TOMORROW!

tomorrow the big event starts at www.scrapbookplayground.com! Come check it out! Lots of pre event stuff going on now, so get over there and start earning some points!!!!!

See you around the message board!

finally!

things are really moving around here! not only are we busy with normal every day life, but now we're working on the house! It's only taken 3 1/2 years to get going on this wall! lol It should be done by next week and I'm SO excited!

Braden is getting bigger every day :( He's growing up too fast for this mommy! He'll be 9 months next week and he's already off of baby food, eats anything we eat (yes, he eats steak...gotta work those 3 bottom teeth!), and he only nurses at night...once before bed then once again around 5:30 am...he IS sleeping through the night, well 6 hours at a time! yay!

Hailee is enjoying school and having fun with her friend Emilea Walker...funny, you take her to someone's house and they instantly become the best of friends. That's good though since Christie and I spend so much time together (love ya girl!).

Here are new pictures...

Get your scrap supplies ready!!!!

Scrapbook Playground has big plans for February! Starting February 1st you'll have the chance to earn points to win a prize!!! Log on at www.scrapbookplayground.com for a chance to earn "early sign up bonus points"! We look forward to seeing you there!!!!


RULES:

1. Each challenge is due two days after it is posted to recieve points (for example if a challenge is posted on Monday it is due on WEDNESDAY at midnight and a link to the layout must be included in the challenge thread)

2. You will not know how many points you will recieve for each challenge until you check your point tallies end of the week. I have randomly rolled two dice and each’s days challenge is worth a different amount of points. All tallies will be updated on Sundays. If you see something wrong with your tallies please let me know. I may have missed something.

3. Each challenge thread will have it’s own rules etc… based on the challenge. There will be a due date reminder in each thread as well.

4. To earn points all layouts should be NEW layouts. Created based on inspiration recieved from the challenges.

5. Now JUST for fun there will be a little POINT FAIRY (aka BonusPoints) adding points just because! Keep an eye out for her as she will pop in at any time throughout the month awarding points and perhaps even posting games and challenges too. THESE are BONUS points!!!

6. There will be plenty of chances for ALL OF YOU to earn points!!! So have fun, enjoy, and we can't wait to see all of your layouts!!!

7. If you have questions about any of the challenges, games, etc... please ask them in the question forum.

And unless otherwise stated these challenges are for LAYOUTS (not cards, etc....) Some challenges are ok with cards instead of layouts but overall shoot for layouts!!)


MONTHLY OUTLINE:

February 1-28th : A new challenge posted everyday and you will find FUN games that will earn you points being added randomly to the game section.

February 23-25th : ONLINE CROP with points being added to your monthly total

FEBRUARY 24th: A day in the life of ME layouts DUE (contest)

March 5th: Winners Officially announced

Poor little guy..

Braden's cough never went away, so I took him to his pediatrician on Tuesday as a follow up from the ER visit on Christmas Eve. Turns out, the little (okay so he's now 20 lbs and not so little) guy has an ear infection in his left ear! Can't he get a break? He's such a happy, laid back kid and doesn't deserve to get all these little bugs that keep coming his way! He's finished his antibiotic and is still taking the stuff for thinning the mucus (I hope it works!) and will hopefully be rid of this crap for good!

Hailee was 1 of 7 in class today. We're having an ice storm and I guess the other 13 people couldn't make it to class! She said it was fun and they all got to sit at the SAME table for snack! lol, gotta be grateful for the little things!

I'm SO needing to do some scrapping! I have TONS of pictures and no creative mojo! I hate when that happens! All I've been thinking about are layouts and what I'm going to do with the pictures we have. Now I'm home, have all my stuff, and sit down to scrap and NOTHING. blah. I hope this is over soon. Tomorrow I plan on cleaning my desk and am praying that gives me some oomph to get going!

Here are a few more pictures from our trip. I have almost 600 of them, but can only share a few!


I love this picture! It was taken driving over Snoqualmie Pass in Washington. We didn't even stop the car, it's taken through the windshield going 70mph!

The birthday girls! Hailee turned 5 on January 2nd (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!) and my sister turned 28 on the 3rd. So while we were in Eastern Washington we had a party for them! Hailee had her 5 candles and Kelly had her "28". Yes, those are tears on Hailee's face..she was running to the table and got behind Darren. He didn't see her and stepped on her toe :(

I love this picture! Darren and the kids and I drove home from Seattle in a 2 door '94 Honda accord that we bought (got a GREAT deal!). We made sure to include Arizona on our trip sicne we knew it would be at least a year before we can get back there. This is my wonderful grandpa and his new bride, Wendy. This was the first time we met her! She is such a sweetheart and makes my grandpa smile daily! They were so much fun! The kids just loved spending time with them. We also were able to see my Auntie Pam and Uncle Ray! Such a nice time, but not long enough. :( Only had a day and a half. But Darren and I have decided to make it a priority to get back there during Hailee's spring break next year!

A few pictures from our trip...

this is Hailee and Braden at Darren's mom's house. Darren and I are just amazed at how close these 2 are!
Here is Braden with his puppy from Santa. He didn't get the whole Christmas thing but loved all the paper and tissue that came with the presents! Here is Hailee with my mom's 3 month old Yorkie, Tizzy. Hailee fell in love with her! My mom will breed Tizzy when she's older and Hailee gets first pick of the litter!

More pictures to come later!

Hi from Washington!

Hello! We're having a great time here in the Pacific Northwest. Now this trip hasn't been perfect by any means, what Christmas holiday is? only 1 black eye, 1 trip to the ER....the normal drama! Here are a few pictures to give you a peek at our fun filled vacation!

Happy New Year!

this is all of us in front of my father-in-law's Christmas tree.

this is Hailee in front of one of those silly mirrors at the mall. We were waiting to see Santa. We did a HUGE family photo (me, Darren, both kids, my 2 brothers, my sister and her husband!)

this is me and Braden at the ER on Christmas Eve morning. He had a horrible cough that was diagnosed as an Upper Respitory Infection. Poor little guy. He impressed all the nurses because he was so happy while being sick.

We're at my mother-in-laws now but don't have any pictures on the computer yet. Guess that means I'll update you again later!

tomorrow is almost here!

Well we leave bright and early tomorrow for our Seattle adventure. And what an adventure it will be....3 of the 5 houses we're visiting are without power due to a major storm. Should be interesting! lol

so this is my sign off for a few weeks....today I have like a gazillion things to do to get ready and am hoping to squeeze in a few hours sleep tonight before my alarm goes off at 2:45 tomorrow morning!

Have a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!!!!

5 more sleeps!

yep! only 5 more! Sunday morning I get to wake up at 3am and get ready to go to Seattle! 3am....wow....and to think I'm actually looking forward to that day! lol I'm still a little stressed but it's getting better. I'm getting things done and I should be fine by Sunday. Today I'm taking Sammy to the vet for his rabies shot, then off to get Braden's cream for eczema. The rest of the week will be spent doing laundry and trying to pack without leaving the kids naked the rest of this week! lol Saturday I'll be at the hair salon and then doing some other errands which will hopefully make the day go by quickly. I'm at the point now where I'm so excited I just want Sunday to get here...but am not ready yet! Darren has to work all week, has a meeting tonight, plus has to get his December invoicing done all before Saturday night. wow, he sounds busier than me....but it will all work out and we can get on that plane and start the most fun, unrestful vacation we've had in a long time!

What a deal...

so we got this great deal on the Canon a540. Look what it can do! My scrap pages are going to look so much better with these perfectly clear pictures!

We finally got the picture taken

Well we may not have been able to keep Braden's hand out of his mouth, but at least behind the hand is a smile! He did so good! While I was paying Darren tried to take Braden off Santa's lap and he wouldn't let him. Santa just sat there with both kids in his lap and talked to Hailee and Darren. What a great guy he is! This is the same Santa as last year and we were so glad. He's very patient, knows the right things to say to the kids, and really seems to enjoy his time with them.

Merry Christmas!

A mommy's letter to Santa

Judy posted this at www.scrapbookeronline.com and I just had to share. I can relate!

Dear Santa, I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes: I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season.

Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.

Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always, MOM...!

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

Trying to get it all together!

for Seattle that is! I finished and wrapped all of the crafts that I made for gifts. All 16 of Hailee's crafts are done and wrapped, too. Now I just need to tape the first box going to my mom's and take it to the post office Monday. Hopefully the 2nd box will get out the same day! but you know how those things go :) I'm feeling less stressed now. Except, on my gifts there's magnets. we have now discovered (of course after wrapping them all!) that the magnets try to peel off in the cold. SOOOOO....we'll have to take some strong adhesive with us and fix them as people open them. How tacky is THAT??? ah well, what can you do?

The snow is still on the ground. Our yard got about 7" and Tulsa got about 10". That's a lot for us. And it's still so cold that it hasn't melted yet! yay! Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

I hate stress!

I don't deal with stress well at all! We leave for Seattle on the 17th and I'm freaking out! The gifts I've made for our family turned out wonderful! We are so pleased and think everyone will like it...now to get them packaged...ha! what a joke! We are having to ship some stuff ahead since we're driving home from Seattle and the boxes I picked up for these gifts are a lot bigger than I thought. So they require more room that our box to be shipped doesn't have...which means another box...which means more money. And now I just want to get them wrapped but I have NO tissue paper in this house! AGH! tis the season for migraines!

Hailee's craft turned out so cute. I'm so proud of her. I made 12 of my things and she did 16! What a trooper...there were days I didn't think she'd ever get done but she did. Now it's up to me and Darren to get them finalized so she can put them in a bag and into the box.

I feel like there's so much to do and not enough time to do it. We want to have everything shipped ahead by early next week to allow for delays. All this stuff has to get there before us, especially the playpen or Braden won't have a place to sleep! So that is making me feel like I need to hurry and Darren just keeps saying "oh there's PLENTY of time". Who's he kidding?

{{{{{{{{{{change of topic...lighten things up}}}}}}}}}}}

Braden's shot's are taking over. Poor guy. He's trying so hard to be his normal, happy self but this fever and the welts in his legs are sure making it difficult. He's really doing pretty good considering all that is bothering him right now.

Hailee woke up on the wrong side of the bed! what a day! but she's asleep and tomorrow is a new day.

By Thursday we should have 3" of snow! YAY!!! "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas" I know snow removal is not fun for Darren but I love winter and snow and cold and I'm looking forward to it! Plus I don't drive in it so I'll get a break from the school run! ha!

well, my carpal tunnel is taking over so I'm gonna go finish up some gift card holders and then head to bed!

Merry Christmas :)

RESTED!!!

last night we had a breakthrough. Braden has had lots of trouble sleeping. At 2 months he'd sleep 3 or 4 hours at a time, then it slowly got worse. Tired of waking up to hear him yell every hour and a half finally got me mad. We put the play pen in the office last night to see what would happen. WOW! I put him down at 8pm and he woke at midnight to eat. For some reason he woke at 1:30am. I checked on him, burped him, and put him back to bed. Normally he'd lay in his crib and yell, not cry, yell. not last night. he went back to sleep until 4am when he woke to eat. I then put him back after feeding him and we heard him talk at 7:30, but he went back to sleep until 9am!!!!!! We think there's 2 reasons this worked so well. 1) he's not in our room, hearing us cough, toss & turn, whatever. 2) the office is warmer and he's not next to a window. He's opposite of Hailee, he likes to be warm when he sleeps so this was good for him. We're going to keep letting him sleep in the office until that stops working. Hopefully we'll get some projects done around the house this winter and will be able to do our conversion/remodel fall next year. Crossing our fingers on that.

and of course here's a picture! He's eating a graham cracker!

New pictures!

I'm sure it's because I'm their MOM, but man alive do I have gorgeous kids or what!?! Darren has been reading and researching how to take better photos so it's challenging me as well. One tip is to "get in there". Really get close to your subject to avoid "noise" in the background. Well, THAT WORKED!!! I just love these pictures. I really want to scrap them, but am intimidated. Funny huh?

let's catch up...

okay, let's see...Hailee is enjoying Fall. Her and her friend, Allison, love playing in the leaves in our front yard. They put them in a pile in the driveway and I had to convince them to move the pile to the grass so they wouldn't get hurt. Thankfully they listened.

Braden can just about sit up. Finally! The good thing, or scary thing, is that his legs have become pretty strong and he can stand so as soon as he gets the strength in his back he'll be able to stand on his own. Then he's mobile. WATCH OUT! BIG BOY COMING THROUGH!!! lol We're actually ready for him to be mobile, it will hopefully mean he'll need to be held less. hopefully.

I've been busy trying to get my Christmas gifts finished. I only have 3 left. I can do it. I am pretty sure. Now I have to help Hailee with her gifts/project. We'll get her started after school today. Let's hope I don't stress out watching a 4 year old with paint! lol

Here I am worrying about Christmas and Thanksgiving is next week! AAAAHHH!! I don't even have my menu planned yet! It's just us for TG and I'm glad. We'll be so busy when we're in Seattle for Christmas that I think the quiet turkey day will be wonderful! Watch movies and eat...yep, sounds like a great day!

Happy Holidays everyone!

The playground is looking for a few digi scrappers to join in the fun!

Are you a digital scrapper? Do you love challenges? Do you dare enter the Digital Conquest? Do you have what it takes to be the best? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Scrapbook Playground is the place for you. I am constantly amazed at some of the digital layouts posted in our idea gallery. Because of the rising numbers of digital scrappers, I thought it was only fair that we offer another "Showdown at the Playground" contest, but aimed at digital scrappers !

The Digital Conquest is a contest for all digital scrappers up for a good challenge! Here is how it will work. Entries will be accepted through December 31st. From these entries, the judges will choose 15- 20 digital designers to enter the competition. The competition will officially begin on January 7th with the first challenge. Each week for seven weeks, a new challenge will be issued and each week the contestants will be narrowed down until there are only 3 left. These three will compete for the title of Digital Champion and the winner will be invited to defend the title in next year's Digital Conquest as well as take home a nice prize package from our sponsors.

Judging will be done by the Scrapbook Playground design team only. In addition, each week, we will ask the public to vote for their favorite creation and one participant will be awarded the "Public Choice" award.

You are invited to be a part of this exciting contest! To enter your creation, please upload one completely digital layout to the Digital Conquest gallery by December 31st. Those being selected to participate will be contacted no later than January 4th.

www.scrapbookplayground.com

Needing a new member!!!!

Ready-Set-Create online magazine is looking for a new Creative Team Member. If you are interested in an application, please email Jen@readysetcreate.com.

What a day!

Yesterday I got to spend a day in preK. What a long 2 1/2 hours THAT was! lol I have great respect for Mrs. Snow. I took some pictures in class but don't know what the parents would say about me posting them so here are a couple of Hailee in her classroom. It was a fun day really. Wow, do they sing a lot. I didn't realize that you could sing just about anything to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell" lol. But, that's probably why Hailee knows her months and is getting better about days of the week. Now if I could just have Mrs. Snow sing a song about not coloring on anything but paper and not cutting hair we'd be good to go! (yes, Hailee cut her hair yesterday..this is the 2nd time!!!)

And now here is a new picture of Braden. He has 2 teeth now. Boy are they hard to photograph. Why does the camera add 10 pounds but only show part of the teeth??? lol

Happy 10th My Love!

Today, Darren and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary. Wow, I can still feel the butterflies in my stomach from our wedding day. I love him more now than I did then, and I didn't think that was possible. We have 2 beautiful children, a home, and a wonderful life together. I have so enjoyed the ups and downs of the first 10 years and am looking forward to the next!

Darren, I love you, more and more everyday.