Thankful for another giveaway!

This time it’s for a beautiful necklace made by my multi-talented friend, Becky!

Head to Serendipity Kits DT Blog for your chance to win – all you have to do is leave a comment!

Aren’t they pretty? And they could belong to you!

Because I have all this free time on my hands.

In between all 50+ hours I spend at work, spending time with the family, and becoming obsessed reading the Twilight books (currently book 4), I haven’t forgotten how to scrapbook.

(sometimes I feel like I’ve forgotten… you know, when I sit staring at something I’ve just finished and absolutely HATE it, it looks like crap and I have to pull it all apart and put it back together again to try and make it look like an ADULT who sort of knows what she’s doing actually did this… but, I digress)

I did this Friday night after seeing similar items on Etsy.

It took me maybe about 30-45 minutes (yeah, it probably looks it), but I thought it was cute & it turned out to be a fun project. I may make more of these for Christmas and the kids’ birthdays. (this was made pre-Twilight – since I can’t seem to put down these damn books)

I also participated in a weekend challenge with Jen & Julie. As it turns out, I’m the ONLY ONE who completed the challenge! <<hairball>> We decided to make a December Daily album (a la Ali). Here’s mine:

And then I did this layout a week or so before the album. It talks about the sticker on the back of my car, how I felt about it being put on there, and then finding a note on my car by a stranger who was moved by what the sticker says about my Mom. (I’ll have to post the entire story later)

So… there you have it. This is what I’ve been spending my time doing. Of course, we all have to make sacrifices to do the things we want to do.

Apparently my sacrifice is…sleep. Who needs it, anyway?

(yawwwwwn)

My camera hates me.

Yesterday we went to the Georgia Aquarium.

I think the time spent having annual passes to Sea World in Orlando has jaded my perception of what an aquarium should be like. I’m sure to many people, the GA Aquarium is impressive and state-of-the-art. Me? I left yesterday feeling like it was ‘meh.’

The whale sharks were very cool & the big huge glass wall was quite amazing. I guess I missed the killer whales, the theatrics, the dolphins, and the expanse of the place.

On top of my ‘meh’, my camera decided to pretend like it didn’t know how to take photos. Maybe the aquarium and my camera were in cahoots or somethihng.

I figured that at least I could get some good photos while I was there.

Nope, not so much. You will not see any of the otter photos (they were terrible) or the giant whale sharks (very bad). Manta ray? (not a chance) 

My kids weren’t so cooperative either… maybe the aquarium, my camera, AND my kids were all in cahoots.

(Or maybe I just like saying the word ‘cahoots’)

After the aquarium, we walked through Centennial Olympic Park. It was C-O-L-D. The fresh air and blue sky seemed to energize everyone. (or it could’ve just been all the shivering)

See… look at these kids. They’re laughing & smiling at EACH other! They’re not fighting or nit-picking about something ridiculous that the other one did just to annoy him/her for the 100th time of the day.

Or maybe they do that to simply annoy me.

(it works)

Ah well… a good dinner, lovely cocktail (sangria - yum!), and it was all okay.

Don’t miss out!

Check here for a chance to win a these awesome cards:

AND this super-cute journal:

Aren’t these awesome? All made by the ever-talented Darcy! She is so creative – and I adore her work!

Head over to (click–>) Serendipity Kit’s DT Blog and tell us what you’re thankful for… you might just win these gorgeous prizes!

Then keep a look-out - there are more prizes to come!

I’m setting aside money for their future therapy bills.

Jen, Julie and I decide to have another scrap challenge & dammit if I didn’t have to complete it. (I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m a teensy bit competitive) 

I finally went to bed (around 2am). At 5:30am I wake up to hear a beeping noise coming from the alarm. The panel is in the bedroom and every 45 seconds or so its beeping just loud enough to wake up this light sleeper. I nudge the man next to me who hasn’t heard even one of the beeps (just like he rarely heard babies crying in the middle of the night), so I decide to get up to investigate.

Now… I have NO IDEA how to work this alarm. I know that I’ll never get back to sleep if it doesn’t stop. And I’m tired. 

It looks to me (alarm expert) that beeping started because I tried to open a window in the guest scrap room earlier (and couldn’t, btw) but the connectors aren’t sticking.

I remember the previous owners giving me some sort of ‘code’ to disable the beeping noise. However, after 3 1/2 hours of sleep I could not tell you what that code was. Not one particular sequence of numbers and/or symbols is coming to my head. Not a one.

At this moment, I think its a brilliant idea to start pushing random buttons in order to make it stop. Because that makes sense…especially if I were a burglar.

Oh, it stopped beeping all right.

What started next (at 5:30am in my oh-so-quiet neighborhood) sounded like a freakin’ air raid from WWII. Many layers of sirens and alarms started going off all over the house. It was louder than the tornado siren from the fire station across the street.

The kids were shocked out of their beds (at 5:30 in the morning) and the girl started crying. My husband just about jumped out of his skin & everyone is now in a panic.

Luckily, he remembered something the owners told us and went down to the garage. Then he had to come back upstairs to get a screwdriver.

This is where my children heard me use this word (in front of them) for the very first time… I yelled “FUCK!” right after my husband asked me, “IS IT A PHILLIPS HEAD?”

We couldn’t even hear our voices it was so loud. We’re yelling at each other,

“WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO?”

“I DON’T KNOW! WHERE’S THE MANUAL??”

“I CAN’T REMEMBER WHERE THE MANUAL IS!!”

“SHIT!” (more charming vocabulary words for my children to bring to school)

We’re holding our hands over our ears because the sound is eardrum piercing loud. I know we were all wondering is this ever going to stop and OH MY GOD what are we going to do?

Then I start to think very constructive thoughts like… if the police decide to show up along with our entire neighborhood, I should probably put on a bra.

And maybe some pants.

(yes, this is how my mind works) 

FINALLY… my husband figured out how to get the noise to stop.

(because clearly, I was useless)

We were all shaken up, adrenaline racing, and not so tired anymore.

I started to prepare for the inevitable knocking on the door by angry neighbors, but it didn’t happen. I apologized to the kids for being such an asshole. (I didn’t say the asshole part to them… they had been through enough with the alarm and my potty mouth) And we went back to bed.

I’m not going to touch the alarm anymore. Ever.

About twenty minutes later I said to my husband, “I think I remember where the manual is.”

That’s right, I stole it.

I stole this from Jen’s blog. All the things I’ve done are in bold. It shows me that there’s still a lot I have left to do.

What about you?

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Keep your eyes peeled.

What does that saying even mean?

Anyway…

Have you been to the Serendipity Kits DT Blog lately?

No?

Well… get on over there! You won’t be sorry!

Not only will you see some awesome layouts and projects by some super-talented ladies… but very soon there will be some fabulous surprises!

Check-check-check it out!

A little of this.

So far today – the girl and I have done some of this:

“Mommy, how do you know how to do this?!”

She was surprised when I told her that I used to do this when I was a little girl.

Admittedly, I was a little bit rusty… but, God Bless the Internet, we were able to find detailed instructions with illustrations!

We completed the “cat’s cradle” and tried some other tricks. I was hesitant when the instructions read “take string by your teeth…” – what did it just say? Yarn on my teeth? Ewwww. I didn’t need to do the ’cup and saucer’ trick that badly (yet another example of me getting older), but made the sacrifice to the delight of the girl.

It was a really fun moment this morning… sharing something that I used to do as a little girl with my little girl. We both loved it.

A good way to start the weekend.  (way better than cleaning up dog pee because the kids wanted to argue about who had to take him out…but, I digress)

This man gives me hope.

I do understand that change can’t happen overnight. I know that the next four (maybe eight?) years aren’t going to be perfect. I’m not going to agree with every single bill he signs or law he passes (EFCA, anyone?).

BUT – I do have a lot of hope in his ability to lead us…and I feel confident when I say that he is going to be better for our country than anyone has in a long, long time.

(especially the most recent eight years)

Vote!

My plan was to head to the poll after my training class ended. I prepared for the wait with a book (Twilight – after recommendations from family and Rhonda). I even borrowed my daughter’s Nintendo DS. I stopped for some substanance (a milkshake from Chik-fil-a) and had a bottle of water with me too. I was ready to park it, camp out if needed, in order to exercise my right to vote.

I knew that it wasn’t going to be as quick as the election that took place at my house. My son decided to have his own election so he prepared the ballots and posted signs (above) – you know, in case we got lost on the way to his room, uh, I mean the poll.

Everyone got to vote, including the dog, who is apparently a Republican. I was afraid of that. I first noticed his Republican tendencies when he avoided peeing on the McCain/Palin sign stuck in the neighbor’s grass. He pees on everything else in the yard that stands still for five minutes – why not the sign? I’m disappointed. Even his collar is even red. *sigh*

Obama won in my house. (no thanks to the dog)

Anyway… I drove to the polling place (a local church) prepared for my long wait.

I was in and out within five minutes.

Five minutes.

There was no line. There was no wait.

There was no one there except for a large number of poll workers with nothing to do. (they outnumbered the voters)

Now there’s a wait. A wait to find out who our next President will be.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed.