Barb and Sara, since you were the only ones to post, I will send both of you some goodies. Email me your addresses at RaceGoddss@aol.com and I will work on packing some boxes up.
I hope everyone has a SAFE and Happy New Year!!

32

I can't believe it, I'm 32 today. It's been a long, hard road with a lot of unexpected twists and turns. But I'm happy where I am and that is what counts!
So in honor of my birthday I am going to put together a fabulous RAK. For everyone that posts now until Sunday, I will put their name in a hat and let Reed pull one.

Did you grow up in the 80's?

I saw this over on 2Peas and just started rolling. I think I only missed one or two on the list, LMAO!!
You Know You Grew Up In the 80's if:
1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word SIKE.
2. You can sing the rap to the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and can do the Carlton
3. You know that "WOAH" comes from Joey on Blossom
4. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock" ( I own several copies, THANKS EBAY!)
5. It was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
6. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
7. You got super-excited when it was Oregon Trail day in computer class at school.
8. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
9. You played the game "MASH"(Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House)
10. You wore stonewashed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
11. You know the profound meaning of " WAX ON , WAX OFF"
12. You wanted to be a Goonie.
13. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (some of us...head-to-toe)
14. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose fell off and his cheeks shifted.
15. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
16. You took lunch boxes to school...and traded Garbage Pailkids in the schoolyard.
17. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
18. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
19. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged handmade friendship bracelets.
20. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
21. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know you are, but what am I?"
22. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
23. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline skates.
24. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
25. You remember boom boxes and walking around with one on your shoulder like you were all that.
26. You remember watching both Gremlins movies.
27. You thought Doogie Howser/Samantha Micelli was hot.
28. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
29. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool...and don't even flinch when people refer to them as "NKOTB"
30. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By The Bell," The ORIGINAL class.
31. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THROUGH THE HEART.
32. You just sang those words to yourself.
33. You still sing "We are the World"
34. You tight rolled your jeans.
35. You owned a bannana clip.
36. You remember "Where's the Beef?"
37. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"
38. You're still singing shot through the heart in your head, aren't you!

Gotta Love it, have a great day!

Saturday we woke up with,, "Momma IT SNOWED!!!!" So later he and daddy went outside and built a snowman. As you can see there wasn't a lot of snow for a snowman, but we made do. Including a snowball fight. Reed with snowballs vs daddy with the shovel clearing the driveway.
So the snow continued into the early morning and even the snowman was covered. So we ended up with about 2 1/2 inches yesterday. Not sure what the total was, it was predicted 6-9 inches.
So while in the warmth, I got my Design Team layouts done for ForKeepsSake.

I used papers & diecuts from K&Co. Bazzill Bling, some Prima flowers, Heidi Swapp stamps, a little wire, a tag and ribbon. And 2 completed layouts that I LOVE!!

My 1st CT Project

Over at Heart in Hand Scraps, the Creative Team received our first assignments and a couple of us have already gotten them done. This is my remix of Catherine Matthews-Scanlon's Shadow Box Collage. I had a blast putting my own twist on her class. Once I decided the theme and collected all my goodies, it was super simple to put together. Check out the wonderful classes over at HHS!!
Also have to been paying any attention to Tim Holtz's blog?? He is doing the 12 Tags of Christmas, totally fabulous!! If you are a technique nut (techie?) like I am, this is completely up your alley. Check it out, he gives away goodies every day too!!

Soup's On!

Well, it's that time of year again. It is finally starting to get chilly. So it is time to brake out the Baked Potato Soup. The ONLY soup that gets made from scratch around here. And since I made it today and an currently enjoying a bowl, I figured that I would share with anyone that wanted to try.
Baked Potato Soup (Serves 4)
6 slices of bacon (fried, crisp and crumbled)
4 medium potatoes (skins on or off, up to you)
2 Tb margarine
1/3c. chopped green onion (I don't like them, so I skip them)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1c. chicken broth
1c. half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1/2c. grated cheese (more if you like)

Prepare bacon and set aside. Bake or boil potatoes, cool and cut into small chunks. In medium saucepan, melt margarine and saute green onions until clear. Next add cream of chicken soup, broth, cream, cheese, bacon, salt and pepper. Stir well. Next add potatoes, simmer until hot. Don't boil. Ladle into bowls. Top with cheese, sour cream, chives or parsley. (We just do the cheese).

So there ya go, a yummy soup to keep you warm.

Another creation, lol. I found this little house at Hobby Lobby. Added some paints by Making Memories and some wonderful papers and chipboard stickers by Die Cuts With a View. Monogram K by Basic Grey. And Viola! I love it!!!
I started an art journal. I have been into Mixed Media a lot, so I needed a home for it. The fabric cover is from Love, Elsie. Chipboard letters are Paper Studio which were inked and embossed, and gaffer tape by 7 Gypsies for the binding. Hopefully being on vacation this week, I'll be able to get some creations in it.
Yesterday was the Feast for the Pre-K Class. They invited the parents and set up little areas for the children and adult to do together. It was a lot of fun. Was glad that I was able to get to do it with Reed. Here is a picture of him lacing his necklace.
That is it for me. Have a great Thanksgiving, don't eat too much. And don't forget that the deadline for the Heart in Hand Creative Team is THIS Sunday!!!

So I have once again been MIA, but here is what I have been up to...
FKS November Design Team, I used the Bazzill Bling cardstock, Pattern Paper by Reminisce, Snowflakes by Making Memories, In Stitchez template. I made it into a shaker box with Tim Holtz foam tape.
Our Christmas Ornament for the FKS Christmas Tree, Paper is Reminisce, Chipboard bird is Maya Road, Chipboard K is Basic Grey, Stamps by Art Warehouse and Studio GAnother FKS DT layout. Paper and Rub ons by Reminisce.
I stumbled onto this little guy in the $1 bin at Michaels. It is one of those 3D puzzles. So I painted it with Making Memories paints and glitter paints. Covered it's wings with Paper Studio paper and filled the openings with Micro Beads.

Reading Ali Edwards' blog she was making button trees with her son. So I thought that was a fabulous idea to do with Reed. Reed was great with the pins and had a blast. The idea can be found on the 2Peas board, do a search for Tia Bennett, hers is much better than mine, LOL.

Taking a break...

I have decided to take a break from teaching scrapbooking. This has been a hard thing to decide on, and I have been tossing it around for a while. Things are going pretty fast with school and the end is in sight. I am still on track to have my 1st associates by May (2008), my 2nd associates by next May(2009) which will help me continue to my bachelors. I have decided that it has taken me way to long to get to this point and as long as I have the support that I do, I'm going to keep pushing.
I am still going to be on the Design Team at FKS and the Creative Team Coordinator at HHS, so I will definately still be in the scrap scene.
Keep following your dreams, I am!

Kids say the darndest things..

So Sunday, we are all gathered on our bed looking at the newspaper ads. Reed and Art were looking through the Target toys ad (ack Christmas ads already) and Reed finds something that he wants. (Which is a lot of everything he sees, nowadays) So Art keeps turning the page and Reed gets up and turns it back. So they do this for a while until Reed gets frustrated, sits back and looks at his dad and says. "Oh come on daddy, you're killin me!" Needless to say, I hid behind Art rolling.
Now just a few minutes ago, I was looking through the 2Peas gallery when Reed comes in and sits on my lap. Someone had done a layout about Shamu. Reed looks at me and says, "Is that an Orca?" (Thanks Diego!) and I say, "Yes it is." So we do the whole what is he doing? And as I try to explain that in Florida they have an Orca show for people to watch and maybe one day we can go. He grabs my face with both hands and says, "Orcas are dangerous. They bite. You need to stay away from them. Do you understand?" OMG!!! How priceless is that? Needless to say I now need to find a picture of an Orca, I think I need to make a mini album of the things he has been coming up with lately.

Halloween Goodness

Ok, so I have been working on my Mother of the Year skills in between all the other things going on around here. I finished working on the treat bags for Reed's class and my class. I got the bright idea to just make a tag with some of my digi kits that I have on the computer. The frame is from Lauren Reid, from a collaboration kit I found on scrapartist.com called Spookie Ookie. And the eyes and spider are from Jan Crowley's Macabre kit that is on OScraps.com. The Happy Halloween is a stamp by Stampendous.

Here is Reed showing off one of the goodies in the treat bags. He is loving vampire teeth this year. LOL.

It will be a quiet Halloween around our house this year. Art will be working and Reed and I will be wondering around the neighborhood. It has been so busy that we didn't even decorate the yard. That is the first time since Art and I have been together. There's always next year.

I hope you all have a Safe and Happy Halloween

A little catching up...

Since the PTK Adopt-a-Highway clean up was cancelled for today due to our rainy, cold weather, I thought I would do some catching up on the ole blog. I realized that I haven't been posting my DT projects lately. So here are a couple from the last two months.

This is the new Cloud 9
New Creative Imaginations
And these are both the New A Rhonna Christmas by Autumn Leaves.
You can see all these hanging in For Keeps Sake.On Wednesday, we went pumpkin picking at Eckert's in Millstadt. Had a blast, it was pretty chilly, but the kids had a lot of fun. Reed ran around with my digital camera after he found his pumpkin, if anyone has a use for upclose pumpkin pictures let me know, LOL. He did get a few good ones, so I'm sure I'll make a layout of it.
Thursday night, we had our annual Fall Festival at the daycare. These are the Spider cupcakes that I made. I thought they turned out so cute.

That is it in a nutshell. I have taken on being the Creative Team Coordinator for Heart in Hand and we just put out the call, so if you are interested here it is. Heart in Hand Scraps is a new and quickly growing site that specializes in downloadable classes for scrapbooking and papercrafting projects. We offer projects in a wide variety of styles and skill levels. Our goal is to bring the scrapbook class to the student in a manner and time that is convenient for the customer.We are pleased to announce that we are adding a Creative Team to our site. Our Creative Team will be different from other teams you may have applied for in the past. HHS Creative Team members will be asked to take our class projects and remix them adding their own twist to them. Team project remixes may be as simple as changing patterned papers and embellishments or as advanced as using the class project as an inspiration and going a whole new direction. The goal for the Creative Team is to show our community and customers what they can create with the classes by mixing up the supplies and taking the projects a step further.Each month team members will be asked to take two classes, remix the class projects, and then share their projects with our community in the appropriate class gallery. Creative Team members will have access to all classes at no charge. They will be sent a monthly box of supplies that they may choose to incorporate into their projects however they will be free to use products of their own. We love to encourage our customers to dig into their stash and use product they have on hand, so we encourage you to do the same. On occasion we may send you a selection of sponsor supplied product that we will ask you to incorporate into your projects. Aside from this sponsored product, you will always have complete freedom over what products you would like to use in your projects.Additionally, we ask that team members participate in our community and gallery and assist community members with project questions.If you are interested in applying, we would encourage you to visit our site at www.heartinhandscraps.com and check out what we offer. To apply, choose any one of our classes (all are priced under $10 and several are free) and remix the project. Submit your class project along with two other samples of your work to our special Creative Team Call gallery. Send an email to us at HHSCT@yahoo.com with your name, your HHS gallery/forum name, your email address, and any galleries or blogs that you would like us to check out. The length of the Creative Team term will be six months.Entries must be received by midnight November 25, 2007. We will be choosing four team members and will notify those selected by email on or by December 1, 2007.Please note that this call is for the Creative Team only and not for instructors. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, please contact us through the contact form on our site.

Class is going well, I still look to graduate in the Spring, WOOHOO!!

That is it for now, I may have more later, but right now I am going to enjoy a little me time and get creative!

Donna Downey ROCKS!

She is so much fun and super sweet. Today I got to be Donna Downey's teacher's assistant at the FKS Retreat. I tell you what, looking through the work she brought with her was so cool and full of inspiration.
Thought I would let you know that I have PHOTOSHOP AGAIN!!! YAY!! So I will hopefully be playing catch up with a lot of stuff tomorrow.
If you are looking to join a Creative Team, that is different than a Design Team, then keep your eyes on Heart In Hand Scraps. We will be looking for creative people to take the classes put together by our teachers and put a creative twist on them to show our customers how to think outside of the box. That should be getting posted soon.
Ummm, last night I was inducted to Phi Theta Kappa which was quite exciting. PTK is the honor society for 2 year colleges.

Concussion and Contusions

Pretty big words for a REALLY big scare that I had yesterday. Reed fell off one of the playground pieces at school. Needless to say, scared the living $*&( out of me when he took in a big breath and then went limp in my arms. So he took his first ambulance ride, had his first CT Scan and his first full work up of x-rays. To know that nothing is broken and his brain is ok.
So we are now at home for the next 2 days to make sure that everything is really fine. He is going to be the death of me, I tell you!
Glad that yesterday is over and hopefully nothing more comes out of it.

Ok, One More

What Kind of Candy are You?

Gummy Bears

You may be smooshie and taste unnatural, but you're so darn cute.

What Kind of Candy Are You?

These things are addictive and they have so many to choose from. Have fun over there!!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

WOW, 2 posts in one day. lol. Well I wondered over to Holly's new blog and saw this link, so of course I had to go there and play along. So click on the link and find out What Alcoholic Drink You are.

You Are Sex On the Beach

When comes to drinking, you like it to go down smooth.You really don't like the taste of alcohol - just its effect on you.So, you're proud to get drunk on fruity, girly drinks.Because once you're liquored up, the fun begins!

What Alcoholic Drink Are You?

Sorry for the bad blogging, I have a bunch of pictures that I want to get up, but am currently without Photoshop. So hopefully by this weekend, I'll have my program back.
A few things to let you guys know about, I have a new challenge going on over at Heart In Hand for World Card Making Day. For each card you make and post in the gallery over there your name will be put in a drawing for some fabulous goodies! And the best part it is going on for a whole week. For inspiration you can head over to 2Peas on the General Stamping board and join in on their Stamptoberfest challenges.
News from the store, Trash to Treasure is no more. So there will be some changes over in my class schedule. Coming up this Sunday is the Mini Muffin Pan Advent Calendar, be sure to check it out. The easiest way to find it is head over to the FKS Blog and look in the lefthand column for Jen's Classes. If you are a lover of HUGE Sales, For Keeps Sake is having a HUGE SALE October 5-8th. Up to 40% off on selected items on the sales floor and special sale items in the classroom. as low as $.50 each! I guess it was a good thing Tracy put that flyer in my bag last night, so I could share all that with you guys! So I hope to see you this weekend at FKS!
I guess that is it for me, I have been on vacation for most of this week. I have done a little scrappin, a little studying(should be a lot of studying), I joined Phi Theta Kappa yesterday and have spent a lot of time with the little guy. We pick up some cabinets for the scraproom on Saturday, so hopefully I'll be able to post pics of them.
Have a great weekend!!

Scrap St Louis!!!

I bet you are scratching your head saying, "what is that?" Well this is hot off of the FKS press. Here is what I know and I CAN'T wait!!!!!
We will be putting together our own class event to be held in St. Louis June 5-8, 2008. Ours is called Scrap St. Louis. Our venue is confirmed (Holiday Inn South County Center) as are our guest instructors. We have the following special guest instructors for this event:
Donna Downey
Lance Anderson (Rusty Pickle)
Heidi Grace
Tracey Niehues
I'm forgetting 2 of the instructors plus a couple others but will let you know later. Sign-ups will begin January 2, 2008. No cropping at this one. Strictly classes. Food included. Everyone attends each instructors class.

We will have room for approx. 300 people. Cost TBA as well as details and inclusions. We know food will be included!
So keep your eyes on the store's site For Keeps Sake Scrapbook for further details.

She's back!!!!!!!!!

It is so GREAT to have my computer back home safe and sound. She also now has 160GB brand new hard drive. (evil grin) and no more viruses. All is well.
I hope to have some stuff up tomorrow. While you are waiting check out Holly's pictures of the Balloon Glow in Forest Park Friday Night. We sat in traffic for way too long and then gave up. I love going there just to take pictures.
Oh yeah, check out the fabulous new classes over at Heart In Hand Scraps!!!!!!!!!!! The ladies have been busy making some awesome new classes.

I'm Going MIA

Just wanted to let those of you that actually read my blog that I will be Missing in Action for a bit. The computer is going to the Dr. seems there is something corrupting the hard drive. So I am going to get a bigger and better one. I hope it won't be gone for too long, but we will see. Maybe I can get some scrappin done.
Don't forget that my Puzzle Book Class is tomorrow.
Have a GREAT weekend!!!