Rusty Pickle Amazing Race II {Pit Stop 5}

Whew... here's my newest creation for the Amazing Race! I absolutely love this line. The colors are so vibrant and just make me all around happy! Thanks to my friend Ginger for giving me access to her picture gallery - these pics are absolutely perfect for the paper!

Pit Stop 5: hosted by scrapgal.com
assignment: 2 page lo using the Pashmina line
Sledding

Rusty Pickle Amazing Race II {Pit Stop 4}

Whew! This was my favorite pit stop yet!! I absolutely love the Cap'n Jack line! I think it's because jeff is always goofing off in his pirate speak, LOL! Well, thanks to scraps ahoy for hosting us... ya'll check out the newest project!

But, stop 5 is up and I gotta get going!

Pit Stop 4: hosted by scrapsahoy.com
assignment: 2 page lo using the Cap'n Jack line
Ahoy

Rusty Pickle Amazing Race II - Pit Stop 3

Wow... this one was tough for me! Since I don't have baby pictures, I wanted a creative way to use the papers. I started on a book and decided I didn't like it, so midstream I up and changed it!

Here's a link to the album for those who want to see it!

Pit Stop 3: hosted by scrapbookgoddess.com
assignment: Slim Jim Album & Petite Cherub Line
Top 10 Life Lessons

Oh My Gosh!!

Well, I haven't updated my blog since we got back from vacation. I've been slammed between the Rusty Pickle Amazing Race II, assignments for grad school and working part time. Yikes!!

The race is so much fun... RP sent us a horde of goodies, and it's been loads of fun to create using them. How lucky am I to be in the top 20?! I'm totally surrounded by phenomenal scrappers!

You can read the clues on the rusty pickle site... they are actually a lot of fun!
I wanted to share my projects with you guys... so go check them out!

Pit Stop 1: hosted by Scrapbook.com
Assignment: Mayflower Line & 6x6 Accordian Album
"Just Us" Album

Pit Stop 2: hosted by AMillionMemories.com
Assignment: Chocolate Bunnies Line & 4x6 Chocolate Wrap Around
"Keshe" Album

6.7 {6.8 Challenge}

Well, I have to work tomorrow morning and then we are heading out for vacation .... so....


I wanted to get a jump on my daily blog challenge (which I failed miserably to do today).

TS Challenge
Today, blog one thing you love about a family member!


I think my favorite thing about jeff is how funny he is. Almost always can he and will he make me laugh. I just love the spirit of fun we have together! He truly is my soul mate and everyday I love him a little bit more!

{6.6} Daily Challenges

Gonna do the daily challenges before I head off to work for the day...

TS Challenge
Blog something you really like about yourself!
Over the years I have grown to like myself quite a bit. It used to be that I only liked my eyes or my hair, but I've come to realize that I have so many things to offer. Nowadays, I think my personality and my open-mindedness are 2 things that I really like about myself! I also think it's important to remind myself that I have good qualities, otherwise, I start to downward spiral and forget that I do make a difference being here.

2peas Challenge
Write about your whys/why nots for commenting on other ppl's blogs. Why do you leave comments?
I think it's important to find something positive or something that touches you and leave comments on that. I mean, after all, if we can't find something good and positive, we can't work together and then this world might as well fall apart. I believe people tend to forget how much we have to rely on each other.
Why do you read something and choose not to leave a comment?
Typically if I don't comment, it's because I don't have time or my ADD has kicked in and I forgot that I didn't comment.
Why do you comment on some blogs, and not on others?
I believe I do comment on all the blogs I read, except the contest ones.

TS Challenge {6.5}

Blog about a family member.
Well, I'm gonna blog about my mom :)
She's awesome! I am so glad that we have become friends. I don't really think of her as a mom anymore. I also can't believe she has put up with my father for 40 years! Definitely not easy! Sometimes I wonder if we have a better relationship b/c I'm adopted, but I guess we will never know. Love ya mom!!

Good News & Daily Challenges!

First of all, I have to say that I am floored and super excited!! I am in the top 20 for the Amazing Race II from Rusty Pickle! How super cool is that?! And can I just say wow, everyone is so talented!!

2peas challenge
blog about 5 songs that you just love right now...
I love so many songs, but here are my top 5 right now.
1. Suddenly I See by KT Tunstall - love the lyrics to this one
2. Before He Cheats by Carrie Underwood - another notch in the belt of female power!
3. It Just Comes Natural by George Strait - gosh, I love that man!!
4. Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morisson - one of my all time fav's!
5. Life Is A Highway by Rascal Flats - I just love their version of this... smokin' hot!

I got Tagged!!

I got tagged by Elizabeth!! Thanks for the fun challenge :)
Okay so 7 random things or habits about myself....
1. I have really, really wide feet. A woman's wide shoe is nowhere near wide enough. The men's shoes feel so much better on my feet!
2. I have only owned 1 automatic transmission car and I absolutely hated it. I love to drive a stick - it gives me something to do so I don't get so bored.
3. I love frogs. I have frog decorations everywhere - inside and outside, at least 1 frog in every room!
4. I refused to eat potato chips until last year. Seriously... I was 29 before I really bought and ate potato chips and that same year I found out I shouldn't have them.
5. I am a chapstick freak!! I have them everywhere... I have 30 or more tubes at any one given point. I keep 2 in my car, 3 in my purse, 1 or 2 in my pockets, some in the kitchen, some down here by my scrap/computer area and a ton in the bedroom.
6. I count stairs in my head every time I walk down them. Does that scream OCD or what?! LOL!
7. I violently bite my nails, except in the classroom. I have to have tips on them for them to look halfway decent.

Alrighty... now I'm tagging you guys. :)
1. Ginger
2. Sarah
3. Lisa
4. Anissa
5. Karen
6. Dustanne

Monday 6.4

I'm terribly disturbed that it's the 4th of June already. How quickly time does fly!

So it turns out that my father has kidney stones on top of his gall stones and whatever else might be wrong with him. They sent home with drugs and a wave. The poor guy, he has just been through it all in the past month.

Now, have you seen the new DT blinkies at Treasured Scrapbooking? It's over to the right, check it out!! How cute are they?! I'm telling you... I just love this site. The kits are packed full of goodies and Leslie is awesome!!

Welp, on to the daily challenges...


TS Challenge
Today's blog challenge is to tell us something quirky about yourself!
I have tons of quirks, so I'll just pick one. I have this weird thing where I have to chew the same amount of food on each side of my mouth. If I eat a pretzel stick on one side, I have to eat one on the other too. I'm freakish... jeff tells me that all the time! ;)


2peas Challenge
Think of a time in life when something good came of something bad?
I think I have lots of these too. Specifically I want to say my marriage came out of the divorce of hubby and his first wife. And how my diagnosis with Crohn's has helped me become a stronger person. Speaking of that, my mother told me I should start a website about Crohn's because mine is so weird, she said you never know when it might help someone. So I might just do that. I'm still thinking.

just got the phone call

Okay... I just got the horrid phone call. My father is on his way to the ER - again! This is the 2nd time in less than 2 weeks. I really do wish that somebody would figure out what is wrong with him. Today it's apparently a pain in his right side, about an inch above his hip. I do wish I could do something more for them, but since we live an hour away sometimes it's hard. Yesterday we went down there, I made them a batch of lasagna and jeff opened the pool while I cleaned the tarp that we took off.

Okay... if you have a little room in your thoughts, please keep my dad in them! I guess the good thing is that his knee is doing well from him knee replacement.

Oh.... I forgot... on a side note I should share what I think is a funny. I live out in the country where there are tons of animals - lots of farms, especially chicken farms since tyson is very close. Well, jeff and I were on our way home from the races and IHOP last night, probably around 12:45 am. Well... I thought all was well, from a distance I saw a weird black mass that isn't usually there on the side of the road. Thinking it was a mailbox of something, I just ignored it. Well, all of a sudden the stationary object moved and was a different color. Low and behold, I freak out... I put out a little squeek & slam on the brakes. Jeff wakes up and I was like ....
"COW"!!!!!
The poor cow had gotten out of the fence and was just standing on the side of the road. A big ole black cow butt! We laughed the rest of the way home. Could you imagine how bad it would have sucked to hit the cow though?

Well, I'm gonna go play wii until I hear from my parents I guess. Have a great Sunday evening!!

6.3 {Rainy Sunday}

Okay... it's a rainy cruddy Sunday here. I woke up to a sick dog - I think she does it just to get me out of bed though. So I get the umbrella and take her outside only to see that the gutters are clogged and the rain is literally pouring out the side creating a river of brick chips in my azalea bushes. GRRRRRR!!!! I think it's just gonna be one of those days :(

On a good side note, I believe my Crohn's is going into remission. This will be the 2nd time since I've had it. Hopefully the 2nd time will last much longer than the 2 months I got the first time around. I have eaten scrambled eggs 2 weekends in a row now! That's just unheard of in my world!! I know ya'll might think I'm funny, but I miss eggs most of all. Especially when your hubby sits there and says "mmmmm.... these eggs are great!"

TS Challenge
Today's challenge is to blog about your first driving lesson you ever had.
I remember this vividly! I was 13 and my father took me to the mall, little did I know he had other ideas about our visit to the mall. He put me in the drivers seat, told me how to work the clutch and after a few screams and jerks of the steering wheel, I drove around in the mall parking lot for a while!

2peas Challenge
What is one memory keepsake you still have from your school years?
I have pretty much everything b/c I was scrapbooking of some sort back then. I used to tape or glue my stuff into an artist composition book - LOL! I have a ton of things I used to consider vital back then. I have my old parking pass, my smoker's pass (back then you could smoke in designated areas of the school with a parents permission), I even have a notebook my friend and I used to pass around between classes. We would spend our entire class period writing notes to each other and pass them back and forth in the hall between class.

June 2nd

TS Challenge ...

Blog about a memory from your childhood.

I have a really specific memory that I thought I would share today. It's not a pleasant one... but it's kinda funny. The house I grew up in had this ratty old basement and I was scared to death. Well, my dad told me not to take the new puppy downstairs (looking back, she couldn't make it back up the steps without falling through the back). I didn't listen... and down we went. I got spanked!!! I laugh about it now, but man was I mad at my dad. I only took her down there cause I was afraid to go by myself!!!

The 2peas challenge...

If you could redo any room in your home (money being no problem). What room would it be? Share with us what you would do to this room.

This is kinda funny for me today. We are redoing our entire house, but right now i'm doing the spare bedroom. I got the money to do that for my birthday. I want to turn it into a shabby chic style. I got the bedspread and stuff as a gift, I have all the decorations and furniture... just need to get a mattress & boxspring and then take care of the walls and put it all together!

Baby It's Hot Outside! {6.1 Challenges}

I can't believe how hot it is outside already. I thought I was going to choke today. Course, it doesn't really help that i'm super overweight and carrying around all the extra baggage. Oh well... to those who are suffering the heat already, I'm sorry! Remember to drink plenty of fluids to keep from dehydrating!

TS Blog Challenge

1. What did you this year that you’d never done before? Nothing that I can think of. I'll have to think about it though.
2. Did anyone close to you give birth? Nope, not this year
3. Did anyone close to you die? I've been to a couple funerals so far this year.
4. What countries did you visit? Only the US this year
5. What is your biggest struggle within scrapbooking? Lately it seems to be finding motivation!
6. What dates from this year so far will remain etched upon your memory, and why? My 30th birthday! We had a cookout here at the new house and I got to show it off - even in it's disaray! Easter weekend when I had my niece up to spend some time with us!
7. What is your biggest achievement this year so far? My continued venture in this grad school program!
8. What is your biggest failure? Ever - getting fired from a job about 10 years ago. This year... my reading assessment class.
9. Do you suffer illness or injury? I have Crohn's Disease (diagnosed about 10 years ago) and this year was diagnosed with Diabetes & Thyroid Disease.
10. What was the best thing you bought so far this year? My car! It's an 05 Mazda Tribute!
11. Whose behavior merited celebration? My husband! He always merits being rewarded - he is a great guy!
12. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? My father, he has his own concept of reality!
13. Where does most of your money go? House & Car Payments
14. What do you get really, really, really excited about? Scrapbook Supplies!
15. What song will you always remember? The Pina Colada Song - one of my favorites!
16. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Definitely happier - the move released a ton of stress.
b) thinner or fatter? neither - I consider it an accomplishment that I'm not fatter.
c) richer or poorer? neither... we exchanged the gas money for the house payment.
17. What do you wish you’d done more of? Studying
18. What do you wish you’d done less of? Complaining
19. How will you be spending Summer? I got a summer job this year... so I'll be working & in class!
20. When did you fall in love? I do everyday...
21. How many anniversaries have you celebrated? 2
22. What is/was your favourite TV program? wow... that's hard... 24, House or Law & Order
23. Name one pet peeve and tell us why it bothers you. Bad customer service - it's just so wrong, and it's such a simple thing to do.
24. What is the best book you read? Widows & Orphans (A Rachael Flynn Mystery) by Susan Meissner.
25. What has been your greatest musical discovery? That I have the talent to sing.
26. What are your scrapbooking goals? I want to inspire people to cherish their memories. However I accomplish that is one step closer to my goal.
27. What is something that leaves you scratching your head within scrapbooking? How one day I can create something I really like, the next day it's junk!
28. What is your favorite film so far this year? I have no clue... the times run together.
29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 30... and I answered this above!
30. What is your favorite all time embellishment? Flowers!!
31. How would you describe your personal fashion concepts? bahahahahahaha.... comfy!
32. What keeps you sane? Scrapping & Laughter
33. Which celebrity/public figure do you fancy the most? George Strait
34. What political issue stirred you the most? Abortion
35. Who did you miss? My grandpa
36. Who is the best new person you met? Nan - the assisstant that was in my 1-2 combination class.
37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned. It can (and likely will) wait until tomorrow.
38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your life. I don't think any can even come close! LOL
39. What did you want to be when you were little? A pharmacist... I even started off in the prepharm program when I went to college.
40. What is something that surprises you? My patience around children - funny b/c I have limited patience with adults.

2peas challenge...
Let's blog about something we are looking forward to happening.

I'm heading out in exactly one week for vacation! I can't wait!! We are going to Orlando!! Gonna hit Universal, hopefully drive to NASA and who knows what else!! Heat & Humidity... here I come!