Happy Sunday Everyone.. And OSAAT Challenge #138

Good morning everyone!! We have had a beautiful weekend here in Georgia! The weather has been great and I have had the windows and door open! I love fall!! It has been another busy week. I'm trying to get it back to calm LOL Hopefully that is coming.

Okay... On to the One Stitch At A Time Challenge .. We are doing Challenge #138 this week and the theme is Anything Goes!! I know you all love that one!! This week I used "Monkey Love" by Kaz Krafts! I LOVE this image!! They are just too cute!!

Copic:
Heart: R20, R22, R24
Monkey Face, Ears, Hands, Feet: E30, E31, E33
Monkey Fur: E15, E29, E49
Ribbon, Dies - Memory Box and My Favorite Things, Prima blossoms, flower punch, twine, buttons
Stamp is: Happy Forever - Close to My Heart
Bamboo Darice Embossing Folder
Papers are scraps and Club Scrap papers

Challenges:

• Bingo Challenge #16 (Ribbon, Flourish, Die Cut) @ A & T Challenge Blog 
• Challenge # 12: Buttons and Bows @ Eureka Stamps 
• No 27: Anything Goes @ LEJ Designs Challenge Blog 
• Anything Goes @ Totally Stampalicious 
• 2TC30: Anything Goes w/No Twist @ Twisted Tuesday Challenges 
• Challenge #46: Bingo (Buttons, Bows, Coloring) @ Victorine Stamps 
• Challenge #59: Flowers Galore @ Bearly Mine 
• I need a P: Things That Begin with P (Primates, Prima, Punch) @ Ladybug Crafts Ink TLT
• Pop It Up (My monkey is popped and has his arm around her) @ Scrap-Creations
• Challenge #145: Die Cuts / Punches @ Fab 'n' Funky 
• Challenge 82: Bold & Bright @ My Mum's Craft Shop Challenges 
• PTT#92: Anything Goes @ Party Time Tuesdays 
• Challenge 88: Anything Goes @ The Paper Shelter 
• As Beautiful As A Ribbon @ My Heart Pieces 
• Ribbon or Twine Challenge @ Paper Crafting Journey 
• Challenge 20: Anything Goes @ Stampin' for the Weekend 
• Anything Goes @ Card Makin' Mamas 
• Challenge #157: Add Texture @ Crafty Catz Challenge Blog 
• Challenge #9: Embossing @ Delicious Doodles 
• Challenge #118: Anything Goes @ Raise The Bar 
• Challenge 156: Anything Goes with a Button @ Totally Gorjuss 
• Challenge #15: The Ol' 1-2 Punch @ A Blog Named Hero 

So let's see... the kids left the T-Bone out on Thursday. He doesn't do well out of his kennel. He is rather destructive... separation anxiety or something. So, he stays in his kennel while I am at work and they are at school. Well.. that didn't happen on Thursday.. this was the third time recently that the kids have done this. He chewed at the trim around the door... he tore up more blinds.. the blinds in my room and the ones at the back door. My mother had gotten me one of those magic mesh screen door type things for my back door.. he destroyed it. I was NOT very happy to come home to that. T-Bone got scolded and then the kids got a BIG chewing out! I was able to find another one of those magic mesh screens and I put that up this weekend. I LOVE that thing!! It goes around your door.. has magnets in the middle.. so you go through it and then it closed behind you. A screen door without having a screen door. Stops all the bugs from creeping in and the dog and the cats can go out on the back balcony. It's really great!

What else... Kevin's father came down to visit him. He arrived last Sunday and I was able to hang out on Skype with them for a bit each day. He just left yesterday morning. It was really nice to be able to see him and meet him. Kevin has a really bad ankle.. he had a really bad injury years ago. Him and his dad have been out and about all week and yesterday his ankle swelled up. His ankle was worse Saturday morning and aching and keeping him from sleeping. We will see how he feels later on. Poor thing.. he is sleep deprived and in pain. He is suppose to be keeping it up and resting. I hope he feels better! I can't believe how swollen it is. I'm hoping he will go in to the doctor if it is still that swollen his Monday morning.

Saturday was a day full of crafting. I was able to get three cards done! Don't laugh LOL I'm slow!! That's a HUGE day for me! LOL So sad *shaking my head* I completed one card and after looking at it for a while, hated it, tore it apart and started over LOL I like it better the second time around. I need to take photos of it today. The kids did a bit of cleaning on Saturday and will be doing the last bit of finishing up today after church. We made chocolate chip cookies yesterday and the apartment smells great! This morning when we get home from church I think I might make some pancakes. There is a really simple recipe for pancakes that I pinned and I am wanting to try it out. I'm cooking a lasagna for lunch and I'll be working on some more cards. I'm trying to get back ahead of my responsibilities!  That is the goal :)

I hope ya'll have a blessed day!!

Home At Last...

Well.. at least for a day! We came home around 2 pm from my sister's house. I wanted to be here tonight so we could get up and be right here for church in the morning. So, we packed up and headed home. I stopped off at the store and picked up dinner. It's really good to be home! Even if it is only for a night. Taylor came over for a meal and to just hang out for a bit. It is always good to see her.

Tomorrow we will go to church in the morning, come back by and pick up T-Bone and head back to my sisters. Two more nights there! Since tomorrow is Sunday, we will spend our last day of the weekend swimming hopefully! If the storms will hold off! Mom and Sis come home from France on Tuesday.. they didn't leave me ANY information on flights, time they are going to be here.. Nothing! Nothing at all! I'm not exactly sure what I'm suppose to do with no information LOL!

I took pictures early this morning of my cards, but I didn't have the wire to upload them! That was the first thing I did when I got home... So here is one of my cards:

I used various scraps of patterned paper for the sun rays. I used a circle punch for the middle and covered it with Ice Stickles Crystal. The Stamps are Tiki Time from Market Street Stamps. I also used The Art Glittering System - Persimmon, Cavalado, Miss Muffet, Flax, Nirvana, Egyptian Gold. Copics - E50, B0000, B05, R21, R24, Y17, G09, YR15, RY16, TY68, YG23. And I used Diamond Glaze to cover the empty parts of the glass with no color and the Take It with a grain of Salt Circle.

Challenges:

• Challenge #153: Sentimentally Yours @ Corrosive Challenges
• Bingo! @ Crafty Boots (ribbon, stripes, yellow)
• Dust It Off... Challenge @ Incy Wincy Designs  (I dusted off the Art Glittering System Glitters.. Oh how I used these so often.. now its easier to pick up the stickles!, but nothing beats these amazing glitters really.. and I have so many colors!)
• Challenge 12 ~ Anything Goes @ LEJ Designs
• Challenge #46 ~ What's Your Weather @ Digi Stamps 4 Joy (Sunny and Hot!)
• Challenge #3: Shine @ Papelitos (Glitter and Stickles)
• PTT #77 Color Challenge @ Party Time Tuesday's 
• Challenge #44: Anything Goes! @ Divas by Design 
• Challenge 117: Anything Goes @ Digi Doodle Shop
• Challenge #142: Monochromatic @ Crafty Catz Weekly Challenge
• Challenge #135 ~ Where'd You Get Your Suntan? @ Opus Gluei
• RRR Challenge #52 - Sizzlin' Summer Colors & Ribbon Theme @ Really Reasonable Ribbon
• July 5th Card Challenge @ Get Creative Challenge Blog
• Challenge #4: Bright Colors @ Oozak
• Day 2: Imagine This - The Sunrise @ 365 Cards

And we are still waiting on immigration.. still praying and keeping toes and fingers crossed that they call soon. Keep us in your prayers... We are so ready for Kevin to come home!!

Recover after the 4th

Wow! I was SO tired after staying up late on the 4th. I had a really great time with Jia and her family as always. It was really nice to have my oldest tag along as well. Now that she has moved out I don't see her much or even talk to her much for that matter. So, it is always nice to see her and catch up.

We left out of here early in the morning to head to Grayson, Georgia. I got the kids some breakfast for the trip. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get there. When we first arrived Jia and her brother had gone to the store. I got T-Bones crate inside and got him all situated. We really didn't do a lot, but hang out and talk. We always have a lot to talk about. The kids watched a couple of movies on and off. We had a great lunch of hot dogs, baked beans, mac and cheese and all the fixins' for the hot dogs. They even made sloppy joe sauce for the hot dogs.. Coney Dogs they called it. It wasn't bad.

Jia, her boyfriend Rob and I went to the store at one point. I'm still trying to figure him out. I'm really not that crazy about him. It's just the little things that he does. They have been dating for quite some times.. it has to be four or five years now. He has never been married.. the ultimate bachelor. So, we go to the grocery store to pick up a few things. We need ice, water and playing cards. Rob picks up a magazine and some beer. We get to the line to leave and he puts his beer out and his magazine. Then he adds one of those things that goes in between two peoples shopping items. He puts it between the water, ice and whatever else Jia got. I'm watching this and thinking to myself.. "No he didn't!". So he checks out and then Jia goes.. her total bill is about $13.00. I can't figure out why he wouldn't just pay for those items. He has no kids.. a really good job.. In other words.. its not about money for him. And he will be eating the ice and drinking the water with everyone else in the house. I don't know.. I was just a bit shocked by it. There were no playing cards there so we went down the street to the drug store. Jia asks him to run in to the store and grab some playing cards. He tells her no! So, I tell her that I'll run it.. I run it and grab the cards and back out. Again.. SHOCKED! that he wouldn't do this simple thing for her. I've only met the man once before.. and he didn't make a good impression then either LOL! Maybe I'm just too critical, because I feel like she deserves so much better. She is my best friend!  Oh.. and then he got upset with her about something and wouldn't even be with the family when we went out to see fireworks.

Yes... we are a pair aren't we LOL!!!

So that was it.. after the fireworks.. which we really didn't see, the kids and I grabbed T-Bone and started home. Oh... if I had only known what was coming!

Look at my lovely handsome boy.. Okay.. kind of scary right there LOL Yep.. he's a special one! So, we head home and we are about 15 minutes down the road when all of a sudden Michael spews! Not once... not twice... but FOUR times! Now, how is it that you don't feel that coming? How is it that you don't say.. MOM!!! I need you to pull over.. I don't feel so well! Nope! He is absolutely covered.. Bailey has some on her.. T-Bone has some on him. What a nightmare!! It is 11:30 pm on the 4th of July and we are still a good 45 minutes from home. I stop at the next gas station we find and I buy a gallon of water, a small water for him to rinse out his mouth and drink, some handy wipes and paper towels and Febreeze! Thank goodness I made him bring a change of clothing thinking I would be able to get him to go swimming. I piled everyone in the van again and I went across the street to a vacant parking lot.. still in a lit area and cars not that far away. He washes off with the handy wipes and the gallon of water and paper towels. I'm trying to scrub the van seat and floor as well as I can. Taylor and I coat the seats with febreeze.. which didn't really help very much. Bailey and T-bone were both rinsed off with the gallon of water and Michael was sent to the back of the van to get out of the soaked clothes. We were probably out there for a good 30 to 45 minutes trying to get cleaned up. We climbed back in the van and started home. The febreeze did not work. I ended up having to drive home with the windows down the entire way. I'm just glad it had cooled down some. So that was our night.. Michael really threw a kink in it on the way home LOL Oh well.. Life happens and a mother's job is never done.

We got to bed late and I ended up talking to Kevin for a bit in the morning and then laying back down. Before we knew it we looked at the clock and it was already 3:45 pm. The day really flew by.

I worked on a card yesterday, trying to finish it up. The day before I had spent all my time coloring the image. Well.. I colored four images and it took quite a while LOL I used all scraps for this card.

The girl is from Tiddly Inks Digitals - Wryn the Patriot. I think she is so great! I used Copics B21, B24, B29, C2, C5, C7 and C10, E00 and one other brown .. I can't remember which one. Also R20, R22, R24, and R27. I used a fine Painters white opaque paint marker for the dots... err Stars on the flag. I also used "happy" from a hero arts stamp set - Essential Messages, "of" from a paper smooches stamp set - Word Salad and the "4" was from a Stampin' Up set of numbers that I have. The "TH" and the "JULY" were all hand written and colored. I used some glitter glue for the sparkles in her hair and the actual sparkle.. I used red, blue and white. Still working on my Copic coloring... Black I find is not that easy to work with.. well.. its really the different shades of gray, but still not that easy.

I'm going to enter this in the following challenges:

• OCL Challenge #123 ~ Let Freedom Ring @ Our Craft Lounge
• Freshly Made Sketches #42 ~ A Sketch by Jennifer T @ {Freshly Made} Sketches
• Mail-Able ~ Easy to Mail Card @ 365 Cards
• GL43 ~ Red White and Blue @ Gingerloft Challenge
• Inspired by: Independence Day @ Creative Inspirations
• 4th of July using Bling ~ Gems, Rhinestones, Glitter Oh My! @ Made Especially For You
• Challenge #48 ~ Color Challenge Red White and Blue @ Card Makin Mama 
• Challenge #47 Color Combo Red, White and Blue @ Pattie's Creations Design Challenge
• Stars and Stripes ~ Use both stars and stripes @ Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps
• Challenge #98 @ 2 Sisters Challenge Blog
• Challenge #30 ~ Patriotic/Military/Fireworks @ Crafting For All Seasons
• Day 119: Mail-able @ 365 Cards

I have one more red white and blue card to go.. so I'll use that to enter in the rest of the may Red White and Blue challenges this month! :)  Hope you all have a great day!

Last Page

This morning I have finished the last page that is going in the album for Kevin and I. Now I just need to talk to the attorney and find out what other paperwork needs to be sent over to Kevin, make sure I have everything and then get it in the mail to him. Mail takes at least two weeks to get to Australia and that doesn't matter how you send it. I don't think we've ever had anything going either way get to its destination before two weeks.

The attorney contacted us a couple of days ago to get additional addresses for Kevin back all the way to when he was 16 years old. That is not an easy task remembering every where you have lived back since you were 16 years old! Kevin got it all together though and I sent it over to the attorney. Now that the attorney has gotten back in touch with us it has made me anxious. I know it is getting closer, yet it is still so out of reach.

This morning I'm helping Bailey finish these cookie pops at Laura Beth's place. I had her bake the cookies last night, so this morning we will melt the chocolate and finish them up. We are going to take them to my sister's today. Bailey is enjoying making them too! Pictures.. I need to get some pictures! Once we finish those up we are going to head to my sisters to hang out for the day. That way we can jump in the pool when we get hot. It should be a good day.

I hope you all have a wonderful day.. stay cool!

I used the newest sketch from Got Sketch? Cardstock is bazzill and the patterned papers are all Doodlebug. 

Glossy or Matte, Which do you prefer?

I can't believe I woke up this morning to stare Monday in the face once again. Where does the weekend go? It is here and gone in flash. It doesn't even seem to matter if you have an extra day either. Saturday seems to always be full of running around. Church was great on Sunday and then home to scrapbook. That was how the weekend went. It was a pretty relaxed weekend.

Bailey, my 10 year old daughter, decided to make a couple of cards and scrapbook a couple of pages with me this weekend. I had ordered some photos printed on glossy paper. I hit the complete order button before I realized that they were glossy. I don't like glossy prints, I much prefer matte finish. So, I went back and ordered the prints again with a matte finish. I handed the glossy prints over to Bailey yesterday so she would have something to scrapbook. Which do you prefer, glossy or matte?

Here are Bailey's two layouts that she did:

She really did a great job and she had a lot of fun! It looked like a bomb went off in here last night, but we got it all picked up before bed.

I was able to get a few pages done. I still haven't done that card with m flowers, but I'll get it done eventually. I get so focused on getting this album done. I just want to get it finished so I don't have to stress about getting it done in time to send it over to him. I used some sketch challenges and just adjusted them to my 8.5 x 11.

Here is the first page. I was able to get all of the Bed and Breakfast pages finished! This is from a sketch at Sketches in Thyme. It is the #81 sketch. I used Bazzill of course, pattered papers from DaisyD's that I had, Ranger Distress Ink (I believe it was Vintage Photo), my Girlz are Weird Sizzlits and DMC floss for the stitching. And we can't forget my handy dandy favorite ZIG Millenium for my journaling.

This was done using the Lets Get Sketchy! Challenge #8 sketch. It shows the views from the Bed and Breakfast that we stayed in. It is beautiful up there. The Long Mountain Lodge Bed and Breakfast is in Dahlonega, Georgia. I used the same papers, Bazzill, DaisyD's, Ranger Distress Ink, my favorite little banner punch from Epiphany Crafts, some miscellaneous brads I had and my small letter stamps that I have no idea where they come from, and twine from The Twinery.

These photos are from the veranda where we spent the majority of our time. It was beautiful and the storms were rolling in that evening so we just watched them roll in until it was time to head inside. It was a perfect day and night. Just what I had planned, peaceful and relaxing. I used the same paper... bazzill and DaisyD's. inked everything. This was from a sketch from My Creative Sketches - June's Sketch. Distress ink, a doily I had inked a bit with the distress ink and then sprayed with Bronze Glimmer Mist. And of course my Zig Millenium to add a few words to the page.

And the last page from the Bed and Breakfast.. isn't he adorable hehe I love this picture of Kevin.  He's just relaxed on the veranda taking it in. We really had a great time. I don't know how I can miss him any more than I already do, but some how I do each day. For this I used the same.. bazzill, DaisyD's and Distress Ink. I also used Sizzix Flourishes and added a little bit of brown glitter to some areas on the flourishes to add a little bit of detail. I used the June 2012 sketch from Sketch Savvy for this one. It was a fun little challenge trying to adapt the sketches to the smaller pages.

The last page to share with you is our visit to the Georgia Aquarium. I love it there!

I used Bazzill papers and some random glitter patterned paper that I had. The bubbles were just blue bazzill that I added glitter to with one of my favorite things.. Diamond Glaze. I love using that to make my own raised epoxy looking embellishments.  The "G" is hand drawn and cut to look like the Georgia Aquarium symbol and the Georgia Aquarium is handwritten. I cut a couple of waves from the paper and popped them. I added a bit of rhinestones to add more sparkle. Then I did a hand drawn paper piecing of "Deepo". He is the Georgia Aquarium mascot. I inked and chalked him. Outlined him and added a bit of sparkle, popped him and stuck him to the page. I think he turned out pretty cute!

And that is it! I was able to get a lot of pages done this weekend and I'm feeling pretty good about that. Now it is Monday and I have to head to work soon. The internet is playing up this morning for Kevin and I so it makes it really hard to talk and Skype.When the internet gets like this it is hard to run the cameras because the picture is awful or gets stuck. We do the best we can. I pray every single day that the time will go by quickly and we can get him home.

I hope you all have a wonderful start to your week!!!  Happy Monday!!!

What is in Store for Today?

It is Saturday morning and I've been up for a while spending time with Kevin. He is getting sleepy and will be headed to bed soon. I need to run across the street to the grocery store and pick up a few things. Not much, just a few items like milk and snacks for the kids. I'll look at the fruit to see if anything is good. I also need to make a quick trip to Michael's.  I need to get some white cardstock, glue dots, and a few Copics for something I want to color.

Other than that my day will be scrapping some pages on our trip to Dahlonega. I need to use some of my scraps too! I need to make some cards LOL That will be my day. I'm planning on having a quiet, not doing much of anything but scrapping kind of weekend. What kind of weekend are you planning?

Here are some pictures of my pets.. thought I would share them.. i love my furry kids :)

This is highlight. She is about 9 or 10 years old now? She is a Ragdoll, although she does not have that known Ragdoll characteristic of just relaxing when she is held. She hates to be held LOL  She is certainly the princess of the family. She is beautiful though. (not sure why I can't get a couple of my photos are turned sideways. I've tried everything)

This is T-Bone. Kevin named him hehe. We have decided that our cats will have office supply names LOL and the dogs meat cuts. He is a rescue from a local pet rescue. His mother was found in a briar patch with her litter and rescued. he is one of the pups. He is a little over a year now. I know.. a face only a mother could love hehehe. We laugh at his cute pink nose and his big fat pink bottom lip. He has been a really good dog. He has such a huge underbite.. I'm thinking that is why his lip is so big LOL T-Bone and Kevin were really tight. We can't decide if he will remember him, but I'm thinking T-Bone will go ballistic when he sees Kevin. He will be excited.

And this is our most recent addition to the family, Whiteout. My oldest daughter begged for him, then she moved out. He is mine now.. we have gotten pretty tight :)  He is adorable. The top picture is him playing with the dogs toy. He will carry it around LOL He's too funny!

I love animals; always have. I worked as a Vet Tech in my teen years. I think I got my first job in a vet at 16 years old. It was my favorite job. I absolutely loved it and would still love it as much today if I could afford it. It just doesn't pay well. Now my oldest daughter is working in a vet hospital. She started off as an intern and now she is staying on in a paid position. I'm proud of her for that. She starts college in August and she will be Pre-Vet. She will do well.. she is a smart girl.