I've moved to a new blog!!! WOOT! I enjoyed the ride with my blogger blog, but I have my own customized blog now - please click here to read my blog! Thanks!

Well, I finally did it! Today I became a *real* designer at Oscraps! I am so excited! My Word Art Store just opened up today, so if you're in the mood for a sale...click on the ad below! Come on and help me celebrate - and get some good bargains, too! :)

Soooo, I made QPs with Vicki's Rock On kit and they are on sale for the birthday sale!! (And people are actually buying them...LOL!) My first try at making QPs!! We've packaged them as 2-pagers, but I made them so they'd stand alone as 1-pagers, too! During the sale, you can grab each 2 page set for only $1.40!!!!!!! I linked each image for you! I hope you like them - I'm pretty darn proud, to tell you the truth!!!

Don't forget about my little contest I posted here on March 12 - just a few more purchases and we'll have a winner! :) Good luck! Have a wonderful weekend!!

EDIT: We have a winner for the GC to Vicki's store! The winner has been notified! :) I'll come back and update when we hit the 10th purchase of the Lucky Duck Word Art! :)

I'm having a sale on my word art at Oscraps....plus you could win prizes!

My Rock On! Word Art is on sale for 30% off - and the 10th person to buy it (starting today) will get a $5.00 GC to Vicki Stegall's shoppe at Oscraps.

The Lucky Duck Word Art is on sale for 25% off and the 10th person to buy it (starting today) will get a $5.00 GC to Sweet Genevieve's shoppe at Oscraps.

It's really a great deal because for spending less than 2 bucks you could win a $5.00 GC! :) I am just trying to do my part to celebrate - Oscraps is 2!!! There are TONS of amazing sales there right now, and you'd be crazy not to check it out! I know I've spent plenty of money on some great bargains - I used the sale as an excuse to get things I'd been eyeing for a while!

Have a great day! :)

Yay! I have another word art set for sale!

The word art coordinates with Lucky Duck, by Sweet Genevieve Designs!

Thanks to Gen for letting me work with her on this - what an honor! :)

In other news...it is snowing AGAIN! Lily has developed a love for Hungry Hungry Hippos (which is noisy - especially when she sings HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS over and over again while pounding), and business is finally picking up again for my husband. I'm desperately trying to keep up with everything - work, yearbook, CT reqs, making word art (my newest obsession).

Totally random stuff coming up, (and it is a little whiny...so brace yourselves). I have come to realize that although I am the youngest in my group of college girlfriends, I am officially "the one" that doesn't get invited to do the crazy, last-minute stuff. I know it isn't personal, at least I hope not... There are just so many differences between their lives and mine. I'm married with a child, most of them are single, none have children. I'm a teacher in a medium-sized town, they are all business women in big cities. I dunno...it just makes me feel like I'm the old one when they are all going off on weekend getaways together and I'm here being a teacher. It's like it doesn't even occur to them to invite me anymore. Blech. Again, I don't think it is like "let's not invite Jodie" - but it is still depressing. Haha! Don't get me wrong...I love my life and wouldn't change a thing (except my career if I knew I could be successful with something else). I am just having one of those moments. Anyway, back to work. Thanks for listening...haha! :)

Ok...I can't believe it, but it is true! I made something that is actually for sale at Oscraps! Vicki Stegall, owner/designer, has given me a chance to rock my word art skills - and someone (well a few someones) actually bought it! Yay! Here's what I made:


Yep...see my name there in red on the bottom!! WOOOOHOOOO!

I used some elements from Vicki's Rock On! {World Tour} Mega Kit (which really does ROCK, by the way)! Thanks again, Vicki! You ROCK! (Oh man, that pun is NEVAH getting old!)

I have to record a few Lily-isms so that I don't forget them...and this has proved to be a good way of doing that.


Tonight she was singing, "Glue, glue...stick to the glue. Glue, glue...stick to the glue. Glue, glue...stick to the glue. Stick to the glue my dar-yin." When I pointed out that it was actually "Skip to My Lou" she said, "Well, mine makes perfect sense!" How can I argue with that?

She stayed the night with Mimi & Papa (my parents) on Friday night. She told me not to bother them and not to call them, so I didn't call before bed on Friday. Even though it just about killed me, I didn't do it. When I finally called on Saturday morning and asked to talk to her, she yells, "No!!!" to my mom and doesn't want to take the phone. Nice, right? She finally gets on the phone and says, "Mom, I thought I told you not to bother us. I want to be a-yone with Mimi & Papa!"

She is the Chief of the Polite Police now, and no one can get away with asking for something without saying please. When my dad told her to do something on Saturday, she said, "Papa, let's try it again and use nice words this time."

She is hilarious - and she keeps getting more and more hilarious with each passing day! I love it and I can't wait to hear what she is going to come up with next! :)

I did (and loved) paper scrapping for quite a while before discovering digi...and once I found digi, I abandoned my paper supplies for a while. Then I discovered hybrid! I love being able to mix and match digi and paper to create hybrid awesomeness. I even had a few of my board books featured in the Artisan Notebook at the Digital Scrapbook Artisan Guild last year!

When I saw that ScrapArtist was having a Hybrid Call, I decided that although many would be applying, I had to at least try. If nothing else, I got to revisit some of my older hybrid projects, and I made some super sweet projects and gifts during the application process. Plus, I was reminded of how much I *love* doing hybrid! I had to submit five projects for the application, so I decided to post them all here as a quick and easy way for Nancie to check out my skillz. LOL!

So, testing, testing, check 1, 2, 3...is this thing on? Here goes, Nancie...I hope you enjoy!

Project 1: Board Book

Supplies:
Summer Whimsy CD Album, Summer Whimsy Paper Pack, and Summer Whimsy Element Pack by Sweet Genevieve Designs, 5x5 Chunky Board Book, Xyron 500 Create-a-Sticker, and matte photo paper

I started with the original CD album pages and used the paper pack and element pack to "fill in" the spaces and convert the round album into a 5x5 square album. I made a 5x5 template with rounded corners by scanning the blank board book. I have a little tinkering to do - I wanted the layouts to completely cover the blank pages, but there ended up being a little border - still, I'm more than happy with my first board book attempt!


Project 2: Confetti Tube

Supplies:
Celebrate {Alpha}, Celebrate {Solids} Paper Pack, Celebrate {Cupcakes}, and Celebrate {Patterns} by Sweet Genevieve Designs, purple ribbons by Michelle Godin at SBG (coming soon), confetti tube, red curling ribbon

I just made a layout to fit the confetti tube, printed, and adhered it to the tube. This was a super easy project and I'm planning to make them for Lily's next birthday party, 4th of July, and New Year's!


Project 3: CD Tin Brag Book



Supplies:
Cd Square: Loop-n-Line Play Instant Album by Kim Liddiard, CD Tin, word art by Tina Chambers

I created this album as a gift for the grandparents for Christmas 2006. I am now in love with the CD Tin Albums! I love how I was able to capture so many changes and milestones throughout the year and fit it all into one tiny little "brag book" that fits in a purse. I took a photo from each month, changed it to sepia to better match the album template, and plopped it in. I did modify it slightly by changing some of the words and adding some color. I bought the square CD tins and decorated the front by printing off the cover that came with the Instant Album and making a little tag that said "Brag Book" to attach with a black brad. The album hooked together into one long accordion - I just split it into two rows for the sake of space when I uploaded them as one file. I stocked up on the tins and I'm going to make a little tin album at the end of each year. They will store nicely and don't take up much room. I am now obsessed with the CD tin albums! The grandparents LOVED them and everyone was oohing and aahhing over them!


Project 4: Candle Holder



Supplies:
Mon Amour Kit by Michelle Godin (coming Jan. 16th to SBG), PartyLite Express It! Candle Holder

This was so easy...I just made a 12 x 6.25 inch layout and printed. I am planning to do a new layout per month...if I stay on top of things. LOL!


Project 5: Valentine Boxed Chocolates

Supplies:
Enamored Hearts Paper Pack and Element Pack by Danielle Young, little boxed chocolates and ribbon from the $1 aisle at Target

I just made a 7x7 template, made the wrappers, printed, wrapped, and tied a ribbon on. Lily loved this project because she got to help! She picked out the papers and elements to use, helped me cut them out, and even helped wrap the boxes! It was such a fun project for us to do together!

Phew. Ok, so...there ya have it. Like I said before, if nothing else...I have made some great hybrid projects, knocked out a few CT layouts, and made some gifts during the process of this application. Don't get me wrong, Nancie...I *really* want you to pick me! LOL! Thanks for looking! Good luck to everyone who applied for the call!

Well, well, well...look what the cat dragged in. Yep, I'm back. My friend, Laura, called me a quarterly blogger today...I think the name suits me. I have exciting news! Last night, I won a free copy of ACDSEE Photo Manager 10 from a chat at The Digi Chick! I have desperately needed it for a while, but just couldn't justify spending the money. I'm sure I'll realize that it would have been well worth the money, but hindsight is always 20/20, right?

So, I've decided to keep track of how long it takes me to get organized. Hahaha!! This should be good. So, this morning I got ACDSee installed, and started organizing my folders. If you think you might want to get ACDSee, you can do the folder organzing while you save your money up to buy it...if your scrapping files look like mine, I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to save the moola.

Anyway...I have started organizing. Based on suggestions from Kara and Laura (the other two members of the trifecta), I am making a folder for each designer and then folders for site collabs and new zip files. Phew. So, I'll let you know when that is done. :)

In other news...Lily is growing up so fast and continues to entertain and amaze us with everything she does. She started tumbling on Thursday, so that was a great first for us. I am not sure who was the most excited...Lily or me! I'll post pics at a later date...I have to get to organizing!

Introducing...my new blog! I worked hard on a header for a while, then I forgot all about it. So, I figured it was time to finish...a month and a half later. The butterfly and glitter are both from Sweet Genevieve's Be Dreamy Kit, and the brush behind the title is from Sweet Gen's new Graphic Flair Brush Set.

Ok, now for an update on life. I have applied for a transfer within my school building. Frankly, I want this new job so badly that it causes me physical pain to think about not getting it. Is that crazy? Sooo, the interview is on Tuesday at 12:30. Cross your fingers...all 3 of my blog readers! Haha!

We went to the apple orchard yesterday & took one of my students and his little brother along for the ride. He has been coming to school (and on time) almost every single day for the last 3 weeks. This is big deal for him, so I thought he deserved a reward. We fed goats, rode a wagon out into the orchard and picked our own apples, sampled cider, and had tons of fun! Lily loved having the boys along to play with! She ate up all of the attention! Too bad she's so shy, huh? Haha! Here is a pic from our day - I just love this one of her. It might be one of my favorite pics I have of her! I made it even better with a PhotoShop "Brighten Up" Action by NinaScraps at Oscraps! :) Gotta love those photo actions!

Ok...time to get ready for Sunday School and church. Lily and I still need to get showered and dressed, Shannon isn't even up yet, and we have to leave in less than an hour. EECK!

Ok...so here goes. Apparently I am a monthly blogger instead of a daily blogger...
I really want to do better, I just forget. I have a lot of exciting things to share, though! I am an August Guest on Michelle Godin's CT! She is a designer at Scrapbookgraphics - which, for those who don't know, is an amazing site! :) I am also in the Amazing Digi Scrapping Race - and my partner, Kara, is also doing a rockin' guest spot for August...Rachel Young! She sells at Funky Playground....and is on Michelle Godin's team as well. I feel like I am rubbing elbows with the superstars of the scrapping world! I am still loving my Sweet Genevieve and Nancy Kubo spots - and I'm sporting a new Sweet Gen blinkie! :) I am still on Cindy Irvine's team - and she has a new store, so that is exciting! I am also still on Manu's team, as well! :)

We just got home from a weekend trip to my friend Lisa's house! They live in Roaring River State Park - so we had a fun, cell-phone and email free weekend...which was much needed! Lily had a blast with her son, Dixon, and I got my little baby fix holding and snuggling their newest addition, Miller! Layouts and pics will be up soon! It was a weird weekend for pictures, though. I fell in the river - go ahead, laugh - and dropped the camera. ACK! Luckily, the pics were okay - so we don't need a new memory stick...but the camera (and my arm) did not make it out as well as the memory stick. It won't turn on at all...there was water inside the LCD screen. Not a good sign, right? Oh well...we will see if the extended warranty covers things like that...hahaha! I'm doubtful, but keep your fingers crossed!

Lily is in princess mode - with her Barbie princess dress on - watching Wonder Pets, so I'm going to try to get a little scrapping done before the show is over...because then it is time for us to play! :) I think we are definitely going to hit the pool later - it is going to be hot again today!

I am so proud of myself for updating...maybe now I will actually finish making my blog header today! Sweet Gen has a sweet new alpha pack that will do the trick, I think! :)

I'm busy blinging up my blog. I have decided that if it looked more "me" I would spend more time blogging. Those dots were cute and fun, but just not me. I have been hard at work (with the help of Cindy Irvine) trying to Jodie-fy my blog. So far, so good...but it is slow. I hope I can get this done sometime before I fall asleep today! I'm off all week from summer school, so I have way more scrapping time than usual! We are going to fireworks tonight and tomorrow...so I'll have lots of 4th of July pics to scrap! Which is good....since I need them for CT layouts and so does Kara! :P I'm watching Little Einsteins with Lily and singing, "Flubba-dubba-duh-dubba-duh-dubba-DA!" while shaking my head back and forth to the music. Gotta love Little Einsteins! :) Back to work. I'll be back with more later, I hope! :)

Ok. This is bordering on ridiculous.

I can't believe how long it has been since I blogged. oops. I am making a solemn vow to do better. I am going to update my info as far as the scrapping world is concerned and get some new layouts up to show off. Hopefully I will get some readers other than Kara and Lisa - not that I don't ADORE you being my devoted fans...Haha! I will be back tomorrow to blog some more! :) I promise!

It's me again...finally!

Ok. First of all, let me say that I realize I haven't blogged in like a month. Sorry...I'm sure my MANY readers noticed. Haha! Since my last blog a lot has happened! Shannon started a new job which will be better hours and better money! Woo hoo! Because of the new job we got a new car!!!!! Plus, it was made in the same decade we bought it in...which is a first for both of us!! :) Here is a picture of it!

I am getting geared up for summer - the end of the year can't come fast enough for me. I am so ready for a break and time to spend with Lily! :) I am teaching summer school, but only in the afternoons, so it won't be that bad. Plus, it is AWESOME money for the amount of work I have to do! :)

Also, I am entered in the Queen of the Crop Contest at ScrapbookGraphics. I could win $1000 for myself and $500 for charity. The charity I'm scrapping for is the Hokie Spirit Fund - set up in honor of the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings on April 16. I desperately want to win...so if you're reading this, go vote for me!!!! PLEASE!!!! :)
Here is a picture of my layout for this week! If you're going to vote for me this week, you have to do it today...next week's layouts go up tomorrow! :)



I'm on the Creative Team for Nancy Kubo, a designer at Oscraps and Pocket-Pearls. She put one of my layouts up on her blog - WOO HOO! I am so excited to see my layout on the designer's blog!!!!! I'm famous! (Well, almost....ok...not really, but still, it's awesome!) You can check out her blog here.

oh yeah

and for all of my devoted blog fans...LMAO! sorry - i forgot to mention that yes, i am okay from the accident today. i am mostly freaked out about it and my leg hurts a little from where the car hit me - but nothing serious at all. hardly a bump or bruise. i'm very lucky! :)

wasn't friday the 13th last week?

ok so for the sake of blogging semi-regularly here is my blog today.
i got hit by a car today while walking in a parking lot. the guy just backed right into me and then drove away while i stood there yelling, "are you freaking kidding me?" did i get the plates? nope. but the police seemed to think they knew who it was by the description - which assures me that he was a real stand-up citizen...haha. anyway, after all of the VT tragedy this week...it is just some more icing on the cake to have this happen at our house. i am also well aware of the fact that no one actually reads my blogs (except kara and she has usually already heard the stories i put in here...lol! thanks for reading though kara - you rock!) so i am going to vent a little. shannon is having a hard time with the events that took place at his alma mater (sp?). of course i understand that...but i think he is wallowing a bit deeper than is healthy. i mean, hello...i got hit by a car and he hasn't even asked me more than, "are you ok?" not whether or not they found the guy, not to hear the run-down of events....nothing. maybe i'm being selfish...maybe i'm just exhausted. who knows. either way it is really bothering me.

i am still praying for the families involved with the terrible events on monday at VT (and will continue to do so). i can't imagine what they are going through and my heart goes out to them.

hopefully once this week and weekend are over i will get some scrapping time. i have most of my iep meeitings tomorrow and a few next week. woo hoo. i'm off to finish up some iep stuff and try to get some sleep.

Is "Kids Say the Darnedest Things" still on??

Because if so, we could be rocking that show! Last night, on the way home from my aunt's house (we had Easter dinner a day early), Lily and I were just talking about Easter and our plans...and HILARIOUSNESS (is that a word?) was the result!

Me: Are you so excited about Easter tomorrow? Mommy can't wait to go to church...Easter is one of my favorite days in church!

Lily: Will the Easter Bunny be there?

*Please note, at this point I took a deep breath and panicked while I tried to think exactly how I was going to explain this to a 2 1/2 year old. This feeling is probably similar to the one my mom had when Lily asked her to tell her where Jesus works!!LOL!)

Me: No, the Easter Bunny won't be there. The Easter Bunny is kind of an extra thing on Easter. Easter is really about Jesus. A long, long time ago, Jesus died for us so that we could live happy lives. We go to church on Easter to celebrate the day He went to live in Heaven. (I thought that was pretty good?!?!)

Lily: (little pause) Oh....I think I see what you're saying! Jesus was died and it was a long time ago. And Jesus died to help us so the Easter Bunny came and helped Jesus get to Heaven.

Me: (trying not to laugh because she is SOOO serious) Well...kind of.

Lily: I think Jesus is locked in the barn with all the animals. We need to save him. It's our mission. (She watches Little Einsteins, so everything is our mission these days!)

I have no idea where the Jesus in the barn thing came from - maybe because she was playing with her Little People barn yesterday morning?? She is just sooooo funny!


Oh...my dad got a new truck and Lily is very excited to ride in it. When we pulled into their driveway last night, she looked at it and said, "Papa's new truck is just marvelous!" I started giggling and said, "Yes...it really is." She giggled and said, "Marvelous...hahaha...June on Yittle (Little) Einsteins says dat."

I am sorry, but who can say a little TV is bad for kids. She is in love with Little Einsteins, and as a result recognizes several classic music pieces, works of art, knows who Mozart is, and says things like "it's our mission" and "just marvelous" - maybe everyone should "go on a trip in our favorite rocketship" every now and then?

Lily's latest funnies

The other night while on the way home from my aunt's house:
Me: Lily, tomorrow we're going to a shower with Mimi! Are you excited to go to a party?
Lily: Yes, but I will need my purple party dress from Mimi's house. She found it for me and I will want it tomorrow. Will Papa be there?
Me: Well, we'll have to call her tomorrow and let her know that you want to wear it. Papa and Daddy aren't going to the party because it is a shower just for girls.
Lily: Mom, we can't have a party in our shower.
Me: No, Lily, the party is called a shower.
Lily: No, the shower is called a shower, and we can NOT have a party there.

TOO CUTE!!!



Two nights ago while we were all having a "sleep-over" in Lily's room (Lily in her bed, Shan and me on the air matress...lol!), Lily brought up something that had happened like 3 weeks ago.
Me: Wow...you have such a great memory, Lily!
Lily: You mean the one downstairs in the closet? (referring to the game Memory)
Me: Nooo...the memory in your head...in your brain.
Lily: What!? (in her own special, shocked and amazed way of saying it...lol)
Shannon: Yeah, the memory that you have in your brain.
Lily: Can I see it?
Me: No, you can't see it because it is inside your head.
Shannon: Behind your eyes...you can't ever see your brain.
Lily: Well, I have idea! How 'bout if we get a shovel and scoop it out and yook (look) at it...that would be nice.

There are so many more - I HAVE to get better about keeping track of them...she is just getting to be WAY too funny!

Hello again...

So, fine. All of those people who said it couldn't be done were right. Keeping up daily or even every other day with my blog is next to impossible. I admit it - but at least I tried! Anyway...I'm back from a short hiatus. My mother-in-law visited last weekend - we had so much fun and she really enjoyed her trip! Plus, ISAT was going on during these last two weeks, but it is officially over and my kids handled it well considering the fact that most were taking tests at least 2 grade levels above what they are capable of. I only had a few students crying...I cried a few times, but nothing major.

Our car is back, but we now are longing for a Sonata after driving a rental while Barbara (Shan's mom) was visiting. Oh my goodness how I loved driving a new(er) car! We have resolved to work our fannies off in order to be able to afford a new(er) car in the not-so-distant future.

On other topics....I have been invited to a few different creative teams in the last few days. I am really excited about it - plus I'm a guest for a few people in April and May as well. Darcy Baldwin (font designer) has awarded me a month guest spot in April and since I am addicted to fonts, this pleases me more than you'll ever know! :)

I had a really good PartyLite show last night - I made $115 and the hostess ended up with about $400 of product for only $120. She was excited...and I was excited to make some money and help her get free stuff in the process! :) Now I just need to sell $40 more this month in order to qualify. I hope I can do it. If nothing else, I'll just order a few things I need for my shows and tack it on to the show from last night.

Shannon is excited about a possible opportunity and is waiting to find out more about it. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Check out my Slide Show!