I've been enjoying having time to "play" lately and one of things I've been doing is taking some classes at SIStv. The latest one I completed was taught by fellow Fashionista Jo-Anne te Raa and I made the above project. I am just LOVING how these amazingly talented ladies are stretching me and challenging me. Truly.

NEXT, I have signed up for the class you'll see a blinkie for on the left - taught by Wilna Furstenberg, not only a fellow Fashionista, but also my own "Big SISter Fashionista". Awwww. I love her so. We share a strong faith in God and she is just super inspiring and talented and sweet! Her class is open to anyone reading this blog, of course, and begins next Monday for 10 (work) days. I can't wait! You can also link to her blog at the left in my list of Fashionista blogs.

In other news, I ended up taking Chris to the ER last night. He had been having some trouble swallowing and his lips and mouth were feeling tingly and numb. He came down around 1:30 a.m. (yes, I was still up!) and couldn't sleep but wasn't ready to take a ride yet. He took some benedryl and felt a little better. But by the time I made it to bed and got only a little sleep he woke me up and felt he should go to the ER - also on the recommendation of the tele-nurse we must call. There were quite a few causes as we explored the subject online and it just wasn't something we wanted to mess around with. Plus, he was feeling worse again and had even thrown up.

As it turns out, our suspicions were correct - he was having an allergic reaction. To what, we aren't exactly sure, but have some ideas (food - like melon and tomatoes that may be triggering a pollen allergy). Anyway, of course, the dr. is trained to treat your symptoms, not figure out what causes them!

So, he was given an injection of Pepcid (did you know it contains an antihistimine? Probably explains why I DON'T get allergy symptons anymore - because I take Pepcid AC almost daily!) in the shoulder and two injections in his backside - one a steriod and the other benedryl. After he showed signs of improvement, they sent him home. We laid our heads back down on our pillows at 5:30 a.m. - just as a thunderstorm was passing through. He DID actually get up at 8 a.m. and go to work. I, however, did not. Well, okay - I don't have a job. But, yeah, I slept til 9 a.m. and then the old brain started going and I just got up.

He's feeling much better tonight. And giving up the voluminous amount of watermelon he's been eating. AND, I guess it's a good thing our neighbor's tomatoes are done because we've been eating large quantities of those, too. In fact, Chris made a DEElicious tomato/watermelon salad on Sunday. I guess it's no wonder that he had the reaction he did if those foods are, indeed, the cause. And, to top it off, he had tomato soup for part of his supper last night.

All is well now and he has some drugs for the next two mornings, so, hopefully it will all calm down and life will return to normal, as well as our sleep patterns...

So - goodnight! :)

There they are. The newest Barlow family. Emily is officially Mrs. Barlow. Dustin is officially a step-dad (even though Eva calls him "daddy") and we are officially "step" grandparents. But, since there has never been a bio-dad or a second set of grandparents in Eva's life, Dustin IS her daddy (and has been) and we are just whole-heartedly filling the grandparent role (and have been) and we're tossing the "step" and just embracing the fact that we ARE her other grandparents. My heart is very very full....

The wedding ceremony was unspeakably beautiful. Everything that was said was well thought out and full of meaning. And so much was said. So much to think about and chew on and be challenged by and be inspired by. There wasn't a dry eye in the adorable little chapel they were married in.

So now all the festivities are over and life returns to normal. Well, normal as we know it. It is Labor Day, so we (Chris, Matthew, Martha and I) are planning to go to Rickett's Glen and just laze around all day. We're taking leftover food from our big shebang on Friday night. And we're taking the canoe and kayaks. And beach stuff. And books and blankies and pillows. We're just going to lay around or play around all day. I think there will be LOTS of laying around since I had a little nightmare last night and woke EVERYone in the house in an effort to wake mySELF up... Dustin and Emily and Eva may join us and a few other people. We'll see. At any rate, it's a gorgeous day and we aim to NOT labor in it.

Remember that two week "lull" in my crazy life I just had? Otherwise known as "the calm before the storm"? Not that a wedding is a storm, but, you know what I mean if you've ever married off a child! Bride OR Groom! ANYway, in that lull, I managed to squeeze in a Design School class offered by SIStv and taught by the amazingly talented fellow Fashionista, Lucy Folch. She makes the most amazing, wonderful, colorful, dimension layouts - and she does amazing things with paper and paint. So I was thrilled to be able to sign up for her class. And she walked us through the processes involved to make a layout, the end result of which you see above. I just love it! And now I see that there is a whole new dimension to paper if you wet it! SO fun. That layout is way, way out of my "norm" - and I LOVE that I could do it because I love that kind of work. I'm not that good at making stuff up on my own, but I'm a pretty good student!

Speaking of weddings, (were we?) today Chris and I are hosting all of Deborah and Gary's family (about 30) that are in from out of state for the wedding. We're having a catered dinner - HOPEfully out on our lovely deck. The weather is a concern today, but we always had a "Plan B" in mind just in case. And, of course, that plan is to have it INside (and on the front porch porch). And, with that little trouble-maker Hurricane Fay, the remnants of whom we are feeling today, it does look like we MAY have to be inside. But it will be fun anyway. And we'll survive!

And TOMORROW is the wedding day! Things are going well, I think. It's just a lot of work - especially for Dustin and Emily. And Deborah - who took on the task of doing all the flowers and decorating of the venue (chapel and tent) AND the cooking of a "Southern Picnic". Of course, she had to. It's just in her to do this and to want to do this. And I respect her. But I also think she's crazy. And, after tomorrow, she may just agree with me. But, all in all, I'm sure she (and I) will be glad she did it.

If you know me at all, then you know that I've pretty much burned myself out in the realm of cooking. Yeah, I've been there, done that. When the boys where little, we did the whole natural food thing (most of which I still enjoy) and I made EVERYthing (including yogurt, bread, mayo, etc.) from scratch. When the boys got older and discovered what tofu and tempeh and such was, that was the end of that. But I kept homecooking most everything anyway and, eventually, for me, that kinda got old. Chris started cooking a little bit and then when I went back to work, he started cooking a lot. Since I'm retired now, the cooking is pretty much a shared thing. We both enjoy eating out, but it's just not that affordable OR good for you. So we have tried cutting down on that, too.

I wouldn't be sad if I never had to cook another morsel in my entire life. I'm just sayin'. And now that Matthew and Martha are living here - they are doing a LOT of the cooking and I'm just as happy as I can be about it. (I do try to do the cleanups, though, to appease my lingering guilt.) All of this is a long explanation as to why you would never catch me in a gazillion years volunteering to cook an entire wedding meal for my daughter's (if I had one) wedding reception. For 100 people. Um, nope. Not me.

I'm not even cooking a meal for the dinner we're hosting tonight. We figured it out and figured having it catered wouldn't cost much more than doing it ourselves, so why not pay someone else to do it and slap it on the counter? Plus, the kitchen will be relatively clean for the party and we won't have to add that to our long list of to-do's today. (We're REALLY happy about that last part!) So, today, we are basically doing a good cleaning of the house and surroundings and setting up tables and chairs and making 'em pretty. And that's enough! (I made that sound a LOT easier that what it will really be!) And that's why, I suspect, that my mind started going at about 5:15 a.m. and I gave in and got up! A few quiet, coffee drinking hours before all heck breaks loose is good.

Very good. Happy Friday! The next post will be from a mother who has married off both children... :)

My latest digital creations (as in TODAY): For credits, you can visit my gallery at SIStv and click on the individual images. You can click on the images below for a larger version as well...


Just a quickie post after another whirlwind couple of days - kinda. Well, I've been "tied up", but not "busy". No, wait. That just doesn't sound good. I've had something going on for two days - but it's been stuff that's involved a lot of sitting around. Okay, I'll explain.

We watched Eva all day yesterday. Not only do I find it difficult to try to "work" (which for me involves either housework, or church stuff, or banking, or scrapping - on or off the computer - or website time) while Eva is around, but I don't really want to do anything but spend time with her when she's here. So that's what I did. I took lots of photos of her doing whatever she was doing all day.

And, as soon as her mom came for Eva, we grown-ups all took off for a night of fun at a great local amusement park, Knobel's Grove. For me, this involves a lot of eating and a lot of people watching and hardly any ride riding. Rides make me sick. Literally. I can do stuff like the merry-go-round or the ferris wheel. But that's it pretty much. So, I'm like the mommy watching her little children ride and laugh and go again and again and again. And I'm fine with that. And last night it was probably the most crowded I've EVER seen it. Which made for GREAT people-watching. Hoo boy.

Today, we've all been feeling a little, shall we say, SLUGgish... Yeah, a truckload of junk food will do it to ya every time. Unfortunately, all the walking around doesn't seem to counteract the overingestion of the crapfood. Ew.

So, I siezed THIS day to get some digi scrapping done and to get caught up on the website. And just got done with that. That's pretty much all I've done all day except for taking the dog up with me to get the mail. And I almost missed that, too, because I waited so long that Chris was coming home just as I was approaching the mailbox. But he left it in there, at my request, so I didn't feel that my walk was without purpose...

So, now, dinner time is fast-approaching. It's a quick-food extravaganza: Frozen chicken cordon-bleu, canned green beans and an instant rice mix.

Hey! I'm hungry!

Happy Wednesday! And a happy Wednesday it will be! The kids (M&M) return from MA this evening and we - and when I say we, I especially mean Taco - are anxiously awaiting their return... It's just been too quiet around here and, besides, I getting tired of eating the same old, same old... I need a chef, er, the kids here for some culinary inspo! Besides, Chris just had all his teeth yanked out and it's no fun cooking for two...

I'm SO enjoying a fairly relaxing week this week. Ahhhhhh. I did have my annual dr.'s appointment. I have a battery of lovely tests lined up - mammogram, bone density scan (never had one of those before, but if it doesn't cause pain or embarassment, then I'm down with it) and the dreaded colonoscopy. Well, I guess I don't dread it that much, because I won't remember a thing and where else can you fart to your heart's content and be praised for it? Nice. And I have to fast this evening because I go for bloodwork bright and early tomorrow. WHY, oh why did I make that appointment so dadgum early? OH! I know....so I wouldn't have to wait forever for my coffee...

In other exciting news, I'm also working on the gift bags for the wedding. I won't give away what they are, but let's just say they're bright and PLAYful! :)

Chris is doing pretty well after his transition to dentures. He's re-learning talking and chewing - both really good skillz to know. Today, we (we, meaning I) opted out of a kayak trip because the bathroom downstairs is still in utter disarray and disrepair after last week's toilet fiasco. It's odd how it was the UPstairs toilet that needed repair, but the DOWNstairs bathroom that got trashed. (Chris had to tear apart the paneled ceiling downstairs in order to get to the pipes.) Normally, I would have let this unsightlyness go, but since next week is wedding week and we're hosting a large dinner on Friday night, and I've lived with Chris for 33 years and am well aware of how things go down, I just felt the need to push to get that project completed TODAY. Just sayin'... Oh, and what I really meant to say is that just shows how gooooood Chris is doing!

And, in light of all my "free" time lately, which I've been LOVING, I've also been getting some scrapping done! Here's my latest completed project:

This was prompted by a couple things. First, we just celebrated our church's 30th anniversary and, at the same time, our pastor's 20th anniversary at the church. Pretty phenominal! Well, I just love him and wanted to do a layout of him using this photo taken at a recent outing to World's End State Park. Secondly, I recieve BasicGrey's newsletter monthly in which they always provide a "sketch" to use to inspire a layout. Then, you can submit it to their gallery to be posted for all the world to see. Well, okay, all the scrapbooking world, anyway. Here it is at their gallery... You can click on the thumbnails for a closer view.

So, next, I'm feeling some digi scrapping coming on... I'm off!

Hey! It's new collection time over at my beloved SIStv. Here's a peeky at the new Urban Prep collection that goes on sale at the SIStv boutique on August 25th:



Sweet! Our collections are FABulous and chock-full of delicious goodies. In fact, Urban Prep is available for PreOrder Until August 24th! AND, if you spend $50 at said SIStv boutique you will get A $10 Gift Card! Oh, and the Urban Prep collection CAN be part of your $50 expenditure to qualify for the gift card. Isn't that SUPER? That reminds me. I bet you didn't know that I can say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" backwards. Yep. Now, obviously, it wouldn't do me any good to try to do that in typing. You'll just have to take my word for it. Next time you see me, just ask and I'll gladly demonstrate. This is the kind of stuff you learn when your very first record album is the "Mary Poppins" soundtrack - and you listen to it over and over and over...

Uh huh...

This little darlin' is gonna be my daughter-in-law two weeks from today! Wow! It's not going to be hard to make the leap because she's been kinda like a daughter to me for oh so many years, being my BFF's daughter. I've known her since she was about 5 years old. Who woulda thunk it? We had a little shower for her last Sunday night. It was fun and sweet and the first of many wedding activities and celebrations.

Dang! I gotta get something to wear!

Last Sunday we also had the big 30th anniversary celebratory picnic that I've been planning and thinking about for months. Whew! It went great and the balloon release at the end was really, really cool. The weather cooperated (even tho it was forecasted to be nasty). We even had one of our balloons found this past week - in Friendsville, PA of all places. That's in eastern PA near the NY border. Cool!

So this week, I've had breather. Yes! I had a new tutorial go up over at SIStv on Monday. The formatting didn't do what it was supposed to do, but other than that, it's fine. And then I hosted two "Fashionista Chat Hours" this week. One Monday a.m. and the other Wednesday p.m. That was fun and I had a great time getting to know some of the SISters better. I also had a haircut/pedi this week, got groceries and then escorted Chris to the oral surgeon to have every last one of his teeth yanked out of his mouth. Yep. He's entered the world of dentures. Sigh. But he's doing really well. Although, I haven't seen him yet this a.m. He was not in the bed when I got up, so I'm assuming he went downstairs and got on the recliner to sleep because he was probably having a hard time sleeping or maybe was getting some pain. I haven't disturbed him yet.... No, I'm not a bad wife. He just really likes to manage these kind of things himself if possible.

And, for some odd reason, it's been the week of broken things. This week, we have gone out and replaced the following things that were either already broken or unexpectedly just broke:

Telephones
Toaster Oven
Toilet (this started out as a "fixing the leak project" and ended up with no less than 4 trips to the hardware store and a new toilet. 'nuff said...)

And - my favorite, even though I won't use it -

A new Cuisinart RED coffee maker. Doesn't it look so great with my red cupboards? I love it! :) (I, myself, drink my coffee from a senseo single pod coffee pot, because Chris makes the coffee too strong for me and, frankly, he just uses crappy coffee. Maybe this will inspire him to use better stuff...)

Oddly, I haven't done as much scrapping this week as I'd hoped. I did finish the little '07 Family Reunion quiz album. It's mostly about the quiz - not the most intricate thing I've ever made, but I wanted to keep it simple. And then I've been cleaning up my scraproom which had been a horrible mess after several projects and also doing some digi organizing (inspired by my own tutorial!). I love to organize almost as much as I love to scrap and rarely get time for it. So, I've been going that route this week. I'm also working on getting caught up with my ATC's - using bits and pieces from recent projects - many of which are on my desk. But, really, not too much to show for all that.

Here's the opening page and one of the pages of the reunion quiz book (for the benefit of someone that actually reads this blog!) :)

(As always, if you click directly on the image, you can make it larger - to read...)

So, I have quite a few scrapbook pages swimming around in my head. After I put the song service for tomorrow together, I'm going to go get lost in my scrap room for a whole week! Oh, I was checking out at the grocery store and had bought a digital scrapbooking magazine and the (very) elderly woman that was bagging my groceries looked at it, shook her head and said, "what IS this scrapbook thing?". Ayyyyye yiyi. Get with the program woman! Even she should know that it's not like the concept is all that new, ya know? I happily educated her, but I don't think she was feelin' it. Oh well....

Happy Saturday!

I've been working my tail off today. So far, I have:

Taken my Granddoggie for a walk
Done my morning reading
Unloaded/loaded the dishwasher and drainer
Cleaned out and cleaned up the fridge (nice!)
Made a load of my famous baked beans for the church picnic tomorrow
Straightened up the 'great room' (i.e. the whole 1st floor) for the shower that's here tomorrow night
Started a load of towels
Gotten out the Rainbow and did a "super" dusting
Dead-headed my petunias and watered my plants
Re-decorated things a little

So NOW it's time to PLAY! I got this fun game off of Stacey's blog (one of my beloved co-Fashionistas) (see list at left). The idea is to give ONE WORD answers. Here I go:

1. Where is your cell phone? car
2. Where is your significant other? errands
3. Your hair? growing
4. Your mother? atrophying
5. Your father? gone
6. Your favorite thing? time
7. Your dream last night? unremembered
8. Your dream/goal? Christlikeness
9. The room you're in? clean
10. Your hobby? neglected
11. Your fear? pain
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? Target!
14. What you're not? hateful
15. One of your wish list items? Miata
16. Where you grew up? scary
17. The last thing you did? tidied
18. What are you wearing? comfy
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? sleeping
21. Your computer? magnetic
22. Your mood? relaxed
23. Missing someone? kids
24. Your car? practical
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? far
27. Your summer? busy!
28. Love someone? yep
29. Your favorite color? changes
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? sucked

Notice that eating of any kind is not on that list above. All of a sudden, I'm hungry! I'm off...

We're back from our family reunion in Blackwell, trying to adjust to civilization again (not that we didn't make our own very populated little civil gathering!). Here are just a few (I took almost 300) of the photos I took that highlight what we mostly did...

As always, there was the painting of the rocks. We painted more than ever this year and managed to get paint everywhere! That's Katryn, Angie's daughter, there.

Martha made those hula hoops - they're quite heavy and "really" for adults. Heh. These two obviously had no trouble spinning them around, though. That's Zoey, Richard's daughter and Amily (yes, with an "A"), Richard's girlfriend, Cathy's daughter.

And there was corn hole (though we like to call it bean hole 'cuz there's beans in them thar bags). Constant bean hole. I got this cool shot of John flinging one...

I had my face behind the camera for MUCH of the time (hence, you won't find any photos of me - but that's okay!). I got this stunning photo of the tiger lily that was growing next to our cabin.

Chairs and blankets were lined up along the bank and grown-ups and kids alike watched all the constant activity in this fabulous swimming hole. The Barlow family pretty much represented in the pond all day every day... That's Kerry with her daughter Emmy and son Thomas.

There were some huge fish to be seen by means of snorkeling. The creek was really clear the whole time. That's Matthew floating around.

Every single person was in the creek at some point or another. One of the big attractions was the raft that floats there. That's Ryan with his son Nicholas, Emily's daughter Eva and his son Thomas.

And there's the fam - at least those that were around for the photo on Sunday. We were missing a few people here and there. And I'm holding the camera...

We had a ball. The weather was just stellar. It rained in the wee hours on Saturday morning and we'd heard it could be an all-day downpour kind of thing. We did lose our power for a little while. But it came back and the sun came out mid-morning and it turned out to be just a gorgeous day.

Now my focus is on our 30th anniversary picnic/celebration at church. I'm kind of in charge of planning it. And it's this Sunday, so I'm working on that. And we are having a bridal shower for Emily at my house Sunday evening. So, yes, a very busy week ahead.

I'll check in on the other side...

This is what I hoped for. This is what I feared wouldn't happen. Okay. I know it looks like a dog and a cat. But it's a dog that's never lived with a cat and a cat that's never lived with a dog. Yeah. I'm sure The Dog thinks The Cat is a dog and The Cat thinks The Dog is a cat. (I say this because earlier today when I called, "here, kitty, kitty, kitty", guess who came running?)

But that's okay. I was afraid The Cat would be hunkered up in a ball in our bedroom - where The Dog can't get in. I was afraid he'd be so freaked out he'd never come out again, he wouldn't eat, he'd be sad and unhappy. I was afraid this might end his life as we knew it - because, at age 14, he's still a pretty frisky kitty sometimes.

But, the scene above actually takes place in the very same living room. Okay, they're on opposite sides of the couch and can't really see each other. But still. I witnessed an amusing scene this morning where The Dog approached The Cat a leeetle too enthusiastically and The Cat stood his ground, swiping his de-clawed and completely unsharp (but what does he know?) paw at said dog, who then ran away. The Dog didn't give up completely, though and returned and a very lethargic "chase" took place around the chair. Neither of them really cared that much and they were both willing to let the whole thing go. So The Cat has been downstairs pretty much the whole day. This isn't all that new. The Cat made an appearance and encountered The Dog on, like, the second day of his arrival here. They were both snuggled up to their respective owners on the same (granted, very large sectional) couch on, like, day three.

So, really, my fears have never come to fruition. And I'm so glad. I just want everyone to be happy... :)

We're baaaccckkk! We had a wonderfully relaxing, lazy vacay in PA's "Grand Canyon". The weather was stellar. We hiked, we biked, we swam, we ate. We played cards, we read. We went to church, we got ice cream, we had friends and family come for a visit. We had a ball. Here are just a few highlights from the week - a conglomeration of all of our photos/cameras:

Eva is getting a close-up view of the zillions of teeny-tiny frogs she caught.

"The kids" on the bridge in Blackwell - Dustin and Emily, Matthew and Martha (and Taco).

Martha got this amazing shot of a young bald eagle that we were able to get quite close to on our bike ride up into the canyon. There were two young ones. We didn't see the grown-ups that day...

This is what we woke up to every morning - just 20 feet in front of our cabin. Look how crystal clear that water is! What a great swimming hole - we were in it every day!

A view of Pine Creek looking upstream from the bridge in Blackwell. We made the short walk up to the bridge every night - and were rewarded with a glimpse of the mature bald eagle the last night. No bears, though...

Here we are after a hard day of swimming and playing enjoying one of many great meals on the cabin porch...

Matthew is standing on "Barbour's Rock" along the West Rim Trail in the PA Grand Canyon. You can see Pine Creek and the bike path below... What a beautiful hike.

So, now it's back to our regular routine of summer busy-ness and fun! Today Chris is golfing, Matthew and Martha went to open a bank account and get groceries for homemade pizza and I'm heading right into my scrap room for the rest of the day...until I get to eat some of that yummy pizza!

Family. It's a wonderful thing. And I just love this little family unit. So happy to have them here. So far, they seem to really be enjoying the cooler, albeit damper, temperatures of PA. And God does put on a pretty good show around these parts at this time of year.

So, we're beginning to also enjoy the benefits of having people in the house that like to cook. And I'm so enjoying being more conscious of what I'm eating and having good food in front of me. And, Martha has been very gently encouraging me to walk. I've gone out for two teeny little walks this week - unfortunately, quite a vast improvement from what I had been doing.

Oh, and Martha discovered these AWEsome toadstools growing under the pines at the end of our driveway. Check it:
Is that not the most amazing thing? Martha got some great pics, too, of not only the stool, but some added embellishments for dramatic effect. She cracks me up!

I did a SIStv assignment today and that was to update the Digital Blog with a review of new products available. That was kinda fun. Here's a link, just in case you want to read my riveting review. There ARE some really cute things available, though. I'm really glad I like what I sell!

I also did the church banking today in anticipation of the busy day I have planned tomorrow which includes doing our own banking AND my hair and pedi appointments. And packing!

We head up Friday to our rented cabin in Blackwell, PA in the PA Grand Canyon. It's such a beautiful area and we always look forward to spending this week there ourselves - this time accompanied by M&M. There's a bike path just a stone's throw from our cabin and a fantabulous swimming hole right in front of our cabin. Not to mention all the hiking you could ever want, too. I just love sitting on the front porch with my feet up, reading and generally relaxing. Who cares if it's stinkin' hot and humid? That creek is all I need. We have a few meals out planned and the rest we'll - and when I say we'll, I mean they'll - cook at the cabin.

Matthew's already been doing a little work - down at Grandpa's helping to fix up the house. And today he started someone with guitar lessons. Martha's been gathering some materials for a scrapbook she's going to work on over the summer, including while we're away. How thrilled am I about that? Tomorrow I will also be gathering, in my spare time, some scrappy things to take. I already downloaded some digi files to a CD and I'm also going to take some supplies so I can make some ATC's while I'm gone.

I've got a big day before me - better get some sleep!

The weather co-operated and we were able to see some great fireworks in Williamsport, PA. I loved playing with my camera and getting some interesting shots. There was a big old BRIGHT streetlight about 15 feet right smack in front of me, but I managed... :) Hope your celebration of the independence of our country was great. It always chokes me up when I truly take a moment to think about what all these fireworks are FOR!

Granddog in the houuuze! Oh, yeah. Look at that cutie. I can't even quit taking photos of him. (That's Taco.) And he did bring his mommie and daddie with him. So, after months of anticipation and prayer, Matthew & Martha & Taco have landed - and we are just beyond happy about it. (I have to say that b'cause they're gonna see this...) ;)

Seriously, though, they had an uneventful trip across country over the weekend and arrived safely at our door at around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. I know the transition away from AZ, though their choice, won't be easy for them. And it's my prayer that they will grow to love it here even half as much. Um, no, not really. I want them to love here even more! But, you can't force that kind of thing.... We're just so thrilled to have both of our children and their families within our very grasp. We'll soak it up and enjoy it just as long as we can, because it means the world to us....

It's a crappy looking 4th of July so far. Chilly. I don't know if the fireworks will happen or not because it may rain. But, we're kinda just hangin' today and taking it easy and we'll see what happens later. I've finally got some scrap time, so I'm eating that up, too.

And - I'm really excited about this - I decided to take a photography class offered at SIStv by one of our design team members. And it has proved to rock my photographic world. It has absolutely made ALL the difference in my understanding of my SLR digi camera. Like, as in, before I had NONE, and now I know what in the heck I'm supposed to be doing. In MANUAL mode, even! Thank you, thank you, Courtney - you have just given me my new camera!

Having said that, though you're going to see the quality of my photos improving, I still need a LOT of practice! But at least now I know what in the heck I'm supposed to be practicing! :) I'm a happy girl! I'm sure I'll make all my subjects very sick of me - but it will be worth it because I'll have all these GORGEOUS photos - of them scowling at me!

Psst! Calling all GIRLS!

There's some excitement going on at SIStv today! If you're a girl, you'll remember how much fun it was to either have or go to a slumber party when you were, um, younger! :) Well TODAY (Monday), we're having an all-day slumber party that will last into the wee hours. Because we're celebrating the release of this fabulous new collection called Girly Girl:

Mmmmm...so much yummy stuff!

AND - if you purchase this lovely new collection at the SIStv Boutique before midnight tonight, you will be entered in a drawing to win this delicious piles of goodies:

(Here's a list of the delectable loot: 1 Happy Camper Owl Tote Bag 1 6x8 Scrapworks Anthologie Album 1 Pack Roller Rink Thickers in Purple Glitter 1 Pack Hambly DIY Rub Ons in Kelly Green 1 Pack Sassafras Bloosoms in Blue 1 Pack Making Memories Passport Border and Tag Stickers 1 Set of Jenni Bowlin Journaling Cards 2 Sets of Jenni Bowlin Tickets 1 Set of Jenni Bowlin Crown Numbers Rub Ons 1 Craft Pick, 1 Craft Scratcher, and 1 Craft Knife by Tonic 1 Scotch Craft Glue w/2 Way Applicator 1 Set of Happy Camper Buttons 1 White Signo Pen 1 Scenic Route Caught On Film Stamp 1 Set of Fontwerks Alphabet Stamps 4 Bottles of Vintage Glass Glitter 1 Bottle of Glimmer Mist 1 Roll of SIStv Teal Houndstooth Gaffer Tape)

Now, if you're thinking, but I don't have any girls to scrap about, honey, what about yourSELF? You are SO scrap-worthy!

AND, because, well, girly-girls just like to have fun, there will be ALL sorts of fun stuff happening throughout the day, like contests, challenges, games. And, yes, girls, there will be prizes to be won!

So get on over to SIStv on Monday, June 30th and enjoy being a GIRL!

(Credits: lavendar paper, Acrylic Hearts - Audrey Neal (Iconic); turquoise paper - Audrey Neal (Outlook); Stitching - Audrey Neal (Drama Queen); Title Alphie (Dandelion) - Audrey Neal (GitRDone - recolored); Title Alphie - (in the) - Audrey Neal (Morning Glory) - All available at the Digital Boutique at SIStv. Also - grass brush - AnaRasha; Frame - Kate Pertiet (SnapFrames); Fonts - Bleeding Cowboys (wind); SBC Distressed Typewriter (poem); PSE Action: Photoblast Pro Rose Gold)

Here's a new digi I did. If you click on the layout itself, you'll be much better able to read the little poem up in the corner of the layout - just perfect for that sweet photo of Eva.

Well, the movers came and picked up Matthew and Martha's boxed goods today. Whew. Now let's just pray it doesn't weigh too much and that they (the movers) properly label it and get the right stuff delivered to Muncy! Tomorrow's clean up on East Valley Lane in Rimrock, AZ and then they will say their good-bye's tomorrow night and head to PA on Saturday. May God protect them and deliver them safely to Muncy - as they are most precious cargo to us!

NEWSFLASH!!! I'm on SIStv! I mean the tv part of SIStv! This was filmed at the one year anniversary event two weeks ago in TN! Woooo hoooo! Check it out! It's video #73 when you do the linkie: CLICK HERE! (Disclaimer: myself on film? Ew...but FUN!)

That's one of the pages for the on-going album I'm doing for my Mom. I try to add a double-sided page to it once a month. Love the quote. And that's a freshly-rained-upon rhododendron on the bush in my front yard. Love that color!

June has been hot and cool and often rainy. We haven't had to water the plants on our deck very much ourselves - God has provided! But that makes everything lush and green. The skies have been a gorgeous blue and the clouds that come in late afternoon are always interesting. I haven't had any hammock time yet - it really needs to be quite warm for that. And most of our warm weather came was I was busy getting ready to go to TN. But, I'm sure we'll get more.

Right now, we're in VBS week. We have it at night now. I didn't think I would like that at first, but I'm a believer now. First of all it's a whole hour shorter - which suits my energy level just fine. But with it being in the evening, I can still get done during the day what I need to and then mosey on over to VBS after a light supper and hang out when I wouldn't have been doing much at home then anyway...

I got a birthday present in the mail this week - a new fixed 50mm f/1.8 lens for my Canon Rebel Xti. I can see that I'm going to need to figure a few things out with this lens - like what to set the f-stop at to get a crisp photo and where to stand (there's no zooming on this one). But already, I'm LOVING this lens! It lets in a lot of light - great for low-light situations. And it's FAST, so it stops action wonderfully. Here's a photo I took last night while my class was having recreation time:

So fun! Love how the boys have just landed and are caught at quite the interesting angle! :)

Tomorrow Emily and Deborah are coming up to finalize the invitations for the wedding, so I need to get at least one of my banking/bill-paying obligations done today. And I will be making a "little" sign to hang on my front porch oh, around next Tuesday...

And - I need to get some scrapping done. I must say, "I need to get some work done" because I DO have committments to keep! And then when you see me gleefully playing in my scrap room (or on the computer) then you'll know I'm really "working"! :)

Holy time warp, can it really be June 19th already?

Okay, I've been to TN and back now and have met so many of my fabulous SISters at SIStv, and almost all of my fellow design team members (aka Fashionistas) AND my adorable "boss" lady, the owner of SIStv, Jeanette (aka JJ). It was really surreal. When I first entered JJ's house, a lot of the Fashionistas were already there and they'd just had a little meeting with JJ, so they were all lined up right inside the door. There were all these faces that I recognized, but women I'd never met in person before. So it was kind of like they were all movie stars or something. Then we had the hug-fest and it was like going through a reception line at a wedding. Overwhelming and wonderful all at the same time.

I'm in awe at JJ and Bob's hospitality. They opened their home to 20-plus women, kept the kids under wraps, JJ's mom (Nancy, aka Mona) fed us and there were places for everyone that spent the night to lay their bodies. It was a crazy, messy, BUSY, fun time and we were all welcomed and made to feel at home. I never once saw their children complain - they were all smiles and adorable. JJ is THE woman!

The event was crazy busy and a ton of work from the fashionista's perspective - but also, for me and I'm sure many others, extremely gratifying to not only be able to help make this 1st anniversary happen, but also to meet so many fabulous women. From the SISters' perspective, I've heard it was a blast beyond compare. Sooo gratifying to know. I came home absolutely exhausted, but very, very full.

I didn't get much scrapping done at all and I knew I wouldn't. I got most of the page above done at the event - finished it off this a.m. The layout feature's Audrey Neal's new Morning Glory digi collection, soon to be available at the SIStv Digi Boutique. I also tried to work on a really cute coupon book that JJ taught in her class, but I was just too distracted. Besides meeting all the women, the other highlight of the event was to see other scrappers - and mighty talented ones at that - in the creative process. Sweet.

It was hotter than holy heck down in TN, but now that I'm back in PA, we are having a major cool down, so that is really a relief. THIS is the week that we WOULD have been renting our cabin up in Blackwell had I not gone to TN, so that turned out well. We're hoping for hot hot hot weather when we're up there in mid-July so we can take advantage of the fabulous swimming hole right in front of the cabin...

Next week is VBS - each night. I didn't really think I would like doing it at night, but it's actually great because you still have your day free. And then VBS happens when you weren't really doing much of anything anyway, except hangin' out on a summer evening.

And next week - on the 27th, Matthew and Martha will begin their cross-country trek to PA, leaving AZ behind, at least as a place of residence. I know they will miss it. There will be times they will wonder what in the heck they were thinking (like when it's 95 and 100% humidity here or when it's gray and icy and the wind chill is at 0 degrees). But we will be unspeakably thrilled to have them here. And I think we all agree that it really isn't about the weather, it's about family and being together. We will have both of our children - and their families (including fiances, wives, children and pets) within our immediate reach - just joy that we will soak up every single day... I can't wait.

I love this photo and I love how this layout turned out. It's the result of an online "round robin" game. There are 6 people on a "team" and the first person uploads a layout they've started with one or two elements on it. Then, everyone duplicates the layout using their own papers and "stuff". But the next person on the team also adds an element to the layout. Everyone duplicates that and then the third person adds something and so on. So the finished layout is your own "stuff" and photo(s), but kind of a teamwork effort as far as what kind of items were used and how they were placed. I know it may sound confusing, but it really isn't. And it's SO fun. Us scrapbookers DO like to have fun! ;) Of course, it goes without saying that I played this game on SIStv - and they have fun games every weekend.

Speaking of SIStv - TOMORROW I head to Philly, from where I fly out Thursday a.m. to TN for the first anniversary celebration of the web site. I am beyond excited! I get to meet, not only all the design team members and my boss lady, but all the wonderful SISters that I've made friends with over the past year. I just can't wait! There are tons of great activities planned - of which I get to be involved in presenting, being that I'm a fashionista (i.e. design team member). I'm sure I'll have lots of photos to post when I get back.

Another thing that I'm really looking forward to is getting some air conditioning time. It has been freaking HOT here. The kind where I sweat if I just move at all and where everything sticks and where it's hard to sleep and where it sucks the life out of me. When it's cold and I'm chilled to the bone, I forget how much I hate being hot like this. I'd rather be chilly. At least I can hop in the hot tub or put on a sweater... I'm really beginning to think I want to get some kind of air conditioning. Never thought I'd say it.

We're heading out at 9:30 a.m. so I need to go TRY to get some sleep. Hopefully all the M&M's I just ate and have a bit of a sugar buzz from will crash me into oblivion in about 20 minutes. (That was just for you, Martha...yes, I had M&M's - left over from the movies a while ago. I actually forgot I had 'em and found 'em today....Mmmmm!) ;)

Yes, I DO scrap photos of people that aren't my immediate family! This is my gorgeous neice, Emily all dressed up to parcipate in a "Make A Wish" event. She's an amazing young woman!

(Credits: Font - dahaut; bracket/photo template, tag, buttons, ribbon, brad - Shabby Miss Jenn - (Flea Market); Script paper - Kate Pertiet (Vintage Text); Swirl (recolored) - Sue Cummings)

Here's a fun little survey I copied and answered:

have you ever...

gone on a blind date? yep. married him. NO kids. divorced him 3 years later. blech. don’t ask.
skipped school? Once – in my senior year and, don’tcha know my parents found out? Geesh.
watched someone die? Yes. my dear little sister – she was 42, I was 44…cancer.
been to Canada? Yep – Chris and I double-dated with our BFF’s for our – wait for it – honeymoon! eyyyyy.
been to Mexico? Nope
been to Florida? Yep – Clearwater area – about 8 years ago – went parasailing!
been on a plane? So many times it’s not fun anymore
been lost? hoo boy
been on the opposite side of the country? why, yes. San Diego twice. AZ twice. And my very short college stint was in Utah and included a trip to LA.
gone to Washington, DC? Yes, several times. Last time I went, we went to the Holocaust Museum. Intense and moving – unforgettable.
swam in the ocean? yeah, but it’s not really my most fave thing in the world. too many creatures that can hurt me, not to mention the salt water. I will only wade at this point…
had your booze taken away by the cops? um, noooooo.
lettered in a high school sport? no, but I performed modern dance regularly – and got a standing o for doing a dance (with my girl, Amal) to the drum solo of “inagadadavida” by Iron Butterfly…
cried yourself to sleep? too many times. painful.
played cops and robbers? it was more “house” for me
played dolls? my favorite Christmas was when we spent it at my grandparents’ cabin and my older sis and I got the new Barbies with the black/white swimsuit… have I played dolls? and then, when I had allergies so bad I had to stay inside in the summer, I’d cut out paper dolls and entertain my sad little self for hours…
recently colored with crayons? does jr. church (teaching it) count?
sang Karaoke? only once in a group. I want too badly to actually be good and I think that would take the fun out of it…for everyone.
paid for a meal with coins only? back in the day when McD’s cheeseburgers were 35 cents!
done something you told yourself you wouldn't? almost every day
cheated on an exam? I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night if I did…
made prank phone calls? um, yeah
laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose? is snot a beverage?
caught a snowflake on your tongue? who hasn’t?
danced in the rain? ran around, yes. danced, no.
written a letter to Santa Claus? nope
been kissed under the mistletoe? duh!
watched the sunrise with someone you care about? yes – most memorably at Cadillac Mountain in Maine with Chris and the boys while on vacay. It’s the 1st place in the US of A that the sun hits in the a.m.
been arrested? nope (remember, I’m the one that can’t cheat on a test…)
blown bubbles? now, this is getting dumb
gone ice-skating? yeah, in IL, where I grew up, they froze over the tennis courts in the winter. Totally removed my fear of falling “in”. We went as often as we could.
been skinny dipping outdoors? yuppers (just what would be special about skinny dipping Indoors?)
had a nickname? same one I still have
been to Africa? ohhhhh, my lifelong dream – for reals. I must.
eaten cookies for dinner? how ‘bout strawberry shortcake? if that counts then, YES!
been on TV? yes – I was one of those crazy people jumping up and down and screaming outside the Today show – despite the gazillions of people I called to tell to watch, only my brother-in-law saw me. Even my husband forgot to watch OR tape it…
stolen any traffic signs? I’m telin’ ya – I don’t break the law…
been in a car accident? yes, a couple. the worst was when we were hit by some dude on heroin on new year’s eve. but we were all fine…
What is your....
mother's name? mary
favorite drink? water (unless I would say my morning coffee…)
favorite alcohol? bailey’s irish cream - yummmmmm
birthplace? indiana
favorite vacation spot? Ireland, so far
favorite salad dressing? Orlie’s Italian
favorite pie? no brainer – lemon meringue – mom used to make it for my birthday instead of a cake
favorite number? 140 – what I’d like to weigh
favorite movie? Lord of the Rings trilogy
favorite holiday? thanksgiving – it’s pure and unadulterated
favorite food? garlic. bread. hands down.
favorite day of the week? hmmm. don’t know…. it hardly matters anymore.
favorite brand of body wash? Philosophy
favorite toothpaste? don’t care
favorite smell? lily of the valley (or my 1st a.m. coffee)
Do you have any...

tattoos? tbd
body piercings? Ears
Do you drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door.
What do you do to relax? scrap, compute, tube out, read
How do you see yourself in 10 years? I don’t know - how do you? and would I if I could? I doubt it – that sounds scary.

G'night!

(Credits: Lined pp—Jen Wilson (Lumiere); Striped pp—Jessica Sprague; Floral pp—Jessica Sprague; Torn paper edge—Jen Caputo (Curled Edges2); T-pin—Oscraps.com (Moonrise); Journaling Tag—Katie Pertiet; Crocheted Ribbon—Shabby Miss Jenn (Flea Market); Blue Stitch (recolored) - Audrey Neal (Outlook); Moments Stamp—KPertiet (Stamped Moments); Swirl Brush—Michelle Coleman (Flourishes); Font—VTPortableRemington)

Up there's a recent digi page I did - as a guest designer (with my fellow design team members at SIStv) for the Scrapjacked blog. (Scroll down on the blog to see my layout.) For those that are scratching their heads over that one - "scrapjacking" is the highly complimentary act of making a scrapbook layout based on someone else's layout. If you check out the Scrapjacked blog, you'll see what I mean!

Chris and I got our flowers for the deck all planted this weekend - as well as the window boxes. I'll let them get established a little bit and then will take photos. I think our summer weather is beginning to settle in. Although, I have to say - knowing how hot and humid (not my favorite) it can get in the summer, I've been enjoying our extended spring.

We did get to eat our first meal al fresco on Friday - yay. Always something I love to do. But, again, back to the spring thing - there has been ginormous amounts of pollen in the air - and on every conceiveable surface - and I've been sneezing my head off upon occasion when it gets too much. And I don't even usually have spring allergies. I think it's due to a fairly mild winter. All the spring bushes and wild blooms have been very lush this year...

Chris is off playing golf today and I have a few projects to finish before I leave next week for SIStv's first anniversary event in TN. Can't WAIT for that! Fun, fun, fun is to be had! So I'm off for the day to get my scrap ON!

This is a new venture for me - and for SIStv - it's called Scrapblog. I do have to say, it's pretty basic as far as digital scrapping goes - but it's kinda fun and definitely easy. So my little entry up there is a work in progress. I'm going to be adding some more photos and pages. But there's a little preview for you anyway! Check it out and do one of your own!

We had such a lovely Memorial Day. I was a little disappointed that we weren't going to do our annual Memorial Day road trip - but only a little. At least we save a bunch of moolah! Instead, we started off our day by taking Dustin and family and Deborah and Sam out to breakfast at May's. Cheap and good. And filling! Lots of protien and grease to keep your tummy satisfied! Mmmmm! :) (that's for you, Martha!)

Then we all went up to Keystone Mountain Park to walk through the location for the wedding, tent and some lodging. We spent about 3 hours there. It was just a PERFECT day! And up by the darling little chapel (scroll to bottom of linked page) the kids are going to get married in, we had a nice little photo shoot. Here are just 2 of the great shots I got:

That is one cute family, if you ask me! :)

We had planned a hot dog roast, but rain was forecast, so we changed it to a little hot dog and brat supper and some lawn games and some deck time. Our neighbor, Chris, joined us (for the first time ever!) and the Shaws and the kids. We'd invited Bob and Kellie, too, but they went up to Ryan and Kerry's for the day.

A few drops of rain came down, but nothing that would have prevented having a fire. Oh well... At least Chris and I killed all the competition in corn hole...