Lord Of The Dance

I was lucky enough to be able to go to see Lord of the Dance with my parents and one of my sisters on May 1st...it was FABULOUS! I have seen it on TV before but that is nothing like seeing it in person! JUST AWESOME! I can't believe it but I actually bought the DVD and a t-shirt! LOL!

Happy NSD and Cinco De Mayo!

National Scrapbooking Day and I didn't even get to sit at my scrap desk let alone actually scrap anything :( Oh well, at least I had a strawberry daquiri for Cinco De Mayo! ;) We actually took the kids to their first Tampa Bay Devil Ray game. They had a great time...eating cotton candy, having their hats stolen from Raymond the Ray...but the highlight for both of them was receiving a baseball from the manager of the Oakland A's. Our seats are a few rows up from the dugout and so Stevie and Aly went down with their gloves to try and catch a ball. The manager threw one to Stevie and he was just thrilled! So the next time he went down with Alyson and when the manager saw him he told him he had already thrown him one but Stevie pointed to Alyson and said it was for her so he tossed a ball over to Aly....who knew something so simple could be so exciting! The game went into extra innings...12 to be exact....but the Devil Rays won!

Another new addition

Meet Dutchess...our newest addition...and definitely the last! LOL! I had to take Tiger Lily to the vet and there were 2 little kittens who had been rescued and needed a new home. Since we had already talked about getting one more cat to keep Tiger Lily company I asked about adopting one. I totally fell in love with this little pink nosed cutie! She is 9 weeks old and just too cute. Alyson is absolutely in love with her and carries her around almost all the time - to the point that we have to keep telling her to put her down! LOL! At one point I had to rescue Dutchess from Aly and her friend as they were dressing her up in doll clothes!

Please keep Virginia Tech in your prayers.

I am in shock and so heartbroken over the massacre that happened yesterday at Virginia Tech. My husband is from VA and so we have family there who in turn have friends and family who work, attend and are VT alumni...not to mention close friends of ours who are also alumni and Hokies to the core with friends and family who work and attend there as well. I can not even fathom what makes someone do something so evil. I can't help but wonder to myself...What is wrong with this world?! I wonder what I have brought my children in to?! I almost feel guilty for bringing them into so much evil and tragedy...every day all over there is so much hatred and senseless violence...and for what?!

My youngest sister is heading off to college this fall and I can't help but worry. I had a hard time letting my kids out of the car this morning for school. As a parent I can only imagine the heartache the parents of the victims must feel...I can only think it is such a helpless feeling.

Please keep Virginia Tech in your prayers...and maybe say a prayer for safety and peace in this world.

Meet Tiger Lily

Say hello to Tiger Lily...our new baby girl! We just adopted her last night. She is 9 months old and just the sweetest thing. She cuddled up to us all and then we were hooked! She has yet to even make a sound...unless you count sneezing. (She is getting over a bit of cold.) I'm starting to think she doesn't know how to "meow"! LOL! Alyson is especially excited because Tiger Lily is still small enough so that she can carry her around. We found her almost by accident really. We were all set to adopt another kitty and then Steve came across a few that were separated from the others since they were getting over colds and knowing my soft spot for calicos he called my attention to her....and I just fell in love. One way or another I knew she was coming home with me! The kids seem to be pretty smitten with her as well and of course Steve would probably bring them all home if he could! LOL! She already had the name Tiger and so we decided to make her Tiger Lily since it sounds a bit more feminine and sweet.
She is slowing getting to know her way around but seems to be adjusting well...and I think we are all excited to have a new fur baby...Lenox is so missed.

Happy Easter

Yeah, I am a couple days late but we had a busy few days. Hope you all had a Happy Easter and enjoyed time with your family. We actually spent time at my parents' house with my brother and sisters, my brother's girlfriend and also Annika my parent's exchange student from Germany (she would be the one in the black hair that we are holding up in one of the pics!)

The kids had great time hunting eggs and we even had Annika out hunting eggs with them so that she could experience a traditional american easter...she was a great sport about it. She is such a fun person!

Of course we couldn't resist a chance to take lots of pics while we were all together as well but I only posted a few here...my parents with the kids, a little family photo of the four of us (it is the only decent one and of course my little ham of a son is giving the camera a funny face!) and then one of me with my brother and sisters and Annika!

My family also celebrated my birthday with me which was on the 7th. I turned 34...hard to believe since I still feel like an insecure teenager at times. I look at Stevie and Alyson some times and can hardly believe they are really mine! LOL! My youngest sister actually decorated my birthday cake for me which I loved...of course my brother and other sister had to give her a hard time about it and said it looked like Mickey "Bear" rather than Mickey Mouse...but I loved it and was so touched!

I can't believe I caved!

So anyone who really knows me knows how much I {heart} anything Disney and am hesitant to say anything negative about Disney...but I have never been a fan of the whole autograph thing and DH and I have been able to steer our kids clear of it...until now. Alyson has been hounding us for weeks about getting the character's autographs next time we go to Disney. Yesterday we spent the day at the Magic Kingdom with some friends who were in town from PA. I managed to hold the kids off until the end of the day before we actually bought the autograph book - with the crowds there was no way they were getting anywhere near the characters. Then as we were heading out over to the right was Mr & Mrs Easter Bunny with almost no line at all -- needless to say the kids were ripping the plastic wrapping off the autograph books at they were running to get in line. Who knew that simple "signature" could be such a thrill! Stevie and Alyson just stared and marveled over those two signatures almost the whole ferry ride back to the parking lot! Even though I still dislike the whole autograph thing I guess I am going to have to just suck it up and deal with it since they are both already planning out the autographs they want next...oh well, at least that means I will get more pictures to scrap!

The Paper Place Scrapbooking Community

April 1st brings our first sketch challenge over at The Paper Place Scrapbooking Community now that the new Design Team has taken over! We are planning lots of new and fun things and we would love to see some new faces come and play with us! We love making new friends!

April 2007 Sketch Challenge:
http://www.paperplacescrapbooking.net/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2514

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

www.paperplacescrapbooking.net

I feel so empowered!

I am feeling so empowered and so proud of myself! I went for a 14 mile bike ride yesterday! I was tired and probably walking a little funny yesterday when we got back and my bottom is definitely a bit on the tender side today...but I feel GREAT! I can't wait to go again and hopefully make this a regular thing...maybe then I will be running down the beach in a bikini again! LOL!

I also bought myself some roller blades finally. It has been probably 12 years since I last rollerbladed...Steve and I were living in Minnesota and had started roller blading and we were out at a park having fun...and then I rollerbladed down a hill...and couldn't stop...and fell right on my tail bone! Steve was behind me and says that I hit the ground so hard I actually bounced! Oh man was I hurting and I couldn't walk right or bend over for a month or more. It was awful. Since then the idea of getting back on roller blades has made me nauseous...until recently. I figured I would give it another try. I am thrilled to say that I haven't fallen and I am gradually building my confidence back. I am embarassed to admit that my 7 y.o. son is better at it than I am! LOL!

Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary! Bloody Mary!

When I was a kid I can remember being told that if you go into the bathroom and turn off all the lights then say "Bloody Mary" into the mirror 13 times then a blood covered woman would come out of the mirror and scratch your face off! (okay, insert a picture of me rolling my eyes here! LOL!) I can remember believing it too. I am sure you are wondering why on earth I would be writing about this but it seems my 7 y.o. learned of the "Bloody Mary" legend yesterday at school...although the version is slightly different...it seems he was told that if he says "Bloody Mary" into the mirror 10 times then he will die. The poor little guy was crying hysterically last night shortly after bed and he was absolutely terrified! Steve and I took him into the bathroom to show him that it wasn't true and he was better after that. It seems the little girl who told him about it has at least one older sibling so my guess is they were trying to scare her. I can only imagine what other legends he is going to come home with fearing they are true! And I can't believe it is already happening in 2nd grade!

So I'm curious...what legends can you remember being afraid of as a kid...I would love to hear one - or two! ;)

Lenox (Feb 1994 - March 16, 2007)

Our cat Lenox died on Friday morning. The kids were at school and Steve was on his way home from being out of town all week. We are all heartbroken. It has actually hit me much harder than I would have ever expected. My poor husband was so upset and I think it was harder for him because he had been out of town for so long. Stevie and Alyson were absolutely devastated...poor Alyson was inconsolable for a bit at first. Seeing Stevie's face when he heard the news and then to hear Aly crying so hard and just saying his name over and over...that is just something I am never going to forget. She kept saying "but, I didn't know it was his last day!" I feel angry at myself that he was all by himself. He was just laying there as if he were going to take a nap. My neighbor was kind enough to come over and wrap him in a towel for me because I just couldn't bear to do it - I couldn't even be in the same room while she did it. We all said goodbye to him later that night once Steve was home and while I thought seeing Lenox would be hard for the kids it actually seemed to help. They made cards for him to say goodbye and ask God to take care of him -- in Stevie's card he asked God to make sure he got 3 small meals a day :) We buried him Saturday morning on the side of the house just outside our master bathroom window and I ordered a Mickey Mouse birdbath to place there since our crazy cat was crazy about water.

It seems weird to say but the house seems quieter without him and just sad. I wish I had stopped and been a little nicer to him that morning instead of rushing past him to get the kids out the door to school. I can't help but feel guilty. I miss having him run in front of me on my way to the shower every morning...who would have thought I would actually miss THAT?!

I confess I would sometimes roll my eyes when I would see how attached some people were to their pets...and here I am...one of those people. We are so sad around here right now and just miss him. Neither Steve or I seem to want to clean up his food and water dish although I guess we will have to do that soon enough.

This has got to be one of the most clever e-mails I have received in awhile. Someone out there either has TOO much spare time or is deadly at Scrabble!(Wait till you see the last one!

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters: DIRTY ROOM
PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters: BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters: MOON STARER
DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters: A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters: THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters: HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters: HERE COME DOTS
SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters: CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters: IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters: LIES - LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters: ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S
A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters: IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters: THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters: TWELVE PLUS ONE

AND FOR THE GRAND FINALE~

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters: WOMAN HITLER

Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay too much time on their hands! (Probably a son-in-law).

We went to the Renaissance Festival today.

I haven't been to the Renaissance Festival since I was a kid so I was looking forward to taking Stevie and Alyson today. Steve is out of town for a while but we met up with my MIL and SIL and neices and nephews. It was a beautiful day and we all got a bit on the dirty side but it was really a fun time! Stevie was proposed to...TWICE...within 10 minutes of our arrival...aren't they loverly! ;)

We held court with the Queen herself and Stevie, along with his cousin, Alex, were sworn in by the Queen's Squire and then knighted by King Henry the VIII.

I am kind of hoping that maybe Steve will want to go one weekend before it is over and we will be able to see more of the jousting and watch the washing well wenches again! LOL!


My little Princess and My brave Knight...

My Scrap Space

I was supposed to take a picture of my scrap space to post online but before I could do that I *REALLY* needed to get it straightened up...believe me when I say it looked like a tornado had come through. It took me a couple of days to get things actually put away instead of in piles on my desk and the floor...but it is DONE! It is not as fancy as some spaces I have seen but given time, it will get there. I love it though. We have a great big family home office and we all have a corner in it...and this is mine. Plus, I got the closet too! Thank goodness I have such a supportive and encouraging husband who supports me in my scrapbooking. He does occasionally look around with complete wonderment in his face trying to figure out how on earth I have managed to accumulate so much stuff -- seemingly, without his knowledge! LOL!

I think that scrapbookers are some of the nicest people and I have been lucky enough to be able to call quite a few of them my friends. Every so often I get happy mail from one of them and I love to keep the things they send me in my space to cheer me up...like the "H" that was altered for me and the "Notes" clothespin - are they not the cutest!

I like to keep other "happy reminders" around too, like the scrapbooking bear Steve and the kids got me for Mother's Day last year, little gifts the kids make at school, the NYC Disney Bear Steve brought home from a business trip, plenty of Disney goodies and a few pictures as well -- like the one of a starbucks latte! LOL!

I just love my space and if I am not busy taking care of my family or the house...then you can bet I will be right there at my desk!

I'm a Design Team Member!

I am *SO* excited! I found out today that I made a design team for an online scrapbooking commuity called The Paper Place! It is rather ironic how I found the site - I was feeling so down about my scrapbooking one day and was talking to Steve about it. Just minutes after my conversation I checked my email and had an email from someone I didn't know just wanting to tell me how much she thought of a particular LO I had posted on 2Peas and that she was going to share it with some friends on another board. She gave me the link and so I went to check it out. The ladies there were so warm and welcoming and then they even let me join the contest for the new design team search. I am just SO thrilled and really looking forward to having fun with the other gals on the team. I actually jumped out of my chair and screamed so loud when I found out that my poor husband thought there was a snake under my desk! LOL! If you get a chance I hope you will come check us out... http://www.paperplacescrapbooking.net/

My Celebrity Look-alikes

My cool celebrity look-alike collage from MyHeritage.com. Get one for yourself.

The ABC's of ME

I was challenged to do a layout about myelf. It was one of the hardest challenges I have ever had! I much prefer to scrap about other people! I had to do a layout to let people know me so this was the best idea I could come up with. I really agonized over this but in the end I am feeling pretty proud of what I did.

The journaling on the LO reads:

The ABCs of ME

Accident prone: I have been known to hurt myself in the most ridiculous of ways – like stepping off the curb, walking into the wall, falling off my shoe…just to name a few.

Best qualities: dedication to family and friends, honest and compassionate

Can’t stand: lying, cheating, rude people, slow drivers, stupidity, smoking, hypocrites – to name a few!

Dream job: to be a princess at Walt Disney World or own my own scrapbook store.

Everyday essentials: kiss from my husband, hug from my kids, coffee and my computer.

Family: oldest of 4 siblings, wife of 9 years to Steve and mother of 2, Stevie and Alyson.

Guilty pleasures: new shoes, Danielle Steel books, FRIENDS on DVD, Starbucks and scrapbooking

Happiest moment: the day each of my children were born.

Internal conflict: will I ever be good enough?

Java: Starbucks Grande Vanilla Latte with Whip (in the winter I like to add a little Pumpkin Spice!)

Kiss: my favorite way to start and end the day with my husband.

Life is incomplete without: My faith in God, the love of my family and friends, the magic of Disney, and Starbucks!

Most valued possession: the teddy bear I received on my very first Christmas.

Needs improvement: I worry too much; I am too hard on myself, not enough patience, too pessimistic and cynical.

Outrageous goals: get a new tattoo, learn to belly dance, and work at Walt Disney World.

Phobias: terrified of snakes and flying.

Quote: “The best thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”

Residence: currently live in Florida. I have lived in 6 states total so far in my life -Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Minnesota, Illinois, Washington and Florida

Sports team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TV Shows: FRIENDS, Grey’s Anatomy, Extreme Home Makeover

Unusual habit: I always twist my hotdog in the bun to evenly spread the ketchup and mustard (my husband refers to this at the “Punkin Twist”)

Vehicle: I absolutely love my 2004 Toyota Sienna XLE (the Magic Van, the kids call it) but one day I would love to have a convertible mustang.

Wine: there is no better way to relax than to sit back with a glass of chilled Riesling.

X-rays I’ve had: ankles, knee, finger, chest and teeth.

You might be surprised to know: that I never went to college, I have a Mickey Mouse tattoo, and I am actually rather shy.

Zoo animal: my favorite is always the monkeys! I could watch them forever.

So, what are the ABC's of you? If you make a list, leave me a comment with a link or the list, I would love to read it!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hope your day is fun and filled with love. We started something new this year for Valentine's Day...actually for the whole month. At the start of the month I put out 4 plain white "mail"boxes so that we could leave love notes to each other for the whole month. The rule was you have to leave something in each mailbox AT LEAST once a week. I wasn't really sure how well it would go over, but it has actually been quite a lot of fun! The kids love to make cards and draw pictures and they have even left pieces of candy for Steve and I. I took a picture of our "mail"boxes this morning...I think I will have to decorate them for next year since I think this tradition is here to stay!

February 2nd

So my picture for Feb 2nd is actually one of DH and I. We had a great time last night out with a few other couples for a fabulous dinner at Flemings and then we hit the comedy club to see Dom Irrera (HILARIOUS!). I had hoped to get a pic of Dom for my PAD but he seemed to go into hiding once he got off stage! LOL!

And my LO for the day I actually used my Feb 1 PAD! LOL! It is probably one of the simplest LOs I have ever done and it was my first time doing the doodling thing too...I could get into that again though!

February will be a real Challenge for me!

So, this month I have decided to really challenge myself and have commited to participating in a Photo A Day Challenge (PAD) and also a Layout A Day Challenge (LOAD)...maybe I will get to know my new camera a little bit better AND actually use up some of my scrapbooking supplies -- so I have room to put all my new ones! So my pic for Feb 1st is one of Alyson just before bedtime...Daddy had a dinner meeting and called home to let her know he was bringing home a great big piece of chocolate cake...just for her! My little gal could eat her weight in cake...and then some!

My LO for today is for our "Believe" Santa Album which will have all our pics of the kids with Santa. I have had the title page done for awhile and just finally last night finished the first LO. The pics are from Stevie's first visit with Santa in 1999. The pic we got was not the greatest...they actually gave up a polaroid so I scanned, enlarged and doctored it as best I could...

Now I need to see what I can get done for today...before my hot date tonight! ;)