Play Ball

I got this new paper at 2 Scrappy Cats and I couldn't wait to use it. The colors go really well with Parker's team color. He is just having a blast with baseball. He is having some trouble with hitting the ball and none of them can really field, but he doesn't get discouraged or down on himself. He's just having fun and when you are 5, that is all that matters. He saw this layout and asked what it said and I said, "Well, let's sound out the letters. What's the first letter?" Then he burst into tears and screamed, "YOU ARE TRYING TO GET ME TO READ, AREN'T YOU!?" Do you think he will do that to his teacher next year? Yipes. I don't get it. But then, Parker always does keep me on my toes.

FINALLY....a header!!!!!

I didn't figure anything out--Blogger just simplified how to add a header. This is my first attempt and I still need to play around a lot. But for now, I like it. I love pink!

On friends

My friend Maureen gave me a card for my birthday and I love what it says:

Friends--together they...
share tears,
discuss fears,
down beers,
gossip about peers,
complain about their rears,
...hold onto each other through the years.


That pretty much says it all, doesn't it!?

Elsie's in the house!

Only a devoted scrapbooker would really care about this, but 2 Scrappy Cats has the new Elsie Flanigan line of products. YIPPEE!!! I have been waiting for this since January. I only bought paper because I'm cheap, but I'm still very happy.

Oldies But Goodies

I'm having fun scrapbooking these old pictures. Now I'm glad I waited because they look a lot better than they would have 5 years ago. I've been scraplifting a scrapbooker named Shannon Tidwell. I love every page she makes. The fact that she has two boys really helps too. I highly recommend scraplifting. It gives me somewhere to start and then I add my own touches. This is the page I scraplifted from her.

See, there are a lot of similiarities, but they are definitely not exactly the same. However, I would have no problem copying her exactly because I love her style!

I tried to clean my carpet today. For the most part it worked but there are little red kool-aid/gatorade/some kind of aid in a few places that will not come up. There is also a faded gray spot which used to have a big glob of grape gum on top of it. The gum came up but the spot remains. I guess that's to be expected with little kids. Well, it's to be expected when their mother isn't much of a housekeeper.

My BFF Heather is in town for the weekend. I love her. I love that she always makes time for me even though she has many people to see when she's here. Our routine is to go to lunch (must be either, Krekel's, LaGondola or Monical's) then do some shopping. We like to go to the consignment stores because you can really find some treasures. We went to one that we had never visited before High End Resale and we both found adorable little shirt/skirt outfits. Hers was $15 and mine was $13. Can't beat that! Thanks to Ms. Dawn for giving me the head's up about the store!

*Edited to answer anonymous. My layout is about the most simple layout a person could make. It's just strips of paper. I cut the pink/white stripe with scalloped scissors and punched little holes. I did the same thing with my journaling spot. The only trouble I had with this layout was getting the nerve to write "shower" at the bottom. It always feels like you are really taking a chance when you add something like ink or paint to a layout. Shannon's layout is way more complicated. She made a paper ruffle and sewed it down. She also had some fancy rhinestone rub-ons. I'm cheap so I just can't spend that much on embellishments so I almost always make my own. I hope this answered your question.

Flowers

I have much to say, but I'm busy, busy, busy right now so check back later!

The Littlest Harry Potter & other ramblings

As promised, I finally did a layout about Parker's first Halloween costume. Oh my gosh--how stinking cute is he!? It's hard to believe he was only 2 1/2 months old at the time. You know what really stinks about that day? We were living in Edwardsville at the time and Travis traveled a LOT. He was gone that day and everyone we knew had other things going on so no one got to see how adorable he was. Edwardsville has a big Halloween parade with costume contests which I know he would have won, but I had just broken my arm a few weeks before Halloween and it was still kind of hard to maneuver a stroller and baby so we just stayed home. Talk about all dressed up with no where to go! I took lots and lots of pictures though and I still have those little home-made pipe cleaner glasses.
As for the layout, what is my deal with stars!? Once again, I think I overdid it. You can't tell, but the really small stars are those gold stickers that are supposed to be used for reward charts. I love those. Always have. Maybe I should make a reward chart for myself and give myself stars when I complete chores like laundry and cleaning. That would be a practically empty chart I can tell you!
We went to Spitler Park with my dad today and hiked the loooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnngggggggg trail. The boys did great and only whined at the very end. I have to say that I was beginning to wonder if it was ever going to end and were we going to end up somewhere in Dalton City. However, when we were done, it felt like an accomplishment. Parker held my hand the whole time--you know I love that because I'm sure the days of hand holding with his mom are coming to an end soon. We saw a snail, a turtle, lots of squirrels and birds, minnows, tadpoles, a hawk feather and an owl feather. They loved looking at all the fallen trees and weird shaped trees and trees with big hanging vines and hollowed out trees. All of this wonderful, wholesome fun with nature and Buddy and I forgot my camera. What kind of scrapbooker/mom am I to miss this event? The moral of the story is to always bring a camera--always. I wonder what Parker and Jack will say when I tell them we have to go hike the trail again tomorrow so I can take pictures?
Oh, by the way, they are both asleep right now because it was a really loooooonnnnggggg trail!

The big day

Today was the day Travis has been waiting for since he heard the words "It's a boy!" Today was Parker's first baseball game. Around 3:00 Parker started asking if it was time for his game yet. It wasn't until 6:00 so he had quite a wait. I love that he was so excited. He did really well. He only had one hit, but he suffers from a common Graumenz (my maiden name) affliction--he overthinks everything. Thinking too much is not a great quality in most sports. However, I am confident that once he gets a little more experience, he will do just fun. He fielded pretty well to for a first timer. It was so cool to watch him out there. Then he went to the concession stand all by himself (well, with his team but without a grown-up) and ordered for himself. He's growing up right before my eyes!

Parker's Baptism

I misspelled "baptized" and I'm trying to figure out a subtle way to fix it, but other than that, I am happy with the results. I am digging out some old pictures that I have always wanted to scrapbook. Next up--Parker's first Halloween costume.

A few photos that I like...

This isn't a very good picture of any of them, but I think it's funny that Stella is eating a cheeseburger.

Look how high Jack is jumping!

Jack loves Travis' head!

Regraduation

Parker re-graduated last night from preschool. (He graduated last year too.) I have been so caught up in the events surrounding Mrs. Lamb's (his teacher) retirement that I haven't really had time to focus on this milestone for Parker. However, I am not really feeling too sad because I know he is ready for kindergarten. I did realize a few things though--most importantly that I need a new camera because the one I have doesn't zoom enough. I ended up with lousy pictures which is a huge bummer for a scrapbooker like me.

In answer to Maureen

Econ Man, Robocop, Bob Bender, Breakfast w/the Basketball Team, Walking to Wal-Mart for mascara, the bus rides to the mall, waiting on the steps of Redbird arena hours before the games began, DBG (Delta Beta Gamma a.k.a. the Drive-by Girls), Walking home scared shitless from University Theaters after watching Dead Calm, the Bon Jovi poster on the wall above your bunk in Randolph 104,callinh Richie Sambora Ricky, answering the phone S,S,S,& M, Sally's cave, Shana's BCP fund, and let's not forget about her bangs,Frank, the Steven Seagal wanna-be...how could you ever think your four years at ISU were a waste!?

In my previous blog I said that I feel like I wasted my 4 years at ISU. And I do. But the main reason is because I wish I would have majored in something I was actually interested in and good at. For 4 years I struggled with business related classes when that simply isn't the way my brain works. I am more of a creative type. There are plenty of careers that capitalize on creativity. Why didn't someone ever clue me in before it was too late? Isn't that what guidance counselors are for? As for the things Maureen mentions, many of them are regrettable--Bob Bender, anything to do with the basketball team OTHER than just going to games, we did walk miles and miles to Wal-Mart but I didn't remember it was for mascara. I hate public transportation--especially when groceries are concerned. I do remember seeing Dead Calm at the theatre. Creepy. I had a thing for "scruffy" looking guys. In fact there were three that I liked and we called them Scruffy, Scruffier and Scruffiest. Our roommate, Sally, who was an eccentric theater major hung a sheet from the top bunk so that her bottom bunk was offered some privacy. We called it a cave. She also snorted cocaine off of one of those make-up mirrors with the lights on the sides. Our other roommate, Shana was probably one of the strangest people I have ever met. She proclaimed to be from a wealthy family but she literally had maybe two pairs of jeans and three shirts. She would always go on about the white leather couches at her family's lake house. She also proclaimed to be completely virginal and innocent. However, she kept cash in an envelope marked BCP fund. That would be birth control pills fund. She also had really long hair and when she cut bangs one day, she took the cut hair, braided it and hung it on the wall. She also had pictures of guys from magazines hung all over her part of the wall (we all did) but when her parents came visit (only one time by my memory) she covered them all with construction paper. Odd girl. I have often said that the only other place you are forced to live in such close proximity to people you don't know or like is prison. (I suppose the military is like that too.) So, I guess I didn't completely waste my time at ISU--I made one lasting friendship with Maureen who will always be there to remind me of the stupid stuff we did when we were young! Thanks Maureen........I think! ;-)

Me at (gulp) 37

Random thought that I wrote down on the evening of my 37th birthday:

- I should have taken better care of my skin when I was younger so I wouldn't be fighting wrinkles now

- If I don't like something about my life, I should do everything in my power to change it instead of wasting energy complaining about it

-I hate it when I see other people driving while talking on their cell phone, but I do it all the time

-I miss high school

- Maintaining blonde hair is a full time job

- I've never ridden a horse

- I don't want a pet--not even a fish

- Sometimes I think scrapbooking is really silly and will fall out of style like macrame, but sometimes I think is terribly important--almost like a living legacy

- Sometimes I wished I lived in a very small rural town that is at least an hour away from the nearest Walmart

- I love everything about paper--texture, small, color, sizes

- I miss food days at work

- I don't miss work

- I feel like I wasted my 4 years at ISU for a variety of reasons

- I worry about everything

- I wish What Not To Wear would help me but they would have to let me buy all my clothes at Walmart, Target, Kohls and JCPenney

- I need Mission Organization too.

- I have never watched American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, Lost or 24 or almost any other network TV that has debuted in the last 5 years.

- I listen to Christian music in the car

- You would have to pay me to go to a concert

- Why do salads and sandwiches always taste better when someone else makes them?

- I must have pop in a plastic cup (or styrofoam if it's available) and milk in a glass. I wouldn't dream of drinking milk out of plastic cup.

- I hate cake with ice cream, but I almost can't eat pie without it.

So there you have it. That is what was going through my head around 11:00 p.m. on May 11th. If you didn't think I was a dork before, you probably do now!

I missed blogging!!!!

We have been having internet problems since my birthday so I haven't been able to blog. I have sooooo much to say! However, I have no time at the moment. I finally made a scrapbook page just for me and it felt good!!!!!!

A birthday wish

Tomorrow is my birthday. I can't think of a better gift than what Jamie Waters (scrapbook celebrity) received from her husband. How very, very lucky is she!? Click on this GIFT.

Another big step for Parker

My baby lost his first tooth. He first noticed that it was loose on Easter so I've had about a month to come to grips with this big step. Something about losing a tooth says that your child just isn't a baby anymore. The tooth is in the baggie and he's holding a note to the tooth fairy asking her not to take the tooth. Sounded like a reasonable request to me. For his very first tooth, the tooth fairy left a $20 dollar bill which he promptly went out and spent on this.

It's not my birthday just yet, but......

I bought a birthday present for myself. I am on a purse kick right now. I think it's because i want cute, stylish things, but I am too large to fit into cute, stylish clothing so I'm making up for it with purses! Seriously. This bag just screams SUMMER to me. It's a good one for me because it can get a little dirty and you will never know! (Baseball games are not condusive to cleanliness.) Oh yes, I bought a knock-off or a "replica" if that sounds less illegal to you. I'm the queen of cheap--like I would buy a real Coach bag for myself! I would like to , but then I would have to give up scrapbooking and I don't want to do that. ;-)

The day in the life of Stella

Sometimes she's happy.

And sometimes, not so happy. This is a temper tantrum, not an injury. I just have to laugh!

When can we come back?

Parker's class went to the STARR stables today to go horseback riding. They all did it and they all had fun. Cheryl Smith and her staff of volunteers are amazing! Parker's first words when he got off the horse were, "when can we come back?" That's always a good sign!

Birthday List

I am not soliciting birthday gifts but these are few things I wouldn't mind having for my birthday. (I'm serious about the iron--it's a Rowenta!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOMMY!

This is my college friend/roommate Maureen's son Tommy. He turned the big ONE yesterday! He is just the cutest, sweetest little guy! Watch out Maureen, if you think the first year went fast--they seem to pick up speed after their first birthday. What a cutie!