BLOG CANDY WINNER!

Hi all! I know you are getting ready for the big day - only four days away - OMG!!!!!!! BUT, it is time to announce my blog candy winners - whoo hoo! I counted up all the entries, giving two entries to all of you who linked me on your blog.Using random.org, the winner is number twelve which is Jodene! Congrats girl! Here is the yummy recipe she posted - it sounds so yummy! Congrats to your hits. I love to share my favorite holiday recipe.
Seafood dip. 1 package cream cheese, 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream. Mix together spread onto dish. Top with cocktail sauce. Then, add 1 can broken shrimp,1 can crab and grated cheese. Serve with crackers. Thanks for the chance! I love surprises! Send me an email Jodene with your snail mail address and I will get your goodies right out to you! And what are you getting, you ask? Well, here it is!!! You will receive 10 sheets of 6x6 Christmas paper, three Christmas stamps, ribbon, and some pretty poinsettia embellishments. I hope you enjoy them! Also, I always want to recognize the first poster who was Pesbrico who is a faithful visitor to my blog. Pesc, send me your snail mail address because I have something special for you too! And gals, it may be after the holidays until I get it to you, but I promise I will! And, to all of you, have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!

AT LONG LAST....BLOG CANDY!!!

WHOO HOO - IT'S TIME FOR BLOG CANDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS POST WILL REMAIN ON TOP UNTIL FRIDAY, 21 DECEMBER SO SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW ENTRIES

First of all, thanks to all of you for your wonderful words of encouragement and warmth...it has really helped with everything going on! I have not even had the chance to go and visit everyones blogs but believe me, I have not forgotten you and cannot wait until our high speed internet is hooked up this weekend and I can browse at my leisure, cup o' joe in hand!!! Yes, we will be in the house at long last this weekend and I cannot wait! My oldest son comes home from college tomorrow - yippee!!!! So, things are slowly starting to fall into place! Now, on to the blog candy! I am celebrating my 7500 hits (thanks so much to all of you who visit and give me such great feedback!) and YOU are the winners! So, here is what I am doing: in keeping with the holiday spirit, the candy will not be revealed but will be "wrapped" until it is time for the drawing! I will do the drawing on Friday, 21 December 2007. Okay, just a little hint. There will be ribbons, paper, embellishments, and of course a few stamps! I promise it will be yummy!! Here is all you have to do to win: post a comment on this blog entry providing a favorite holiday recipe. This is a great way to get new ideas and share with others! I will provide a yummy family favorite the day I reveal the winner! Also, you will get an extra entry if you post a link on your blog about my blog candy! Please only one entry here though to make it fair. Let me know if you do create a link and I will ensure you get two chances when I do the drawing! This post will remain at the top of my blog until the drawing so please make sure you scroll down for new entries (should I actually get time to make one!). Good luck to all of you - I cannot wait to read the yummy recipes! Also, there will be something special for the first person to post as well *wink*

NOT SO FAST.....NOT MOVING IN!!

Okay, not to bore you with all the tedious details BUT in case I did not share this news, about one month ago, we fired our contractor and went with someone else who could finish the house in a more timely manner. So, things have been happily moving along, the furniture is all in, the tree is up, we are unpacked, and getting ready for our final inspection TODAY to get the final occupancy certification we need to permanently live there. We thought everything that $*&^% contractor we fired had done wrong had been fixed (and paid for twice I might add) BUT we have had lots of rain the last two days and we have found out that the drainage system he installed with the foundation has failed and water is getting under the house - VERY BAD!! So, we had our new contractor out there last night who installed an emergency pump which has fixed the problem temporarily but needs to continually run to keep it dry. The inspectors state that the system must be fixed permanently (note, all must be gutted and done again) which is a cost of thousands. SOOOOOOO, I guess my dream of finally living in my new home was very short-lived. Have you ever seen a grown woman cry? Well, come on over because I am doing it a lot! Uggghhhhh!!!!! I am ready to tear my hair out and have spent hours on the phone today with the builders who contracted the first guy threatening them with large lawsuits unless they figure this out! So, what do I want for Christmas? MY HOUSE!!!! Meanwhile, I am investing heavily in chocolate and eggnog. I will probably have to buy all new clothes to fit over my hefty self when this is all over!

WE HAVE MOVED IN...AND HAVE A CHRISTMAS TREE!

Hi everyone!! Well, we are moved into our house - there is still lots to do but we are in for the holidays which was my goal! My oldest son is home from the Naval Academy and I just love having him here! AND, we were able to pick out a tree and put it up yesterday so I am really excited about that! We have not actually received the official go ahead to move in (that should come tomorrow during final inspection) BUT the inspector was nice enough to tell us to go ahead and get as settled as we could....we just won't be in the house when she comes tomorrow to sign off on everything. My mom and sister will arrive this week so there is plenty to get done. My craft room is an absolute disaster and won't be put together until after Christmas since I wanted to get the main living areas done first. Plus, I really want to take my time and get it just the way I want it! I am posting this from the internet cafe in town since I still don't have internet at the house but I am hoping to have that sometime this week and start posting some of my projects again - yep, I was able to do a few small things in preparation for the holidays. I also got my new SU! catalog which has inspired me to get my butt in gear and get my business going again! I also want to take this opportunity to let all of you know exactly how wonderful you are - you have made a very stressful time a little bit easier with your kind words and encouraging comments! I absolutely love that this blog has allowed me the opportunity to connect with people from all over who are as wonderful and warm as you all are! So, I hope everyone of you has a joyous holiday and I am really looking forward to much more regular project posts in the New Year! So, right now I am off to finish Christmas shopping! And, I have really really enjoyed all the recipe posts for blog candy - yummy!! I shall be giving you a sneak peek at what is coming here very soon!

WHAT CAN GO WRONG....DID!

Hi everyone! I know it's been awhile and I really have nothing creative to share, but this has been quite a bad week. We STILL have not been able to move into our new home - the contractor we had just well, left. The builder did not know what happened to him and he never called again. So, we fired him and had to find someone else to finish the items needed to get our occupancy certificate - and we still have not been able to do that. Yesterday, we found a guy willing to come in and finish the work but probably cannot start until next week - and my son gets here from college on Wednesday! Also, it has poured here the last three days so no work can be done until that stops. We got out shipment of household goods this week and it is in the house that we cannot live in. We also found out that a portion of our household goods has been misplaced and they are trying to find it - ughhhh!!!! We are feeling so discouraged and the kids are sad because we don't have a house yet, no tree yet, and it does not even feel like Christmas. My family is all arriving over the next two weeks and I am worried about not having a house for us all to stay in! Needless to say, this has been a week that I really don't want to repeat!! So, sorry for the vent, but I needed to get it out! Hopefully my next post will be something exciting to share - like a move-in date and a Christmas tree! Until then, enjoy your weekend! And, no, I have not forgotten - blog candy will go up on Monday so stay tuned!! It will be a grab bag so it should be something really fun!

SOME MORE PICS TO SHARE

Wow! Happy Friday everyone - this week just flew by!!! We have been super busy trying to get ready for the movers coming in on Monday - in fact, the entire weekend will be spent cleaning all the construction dust out of the house and putting up the final trim so we can be ready. I am sooooo excited that I am actually going to get to move into my new home next week although I will be mad busy trying to get it ready for the impending holidays and my family coming in for Christmas. My son will be arriving on the 12th and then my mom and sister will come in on the 20th so we will have a house full. It will be fun though! Meanwhile, I have a couple more pics of the house to share with you - I know, it's not a project, but this is what I have right now!

The first picture shows the beginnings of our front yard. Tony put grass down so we would get a yard started that can be finalized in the spring. It is really starting to look nice and as you can see, there are five huge natural boulders in a circle that we plan to utilize as an area to sit around an outside fire pit. There will be a small deck out there as well. Where the dirt is, the sidewalks will be installed and that should be happening fairly soon. The next picture is the great room which is being seen from the foyer as you walk into the house. I absolutely love this room because it is so large and bright from all the windows. I love the stepped ceilings, they really add to the room. We also had a french doors added to the back of the room so that we can have a deck off the back as well. We want to enjoy all of the views that we can! The third picture shows the beautiful view I have from my new scrap room! Aren't these windows just gorgeous! I love them! I will have the views of the mountains as I sit there at my desk and I am sure it will provide wonderful inspiration for me! The only problem is, I may never want to leave that room - LOL! So, these are what I have to share today! Have a fabulous weekend and stay tuned - I am getting really close to 7500 hits and that means yep, BLOG CANDY!!!!

SOME PICS TO SHARE

Hi all! I haven't really had time to do anything creative, so I thought I would share some pictures of our new home. Little by little it is getting finished and we should actually be living in it next week although there will still be little things to do. So, here they are! This picture shows the front of our new home - as you can see, they are still completing foundation work and the stucco. We are building a deck to join the two front porches so I can sit outside and enjoy my mountain view while having a cup of coffee! The second picture is my fireplace which is my pride and joy since it is made of river rock and is natural stone and is gorgeous! I cannot wait to have our first fire in my new home! It is going to be soooo nice. This last picture is a partial shot of my kitchen - most of it is still under protective paper because they are finishing up some work in there. BUT, I did get my cherry cabinets and a kitchen island, and all my drawers are the sliding deep drawers so that everything will be big, big, big AND fit all my kitchen stuff! Anyways, these are just a few of the pictures to give you an idea of my new house. As we get more and more done, I will show you all some progress pictures so that you can see the finished product!! Until then, talk to you all later and have a super day!!!!!

JUST A QUICK UPDATE

Hi everyone! I am soooo sorry that I don't have anything to share BUT we got all the wood flooring into the house, the painting finished, and the trim and molding put in. The house is really starting to come together and we should be able to move in by this time next week so keep your fingers crossed that nothing stops us this time! We will be spending time this week getting the house cleaned up and having the contractors finish up the last few outside projects that need to be completed prior to us receiving our occupancy certificate. That should all be done by this Thursday and we hope to have an inspector out there on Friday to clear us for furniture delivery on Monday. Whew! I cannot wait to move in - I am tired of living out of a suitcase! So, I am off now to get the cleaning supplies and get the inside of the house move-in ready!!! Hopefully I will have something to share tomorrow! Until then, have a great week!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Here it is - Thanksgiving. A time to reflect on all the good things in our lives, to remember our family members, friends, and those who cannot be with us. As we head into this holiday, please remember that their are so many sailors, soldiers, and Marines overseas who are fighting the war and will not be with their loved ones this year. Because of them, we have the privelege of being safe with our families here in the United States. I wish each and ever one of you a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving! God Bless!

AS PROMISED - TWO MORE PAGES

Hi all! Hope you had a good Monday! My husband and I spent the day looking at new couches for the house and I think we have it narrowed down. It was nice to do something fun together. So, here are the two pages I promised this morning! These are pictures of my two kids - my son was a ghoul and my daughter was a snow queen. I used basic black for the base of each page, old olive to back the pictures with, and ran ribbon across the top and down the sides. It is a double sided May Arts ribbon that I just love. I used my corner ticket punch on the pictures. The spiders are cut out using a die cut machine. The eyes are tiny black brads from my stash. I did my journaling on tags that I cut out of shimmery gray cardstock to look like tombstones and I added some bat ribbon I had in my stash to bring out the Halloween feel. The bats I actually cut out of some DP because they were dimensional and I just love how they look flying at the top of the page! I love these two pages because my kids were having so much fun together. I hope you enjoy them as well. Oh, and to answer the question of size - these are 6x6 pages that will go in a really cute popup album that I will show you all completely put together as soon as I have finished all the pages! So, there you have it!

ENCOURAGING BLOGGER AWARD - THANKS SHANNON!

Happy Monday everyone! It was truly a very busy weekend here laying the new wood floors in my house. I have to say, this is a very long and hard process but we are more than halfway there and should be finished with them this week - yippee!! Meanwhile, I was tagged by a very special blogging friend Shannon for the Encouraging Blogger Award - how nice is that?!! I love Shannon's blog, she is uber talented, so go and check her out! And, I will now tag some folks who have been very encouraging to me in my blogging efforts! Here they are:

(1) Kathleen at My Happy Place. She is extremely talented and shows many SU! projects and ideas which I find extremely inspiring as a SU! demo myself. She is always willing to share her awesome creations and is a warm and friendly person.

(2) Charmaine at Oodabug Alley. Charmaine is one of the most creative people I have every "met" - there is not a project she has done that I have not fallen in love with. She is very friendly and I love "talking" with her. Charmaine just had a beautiful baby boy so go over and congratulate her!

(3) Heather at Witty Title Here. This girl has got it going on, let me tell you! She is very very creative and I love her projects!

(4) Pam at Stamping With Serendipity. Pam does wonderful work and I look forward to visiting her blog every single day! She is wonderfully warm person who I love to "chat" with.

(5) Debbie at StudioBeeCreations. Debbie does amazing things on her blog and she has such a great sense of humor - she always puts a smile on my face!

These five women are very encouraging to me because they always take the time to visit my blog and leave very nice, encouraging comments which makes me want to keep on posting and creating. Thanks to all of you! Of course, there are several more I could have listed, but I am following the rules!! I will post some pages a little later, promise!

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED - AND I HAVE MORE PAGES TO SHARE!!

Happy Friday everyone!! I feel ssooooo much better than I have the last ten days! Thanks again to all of you for all the nice comments you left for me - it really lifted my spirits to read them! So, I have been tagged by Becky - check out her blog, she does fabulous work! Here goes:

1. If you could have $100.00 worth of scrapbook paper or assorted embellishments, which would you choose? Definitely paper - I cannot seem to get enough of it!

2. If you had to choose between using only stamps or ribbons, which would you choose? I really do love ribbon, but I love my stamps too, so I would have to say stamps.

3. If you knew how to do both awesome cards and layouts but could only do one for a whole year…which would you do? Definitely layouts since scrapbooking is definitely my passion.

4. Would you rather own a scrap booking store or have your own scrapping room at home? I have wanted to own my own scrapbook store for a long time and I am still looking into the idea - it is a HUGE risk but I think it would be soooo much fun! And, I love to have a scrap room at home to call my own...is it greedy to want both - LOL!

5. What is your CURRENT card making or scrapping style? I would have to say it varies so maybe eclectic? Hmmmm....this one is a hard one!

So, there you have it. Now, I have to tag four people but everyone seems to have already been tagged so if you have not, consider yourself chosen! Now, here are two more pages to share today. The pictures are of my kids carving their pumpkins with Grandpa keeping a watchful eye out to make sure they are doing it right! I love these shots because this is the first Halloween that my children have ever spent with my in-laws and I just love the fact that they have this memory now! I used some pumpkin DP from my stash because it was perfect for the layout and then I backed one picture in apricot appeal (it really looks like a light orange to me) with strips of the same along the bottom of the page. I used pumpkin pie for the other picture and stripped the same paper but layered it vertically this time. I stamped pumpkins on the creamy caramel tag I had and colored them in using my stampin write markers. The tag is inked on the edges with apricot appeal and then I added some cute May Arts ribbon from my stash. The pumpkins are die cuts that I popped up on dimensionals and used for my journaling. Both pics are mounted with brads - black and orange, how appropriate, huh?! I also added some of the same ribbon to my son's page because well, I love ribbon!!!! Again, I personalized my journaling by handwriting it out. I truly love these pages for what they represent to me and my family. I hope you enjoy them too!!! We will be putting in the wood flooring in our new house this weekend so I will not have time to blog but I will be back on Monday with new pages. Have a FABULOUS weekend!!

I AM ALIVE - AND HAVE TWO MORE PAGES TO SHARE!

Hi all! Feeling a bit better today although definitely not 100%. This has really hit me hard - I cannot believe how long it is taking to feel better. I think the medicine has finally kicked in though since I can breathe better now and actually swallow without extreme pain. So, I think I am on the mend at last. Just in time for Thanksgiving too! Now, on to the pages I want to share today! These are the kids playing on the old iron cows, yes, cows at the pumpkin patch. They are really neat to see - the details are pretty amazing. The other picture shows the kids in this giant iron pumpkin which was awesome for them to climb on! Both pages are based in creamy caramel and I used some fall DP I had from my stash that I brought along. I used my large oval punch and a pumpkin die cut to journal on - I love journaling on these small tags because I think it adds a real personal touch. The ribbon is double sided and perfect for fall, and again from my stash so I am not really sure who made it. The pictures are backed in old olive and I used my corner rounder to soften them a little. I did add a few fall embellishments that I had also. Voila! There you have it - two more pages to add to my MILs book! Have a great day!

HERE ARE SOME MORE PAGES - AND AN UPDATE ON ME!!

Hi all!! Thanks so much to all of you for your wonderful well wishes - they mean a lot to me! I am still pretty sick and have been confined to bed for the last three days - seems I have strep throat on top of the bronchitis so I got yet ANOTHER antibiotic to combat my new cooties - YUK!!! But, I decided I could read blogs and post on mine. So, here are two more pages - hope you all enjoy them! Again, sorry for the poor quality of my pictures but I have limited resources right now. These pages show the kids getting ready to head off into the corn maze .My niece was too funny. She kept picking the corn and saying she wanted to have some popcorn and was very frustrated when she looked at it and did not see any! My kids were ready to race through but sat still long enough for me to capture a quick pic of them before they took off through the maze! It is hard to see, but on the left picture I used my new piercing template from SU! and I am in LOVE with it! It really makes the page in person and I got soooo many comments on it when working on this page at the crop! The DP I used is actually bamboo but it sort of looks like corn stalks when used with the pictures so I went with it!! And, I used some of my cool buttons - love them!! So, there you have it - I will share two more tomorrow! Right now, I am off to take a look at all your blogs because I am going through withdrawals - lol!!

CAN'T SEEM TO CATCH A BREAK....

Spent the day yesterday in the hospital - seems I have a very BAD case of bronchitis. I could not breathe, had a very high fever, and just felt like death warmed over. Sooooo, I have all kinds of drugs and have done nothing but sleep. Just wanted you all to know that I should be able to post two new pages tomorrow - Tony has the camera at the house and that is where my pics are! Back to bed for me. Hope you all are having a better weekend than I am!

TWO MORE FOR YA!

Hi all!! Sorry about yesterday - I ended up spending the day doing some Christmas shopping to deflect some of the stress of all the moving and the house delays, etc. I had a great day (a little lonely though) shopping for my kids and nieces and nephews. So, here are the next two pages for you! The first one shows all the kids sitting in the pumpkin patch with their pumpkins that they decided they wanted to take home to carve. My son of course had to have the biggest one out there!! The second one shows my MIL with my little niece carving her very first pumpkin. Kirsten was very interested in how it was going to turn out and did not leave her MeMaws side until it was finished and all lit up! These pages were very simple to put together. I used pumpkin pie CS and then backed the pics in garden green and creamy caramel I rounded the corners on one of the pics and then used pumpkin die cuts popped up on dimensionals for my journaling. I wrote all my journaling by hand because I wanted this book to feel very personal for her. I on the pumpkin patch page, I added quite a bit of ribbon (May Arts) to bring out the green and then used some cardstock embellishments. (I don't have my stuff so I used a LOT of non-SU stuff). I also used some Halloween DP on both pages and added some black rick rack to the bottom of the second page to add some dimension. I also used my punch with some black brads to give it a little pop. All in all, I was very pleased with how these pages turned out. Hope you like them!!

HERE'S THE NEXT TWO PAGES!!

Hi all! I FINALLY got to do some blog browsing today and boy, did it feel great to be able to enjoy all of your fabulous creations! I swear, I saw so many new ideas today that I have a list two pages long of thing I have to try once I get all my supplies delivered, unpacked, and organized. Speaking of, a lot of you have asked me about updates on my new house. Well, we are still living at the in-laws and although I love them very much, I really want to have my own home with my family. The house is STILL not done and that is very discouraging for us.....they are saying before Thanksgiving but if I were a bettin' woman, I would say it will be after Thanksgiving *sigh*. So, maybe I will get in by the end of the month and put my house together and get my decorations up for the holidays. Keep your fingers crossed gals! Okay, so let me get to it: here are the next two pages I want to share with you. I swear these were sooooo fun to make! I have to apologize for the quality of the photos though - I don't have my photo imaging software on the computer I am using so what I take is what you get. I figured they were better than nothing at all! These pages are made with old olive paper and creamy caramel is what I used to back my pics. The flowers are cut out of a piece of DP and popped on dimensionals. The journal tags are made using my small scallop punch with both creamy caramel and close to cocoa to give them some dimension. I pierced the scallops, added some ribbon, and I was done! The boys are mine, and my three nephews. Tyler is worshipped by his three younger cousins and I loved this pic of all of them together. The girls are Kayla (mine) and my niece who is four and follows Kayla around like a little shadow. Aren't they cute!!! I think so *wink* Thanks for stopping by!!

FINALLY - SOMETHING TO POST!!

Hi all! Well, I finally have something fun to share! I went to the 12 hour crop on Saturday and had a great and productive day (and night!) I got 20 pages done for a book I am making my MIL for Xmas. I thought I would share two pages over the next several days. The book depicts the pumpkin patch where we took the kids, the night we carved pumpkins, and actual halloween night where all the cousins got together for the first time ever and went trick or treating. I was really excited to have something fun to share with you all again, I hope you didn't give up on me *smile*! Here are my pages: showing the maze the kids went through which was the shape you see in the picture. All the kids were chomping at the bit to start the race but I did manage to get them for a quick group shot. Not much stamping on these two pages but I did use my large and small oval punches to make the corn and the corn stalks. I hope you all enjoy these pages and I promise I will be regularly posting again - yippee!!!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

**THIS POST WILL REMAIN ON TOP UNTIL 31 OCT, SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW POSTS**

I just wanted to remind everyone that with the start of October comes Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We all know someone who has been touched by this disease so show your support in any way you can! Yep, my blog is pink and shall stay that way until the end of the month!! So, if you want to THINK PINK, post the badge on your blog and go pink baby!!!!!!

I AM IN CALIFORNIA - FINALLY!!!

Hi all! Just wanted to make a quick post to let you all know that I have safely arrived in CA and am at my MILs house. Our house should be ready to move in the second week in November so right now I am buying my new appliances, picking out paint colors, and shipping for area rugs - this is the fun part!!! I am really really tired after traveling across country with the three dogs but we are all here now and it feels good to know that I don't have to leave this time. I am looking forward to having some time next week to do some creating as I signed up for a 18 hour scrapbook crop - I want to meet people and thought this may be a great time to do so. It will also give me a chance to do some stampin and scrappin since I have not gotten to do anything for quite some time. I will be browsing blogs again too and cannot wait to catch up on what everyone has been up to! Talk to you all soon!!!!!!

I AM ALIVE, I PROMISE!!!!!

Hello all! Well, my house is finally packed up and gone - except for me, three dogs, and air mattress and my car belongings!!! I have to say, this was the longest week I have had in a long time!! BUT, I do feel vindicated because they kept telling me I was over my shipping weight limit (Navy gives me 17,000 pounds) because they said I was at 19,000; however, when the driver went to weigh the truck, my weight came back at 13,000 and change - HAH!!! I knew it!! So, I will be here this week painting, and finishing last minute house projects and then I should be getting on the road sometime next week. I have nothing to post except my move updates - SORRY!! I will post sporadically since I no longer have a computer and have to count on the kindness of my friends (I am at Vicki's today) so don't give up on me - I will be back and have some cute holiday projects to post once this craziness is out of the way!! I cannot wait to have normalcy again - a house, bickering kids, laundry, grocery shopping - it all sounds great to me now!! Of course, ask me how I feel after a couple of months of it *wink* Anyhoo, thought I would let everyone know what was going on and that I am still alive and moving right along to get myself to CA!!! Talk to you all soon!!!

NO PICS, NO CARDS, NO NOTHIN...OKAY, MAYBE A LITTLE RANTING

Well, today was the first day of my four-day packout. Yep, four days. It has NEVER taken four days before and I was wondering why the difference. Well, if you count the five 15 minute breaks, the 1.25 hour for lunch, and the leaving at 3pm, that would be why!! Sheesh!! I worked harder than they did today!! Now, I have moved my whole life - my dad was career military and I have moved 13 times myself in the last 24 years so I consider myself pretty seasoned at the moving thing. I always have water on hand, and usually have sandwich fixins and chips for lunchtime. It seems like the nice thing to do since they USUALLY are working so hard packing my stuff and you want them to do a good job....anyway, I digress! So, they show up at 0830 in the morning and I am drinking my coffee. The first thing the lead guy says to me is "I hope you plan on making another pot, because I need a cup". Hmmmmm....not sure what to do so I make a pot of coffee and he says, "Oh, I don't take it black, I need cream and sugar." Hmmmmmm.....again. I only use hazlenut coffee creamer which he proceeds to drain and drink my entire pot of coffee!!! ( I had to run to the store and get some more for MY coffee in the morning, maybe I should hide it??!!) You would think this would make them work faster, but nope, not at all. Then, the other two inform me that they don't feel they should have to take things off the walls (spoke to the moving company about that one, and yes, they have to take it down!). Then, the lead guy asks me if they can take a break at 1230 and watch my TV while eating lunch because they want to watch the Young and the Restless - YIKES!! So, I politely say that I am not a big soap opera fan and leave it at that, and they take the hint and eat outside listening to their soap on the am radio. Then, at 3pm they announce they are leaving for the day and will be back at 9 in the morning. I feel like I am in the twilight zone. They have left little things lying around unpacked in each room but have managed to pack the one thing I specifically set aside and asked them not to - the book I am reading!!!! *sigh* - it is going to be a looooooonnnnnnggggg week!!! At least I can still browse blogs to keep me sane - at least until Thursday when my computer goes away *sniff, sniff* I guess I should get ready for bed - not sure what I will do since I don't have my book to read which is my nightly ritual.....

DID I MENTION I HATE MOVING????!!!

Hi all! I thought I would give you a quick update on the move progress. I have found every muscle in my body - and they hurt!! I have made seven count them SEVEN trips to Goodwill, trying to purge what we don't need in our new home. I also cleaned out all the closets and got rid of clothes and shoes that none of wear anymore, is just plain old, or does not fit (I seem to have a lot in the last category :-( Both attics have now been emptied and everything gone through, sorted, and put away in plastic bins for storage on the other side since most of it is seasonal stuff. Today I had the dubious pleasure of cleaning out the shed outside - yippee!! This entailed all of the lawn equipment having the gas AND oil siphoned out, each machine washed and dried, and then stored neatly in the garage for pickup. Ugghhhh!!! I was saying unkind thinks about my DH, I tell ya!! My deep freezer has been cleaned out and is defrosting as we um speak! So, you all are thinking about now - wow! you are done! Hah!! Don't I wish!! I still have to figure out what is going in the car with me and set that aside to include enough dishes and cookware to see us through the next 3 or 4 weeks. I have to finish sorting my SU! supplies into indestructible bins that I purchased so nothing gets damaged. I have to take down the trampoline out back, get the car weighed both empty and full, AND go to the post office - whew!! THEN, I will be done - LOL! Anyway, enough ranting. I did want to share some pics from the dinner theater the other night. My good friend Vicki and I went to see Steel Magnolias which has always been a favorite movie of mine. Well, let me tell you, we both laughed all the way through the play - it was sooooo awesome!!! They did a wonderful job depicting the movie very accurately and yes, we had wet eyes at the end since it does have its sad parts. It was a great show and we wanted to go before I left. It was last Wednesday but this is the first time I have had the time to post about it. Here are some of the pics of our night out! This is where we went to see the show. It has a fantastic buffet that is included in the price of your ticket and the food is actually pretty good and there is lots of variety. Here is Vicki and I standing outside the big red doors leading to the box office where you pick up your tickets. It was a beautiful evening, nothing like the four days of rain we have had since! Once inside, it is decorated in the theme of whatever show is playing at the time so Vicki and I had our picture taken at the pretty setup they had at the entrance to the theater itself. Isn't it pretty?! The last picture is of us sitting at the table inside the theater. You can't get a great shot of the theater itself because of the funny low lighting they have in there, but here we are! We really really enjoyed ourselves and I cannot wait to have some time to scrap our night out! Well, I have to get back to work now or I will never get it all done before they show up on Tuesday to take all my stuff away! I have to call tomorrow and have the cable shut off so I will be without my computer come Friday - sniff, sniff!! No blog browsing, no posting, no nothing!!!

AND THE WINNER IS.....DRUMROLL PLEASE

Good morning and happy Friday everyone!! Well, today is the day to pick the blog candy winner. First of all, congratulations to Cheryl over at Engineered Expressions. She was the first to post for the blog candy so I have something special to send to her. Cheryl, send me your snail mail addy and I will get that right in the mail for you!! And, using Random.org to pick my lucky poster, the winner is Debbie aka StudioBeeCreations! Debbie, please send me your snail mail addy and I will get your goodies in the mail to you! Here is what Debbie had to say: "Whoo whooo...awesome & yummy candy Alex!!...and so wonderful to offer while you are going thru your move, etc!....I totally enjoyed ready everyone's stories....As for me, I don't have a memory worth telling...but...this year, my hubby & I are going to a Halloween Party...I am going to be the Queen Bee( what else?)....and as for my hubby, he is going to be........THE STINGER!!!!.( can you picture this ?)..gotta LOVE this man!PS....Way to go Cheryl for being FIRST!!!" Okay Debbie, I want to see pics of these wonderful costumes, it sounds like they will be a hoot!!! And, for everyone, please go check out these gals blogs as they are both very talented!! Thanks to everyone for playing along, I really enjoyed reading all of your stories - I actually got to laugh out loud quite a few times this week! And a special thanks to those of you who come and visit me faithfully and say such nice things - you make a girl blush, ya know!! I will have another blog candy drawing at 7500 hits so keep your eyes peeled!!

LOOKEE WHAT I GOT - I AM SUCH A LUCKY GAL!!

Hi all! I have been super busy preparing for the movers to come on Tuesday and I still feel like there is soooo much to get done! I have met with the movers for the preliminary walkthrough, got my car all ready for the trip, got the dogs some meds for the car, starting packing my stuff for the long trek, etc. Plenty more to still get done so probably not much stampin going on around here but I will try! Today I wanted to share with you what I got in the mail - yep, I received a beautiful bag from Kat aka Doodles and Dragonflies in response to a special post she had on her blog. Kat's sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and Kat was doing a cancer walk in honor of her and their mother who is a survivor. So, I sponsored her and she sent me this beautiful bag made by her sister - how cool is that! She was very thoughtful to offer anything for the donations - I would have done it anyway because this is such a good cause to help out with, but I do love the bag! Isn't it gorgeous!!! Please get on over and check out her blog, it is fabulous! And, as if this were not enough, I got the most beautiful RAK from Shannon McGann aka Stamp Till You Cramp. She is a mega talented gal and you should run not walk to her blog and see what wonderful creations she has posted there! Shannon sent me this card as a thank-you for some blog candy she recently won on my blog! Her card is really gorgeous and in one my favorite colors (purple - sorry, Beate, LOL!). I love this card - it is very elegant! So, thanks Shannon and enjoy the blog candy!
Well, that is all for tonight everyone - I am pooped from hauling everything out of the attic and now I have to go through it all - ughhhh!!! Don't forget, tomorrow is the drawing for my blog candy so check back to see if you are a lucky winner! We already know who the first post winner is *wink* Night!

WITCHING YOU....

A Happy Halloween! Yep, another Halloween card. I wanted to try out my new set that I received right before my trip and had not had a chance to ink up yet! It is dang cute and I think I will use this one a few more times before the season is over *wink*. It is called Haunting Halloween and you can find it in the Fall/Winter Collection of the SU! catty! So, on to the card! I decided to use the leftover cardstock from the last card I did so that I would not have a bunch of half cut cardstock. I tend to do this and never go back to it so I am trying to do better. Anyway, the base of this card is garden green which I then layered with cameo coral and creamy caramel. These colors scream fall to me and I love them together! Anyhoo, I used my paper piercer and faux stitched around all three layers and then used the stars stamp and stamped in creamy caramel ink on the background. I used the other star stamp and stamped on the cameo coral background in the same color. It added some whimsy to my card. I also used my ticket corner punch on all layers (surprised - LOL!) I stamped my main image on whisper white cardstock which I sponged with mellow moss to tone down the white a little bit. I also distressed the edges. The cute little kitty is stamped in brown stazon and colored in using my stampin write markers. I added some photo corners using my punch and topped them with some copper brads (oh, how I wish SU! would not have gotten rid of these as I am almost out!) I then added some handsome hunter and garden green brads to draw out those colors. And, there you have it! Hope you likee! Have a great night and if you have not done so, make sure you post for my blog candy - the drawing is Friday!

HOLD ON TO YOUR PANTIES GIRLS - I STAMPED!!

Happy Monday all! I know it has been awhile since I posted anything creative, but the last 10 days were so much fun hanging out with my family. I am not sure how much stamping I will get done in the next month or so either because of the packout, move, and unpacking on the other end but I promise I will do the best I can. So, I actually DID stamp last night and I used a stamp that I found at Michaels (shhhh, don't tell anyone) and fell in love with because of it's coloring potential. All other products used are SU! though - promise! Anyways, here it is! I decided that I need to keep with my theme of fall and Halloween, especially since my new property is full of trees that are starting to turn all kinds of beautiful colors, and there is a crispness in the air that you just do not find here in Florida. In fact, it is still soooo very hot here!! But, I digress! I loved coloring this image because it provided me the opportunity to use several different shades of my Stampin Write Markers and I got to do a lot of shading. I love to color, it really relaxes me so this was a lot of fun! I love the way this card came out! I hope you do too!
Card Recipe:
Cardstock - Cameo Coral, Garden Green, Creamy Caramel, Whisper White
Stamps - Inkadinkadoo
Stamp Pads - Brown Stazon, Creamy Caramel (used this to sponge background)
Accessories - Stampin Write Markers, Wild Wasabi ribbon (it works), Photo corners punch, Ticket corner punch, Copper Brad, Mat Stack and paper piercer, Handsome Hunter buttons, sponge

BLOG CANDY WITH A TWIST

****THIS POST WILL REMAIN ON TOP UNTIL 10/5 SO SCROLL DOWN FOR NEWER POSTS***

Okay, I know I promised so I am going to deliver! I have Blog candy to celebrate my 5,000 hits - I know it's kind of funny when you compare mine to some blogs BUT this one IS mine, and this is exciting to me! So, I want to reward those faithful blog readers who visit me and say such wonderful things in their comments. Look at what I have got for you!! The winner will receive three different sets of DP paper, 4 6x6 sheets of each, four sheets of fall chipboard, some fall three dimensional stickers, a fall stamp, two lengths of fall ribbon, and four sheets of fall vellum phrases. Do you see a theme here??!! Yep, it is all fall related in keeping with the approaching Halloween/Thanksgiving season. Click on the pic if you want a closer view. So, what do you have to do to win? You MUST post here telling a funny favorite Halloween or Thanksgiving story. I will tell you one as well! My FIL used to tease my MIL about their Thanksgiving turkey because she only bought the breast and therefore obviously was legless. So, he called them Kesterson birds after the power plant located nearby. This always had worried me a bit as I knew there WAS a turkey farm out there. Well, a couple of years ago, we spent Thanksgiving with the in-laws and everyone was there so it was a houseful. My MIL showed me the turkey and I tried very hard to show no reaction - see this WAS a full turkey - it had SIX LEGS and I was not quite sure how that had happened. I looked closely and all the legs were attached to the body, but I still said nothing. So, the turkey was done, and it turned out beautifully but I kept thinking about that power plant. When she set the turkey on the table, I could not help myself, I had to ask "why does your turkey have six legs??" And, my MIL said, "well, the turkey farm is located close to the power plant and sometimes this happens but I got a good deal on it and since there was so many of us, I figured more legs would be better. I was mortified and totally did not want any of that turkey. I looked around the table and everyone was perfectly satisfied with her answer and were digging in so I decided not to cause a scene but had a very little piece of turkey. As we were nearing the end of our meal, my husband asked me what I thought about the turkey, and the look on my face must have said it all! They all busted out laughing and so I looked at my MIL who said GOTCHA!!! See, she bought extra legs and sewed them on because she knew I had always worried about that power plant and told everyone else what she was doing! Aahhhhh, I was very relieved, but embarrassed that I fell for it. However, I DID go back for more turkey!!! Now, it is your turn. And, I am sure you are wondering what the twist is: well, I have noticed with all the contests and drawings, most people use random number generator to pick the winner. I do this too. However, I have NEVER seen the first post win so I have decided that I will send a surprise blog candy to the first poster here! What do you think about that!!! Pretty cool, huh?! I will draw the winner on Friday afternoon so I can get it shipped out before the movers come. I can't wait to read your stories and have some projects to post in the morning! Till then!

BBF AWARD!

You know, it is amazing how you can get to know people through blogging - I am continually in awe of the kindness, generosity, and extreme talent that is out there! I was touched today by a blogging friend who nominated me for the Best Blog Friend Award - does that rock or what??!! Shannon aka Stamp Till You Cramp is an amazingly talented stamper with an awesome blog that you must check out if you have not already done so! She is truly creative and I visit her blog daily! So thanks to you Shannon - and right back at ya girl! So, I guess I am supposed to nominate three people as well. I visit many blogs daily and find inspiration at all of them but here are three (in no particular order) that I am going with!

Kathleen at My Happy Place who is truly amazing and fun!

Ash at Ashley's Creative Corner who has more energy than anyone I know and who creates the most beautiful things!

Nikki at Military Wife Stampin Spot who does beautiful things with paper, ink, and stamps and I am in awe of her!

If you have never checked out these talented ladies, well, what are you waiting for???!!!!! GET ON OVER THERE NOW - THEY ALL ROCK!!

BACK IN JACKSONVILLE AND TIRED!!

Hi all! Well, it has been a very long travel day but I have made it back safely to Jacksonville. I am really really tired, but will be posting one of my new creations tomorrow and BLOG CANDY!!! Yep, I am only three hits away from 5,000 - I can't believe it! I cannot believe that I have only been blogging three short months and I feel like I have met some wonderful people and learned so much from all of you! So, to thank you guys for visiting, stay tuned for blog candy and a finished project!! Now, I am off to bed so that I can start fresh in the morning! Lots to do - movers will be here a week from this Tuesday and I still have attics to clean out, groceries to farm out to friends, a car to pack and load up, etc...And, still no sale on the house :-( so keep it in your thoughts and send selling mojo my way!!! I already miss Tony and the kids but I know it's less than a month and we will be together permanently - and the trip was sooooo worth it! Good night for now all!

WAY TOO MUCH FUN!

Hi all! I am sorry I have not posted anything new in awhile BUT I am having sooo much fun picking out new fans, paint, rugs, etc. for my new house PLUS playing with my kids and just hanging out with my husband and our extended family that before I know it, it is midnight and I am ready for bed! So, no new creations yet but lots of ideas for when I get home and I have some projects working but not quite finished. I feel kind of bad since I did promise something to share, but I figured you all would understand. I do have some pictures to share today of me and the kids riding around on the gator at my MILs property - they have ten acres and my kids are really loving it. My daughter, who is ten, loves the fact that she gets to drive - LOL! So, here they are! Isn't she just too cute, concentrating on driving mommy around! And, my son the jokester and his funny faces, I love that! I also wanted to share a picture of the sunset out on my MILs property - isn't this gorgeous?! And, our view from our new property is amazing - I will post pics of that in the next few days once I am up there when the sun goes down. I also see that I am getting really close to 5000 hits - that is so exciting for me so I am going to celebrate with Blog Candy when I get back. Yep, I bought goodies here just for that occasion!

I MADE IT!!!!

Hi all! Well, I made it safe and sound and I am enjoying being reunited with my family - oh, how I have missed them!! The surprise was indeed a surprise and it was wonderful to see the shock and joy on their faces! We have been really busy these last two days getting totally reacquainted and me trying to juggle my time so that both of the kids had some mommy time plus catch up with my husband. I am loving every minute of it and don't want to go back to Florida, but the good thing is, I only have to go back to pack up and head out here. I thought I would share some pics of the moment they realized I was here - it was great! My DH was up at the property supervising the final pieces of the construction and I popped out of the backseat of my SIL's car - it was priceless to see! I was sooooo excited to see him! Then, I was in the back room when my kids got home from school and walked out and just started talking to them - their mouths were hanging open and I got the biggest hugs you could ever imagine! Today, I am going to spend some quality time stamping while they are all at school and work so I will actually have something to share creatively *wink*. I am driving into Chico this morning to check out the LSS to see what they have. How fun - I could get used to this no job thing! I have been cooking for my family again, taking care of doing my daughter's hair, playing games with them, making sure homework gets done - all the things we all do that we don't realize are so precious because in a blink, they will be gone. I intend to enjoy every single moment and remember how wonderful each one of them is! Until later!

CYA IN 10 DAYS!!!!

Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go....know what song this is - LOL?! So, I was talking to my SIL and she said that since my MIL does not like to do much on the computer at home, they have dialup so uploading to my blog may take some time but I AM taking some stampin supplies along so I will post every chance that I get! I am going to be posting BLOG CANDY when I get back since we are sooo close to 5000 hits - I am AMAZED by that so stay tuned until then! Now, I have to go to bed since four in the morning will be here before I know it - Ugh!!

I HAVE BEEN TAGGED!!!

Oh, how fun! Dawn Easton over at Treasure Oiler Designz tagged me! If you have never been to Dawn's blog, you need to get over there and check her out because she is a rockin' stamper - I just love her creations! Okay, so here goes:

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -Daisy Toyota
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) New York Super Fudge Chunk Oreo (hah! how fitting - LOL!)
3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) AHOB
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Pink Dog
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)- Ilse Bremerhaven(i sound like the older bioch with money - teehee)
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - HOBAL
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put “The”) The Blue Lemonade
8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- Harry KarlHeinz ...nah, not redneck enough - LOL! (I do live in Jacksonville ya know!)
9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Heavenly Chocolate - how's that for a stripper's name!
10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Walburga Revilo (no way would anyone find me with THAT name - LOL!!)

That was REALLY fun - I love reading them all too! So, now I get to tag five blogging friends so here they are:

(1) Deb aka Stampingranny
(2) Nikki aka Military Wife Stamping Spot
(3) Shannon aka Stamp Till You Cramp
(4) Julie aka Stampin With Julie
(5) Debbie aka StudioBeeCreations

If you have never checked these talented ladies out, you need to because they do awesome work! I can't wait to read what they have to say *wink*

HOW CUTE ARE THEY??!!

Hi everyone! Well, I finished the garage (mostly, just have DHs tool area to do) and it feels good to be done! I spent the entire weekend in there and let me tell you, fall does NOT come to Jacksonville so it was HOT!!!!!! But, it is done and all my treasures are safe for the movers to show up - LOL! So, tomorrow I will be flying out to CA for 10 days to finalize some things with our new house out there which means I get to see Tony and the kids - I am SOOOOOOO excited!! And, they have no idea I am coming, I just shared that with my SIL who is picking me up at the airport. I cannot wait to see their face when they walk in tomorrow night and I am sitting there in the kitchen!!! Hee!hee!Hee! I am going to take a few stamping supplies with me for this trip so I can post while I am there so you will still here from me. My MIL has dial-up so I am not sure how all that will work but I will figure something out. I received some GREAT tips on what to bring with me when I DO actually pack out (mid October is the actual moving dates) so I appreciate that! I have a big ole SUV so me and the three dogs AND my stampin supplies will be traveling across country to CA. Speaking of, I wanted to share these pics that I took last night of the puppies in their new Halloween costumes - Clyde is a criminal (it fits, believe me) and Bonnie is a ladybug. Aren't they so cute?? I think so! I am going to do Beate's challenge later today so check back later for a card. Then, packing and stuff - ooohhh, I am soooooooo EXCITED!!!!

NO TIME TO STAMP BUT CHECK OUT THE RAK I RECEIVED

Good morning all. As you know, I am moving to California - well, the packout is quickly approaching so I have been getting ready for the movers. Yesterday and today is the garage - YUK!!! I spent 14, yes 14 hours in the garage yesterday as this is where all my crafting supplies are kept. I went through and purged, reorganized, and safely stored all my treasures so the movers don't destroy my stuff, especially all my delicious paper! It makes me a little sad to know I won't see my stuff for about 6 weeks (yep, you heard me right) because it will have to go into storage until we receive a cleared occupancy permit for our new house. So, I will definitely be going through withdrawals. Okay, now I have a question for all of you and I would like to hear your thoughts - if you were me and had to take a few supplies just to keep going with stamping, what would you take? I am trying to figure out what to whittle it down to but still have enough where I can play. I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say - please don't tell me everything though because that would require a moving truck all on its own - LOL! Now, on to the wonderful RAK I received from my blogger friend Deb. We have struck up a blogging friendship, she is the sweetest, most generous lady! AND, talented to boot! Check out her blog - she does beautiful work! Look at the cute fluffles and pumpkins and scallops she sent me. And, these beautiful bella notecards, WOW! Love them! Thanks Deb - you rock!! Now, I am off to work in the garage. Have a beautiful Sunday all!

A PENGUIN CHRISTMAS CARD

Happy Friday to all of you! I am fully recovered from my two-day shopping spree (although my wallet is not -LOL!). And yep, I made yet another Christmas card - sorry! I love Christmas and I got such cute sets from SU! fall/winter collection that I just cannot help myself. So, if you are tired of my Christmas cards, I promise to post something different tomorrow *wink* BUT for now, here it is! This one is made in the traditional card size - I know, not square! I wanted something bright again as I love those colors for Christmas so the base of my card is Garden Green cardstock. I layered this with Dashing DP, isn't this paper yummy??!! I of course used my corner ticket punch and then faux stitched using my mat stack. All the stitching on my card is highlighted using my stampin write markers. I often wonder what I would be doing if I had not discovered this fun tool??? But, gettin' back on track....For the main image I used three pieces of paper - Real Red cardstock, Dashing DP, and then Garden Green cardstock on which I background stamped little snowflakes from the Punch Pals stamp set in the same color. I used my corner ticket punch again and faux stitched the bottom two layers. I added Real Red brads to each corner and then stamped the little penguin (isn't he dang cute??) from the Punch Pals set onto Whisper White cardstock and colored him with my Stampin Write Markers. I popped him up on dimensionals and then adhered all three layers to the main card. The scallop circles are done using my two larger circle scallop punches from Marvy and my new small scallop circle punch from SU! . These are done in Real Red, Dashing DP, and Garden Green paper as well. I pierced the two larger scallops along the edges and then used the Tis the Season Stamp from Punch Pals on my smaller scallop as it fits perfectly - I love that! I popped the two top scallops up on dimensionals which gives this card a really neat 3d look that is hard to see in the picture. I added a small piece of red and green Xmas polka dot ribbon that I got in the $1 bin at Joanns because it matches my DP perfectly. I had a lot of fun making this card and I hope you all like it! Have a fabulous weekend - I am off to work on Beate's latest sketch challenge!

MY FLIP FLOP SHOP HOP SUCCESS STORY

Hi everybody! I have spent the last two days dashing all over central Florida going to all the different Independent Scrapbook and Stamp stores participating in the Shop Hop. What a blast! Vicki and I had such a great time but man, are we tired! We found some great things though to add to our respective stashes and I have found out a sad truth - when it comes to scrapbooking and stampin, I have very little willpower BUT they say, the first step is to recognize you have a problem - LOL! So, I would like to share with you some pictures of all the wonderful loot I personally will be hiding within the stuff I already have! First of all, the paper - oh, the wonderful, glorious, stinkin' cute paper! All the new Halloween papers from CHA arrived in most of the stores and of course I had to have some. And, I found all kinds of very cute beachy papers, little boy and girl papers, animal papers, pet papers, Christmas papers....it was a beautiful thing! I even found some paper that talked about drinking coffee with a friend and some awesome grandparent paper which I adore. What was nice was that all the stores had such a different array of papers, stamps, and embellishments that it was like Christmas in every one! Check this paper out - is that stinkin' cute or what?? I even found some paper that is about the construction of a new home which will be perfect for the book I am making about our new one in CA! Now, on to the embellishments! Oh, they were sooooo wonderful and I wanted them all BUT I was trying to be good so here are the ones I ended up bringing home with me (along with some more paper). I found the cutest M&M punch/embosser which I plan on using for a lot of projects including our

trip to the New York M&M factory - yummy! I also found these way cute die cuts, some great stickers, and these medals that will be great for my son's book. And, at this

great store out at Amelia Island, they make these custom die cute overlays - too cute! I wanted them all, but settled for these three because I have projects these will be awesome with! Look at that monkey - OMG!!!!! But, I digress....let me show what else I got. I couldn't help myself - I broke my cardinal rule about buying stamps other than SU! but they had this large Michaels down in Daytona and well, they had all these really really cool dollar stamps and I had to have them -*sigh*. I know, I need help, but dang this was soooo much fun and I am sooo happy that Vicki and I had the chance to do this before I leave here in a few weeks and start across country to CA! Now, one last picture - this is what I picked up to make my book for shop hop - pretty cool, huh?! You can't make a book for the Flip Flop Shop Hop Event and not have any Flip Flops - LOL! I hope you all have a fabulous evening and I will post a project tomorrow! Until then....