More Blog Candy

Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying your week and just think...we're half way to the weekend! 

Josh and I had a good trip back home yesterday....SOOO much better than the ride last Thurs to visit my parents. It was definitely back to the real world today with meetings from 10:30-1:30, 1:30-3:30, 3:30-4:30, class from 4:30-7, meeting from 7-7:30, and now work from 7:30-11. Whew! I should be doing TONS of work now, but I'm so tired I'm having a tough time doing any of it...so I'm checking out blogs and things like that. 

OK, this website has blog candy up for grabs. Nicole makes the most gorgeous jewelry and she has Wednesday Winners among other fun stuff on her blog. In celebration of her birthday, she is GIVING AWAY a GORGEOUS choker necklace. Go check it out!!!!

And now onto some scrappy related stuff. This is a layout I did for Sketch Saturday at Sisterhood of Scrap on February 7. If you think it is similar to the card that I showed you a couple days ago, that's because it is! The sketches were designed by the same person, but I like the idea of transferring what you do on a layout onto a card that you make too. 

OK, that's it for tonight...I'm off to go eat dinner and then get to work on getting everything ready for my seminar tomorrow night. 

Vacation

I love vacation! After the stress of making the trip down state to visit my parents, Josh and I have done nothing but relaxing and shopping. The trip down was AWFUL! I got out of class a half hour late...not quite the way I wanted to start a 4 hour drive. Then it was snowing pretty hard almost the whole way down and in some places the roads were horrible. We were going to stop in Watertown for the night, but once we got there and got on the highway, the roads cleared up. Then they got bad again so we were going to stop in Syracuse for the night, but of course they cleared up again. Near Cortland they got bad again, but by then we were so close to the trip being over that we just kept going. The 4 hour drive turned into a 5 hour drive and we didn't get in until after midnight. 

We have definitely made up for the stress of that trip though. On Friday we stayed home all day and lounged around the house. We went out for dinner and a movie later that night with some friends some college and had a blast. Yesterday we went shopping. Josh bought a hi-def projector in the going out of business sale at Circuit City and I got some good deals on some scrapping necessities I needed. I spent a couple hours at my mom's office helping her answer phones and give info to clients if she was busy. That night we went to the mall and I was able to exchange a pair of shoes I had bought a while ago in Watertown. Today Josh and I took my mom out to breakfast and we went to Target and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We had a nice evening at home and my mom made lasagna for a yummy dinner with my parents, sister, niece, and grandparents. Not quite sure of plans for tomorrow yet, but we are thinking of visiting one of my aunts, maybe going to a movie, and I should probably do some work. 

OK, on to scrapping news. I have LOTS to show you, but since this post is getting pretty long, I'll only show you the Valentine's card I made for Josh. This is the card I did based on the sketch for Sketch Saturday at Sisterhood of Scrap. I have these journaling blocks from one of the monthly kits that I get and I knew this block was perfect for this card. 

One last thing before I go...if you want a chance to win some YUMMY blog candy, make sure to check out Carla's blog. She always has the BEST cards and great, fun giveaways so make sure to stop by. 

OK, it's time to go and watch my favorite show on my favorite channel. (HGTV, which I don't get at home so it's a real treat to watch it while I'm out of town.) Hope everyone had a great weekend are enjoying the holiday weekend!

Back again

OK, so I know I said I would try to be back on Tuesday with another post and some stuff to show you, but what I thought were just allergies turned into a bad cold and it left me feeling miserable! I am finally starting to feel better today, so I thought I would post before getting everything finished to go visit my parents for the long weekend. 

Here is a layout I did based on Julie's sketch over at 52 Sketches. I was having a tough time with the scalloped edge because I can't do it exactly how I want to on the Cricut and my punch has too small of a scallop, but overall I guess the layout isn't too bad. I also went back and forth about 15 times trying to decide on paper and although I love these papers, I'm not sure if it's exactly right for this layout. Oh well! It's finished, I need to let it go!!!

OK, I have a doctor's appointment in about an hour, class right after, then a 4 hour drive and I still have tons of stuff to do. Hope everyone is having a great week!

Hmm...

OK, so this is going to be a quick post! I know I've been MIA for a while. Unlike last week, it was because I have been BUSY! Subbing every day, class Monday through Thursday, working at the union 2 days, group meetings, homework, cleaning, etc... And this week isn't going to get any better. I have tons of stuff to show you, but after a weekend spent at the in-laws my allergies are insane! All I want to do is take my shower, get into bed, and watch some TV with the hubby. So that's exactly what I'm gonna do. I'll try to be better at this blogging thing and show you something tomorrow. I hope everyone had a great weekend and all are ready for Monday!

Short post

OK, I apologize because I know it's been like 4 or 5 days since my last post. And I don't even have the excuse of being busy to use. I meant to post Wednesday night when I was at work, and I forgot. Then I meant to post Thursday and Friday nights, but once again I kinda forgot and once I remembered I was already in bed. So, finally, here is a post. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling too well, so it's gonna be a short post. I made this card today, I can either use it to give Josh for Valentine's Day, or I can save it and use it as a wedding card. I haven't decided yet. 

OK, that's it for tonight. I have to rest up so I'm feeling good enough tomorrow to go to a Super Bowl party. Hope everyone is having a great weekend so far!

Two layouts

OK, tonight I have two layouts to show you. They are both ones that I did at the crop yesterday. The first one is based on Week 3 at 52 Sketches, 52 Weeks and the second one is based on Week 46 from last year at 52 Sketches, 52 Weeks. Whatever layouts I was not able to complete last year I printed out so that I could complete them at some point just because Julie's sketches are the BEST! I also used it for a challenge at Mothers and Daughters. They are the sponsors for week 4 and they also had a challenge on their blog that if you tried any other sketch from Julie you could win a stamp set. The only rules were that it couldn't be the same layout you submitted for this week at 52 sketches and it had to be a new layout that you just completed. 

OK, it's been a busy day of laundry, picking up, changing the sheets and towels, and unpacking from the crop yesterday. And I'm still hoping to complete the challenge for Sisterhood of Scrap so I can't spend time blogging. Hope everyone had a great weekend and that your Monday isn't too bad!

Quick post before bed

As promised, here is my layout that was based on the sketch for Sisterhood of Scrap. You can see the sketch here. Since you can't read the journaling, it says..."Mocha may not like to cuddle with Josh or I, but giver her a blanket and she is all set." She definitely does like her blankets. In the laundry room/linen closet she has her own little cozy hiding spot and if we can't find her, you can almost guarantee that you can find her in that spot. 

I had a really good time at the crop today. I really didn't want to wake up early for it, so I didn't get there until almost 10, but I had a lot of fun. I think I mentioned earlier how tired I have been with getting back into the swing of things so I wasn't as productive as I would have liked, but I managed to do 2 layouts and 3 cards. The one layout was this week's challenge at 52 Sketches and the other layout was based on an old sketch from Julie from last year that I just got around to doing. I will post them over the next few days, I'm just too tired to take pictures, upload the onto the computer, then export them to Flickr. 

One fun thing before I go off to bed. This was posted on Sisterhood of Scrap the other day, and I thought it would be fun to post it on my blog. 

1. What color are you socks you have on now?

They are white

2. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

My mom

3. What did you have for lunch today?

Mac and cheese and cornbread at the crop

4. Name someone you admire.

My sister 

5. How many cars have you owned?

Um, the Geo, the Tempo, the Sportage, the Malibu, and the Grand Prix. So 5, but technically the Grand Prix is the hubby's even though I've been driving it more than the Malibu.

6. How many homes have you lived in?

Two

7. Are you left-handed or right-handed?

Right-handed

8. Do you wear shoes around the house?

Definitely not

9. What was the last thing you took a photo of?

A layout to upload onto the computer

10. Do you like hot chocolate?

I prefer them with expresso and peppermint, which would make it a peppermint mocha

OK, have a great night and I'll be back tomorrow with more layouts and cards.

Finally some scrapping time!

OK, so I finally had some time today to do some scrapping. Friday is the only weeknight that I don't have class and I only worked for a half day today, so I wasn't as tired when I got home. Sorry I didn't post anything yesterday, but with classes being back in session and me working almost every day, I have been going to sleep around 9. I managed to do this layout tonight and I also finished the layout for Sisterhood of Scrap. Since the Sketch Saturday post won't be released until tomorrow, I don't want to show you my layout for that until tomorrow. I love the Noteworthy paper that I used for this layout. The colors and designs, while very girly, are so pretty. I'm pretty pleased with how it came out, I especially love the buttons, but then again buttons are my favorite embellishments to use. 

OK, it's 10pm and I've been procrastinating on packing for the crop tomorrow. (Surprise, surprise...) So I better get going to pack for that so I can get to bed at a decent time...not going to happen, but here's to wishful thinking. I really don't know where the night went, it seemed like just a couple hours ago Josh got home from work. 

Oh, in other news. I talked to the high school principal at Edwards-Know (the school I applied at for the special education position) and they can't interview me because I'm not certified yet. The position was open because they fired the person. When they hired him, he wasn't NYS SPED certified yet and they gave him a year and a half. He didn't get his certification, so they fired him. According to the principal they can't really hire someone who isn't certified yet after they just fired someone for not being certified. I understand their reasoning and logic, but at the same time, they gave that guy a year a half to get certified, but I can't even be given the chance of an interview. It's frustrating because I am 1 class, and the CST away from being certified. Technically I'm enrolled in 5 classes this semester, but that's just required for my masters degreee, I only need 1 class to earn certification. I'm bummed, but that's life and I just have to keep thinking positive! OK, have a great weekend!

Funny picture

I have been so busy with classes starting this week that I haven't really had time to scrap this week...sorry! I did work today on the layout that's due for Sisterhood of Scrap on Friday, but I can't share that with you until Saturday. I also need to make a baby card, a get well card, and a thinking of you card. Wow, that's gonna keep my busy. Luckily, I'm going to a crop on Saturday so I should have LOTS to show you after that. I had planned on taking a picture of a layout that I had not uploaded yet, but I got busy and then I had to go to my student job. I won't be done with my student job until 11 and I need to get up early tomorrow, so it's not going to happen tonight either. In other news, I finally finished my application and the essay and got that in the mail today. Wish me luck! It would be amazing if I could get that job now. 

OK, tonight I also have some serious news, and to counterbalance that I have some funny pictures to show you. I found out tonight that a very close family friend was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She is having surgery on Tuesday and depending on the outcome of the surgery will start either radiation or chemo after that. Even though you don't know her, please send some good thoughts and prayers her way so that everything turns out alright. This woman was like a second mother to me and it's hard knowing that she is going through this. 

Now, unto the funny pictures. The other night Josh made rigatoni and meatballs for dinner. I had eaten most of the dinner, but I had left three rigatoni's on my plate that I wasn't going to eat. Mulligan of course, being the cat who eats anything and everything went to my plate and started licking the sauce with meatballs. That of course wasn't good enough so he stole a rigatoni off my plate, took it to the floor, at ate it in like 2 bites. He would have eaten all three, but I stopped him after two. I probably shouldn't have let him eat the second one, but I had to get a picture of it. Oh, and this was after he had literally tried licking Josh's plate clean. Needless to say, these dishes were washed VERY well. Well, it's time for my to get back to work. Have a nice night!

 

Back to reality

Well, while it was nice to have a month long vacation, I'm glad that classes started back up today. It is going to be a BUSY semester, but I'm excited for it to start. I figure the sooner it starts, the sooner it will be over. I don't say that in a pessimistic way or anything because I am really enjoying the special ed program, but I'm ready to move on with my life and get a teaching job! I am applying for a special ed position now, but I think it starts mid-year and because I'm technically not certified in special ed yet, I'm not sure if they will even consider my application. But, I'll never know unless I send it in. The same district had this position open a few months ago, so who knows, I may get the job without having certification yet. Even if they just offer me a long term sub position for the rest of the year, I would accept it because I would have a better chance at getting my foot in the door next year. 

My class tonight went well. For some odd, strange reason I cannot accept mediocracy for myself. So, the research class tonight is kind of like 2 classes. You can attend the class and do the assignments listed in the syllabus, or you can do an independent research project. With the second option you don't really need to go to class or do the other assignments listed in the syllabus, but you research a question, get IRB approval, and try getting your study published. Eventually, (if Josh and I ever move away from up here) I would like to get my doctorate so this is a good experience. Of course, because I need to excel I can't just do the "simple" course, I have to do the more complex, in depth, and time consuming course. Oh well!

OK, enough about that and onto some scrapping news! Through Julie over at 52 sketches...52 weeks I have discovered a new paper line that I LOVE! They are called Bella Blvd. and they are offering a fantastic giveaway. Just click here to find the details. OK, it's back to reality tomorrow with subbing and class so it's bed time for this girl. Have a great Tuesday!

ok, ok...

I've had this layout finished since Thursday, but I was busy with subbing and getting everything ready for classes to start tomorrow. This was for week 2 of 52 sketches...52 weeks. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, even if I may have gone a little overboard with the inking. I did stitching for the first time on a layout, and Josh did need to help, but I'm glad I tried it. I think I will definitely use stitching again, but I'm not sure I'm ready for anything else except straight lines...haha. The title tag and arrow are chipboard and then I heat embossed them black. I LOVE how they came out...the picture doesn't really do it justice. The paper is BG Urban Prarie and I used my Fiskars Scalloped Punch. 

OK, I know it's a short post, but classes start tomorrow and I've spent the past 2 days on the couch and not working on my end of break to do list, so I better get to work. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Nothing new to show...

Although I have been busy busy busy since I got home from work this afternoon, nothing is finished yet. I worked on the art work that I will be putting up in the living room, but I got a little stuck and can't decide if I like the papers I chose or how I want to finish it. So I put it aside and left it for another day. I also started the layout for this week's challenge at 52 sketches...52 weeks. I am proud of myself because as I said previously I wanted to expand outside my comfort box with scrapbooking and try sewing on my pages. I saw this week's sketch and realized it was a perfect time to try. So I had Josh get the sewing machine out and thread it and being the wonderful hubby that he is, he helped me. He stitched the first couple lines, then I took over. After I finished I did some practice lines and I'm really starting to get the hang of it. I'm proud of myself for experimenting. It's a shame that my parents gave me their sewing machine, and most of the time it sits in the closet. I really want to use it more. Ideally when we move into a house, the sewing machine will have a permanent spot in my scrapping room. I also briefly started the layout that is due for Sisterhood of Scrap on January 23. Even when I finish that I won't post it until the 24, because I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise of the sketch for Sketch Saturday. :-) Oooh, speaking of Sisterhood of Scrap they announced a Design Team call that I am VERY excited about. I'm going to send in my info in a couple days, so keep your fingers crossed! 

In other excited news, Josh and I got our Wii Fit today. We've been having a blast playing balance games. I've also enjoyed doing some yoga poses on it. I really enjoy yoga, but doing it on the Wii Fit is nice because it gives you a better sense of your balance and posture. OK, time to clean up the sewing machine, watch Law and Order: SVU, then go to sleep. Have a great night!

Busy, busy...

I have been in kinda a depressed funk the last couple days, so I'm glad I was feeling better enough to be creative. I called Josh this morning shortly after I had gotten to school and almost started crying for no reason. I think I'm just annoyed with subbing, especially after working consistently in a special ed classroom last year. I'm really not cut out for the younger ones and I have pretty much only been subbing for kindergarten and first grade. Every day I leave one of those classes I thank myself for having the presence of mind to switch from elementary education over to adolescence. Everyone thought I was nuts, but my family is finally starting to realize that I'm just not a huge fans of the little ones. As crazy as it sounds, I really enjoy working with middle schoolers. I will take a group of hormone-driven, crazy seventh and eighth graders any day over a bunch of 6 and 7 year olds. I did get asked today by the middle school to fill in for a long term sub as an aide. I would LOVE to accept, but just with needing subbing days as a teacher towards my first teaching certificate, it looks like I'm stuck subbing in the elementary school more. I know that subbing as an aide makes less money, but it would be more consistent, better hours, and a better age level. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind subbing in the elementary school, and I don't dislike children by any means, I'm just anxious to get my own classroom and have sicks days and vacation days, and a routine back. Maybe it will get better when the semester starts next week. 

OK, on to scrapbooking stuff! Sisterhood of Scrap posted their Monday challenge today. This week's challenge was a simple one...create a thank you card. This is what I came up with. I used stamps and punches from Stampin' Up. In case I haven't mentioned it, I LOVE their products! 

I also finished the altered project I was talking about last week. Last week I had covered all the letters with the paper, but tonight I decorated all the letters. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. It was difficult to have enough creativity and originality to come up with 6 different designs, but I really tried to get creative and use all of my supplies. I really liked the stamping I did on the 'R', but it was too flat, so I needed to add some stuff that would make it more 3D. Now I just need to get Josh to hang them up on my wall, which could take a while since opening is this weekend and he's busy with RD training/RA training now. 

OK, time to go watch some TV for tonight. I'm getting sleeeeepy. Luckily I'm only subbing 1/2 day tomorrow and don't have to be to school until 11:30, which means I get to sleep in! YAY!! Hope everyone had a great Monday!

Without further ado...

OK, so it's been a few days. Oops! I went to the doctor on Thursday for what was supposed to be a "simple" procedure, and of course with my luck, simple turned into complicated and incredible painful. And I have still been working and going about my day like normal for the most part, and I am paying for it! So I've been trying to take it easy, rest, and take my meds like a good patient. Which left no room for scrapbooking. :-( I'm back though! I did this layout for Julie's sketch challenge and it fit the criteria for the Sisterhood of Scrap weekly challenge as well. I was REALLY hoping to not use my sketch challenge layout for their challenge, but with not being able to scrap, it didn't happen. Maybe next week. And in case you can't read the resolutions they are: pay off my credit card, get a teaching job, be a better wife, maintain my weight, organize, clean, and de-clutter. Josh told me I needed to get rid of number 3 because I'm already a great wife (aww...isn't he sweet?!) But, I think there are always things I can do to improve...clean more, cooking or doing the dishes once in a while, be more supportive, encouraging...you get the picture!

Despite not feeling the best, I still went to Watertown with all of Josh's family on Saturday. We had a great time. I ended up getting a change to go to Michael's and picked up some alcohol inks from Time Holtz. I have seen these used, and have wanted to try them, but I've always been kinda scared and unsure. But, I want to experiment more with my pages and try stuff like that I sew and other techniques that I consider a bit "out of the box." I also picked up some papers that match the colors in the living room so I can get started on that altered project. I'm excited to get started on that. OK, that's all for now. Working on this page left me in quite a bit of pain and I'm subbing tomorrow so it's time for another pain pill and bed. Have a great Monday everyone!

Another card and lots to do

Although I wasn't really feeling very motivated today, I did manage to make this birthday card. My SIL birthday is tomorrow and we are all going out to dinner on Saturday. We are going to Applebee's, which seeing how the closest one is a little over an hour away, is going to be a treat. I am also going to splurge and order a Mudslide. (They are SO good there!!!) Anyway, I haven't decided whether to give her this one, or the birthday one that I posted a couple days ago. What do you think?

In other news, I started an altered project today, but I don't want to post pictures of it until it's all finished. I'm pleased with how it looks so far and think it will be really cute when it's completely finished. I was thinking today that the spring semester starts back up on Jan 19...a week and a half away! And I don't have anywhere near enough on my to do list done, so I've gotta kick my butt into gear! Here is what I'm hoping to get done before the new semester starts:

-finish the altered project for my scrapping room

-altered project for the living room

-making the fleece blanket and pillows for the living room

-paint and cover with paper the black cubes and put them up in my scrapping room

-organize all of my paper scraps

-organize, sort through, and de-clutter my school stuff

-sort, organize, rename some stuff on my computer so I'm all organized for the new semester to start

Not to mention I found out about a special ed job that is open, so I printed off an application today and need to get that filled out and sent in. I don't know when the position starts, and I don't know if they will even consider me because I technically don't have special ed certification yet, but it doesn't hurt to apply. 

OK, time to go to bed. I gotta get up bright and early for a massage, doctor's appointment, meeting, then home to get to work. Hope everyone is having a good week so far!

No scrapping today

Wow...it was a long day after being on vacation for 2 weeks. It didn't help matters that I didn't sleep well last night. I have been dragging all day, I meant to go to the gym when I got home, but I was too tired. I also didn't get home until close to 4 and Josh was getting out of work then so I didn't bother going because we had too many errands to run. After running all the errands I was too exhausted to do anything except watch Office Space and watch Josh play Wii Madden. I do have 2 pictures to show you today though. The first one is a Christmas present from my mom that I forgot to include last night. I was SO excited to get the cat album so I can include layouts of the cats in that album. 

The second picture is something I am thinking of ordering to help organize all of my scraps. I keep them in a folio type thing now and it isn't working! It just isn't easy/big enough/convenient to organize and sort through all of my scraps. I was thinking of almost like a filing cabinet type thing, but I want something more portable to take to crops. So, my wonderful hubby found these adorable bags. I really like the lime green one, which would match any Cricut bags or anything I ever bought, which is an added bonus. Anyway, what do you think? Any scrappers out there have any good ideas for storing your scraps? 

OK, time for me to go to bed! Back to the world of being a third grade sub again tomorrow...night!

Late post

Whew! Just made the cutoff deadline for 52 Sketches...52 Weeks. That is a great website that Julie hosts and she has an AMAZING new sketch each week and she also gives away great prizes to one lucky winner each week. She is changing it a little bit this year and I'm really excited about the changes she is making. Anyway, here is the layout I did for this week. I took much longer than I expected it to take just because of the 28 brads and eyelets. The ribbon looks really crooked, but that's just because the picture is a little crooked, it looks much better in person. 

As promised (a day late), here are pictures of some of the goodies I got for Christmas. I got the new cutting mat, Stickles, brads, 2 Cricut cartridges, and LOTS of Glue Dots from my parents. (I didn't include the brads or Glue Dots in the picture.) From my MIL and FIL and got the wavy trimmer, circle, wavy frames, and oval templates and cutter from Making Memories. I have tried many circle cutters and none work as good as the ones from Making Memories. I LOVE them! And finally, my wonderful hubby (he told me I couldn't call him DH anymore because he thought I secretly meant it as dumb husband...lol) got my the Cricut Expression!!!! YAY!!!!!! And of course 3 new cartridges and the wonderful cart for the Cricut and the cartridges. I still have my smaller, more portable Cricut on my scrapping desk, but there is no way the Expression or all my new cartridges would have fit. I am having so much fun playing around with the new Cricut and love that I can cut things out so much bigger. 

OK, I hope you enjoyed the LO and the pictures. It's time for me to go to bed since I have to be up early. I of course got a subbing call already for tomorrow, which I'm actually pretty happy about going back to work because I have been pretty lazy on my 2 week vacation. Goodnight everyone!

New layout

OK, no pictures of my Christmas gifts yet as promised, but I do have a new layout to show you today. This was from a trip I took with DH and the in-laws down to NYC. We drove down for the weekend, went to a Yankees game, and wandered around the city. It was a great trip! 

Anyway, hope you enjoy the layout. It's time for me to go work on my scrapping and cleaning/organizing to do list. I still hope to be back later with pictures of some of my scrapping goodies that I got for Christmas, but right now I'm waiting on a desk to be painted another coat and then dried before I can really take the picture. Have a good day everyone!

Quick post

Just a quick post for today. As much as I can't believe I'm going to say this, I need vacation to end. I have no motivation to do ANYTHING! Seriously, I laid on the couch reading a book today. I did manage to go to Wal Mart to get some things for dinner and clean/organize some of my receipts, tags, and junk drawers in my scrap room, but the scrap room just looks messy now because I just piled everything that I want to save from the junk drawers on my scrap table. I'm hoping once I start to sub again motivation will quick back in. I am not anxious for vacation from school to be over. I am dreading January 19, it was a TOUGH semester and I don't want to start all over again. 

OK, on to the reason of the post. Despite the laziness, I did manage to create a quick birthday card. I believe all the ink, stamps, punch, and cardstock is all from Stampin' Up. (I LOVE that company!!!) 

OK, it's time to get back to catching up on the whole season of Grey's that DH and I taped. With all my classes and school work, there was no way I could stay up to do on all the TV shows I like to watch. So far we've only watched the first 2 episodes, so we have a LONG way to go. 

Have a good night everyone, and I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of some of my amazing scrapbook presents that I got for Christmas. (I know Christmas is over, but I just had Christmas with the in-laws and I want to post all the yummy goodness!)