Family Reunion

Over the weekend we went to a family reunion. This is the first time in probably over 20 years that Mike, his brother, and sister were together. I got a great picture of the 3 of them. Then we were able to get some good pictures of all our families. It was fun seeing everyone, just not long enough.

I ended up with a sunburn on my back that is killing me! But boy did Heather have fun lecturing me about wearing sunscreen. I think she has been waiting years to be able to do this! LOL I am always telling her to make sure and wear sunscreen.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend.





I have over 200 pictures from the weekend. So I have plenty to scrapbook! LOL

Sewing and Clouds

I had forgotten how much I love to sew! I made a pair of pillows for my neighbors yesterday and I had a great time. Just a simple project, but it brought back my love of sewing. Now I want to make some more stuff! LOL

Below is a picture of the pillows I made for them. The have just bought a 5th wheel trailer, so I made them as a "trailer warming gift". Joyce is the queen of flamingoes, so when I saw this fabric I couldn't resist it. One side of the pillow is the flamingoes and the other side is striped. I think they turned out really cute.

The clouds were really pretty yesterday. Below is one of the better pictures I was able to get of them.

Finally Done!!!

We started restoring our 1967 Mustang last year. It is finally done! Today, June 3 is the 40th anniversary of the day it originally sold. We restored it back to the original color, Candy Apple Red. Our first car show and cruise with it will be Father's Day weekend.

Hawaii in January!

I just finished booking our trip to Maui in January 2008. I am so excited, neither one of us has ever been to Hawaii. This will be in celebration of our 25th Anniversary. We will be spending 7 nights at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel. Below is an arial view of the hotel. Here is a link to it if you want to see more.

Now that I have the trip all arranged, I need to work on my weight. My goal is to be able to wear a bikini and not be embarrassed! LOL So I have a little bit of work.

Cyber Crop

March 23 and 24th at Creating Pages.

Join us for a fun time, it runs from 6 - 10 p.m CST. It's always a fun time, I really enjoy all the fun and games, and I may even get some layouts done.

So come on over and join us. If you are new or haven't been in awhile mention that I sent ya!

Rascal Flatts

On Wednesday, I found out I had won tickets to see Rascal Flatts in concert at the Rose Garden in Portland, OR. It is about 4 1/2 hours from here. So I quickly made plans to travel there. My husband was gracious and told me to take Heather, so it became a mother/daughter weekend. Boy am I exhausted we left at 11:20 a.m. on Friday and got home at 8:oo p.m. Saturday.

The concert was excellent. The opening act was Jason Aldean and he did a great job, but Rascal Flatts was incredible. We had a blast. We could hardly hear a thing afterwards. LOL

We then got up on Saturday and started shopping, I didn't know there were so many malls between Portland and home!!!! I am totally exhausted today. But the weekend was fun. The only bad note was someone barely hit my mirror on my car and scratched it and put a chip in it, oh well could have been worse, they could have hit the whole side. This happened while we were driving, not parked. That was a little bit scary!

"Springboard to Summer"

I'm participating in Creating Pages "Springboard to Summer" Contest. It is a fun 8 week contest, each week we get a new challenge.


Below are my first 3 week's layouts. I have been having a great time scrapping some of Heather's Senior pictures. We were able to buy a CD (with copyright release) with all of them from the photographer (Beyond Images in Medford, OR). Week 1 and 3 are from there, Week 2 is one of my pictures that I took at Lithia Park in Ashland OR.

Week 3

The challenge was to use a Transparency.

Week 2
The challenge was to use paint.

Week 1

The challenge was to use 3 different shapes, that weren't square or rectangular.

11 Random Things About Me!

Creasa posted a blog challenge at CMK. The challenge was to list 11 random things about ourselves. So here is my list:

1. I am a neat freak at work, but not at home.

2. I love daffodils.

3. I never drank coffee until I was in my 40's, now I have to have a Mocha everday! LOL

4. I can't draw, but I want to learn how to do watercolors.

5. I have to buy Tall jeans, preferably with at least a 36" inseam.

6. I just recently bought my first ever brand new car.

7. I belong to a classic ford car club with my husband.

8. I love to camp, hike, and be outdoors in the summer.

9. I am an impatient person, just ask my daughter and husband.

10. I have never had a manicure or a pedicure.

11. I work for a plumbing company as their bookkeeper.

Well, those are certainly random!!!

Have a great day!!!

My Wish

This is one of Heather's Senior Pictures.

The journaling is mostly lyrics from the song "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts.

The bottom of the journaling is just a little note from me to her. It says: Heather, the first time I heard this song I cried. It says perfectly My Wish for your future! Love Mom

Here are the lyrics:

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

Life Happens

The journaling reads:

Heather and Sara:
When did you turn into beautiful young women? What happened to pigtails and Barbies? I guess Life Happens!

This is another photo from the photo shoot at Lithia Park.

Another Quote Layout!

I thought this quote was perfect with this picture of my daughter. It really fits the picture and her life right now.

"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment."-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not sure I'm thrilled with what I did with the edges of the patterned paper. I thought it was too plain, now I think it is too busy! LOL Oh well, to late now.

Quote Layout

This layout was a quotation challenge at Scrap 101. The quote is one of my all time favorites.

"I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." Laura Ingalls Wilder

New Layout and a few fun projects

I did this layout last night for the Friday Night Challenge at Scrap 101. I really like how it turned out.

These are only a few of the many pictures I took that day. Heather and her friend Sara had a blast doing a photo shoot. I finally just started letting Heather decide where to pose, she has a great eye for it. She really had fun, once I let her have some say in it. We were taking them for her Senior announcements next spring.

The 3 projects below are from the Croptoberfest at Create My Keepsake. They were originally Halloween projects, but I altered them to suit my needs.

Loved how this banner turned out!

The only plain bag I had was blue, so I had to design something around it.

This treat cone was the hardest project.
I didn't have a compass so the arc to create it was a little bit of a challenge.

My life is upside down right now!

Lets see since I last blogged I have totally turned my work life upside down.

About 4 weeks ago I accepted a full time job and gave my 2 weeks notice to my 2 part time jobs.

I started my new job on October 9, by the end of the week I realized that I had made a huge mistake and hated my new job. I realized that the job was not really what I had been lead to believe. It was a data entry job, not really an office management postition. So rather than waste my time or theirs I decided to give my 2 weeks notice on Monday, October 16th. On Tuesday morning they let me know that it was my last day. So as of Wenesday I am unemployed.

Right now I am looking for another job. I have applied for a couple already. Hopefully, I will find a good bookkeeping position soon.

I have not been unemployed (except for the year I went to college) in 23 years, so this is really strange to me. Luckily Mike is so supportive. He has repeatedly told me to not worry, we are not starving, and we have our house paid for, so we don't have that worry. I still worry though, I know if I don't work for a few weeks, no big deal. But I don't want us to have to dip into our savings too much.

A few layouts from today

This is from our vacation in August. These are some of the animals at the Oregon Zoo.


Pictures of Heather tubing last month at Lemolo Lake, OR. I used the picture that I just love of her on this layout. I may still do another layout with it only to highlight it even more, haven't decided.

Camping Fun!

We went camping with friends a couple of weekends ago. This is my favorite picture of the trip. It is not often that we get a "real" smile out of Heather. She looks like she is so happy and having a great time. Can't wait to scrap this picture.

Here is a layout I did for the Friday Night Challenge at Scrap 101. Heather and her friend enjoying the campfire and waiting for smore's. LOL

You've Been Tagged

Got this from Shirley's blog.

If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? By a beautiful lake.
What's your favorite article of clothing? Jeans
Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? Eyes
What's the last CD that you bought? Carrie Underwood
Where's your favorite place to be? Somewhere outdoors.
Where's your least favorite place to be? Doctors office.
What's your favorite place to be massaged? Neck
Strong in mind or strong in body? Strong in mind
What time do you wake in the morning? 7:00 a.m.
What's your favorite kitchen appliance? Microwave.
What makes you really angry? People who act like they are better than anyone else.
If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Piano
Favorite color? Aquamarine
Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV? Sports car
Do you believe in afterlife? Yes
Favorite children's book? Ferdinand the Bull - My sister Shirley, read this to us, I always loved the story!
What is your favorite season? Spring
What's your least favorite household chore? Cleaning the bathrooms.
If you could have one super power, what would it be? Being able to speed through chores.
If you have a tattoo, what is it? None for me.
Can you juggle? No
The one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to? My grandmother.
What's your favorite day? Friday.
What's in the trunk of your car? An empty box for stuff I buy and don't want to roll around, a straw hat, and a window shade for the front window of my car.
Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Hamburger.

NOW, if you're reading this, consider yourself TAGGED.Copy & paste the questions into your blog :)

*blog challenge*

get to know this scrapper...

1. Do you use older product that has been out on the market or do you strictly use new/hot merchandise? I use lots of older stuff, I like all the new stuff, but old stuff mixed with new is fun.

2. When you finish a layout do you put them in albums right away or do they lay on your desk/shelf for months? I have about 40 layouts laying around right now, I think the last time I put some away was in February!

3. Are there several adhesives used on each layout or do you usually stick to one? I use a mix of photo tabs and tape runners on most of my layouts.

4. How often do you get to share your creative pages with people other than immediate family? Not often in person, I share most of my stuff online though.

5. How many people have you made into scrappers? Hmm, tried with a few, but don't think they are still scrapping.

Thanks Amy for the challenge!

Creating Pages Weeks 4, 5, and 6

I've been super busy the last few weeks, so I hadn't had a chance to post links to my layouts for the 8 week series contest at Creating Pages. So here you go:
Week 4 - Use an arrow on your layout. http://www.creating-pages.biz/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3274&cat=634
Week 5 - Use a quote that was given to us. http://www.creating-pages.biz/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3298&cat=635
Week 6 - Use American Crafts product. http://www.creating-pages.biz/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=3336&cat=636

Two more weeks and the contest is over. I have been having fun, and have done a few things out of my comfort zone. Can't wait to see what next week's challenge will be.

I have been asked quite a few times what camera do I use. So I thought I would do a quick post about it.
I use a Canon PowerShot G6 digital camera. It is a7.1 Mega Pixels camera. I take all my photos on the highest resolution I can. My only complaint with it, is that sometimes it doesn't focus on what I want it to.

So my next camera is going to be the Canon Digital Rebel. Not sure when that will be, but I have a camera fund started with about $100 in it right now. I just keep adding my change and extra dollars to it when I can. Now if I would just stop going to the scrapbook store and use what I have, I would probably be able to buy it by Christmas. LOL

A great site to check out Camera reviews is http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html . Every digital camera our family has bought, we have bought based on the reviews here.

We currently own 3 Canon cameras; my G6, my husband has the S50, and my daughter has the A520. The all take wonderful photos.