I made the cut!

So excited and now I get to share with you all because its official . . . I'm a member of the new Design Team at The Paper Niche! The Paper Niche is my local Scrapbooking store here in South Florida. Love this store and love the employees, and it gets better they are moving soon to a bigger store! Can't wait to get started, I'll be posting monthly sneak peaks here on my blog and of course I'll be posting my monthly pages and projects so stay tuned. Don't forget to "follow me" so you can receive a reminder when I post! Here's there blog where you can see the official announcement as well as links to all the Design Team members blogs.

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Talenti Gelato

I have found my new favorite indulgence . . . Talenti Gelato , Oh my goodness this stuff is to die for! I found it at my local Publix I bought the Belgian Milk Chocolate and the Caribbean Coconut, both flavors were heavenly! What makes it even better is its made with all natural ingredients. And don't even get me started on the packaging, it comes in these cute little plastic containers with a screw lid, I can't wait to recycle these somehow in a craft project. Talenti also makes a Sorbetto that I can't wait to try too! The Gelato reminds me of when Jerry and I were in Venice, Italy. Every night after dinner we walked to a little Gelato stand and we would indulge! The picture below is one I took of our sweet spot!






If you can't find this locally you can order online from there website .
You can become a Facebook Fan here.

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I'll pray for you!

Every-time someone hears me play this song they love it and always ask who sings it . . So thought I would share this video of the guy who wrote it singing it, such a cute song and the guy's not bad looking either! :-)

At least play the video till he gets to the chorus, because that's when it gets funny!

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Food

Everyone must see this short film, Food Inc. It completely changed the way I think about food. Its amazing the things we don't know about the food industry and the FDA!
I rented my copy from Netflix but I'm sure you could rent it from blockbuster's too.
Here's the main web page for the film
And here's the official trailer . . . .

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Quest to find Snow!

December 23rd, we headed out to spend Christmas in the mountains of North Carolina!

On our way up this was our first sighting of snow, the kids were squealing and wanted to get out right then and play in it. We had to explain to them we were still going up the mountain and there would be plenty of snow higher up!



This is where we stayed,Iron Horse, Jerry and some of his buddies had stayed here in the Spring when they went on a motorcycle trip and he became friends with the manager so that's how it came about us going here for Christmas.



Our Cabin

This is what we walked into . . . We were so happy to see a tree! Jerry had went out bought a tree and decoration and shipped it up. He paid the cleaning crew to put it up so he could surprise us with it!



Here's some more pictures of the cabin . . .




Christmas Eve we were headed out to go snow tubing this was taken on the wrap around porch.


This was the view from our Cabin


Summer coming down in the tube!


On Christmas Day after we opened all the presents we headed further up the mountain to find some white fluffy snow so that we could make a snowman!



The snow we found was the white fluffy kind but what you can't see in all our pictures is just how cold it was, it was freezing and windy! I snapped this picture of J.J. just as he was complaining about how it was so cold his face was burning! Evidently though it wasn't cold enough for him to go sit in the heated truck!



Kids toasting with apple cider!





We took the lifts up the mountain in Gatlinburg, TN. This is J.J. and Jerry



Me and the kids at the top over the lookout point



Had to do some shopping while we were there, here's Summer showing off her purse she bought with the money her grandma sent her. Yes, its Elvis, she and my niece love anything Elvis!



We took one day and went to Cataloochee Ski Resort so the kids could go snowboarding.




On the way out I snapped this photo . . . this stream runs through the property, its so beautiful up here. Can't wait to come back!

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I Won!

I'm so excited I won a spot in Shimelle's class "Journal your Christmas"! I love to visit Rhonna's blog and I have to admit I hardly ever enter comments to "win" prizes on blogs, I'm really pessimistic when it comes to winning prizes and things but I really wanted to take Shimelle's Class so I entered on Rhonna's Blog and won!

I'm actually done with the "Holiday's in Hand" class I didn't blog about every single day because most of the day's were preparation but my plan was to combine the "Holiday's in Hand" class with my "December Daily" Album inspired by Ali Edwards design. So now that I'm taking Shimelle's class I think I'll combine that also and custom make this album for me and to my liking! I will be posting pictures soon!

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ScrapTime

Went to Cathy's office on Sunday to scrapbook, this is our second month to do this and I'm really enjoying it. We have lots of room, kitchen, bathroom what more could you want! We crop from 10 to 6, Summer asked me when I was leaving "How can you scrapbook all day"? Well let me tell you its easy . . . the time flies by! Here's some layouts I created!




Lauri, noticed my nephew was carrying a Wal-Mart bag as his Easter Basket, we got a good laugh out of it and we came up with this journaling . . .

"You might be a redneck if you carry a Wal-Mart bag as your Easter Basket"! Knowing Jacob he probably thought the bag could hold more eggs then his basket!

Its on a tag that you pull out from the side behind the picture.

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The Cure for the Common Life

"The Cure for the Common Life" by Max Lucado

"God gave you... a zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell. He tailored the curves of your life to fit an empty space in His jigsaw puzzle. And life makes sweet sense when you find your spot. Look back over your life. What have you consistently done well? What have you loved to do? Stand at the intersection of your affections and successes and find your uniqueness.You have one. A divine spark. An uncommon call to an uncommon life.Don’t worry about skills you don’t have. Don’t covet strengths others have. Just extract your uniqueness. And do so to . . . make a big deal out of God. Everything comes from Him . . . and exists for Him. We exist to exhibit God, to display His glory.We serve as canvases for His brush stroke, papers for His pen, soil for His seeds, glimpses of His image.Sweet spot. You have one... You can do something in a manner that no one else can.And when you find it and do it, another sweet spot is discovered..."

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Happy Fall Yall

So I decided to try and get in the "Fall Spirit" by making these Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins I got the recipe from Margie's Blog you can get the recipe here but in her original recipe she forgot to add the pumpkin, so you need to add 4 cups of can pumpkin to the above recipe. Now in this recipe she says it makes a million muffins, she's not joking people do yourself a favor and 1/2 the recipe! I didn't do this when I made them and I have a TON of muffins, I ended up wrapping them in cellophane bags, tying ribbon to them, adding a tag and sending them to a bunch of the teachers at the kids school. Everyone said they were delicious! I sent them to the guys at work and I still have muffins!

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Big Brother Fans Only!

Ok, so if you don't know what the heck the Big Brother show is or you know but thinks its a waste of time then you need to close out this post . . . . This post is not for you! I have to ramble a bit about the show and my feelings about the players, my husband is sick of hearing about it!


First of all let me address the fact that there's a big difference between being a TV only viewers of the show and being a live feeds viewers. But if you don't want to spend the money on the live feeds or you don't have time then you must stay updated via the BBDish Blog


There's major rumors that there is going to be a endurance competition tonight,I'm hoping so!



* I really don't like Jeff and Jordan's attitude and the way they have been playing the game these past two weeks, Let me say I still like them as a couple and still like them as people and I still want them to at least go to the final 3. But as of right now I'm rooting for Michelle to win, now let me insert a disclaimer that I am subject to change my mind about that between now and the finale.


* Yes, Michelle is quirky and she doesn't have "people skills" but I think she is genuinely a good person and from the tidbits I have heard she comes from a rough childhood. She has been loyal to her alliance with Jeff and Jordan but because she doesn't express herself very well there always questioning her loyalty.

* Jeff and Jordan have done nothing but make fun of and bad mouth Michelle this past week. I think she really likes Jeff and Jordan and I think her feelings will be hurt when she watches the show and see's the stuff they have said. Jeff has been all over Michelle for being nice to Russell, but Jeff is not thinking ahead to the Jury house, You have to be nice sometimes to people you dislike in this game.

*I think Jeff was using the excuse that Russell and Michelle had a final two so he could backdoor Russell. Because I don't get it if they all had a final four then after that they were supposed to duke it out then why wasn't it ok for Michelle to have a final two with Russell, Its obvious that Jeff and Jordan have a final two!

*Natalie and Kevin's plan is to take Jeff out regardless that they promised him and Jordan they wouldn't!

*As of today Jordan's and Jeff's plan is to take Natalie to the final 3 with them!
Jeff and Jordan are hoping Michelle wins the HOH tonight so she can't play next week and they can evict her! Wrong move! Although on the live feeds there were questioning whether Natalie is being truthful to them and thinking she might win and backdoor Jeff. Its about time they open there eyes!

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I'm Baaaaaack

I don't know if I should feel honored or ashamed. I haven't posted in so long and while I was at the Fried Green Tomato Crop I had so many people comment about why I haven't posted lately on my blog. So with that said I feel honored that you all care enough or should I say are nosy enough (I say that with an evil laugh) to come read my blog!

So with those mixed emotions I'm going to BLOG now!

I had a wonderful long weekend. I went to the Hilltop Memories "Fried Green Tomato Crop" in Sebring, FL. I went up a day early and met Becky there. We went out for dinner Thursday night then Friday morning we did some shopping and then we headed out to the Henscratch Winery . As far as Winery's goes this was a little different then the ones I've been to before because is a self guided tour. But we still enjoyed it and we got to pick our own Muscadines and Scuppernongs. After the winery we headed back to the hotel to the Crop.

I didn't get as much scrapbooking done as I would of liked to but it was just nice to get away and have fun with my scrapping buddies. We made lots of memories and had lots of laughs! As always the Crop rocked, the food was excellent, the company even better! We played a game Teri introduced to us where her and Linda passed out rolls of toilet paper and we were supposed to tear off what we "needed" that's all they would tell us. Well I thought I would play smart and wrap it around me,several times! Turned out not to be such a smart move, because after everyone had there toilet paper they announced that for every little sheet we had to stand and state a fact about ourselves! Needless to say I had come up with a whole lot of facts! I ended up telling way more then I wanted to, but it was fun because we got to learn alot about everyone!

If you all know me you know one of my guilty summer pleasures is watching the Big Brother Show . . . Well wouldn't you know the weekend I'm away the house gets turned upside down! But the hotel had WIFI and in between socializing and scrapbooking I tried to watch the live feeds on my computer and stay updated hanging out on the BBDish Blog . Here's a brief summary for those of you who watch of what when down A new sheriff in town

When I got home Sunday evening Jerry and the kids had the house cleaned and the laundry done and they had a big surprise for me in the back yard. They had been working there tails off all weekend working on the backyard putting in mulch and putting up a stone border all the way around the yard. But the kids let me know Jerry did let them take a break and took them them to a Monster Truck Show Saturday night.

I'm posting pictures in a slideshow here of the projects I finished. One was a "Home" book done with a kit downloaded from the House of Three. Now this kit I started on my Savannah Scrapbooking Train Trip but I didn't like the colors I was going to go with so I totally re-did it. The other project was a little mini book I had promised J.J. I would make for him.

"My Home Album"

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"JJ's Album"

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What are your Rocks???

I found this story about rocks over at Jana Wilson's Blog and I loved it so much I thought I would post it here on my blog . . .

One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz." Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is this jar full?"


Everyone in the class said, "Yes."

Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks. Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?" By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered. "Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question, "Is this jar full?"


"No!" the class shouted.

Once again he said, "Good." Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager beaver raised his hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard you can always fit some more things in it!"

"No," the speaker replied, "That's not the point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the 'big rocks' in your life? Your children; Your loved ones; Your education; Your dreams; A worthy cause; Teaching or mentoring others; Doing things that you love; Time for yourself; Your health; Your significant other? Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all. If you sweat the little stuff (the gravel, the sand) then you'll fill your life with little things you worry about that don't really matter, and you'll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big, important stuff (the big rocks). So, tonight, or in the morning, when you are reflecting on this short story, ask yourself this question: What are the 'big rocks' in my life? Then, put those in your jar first."

Posted by Stephen C. Ehrmann to the POD listserv, August 21, 2000, Ehrmann@tltgroup.org

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Valentines Wrap Up!

I had an awesome Valentine's Day . . . actually we celebrated Valentines day Friday the 13th because Jerry had to fly out to New Orleans on Saturday (I'll elaborate on that in a min.). Me and the kids were up late Thursday night making gifts and filling out valentine cards for school the next day. JJ didn't tell me till the day of that he had to decorate a valentine box for school and they were gonna have a contest to see who's was the best. So we worked really hard on this metal lunch pail for him. He was so excited he said "Mama I feel it in my soul, I'm gonna win!"
Well, he didn't win, but he seemed ok about it said that the prize was no big deal just a chocolate heart! But I found out later his teacher thought the pail was so nice she assumed we had bought it! He didn't tell her he MADE it, ok so "we" made it but still! LOL








So my day (Friday) started out with me waking the kids up with there valentine gifts, I got Summer earrings and the boys I got them techdecks. Then later on in the day Jerry surprised me with these beautiful flowers . . . .



Then that night we went to Ruth Chris's Steak house to eat and before we left he got me some more gifts . . . . some earrings and a gold and diamond bangle bracelet. But he never leaves Summer out either he had one of those Vermont teddy Bear's delivered to her and he got her some earrings too! She's gonna be hard pressed to ever find a guy that treats her as good as her Daddy does!





So Jerry was supposed to be in New Orleans for appointments on Sunday and Monday, but because we've been going back and forth trying to figure out what to do with my grandmother he offered to go ahead a day and have a sit down talk with my grandpa and lay it all out for him on what's got to be done for my grandmother. The only flight he could get into New Orleans was 5AM so after taking me out the night before he had to get up before dawn catch a plane to New Orleans drive to Miss. (3 hours) and meet with my grandpa. It turns out my grandpa seems to be on the same page as us. But I told Jerry that out of all the things he gave me for Valentines that was the sweetest gift! It meant a lot to me!

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