Cathy

A Summary of the Fall of 2010

2010-12-27T20:53:00.002-06:00

I decided to do a summary of 2010 since I haven't posted since July. We have had a fun fall with lots of exciting events. First Seth has become obsessed with hunting and fishing! He fished all summer and then the middle of August went to college at Fayetteville. He has had a great time and pledged Sigma Kappa. He seemed to have adjusted to college and finished with a 3.4 average. We are very proud of him. He also came home often on the weekends once bow season started and killed a doe and an eight point buck with his bow and then another big buck with his gun.

He is rooming with Jake Strother and it took us about an hour to move him in move into a dorm.

Since both kids are in Fayetteville we went to all the Razorback games. Lauren's fiance lives in Kansas City and he would meet us in Fayetteville for the games.

In October my Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary. They renewed their vows at their church and then we had a big party for them.

This fall we are also planning Lauren and Ryan's Wedding. We had a cake tasting at Rick's Bakery and of course all the guys wanted to be a part of that! We were lucky enough to have Ryan's Dad in town visiting Ryan's brother (who is also attending U of A). You should see the after plate! hahaha

We had all our Mississippi Relatives here for Thanksgiving! We love seeing these people and always have so much fun with them. We gathered at the Cotter Bridge for our group picture and it was FREEZING!!!

This brings us to Christmas!! My brother and his wife spend every Christmas with us and we love having them here with their precious dog Abi! We went to the First Baptist Church Service on Christmas Eve and then celebrated Christmas for 2 days.

Daisy got a reindeer for Christmas!

I'll try to do better on my blog in 2011.

Destin 2010

2010-09-02T07:14:00.001-05:00

We went to Destin during the first week of July with the whole family. We celebrated the fourth of July and then next day we celebrated my 49th (no I'm not lying) birthday!

We stayed in a really nice condo on the top floor right on the beach. It was really nice because the whole family was there including our future son-in-law and my Mom and Dad. We even watched fireworks from our balcony on the beach.

Every morning and every night the BP workers would gather on our beach and spread out for miles cleaning the beach. We NEVER saw a drop of oil and never smelled any odor. And believe me we went and looked for the oil. The water was beautiful every day. We never saw the BP workers pick up anything. They would just walk around with their nets and gloves and boots.

Lauren hung this cute fabric banner I got off etsy for my birthday party!

My Mom and Dad. We're so glad they were with us.

Seth and Ryan loved throwing the football on the beach

Lauren and Seth

We are already planning a big wedding for May 28, 2011 for Lauren and Ryan!

Seth's High School Graduation

2010-08-09T09:46:00.000-05:00

Seth graduated from Mountain Home High School in May and we are very proud of him. He is the baby so we are going to have an empty nest. Now I have realized there are good and bad things about an empty nest and I am trying to look at the positive. John and I are really kind of looking forward to just doing things together again like it was before kids. I'll just have to pray every night that the kids are safe and put them in God's hands. That's all I really ever worry about anyway is that they are safe, healthy and happy.

Ryan, Seth and Lauren

Papa, Seth and Nana

My brother Jay and his wife Christina

My cousin Ann (I call her Sister) and her husband Mark.

John's sister Nancy and her husband David.

Lauren's Bridesmaids

2010-06-04T08:31:00.000-05:00

Lauren decided to ask her bridesmaids to be in her wedding in a special way. So she gathered the fabric and crafting supplies and got busy.

She made them each a canvas with their initial and a twisted fabric flower. She is so creative and a true artist.

She made them in my studio and I loved having her in there to just play. She cut the initials out on my Cricut.

I loved how they turned out! She gave each girl a canvas with a little easel to put it on. Here is a picture of Christine with hers. She has 8 bridesmaids. Leah Floyd, Marci Morgan, Christine Grosso, Emily Burkhead, Stacey Miller, Holly Gray, Nicki Woosley, and Laura Miller. They are such wonderful girls!

Spring Break Cruise 2010

2010-03-28T15:39:00.000-05:00

The Norwegian Sky

The first full day on the boat the boys went fishing and Lauren and I stayed on the boat. The crew conducted a safety drill and actually launched all the rescue boats and shut the metal water safe doors. It was really interesting and Lauren and I were glad the boats actually floated.

This is a cute bench in front of an ice cream store in Atlantis.

The aquarium at Atlantis.

Seth and Weston snorkeling.

Me and John on the balcony..............................NOT!

John's new hairstyle.

We had a great time and loved the warm weather and the sunshine.

Scrapbooking

2010-03-16T19:13:00.001-05:00

I did a layout for my All About US scrapbook about our trip to Spark. I use the Library of Memories System (Stacy Julian) to organize my photos and my scrapbooks. I have a scrapbook for All About Us, People We Love, Places We Go, and Things We Do. I also make a scrapbook for Seth for each of his High School Golf Years. Along the way each year I make mini-books about special events like Spark or a special vacation. Right now I am focusing on photography and trying to learn Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom to edit and organize my photos. I am struggling. I have learned a lot but it seems I still haven't even scratched the surface. I will keep plugging along. I wish I could just slide a DVD into my brain and download all the info.

Spark

2010-02-28T19:07:00.000-06:00

My cousin and I went to Spark in Salt Lake City in the fall. We had a great time lighting our creative SPARK! I finally got around to finishing one of the classes we took there. We were given a Donna Downey fabric scrapbook and I added some pictures and created the pages. I love how it turned out. The fabric was really fun to work with, and I just used fabric glue to glue on the fabric and glossy accents to glue on the pictures.

Being Creative

2010-02-18T16:56:00.000-06:00

I added these flowers to a shirt I bought at Walmart. They are rolled fabric and I learned how to make them at a wonderful event called Spark last november in Utah. I think there is going to be a Spark II! Excited!

I call this my bird book. The book was a class I took at Creative Escape in Arizona. The project was designed by the talented Heather Bailey. She has beautiful fabrics and papers. I reorganized my studio last week and I work so much better in a clean organized space!! Ahhhh!

Valentine Cards

2010-02-08T19:46:00.000-06:00

Well today it snowed AGAIN!!! I was all bummed about it and feeling dreary. So I decided to close all the drapes and pretend it wasn't snowing and go scrapbook. My Fav! I ended up making some Valentine Cards from a card kit called Sugar Rush Greeting Card Kit from Basic Grey. If I knew how to leave one of those fancy links I would right HERE but since I don't just google it. I love the results and now I can check that off of my list and I am all about checking things off my list. Enjoy!!

January 2010

2010-01-24T23:37:00.000-06:00

We had a surprise snow storm in early January. The temperatures reached single digits for several days and the snow didn't have a chance to melt. The kids used all of their snow days before they even went back after their Christmas Break. As you can tell Daisy loved the snow and didn't even notice the temperature. The kids shoveled off Mom and Dad's driveway and Seth took this great picture of Lauren and Ryan. Maybe he should give up golf and become a photographer!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-24T23:29:00.000-06:00

We had 4 different Shih Tzu's this Christmas. I have Daisy, Lauren has Paisley, Christina and Jay have Abi, and my Mom and Dad have Oscar. Somehow I missed taking a picture of Oscar. (Probably because he spends most of the time under a chair hiding from the young dogs) We all had a little Christmas outfit for our puppies. They had a great time playing with all of their new toys. Who says Christmas is only for kids? hahahaha

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-01-24T23:16:00.000-06:00

We had our annual Thanksgiving reunion in Jackson Mississippi this year. My cousin Ann has an old house called The Heath House in Port Gibson Mississippi so we traveled about an hour out of Jackson to her second home to have our dinner. She is in the process of redoing the house and has made so much progress. It was like traveling back in time. She is furnishing the home with period items she picks up at estate sales. After dinner we traveled to the Windsor Ruins. Years and years ago this beautiful home burned and this is what remains. The pictures don't do it justice. Those columns are HUGE and the tops are solid iron. How in the world did they get them up there 100 plus years ago?? The last picture is of the whole family in front of The Heath House.

SPARK

2010-01-24T22:52:00.000-06:00

My cousin and I went to this GREAT event called SPARK. It was hosted by Rhonna Farrer, Elizabeth Kartchner, and Margie Romney-Aslett. It was held in Salt Lake City. It was a day and a half of fun to "spark" your creative soul. We had sewing, jewelry, photography, and art journal classes. It was so fun and the site was decorated so cute. The mountains were in the background and we took some great photos. Ann and I met our first Morman friend, Amy Dalley, and she was sooooo sweet. We asked her all of our Morman questions and she was happy to answer them. They are some of the MOST creative people I have ever met. The whole community is centered around the arts in many different forms. I was just inspired to see so many artistic people creating. We are planning to go back next year!!

State Overall Golf Tournament

2010-01-24T22:28:00.000-06:00

Seth played in the State Overall at Pleasant Valley in Little Rock and finished Second in the State!! We were all so proud. Even "Uncle Paul Johnson" came and followed him. Seth had a great Senior year in golf and he couldn't have done it without the coaching of Brad Morris. He has been such a good coach for Seth. I think John is having the hardest time with Seth being a Senior. They have such great memories of golf trips and tournaments. Maybe John should start looking into the "Senior" tour to keep it going. :)

State Golf tournament in El Dorado

2010-01-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

The High School State Golf Tournament was held in El Dorado this year. The boys did really good and Seth came in 2nd and qualified for the State Overall Tournament in Little Rock. He really played hard and made some great shots. We are so proud that he is such a good golfer and such a nice young man.

Seth in Homecoming

2010-01-24T21:58:00.000-06:00

Seth was nominated for Homecoming Court this year. We were all very proud of him. He rode in the parade with Jessica Wehmeyer. They have been friends since Kindergarten. Another one of his best friends Amber Butler was in Homecoming also. It's hard to believe these kids are Seniors. Booooo Hoooooo

Creative Escape 2009

2010-01-24T21:50:00.000-06:00

Lauren and I went to Creative Escape this year in Arizona. It's an event sponsored by Heidi Swapp and Bazzill. We had a great time and Lauren is hooked on scrapbooking now. Of course she is so creative naturally that she did better than I did!! Lauren is so fun to be around and always so positive. I'm so thankful that we got to take this trip together.

Seth Golf 2009....His Senior Year

2009-12-07T12:30:00.000-06:00

I can't even list all of Seth's accomplishments in golf this year. He has had a terrific senior year. It started off with a trip to the Junior Amateur Tournament in New Jersey where he hit his FIRST HOLE IN ONE! So exciting for him and John. Donald Trump congratulated him and they took a picture together. Next Seth was Medalist in the Hurricane Classic in Jonesboro. This was the second time he was Medalist in this tournament. In August High School Golf started and they had a great year as a team. He LOVES playing with these guys! They have so much fun together. Seth finished the year with a trip to Pleasant Valley Country Club for the State Overall Tournament where he finished Second in the State! What a great way to go out! We love him and are so proud of his determination to do well. Great Job Seth!!

Legally Blond

2009-11-23T09:04:00.000-06:00

This summer Lauren got us tickets for Legally Blond in Fayetteville. We took my Mom with us and we had a great time. We all dressed in pink and went to dinner at Bordino's before the show and then walked across the street to the theatre. It was a great show and we loved the 2 dogs! So cute!

I'm trying to catch up on my blog so check back quick for some new posts!

Seth at the US Junior Amateur

2009-11-01T19:54:00.001-06:00

Seth qualified for the second year in a row to compete in the US Junior Amateur. This year it was held at Trump International in New Jersey. During Seth's practice round he hit his very first HOLE IN ONE! Donald Trump said no one had ever hit a hole in one on that hole before and that Seth had to buy everyone in the clubhouse a drink. NOT! He did get his picture made with Donald Trump through.

Family of Shih Tzu's

2009-10-28T18:37:00.000-05:00

A little over a year ago I lost my little Yorkie named Baxter. I couldn't stand it so I got a Shih Tzu named Daisy. I love her and she is such a good dog. About 7 months later Lauren moved into a house in Fayetteville and started saving her money until finally she had enough to get a dog. She found some puppies in Little Rock and her and Ryan drove down to see them and asked my sister in law Christina to go with them. Welllllll.... Lauren ended up getting Paisley and Christina went back the next day and got Abi!!!! They are such good, smart dogs! My Mom and Dad also have a shih tzu named Oscar. I guess we are a Shih Tzu family

Father's Day 2009

2009-10-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

I made Daddy a little scrapbook for Father's Day this year. When we lived in Gulfport Mississippi in 1969, Hurricane Camille hit Gulfport and most of Daddy's childhood pictures were destroyed. I had to use the only ones he has and most of them were water damaged. I scanned them and printed out the ones I could use. I made Mom a little book for Mother's Day and now they have their little books side by side on this antique piece of furniture in their house.

Rock Creek Minnesota Golf

2009-10-20T22:29:00.000-05:00

Seth played golf all over the country this summer and John and I took turns taking him to different tournaments. I cannot believe I missed this trip! They went to Minnesota for a tournament and made it to the MALL OF AMERICA!!!! What???? They got to go before me. I don't know how this happened. I think it was a conspiracy between John and Seth.

Keep checking back. I will be updating the Blog every few days

Hi!

2009-10-16T15:55:00.001-05:00

Hi! I haven't disappeared! I will be updating next week. I have so much to tell. All good stuff. I've just been really busy.

Nana and Papa

2009-07-02T22:34:00.008-05:00

We love our Nana and Papa and are so thankful they live here in Mountain Home. They were my subjects the other day in the park while I tried out my new lens. They did a great job and I got some great pictures.

Golf and A New Lens

2009-06-27T12:34:00.007-05:00

I got a new camera lens for my Nikon D300 and I just love it. It is a Nikon 70-200 VR 1:2.8. I LOVE that I can set the aperture wide open so I get this fabulous background blur (bokeh). I have been shooting on aperture priority so I choose the aperture setting. I am still getting used to using it and it is HEAVY but well worth it. Our summer days are full of golf so these are the first shots I took with my new lens. I like the way they turned out. Seth is doing good in golf this summer after a few bumps in the road. Golf is such a funny game. One day you do really good and the next day it can totally fall apart. I guess that's what keeps them coming back. John and Seth are totally addicted to it! There should be a golf addiction program run buy the golf widows. Hahaha

Mother's Day

2009-06-23T21:31:00.009-05:00

I made this little book for my Mom for Mother's Day. I combined some old photos with some recent photos to kind of capture her life. She loved it and I just made my Dad one for Father's Day and gave it to him last Sunday. I'll post some pictures soon.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer. Our's is busy with golf trips and John and Seth are loving that! I manage to find a scrapbook store in every town we visit.

St. Louis

2009-06-17T14:30:00.004-05:00

We went to St. Louis in April and had a really good time. Lauren and Ryan and Seth and Sonya came and we went to a Cardinals game on Friday night. We sat way up high on the first row and it was perfect for my short little legs. Everyone else's legs were all cramped and hitting the rail but not me! I could stretch out and had a perfect foot rest. On Saturday night Seth and Sonya went to a Taylor Swift concert that they said was really good. We had a great time and ate some great food and let's not forget some great shopping!!! hahaha

Paisley

2009-06-07T20:24:00.003-05:00

LAUREN GOT A PUPPY! We bought a house in Fayetteville and Lauren and 2 of her friends are renting it from us. It is so perfect for them and they love it. Sooooo Lauren has always wanted a dog but of course couldn't have one in the sorority house. She saved her money and bought little Paisley in Little Rock. She is just precious and we call her our Granddog!

Lauren

2009-06-05T13:37:00.003-05:00

I am so proud of Lauren. She was on the Dean's List and the President's list last semester at Fayetteville. She also got a nice scholarship. I drove up to go to the awards ceremony with her and then took this picture after the ceremony at the square. Tomorrow I will post pictures of Lauren and her new _ U _ _ Y. Hahahaha

Seth and Sonya

2009-06-04T11:37:00.003-05:00

Seth went to his first prom this year with his girlfriend of 8 months Sonya. They were a beautiful couple and had a great time. I was only "allowed" about 15 minutes to take photos, but I got some good ones. It is so different with a boy. Lauren LOVED me to take photos of her and would just pose forever. Seth on the other hand will give me just a few minutes so I have to be on my toes. Tomorrow an update on Lauren! She has a new little _ _ _ _ _!

Herbs

2009-06-02T13:23:00.003-05:00

Ok, I will be doing another Blog Blitz this week because I am soo far behind. I will start with the herbs I planted in my sunroom in April. I have already used them so much and I love having them in the sunroom. I can harvest them without fear that a SNAKE looms very near. I haven't spotted a snake this year so far and I hate to even say that to jinx me. I HATE snakes and my family will tell you that I have a "snake scream" that is very loud and everyone knows it and they come running with tools to kill it. I am already inside when they get there!!!!

Mexico 2009

2009-04-14T20:16:00.013-05:00

We took a wonderful trip to Mexico in February to celebrate Gloria's 50th Birthday! We went to a beautiful house in Manzanillo Mexico. We read books and played games and relaxed. It was absolutely beautiful!!! I even packed some scrapbooking supplies and we made some valentine cards for everyone to take home. It was so relaxing and the scenery was just picture perfect. I'm ready to go back.......maybe next year.

Ali Edwards Carousel

2009-03-16T16:09:00.008-05:00

I got this photo carousel idea from Ali Edwards site. Basically I divided it into 4 parts for the 4 members of my family. Each person has a section and I included baby pictures all the way up to present day pictures. I think it turned out really cute. I have it in my kitchen for everyone to flip through.

The Ice Storm of 2009

2009-02-17T15:21:00.009-06:00

It took me 2 hours to figure this background out but I love it! It is from House of 3 http://www.houseof3.com/. A new site by Heidi Swapp, Janet Hopkins, and Rhonna Farrer. It is mostly digital stuff but it is really cool.

On to the ice storm! It was terrible! We lost electricity for 3 days. That is not very long considering some people lost it for much longer. I will NEVER take electricity for granted again! I wouldn't have made it 100 years ago. I am soo thankful for my heat, my refrigerator and freezer and mostly my lights at night. I think that is what I missed most is having light at night. You see I am a night owl and I do lots at night but with no light it is boring! I wanted to go to bed at 8:00. Thanks to my little hand warmers (that hunters use), I was able to stay up and read a book with a little book reading light. I had those little warmers in my hands, my bra, and even my socks. They are great little things. Who knew? I even slept with them. Anyway we survived, but we lost 5 trees and had lots of limb damage. Thankfully none hit the house or the pool. We also lost everything in the refrigerator and freezers. We are blessed because it could have been much worse. Everyone is safe and that's all that really matters.

Kelly Goree Creative Escape Layouts

2009-01-19T11:53:00.006-06:00

I am finally getting around to finishing up my projects from Creative Escape back in September. These layouts were from Kelly Goree's class and I really love the way they turned out. I have learned so much about Photoshop Elements lately that it is fun to play with the photos and not be scared to death you are going to ruin them. I can change them up a little and then print them out in the exact size I need them for the layout without all that triming. I'll post the other projects as I finish them. Have a wonderful day! I'm going to scrap!

Lauren is Engaged!

2009-01-02T20:20:00.018-06:00

Ryan asked Lauren to marry him on December 7th. One of her friends handed her a piece of a puzzle that told her a limo was picking her up that sunday afternoon. The limo took her to the Kappa Sigma house where some of his fraternity guys sang her a song and gave her another piece of the puzzle. She got back into the limo and the driver gave her another piece of the puzzle and took her to the spoofer stone at Ole Main on the Fayetteville campus. (Secretly the limo left and came and picked up our family and Ryan's family and brought us to Ole Main.) Ryan was waiting for her with candles and he got down on one knee and proposed. He even had engraved glasses with the date for them. They made their way back to the limo and opened the door and we all surprised her. She cried. They got in and we went to The Power House where Ryan had arranged for some food. Some of their best friends met us there and we had a little party. She was very surprised and cried many times that night. Such a happy day and we were so glad we could be a part. There is no date set yet. Ryan wants to go to Law School and Lauren still has to get her Masters.

Scrapbook Addiction Christmas Expo

2008-12-20T23:56:00.005-06:00

I had a fun time at the Christmas Expo and made 3 good projects. The teachers were all really prepared and the projects were so "stinkin" cute!! The food was good too. It was really nice that it was in the middle of November because it got me in the Christmas Spirit early.

Thanksgiving

2008-12-19T08:16:00.016-06:00

All of our relatives from Mississippi were here this Thanksgiving. We had a great time and after Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday we went out to Gaston's to take the annual picture.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors

2008-12-17T20:58:00.004-06:00

We had our original hardwood floors refinished in November by Chad and Matt Hershberger. They did a wonderful job!!! They look better than they did when they were brand new! The only problem was that me, John and Seth had to live out of our bedroom for about 10 days with 2 dogs and 2 cats. Oh My! I didn't even have use of the kitchen. One night Seth said what do you do if you want a drink? I said you get in your car and you go buy you one! The last picture is of the sealer they use and how it has dried on the can after so many uses. I couldn't resist taking a picture because I thought it looked cool!

FALL IN THE OZARKS

2008-12-16T20:34:00.004-06:00

I am still trying to learn how to use the Nikon D300 I got for Christmas last year, and I love fall, so I thought I would drive around and take some pictures of the beautiful Ozarks that we live in. It really is breath taking when you STOP and look around and take it all in. THANKFUL!

Blog Blitz

2008-12-15T22:55:00.006-06:00

I am so far behind on my Blog that I have decided to do a Blog Blitz! Sooooo for the next several days I will update it everyday. I am starting with Halloween. Daisy went as a pumpkin and had so much fun. She loved all the visitors at the door, but she especially liked to run and JUMP right into the basket of candy. She was so tired at the end of the night. We had a big crowd of kids and we gave away 300 plus toothbrushes and lots of candy.

More Layouts

2008-11-04T18:38:00.006-06:00

Don't panic John's tatoo is fake! We both got fake tatoo's in Branson when we went for our anniversary weekend to trick our kids. They didn't buy it at all! Oh well! These are some layouts I did from Cathy Zielski's class online at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I am learning sooo much from this class about design. She is so good and funny too. More to come!

Design Your Life

2008-10-23T21:09:00.007-05:00

These are some of the layouts I have done for my class with Cathy Zielski from Big Picture Scrapbooking. She designs the layouts and you fill in the pictures and colors etc. I have learned so much about color and repetition and the triangle of design. The class lasts until the end of the year so I will keep posting. I hope everyone is loving this fall weather!!!!! Ahhhhhhhh!

Daisy

2008-10-21T14:17:00.004-05:00

Let me introduce you to Daisy! About a month ago I lost my 13 year old Yorkie. He was such a sweet dog, but he had so many health problems. After dinner one night, I came into the bedroom and I always glanced over at him in his bed to make sure he was ok and this time he wasn't breathing. I guess he just went to sleep and didn't wake up. I guess it was the best way to go, but it sure made for a horrible night. My dear friend Dr. Helvey actually came over to the house at 8:00 that night and took him. He has been such a good vet to my animals. I owe him a debt of gratitude for his many years of service. Ok enough of that! :( :(

Well, I tried, really I did, but my other dog is 15 and I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her. So we got Daisy! She is a Shih Tzu and weighs about 3 pounds. We love her! She is so playful and happy. I have already introduced her to Dr. Helvey!

The layout of Daisy is from a class I am taking online at Big Picture Scrapbooking. The class is by Cathy Zielski and called Design Your Life. It is basically a graphic design class where she designs layouts to teach you things about color, space, and general design elements. It is really fun and at the end of class you will have a scrapbook filled with layouts that represent the elements of design. I will post more layouts from the class tomorrow........Daisy needs to go out. haha

Creative Escape

2008-09-27T21:33:00.011-05:00

We made it to Creative Escape a day early to go on the Bazzill Warehouse Bus Tour. It was so interesting to tour the warehouse and see how the paper is cut and stored in these huge sheets. Mr. Bazzill himself gave us a tour and was so nice and answered everyone's questions. The Bazzill people take care of your EVERY need! They are so nice and make sure you have everything you need throughout the entire event. After the tour we got to shop!! We could fill Pizza boxes with any paper including the fancy edges papers for $20 a box. Each pizza box could hold around 125 pieces of paper. I love their paper! Well.......I came home with...actually I shipped home 5 pizza boxes full of paper!!! They had all kinds of things for sale like albums for $1 and chipboard and brads etc. All of it was so cheap! Needless to say I stocked up and shipped it all home. After the warehouse we went to the Scrapbooks Etc. store and it was really nice. I spent some more money there and shipped that home as well. We had a great day.

On Thursday, the registration began at noon and then we went to the Technique Boutique where you have lots of make and takes and learn some techniques that you will use in the classes. There are so many freebies that you walk away with your arms full of stuff. So fun!! After that we went to the teacher's trunk show where they set up tables full of their work and they are there to answer questions and just introduce themselves. They are always so nice and willing to get their pictures made with you.

On Friday the first day of classes we had Kolette Hall's class and her project was "The Good Book" where you write good things about every day for a year. Her husband is in a wheel chair and so funny and inspirational. The second class was Kelly Goree's class and we did 4 layout's with some really cool different ideas like weaving, a clock face layout, and this cool quilt like layout with a neat border, and another one using layering. The third class was Jessica Guthrie's class and we did an acrylic book in her class. In each class when you walk in they give you the kit and you would be amazed at how much stuff is in each kit. One kit had a huge 12x12 bazzill lickety slip album. Our last class was Heidi's class and she is so relaxed and personal in her classes. She really shares her soul with you. She is so real and inspiring. We did an interactive calendar in her class with pictures and quotes and spinning wheels to change the date and the month and a quote. She is really creative! After all of these classes during the day, we actually had a huge 3 hour card making session that night and we made like 36 cards designed by previous CE teachers from the last 2 years. We were exhausted but we made it. Everything was included for all the cards and they are so cute!

On Saturday our first class was with Jenni Bowlin. She is soo cute and calm and we loved her hodge podge book. We even used glass glitter in her class. We love her style. The second class was Laurie Stamos and we did the big Bazzill Lickety Slip Scrapbook. The page protectors have different size pockets and some you put pictures in and some journaling and just what ever you want. These come together quick. She used lists for alot of her journaling and it was such a cute and quick idea for journaling. The next class was Tim Holtz!! He is a wonderful, wonderful teacher! He is very calm and says embrace the imperfection and is so funny. We made this little fabulous pin that you can wear or hang in a little frame and sit on your desk or dresser. I have never seen anything like this and it was so much fun. He definetely got us out of our lilttle boxes and had us try new things. Our last class was Janet Hopkins. Her project was this really cool book and we used a easy and fabulous technique on the cover. She is a good teacher and this book is so cool. One of the pages inside is actually a mirror. I will post all of my projects at a later date as I finish them. That night the speaker was Kolette Hall's husband Jason and he told his story and it is truly inspirational. If you ever have the chance to hear him please do! He is very upbeat and funny and you walk away feeling inspired.

We had a great time and I tried to post the pictures in order. Sorry for the long post!

Anniversary Trip to Branson

2008-09-01T20:06:00.005-05:00

This is the last day of the blogging blitz. John and I took a little time and spent a weekend in Branson. We stayed in the new Hilton at Branson Landing. We stayed on the top floor in a really nice room. Our balcony was right under the Hilton sign! We ate out and went to a movie and had a good time. I surprised him with a new laptop and a minature Wedding Cake! The Jewel Chest gave us bottle of champagne!! It was nice to get away.

Tomorrow I am leaving for Creative Escape in Phoenix with my cousin!!! We are so excited! We are going a day early this year to go on a tour of the Bazzill warehouse and this huge Bazzill scrapbooking store. I'll tell you all about it when I get home.

25th Surprise Party

2008-08-31T17:51:00.010-05:00

Well first, I just hate surprises! I am sorta, kinda, a control freak! Ok, fine I said it! Anyway, my sweet husband planned a surprise party along with Lauren for our 25th anniversary. He wanted me to have an event to scrap! How sweet is that! The only problem is......I am very observant. We had planned to go out to dinner that night and then Ryan, Lauren's boyfriend got kinda dressed up for "just out to dinner". Then John comes and says, (with this funny mouth thing that he only does when he is trying to fool me), "I think I am going to go on out to Big Creek early to talk to Eddie about some golf club". THE LIGHT BULB WENT OFF IN MY HEAD!!!! Something was up!! So I started trying to get SOMEONE to tell me, and they all started having that funny mouth thing!! So I knew there was some sort of surprise. Now remember I hate surprises and being the center of attention!!!! I had envisioned 1000 people at Big Creek waiting to scream "Happy Anniversary" at me and all staring at me!!! Waiting for me to deliver some fabulous emotional speech!! Oh my gosh! Panic! Soooo they got me in the car and we got to Big Creek and they all got out of the car and I refused!!!! No I wanted to go somewhere else. Really I do! Finally I agreed and I got to the door and Michele and Traci were there and told me it was just a few really good friends. Well guess what! I had a really good time visiting with everyone. Lauren and John had gone to alot of trouble and got a cute cake with a picture of me and John at a Delta Zeta function at college. Lauren ordered these beautiful flowers and Ryan brought us some darling petit fours from Rick's Bakery decorated with our wedding date, a ring, and our initials. They also had photos of John and I through the years on the table. It was a nice night and I think I might grow to like surprises if they all turn out like this.

Travel Book

2008-08-29T21:39:00.005-05:00

This is a little travel book. I put pictures of us in the different cities that we have traveled to recently. It's very simple and just made out of cardstock. I got the idea from one of the classes I took at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I have done a lot of scrapbooking this summer. Seth doesn't usually like us to follow him while he plays in these big golf tournaments. When I would take him I would take some scrapbooking projects and do them in the hotel rooms. In the big tournaments they have online scoring so every 3 holes they update the tournament scores, and I would follow his progress online with my laptop. I got a lot of hotel scrappin done!! I mean you can only shop sooo much before you get bored. I thought I would never say that!!!!!!!

Blogging Blitz Day 5 and 6

2008-08-29T19:08:00.005-05:00

Sorry I missed yesterday! Seth had a High School golf match so we were out late and then I had to come home and do the payroll for the office because of the holiday on Monday. So today I added a picture of my birthday cake along with some pics of Seth and his golf tournament.

We celebrated my birthday (July 5) after we got home from Colorado Springs. We had a family dinner and Lauren decorated the kitchen. She is such a party planner and she LOVES cakes. She was so fun to have around this summer. I miss her!

Seth played in an American Junior Golf Tournament in Fayetteville and did really well! The tournament was at a very hard course called "The Blessings" built by John Tyson. It is a very exclusive private course. Kids from all over the country play in these golf tournaments. The girl that won is from Arizona. Seth tied for 4th and the top 5 are totally exempt for the 2009 season so that is a really big deal. It means he doesn't have to qualify to get into some tournaments. Lauren and I ordered the cookie cake that day as he was playing on the last day of the tournament. We didn't have any idea how he was doing but we didn't care. We still think he is the World's Best Golfer!!

Colorado Springs Vacation

2008-08-27T18:47:00.011-05:00

This is day four of the Blogging Blitz!! We went to Colorado Springs on the 5th of July. We had a really good time and we stayed at this beautiful historic hotel called "The Broadmoor". Out our back window we had a beautiful view of the Rocky Mountains. One of the things we did was ride the Cog Train to the top of Pikes Peak. If you ever go to Colorado Springs you must do this. It was a 3 hour round trip ride. The views are just gorgeous! It takes an hour and a half to make the trip up and then another hour and a half down and you get 30 minutes at the top. They have a little snack bar up there and it is 30 degrees cooler at the top. You pass by gravesite of a couple that died on their honeymoon trying to make it to the summit and the original building that was built at the top 100 years ago.

Another day we went horseback riding. Seth was thrilled! hahaha This was serious trail riding. We rode for 2 hours and at some points the trail was about 2 feet wide. John and Seth's legs were all scratched up because they had on shorts. It was beautiful and we saw some old cabins and an old mine. It was hard to take pictures though because you had to hold on!!!

The day that John and Seth played golf Lauren and I drove around old colorado springs and had lunch in this little family owned Italian restaurant. After the golf game we went to see Garden of the Gods. It is huge red rock formations that you walk around. So unique and beautiful. We saw 3 deer just wandering around eating brush and they let us get about 5 feet from them. Evidently a family donated the land to Colorado years ago for a park and there is no charge to walk around.

At the end of the meal on our first night, John and the kids INSISTED on dessert which is really unusual. I was so shocked when he surprised me with a new wedding ring in honor of our 25th anniversary. The kids were in on the surprise and Lauren had her camera ready! I think she may turn out to be a scrapbooker after all!!! Tomorrow the blog blitz continues!!

Swimming Pool Fun

2008-08-26T20:38:00.005-05:00

This is day three of the Blogging Blitz! I wanted to show some pictures of summer in the pool. Lauren will probably kill me for putting these pictures on my blog but her and Ryan have had so much fun in the pool this summer. These pictures are for you Lauren!! I love you sweetie! hahaha Tomorrow will be a long post with lots of pictures from our trip to Colorado Springs.

I Love My Studio

2008-08-25T20:46:00.004-05:00

Ok, this is day 2 of the blogging blitz! I got your comment Michele and keep watching because I do believe you are going to be on here in a few days!! I actually took over our guest bedroom (which we only used maybe 2 times a year) to put in a studio for my scrapbooking and hobbies. It was my Christmas present several years ago. We put in a "murphy bed" in the cabinets just in case we needed an extra bed one day. It is a bed that folds out of the wall and then just folds back up. We have 2 sofa's that are sleepers also. Wellllll ....the scrapbooking supplies somehow expanded and I took over the closet. Then I got a bigger table to put more stuff on. Soooo I started to think.....which is a dangerous thing! We NEVER use that murphy bed, and I could sure use that space for shelving. So for my birthday this year I got this cool shelving unit from IKEA. John put it together for me and I love the functionality of it and it looks cool too. I am a freak organizer so every little thing has it's place and it's all open so I can see what I need. Tomorrow I have pool pictures of Lauren and her boyfriend Ryan so come back and check out Day 3.

Blogging Blitz

2008-08-24T18:06:00.004-05:00

I have been such a bad blogger this summer and I apologize!! Sooooo for the next 10 days I am going to do a post!! Yes, I said 10 days....I promise, so check back everyday!! I am going to start from the beginning of summer and go in order and tell you what we have been up to. I will begin with the filling of our pool in early July (after the pizza guy drove into it). The weather finally got dry enough to put in the liner so we got our pool back. We got 2 loads of water from the Water Wagon and filled the rest up with the hose. It took about 24 hours. We were so excited!!!! Tomorrow, I am going to show you this cool shelving I ordered from Ikea for my studio. I love it!!!

Port Gibson Mississippi

2008-06-19T17:26:00.010-05:00

Finally, I am posting my pictures from my visit to Port Gibson, Mississippi! I had a wonderful time visiting with my cousin. We have so much fun together. We made some charms for our charm swap for Creative Escape in September. She is a wonderful jewelry maker! I will post pictures of my charms in a couple of days. We have been soo busy! Check back soon because I will be posting about our trip to Los Angeles.

Traci and Michele

2008-05-05T15:44:00.004-05:00

On Thursday, Traci, Michele, and I went to the cutest place for lunch in West Plains. It's called the Harlin House. The food was wonderful and it is just amazing what they have done with the house. It was practically falling down before they restored it. It is full of family history with pictures and even a scrapbook documenting the restoration. We will definetely go back! Thanks for taking me there girls! I had a great time!! Love ya'll!!

Heidi Swapp and Scrapbook Addiction

2008-04-29T14:16:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally got the email from Brandi that I had been waiting on for months! THE NEW HEIDI SWAPP STUFF WAS IN! Glory Be! I rushed in and here is the result. She has tons of new double sided papers and some really cool 12 x 12 transparencies and some flower and butterfly embellishments in different colors. On some of her papers she even has this little tear off edge with tags that go with that paper. Really cool stuff! Thanks Brandi and Heidi of course for making my day!!

Port Gibson

2008-04-23T21:31:00.006-05:00

I am trying to use some of the supplies that I already have so I decided to use this page kit I got in Springfield. It is by a designer named Allison Davis who was a 2007 member of the Creating Keepsakes Magazine Hall of Fame and a finalist for Scrapbooker of the year. I find that sometimes it will spark my creativity if I just let go and follow a kit or a project. You don't have to think so much and make decisions and it is very relaxing. I chose to use some pictures from my trip to Port Gibson, Mississippi with my cousin Ann. We spent one night in her 200 year old HAUNTED house. Now don't get me wrong. I am a huge chicken. I had to mentally prepare myself to go there. I hate scary movies, and monsters, and aliens. I told my cousin once we got in the house we couldn't even mention the ghosts. And YES I slept in the bed with her with the light ON! Seriously! Anyway, they left me alone!!! Not a single incident.....except the next morning when all of a sudden the lamp we left on all night went off. I told her if that had happened in the middle of the night she would have found me in my car backing out of the driveway.

She has done a beautiful job restoring the antiques that came with the house and redoing the plaster on some walls, and putting in a new kitchen floor. There is much work to be done and she loves it. She loves all things old and has collected many things to put in the house. She wants to have everything in the house from that time period. We sat on the upstairs balcony and had dinner and it felt like we were sitting in the oak trees. She has live oak trees at the front of her house that are huge and beautiful. It is so much fun being with her! I wished she lived closer.

In my next post I will show more pictures of the Port Gibson house. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

"Enjoy" Banner

2008-04-13T19:59:00.005-05:00

I have been out of town visiting my cousin, Ann, in Mississippi. We had a wonderful time!! She is restoring a house in Port Gibson, Mississippi so we spent one night there. It is haunted but thank goodness they didn't show while I was there. It is a beautiful little town and her house is gorgeous and filled with antiques. We are going to Creative Escape again this year and we signed up for a charm swap. We have to make 85 charms so we worked on those while we were there. On the way back to her house in Jackson we each picked a favorite word to make into a banner. I picked "ENJOY". It is suppose to remind me to enjoy every day!

Library of Memories

2008-03-30T21:37:00.004-05:00

I am taking an online class with Stay Julian and Big Picture Scrapbooking called Library of Memories and I have been really busy organizing my photos on my computer and the photos I have printed. I can tell this will really pay off because it is sparking my creativity and giving me lots of ideas to scrap. I also backed up all of my photos stored on my computer. I have been meaning to do that forever and this class has really inspired me to stay on top of things. I am sort of an organization freak anyway so this has been really fun. The only down side of this is that I haven't been scrappin much and I was really missing it. So tonight I pulled out a couple of pages that my cousin and I did in Memphis at Archiver's in a class. All I had to do was add photos so it was easy. I don't like to do a blog post without pictures so there you go! I hope everyone has a great week!

By the way Stacy has a new book out that tells all about the Library of Memories System. I'm sure Brandi at Scrapbook Addiction will be glad to order it for anyone interested.

Easter

2008-03-23T14:55:00.002-05:00

We sang this song this morning at 1st Baptist Church and I just love the words so I thought I would post them on this beautiful Easter day. The song is called "On The Third Day" with words and music by Matt Maher and Marc Byrd.

"On The Third Day"

Creation brings an offering as autumn leaves turn to gold.
The trees bow down in highest praise, now made bare before your throne.
The western sky is an amber blaze at the end of the day,
for everything must die to rise again.

The winter’s chill, a bitter cold, as sin and shame leave us to fall.
The clouds, now full of new born snow, for grace to come and save us all.
Within the darkest night of man was found Your saving hand
for everything must die to rise again.

On the third day, behold the King. On the third day, death has no sting.
On the third day, we’re forgiven and reconciled.

The earth, it groans in labor pains, as flowers stretch to heaven above.
Your creatures sing the prophet’s song to be a gift of selfless love.
The sun is rising in the east, and Your Spirit is unleashed,
for everything must die to rise again.

And so we wait in joyful hope for You to come and take us home.
And so we join beneath the cross in suffering, from whence we go.
The greatest act of sovereign grace in the universe displayed
for everything must die to rise again.

On the third day, the saints rejoice! On the third day, we lift our voice!
On the third day, we’re united and glorified

Happy Easter Everyone!

My Sister Book

2008-03-04T20:31:00.008-06:00

This is the second Donna Downey Kit that I bought. I decided to do this one on my cousin (we call each other Sister). She is my dearest friend in the whole world and I talk to her every day on the computer. We leave each other messages all day. I don't know what I would do without her. Some of the best times I've had have been with her. At the beginning of the book I put a couple of pictures of us as kids and then when we had our own kids at the same time. I have known her my whole life and I just love her!!

Donna Downey Kit

2008-02-23T13:19:00.007-06:00

I ordered this kit from Donna Downey. (www.donnadowney.typepad.com) I thought it was so cute and it was scrapbooking and sewing all together! How fun and challenging for me at the same time. This is the finished projct. It took me about a day to finish it. It used these vintage thread spools to make the canvas stand and they just slide into these little pockets that you make. I also stamped using some Tim Holtz ink and some paint. She also included some beads and templates for the hearts and the scrolls. Everything was included in the kit except for the stamps and the ink and paint. Also included was this June Tailor photo transfer paper. This stuff is cool!! You put all the pictures onto a page in your computer and size them and include words and sayings in different fonts that you want to use on the project and then print it onto the photo transfer paper using your regular printer. Simply cut them out and iron onto your canvas. You can't really see it from the photos but I stitched around each picture and the hearts. I bought another kit from her site and I think I will start working on that next. She is really creative and funny and uses alot of mixed media things in her projects. I'll post pictures of that as soon as I finish it.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2008-02-12T19:59:00.001-06:00

Every year I make valentine's for my family. I really should gather them all together from years past and make a scrapbook. Good Idea! On Thursday I am making Seth's favorite meal for him and John. Shhhh don't tell! I hope everyone has a wonderful Valentine's Day!!

February

2008-02-07T21:07:00.000-06:00

Please pray for the people that were hit by the tornadoes in the South. The devastation in Gassville is heart breaking.

I have posted a layout I did at Creative Escape in Heidi Lynn's class. All I add is a photo each month. Easy! Lauren comes home this weekend so I'm looking forward to her visit! Have a good weekend everyone!

Golf Scrapbook

2008-02-03T20:01:00.001-06:00

I have been soo busy scrapbooking Seth a golf scrapbook for last year. I do this every year to document his tournaments and his golf season for the High School. The last 2 years have been wonderful because they have won the State Tournament both years. This years has 31 pages and it really turned out well. I know he will cherish it, especially when he gets older.

After I finished the scrapbook, I did a little organizing (I love to organize!! Seriously! I know weird!). I bought a 3 drawer unit from Walmart and organized my paper scraps. I always try to keep and use scraps, especially solid colors. I now have a drawer for Neutral colors (black, brown, white), one for Warm colors (red, pink, and orange), and one for Cool colors (blue, green, and purple). I love the way it turned out. I am putting it in my closet in my studio. I sorted all of my scraps and this will be so much easier to use. I'm off to scrap again! Have a wonderful week!

Back To Back State Golf Champions

2008-01-28T21:24:00.000-06:00

I have finally started Seth's golf scrapbook for the season last fall. Yes they won the State Golf Championship two years in a row. How exciting is that! He acts like it is no big deal that I make these scrapbooks for his golf adventures, I include pictures and all the articles from the Baxter Bulletin, score cards, etc., but every once in a while I CATCH him flipping through last years book. hahahahah I just act like I don't see him and keep walking with a BIG grin on my face. I love this hobby!

Cathy and Ann in Memphis

2008-01-20T16:27:00.000-06:00

I have been so busy since Christmas. We took Lauren back to Fayetteville last weekend and it was good to get back to normal. She was so glad to see her friends and the Monday classes started was her 21st birthday. I can't believe that!!!!

After a month of Christmas, my cousin and I decided we needed a break so we met in Memphis which is half way for both of us. We had the best time. We went to the Pottery Barn Outlet and the Willams Sonoma Outlet and got some deals! Of course we took our scrapbooking stuff. Memphis has an Archiver's store there so we scrapped on thursday night and then took a class on Friday right before we left to come home. Ann also found this really cool antique store in downtown Memphis that was 3 stories and had some great stuff. She is redoing an old house in Port Gibson, Mississippi. It freaked me out to go into the basement because the stairs were probably 200 years old and I just knew the door was going to slam behind us and we would never be heard from again. The basement was under the street and I am really scared of ghosts etc. She just laughs at me. Anyway, we survived, but seriously I am just going to stick to scrapbooking.

Believe Christmas Book

2007-12-30T21:56:00.001-06:00

I made this little "Believe" book at Scrapbook Addiction's Christmas Expo in Anne-Camille Collins class. I filled it with pictures from Christmas this year. I love the way it turned out and it only took me about and hour and a half!

Heidi Swapp Class Coming to an End

2007-12-29T20:26:00.001-06:00

I have been enrolled in a year long class with Big Picture Scrapbooking taught by Heidi Swapp. I have learned so much and tried so many different techniques over the year. I am really sad it is ending. One of the pojects was a calendar for 2007. I have posted my November and December layouts. On the November layout we used different sizes of envelopes and wrote letters to the important people in our lives to be opened in 2012. It was fun to do and I had to make sure all of the envelopes opened and I love all of the bright colors. The December layout was all about family and the reason we scrapbook. We made tiny envelopes or pockets for each day and put a little surprise in each one. On the background we used Tim Holtz distressing inks. I am going to Creative Escape AGAIN this year (So happy!!) and he is one of the teachers. I will always cherish the scrapbook calendar I made for 2007. So many wonderful and challenging things happened this year. It will definately be A Year To Remember for me.

Annual Christmas Party 2007

2007-12-23T22:10:00.001-06:00

Lauren had the annual Christmas Party for her High School friends this Friday. We made lasagne and pound cake and fudge. It is so good to see these kids each year as they grow into wonderful young adults. I am so proud of them. They have all done really well in college and I know they will become adults that will actually contribute good things to the world. It's hard to believe they will all be 21 this year!!

I have finished all my shopping and wrapped all my gifts so I am ready! Lauren and I made the dressing today and we'll do some more cooking tomorrow. My brother and sister-in-law arrived today from Little Rock. Tomorrow we will go to our church service at 5:00 and then the Episcopal service at 10:00. The ladies ensemble that I sing in is singing at our service. ( I love this group of ladies and singing in this group). I love this time right before Christmas. I almost dread Christmas morning coming because it will all be over.

Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas surrounded by their families.

Merry Christmas

The Reason for the Season

2007-12-16T21:31:00.001-06:00

Every year we struggle with Chritmas decorations. We love the lights and we wanted to do something that represented what Christmas was really about. John wanted something that he could set up every year that was easy to store. So I came up with the idea to do a big nativity scene that we could use year after year. Sooooo what to do? John bought one off of ebay!! Yes I said ebay! We set it up in the yard and John built the manger around it. It will all fold flat for easy storage. He really did a great job and we used the hay from Halloween and spread it around inside the manger. We love it and we're proud to show the reason for the season.

Chalk Board

2007-12-01T22:52:00.000-06:00

My cousin Ann, (we call each other Sister) gave me this for Christmas!! She loves everything old and this was a mirror frame. She took out the mirror and painted the frame red and turned it into a chalk board for me!! I love it!!! I hung it in my den. She is soo talented.

I had the best time today at the Scrapbook Addiction's Christmas Expo. We made some really fun things and I visited with some great ladies!! Hey Girls! I just love this hobby. It was 5 hours long and the time just flew by. So much preparation goes into these things and I really appreciate the teachers for all the hard prep work that they did, and of course to Brandi who organizes it all. I'll be back next year!

Thankful

2007-11-25T20:19:00.001-06:00

We have a lot to be thankful for this year! We traveled to Jackson, Mississippi for Thanksgiving. We switch every year and next year they will come here. I made each family a little cookbook with blank pages for them to put their family's favorite recipes in. We are going to exchange recipes so that we will have a cookbook with each families favorites. We had a great time in Jackson and on my next post I will show you the fabulous gift my cousin made for me.

A picture a day in November

2007-11-15T21:32:00.001-06:00

This is a 30 day picture journal I made for the month of November. I am taking a picture everyday and then I journal on the back. I thought this was a good month to do it because of all the beautiful fall colors and I will see all of my family this month because of Thanksgiving. We will be traveling to Jackson this year to visit our relatives in Mississippi.

Update: I am feeling much better although my leg just doesn't want to heal. I am trying to keep it up as much as possible. I have devised a way to scrapbook with my leg propped up on a chair. I should take a picture of that!!!

My Studio

2007-10-29T19:20:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago we turned a guest bedroom into my studio. I told John all I want for my birthday, anniversary, and Christmas is to have a studio. Our guest bedroom is only used about 2 times a year so I had over taken it with scrapbook supplies. My parents live in Mountain Home and so some of our out of town guests usually stay with them. We pulled the carpet up and had some laminate wood floors put down. My good friend Lori Kauffman from Cabinets and Interior Design helped me design some cabinets with a Murphy Bed just in case we needed an extra bed for company. Lori did all my cabinets for me when we moved in and her and her husband Bob (Anderson Construction) built our Dental office. My studio is like my sanctuary. I love it and I love being in there. It just relaxes me to go upstairs and sit in there. I got the 2 metal rolling carts from Sam's and they are perfect and really cheap. My table is an old table I got at Rusticities so I wouldn't feel bad messing it up. I got the sewing machine about 5 years ago for Christmas and I think John thought I would make all my clothes. hahahaha NOT! I dabbled in quilting for a bit before I became addicted to scrapbooking. Now I use it with my scrapbooking. Anyway, I am very blessed to have found something I am passionate about. I feel like I am recording my families history for generations to come and that is the real reason I do it. I made my first scrapbook in High School and I still have it. I hope my kids can look back and remember the good times we had and share their history with their children. When I was 9 we lived in Gulfport, Mississippi and a terrble hurricane named Camille hit our area. We were without electricity for a week and had a couple of trees hit out roof, but we were all alive. My grandparents lived on a creek and they got about 8 feet of water in their house. The water ruined all of their belongings but what I remember most is how all the pictures of my Dad's family were gone. Wet! We have very few left and most of them have water damage. I think it all started there. The desire to preserve the history with pictures.

I have been tagged by one of my cyber buddies, Colleen at http://cestmoi.typepad.com/, from my Heidi Swapp class to tell you 7 facts about myself (some random, some weird). So here goes:
1. I am a home body.
2. I was born in Gulfport, Mississippi.
3. I would love to be a computer nerd.
4. I sang my first solo in 6th grade and have sung solos at weddings and at church.
5. I am determined to learn more about photoshop elements!!!
6. Next year I will be married for 25 years on August 13th.
7. I treat my animals like they are members of my family.

Here are the rules which must be posted on your blog if you're tagged:
1. Link to your tagger and post rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Now, here's who I'm tagging:

1.Denise: http://deniselauerman.blogspot.com/ She is such a sweetie and is moving to my neighborhood soon and is a greatscrapbooker.
2.Anne Camille: http://annecamille.blogspot.com/ Is a very talented scrapbooker who has some really neat original ideas.
3.Brandi: http://scrapbookaddiction.typepad.com/ Brandi owns our local "WONDERFUL" scrapbooking store. We love her!
4.Jennifer: http://jclarestudios.typepad.com/ She is a great photographer!! Just look at her work!
5.Amy: http://amywelch3.typepad.com/ She inspires me with how she used the Hambly products!

Ok so tag your it!

Getting Back to Normal

2007-10-22T15:01:00.001-05:00

It's been 3 weeks since my surgery and I am feeling stronger everyday. I go back to the Doctor on Thursday so I hope to be able to drive soon. I am so blessed to have all of my family and friends.

There is something I forgot to post about. The Mountain Home Golf team won the State Championship for the second year in a row. I was nervous for Seth because my surgery was the Thursday before the State Tournament. I was hoping he would be able to focus and play well and he did. The tournament was in Little Rock so John went down on Sunday and was with Seth on Monday, the day of the tournament. My Mom and Dad stayed with me and I ended up going home from the hospital the day of the tournament.

I am also posting 2 layouts from my Heidi Swapp "A Year to Remember Class". These are the layouts for the September and October calendar pages. It will certainly be a "Year to Remember" for me. I thought it was cool that the September layout said to include a heart. That's kinda appropriate don't you think.

Thankful

2007-10-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

My life took an unexpected turn 2 weeks ago. I had been having some pain around my breast bone that would come and go so I went to the Doctor and we thought I had some acid reflux because I wasn't having any other symptoms. We did an upper GI and it was normal so Tim Paden said let's do a stress test just to make sure. I went to Dr. Camp's office and we did a stress test. They read it and said well they see a little something but I am having no other symptoms and it may be breast tissue, but the only way to know for sure is an angiogram. So 2 weeks ago I went in for an angiogram and a 95% blockage showed up in a V of an artery. Everything else was clear. They couldn't use a stint because of the location of the blockage. They think it is a genetic thing because my Dad actually had a heart attack when he was 48. I am 46. It was in a weird place in the heart and a long skinny blockage. They said I probably wouldn't have survived if I had actually had a heart attack but since they caught it, it was repaired and there was no damage. THANKFUL! Ladies if you hear anything remember. My only symptom was a pain like acid reflux pain. No shoulder pain, no nausea, no shortness of breath. Evidently women's symptoms are totally different. If I can help one person then it was worth it. I have learned to be very THANKFUL and GRATEFUL for many things. God allowed me to be healed and I am so thankful. The kindness shown to me during this past 2 weeks has been overwhelming. My church family for one has been praying for me and bringing food and sending cards, and calling. My friends have been here for me helping me and sending flowers and food and gifts. My family immediately came to the hospital that Wednesday to be with me before the surgery. Even my cousin and her husband drove immediately from Jackson, Mississippi to be by my side that night. Of course John, and Lauren and Seth were held up by such good friends. They were well taken care of. They surgery went great. They didn't have to put me on a heart lung machine which is good and they used a mammory artery. The mammory artery ended up spasming so they had to use a small artery from my leg so that wasn't bad at all. Everything went great. I was in intensive care for 2 days and then I moved to the cardiac floor. I cannot tell you how wonderful our hospital is. Those nurses were my best friends and were soo nice. We have alot of Dr. friends who checked on me everyday. Dr. Paden, Dr. Elders, Dr. Croom were regulars. I even bought 3 of my favorite nurses Vera Bradley bags. I'm telling you they were wonderful. Misti Walton and Amber in ICU, and Rhonda Bell was my floor nurse. I had surgery on Thursday and went home that next Monday. A day early they said. I am doing great and John and my Mom and Dad have been here with me everyday. Mom and Dad do all the laundry and take care of me during the day and then John and Seth take over at night. I feel good but I can't lift anything over 5 pounds and I am suppose to be careful and not lift my arms over my shoulders. (Makes for some pretty bad hair days) The only real problem is I can't drive for 30 days!!! What!! My Mom and Dad will take we where I need to go. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and that will be my first day out. I have already asked them to take me to the Scrapbook Addiction first!!! My studio is upstairs so the second night home John was kind enough to set me up a scrap area in our bedroom and we brought down a bunch of stuff. It made me feel soo much better just touching everything. Anyway, thank you for all of your prayers, food, gifts, and flowers, but most of all I feel very thankful and blessed to have you as my friend.

CREATIVE ESCAPE PART 2

2007-09-20T20:38:00.000-05:00

After classes on the first day, we had a "Friday Night Extravaganza" and all of the teachers from last year taught a 15 minute class using Heidi's big deck of cards. We stayed in our flower groups and the teachers rotated. They even used stop watches to make sure things ran smoothly and we got a BIG cropper hopper container full of supplies to make 2 cards with each teacher. The teachers were Stacy Julian, Pam Black, Kelli Collins, Carol Wingert, Heidi Swapp, Marti Jones (Mrs. Bazille), Tena Sprenger, and Amy Totty (this lady is hilarious!!!). When we got back to our room they had pink and green popcorn in little bags for us. The next day our first class was with Rhonna Farrer. We did a 21 day journal in her class and used all of her new stamps to stamp the pages of our journal. She is really fun and creative and full of energy. Our second class was with Heidi Lynn (she is the daughter of the Bazille's). She is wonderful and soo funny. She did a calendar class and we got a 12x12 Heidi Swapp calendar, a purple cows cutting tool, and supplies for the layouts as part of the class kit. Our third class that day was with Tracey Niehues. She works for K&Company and this girl created a book out of a clear office envelope. You need to see this to believe it. She had the instructions down to a science. She is super creative. Each class had a power point presentation with the intructions on a big screen. That was really helpful. Our last class was with Leslie Spafford. Her class was a card class and she did some really neat folding techniques for cards and we also did some tags in her class. Her husband was her volunteer and he baked over 600 cookies so everyone could have one. They were a cute team. That night we have a wonderful dinner. Of course we ate dessert first and man that stuff was good!!! After dinner they gave away a ton of prizes. Then Allison Tyler Jones did the keynote speech. She was sooo funny and moving at the same time. She had a great power point with some amazing pictures and music. After her speech all the waiters came out again and gave everyone a little chinese take out box. Inside was a fortunate cookie saying how thankful they were that everyone came, and inside one box was a certificate for her and a friend to attend Creative Escape next year free. Darn!!!! I wanted that!!!! Anyway I'm sure I left out some stuff but as you can see it was a great event. My cousin and I had a great time together and I really miss her because we only see each other about 2 times a year. We talk everyday on the computer but it was an experience I will never forget and be forever thankful that we got to go.

CREATIVE ESCAPE

2007-09-18T21:27:00.000-05:00

I had such a wonderful time at Creative Escape!!!! My cousin Ann and I flew out of Memphis on Wednesday to Phoenix to attend Creative Escape. I cannot possibly tell you in one post all of the wonderful things I want to say. I will try and do my best but honestly it was AWESOME!! We were all divided into flower groups and Ann and I were Magnolias. We attended our classes in our groups and each group had 2 helpers. On thursday we had registration and met Heidi and Mr. Bazzill and then went to the "technique boutique". A card came with our name tag in a cute pink "Creative Escape" bag for about 15 stations that we needed to get checked off. At each station we learned techniques we would need to know in our classes for the next 2 days. We also got a TON of free stuff. Each station had a give away from adhesives, to a $40.00 cutting tool, acrylic stamps, a digital CE layout printed on 12x12 cardstock, free kits for mini books, etc. It was really cool. After that the teachers had a "truck show" where they set up big tables with examples of all of their work, and we could visit with each of them and take pictures. After this we went to the on site store!!!! Well, all I am going to say is that we each had a basket full. Ok no more details just in case John reads this blog.

All of the meals were included, so on the first day we got up early and ate a great breakfast and went to our first class. It was taught by Jennifer Wagner and we made a very cute little scrapbook purse. The unique thing about this event is that everyone attends every class. There is no signing up for classes. We all did each class. As you walk in the door they hand you these huge bags of supplies for that class. We did have to bring basic tools and adhesives. Each class lasted an hour and forty five minutes and it FLEW by! The CE people and the Bazille people had extras of everything in case you messed up and they absolutely made sure everyone was happy and had everything they needed. Each classroom had drinks and water. Every need was met.

The second class we went to was Heidi Swapp's class. We used Tim Holtz ink and masks to distress 2 canvas boards to make a message board. This was a relaxing class and we had alot of fun with Heidi. She is so genuine and generous. At the technique boutique she gave us a wonderful kit to make a banner that said "Escape" with all the supplies to make it included.

We had a break after Heidi's class and our last class of the day was with Chris Randall and yes we learned to solder. We bought our own kit and we really had fun and it wasn't that hard at all. At first we soldered around a chip of china. Then we moved on to a necklace. I'll do this again. I would have never tried this if I hadn't gone to CE. That night after our welcome meeting with everyone, we went back to our room and there were chocolates and a CE eye mask for us in our room. (How fun!) Ann posed in hers for me. I also bought us some matching scrap girl PJ's for our trip and it was quite funny to see me set the timer on the camera and put it on the dresser and hop on the bed and pose in 10 seconds! Ok that's all for today. Sorry it is so long but I wanted everyone to see all the pictures. Tomorrow I will finish up the last day of CE on my blog with more pictures.

We Caught A Critter

2007-09-03T21:51:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally got a "Have a Heart Trap", (they were sold out for a long time). We knew something was eating my gerber daisy's, but recently we had some huge holes in our flower beds. I mean digging up plants and landscape light wires!! We also had our baby deer visitor so we weren't really sure which one was the culprit. The first night we put out the trap we caught this possum. We used cat food and bacon to bait the trap. It was cute but really mad. It showed it's teeth several times!! John and Seth and some of Seth's friends took it and let it out at Denise Lauerman's new house. hahaha not really Denise!! Got ya! They took it to a lake and let it go. I really felt sorry for it. The problem is..... that since then MORE daisy's have disappeared!!! We are putting it on the back deck now in hopes of catching the flower thief.

This is a fun exciting week for me!!! I leave for Creative Escape on Wednesday!! We are soo excited. They divided all the girls into flower groups and we are in the Magnolia group. I have packed up all my supplies and am ready to go. We got a list of all the women going and I noticed that Stacy Julian and Becky Higgins will be attending!! How exciting! They aren't in my group, but maybe I can get a picture with them. I can't wait to show everyone the pictures when I get back. Have a good week everyone!!

Lisa Bearnson!!

2007-08-26T21:26:00.000-05:00

Ok, so John and I have been scheduled to go to Tulsa for months so John could get some continuing education hours. It's only for one night and we could go by Fayetteville and see Lauren on the way to and on the way home. I would have all day Friday from 9 till 4 in the afternoon to entertain myself and we would leave when John finishes. So I print off directions to several malls thinking no problem. Well, we are leaving Thursday afternoon and that morning I get a post card in the mail listing the Creating Keepsakes Conventions for the rest of the year. I am half way glancing over it and.........WHAT??? TULSA THIS WEEKEND!! Well, needless to say I went. It was really fun. All the major companies had booths set up and make & takes. It was fun to just walk around and watch all the excited ladies. I hadn't signed up for any classes, but the examples were all setting out and some of them looked pretty cool. Well about 3:00, an announcer says that Lisa Bearnson will be here in a few minutes if you want to meet her. What? How exciting! I was third in line and I had her sign my big K & Company bag. I had taken John's little camera in case I wanted to take a picture of the event to scrap. She was so nice and very warm and took her time with each lady. She is probably the first individual person I identified with scrapbooking because of her magazine. I admire her story and the way she raises her family. The next day Stacy Julian and several others were going to be there. I saw several groups of ladies together with matching shirts taking classes, laughing and shopping. Hummmm, maybe a group of us need to go next year??? Any Takers??

Heidi Swapp Creative Escape

2007-08-21T16:12:00.000-05:00

Well, school has started and I must admit I like the routine. I think I just like change because, I love it when the seasons change, I love it when summer comes and Christmas break comes. I call those good changes. I got a little surprise in the mail yesterday!!! I got a FedEx box from Heidi Swapp's Creative Escape. It had a little travel journal, a black and white polka dot ribbon to tie around your luggage handles (for easy ID), 2 luggage tags in bright pink with Creative Escape on them, a CE button,a CE edge distressor, a little Fed Ex airplane, and 2 candy Fireballs (because it's really hot in September in Arizona). How cute is that! I leave on September 5th with my cousin Ann for Phoenix, Arizona for 3 days of the BEST scrapbook event. I will make sure I have some wonderful pictures to share. I have never been to an event like this before, and I don't know if they will have it next year because Heidi is moving to CHINA!! Yes she is, because of her husband's business. Anyway, I am so excited to be able to go!! In the meantime let's all think "Fall" and maybe we can wish these hot temps away!

End of Summer

2007-08-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

Seth and I were home one afternoon this week and he started yelling, "Come quick Mom and look at this"! This precious little baby deer was just walking around in our front yard. Now remember we live in the middle of Indian Creek in the center of town. We started watching it from window to window. It was just eating some of the plants and calmly looking around. Several cars drove by the house and the deer didn't even notice. Eventually it just walked into the woods behind my house. I took this picture off the back deck.

I guess summer is almost over. We took Lauren back to school on Saturday and got her room all fixed up. She has a very nice room in the Tri-Delta house. She was sad and we were sad but no one cried this year. She is coming home for Labor Day and she has called me at least 4 times a day since she left. It is work week for the sorority this week for rush so they have been working from 8am until 11 every night. She is pooped! I think she is ready for classes to start on Monday so work week will be over. I miss her already and am counting the days until Christmas when I get her for a whole month! Yeah! Seth starts High School on Monday. I can't believe that. He is fully engrossed in the HS golf season. He shot a 74 yesterday in a tournament and was the low scorer for the team. We are very proud of him. He truly loves golf. I just hope he remembers as of Monday he has classes too! hahaha

Summer Happiness

2007-08-09T21:03:00.000-05:00

I decided to do this layout using one color and printed it on 12 x 12 paper using my Epson 1800. I knew this printer could print 12 x 12 pictures, but I had never tried it before. My theme was happiness and I used some word stamps to frame the photo. I liked the way it turned out. Kind of simple. I have been busy scrappin lately. I have done 2 layouts and made Lauren a clock for her sorority room. We took it apart and put scrapbook paper on the face of the clock and added some bling. She picked everyhing out and it's already in the box to go to Fayetteville. She leaves on Saturday! boo hooo!!! I think she is as sad as we are. We love all being under one roof.

After I posted this I noticed when I scaned and stitched these together some of the words were blurry. I redid it and it was the same. This kind of thing drives me crazy. Oh well live and learn.

Fun!

2007-08-07T22:16:00.001-05:00

I love this page! It reminds me of a quilt and I have collected quilts for years. I did this page for my Heidi Swapp "A Year to Remember" Class with Big Picture Scrapbooking. It is such a fun class with some great ideas. I am excited because it is less than a month and I will be with Heidi Swapp in Phoenix for Creative Escape!! My cousin and I signed up for this almost 6 months ago. I can't believe it is almost here!!! Yeah!

Pansy Can

2007-08-06T14:49:00.001-05:00

I made this "Pansy Can" this weekend while I was taking care of Baxter. As pledge trainer Lauren needed something to pass around during the sorority meeting that members could drop nice comments in. After the meeting they read the comments out loud. I used this Tombow

Glue stick that I had never used before and I really liked it. I don't regularly use alot of glue sticks but this one really worked well. It seemed much thicker than regular glue sticks and it really held tight. Update: Baxter is doing good. He gets pain meds once a day and then sleeps. As evening gets here he is more active and today he was even putting his leg down just a little. Dogs are much tougher than humans. We would have still been in the hospital with a button for our pain meds. hahaha I hope everyone is staying cool!

Baxter's Surgery

2007-08-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

My poor little Baxter had surger on Friday. He is 12 years old and his back leg kept slipping out from under him and he kept falling down. So I took him to Dr. Helvey and he said the cartilage on his knee keeps slipping off the knee cap and he looses control of the leg and falls. So he had to operate and carve out a bigger groove on his bone so it would hold the cartilage in place. Needless to say I am being a nurse this weekend to my sweet Baxter. They shaved his leg and he has this long line of stitches so I am just holding and loving on him this weekend. He only weighs 4 1/2 pounds so I have just been carrying him around or he is sitting in my lap. He goes back on Tuesday for a check and I am going to have to start a little physical therapy on him like stretching his leg out etc. I wish animals lived longer. He is like a member of our family.

Busy, Busy, Busy

2007-08-01T20:35:00.001-05:00

First....no we have not caught that "critter" yet. John went to buy a large cage that catches the animals but doesn't harm them, and they were SOLD OUT!!! So we are waiting until they get some more in. I'll keep you posted.

Golf, golf, and more golf! Seth has been playing in so many golf tournaments from Greenville, Mississippi, to Pine Bluff, to Mountain Home and last weekend in Kansas City. The only tournament we have here is a wonderful tournament in honor of Chuck Morton. The Morton family has sponsored it for several years and it is a top notch tournament attracting top junior golfers from all over the state. Last year Seth won his age group and this year he got second by one stroke. He was fine with it. He still got a BIG trophy. Golf season for the High School starts next week. Last year they won the State Championship and they only lost one starter so it should be a good season.

When I wasn't at a golf tournament I was watching the movie "HAIRSPRAY"!!! Lauren and I have seen it 3 times in the last 2 weeks! It is right up there with my all time favorite "GREASE". I highly recommend going to see this. The first time we went to see it we went straight to Walmart and bought the last soundtrack they had. I hate to admit it, but I will be seeing it again!

I think we are home for a while so I will be better at blogging.

I'm going to get that critter!!

2007-07-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

Ok I have had it!! I have beautiful Gerber Daisy's on my back deck railing. I have planters placed on the deck that you can see out of our master bedroom windows and all summer they have been just beautiful. I make sure they are watered and I pick the dead flower heads off. Well.......about a month ago some CRITTER during the night came and bit the flowers off and just left them laying on the ground. I thought to myself it probably won't happen again so I didn't take any action and it was probably just a critter traveling through the neighborhood. Well......... it has happened 3 more times. Just when the flowers start to grow back "Off with their heads!" Evidently, the thief has taken up residence in our yard. This calls for some action. I don't want to harm the animal. I just want it gone. We are off to buy an animal trap and see if we can catch it and then take it to the woods and release it. I'll keep you posted.

Birthday Blessing

2007-07-08T23:12:00.000-05:00

So much has happened since I last posted. It was the best birthday ever! I think we celebrated for 3 days. We had seen some wild sunflowers in an undeveloped part of our neighborhood a few days earlier, and we had been trying to grow some giant ones from seeds all summer. So on my birthday morning John told me to come outside with him. He had gone back and dug them up early that morning and planted them in the flower bed. He is so sweet! Ahhh. Then I noticed my car! Seth and his friend Brad Simens took some car chalk and "decorated" my car late the night before my birthday. They were so proud they surprised me. That night we went out to eat at 178 Club with my Mom and Dad and the kids.

We decided to wait and have the birthday cake on Saturday when my brother and his wife came to visit. My sweet daughter decided that she would cook the meal and plan the party, and I wouldn't have to do anything. She did the shopping and ordered the cake and bought the balloons...etc. On Saturday her and her boyfriend Ryan did EVERYTHING! They cooked, set the table, got drinks, and even cleaned up. She ordered this beautiful cake from Walmart!! She even got sparkling candles. She thought of everything. My Sister-in-law even brought a cake. It was absolutely delicious! It was strawberry creme and she got it in Little Rock. Lauren even bought a banner and set up a birthday table in the foyer with the cakes and the balloons. She is the most wonderful daughter!! I love her and she has such a sweet and giving heart.

On Saturday night we went to Beth Ann Ponder and Josh Davenport's wedding. It was soo sweet and you could tell God has blessed both of these families. The wedding was just beautiful and Beth Ann's dress was gorgeous! The reception was at ASUMH in the center part called Keller's Green. The weather was perfect and the setting was just magical. Nell Ponder is one of my most favorite people. She just makes me happy inside! I love her.

On Saturday afternoon Lauren received a call that one of her sorority sisters had been killed that morning in a car accident. She had fallen asleep at the wheel between Memphis and Little Rock. Needless to say Lauren was screaming and crying hysterically. It broke my heart to see her so upset, but what really hurt was thinking of this girls' family and the pain they were going through. I cannot even imagine how they can deal with this. I do know she was a Christian and her family has a strong Christian base. It helps to know that, but gosh i still can't quit thinking about how much pain her family is in. I will be taking Lauren down for the visitation and funeral on Tuesday and Wednesday. Please keep this family in your prayers. The girls name was Rachel Shadid. She was from North Little Rock.

Cherish everyday!

Cathy

2007-07-03T22:05:00.000-05:00

This is a little clock that I bought at Target. I took it apart and added the crown and the bling on the numbers. I also glittered the hands and painted the second hand silver. It does seem like time is flying this week while we are on vacation. I am enjoying the down time and the time with my family.

Cathy

2007-06-30T22:25:00.000-05:00

This is a little travel journal that I finished late last night. I am going to fill it with pictures and journaling the next time we go on a big trip. It was fun to do and I usually don't use a lot of orange, but I like how it turned out. Down deep I will always be a "pink" girl!

John is off this next week and we are staying home and swimming, and going to the movies, and John is of course.... golfing. I plan to do a lot of scrapping and just taking it easy. My idea of a great vacation is staying at home!!!

Cathy

2007-06-28T20:38:00.000-05:00

I have been tagged! Alright Denise here goes:

My roommate and I once: played on our sorority football team.

Never in my life have I: touched a snake. I HATE THEM.

High School: was fun! I still talk to alot of friends from NLR Ole Main.

When I'm nervous: My neck turns red.

My hair: is sooo curly! It takes me 20 minutes to use a huge round brush to get it looking normal.

When I was 5: I fainted while the doctor stitched up my brothers hand.

When I turn my head left: I see cabinets with a murphy bed inside.

My favorite aunt is: Aunt June from Gulfport Mississippi.

I have a hard time understanding: morning people.

You know I like you if: I like everybody.

My ideal breakfast is: bacon and eggs.

If you spend the night at my house: you will stay up late and sleep in.

My favorite blonde is: my daughter Lauren.

My favorite brunette is: my cousin Ann.

Like to see flyng besides birds: cars.

I shouldn't have been: staying up until 2 am last night.

Last night I: worked on my Heidi Swapp class.

I've been told I look like: my dad.

If I could have any car, it would be: one that drove itself.

2007-06-28T17:15:00.000-05:00

This is the June layout for my Heidi class. The theme was change and how we need to embrace change to grow. We used a butterfly mask and used Tim Holtz inks and a new foam applicator that is coming out this summer at CHA. Ink is used over the mask to leave the negative space over 2 solid and 2 pattern papers. The green butterfly is a ghost shape with patterned paper glued to the back and it's wings bent up slightly. I also used stitching on the page in several places. Inside the file folder is a hidden sheet of the things I want to change this year. This class really encourages you to try new things and I love that.

Cathy

2007-06-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

My daughter Lauren is home for the summer. Her boyfriend, Ryan lives in Houston. Friday Lauren thought we were going to Little Rock to shop. Little did she know Ryan and I had a plan. He flew into Little Rock and my Brother and Sister-in-Law picked him up at the airport and surprised her at Macaroni Grill. She was so excited to see him!! It was fun planning it with Ryan, but it was sooo hard to keep it a secret from her. I about blew it several times!

I have been busy catching up with my classes at Big Picture Scrapbooking. I have 2 classes going now and after July 5th I will have 3. One is a photography class that I am very excited about. I will try and post my calendar layout for June for my Heidi Swapp class. My other class is a Junkitz travel journal class. This class ends this week and I'll try and post pictures next week after I finish it.

Cathy

2007-06-21T22:42:00.000-05:00

I have really been ignoring my blog lately. I am going to try and do better. I have been hard at work on my Big Picture Heidi Swapp class and now I am taking another class by junkitz, plus all the summer activities, and my daughter is home from college. I love having her home. Anyway, we are off to Little Rock for the day tomorrow so I thought I would post some pictures of my recent scrapbooking. I made these cool magnetic boards for me and my Mother for Mother's Day. They turned out great. I glued little magnets on the back of buttons so you can change the photos. I used Mod Podge to seal everything in place. This was one of the assignments from the Heidi class. I just love her!

Spring Break 2007

2007-03-31T01:37:00.000-05:00

We drove to Destin, Florida for Spring Break. We rented a wonderful house right on the beach. We took my 14 year old son, my daugher who is 20 and 2 of her friends, and my parents. We had a really good time and the guys played alot of golf. On Thursday afternoon John and I and my parents drove to the town of Seaside to see where The Truman Show was filmed. We got a call from our son saying a man drowned on the our beach. My kids witnessed the whole thing and even tried to comfort the man's family. It was really sad. The red flags were up that day and the waves were really big. Evidently he had gone in to help some other people who were in trouble. A couple of hours later another man drowned about a mile away. There must have been a really bad rip tide. We learned that when the red flags are flying don't get in the water.

2007-03-10T22:03:00.000-06:00

I am in the Year to Remember Heidi Swapp class and this was my layout for the month of February. This is my family.

2007-03-10T21:57:00.000-06:00

Today is the first day of the new blog. I hope I can figure out all the details and learn to post pics and customize my layout.