A Special Layout

I've been wanting to make a layout using this picture for quite some time now but struggled with a layout design to use. A SS friend is starting to design templates and asked if anybody would try it out. The minute I saw it, I knew this was the picture I wanted to use. Thanks Tiff for the template!

I used a kit from Sweet Blossom Designs called Vintage Fruit and I really love the way it came together.



Think I'll have it printed up and put it in a frame for Dad and Martha.

Scrapping at Jen's

Jen invited the Ohio girls and some other friends to her house for a day crop last Saturday. Ended up with 4 of us joining Jen. Angela left before Holly arrived so we took a group pic before she left. Lucky Holley had an individual pic taken.

Here's my layout for the occasion.

Project 365

Stay Tuned....

My favorite scrapbooking forum is getting geared up for a Project 365 challenge. Taking a picture every day and of course, scrapping it!

Yeah, I know. I was doing this way back when. It's been over a year since I posted one of my "Week In Review" layouts. Life has a way of interrupting routines when you least expect. I did complete more of those layouts, I just didn't post them. In fact, my complete "Week In Review" album will have layouts from August 30, 2008 to August 28, 2010 (they are done, just need to be printed! That's 2 whole years that I took a picture a day. I might have missed 1 or 2 days in that time but many days I took more than 1. Just think about it..... at 1 picture a day, that was at least 730 pictures!

So, back to Project 365. Pretty much the same idea although I'm going to change up some things this time around. Instead of the same layout every week, I've got 3 templates (at least for now) that I will use. May use the same template several weeks in a row, and may not. Just depends on which template will fit the pictures I want to use. I also will do some journaling about the pictures this time around. I didn't do that the last time.

Like the last time I'm going to use 1 digital kit for every layout, just varying the papers/elements I use. Luckily my favorite designer is releasing a kit each month for just this purpose! Thanks Vicki! With such a wonderful kit to use, how could I not want to do this :) And, I happen to know that some of my friends on SS are using this kit too!

The Color Red

Christy has said much of what I feel here.

I was in Berlin, Ohio with 29 SS sisters over the weekend. We paid our respect to a fellow sister's loss with a balloon release.

I had tears. I've never met Donnann or her family but I had tears as Benita led us in prayer for a sweet 5 year old boy no longer with us.

The balloons before release.


Heading outside for the release.


Towards the light in the sky.


My thoughts today have been with the family. I am wearing red.

Hugs to all of my SS Sisters and their families today.

A blog train for Danny....

Lots of my sisters are blogging about this.

http://www.yankeeinontario.blogspot.com/

http://changgang1.blogspot.com/2008/10/taking-flight.html

http://themartinchronicle.blogspot.com/2008/10/seeing-red-today.html

http://blog.havadrpepper.com/2008/10/color-red.html <---- you are here.

http://openabigolcanofcrazy.blogspot.com/2008/10/tragic-loss.html

http://mom2jwo.blogspot.com/2008/10/today-not-tomorrow.html

http://bandhasbecomemylife.blogspot.com/2008/10/in-honor-of-donann.html

http://empress4.blogspot.com/

http://cntrycathy.blogspot.com/2008/10/honoring-little-danny-tritten.html

http://themasonfamily.livejournal.com/822.html

http://calisramblings.blogspot.com/2008/10/day-to-honor-and-say-goodbye.html

Week In Review

I read this blog last weekend and thought that it might be interesting to do. Being the scrapbooker that I am, I thought doing a layout a week could be very interesting! So I started with August 31 since it was a Sunday.

I found a template that I liked from NoReimer Reason and plan to use it every week. I can change up where the pictures are placed so even though every layout will be alike, they will be different.

Here's the layout for the week August 31-September 6, 2008.




I also made a title page for the album since I do plan to print these as 8x8 layouts.



The quote on the title page reads "Photography remembers little things, long after you've forgotten everything." - Aaron Siskind. Of course, I found this in a quote archive on SS!

Better Late Than Never!

I had the privilege of attending a wedding in Hastings, MI on August 23. My good ScrapShare friend, Diane was getting married. She also invited another SS friend, Jen who lives in Dayton. I invited Jen to come stay at my house on Friday night and then we could make the drive on Saturday morning.

Here we were on Friday night....

Any guess as to website we were on?

If you said ScrapShare, you were right!

We got up very early Saturday morning, got ready except for the wedding clothes and took off for Michigan. We stopped for breakfast first since we knew we'd miss lunch. After leaving McD's, it took us just about 3 hours to get to our motel in Battle Creek. We chose to stay there since Hastings is between Battle Creek and Grand Rapids. We were able to get into our room before check-in time. We freshened up, Jen checked ScrapShare and let them know we were on our way to the wedding and then we took off.

We made it to the church in plenty of time. Diane had told us that we could come into the dressing room and hang out with them until the wedding, so we did! It was great to see Diane again as well as Tiffany, the photographer and another friend from SS. And, then there was Heidi! Another SSer only she came in from British Columbia! I've been wanting to meet her for a long time and now I have.

The wedding was very nice. Also, short and to the point! We got to hang out and watch Tiff take the pictures of the wedding party. Diane had invited us to hang out with them between the ceremony and the reception knowing that we were from out of town and there would be several hours between them. So we did.

After the pictures at the church, there was a caravan of cars that headed to a park to take the outdoor pictures. It was actually a part of the campus where both Jim and Diane work. There were several buildings on the property with this beautiful gazebo and several ponds. Very nice! It was pretty windy and it didn't take long for the veil to go bye-bye! The wind whipped it right off Diane's head! After Tiff took the pictures she and Diane wanted, we took a picture of the SSer's. Jim used Tiff's camera and I gave mine to the best man. Bill didn't do too bad....



Then it was off to the reception. When we got there we hung out for a few minutes in the parking lot. The wedding party would be entering at a specified time. During our waiting time Jen checked her cell phone and saw someone had tried to call her. The same number had tried to call me so I knew right away it was Manda..... another friend from ScrapShare. I had given her both our cell numbers. She had wanted to come to the wedding only she lives in California and had a niece getting married the same day! Diane, Heidi, Jen and I all talked to Manda. I got pics of the other 3 talking to her. I think Jen got one of me, but I'm not sure. Here's Jen holding "Manda" on a stick while talking to her.



The reception was a lot of fun and the dinner was so good. And, the wedding cake.... what can I say, Diane had my favorite...... chocolate/chocolate! Well, she had white and I think lemon too. But the chocolate was to die for! The DJ played a lot of fun songs and I don't think Heidi and Laura ever got off the dance floor! Jen and Diane were out there almost as much. I did get this old body out there for a couple songs. Of course, since they were songs from "my" era, it was easy to dance to them!

Tiffany was going to leave about 9 so we took another pic of the SS group. Laura took it with Diane's camera and it turned out pretty good. I've seen it but don't have a copy of it yet. And, we had to take our "crocs" pic. Diane gave Heidi and Laura a pair of crocs as part of their gifts for being her attendants. Jen had a pair for the reception and Tiffany had a pair on pretty much all day. Of course, Diane had on a pair, that girl lives in them! I'm not a fan of crocs but last December I bought a pair since they finally came out with one that was cute. So I had on my crocs too......



Yep, I'm the oddball in the pic.... but at least they are crocs!

The reception was winding down before 11 so Jen and I headed back to the motel. We were tired since it had been a long day. We got back to the motel a little after midnight and got ready for bed. We both got on our laptops to post pics on SS of our day. Jen posted a few and I couldn't. For some reason, photobucket was not cooperating with me. I couldn't upload any pics. Jen was able to download some of my pics to her computer and she posted one of the group to SS. When I downloaded my pics I found I took close to 200 on my 2 cameras! Now there were some duds but overall, I'm happy with most of 'em. By 1 a.m. we turned the lights out and went to bed.

Our trip home on Sunday was uneventful. It was a fun weekend overall.

I missed a whole month!

January was such a busy month that I didn't blog even once! I went to Michigan for a weekend with some SS friends and had an awesome time. Last year there were 12 of us and this year there were 24 of us. Tiffany surprised all of us and had a mystery guest.... Cowtown Stacy all the way from Fort Worth Texas! Thank you Tiffany! It was a joy to meet Stacy. She is as sweet in real life as she seems on the board. The other new girls at the retreat this year.... awesome ladies! Now I've got even more terrific SS friends.

And, I finally got to thank SuiteSioux for leading me to S&S (the previous incarnation of SS). All because she posted some info about S&S on the AOL CM Consultants board. Thanks again SuiteSioux :)

Work was busy trying to catch up with my work and training the new payroll clerk. She is doing an awesome job and I can now spend the time doing my job.... which I do love!

I've also started working out again. Easing back into it because not exercising for almost 5 months is not a good thing. I didn't gain much weight back during that time probably because of all the stress but I have noticed that my cardio stamina is not quite where it was in August. It will come back and I hope to get rid of those last few pounds.

I will have to blog again tomorrow. My small town is under a flood warning. We've got flooding like I've never seen before. I did get a few pics tonight before it got dark and I hope to get more tomorrow. The river hasn't crested yet so I'm sure it will still be there.... There were evacuations and I even read that sandbags were being brought into town. I've never seen that before! I'll update tomorrow

Reflecting on 2007......

There have been a lot of ups and downs.

This was the year that a favorite uncle was diagnosed with cancer. He valiantly fought the disease only to succumb in August. Uncle Mike, you are always missed....

Thankfully my dad is still cancer free. I'm thankful for that every single day.

I made some lifestyle changes starting with joining a gym in January and working with a personal trainer. Because of the changes I made in my eating habits and the exercise I was able to lose 20 pounds and 13 inches in 8 months! I feel great and have been told that I look great. And through all of the turmoil of the last 4 months at work I have not had a major weight gain.... just staying within a 3 pound range :)

Work has been a roller coaster. Basically since a co-worker's 2 week vacation (which was the same time as my uncle's death and funeral) I've been working 48-50 hours a week. I blogged about it before so no need to go into it again but the end is in sight! The new payroll clerk has been hired and today started her 3rd week. She is progressing quite nicely considering she was thrown into the fire with 2 holiday weeks in a row and a vacation day for me next Monday! I think things should be back to normal by mid-February and I can't wait!

One upside to all of the hours I've been working has been the overtime pay. Because of that I have been able to get myself into a better financial situation. I've loosely followed Dave Ramsay's "Total Money Makeover" after reading the book this summer. I feel very good about being able to pay for various purchases with either cash or a check. I have paid off my car loan and the HELOC. I have closed 2 credit card accounts leaving myself only 1. I'm now building my retirement fund.... I still use it for internet and gasoline purchases but the money is there to pay that bill when it comes :) What a great feeling!

On the fun side, I had several long weekends away this year. First was SSMI in East Lansing, MI on the campus of Michigan State University in January. I met some wonderful ladies and had a great time. Next up was SWON in London, Ontario, Canada in July. Again lots of wonderful ladies and a fabulous time. Then in August, a few of us from SS spent an afternoon at the Longaberger Homestead. Lots of shopping and eating and some new friends. That Michele.... she talked about the OH Fall Retreat so much that day that when work went to hell in September I signed up! Nothing like a weekend in Amish Country, Ohio to rejuvenate a person. Even more wonderful ladies and again a great time! But best of all was the weekend visit with Diane. She came from Grand Rapids MI to see me and the kids. I will return the favor summer 2008!

Of course, Pepper and Paige have been the lights of my life this year. Without them I'm sure the last few months would have been unbearable. I was away from them for more hours than usual and I can tell that they were affected. They missed me as much as I missed them. Oh yeah, they are at my feet as I type this.... comfort at its finest.

Last of all, I'm thankful for the friendships I've made online at ScrapShare. Some of those have carried over to real life. Love ya ladies!

Now, I'm really excited about 2008 starting with.....

SSMI II in 4 days!

Happy New Year to All!!!!

T-Minus 12 Hours.....

Until I leave for the 2007 Ohio Fall Retreat!

I've never been to Holmes County, Ohio, also known as Amish Country so I'm excited about that. I'm also excited about seeing old friends and meeting new.

But, I do hate the packing!!! Got the scrapping stuff packed, now to pack the clothes.

Best of all, 4 straight days off work. I need it so much after the last 2 months.

And, yes I do have my pictures packed :)

Look-Alike???

This interesting website was posted on SS. Of course, I had to try it :)



This was my 2nd try. My first try had me as looking like my mom by 7%..... I used different pictures of both Dad & I but the same pic of Mom.

May have to find some pictures of me as a child and my parents as young adults to see what it says....

Senior Moments..... 1973/1974

The latest Scrapshare blog challenge.

In honor of the new school year, think back to your senior year of high school, and answer these questions accordingly:

1. Who was your best friend?
Had 2, we were always together. Pam and Cindy.

2. Did you play any sports?
No

3. What kind of car did you drive?
1964 Ford Falcon



4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
High School Football Game in the fall. Basketball during the winter. Or just out with Pam and Cindy.

5. Were you a party animal?
No

6. Were you considered a flirt?
No

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
Band--loved it! Also choir but I'd rather forget that.

8. Were you a nerd?
No

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
No

10. Can you sing the fight song?
In my head, absolutely. Out loud, no way would I ever subject anyone to my voice!

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Tie between band director and bookkeeping teacher.

12. What was your school mascot?
You mean someone dressed as a mascot? We didn't have one. Our nickname was (and still is) Redskins.

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Yes with Gary.



14. If you could go back, would you?
While I thoroughly enjoy looking back on those years, I'd rather not live them again. Now if you would be talking college and my 20's, just maybe ;)

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
Walking in next to Marjean. She had her baby 9 days later.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
We didn't have one.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Started working at McDonald's the end of April a few hours a week.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
School cafeteria. We were not allowed to leave the school grounds. However, instead of senior skip day, some of the seniors did skip lunch one day the last week of school. My friends and I didn't but some others did. One girl told us in English class right after lunch that the Asst Principal stopped them and asked them to pick up some cigarettes for him while they were out.....

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Of course.

20. What did you do after high school?
Got a college education and have been working since 1978.

171 miles or 288 miles?

Which one would you rather travel to meet someone?

I'd rather drive 171 miles.

However, I drove 288 miles....

all the way to Ingersoll, ON Canada to meet Loridear from SS.

We laughed all weekend about "Indiana" and "Ohio" having to go to Canada to meet! Now that we have met, we hope to see each other either in Indiana or Ohio soon. Lori and I did talk about maybe making a run to Sonic in Fort Wayne and having emmylou drive down from Michigan to join us.

Here we are....

SWON!!!!

I made it in one piece.....

Took an hour to get across the border but otherwise the trip was uneventful.

I've met a lot of very nice women and spent quite a few hours scrapping. I have even used my CraftRobo to do some titles..... I've taken a few pictures but with 34 other women with cameras, I haven't worried too much about 'em. I hope they will share :)

We took our group picture today and I borrowed this for the blog.

Here we are..... SWON 2007!















That's me in the middle of the front row....

SWON...... here I come!

Here we go again!

Another SS retreat. This time I'm driving about 5 hours to Ingersoll, Ontario, Canada. The retreat is at ElmHurst Inn. Looks pretty neat from what I've seen on the website.

Last time I had only met Diane before the retreat. This time I'll only know Christy.... I met her in Michigan. There are going to be 35 of us from Canada and the USA. I'm the only one from Ohio. I know of 1 going from Indianapolis, 1 from New Jersey and 1 from New York for sure. There might be 1 or 2 from Michigan. And, a whole lot of Canadians :)

I think I need to get back to packing..... especially this laptop!

See ya tomorrow girls!!!!

Summertiiiiiiiiiiiime

This week's SS Blog Challenge:

Summertiiiiiiiiiiiime, and the living is EEEeeezzzzzzy.

Tell us how you feel about summer. This summer, a childhood summer, summer traditions, random summer memories, summer sights and smells and sounds. Whatever. Wax poetic about summertime!

Can I just say that I LOVE SUMMER!!!!!

I love warm (or even hot) weather... I love being able to be outside... I love to people watch...

I inherited my love for summer I'm sure. My dad always loved being outside, he still does. That's probably why he and mom spent 4 months every winter in Florida... And, I always loved visiting them down there. And, I'm sure that had a lot to do with his decision to move to NC. He still goes to FL during the winter but spends the other 9 months where he can be outside. He'd be miserable in OH.... I know I am during the winter!

As a child I loved to go to the community pool. It is walking distance from my house. On Sunday mornings, they had "Family Day". Families could get in at 11:00. The actual hours were 2:00 to 7:00. We would go quite often. I loved to watch my Dad swim. He could dive into the shallow end and swim under water the length of the pool and back. And, it isn't a short pool. It is a regulation size pool and is used for swim meets. He would play with me in the pool and we always had fun.

And, during my college years, 20's and early 30's I will admit that I was a sun worshiper. I laid out to get a tan every chance I could. I tan easily... so does Dad and even Mom. But we always used lotion (even back in the days before SPF) although it was usually oil since we tanned easily. I love the smell of suntanned skin, can I say that is a very sexy smell to me?!?!?!

As I grew older I did stop the laying out, thank goodness for bottled tans :) I can still look good without the risk. One problem for summer though is my allergies. I've always had hay fever and as I've grown older, I've become allergic to more stuff. Very mild allergies, but allergies all the same.

But, my love for summer outweighs the allergies.

Just got back from taking the dogs for a walk and it was great even with the 86 degree temps. The sun is out and I'm a very happy person.

Rene-ology

This week's SS blog challenge:

ARCHAEOLOGY: the study of material remains
What's the oldest article of clothing you still wear? ummmm, too many to name that are 20+ years old although they are mostly 'around the house' wear
What's the oldest article of clothing you won't get rid of? might have to say that U of Toledo football jersey my cousin gave me in 1973 - it was a practice jersey
When was the house/building you live in built? 1964
What in your fridge needs to be thrown out? for once.... not a thing

BIBLIOLOGY: the study of publication
What are you reading? The Total Money Makeover and The Five Love Languages
Do you have a favorite quote? nope
What's the most recent music you purchased? Aerosmith Greatest Hits 1973-1988 and Aerosmith Classics Live (2 cd set)
What book could you read again without being bored? The Total Money Makeover

CARDIOLOGY: the study of the heart
How old were you the first time you fell in love? I thought I was in love at age 18
What charities do you have a heart for? ACS Relay for Life
What's the best way someone can show their love for you? listen when I talk and care about what I'm saying
Name five things you "love": Pepper, Paige, oldie music, the internet, and my Dad

PHYSIOLOGY: the study of physical function
Are you right-handed or left-handed? right-handed
Do you like your smile? yes
What's your best feature? my sexy legs
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? tonsils as a child, gallbladder as an adult, wisdom teeth....
Which of your five senses do you think is keenest? taste

OMNOLOGY: the study of everything
What color do you think looks best on you? black
Have you ever swallowed a non-food item by mistake? not that I remember
What's your favorite flavor of gum? none, can't chew gum
Where's the first place you went today? back door to let the dogs out
Do you stand or sit in the shower? stand

AXIOLOGY: the study of the nature of values and value judgments
Would you walk naked for a half mile down a public street for $100,000? no
Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100? no
Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000? no
What value is of utmost importance to you in a friend? to accept me as I am, faults and all
Would you accept an indecent proposal for $1,000,000? yep!

TECHNOLOGY: usage and knowledge of tools
What's the last movie you saw? Netflix - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
What's the first website you visit when you log on? BrightSite, a portal page by my ISP
What's your ring tone? default, I don't use the cell phone except for emergencies
Would you quit blogging for $25,000? yep
What piece of equipment do you wish you owned? nothing comes to mind at this moment

GENEALOGY: the study of relationships within families
Is there a specific family member you're really missing right now? my mother....
Who is your oldest living relative? Aunt Belle (my Dad's aunt) just turned 100 on June 1. Dad's oldest brother will be 86 in 9 days.
Are you named after anyone? supposedly after my Dad's French girlfriend.... Mom always told the story and Dad never denied it!
Is there anyone really famous in your family tree? Paul Harvey is a 5th or 6th cousin of mine....

Scrapshare Blog Challenge: Mosaic

This week, I was inspired by Ali Edwards' blog for our weekly challenge.
Choose a set of photos and make a mosaic with this EASY PEASY (and free!) mosaic maker!

I uploaded my photos to Flickr and created a set there. But it looks like you can upload to the photo maker directly from your own computer files, too.

If you don't take digital photos, you can still participate. Just choose a sampling of Flickr photos that inspire you, and go from there. (That's what Ali did!)

My favorite photographic subjects during 2007....



I uploaded the pics to my photobucket.com site and used those links to create the mosaic.

Lots of fun choosing the pics! That darn Paige is so photogenic.... There were so many more good ones of her that I had to leave out!

SS Blog Challenge - Slide Show

I haven't done an SS blog challenge for awhile but this week's peaked my interest.

Here's your challenge: choose a group of photos and make a slide show! Choose key photos from a single event, or showcase a collage of photos from all over the place. It doesn't matter! But choose a grouping of photos and tie them together somehow with a story or an essay or a letter.

Since this blog is supposed to be about my Havanese, what better subject to do a slide show on. Pepper is almost 7 and Paige just turned 5. So I do have lots and lots of pictures of them. These are just a few of my favorites that also depict their lives. And, yes, they do LOVE to pose for pictures!

So here it is, my slide show on my Havanese babies....

A Buckeye in Spartan Country

I'm here.

In Michigan.

East Lansing.

On the campus of Michigan State University......


wearing my Buckeye clothing!!!

I will say this. The facilities for this retreat are great! The price was right and I'm having a fantastic time with my SS friends.

Although I'm not the only Buckeye here :) There's Benita, a Buckeye fan from Columbus, and Susan, a Buckeye fan from Rochester Hills, MI. Although she's not a Buckeye fan, we've also got Beth from Girard, OH.

We've come from all over. Christy from Ontario. Judy from Wisconsin. Amy, Sharon, Mary, Jody, Diane and Tiffany from Michigan.

But, the best moment so far was the serenading of the Buckeyes by Tiffany's 4-year old daughter via cell phone.... Had to love her rendition of Hail To The Victors!

Everyone is having a great time laughing, talking and scrapping....

That alone makes it worth being a Buckeye visiting Michigan :)

Scrap Share Retreats

I love scrapbooking. I have found a home at ScrapShare, a message board community devoted to scrapbooking.

So what am I doing this weekend?

I'm driving 3 1/2 hours to meet up with 11 other people from SS and spend the weekend scrapbooking!!!

Am I crazy or what? We've all heard and read the horror stories about internet meetings.....

I'm still going to do it. I have met one of these girls already, so it is really only 10 I don't know. But, yet, I feel that I do know them. I read their posts every day. I've read about their good times, their bad times and their opinions on anything and everything. I've shared with them also. Some of them I feel I know better than some of my blood relatives.....

I'm excited! So excited that I probably won't be able to sleep. Heck, I haven't slept well all week thinking about everything I need to do for this weekend and the weekend itself!

This time tomorrow I will be scrapbooking, laughing and having a heck of a time with my new-old friends from SS.

I'm ready.....


well, except for the pesky thing called packing......