My Embellished Life

Is is spring yet?

2011-01-26T10:18:00.006-05:00

We have been freezing here in Ohio with lots of snow and bitter cold temperatures. I am so ready for spring! The holidays were nice, but I am glad it is over with. We had to do things a little different this year and have our Christmas morning a day early since Jeff had to work on Christmas Day. It didn't matter to the kids, actually they thought it was kinda cool that they would get to open their gifts before their friends.

Lots going on right now. We are expecting another baby on August 4. Everyone is hoping for a boy, but we will have to wait until March to find out for sure. Cole is almost towards the end of his basketball season, next up baseball. Callie is on a traveling cheerleading team and loves it. We just had our first competition. The girls all did very good. Presley is just as crazy as ever. We have started potty training and she is actually doing pretty good!

I found some time over the weekend to make some new layouts. It was nice to have a chance to use up some of my new stuff. I am thinking about trying to learn to make some primitive dolls this weekend, I have the patterns, now I just need the motivation to attempt it!

Almost December!

2010-11-23T13:03:00.006-05:00

I have been so busy with work, school, and the kids activities that there has been little time for anything else. We are getting all ready for Thanksgiving this week. Jeff will be working so I will attempt to make my first Thanksgiving meal (keep your fingers crossed for me). Then it will be off at 1am to do a little Black Friday shopping! Cannot wait! I just love the madness.

My sister had the triplets over the weekend. How exciting! 3 girls! Congrats to her! :) Cole made honor role for the first time ever!! We were so happy! Callie received straight A's on her report card as well. I swear they must take after their mother! Presley is just repeating absolutely everything and tells me all of the time "my friends told me...." and when I ask "what?" she will reply "I don't know." She also keeps talking about the ghost in her room. It's starting to freak me out a little! LOL. No more ghost walks at Halloween next year. I think she may have forgotten to "empty her pockets" when we were done.

I finally stole some time over the last few days to scrapbook. I swear it has been forever. I really need to try and squeeze in more time for myself. I figure I usually have a break between 11 pm & 1 am every night! LOL.

Time flies!!

2010-09-10T13:19:00.008-04:00

Things are always so busy around our house! So much has gone on the last couple of months. Presley turned "2", Cole turned "11", and Jeff and I are both getting older this month. :( The kids started back to school. Cole is now in 5th and Callie in 3rd! They are both pretty happy with their teachers. Cole started his football season on the varsity team, while Callie is a bantam cheerleader again for the competition team. Jeff is helping out as a coach twice a week. Presley is saying just about everything now, which can sometimes be bad. She loves to imitate everything the kids do!

I have been going to auctions lately and had a nice trip with my mom recently to Amish Country. We saw the cutest little boys riding in front of us. Each had their own little cooler on the buggy. They were adorable. I don't know why I don't take my camera more often when we go.

So happy fall is here but sad to see summer go! We have been planting mums and decorating the house. The kids are anxious to get the halloween decorations put up. Last week we had a bonfire. Presley thought it was so fun. I think she really just liked being able to eat one marshmallow after another! Looking forward to all of the upcoming fall festivals and getting pumpkins for the kids.

Finally an Update!

2010-05-21T14:09:00.006-04:00

The last couple of months have been so busy, and completely crazy! Time has flown by! Dustin will be home from tech school in just a couple of weeks, my sister is having not one baby, but 3!!! and the kids are growing like weeds!

Cole recently was invited to an event at the Cleveland Browns Stadium called "Play 60 with Chomps" He was so excited to play on the field and meet the players. We had a great time. The pic above is him on the Jumbo Tron. Cole also got a huge head when he saw himself in the video on the Cleveland Browns website, he was also in a bunch of pictures on there.

I found out one of my layouts is being published in a book by Memory Makers. It will be released in May 2011. I was so excited when I got the email! I was also so happy that it was one I did of all of us and our annual picture at the football field.

Presley is getting so big, saying words she probably shouldn't say and is such a funny kid! Cole is playing baseball now and has already had some pretty amazing games. There is a chance he will be pitching in an upcoming game. Callie is finishing up with her dance classes and will be having her recital next weekend. She is taking a break until cheerleading begins. The kids are anxiously awaiting school to be out.

2010 started out rocky but I think the last couple of weeks have definately been more postive and I am hoping things continue in that direction. :)

Some New Stuff

2010-03-03T20:49:00.007-05:00

I finally squeezed in a little time last Sunday to make some new layouts. I decided I would go through my stuff and try to use up a lot of my old papers. I was doing pretty good until I ran out of glue!

Snow, Snow, and More Snow....

2010-02-17T12:20:00.002-05:00

It seems like all it does it snow! They said on the news today we have had 27 1/2"! I am so ready for spring! I have been so busy lately I really have not had time to post anything new. I am taking classes again. I just found out I got an "A" in my psych class! Made my day.

Last weekend Callie had her first dance competition. Her team took second place! She looked awesome out there! Cole is just finishing up basketball season and will be signing up for baseball soon. Presley is finally saying a few more words, some I prefer not to mention :).

In a few weeks I will heading down to South Carolina to watch Dustin graduate from Basic Training. The kids and I are really looking forward to it. Then we are heading to Tennessee in May for vacation with the kids, and Vegas in September for our birthdays.......some fun stuff to look forward to!

January and February really got off to a bad to start so I am hoping March is better :).

ANOTHER PUBLICATION!!

2010-01-12T09:37:00.002-05:00

I submitted a few layouts to Scrapbook News and Reviews Magazine last week. I just got an email stating they would like to publish two of them! These ones are of Cole and Callie. The one is "Cowboy" where cole is riding the mechanical bull and the other was "The Night Before Christmas" when Callie was opening her money. I am so excited!

Saturday Layouts

2010-01-10T10:05:00.007-05:00

I spent all day Saturday using up some of my kits I have been stashing. It had both Pink Paisley and Fancy Pants Designs lines in it, my favorite! I created the first layout of Presley on Christmas morning. It was so funny because she kept screaming with joy every time I handed her another gift and then she would start laughing. She loved Christmas morning.

The other layouts I made from the Basic Grey Line, "Indian Summer". The pictures were from October when we went to Ramseyer Farms to pick out our pumpkins. Presley fell in love with the donkey there. It was so funny watching her talk to him and pet him. She cried when we finally had to leave! Everyone kept saying we needed to buy her a donkey as a pet. I wouldn't put it past Jeff, do you know all of the pets we have had??? Not good....lol.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2010-01-10T10:00:00.003-05:00

While taking the dog out at 8 am this morning I noticed how beautiful everything looked! So I decided to go back out with my camera to take some pics. My neighbors probably thought I was crazy because I was out there in my pajamas so early in the morning snapping pics of the snow!

BIG NEWS!!!

2010-01-08T09:13:00.001-05:00

Ok so you may not find this as exciting as me, but I just got an email that two of my scrapbooking layouts will be published in March in a scrapbooking magazine!!! I am so excited! They are both layouts of Presley, one as a newborn, the other on her first birthday. This totally made my day!!! :)

New Years Day

2010-01-01T22:16:00.005-05:00

Today was a very laid back day. I must say I enjoyed it!! I spent the day in my pj's and scrapbooked almost all day. You will notice the pics are from 2006, that is how far behind I am!!! These layouts were all made from the December kit I got from Treasured Scrapbooking. I made all of these layouts and I still have a ton of stuff left to work with....maybe tomorrow. :)

Rough Riders

2009-12-30T21:50:00.002-05:00

Here are my new layouts that I designed for http://www.scrappinstuff.com/ These pictures were taken in May when we visited Cherokee, NC. The kids loved riding that mechanical bull.

SANTA CAME...........

2009-12-29T09:46:00.006-05:00

And boy did he leave a mess!!! It is going to take forever to get the house looking back to normal! I am hoping to get everything put away and the tree taken down on New Years Day. The kids loved everything they got for Christmas and said it was the best Christmas they ever had. Cole got his PSP he wanted, Callie her netbook, and Presley a cottage that she is always hiding in now! The Zhu Zhu pets were a big hit too. Presley screams and laughs everytime they take off. The only problem is Frankie, the Pug, tries to attack them! I am not sure how long they will last around our house....

December News

2009-12-22T12:50:00.009-05:00

I have all my shopping completed, wrapped and ready to go under the tree. I have been putting the presents for the family under there, but Presley loves to tear them all open as quick as I wrap them. She looks cute, but boy does she have an evil side! lol lol. At least three times a night she brings me handfulls of christmas ornaments and is always shoving the candy canes in her mouth (and yes, the wrappers are still on) :)

Jeff gave me an early christmas present, a heated throw blanket. If you don't have one yet, you should get one! They are amazing! The only problem is that Callie always steals it! On the plus side, when she does snuggle up with it she falls asleep! lol.

Dustin is leaving on January 5 for his boot camp for the National Guard. He took my mom and Cole to his dinner over the weekend. Cole thought it was amazing. He did say it scared the heck out of him when the drill sergeants were yelling. lol.

While Jeff was gone I thought it would be fun to have everyone over to scrapbook, here is a page Jessie made using a sketch. I think it turned out so cute!!!!!

Well this will probably be the last post until after Christmas as it always gets so hectic during this time. Merry Christmas!!!!!!

Design Team Layouts

2009-12-10T10:31:00.003-05:00

Here are my layouts I created for Scrappin' Sport Stuff. I had so much fun creating these layouts of Callie. I can't wait to get in pictures from the dance competitions to do those as well.

December Update

2009-12-10T10:07:00.005-05:00

I have been so busy lately I have fallen a little behind on my blog. Here is the latest news: Cole is playing in his first basketball game this weekend. He actually missed the first game due to the flu :(

Callie is auditioning Saturday for Annie at a local theater. She has been singing her heart out lately trying to prepare.

Presley is just as crazy as ever!

I did my first craft show last weekend. It went ok, but could have been a little better. It just seems to be so hard to get your money and time out of what you make. I think I will just stick to making things for myself and for gifts.

I am also posting some of my newest layouts. Hopefully this week I can get around to making a few more.

Getting Ready for the Craft Show

2009-11-19T12:43:00.008-05:00

The craft show is just around the corner, Dec 5th! I decided last night I would try to set up the table how it will be displayed at the show, however I did not have enough room!! It did not look like I had made much until I tried to fit it all on one table! I still have lots more in boxes ready to go. If you can make it, the show is being held at Canfield High School from 10 am to 4pm

DT LAYOUTS

2009-11-19T12:40:00.003-05:00

My layouts are now posted over at http://www.scrappinstuff.com/ Here are the pics I sent in. This month I am doing some cheerleading pics of Callie. I just received some awesome products from Scrappin' Sport Stuff. Hopefully I can use them this weekend.

New Layouts

2009-11-03T13:14:00.004-05:00

I just got the news that this layout was selected for Layout of the Day over at 3 Scrappy Boys! Jessie took these amazing pics of the kids with my mom at the fruit farm. They went great with this new Pink Paislee paper (one of my favorites!). So happy to hear that 3 Scrappy Boys will be sticking around. Last month we were told they were closing unless a new buyer was found, and there was. Can't wait to see the new kits! Also watch for my first layouts to appear on the Scrappin' Sports Stuff website. I just submitted my first two layouts as a Design Team Member. I can't wait to do my next ones!

My First Design Team Spot!!

2009-10-19T14:53:00.002-04:00

I was so happy last week when I received and email saying that I made the design team for Scrappin' Sports Stuff! This team will be perfect for me as I have so many pics to do from all of the kids activities. This is my first design team spot. I have been trying the last couple of months with no luck. There are so many talented people out there! I will get my first products in a few days and then will go to work on my layouts. You will be able to check them out on their site at www.scrappinstuff.com. I checked today and my bio and pic is on the blog: http://scrappinstuff.com/blog/

Fall Fun at the Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-12T14:55:00.009-04:00

This weekend we went to Ramseyer Farms to visit their pumpkin patch. The kids loved it. They got to play on the slides, pretend to milk a cow, walk through a corn maze and search for the perfect pumpkins. Oh and Presley fell in love with a donkey. She would not leave it alone, she just kept smiling and talking to it. Cole and Callie each picked out a pumpkins that were each 65+lbs. Jeff said his new rule for next year, is that you can only pick a pumkin you can carry! Presley did pick a small one, but she fell down every time she tried to pick it up!

Big Weekend

2009-10-09T10:40:00.007-04:00

We were so busy last weekend. The kids both had games on Saturday, and Jeff had a game to coach. By the way, his team finally won their first game!! He was so happy....

Then on Satuday night Callie and I went to the Taylor Swift concert. We had a lot of fun. It was so funny watching Callie. She was mesmorized by Taylor Swift. She told me she had tears in her eyes when Taylor came out on stage. Callie sang along to every song and danced all night.

Sunday we the last cheer competition to attend. Callie's team took 2nd place again. They are really good. Now that cheerleading is over Callie started a competition dance team on Monday, she is going to have her work cut out for her.....Jeff keeps teasing her that I should take her to the doctor to have her two left feet corrected!! She does really good though, and it is something she loves doing.

We've Been Busy!!

2009-09-30T14:47:00.002-04:00

This past weekend flew by!! Football games all day Saturday and then Cheerleading Competition all day Sunday. It was 7 hours long!!! I didn't think we were ever getting to go home! It wouldn't have been to bad, but it rained so hard. We were all soaked! Callie's team did great! They took 2nd place this time!

Monday Jeff and I went to the Kiss concert. We had a blast. They put on such a great show! This was my first time for going to one of there shows. It was pretty funny to see all of the middle age men playing air guitar all night! We saw a bunch of people in full Kiss costumes, makeup and all!
It was our first trip away with no kids in a long time! I was really looking forward to sleeping in, no bottles to make, no dog to take out! That is, until housekeeping knocked on the door at 8:30am!! Oh well, it was still a great time. I can catch up on sleep some other day!

Some New Layouts

2009-09-20T23:31:00.003-04:00

I picked up some new paper by Sassafrass and 3 Bugs that I thought would be perfect for Presley's birthday pictures.

SOME NEW PRIMS

2009-09-20T23:24:00.010-04:00

I spent the weekend making and getting a bunch of new stuff ready for the December Craft show. I still have a lot more to make but here is a little sneak peak of what I have so far.

Callie's Big Day

2009-09-14T15:16:00.004-04:00

Sunday was Callie's first cheerleading competition. She said when we got there that she was all nervous, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But once they got going, she didn't seem scared at all. She was all smiles doing her dance, yelling to the fans, and doing cartwheels the whole way off of the field! She was amazing!! I personally would have been scared to death in front of all of those people! lol. It was alot of fun watching all teams. Out of all of the schools, Callie's team took 3rd place which was really good. She was so happy to bring home her first ribbon. It was a long day though, 6 hours in the sun! One down, two more to go!!

NEW LAYOUT

2009-09-09T18:55:00.002-04:00

I created this layout for a couple of challenges on the LRS site. The first was a sketch challenge, and the second required you to use the word "fall" in the title somewhere.

GREAT SKETCH!!

2009-09-08T09:24:00.003-04:00

I found a great sketch to try out at creativescrappers.blogspot.com If you haven't checked out this blog yet, it is fantastic. Lots of great ideas and amazing sketches to try!

New Layout-First Day of School

2009-09-02T23:38:00.005-04:00

I am finally getting around to scrapping some school photos I have of the kids. I spent about 1 1/2 hours on this one tonight. I am pretty happy with the way it turned out!

1st Day of School!

2009-08-31T12:28:00.005-04:00

Today was the kids first day back to school! They actually seemed pretty excited this morning. I always dread it though, because it is so hard getting everyone ready in the morning. They couldn't wait to get to grandmas to show off their new clothes!

Free Pattern

2009-08-28T10:10:00.003-04:00

I have started making primitives and hope to have them on Etsy soon for sale and Ebay as well. I am always looking for prim patterns, and found a great free one today at: www.tennesseeridgeprimitives.com They have an awesome pattern for a prim scarecrow door doll with crows on their blog. I can't wait to get the stuff to make it!

GOING TO SEE KISS!!

2009-08-28T09:44:00.003-04:00

Ok I am so excited. Jeff and I got tickets to go see KISS in concert in Cleveland, on September 28! We are 9 rows from the stage! We are going for our birthdays. We got a babysitter lined up, and we booked a hotel. A whole night out with no kids!! I am not sure which I am more excited about, the concert or just a night out for the two of us! Just think, I will get to go to dinner without ordering chicken fingers, cheese fries and I can leave the wet wipes at home! Buckcherry is opening and I am a huge fan! I saw them a couple of months ago, and they put on a great show. This is my first KISS concert though, sure to be amazing!

Happy Birthday!!

2009-08-17T12:11:00.005-04:00

Well we had the birthday parties on Saturday, Coles' was first with his 12 friends, then we had Presley's with the grandparents, and finally a party with our friends and family. It was quite a day!! We had so much fun. It was EXTREMELY hot!!! The morning was very hectic getting it all planned, but it was worth it in the end!! Jeff always jokes that Presley looks like a boy, so I found her the pinkest, frilliest outfit I could for her birthday and she looked adorable!!!

She Turned "1"

2009-08-11T12:31:00.006-04:00

Time goes by so fast. Presley turned 1 yesterday!!! I can't even believe it. We are having a little party for her this weekend, but last night we made her cupcakes and gave her the presents we bought. She loved opening them. It was funny to watch because she kept trying to use her teeth to rip open the wrapping paper.

Prims made this weekend

2009-08-02T21:57:00.008-04:00

I am still playing around with some new patterns for ideas of what to make. I went to an amazing sale at the Hidden Den and picked up some things to put together some really neat items. I also made a few primitive candles this weekend. I can't wait to make more!

Primitive Crafts

2009-07-29T22:27:00.005-04:00

Well I have decided to start making crafts again with hopes of doing some craft shows next year and listing items for sale on the internet. I hand stitched a few items and then Callie and I tea stained them. I think they turned out really good. I need to get a sewing machine soon, I think it may take to much time to sew everything by hand.

Callie & Presley

2009-07-26T09:59:00.001-04:00

I made this one using the new Bo Bunny Calypso line.

Presley

2009-07-26T09:57:00.001-04:00

I made this one of Presley.

This Weekend

2009-07-26T09:56:00.003-04:00

I was able to find some time to make a few new layouts. This first one I made using a bunch of my old supplies, but I think it turned out so good!

Our Pug "Frankie"

2009-07-21T14:29:00.002-04:00

Ok, so I was nervous about getting a pug because I kept reading how stubborn they can be when it comes to housebreaking. We must have gotten really lucky, because Frankie is doing awesome!! He is pretty much on a set schedule. He goes in his cage at 10-11pm and goes out at 7am every morning. He is such a good dog and really good with the kids too! Presley will play tug of war with him forever, it is so cute! We had him at the vet last weekend and he weighs a whole 4.1 pounds!!

Dustin & Payton

2009-07-21T00:10:00.003-04:00

Today was a LONG day, and I really hate Mondays! It was such a busy day, first work and then football and cheerleading practice until 8 P.M. Once I got the baby down (sometime after ten) I took some time for myself. I created this page with Dustin & Payton's prom pictures. I had bought this Urban Lily paper and saved it until I got their prom pictures back because I thought it was perfect.

The Fruit Farm

2009-07-20T14:14:00.002-04:00

Last week my mom took the kids to the Fruit Farm for the day. Jessie went along and took a few cute pictures of them. They love going there during the summer to play on the swingset and have lunch with ice cream!

Thursday

2009-07-17T00:22:00.003-04:00

Well I got a new kit in today and I couldn't wait for the kids to go to bed so I could play for awhile! I have so many pictures to scrapbook, and I feel so far behind. I love the paper and embellishments in this Bo Bunny Line.

Some Things Never Change

2009-07-16T11:34:00.002-04:00

Well last night was the first night of football and cheerleading practice. Cole is playing JV's and Jeff got moved to coach Varsity (which Cole is estatic about! lol) and Callie is cheering on the competition team for Bantams. Is it just me, or do all schools seem to have a problem with the favoritism based on what your last name is?? Drives me nuts!!! It's a huge, long story that I am not going to get into online, but to anyone that coaches, please play and choose kids based on talent, not who you were friends with in high school or who you hang out at the local bar with. I have seen it go on for years and someday the cycle needs to be broken! We all pay the same sign up fee as far as I am concerned.

A Nice Evening

2009-07-14T23:26:00.000-04:00

So after all of the running around after work tonight I snuck a few minutes to myself (okay, it was more like 2 1/2hours) to make a layout of Presley.

Are you sure this isn't Monday??

2009-07-14T14:25:00.000-04:00

I swear it feels like Monday all over again! With having the new puppy in the house it's like having a new baby. I was standing out in the cold at 3am! Then I had to get Jeff up at 4:15 am. I was supposed to be up by 6:30 am for work, however that turned into 7:15 am. I have been running behind ever since!

Tonight is our last night before football season starts. I am going to try and enjoy it, hopefully scrapbook with Callie for awhile. I have been printing her off challenges on the 3 Scrappy Boys website and she loves doing them! Jeff ordered us a bunch of new scrapbooking stuff on Ebay and we got it yesterday in the mail so I can't wait to use it.

Last night mom, jessie and zane, dustin and my clan all played Guitar Hero World Tour until late. Two things I learned, I can play guitar pretty good, however, I am a horrible singer!! Not as bad as Jessie though, she got booed off of the stage! LOL.

Our Weekend

2009-07-11T15:51:00.001-04:00

Well it has been pretty good so far. It started with me getting the newletter from 3 Scrappy Boys and seeing one of my scrapbooking layouts included. That was a first for me and it made my day!

We took Frankie for his first vet appointment, he did really good. The car ride was not so good...he gets a little car sick.

Presley has another new tooth coming in so she is not too happy. I feel so bad for her. She hardly eats or sleeps when she is sleeping(therefore neither do I lol).

We just bought Guitar Hero World Tour with the band kit so that is how we will spend the rest of our weekend, pretending to be ROCK STARS!!!

A Few More days...

2009-07-09T11:19:00.000-04:00

Only a few more days until we go back to our crazy schedule for the football season. Callie will be cheerleading for Bantams, Cole is playing JV's and Jeff will be coaching. Presley and I will be going along for the ride...

We are in the process right now of planning a huge party for August. The DJ is booked, the bounce house reserved, and Jeff has ordered a ton of decorations from Ebay! I think it will be alot of fun!

Speaking of Ebay, we have become a little addicted! I find myself scouring the site for hours for stuff I do not need!! Do you know I ordered Barbie shoes??? lol! Who does that! I need to start saving for school shoes!

One More

2009-07-09T10:38:00.000-04:00

I just made this one of the baby. Now my other daughter Callie keeps trying to get me to add more embellishments to the bottom. She said it looks empty! Now she is only 7, so I don't always follow her advice! Anyways, sometimes I think less is more!

My First Post!

2009-07-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

This is my first blog post EVER!!! I created this layout with the June kit from Little Red Scrapbook. I absolutely love the Pink Paisley line. This is a pic of my parents when they were living in Florida. My son thought that car looked awesome and couldn't wait to talk to grandpa about it. I love using the old photos!

2009-07-09T10:19:00.000-04:00