Gutter Girlz prompt for January 30th

Head on over to the Gutter and check out all the layouts by the DT for this weeks prompt. It was a lot of fun and here is my layout. The shadowing is kinda horrible because of the flower but in real life it is pretty cute if I do say so myself...lol

News on our homefront...Kayla has a sinus infection and bronchitis. AGAIN. So she is all medicated up. she didn't get the skating rink job so back to square one and only 4 weeks before her dad makes her park her car for good. I'm so sad for her because I see her trying but no one is giving her the break she needs.

I am finishing up quicky projects so that I can start bigger ones. Scrapped this weekend and got 2 layouts done and 1 ATC card. Finished cutting out my next 3 quilts. 5 days until Billy's surgery and a long weekend for me. Shawn is camping in the cold again and I am praying for lots of snow Monday night. So how has your weekend been =)

Quilt #2 and #3

They have been cut out :)
So now to work on the batting.
Today I had to work but came home and finished up some small projects. Finished a mini book for a DT upload. Finished repairing two bracelets. Cut out my fabric for 2 quilts and one baby one. And even mopped the floor. So I feel like I accomplished a little something. If I can get some of these little projects out of the way then I will have more time for the bigger ones.

Don't forget the crop tomorrow at TreasurestoScrap.

And thank you to Latte for sharing this quilting link! http://jenyu.net/make/ragquilt.php

And don't forget to check out the Gutter tomorrow. We will have a new prompt up and the layouts the DT have completed are so wow!!!

Can't miss this....

Thank you everyone

for the wonderful, kind words on my last post with my new quilt. I'm still on cloud 9...lol!

And addicted. I hit Wal-mart last night and bought enough fabric for 2 more quilts. One will be green and the other will be a little on the LOUD side but hopefully will be a fun looking quilt. I think I will try to start cutting on them this week. At least this gives me something to do when Billy has his surgery next week and I will be home with him.

I know several of you have asked for directions on how to do these rag quilts. I will direct you to a blog that my wonderful friend Christi (latta_grande) told me about. That is where I got all my information from and she has pictures of each step. I will get that posted for you this afternoon when I get home.

I just can't believe it!!!

So I decided to start a new hobby. I know...am I crazy or WHAT?? With scrapbooking, jewelry making, scarve making, reading, children and lets not forget a full time job...why would I think I would have time for something else??? Well it hit me a few weeks back that it would be wonderful to make quilts for Christmas. I wanted to do a handmade Christmas this next year so what better than quilts right? Well first off I don't sew. Nor do I pretend that I know how. So it was a little much for me to be thinking I could do this. And when I actually went shopping for the first fabrics I thought I was going to have an anxiety attack. My OCD kicked in and I wasn't sure all my patterns would be right...if the colors would be right...oh it was a crazy morning. Just ask my husband...he went with me...lol.

Well Friday night I started cutting out my pieces. 12x12 blocks and let me just say those are HARD to cut on a scrapbooking cutter that is only 14 x 10! But I did it. I got all 32 squares cut. Saturday I spent the morning finishing cutting and then attempting to cut batting. That was a sight.

Then came the sewing. Lord help me. I was a nervous wreck. It took me 30 minutes just to get the spools and thingies on there...lol. After 4 hours I had all the squares made with an X and then started sewing it together. Today I did the snipping for the rag part and washed it.

And here ladies and gentlemen is my very FIRST quilt (rag quilt)!!! I am so proud. I need to snip a few areas and run a lint brush over it and my FIRST Christmas present for 2009 is DONE! Woohoo

Treasures to Scrap

I have some fun and wonderful news!!!! I am now a CT Member at Treasures to Scrap!!! What a fun site and full of wonderfully friendly and talented women!!!

T (the owner) also has a paper and digital store so if you need your scrapping fix...she can help you out that is for sure.

Hope on over....join up....and tell 'em Becky sent ya!

Reality

nothing like a slap of reality to bring you back down to the ground.

I got a call this morning from our Optical Manager. "Do you remember Kim Hicks"...my response "Well yes, little blonde Kim, frame rep for Marchon". "Yes that is the one....well she was murdered!"

WHAT!

little blonde Kim. Sweet Kim. Her parents found her body yesterday in her home. She was 39 years old. Just started a new job in Canton as an LDO. She had two boys. The "rumor" is that she filed for divorce from her new husband and that he is now gone along with her car. The talk is that he did this. I have been lost all day. Lost in thought. Wondering WHY people feel it is necessary to take another life. I just don't understand it. Maybe I never will. I don't know. But all I can think about is a life cut way to short...hell...I'm 37....she had so many more great years....2 boys that no longer have a mother...2 parents that have lost a child. ....I just don't understand....I don't understand....

An end to the weekend

Can't believe how fast the weekend went by.

We headed out today to REI and finished getting Shawn's camping gear and food for this coming up survival weekend. Found me a few great deals while we were there. Made the boys go to JoAnn's with me to buy fabric. THAT was hilarious I just might add. I'm stressing and having an anxiety attach about making sure I have the right fabric and the right colors. I ended up going for a country red theme and only 4 fabrics. I didn't get flannel like I wanted...first they didn't have hardly any flannel colors to choose from and DH swore that the ones I got would look nice and be a good test quilt. SOOOOOO $50 later I have 8 yrds of fabric and batting. HELLO. I might just stick with buying Christmas presents instead of making them. This might get pretty expensive ya think?? Well then I went to Kohls and felt better after I got me a few tops...lol!

We are cooking out steaks and shirmp tonight. Yes...grilling out in 30 degree weather...lol

Got a few layouts done. Here is the first one. Was just playing around with some new papers I got and some flowers I bought at Michael's. And then the January 15th prompt was released on the Gutter Girlz blog. You really need to check out all the layouts uploaded...they are amazing. Here is mine... I really enjoyed going thru all my old pictures to put this one together. Don't forget to link us to your layout when your done with the prompt.

And...last but not least...if you don't mind going to Serendipity and leaving a comment. I made this cute altered box for the January giveaway. All you need to do is leave a comment about your top 5 resolutions/goals for the new year. We will draw a name on the 24th. Maybe it will be you!!!

And I finally bought book 7 and 8 with the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. It is really getting good. I should finish book 6 tonight or tomorrow.

oh and by the way...if anyone in the Hiram/Dallas area reads my blog.....if you know of any jobs out there or..goodness...I even hate to ask...but can pull some strings and get my daughter a job....will you PLEASE. She has just about lost all faith in jobs. A year now of looking and Nothing. Simply nothing.

Blast from the past

Check it out. Why not a Blast from the Past. Since we are just under 5 months from my daughter graduating...exactly 20 years from the day that I graduated. Scarey huh! So I thought I would grace you with my senior picture AND Kayla's!

She passed everything this semester...woohoooo! And Shawn....well he squeezed by like nothing I have seen before. He barely passed many things. And he was taken out of Advanced Math and put into Math 1 (regular class) and given a passing grade. That is the ONLY thing that saved his tush from Summer School! I need to tie a knot in his tail!

Kayla went to the dr today for an infected area she had near her ear. We were worried it was staff. They gave her a very strong antibiotic just in case.

We have Shawn's Court of Honor this evening so no play time for me. I have been enjoying reading my new books...and for those interested ;) it is the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I am on book 6 now in about a week and a half. Not bad huh ;)

Happy Tuesday

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week so far.

I for one am kinda bummed. We started our new 8 week WW group at work last week and I have gained 3 lbs since Wednesday. Not sure what is up with that. So now I am almost 6 lbs more than I was back in November. And I have been working out and really trying hard. Not sure why this is always so hard for me. We worked out yesterday and will work out tomorrow. I'm a little sore from yesterdays work out but not to bad.

Trying to get Kayla ready for the prom. She is wearing a dress of mine, we got her jewelry saturday and we have the ride taken care of. Just need to buy the shoes, get the dress hemmed and buy a few other items and we are done.

This week is test finals at school for the kids. I'm crossing my fingers that Shawn passed his math yesterday. Otherwise...he is screwed (for lack of a better word).

Still enjoying the books I'm reading. The only bad thing about reading is it takes me away from my other stuff so I really haven't scrapped since the first of the year. Kinda sad but.....I have just wanted to read so the scrapping will come in due time. Maybe this weekend =)

We have Shawn's court of honor Thursday. He will be patrol leader again for 6 months. Hopefully he will be pretty close to finishing his Eagle paperwork by then. I sure hope so. He is ready to get out of Scouts. It's been a long ride that is for sure. I think the fumes are hitting him and scouts is just not a priority right now so the quicker we get him Eagle the better.

alrighty...off to work I go

Thursday Check in

Hope your week is going well. I am looking forward to tomorrow being Friday.
Billy went to the dentist. Finally. He has a severe infection and will have to have all 4 wisdom teeth removed. We go for his consult on the 20th and hopefully will have them removed before the end of the month.

I have my first "pub" for the year...wohooo! My layout Time Flies will be in the Scrapbook News & Review January issue! yeah! Maybe this will be the start of a pubby year!

Nothing much else going on around here. Just trying to stay dry and warm.

I will not get mad...

I will not get mad...I will not get mad....
AAHHHHHHHHHH! I'm MAD!
lol.
Here it is final week. The kids are in review for their finals next week. And my son is failing math. Not a simple 65 or something like that...no it is a 50! How in the T total heck is he going to get that up. He has passed 4 of the quizs out of what.....8 or so this year so far. I just don't see it happening. And I can't get anyone to tell me what happens now. Does he go to summer school for that 1/2 of a year? Does he repeat that 1/2 next year. Someone please tell me! I am trying to pull him out of this Advanced Math class...he is drowning. And he want admit that it is to hard for him. PLUS...have you seen what they teach in Math?? That is just crazy. When I was in the 9th grade I was just learning Algebra. Crap...some of this stuff he is learning...I have no CLUE what it is or how to figure it out. It's crazy. I just think kids are expected to know way to hard of stuff to early. But then that is just me. And I have never been a fan of math nor do I agree with how some of the math things have been handled with the state in the last few years but....that is another post that I probably shouldn't get into.

Anyway....he is exempted 3 tests next week and I think my daughter is exempting 3 also. Wouldn't it of been wonderful if we could of exempted tests when we were in school. Yet another subject that I don't agree on for another time...lol.

It's raining. I am about sick of the rain at this point. I finished painting the trim in my bathroom. It's okay I guess. I am just in a sour mood I reckon. And the dogs are about to drive me up the wall. Geeshhh I think I need a drink.

Welcome to the New Year

so far so good =)
But I am ready to get back to regular schedules. This off one day, work 1/2 a day, off two day thing is driving me nuts. It's been nice but still driving me nuts. I am ready for the kids to get back to school...although this is final week and I am very worried about Shawn's math. He needs to pull that rabbit out of a magic hat and pass this class.

So far in the new year....

• I did not make the Pink Paislee DT...but that is okay. Did you see who did. WOW. Didn't have a chance is all I can say...lol.
• I did submit my first page for the new year. 4 to be exact. That's a start right.
• I did scrap a page...finally.
• Started a new book...I was hesitant but I am kinda getting into it now.
• Worked on some genealogy. Found a few Death Certificates, added a few people I didn't have, found a few people that will be great connections for information, and have two new branches to search and work on. Gotta love those brick walls and challenges.
• Made some decisions on a friendship that I have put a lot into and just don't receive anything back. It's sad...and I know some of you understand...I just can't keep giving ya know.
• My DT term ended with IAmAScrapaholic. I am sad but it was a very fun year and I plan on sticking around with those wonderful ladies there. Can't wait to see what the new DT does.
• TRYING to get DH to finish the bathroom. Trying is the key word.

Off to a great start I think