rsP8eD9Og_DDvkwBr9Wj/s1600-h/Wrens-outside.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288159759480076882" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 241px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 360px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik1B4co1G0OJkGMpiXSxD9yp5_0htmoTAZT1VuZsgIitKPAUs8c-CjL7GHW0cp6lfNOqoOJToYWD-GtfN_yxR1I_WCqoKopQFnJrX9pIkAgd96pkZOfHT7Njm7rsP8eD9Og_DDvkwBr9Wj/s400/Wrens-outside.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwS6xuGtzvKw5yXs95dVqq2hcTGi-AtndlvyTHGjQ09_rtfHShKDzyqMX7h0jWVz-uZaSaeTRD72jdoG9jBzDJd9UfDyjn_r0RkoMd20QFnhSl2ns3EyfIHqye6RrEgt6aawcLDAn36vf0/s1600-h/Wren-stove.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288159762225542418" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 360px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwS6xuGtzvKw5yXs95dVqq2hcTGi-AtndlvyTHGjQ09_rtfHShKDzyqMX7h0jWVz-uZaSaeTRD72jdoG9jBzDJd9UfDyjn_r0RkoMd20QFnhSl2ns3EyfIHqye6RrEgt6aawcLDAn36vf0/s400/Wren-stove.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I have to get Tim to stop feeding those birds so close to the house! :-)</span></div><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Johanna is officially out of daycare now. We can save over $80/week by keeping her at home. I wasn't sure if she'd like coming straight home and not being with her friends after school, but she LOVED it! She kept saying how early it was and how much more time she felt like she had. Her homework has to be done before any electronics are turned on, which is her motivation to get it done <em>FAST. </em></span></div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Not too many stories about Miss C these days because, well, we rarely see her. She is always on the go with friends or on a date. We did grab this picture the other day when I thought she just looked SO cute.</span></div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288161975061902866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 323px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 395px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk67CY-7Yuck2lJ_6rEb3w92KfpR9ojjZ9u-OVsBBW64axobOUYp9c7RNJf_M5cCCqYuxIGAFdG6ecCWC-9wE9FmtKQMTSIX6g1rX2kUW3jBi9IhM7rlv5OSZR-WRfmQB-Du2dd-OZL3hy/s400/MissC.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That's about it for now. We're back in our post-holiday groove, so not much to tell. Thanks for stopping by!</span> </div></div></div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-23533992061571933142009-01-04T17:35:00.003-05:002009-01-04T17:45:01.730-05:00Aren't lazy Sundays the BEST?<div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Today has been just a rainy, lazy day in Cincinnati. It's been that grey skies and drizzle all day. We've watched some unexciting football. Tim made his dad's wonderful goulash for dinner - YUM! Tim and the girls went to the driving range for a short time this morning, too. Other than that, it has been very quiet and uneventful around here today.</span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Friday, I went to my BFF's house to scrap. Our friends, Linda and Ed, came down from Columbus for the day. I made up page kits so I could be productive. I made three pages on Friday and a page and a birthday card on Saturday... and I didn't spend a dime. Not too bad! Below are a couple of the pages I made.</span></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287573077842945410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMdIxePHkMHx-XCDhm8CJ9CjZmtFhyVEmlkq5pLbL9VBvuRs2ccRhzYwraTIWTzieIuCS9fevB87Z3KSG7raS71_9d3pg-Zx0PjRzwKCtFA6HpYnSvtPiXz8w_uOOJD-rmf3JispryD82G/s400/ChristmasChanukah.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287573116937320722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrpg23_3oB5c9Jjsa1I6bo-Zu343YK7zXNIFiZC8aPdK9kai2Ud25nzLquRVywvztWyNG0j7rDFu2fLdg8AgQQEBGLg4mnyw934tLG9V4u5T7myUq0bM6u3gCl51nRMw5TdWxQTlXy2QwW/s400/Addict.JPG" border="0" /> <div></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow is Sam's birthday (Lori's son). He admired a cool floor lamp at the store the other day, so of course Auntie Karen had to go and get it for him! His face was so cute when he saw it! I can't believe this tall, handsome young man is the same person who I've known since he was baking in the oven. :-) How the time flies. I love me some SAMMY!</span></div><div><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've got to run and download some pictures. I have more to tell, but just remembered that the pictures I need are still in the camera. BBL!</span></div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-24508646228950239212009-01-01T15:39:00.004-05:002009-01-01T22:27:17.654-05:00Traditions<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">In my mid twenties, I was a nanny for a VERY wealthy family. They had three homes, a private jet, and two nannies... one for each child. The mom taught me a Jewish tradition for good luck. On New Year's day, if you eat lox it is supposed to bring you good luck in the new year. They served them with capers, red onions, and bagel slices. Delicious!! My heritage is German. Our "good luck" food for New Year's is saurkraut. Needless to say... I prefer the lox. When Tim and I met, we adopted this tradition and have been eating lox on New Year's for almost 20 years. We LOVE it, but it's the only day of the year we eat it -- which is what makes it stay special for us. Someone asked me if, perhaps, it didn't work on the years I had luck that wasn't so great. I answered, "If I hadn't eaten the lox on New Year's, it would have been a LOT worse!" LOL Mind you, I do not believe in "luck," but it's a GREAT excuse to have this amazing treat once a year. :-) Not a formal presentation by any means, but here is a picture of our New Year's morning FEAST:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286429889720157218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pr2uzUsYzea-Q8lwVJx05b2HVbBREVXbaW1PtH4eJDtfTDBASxgviRdk1r_GYEa52hWwMvM68L1IdVTQq1L1MmNHyG65G1NJyar_75JQ3SgVntr4zaegu0MVqNpQJzPhu5fJnbnoXqc6/s400/LOX.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I found this really cool video online today. It is a year passing (in one spot) in 40 seconds. Take a look.</span></p><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/2639782">http://vimeo.com/2639782</a></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This afternoon, Tim and I have a "date" with USC (for the Rose Bowl) and the UC Bearcats for the Orange Bowl. This game is HUGE, because the Bearcats have never, EVER been to a bowl game! After they won the finals, the people in the stands threw oranges and flooded the field. It was GREAT!! Wish us "LUCK!" :-)</span><br /></p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-8521441081193888162009-01-01T07:01:00.006-05:002009-01-01T07:32:23.446-05:00New Year = New Beginning = = = =<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">= = = = new opportunities = new blessings... and so on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Last night, I slept in my chair downstairs. Johanna wanted to sleep on the couch and she wanted me down here with her. No problem. I woke up this morning hearing a phone vibrate. Mind you, I can hear Caitlin's phone when it is on the floor upstairs and I can even hear Tim's phone when it goes off - upstairs, in our bedroom, on the bathroom counter (yes, even on vibrate). Mine is usually either on my scrapping desk or in my purse in the foyer upstairs. Either place... I can hear it. Well, Miss C is at a sleepover, so I ruled her out, so she gets to live another year. It was too loud to be Tim's. I had put mine on silent when I went to bed so I could sleep in. That left one person... one phone. Johanna. It was buried in the bedding when I found it - vibrating away. Only six people have her number, so I looked to see who would have possibly called her after I went to sleep at around 1;00 AM. That person was going to have some splainin' to do. I looked at it... and it was the ALARM! Johanna woke up and I asked her about it. She said, "I set the alarm for 6:00." Great. I asked her to turn it off and came in here. Now, what do I hear? Her snoring. So, now I'm up and she's in LaLa Land. What's up with that!? All I can say is... it's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute! :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">In September 2007, Fiskars asked me to create a layout for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I created a 2-page layout with photos from the prior 1,552 days... since my final chemo treatment. I think those two pages will always be my favorite. It's called "Moments" - the moments I most certainly would have missed if I hadn't gotten my mammogram. In that respect, I consider that anniversary sort of as my New Year. This year, I did [almost] the same two pages on that anniversary date and have decided to make it a tradition. It will remind me to be thankful for each day and each wonderful moment with my family. Below is the layout I did for this year. (On the back, I put a matching grid with a little information about each picture and the month it was taken.)</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286299004954098818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9lW2Bd-Xk5QDfRV3O4Y_3orWF9aOspvVg5HUPxwwPgRn6NJk5mOpkhC4E8JjD4fmm635iWNtXXIiVf2nUeLbWhSLc8pqvxjsVs6prVvmkkMU0l6-cdU41ZxdrjOqmv1Ghf65xxUgd0k6/s400/Remember.jpg" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286299005732181138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoEDme3IoFSDMJVPoz0aEBrBjR4w_q34nzEdI5lckBNZAT4Dt-Qumlfsxyz0dNGeXBhJ2U2AG-0DjVIwvcssU4AdaAjW8l8Vsxsp2KYJhutrjFOxSMB5yEMS71N_2ob__TlI8fSId5Oo1/s400/Remember-1.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286299010889522578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 397px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4IH_VX-SqDhad7Hc7mx0UOlmSDDr4Svmf8s4Qh_Nh3Kae9QXz_WrRbDZbYhrhyK5Wx4YqXX7XYN7WOhba3JxITqzyWHy7cpExPl9Vjp9UUGgJc2faZCUec-JvaivuwYMUy50nAAEja_e/s400/Remember-2.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286299020210453250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Rsg07NGwL7j1tsS1MPXQDWLO1cxBcEXXD48czUbPyilXWFVu4z02vaeafqt1LSHvxIKugBjYz4wLpFSEFNKLEgecrWTwKY-O0mLySQw5KnY6XdyRJAgmEJB6In0R7mgk0wxM16j7QlhD/s400/Remember-journaling1.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5286299026641444098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnpVC2Tp7Bkz8yFwpmIEg-ZHZK23HhClA10Am0WYMjfHAia3lh9gbWmX2roJ0I92IYr-h6CdMy-p2PjzfxXr9JFNZACWpNhM1AU6XSNVt-viWiTy2B3G372qHiUSZthLz9tTz2sQWPEiR/s400/Remember-journaling2.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've saved this to post until now, for the "traditional" New Year's Day. (I know you can't read the grid, by wanted to post that for my scrappy friends to see how I did it.) Anyway, I wanted to share our year with you. Each day is a blessing. Don't forget to count them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I'll be back later with news about the first day of our new year. I hope everyone has a safe, prosperous, and blessed New Year, too.</span> <div></div>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-51716727834858438762008-12-31T20:52:00.002-05:002008-12-31T21:15:57.221-05:00Happy New Year!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I know... I'm so totally pathetic I'm on my blog three hours before midnight on New Year's Eve. Thing is, I've NEVER been a New Years (or 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span> of July) person. I hate that these are the two holidays when people go out, get drunk, and act stupid. I sat and thought about it and I think I've gone out three New Year's in my entire adult life. I had a date one year (in my mid twenties); I watched Tim's band play at a party one year; and one year Tim and I spent at Disneyland. At midnight, we were standing on the bridge to Sleeping Beauty's castle watching the fireworks and listening to big band music. It was really cool because alcohol is prohibited and the park stays open until 2:00 AM. Actually, that was the year I was pregnant with Caitlin and didn't know it, yet. So, I guess it's been 18 years since my last New Years date. :-)</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today, Johanna and I went to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Archivers</span> to make some ornaments. No, not Christmas ornaments... VALENTINES ornaments. I have to say, they turned out SO CUTE! She did 90% of the work, too. I'll take a picture of them tomorrow when I have have some natural light. She really knocked my socks off at what a great job she did and we had great fun. Of course, I did not bring my camera. Bad, Karen, BAD!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Tonight, Miss Teen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Thang</span> is out at a sleepover. Miss J is chatting on the phone with her friend about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Webkins</span>. Tim is watching reruns of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Smallville</span> and I am here with you. Oh, what an exciting life we live. NOT. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">LOL</span> That's okay, though, I'm living the dream.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Basic Grey has come out with a new line for Valentine's Day and it is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">FABU</span>! I bought one of the paper packs to play with. It's muted off-pink and brown. Totally adorable and will work for males or females. That's what we used for Johanna's ornaments. I can hardly wait to have the pictures to go with it so I can dig in!! </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Friday, it looks like I'm going to be scrapping with my pals who moved to Columbus. Ed and Linda will be coming down for the day. I can hardly wait! It's only been a few weeks, but it's just not the same without them. Don't get me wrong... Lori and I never met a stranger, but there's no one else like THESE scrapping buddies.</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I can tell I'm kind of back in my groove. First, I didn't RACE to take the Christmas decorations down, like I have the last several years. I'll take everything down and put it away on Monday when the kids are back in school. Also, I was ahead of the game on Christmas shopping and now I have 3/4 of Johanna's Valentines finished. Not bad progress. I'll finish them for her on Friday and then I'll be home free for awhile. I'm starting my job hunt with extra energy next week, too, so I'm back in my groove just in time!!</span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I guess that's about it for now. No new pics or layouts, but I promise to have something to look at tomorrow. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-15112849123926315782008-12-30T06:19:00.005-05:002008-12-30T13:14:08.085-05:00Holiday Pages<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I've finally found a little <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">mojo</span> (very little) to get a couple of pages done about the holidays. One is from Christmas Eve / the fourth night of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Chanukah</span>. The other is from Christmas morning. Still more pictures to scrap, but I'm not going to even think about getting all of them on one page. Besides, if I scrap them <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">separately</span>, I'll have some for each of the girl's books.</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285542021992027362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwe96T6jKi7AXMMLL7q2Vi7rMXqu8jcBzKz8fCXpH6M3xpGkYZolUU2Xs5mA07HJTakR9Rz6kBcRiI0KMzGlSLZYF5Bo63sGdTVSnAV7RsElmSx5O4R1cdKen0swYlTmHxqZAQqItYhUf/s400/Chanukah.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285542028081730722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 396px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm80zobZ8M0jfZnOoGCEvWyh1SZI4EZlE3RM5tGEvsPuqQtjcKxcwmsDb5O5PdmrdZC068szYEkpzOP4O-lwapQPAIpgb9MxP7mu7MqCclswGCMCDxnrMPPxmu3oZA9H572RGXBwxdYRfh/s400/ChristmasJoy.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">They're really simple, but I like them.</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-25893583114396157832008-12-28T23:11:00.005-05:002008-12-28T23:23:07.074-05:00New Week = New Year<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It is incredible that New Years is just a few days away. Tim is just finishing up five days off work. It has been a very relaxing five days for him, which he deserved. I will refocus my efforts to find a job beginning next week, too. I can't say I'm excited about that, but I've enjoyed my six months at home.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Caitlin shared this picture with me today. She spent last night and all day today with friends. I'm so happy when she does that, because she always comes back with great pictures to scrap. Her friend has quite the knack for creative photo editing. Actually, I really want to learn how to do some of these effects, myself.</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5285061191285775282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 246px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiewEmq5WFifJNq7mMfKYQF-cT8m4dEiWm2j70iUJINfZt5tvNzIlACVVFmHACF1FcENn5Nz3nuDBikp5AsJpRUG2qlKm_S4sv-YHb1t2pMbwFGlXFSDruf060fHQGbcNuZV5kWMnqX7r6w/s400/Cait-GREEN-CROPPED.jpg" border="0" /> <p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I think that is so cool and can only imagine what I can do if I learn this. She said she'll teach me, but we'll see.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I hope you like the new look of the blog. I think it's a little easier on the eye and it's a little bit wider format. I'll play around with it some more to see if I can make it more interesting and interactive. I still have so much to learn.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow is cleaning day so we'll be at home. Tuesday I think I am going to take Miss J scrapping. I really want to see Bedtime Stories, the new Adam Sandler / Disney movie, so I think we'll do that on Friday.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I guess that's about it for now. It's been quiet, so not much to tell. Thanks for stopping by!</span></p><p></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-3819870604735408372008-12-26T01:50:00.005-05:002008-12-26T02:01:43.724-05:00Christmas Past<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well, another Christmas has now come and gone. It was a good one. The girls were thrilled with their presents and we had a wonderful time with friends. I have a few pictures ready from the last couple of days that I'll post tonight. Not much to tell but that we are all happy and exhausted. </span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">We celebrated the fourth night of Chanukah with Lori and Sam. We all had such a fun and relaxing evening together. A little pizza, lots of sweet treats, a few gifts and the evening, I think, was a success. I love the picture, below, of the lit menorah in front of our tree. I'm so happy that our friends celebrate the season with us!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283988681785641490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 258px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0KFpxs5LrfTWGGWrn7fk3HhjJ3bsmfsP10tVZleN6Yv8KnhJQwuR1-tTqgLNqirk17BnoO9yftGSpknJr6t37QI7gLPvx7UqNMRhT7-w_4x5xRK-ufTJGK67uWsTLLWfQ26Y3JdBODvxg/s400/1Menorah-glowy-REV.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Johanna got a new "Fur Real" friend this year. She has named her new [toy] puppy Otis, after my brother's blonde lab. It really is a cute toy! I responds to commands to lay down, give you his paw, and shake. Very cool.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283988686581125090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 322px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinVTSoJJZCe01YGsr5YCz5cVNzfmrp0t4O3_0lPmQclfPi8lr_8QmQPWyK-vCuWorW6H5w4-JrnF2ks84y5Ee7oP5plE8o6P1id7dkWNCXvrTQnOG-6OU7ftgfs0yDBBuInj-vyjk469rn/s400/1Hanna-dog.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Even the cat wanted to get in on the fun! :-)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283988688532416562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 279px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8FJNkMn4pyPBQvL5HfCvhPkPcaHOCoo8LXxsrMMHDaeSwkQfvTqV8xf3EMbq6paumTjHBGGaCjmLLRioPvqOFMiyMOArQvu0wSIkV2r-GwlxOPPe87rcE1jZ8v97gkkgwQ6QDQ9BbBzV/s400/1Cat.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday season!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-11965688460033548882008-12-22T01:40:00.002-05:002008-12-22T01:42:17.813-05:00Scrappy Give-away<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">There is an awesome scrappy give-away on the blog Life with Lou here: <a href="http://lifeaslou.blogsome.com/2008/12/20/christmas-mini-album-pages-6-7-plus-150-give-a-way/">http://lifeaslou.blogsome.com/2008/12/20/christmas-mini-album-pages-6-7-plus-150-give-a-way/</a> . If you want a chance to win $150 worth of Cosmo Cricket goodies, hurry and get in on the fun!</span>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-25845317429595423162008-12-19T07:15:00.005-05:002008-12-19T07:35:11.323-05:00Date Night<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Wow. Tim and I actually had a date night last night. We couldn't remember the last time we did that. One thing I do know is that we've had the gift card we used last night for the dinner for about 15 months, so I know it's been longer than that. We had a really nice dinner at a very posh restaurant just down the road. It was really cozy and nice. We'll definitely have to start getting out together more often.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Today, my BFF and I are going scrapping while the kids are at school. Our last day of "freedom" before Christmas break, so we're going to make the most of it. Not sure I have very inspiring pictures to work with right now, but any time with Lori is time well-spent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Last year, we went to Lori's house for Chanukkah. It was really special to be able to celebrate the fourth night with them. This year, they are coming here on Christmas Eve. We will have our Christmas Eve tradition of opening one gift each and eating some Christmas cookies, while Lori is going to bring a Menorah so we can celebrate lighting the candle for the third night of Chanukkah. I'm really excited about celebrating both holidays together. It is a great opportunity for her son and my girls to better appreciate each other's culture. I did a page about it last year (below).</span><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281477931346695106" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 396px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk2dGaKRWFihwaGizuFmei0jws0ULJmlcEafHfgOZGF3xAq09EBvlp8dWiL826X7nYCrsox2k8mxBOwM9HW8Fph1bTsQgNdruXx694FoYIPrXl8RLCg95RZOTb6xMpQ1T-iUEUB7YyX87V/s400/BlessThisChild-inserts.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Notice the candles on the separate card. That picture was taken through special 3-D glasses that make points of light look like a Jewish star. How COOL is that?! Tim took a picture of our Christmas tree through those glasses and it turned out really neat. I'm looking forward to getting a picture of the Menorah and our tree this year.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I have to run and get Johanna off to school now. Have a great day!</span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-35498479723095995762008-12-17T00:01:00.007-05:002008-12-17T00:17:06.033-05:00Happy Birthday, Hanna!!<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I'd say that Hanna's birthday today was a big success. Tim and I woke her up this morning singing Happy Birthday by the side of her bed. The "Birthday Fairy" had left 50 balloons on her bedroom floor. This is our family tradition and I think the girls look forward to it as much as the gifts and cake. Next, Johanna and I picked-up her cake and drinks for her birthday party at school. I walked her in to her classroom. The kids are always so proud when their parents come to school for any reason. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">When Tim brought Johanna home, she opened the rest of her gifts. Next, we went to dinner with our dear friends Lori and Sam, who gave her even more presents! When we got home, Hanna played with her new things until Caitlin got home, when we could finally have cake. Hanna played some more and then it was off to bed. I have to say, she was wound-up really tight! :-) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">One of the gifts Lori and Sam gave her was a felt craft to make a hat, scarf, and purse. Hanna was so excited, she made the hat already! Here's a pic of her in it...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280622206952035298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 268px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGasEKL5tveK2sTrAryrzQiCvEFpKANxCnwj2Nry_8d1nWMjo1x_OoFPMSZfgLJ29WwUQ2KpeXW4s7LBPzLByMYm95UXhH476iRPlDf0pU435xh-IMMIgR3GFB4XdUBO51MEkeIWbK9vHP/s400/Hanna+Hat.jpg" border="0" /><br /></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:100%;">Her cake this year was the head of a snowman. A picture of that is below.</span><br /><span style="font-size:0;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280621753976790738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 326px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcaU1UQCQuY6qO_n23OomQDtfUn_ZsAwsePA8PKGtVFZm24RCoB2W1kji5_ahJS4-HsqWhevfYBEb1vNZhdNGZQnm4EGbn2ykDdg4yLWGeHtPoAl_e6X3LeEg3f-hYVsRn3ukTejk6ZDjS/s400/Blow+Candle-sm.jpg" border="0" /></span><br /><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">So, as you can see, it was a full and fun day. It's hard to believe that Christmas is only a week away! Where does the time go?</span></p><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Here's hoping that most of your holiday "chores" are complete so you can enjoy a restful and fun season. Thanks for visiting!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8104136235648586329.post-36802626721890266772008-12-14T00:13:00.007-05:002008-12-17T00:26:42.218-05:00Things that I love...<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I am sitting here working on a mini book that will be a stocking stuffer for Miss C. It's late and it's quiet, so I'm just sitting here working and thinking. I was listening to Johanna breathing and thinking that it is one of my favorite times of day and definitely something that I love. She's a sound sleeper, but she will occasionally talk in her sleep. She does snore when she has a cold or her allergies are acting up. She makes cute noises sometimes when she's dreaming. Just a few of the things I notice when I'm sitting here in the middle of the night.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I love watching football on Sundays with my husband. Even if our team isn't doing so well (which is most of the time), I just love that we have a little block of time we set aside to sit and watch football together. The days and the weeks get so hectic, I really cherish those moments. We'll put out some salsa and chips and relax. The kids are in and out, but mostly it's just us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I loved watching my baby play out in the first snow of the season. There was only about 3/4", but she was playing like it was a foot of snow! LOL There wasn't enough snow, of course, for the traditional [1/2] igloo, so she made a snow nest for the birds and put cracker crumbs in it. So cute! Here's my "little blue angel."</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280625327861533314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 272px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcedFwctuFo8-fG180pFyv9vnBZ-_Q_2OPyWcFdIxIVjSOOzsXfPLBho0lZc4InnQsZEdMIREUB3VOCttJQrcxugKN48nmic8conZEMmQxWmn50N71-FDAY4XrQJyRoqfXd9Xkt5Q7J09/s400/Blue+Angel1.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">I'm going to do a post like this at least once a month. I think it's good to stop and think about the things we love most in our life. Often, for me anyway, it is the very simplest of things.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">New subject... two of our dearest scrapping buddies are moving to Columbus today. We have scrapped with them almost every weekend since early spring this year. They are going to be closer to family and we certainly understand that, but boy are we going to miss them!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">At the scrapbook store yesterday we didn't spend a lot of time scrapping. Instead we did some crafty things. The main project involved some candles, a lot of glitter, a Cricut, and a heat gun. What a glittery mess I was when we finished! I am so happy with the end result, though. Below is a picture of two of the candles I made, which now reside proudly on my mantle.</span><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279513935666609490" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 299px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgecip8v-uQIW2SRfqzi7FM67y1vCfL4VWQsE46OoUjO-oSROr7xEXfg3u9PaRD5zyW7stjEgPyIDUJWvLcM902iItSbzBn5lBqawQXjRe2KkAd2JR6vz5vLKTlNtScJcKba8mNxWgMvmDa/s400/Candles-close.jpg" border="0" /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Not something I'll be doing frequently, but when I want to create a really special look or personalized gift, this is a very cost-effective and fun way to go. BTW, I got this idea from Erin's blog on the Creating Keepsakes Web site. She provide a great tutorial on how to do this here: <a href="http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/content/view/18191/60/">http://www.creatingkeepsakes.com/content/view/18191/60/</a> .</span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;">Thanks for stopping by!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span></p>Karenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09365755912407583768noreply@blogger.com1