Brad & Abby's Reception

Brad and Abby (my hair stylist) got married on May 24th in Hocking Hills. The reception for family and friends was held yesterday and we attended. It was beautiful weather and the food and cake were yummy! Abby had her wedding dress on for a while, but I failed to take a picture in time. I only got a few pics when they cut the cake.
You can't tell here, but the base cardstock is the shimmery white from Papertrey Ink. I used Pretty in Pink cardstock with Fresh Snow ink for the next layer. I added a pre-made flower embellishment. I changed the center stone to a purple one. That way the colors matched her wedding colors. I added some shimmery white grosgrain ribbon. Easy. I had to make this card quick! Mom wrapped the gift from all of us and I made the card.

This cake resembled the one she had at her wedding (private ceremony). The other one was purple with pink and this one was light pink with purple. It was a white cake with raspberry filling. Delicious! It's hard to see the "E" on top with the pink bling.

They smashed cake on each other's faces!!! The other pic I took of Abby showed that, but it was so very blurry since I was standing too far away.

Just thought I'd share a little tidbit from our weekend. Still plugging away with wedding details for Julie and things around the house. :)

Love the Hoover

Well, my sweet co-worker lent me her Hoover Steam Cleaner. All I had to do was buy a bottle of cleaner. I have just finished vacuuming and steam cleaning the basement carpet. That thing is twice as heavy as a regular vacuum, so my carpal tunnel and bum shoulder sure got a workout. Ouch. Looks like things are going to dry quickly, then I can give it a finishing vacuum touch. I love the look of "sweeper marks". LOL! Other houses in town got way more water and I am just thankful I'm about done with the cleanup job. Our neighbors next door had their basement waterproofed earlier this year and I asked her today if they had a drop of water. Nope! I was happy their investment paid off!

This weekend I will be finishing up the basement fiasco, steam cleaning the main floor carpet, doing wedding things for Julie and finding some time to relax and recoup from this past crazy week. I'll see you on the flip side....

Flood Zone

Well, it sprinkled earlier today. No big deal. Jack kept pacing the floor like a maniac tonight and nothing soothed him. The thunder clapped and the lightning flashed. I kept trying to tell him all was well. Then, it POURED BUCKETS! I had just finished my last load of laundry and had hung up my pants. Then, it happened. Water started seeping in the basement wall near our dryer (and a window). Then, it came and came and came.....all along the front wall in my craft area. The carpet got soaked, the tile was a great smooth surface for water to coast across (sigh) and we scrambled like worker ants with EVERY TOWEL WE OWNED to soak up the water. It was too much and the towels just floated on the surface. Granted, it was only a half inch deep, but in our basement (and by the carpet) that is one half inch too much. It traveled all the way over to the storage area under the steps. Not sure yet if it went under all the Christmas decoration boxes, etc. It even came from an odd corner under his work bench in the laundry room. It hasn't done that before. At one point, after losing the water battle I said "I need a break." It was that or lose my cool. I came up to survey the downpour. It wasn't letting up and our street was a raging river along the curb. The back yard drain was overcome and the back 1/4 of our yard was a swimming pool. I was afraid to let Riley out so he PEED in the house...TWICE! I can handle some pee. I am sick of water!

We now have tons and tons of soaked towels to wash, carpet to clean, tile to mop and a complete disarray of things everywhere and out of place. We spun the soaked towels in between fighting the flow of water. We are whooped. I'm not a drinker, but I could down a few right now. LOL!

In perspective, at least we don't live in earthquake or hurricane zones. Yuck!
Hmm...guess my half day off tomorrow will be spent downstairs cleaning and disinfecting rain water from everything. I think Riley drank a tankful of it as it ran across the floor. Seriously. No wonder he peed. LOL! Yep, all I can do now is laugh. OH and here is a song for today....click HERE, then click the play arrow on the 4th version. It's the best.

My Life is a Comic

Jack really does to this crazy "one ear up, one ear down" thing. Scary this is so much like him.

They don't get table scraps like this. I share one bite of this or that, but they have to stay healthy (unlike their junk-food-eating Momma). :)

They have an orange ball and an array of things "chewy" like these two in the comic. LOL!

One thing is guaranteed...every time I am sorting laundry the above scenario happens. Always. I'll tell you though....Kevin has no polka-dotted boxers. LOL! Gotta love the look on these two faces. Riley is delighted and scampering away quickly. Jack,the sneaky one, has that look of "not me". So totally my boys! I have two orphan socks still. I wonder where he put them!

For those who don't know...Mr. Sheet is the softest sheet in the world. He is part of a pair of sheets from the 70s. The fitted one, Mrs. Sheet, is on the spare bed over the duvet cover to repel the dog hair. Those sheets rock! The pattern is so retro, but they are so soft. The boys like them, too. :)

The boys share our king bed each night. Riley has to be touching someone and is usually up against me. Jack sleeps between our feet at the end of the bed. They are so worth it. They totally crack us up daily and it's kinda scary just how accurate this comic is to our lives! :)

Just had to share for a laugh. If you ever wonder what we're up to, just reference this comic. They forgot one scene.....running, biting, fighting. That's normal here, too. LOL!!!!!!!

Butterfly Thanks

Joan made these adorable butterflies and shared with me. I created this simple card by adding a black border with my ruler and journaling pen, some "flight dots" and a stamped sentiment. The butterfly punch is by Fiskars.

Thanks for fluttering by! :)

Fancy Pants Card Trio

Mom and I went to the Friday night crop at our local scrapbook store. I worked on a few pages, then made some cards using my new Fancy Pants double-sided papers. I added in some cardstocks from SU! and Papertrey Ink. The yellow ribbon is from PTI and the pistachio ribbon is from Dollar Tree. I was just tickled when it matched this paper.
The yellow-green bling stones are from Archivers and I got the plastic flower/leaves at last year's rubber stamp convention in Akron. Sorry I don't remember the brand. I added some paper piercing, a punched white flower and the stamped sentiment.

Easy one here. I added Stickles on the polka dots and blue patterned paper. The sentiment is from SU!. When Kevin saw this one, he said "cheers to you" sounded like a drink. Well, it could be a congrats card, a b-day card or whatever. I hadn't thought of the alcohol theme. LOL!

I cut the teal flower from the patterned paper, inked the edges and created the flower center using patterned paper, punches and some bling stones.

Thanks for stopping by! We're just doing misc. this holiday weekend. I think I'm supposed to be cleaning the dog snot on the front windows and whatnot, but you can see where I am...here! LOL!

Wild West Day

Rhonda wore a bull costume. Ok, she is my sister, but today I didn't claim her. LOL! Chris decided to try out for the rodeo in our hallway! Patients know we are hard-working, but they also enjoy seeing us having fun together. I saw a lot of smiles on their faces today. :)

This is serious blackmail material. Gotta love a snorting bull with a name badge on! Wacko! That was about the only normal thing on Rhonda today! She had some seriously glamorous hair when the day was done. LOL! (hey, mom and dad...am I seriously related to her?)

What another fun day! Dr. D was the sheriff. He said this was his GQ pose. He makes us all feel so appreciated during our Employee Appreciation days. :)

Terra and Dr. R were partners in crime. Yee Haw! Adorable Terra is due with her first baby in October. You'd never know she's 20 1/2 weeks pregnant, huh? She has a cute little round bulge under her vest. :)

Vickie was decked out and looked quite cute I thought.

Our office mascot Reginald was festive,too. He's a stuffed reindeer made from socks and brown work gloves. He has real kid clothes on and is usually the talk of the office depending on what mischief he's into. LOL!

Dr. Danielle and Sara were the cutest cowgirls this side of the Mississippi!

I managed to wear denim, a patchwork shirt and a cowboy hat all day. I had some serious hat head! LOL! It was fun and we enjoyed "beans and weenies", chips, and yummy desserts. Dr. D had Gene Autry tunes playing for all to hear. Yee Haw! Until next year's dress-up time....:)

Answer to Blog Candy...

Well, sorry no one guessed the correct answer to my blog candy question. Bummer, dude! I had asked what happened today between 8am-noon while I was at work. The answer is that Jack and Riley got to stay out of their kennels! All was well when Momma got home at noon. Good boys! They also got to stay out while I was at my dentist appointment. I finally put them in when I left to go with my mom. They only had two hours in there today until Kevin got home after 5pm. I am so proud of my mulch-eating, wood-chewing, fighting, biting, rowdy little men. LOL! I guess I'll try this every so often until they prove they are well behaved. Or, at least until they learn to hide any evidence of their mischief. Just tonight, Riley stole a pair of Kevin's undies and went flying up the basement steps doing his victory lap through the living room. What a nut! They crack me up. So, sorry no blog candy winner. Play again next time. :)

Make A Wish

This is a 3x3 card. I rounded the top two corners, added some patterned paper, a chipboard star covered in patterned paper, some white gel pen dots and a stamped sentiment. Quick and easy. Cute to add to a gift package or hand deliver to a special someone.

I sponged the strip of black/white polka dotted paper with my VERY OLD Luscious Lime ink pad to match the lime color of the other side of the paper. I punched out a small star and adhered both inside the card. OH and I can't wait to find some paper soon to match that lime ink pad. It is an "oldie but goodie" color I think.

Heading to the dentist for my routine cleaning. Later! Another GORGEOUS day here today! Ah.......sunshine makes me smile! :)

OH.....can you guess what happened between 8am-noon today while I was at work? Leave a comment here and I'll pick a winner tonight at 10pm for a little blog candy goody. *wink*

Fiesta Day

Every year at our office, Dr. D plans Employee Appreciation Days. This week we are having Fiesta Day and Wild West Day. It is a fun way to show our silly side, have fun and enjoy great food. Dr. D's wife made enchiladas, Texas Sheet Cake and brought chips/salsa. Dr. D said Texas was close enough to "south of the border" so that was dessert. :)
Today was Fiesta Day. Dr. V and Dr. D had on their garb and posed after lunch. Dr. V lived in Guatemala for several years with his missionary parents and that is a real machete on his belt.

Sara, Kathy (aka Pepito) and Vickie all dressed to the nines for this theme. Love that mustache Pepito! Vickie wore her authentic scarf and brought her fan from Spain. She went with a Spanish theme instead of Mexican. Sara was a cute little chica!

Cindy decided to be the comedian and wear her "swine flu" mask for a quick picture. Although we take the swine flu seriously in our office (thank goodness for no cases here), this was kinda funny! The Mariachi music was playing from her desk and about drove her nuts by the end of the day. Arriba Arriba.....yoo hoo! Yep, it was pretty wild at work today!

Karen wore her Mexican soccer jersey. Her smile shows she was less than thrilled to get her picture taken. :)

Yep, there are always party poopers. Well, hmm...I don't really have anything "south of the border" and I need to be super comfy for my job. I decided to wear my bright scrubs (you can't see my lime green pants here). I told Dr. D that my spots were "taco toppings" blue=blue corn chips, green=guacamole, orange=cheese, red=tomatoes, etc. Lisa wore her fiesta scrub. The triangles look like tortilla chips. Her black pants=black olives. Katie wore brown pants (taco meat) and a bright scrub top. So, we all called ourselves the "taco bar". Yeah, right. LOL! And, yes I was very comfy today. Now, what to wear Thursday for Wild West Day. Oh boy! Scrubs again? They are like pajamas! :)

Barb (my sweet, sweet co-worker who recently lost her dog and has the granddaughter with VADER syndrome and I asked you to pray for) wore her daughter's authentic scarf. Dr. D had brought in several sombreros to share.

It is a GORGEOUS day here today! Between the sunshine, a fun day at work and the last week of American Idol starting....well, this day ain't too shabby I say! :) I have a dentist appt. tomorrow, then Mom and I are going to Mansfield. I love my half days on Wednesday. Thanks for stopping by and I'll share one more little card this week. Adios amigos!

It's the little things...

The silly thing about this card is that I stamped and heat embossed this butterfly a few months ago. I attempted to use it several times, but never liked anything I made until Saturday when this card came to be. I can't remember if I stamped the butterfly in copper ink, then heat embossed it with Iridescent Ice powder. It seems like that was the combo. LOL! I used Mellow Moss and So Saffron cardstocks, Chestnut Roan ink and added some Cuttlebug embossing(stylized flowers folder) and copper bling stones. The card is 4x4.

You can see the iridescent shimmer of the butterfly here. I ended up giving this to my mother-in-law with a nice note inside. She read it, said "aww" and then told me she hadn't really done much for us lately. Duh, she brings us her newspaper daily. What a sweet gesture. Not only does it save us money, but I then share it with Wanda next door. So, yes....it's the little things she does that makes life big. Sometimes her "drop off" has some yummy homemade food, too. It's a nice surprise when I don't have to cook dinner. :)

What does someone do for you that makes your life special? Tell them you appreciate it. Life is so short that in a blink of an eye they could be gone. I'm so grateful my stamping hobby helps me share a piece of my heart with those I love. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Girly Top Note Die Quilt

Here's the "girly" version of the card idea I showed yesterday. I inked the edges of the finished piece and the sentiment with Pretty in Pink ink. The sentiment is stamped using Lavendar Lace ink. I adhered the finished piece to a glossy cardstock base, then added four self-stick pink bling stones. A girl's gotta have bling! (Right, Bambi? LOL!)

You can see the Creative Memories Delight double-sided paper pack in 12x12 HERE. Yesterday I linked you to the Power Palette of the boyish Discover collection. You can buy just the patterned paper of either collection if you don't want the whole Power Palette. The pattern is scaled down on the freebie 3x3 paper pack I got. Be sure to notice the full 12x12 scale when you click the link I highlighted above. Wanna buy it? Contact your local CM consultant or order online HERE.

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great week everyone!

Top Note Die Quilt

Top Note Die Quilt How-to: 1) Cut a piece of cardstock to 3 3/4" x 5". 2) Punch out 12 squares of coordinating patterned paper using a 1 1/4" square punch (I inked edges of each one using Chestnut Roan chalk ink). 3) Adhere all 12 squares to 3 3/4" x 5" cardstock piece. 4) Run "quilted" piece through die-cutting machine using the Top Note Die from Stampin' Up!. 5) Adhere quilted piece to card base, add eyelets and layered sentiment.

I had seen this neat idea on several blogs and finally tried it. I will show the "girly" version tomorrow. I will definitely be making more of these! It is an easy way to showcase a coordinating paper collection or use up your many many scraps! I got the 3x3 patterned paper pack sampler free from a Creative Memories consultant when I bought a small paper album at her crop. The 12x12 version has the patterns on a larger scale. You can see the boyish Discover collection HERE. It is part of their Power Palette series.

This is who came to visit us Saturday.....Riley's brother Tucker! This is him after running in the wet grass with Riley and Jack. He is just a peanut!

Oh, yes. They were all over....in the yard, in the house, on the couch, on the bed, etc. Kevin was laying in the floor watching tv and Tucker didn't hesitate to crawl over him to get to the other dogs. They were non-stop! LOL!

After a lot of rambunctious playing, I decided to break out the rawhide treats. The smallest dog (Tucker) kept stealing from the other two. Silly boy!

I just love this one. They were all watching something out the front window. Probably the birds who have a nest in the front bush and kept flying in and out over and over. Tucker and Riley got on the ottoman for the best view. Jack stood on Riley's puppy steps to see out. He uses them more than Riley. Silly big boy!

See you tomorrow for the "girly" version of the Top Note Die quilt card.

Puppy Jail, a Bird Egg and Prayers Needed

Ah, it's RUFF being a puppy. Momma keeps me in puppy jail while she's at work. I'm too ornery to graduate yet! At least I have my snuggly red blankie with me in jail. Isn't my new haircut cute? Momma had Betsy trim me shorter and cut my face in a puppy style. I'm so handsome I deserve to be out of jail. Amen. Luv, Riley

Momma keeps us in puppy jail in the back yard, too. This is where we were tonight while she was checking on the baby bird egg that fell on the ground. We whimpered. I think she did, too, since she was sad for the egg. Do you see Riley's very green paws? That's cuz Momma mowed and we ran like maniacs in the grass. (psst....I'm the handsome one on the right. Luv, Jack)

Ok, now it's my turn to write. When I was mowing on the west side of our house, I noticed this blue egg under one of the small bushes. I went back later to see if I could find a nest it may have fallen from. No. The only nest I know of is in the tall bush near the front of the house. Wonder if the momma bird laid it here or what? It puzzled me, but I wanted so badly to make a difference and put it back for her. God bless that little baby bird. It probably won't make it, I'm guessing. I didn't know what to do so it is still there in the same spot. *sniffle*

Sorry, still nothing crafty to share. I did want to update you on a few things. Kevin's job was reduced to four days a week instead of five. That will mean an even tighter budget here. It is a blessing to have a job in this economy and we are certainly counting our blessings. We'll adjust. When he called me at work to tell me, the pit of my stomach rose up in my throat. At first, I thought he was going to tell me they laid him off. Whew. That could happen, but for now he's there four days a week. Not complaining, just informing.

Please pray for Kaylee Holtzapple. She is the beautiful 3-year-old granddaughter of my co-worker Barb. Kaylee was born with several birth defects (V.A.T.E.R. syndrome) and has undergone several corrective surgeries (ortho, urological and bowel). Just today they found out from her urologist that she will have to be catheterized every 3 hours. She retains urine, which in turn damages her kidneys. She had just begun potty training and will now have to change that. She was also born with no anus, had surgery to form one and has no bowel control. She was to begin bowel training in order to "hold" it in big girl panties. This may all be graphic, but it will help you understand some of her difficulties and what to pray for. Barb and her husband will visit Kaylee in Kentucky this weekend for a family celebration of her other granddaughter's first birthday. I told Barb to have a safe trip, then she told me the news and we shared a hug and some tears. She is such a dear woman and I couldn't help but share so you can pray for their family. Thanks!

And, lastly...Kristie Gauss. She is the one with cancer I talk of often. Her son, Zak, has been having some breathing, eating and swallowing difficulties. They aren't sure if he has asthma, a swallowing problem or if this is all completely stress related. Kristie also has a sinus infection. This family remains so faithful day to day and any prayer for them is so appreciated.

You see....one day off work per week is so minor when you put it all into perspective, huh? :)

On Saturday, I am picking up our food from Angel Ministries, getting my hair cut/colored and then spending time with my sister, mom and nieces. Kevin and my dad are going to the drag races. Hope you have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!

Wonderful Wednesday

Well, the card below had the word Wonderful on it and today is Wednesday, so the title of the post became Wonderful Wednesday. In all honesty, it hasn't been too shabby so far. That's a good thing.

Riley is at the groomer so Jack and I had a nice long walk together. It is sooooo much easier to walk with just one dog than two. No leash tangles! LOL! I haven't done anything crafty this week, but have one card I want to share. I was at my neighbor Wanda's and she showed me her Mother's Day card from Luann. It is gorgeous! I asked her if I could take a picture and share the idea. Luann works at a hospital and she bought it from one of her co-workers. The card is even more gorgeous in person, but check it out below...
Cardstock and ink colors are Taken With Teal, Tempting Turquoise and Old Olive. Not sure the flower set, but the "wonderful" is from the set Warm Words.

Love her little glittery details and the dimension of the leaves.

She used the distressing tool on the cardstock edges and I LOVE that edge punch. Wish I knew who made that. Isn't it neat that she also inked the punched area to emphasize the design?

Oh, yeah. This card was well worth me bringing home to photograph. Hope you like that I shared it. Gotta run...doing a lot of miscellaneous around the house. Riley should be ready soon to be picked up. His brother keeps looking for him and wonders where I hid him. LOL!

Oh wait...before you go. Please go HERE to read updates on Mic Becerra and his battle with acute myeloid leukemia. He and his family could use your prayers. Thanks!

Blessings Magnet

The clear patterned plastic shape was purchased at the local scrapbook store. I added punched/stamped scallops, Prima flowers, brads and a magnet on the back. I have to get more of these clear scalloped circles and make more magnets. I was very happy with how this turned out. It matches the purple in my mom's kitchen. When she sees it, she will have a reminder that I love her. :)

The stamped scallop is adhered to the front and the yellow scallop is adhered to the back. It makes it more dimensional, plus hides the adhesive. I used my Marvy circle punch on the thin magnet sheet to get this larger magnet piece. I used the Crop-a-dile to punch holes for the brads.

Thanks for stopping by!

My Wonderful Mom

My mom is a tender, God-loving woman who is an example of gentleness, kindness and thoughtfulness. I am so blessed to call her mine. I love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

I made this mini album for Mom. It is from Creative Memories and comes with the paper album, printed papers/photo mats, epoxy stickers, clear word stickers and die-cuts. I added some letters cut out with the Cricut and my hand-written notes of love and appreciation. Click each pic to make it bigger and read the journaling. First, grab a tissue. I tell ya, I wept when I did this. Happy, appreciative tears. I am so blessed to have the mom I do. :)

Under the inside cover, I tucked a certificate for a pedicure.

Check back tomorrow to see the magnet I made for her using Prima flowers, punches, stamps and a die-cut scalloped circle. Have a wonderful day!