Crazy Blake - Thanksgiving - Nut Allergy - Clean Livingroom...???




















What in the world? Okay, Blake really put a show on for me last week. He likes the spotlight, especially when he's giving me his Cool Dude poses. Hilarious!



Thanksgiving - I actually took photos this year. It was a very relaxing, yummy day! Seriously, I have so much to be thankful for, it's just too long to list. I'll be putting a layout together soon. The photo I decided to share today is of the boy playing with their guns, which were supplied by non-other-than...Nick. Imagine that. He brought a whole garbage bag full of guns. They had a blast!


Nut Allergy - Kaila had an enounter with a Hazelnut, which I believe she's never eaten before. She's had almost every other nut you can eat. I'm giving you an inflamed and uninflamed photo to compare. The nut just TOUCHED her lips. She didn't even eat it! I'm calling the doctor today to get some other food allergy testing done. It freaks me out!

One more thing to be thankful for...a clean livingroom! Check it out!!!!

Lastly, I have some layouts to share. To get a closer look, just click on the photo.

I really appreciate you stopping by!

Thanks for peeking!



Shawn

Just a little to catch you up on. Since my last visit, we have experienced Halloween, thwarted the escape of a deer (yum!), installed my paintings from 3 years ago and created a several halfmaps from http://www.pagemaps.com/. Yes, we've been busy, but I'm definitely NOT complaining.

First off, we have the annual pumpkin carving at Grandma Lahr's. I can't tell you how much these kids look forward to scooping out the pumpkin guts and carving them some faces. It's hysterical. They all just dig right in. They were all tired and orniary, but we got it done! Then three days later, Halloween was upon us. Talk about frantic running all over. Sheesh! We had Kaila's program. We dropped off Nick's stuff for Halloween, dropped Kaila off at MIL's, zipped over to Blake's parade, picked Kaila up and zipped home to get the kids off of the bus. That night we had trick-or-treating. I had to take several photos of the unwilling children prior to departing. Right before leaving, Charlie came home and he actually went with us for the first time EVER! That was really nice. He and I were both impressed with the children saying thank you for every little piece of candy...until Grandma's. Can you believe they had to be prompted to tell Grandma thank you? I think they were exhausted. I was definitely glad it was over, but I have to say it was a really nice Halloween. Here they are in all their glory.

I guess Charlie got this deer towards the beginning of October, but I never posted a picture. This is Charlie with his first deer shot with a bow. He was so excited! Oh, so was I...don't have to purchase nasty store beef.

Next, we have the installation of my paintings from October 2004. I still need to purchase some other items to complete the look, but this will do for now.

Lastly, we have some layouts I created using the halfmaps. I completed all of these using The Scrapping Spot's November Kit. Loved it!

That's all for now. It's back to the grind for me. I've already accomplished so much for today. The rest will be alllll cake!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Oh, yeah, Baby! I did it! The dishwasher has been repaired! I got the parts...I put that sucker back together...I ran it...it WORKS! It's almost been 2 whole weeks of cleaning those byproducts of cooking/baking by HAND! Well, no more, I tell ya! Life is oh-so-good! Oh, and it only cost $24, as opposed to $560. Another expense averted.

Kaila and I went to Fire Safety at the Neshannock Fire Hall in New Castle, PA. She was so excited. Although, I must say that I didn't take half the amount of photos as I took last year. It was a shorter presentation as well. Kaila was happy and learned very quickly.

I have one layout that I did last year that hasn't been posted yet, but it's so cute I just had to share. Kaila is only 3 years old here. She just kills me.

Here are a couple more layouts that I did using SEI Grandpa's Attic that you can find on sale at ScrapNCircle.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to have some photos of our trip to the fire hall and my dishwashing saga soon.

Shawn

Can you say, "Busted?" I can say that, plus several other nasty adjectives. What on earth could I be spouting about? What is the one thing a lot of you women wouldn't want to live without? Well, if you said, Dishwasher...you hit it on the button. You win the prize! Kudos to you! My dishwasher has been down and out since the 12th, yes, the 12th of October. You may not think that that's very long, but let me set you straight on that little detail. When you cook, bake and make a mess as much as I do, a dishwasher is essential to your everyday operational successes. Today is the day. Today is the day that I pick my parts up at the appliance parts store and attempt, with great ambition, to restore my machine. The machine that I have braved through the last week and a half without. You never know how much you'll miss something until it's gone. Some few individuals would say that I jinxed myself due to the fact that I had my nails done and the actual name of my nail polish is...wait for it...wait for it..."I don't do dishes!" Can you believe that? Seriously, that's what it's called. My nails were done on Thursday...dishwasher busted on Friday. Imagine that!


Friday, I met Nancyroo at Scrapbook Station and we had a good time, just the two of us. Poor Nancy had to pry conversation out of me though. I wasn't really talkative and have no idea why. Sorry about that, Girl! Nancy's a Designer for No Bare Pages. Zip on over there and see some of her awesome creations. She whips them out like a pro. Oh, and you haven't seen the cutest little boy ever, you're in luck...he's all over Nancy's pages!


On the volleyball front...we had a tournament on Saturday. Can I just say that we didn't do so well. We pretty much "got served." I don't think our team really knew the actual competition that was going to be there. I hope if we participate in another one that we're a little more prepared. Thursday's volleyball was AWESOME! I got plenty of exercise that night. I was also sore/bruised the next day and I love it!


I haven't finished my layouts completely from Friday, but I do have a two-pager I did on Monday over at ScrapNCircle. ScrapNCircle has a lot of patterned paper on sale and will continue to have some sales until the store is done. Jeri has decided to close the online store. We had the opportunity to work some older SEI papers, which I LOOOOOVVVVEEEE! SEI...you can't go wrong. Here's one that I did last week using one of October's Pagemaps.

Thanks for popping in and listening to my rants!

Shawn

I ran my very first action using Adobe Photoshop 7.0. Can I just tell ya that that's about all I could do within a limited amount of time? There's a lot to this whole "photo-editing" thing. I have great respect for people who are able to zip all over the place doing everything..Ange..especially.

Anyway, here it is! I believe this action is called "Popstar" and I'm pretty sure my good friend, Angelina Schwarz, created it. Look how this photo just "pops!" Love it!

Well, I participated in an online crop benefiting Breast Cancer Research over at ScrapNCircle this past week. There were soooo many challenges, I just couldn't keep up. I'll be completing a couple additional ones within the next couple of days. It was seriously fun. Games, challenges..chatter...what more could you want? I used some really old supplies too. Ya gotta love usin' that up.

Here is what I created.

In other news, volleyball goes into full swing on Thursday starting off with a double-header for our team. Talk about a sore butt! Yeah, that's me. I keep saying I'm not getting old, but it is inevitable. I mean, I'll fight it until the bitter end, but my body is currently on strike....mainly in my neck/thighs/buttocks. It feels so good to be sore again!!!

I'm going to give a little shout out to my friends in Youngstown and Sharpsville. Hey, Chickies!!! Scrapbook Station this Friday...if you can make it. I know Jaci's pretty busy, but I'd still like to meet you! Roo, get your butt signed up and get on over there! I haven't seen you in ages. We'll have quite the gang. I'll get there fairly early, so let me know if I need to save your seats.

Thanks for stopping in!

Shawn

It's been a while... My darling friends keep telling me I need to "update your blog!" Yes, well, here is my update.

Here are several of the layouts I've been working on the last month, but not all of them. It's been a good scrapping month. I even managed to crank out a card. I know...wonders never cease. A lot of these are sketches from either Pagemaps or Scrapbooks, Etc.



One of the exciting things that I've done since my last post was get some acrylic nails put on. I wasn't sure how I would like them, or if I could even function with them. I'm here to tell you that I LOVE them! I'm actually going to get my first "fill" tomorrow. They're not at all what I expected. I've been procrastinating for years on getting them. I played volleyball with them last Thursday and everything. Love 'em! My darling friend, Lori has her own shop called "Jazzie nails." If you're ever in Saxonburg, Pa, be sure and check it out.

Another event, that I absolutely LOVE, is our semi-annual Scrap-a-Way. I look forward to this even immensely! The girls and I get together and scrap all weekend at a lovely hotel in Butler, Pa. I was able to complete 15 layouts while locked inside. Good food, good friends and great scrapbooking supplies. Ya just gotta love it!



Hunting season has begun for the Archer. My DH has decided to participate in this year's quest. I'm rooting for him all the way! Small game is also in, so Nick will also be "harvesting" for the family. I love his enthusiasm. Especially, when the freezer starts filling up with squirrels. I know some of you may think that's brutal, but I assure you that they are delicious!

School is going okay for all three children. Nick is non-chalant as ever with his studies, so that's a constant battle. Blake states that every day is "boring." And little miss Kaila LOVES it! So, she is a joy to get ready. We're still in the midst of field trips for all of them, but other than that, they have no extra activities.

I'm currently participating in ScrapNCircle's Crop for a Cure Crop. They have a lot of challenges going on right now and it's for a great cause.
Well, I have whiney children, so I must go locate some ymmy cashews to shove in their mouths.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Family...Friends...remain calm. I am updating my blog!

I realize I have some faithful followers and I thank you for checking my blog only to be disappointed at its lack of new content.

August was CRAZY busy. There was so much scheduling/traveling that went on, not to mention illnesses, etc. I'm glad it's over, let's put it that way. So, now I'm back and won't be leaving on any long trips until December.

School started at the end of August. I now have three children in the following grades, 4th, Kindergarten and Pre-K. Let me just tell you how weird it is to only have one kid at home most of the time. Kaila only has Pre-K three days a week for about two hours. It's nice, but weird. I'll have to force myself to get used to it ;)

How stinkin' cute are these pictures? Blake insisted on having "spikey" hair even though it is too long. He likes it that way. Take a look at what the first day of school did to poor, little Blake. He was overcome by exhausion! I had to physically remove him from the bus. Luckily, I had my camera handy and could snap a couple photos first ;) Blake seems to like it, but the verdict is still out on Nick's new school.

I'm also happy to report that I did complete several layouts Labor Day Weekend. I was going to scrapping withdrawal. I'll see how many I can actually upload for your viewing amusement. I used Pagemap/Scrapbooks, Etc. sketches for all of them. I completed another two-pager at the crop last night but it's not uploaded yet.

I have a lot of stuff to do today, so I must cut this short. I should be updating a little more regularly until the end of the year.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Jozzie's Chalet Blog Challenge --- #13

If I was a T-shirt I'd definitely say, "I'm skinny on the inside." Because I certinaly don't feel as large as I am. It's sad, but true. I hope to be able to join the country club over near me soon, but until that happens...I thus remain as I am.

I was able to complete a couple more layouts using the M2Y MOD kit. I'm not usually a very bright colored person, but I really enjoyed working with these papers. Click on each photo for a better look. I used a Basicgrey sketch for the two-pager and a Scrapbooks, Etc. sketch for the single page.

Thanks for popping in.

Shawn

Chalet Blog Challenge...my most favorite indulgence.

If we're talking food, it's definitely my homemade apple pie. It doesn't get any better than that and I just can't resist it! My Mom taught me how to make pie, but she says that mine tastes better than hers. I really don't get to eat hers very often, so it's hard to say. My husband says that my pie is the best that he's ever had BAR NONE. He says he's never tasted a better crust and that I get it so perfect every single time. That makes me feel good. So, if I need to lift his spirits, or make him a little happier than normal...I whip out the granny smith apples and get busy.

I had the pleasure of creating a layout using the August kit from Memories 2 You with the inspiration of a Basic Grey sketch. I decided to do more of the frog photos that I took of Kaila in May, because I took SO many. She's just hilarious with her love of frogs and all of those other slimy creatures. I also used my new Autumn Leaves flourish stamps. Those things are so versatile and you can create such a huge flourish with all of the little stamps. The flourish in the bottom left of the layout is three stamps.

Anyway, I have to get ready to go shopping and everything else.

Thanks for popping in!

Shawn

My most prized possession...

is the hope chest that I made in eleventh grade. I paid $74.50 for the wood/hinges. It's made several moves with me from Michigan to Pennsylvania (a couple different locations) until resting in its current location. I didn't really care what happened to anything else in my dwelling, but I was very involved in the relocation of this one piece. I'm not a terribly sentimental person and I could always purchase a new hope chest, but it wouldn't come with the memories of carefully choosing the wood, designing the "backsplash" or the many hours of sanding it to get it to the exact smoothness that I desired. I have a lot of great memories going to my shop class my Junior year. It was one of my most favorite classes. I loved to make things that were going to be useful. I'm not into things that aren't practical. So, when I look at this hope chest I not only see an heirloom for my daughter and her daughters...I see the many cherished memories that go with it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawn

Scrapbook Chalet Blog Challenge with Jozzie!


I'm not sure how many of these I'll be able to do, but it's a great idea to keep my blog hoppin'!

Number 1 on the list is the one scrapbook item I cannot live without, as I'm sure no other scrapper can live without as well...a camera!


I have some very exciting news in my little world. I did post it on the Chalet, but some of my bloggers don't know that I received my new Nikon D40 via DHL yesterday. I charged that baby and I took it on a test run. I took a total of 75 photos the first time out. It is so different than my other camera, which is why I already LOOOOVVVVEEEE it! I've been waiting so long for this. Can you tell I'm excited? I can't wait to see what other amazing images I get with this. The lighting was really low yesterday and I haven't read the entire manual, so I didn't touch very much except the automatic setting. I'll get into everything else later. I just wanted to PLAY!



You can click on the image to see it closer, if you so desire.

I guess I better get on to less enjoyable things...like cleaning. UGH!

Thanks for popping in!

Shawn