TEN Years Old?!?

How in the world can this kid be 10 year old?!?
And in true form of a ten year old...he wanted McDonalds for his birthday lunch.
It wasn't fancy, but it was exactly what he wanted. Well, minus a Limo.
We decorated the living room with streamers and balloons and we tied yellow balloons to his chair. We even covered the door of his room with streamers, so you had to break thru them to get out of his room! Hilarious!!! And as previously discussed in this post, he had wanted a limo. But, when that didn't work out he had chosen to go to Chuck-E-Cheese for his party. So, we went there for dinner that night. It was our family, Mimi and Papa and our best friends here,
Kelly and her kids C, C and O. It was super fun!

We pigged out on pizza, salads and pop before we went to play the games!

And believe me, we had plenty of tokens!!
(this was only part of them....) J's favorite game is Skee Ball. And his sister tried to keep up with him.
Hilarious, I'll tell you! She doesn't get the "roll" the ball, rather than "throw" the ball! And then, it was WISH MAKIN' time!!
Too bad for him we used trick sparkler candles!! Heh! Heh! Heh!

(Logan made the cake...he's insisted on making all his sibs cakes this year!)


Then, it was on to the gifts!
Of course a new WebKinz was in order....AND a pile of Nintendo DS games.
He was a HAPPY CAMPER!!!

Then, it's time to cash in tickets.....He looks pleased with his loot, wouldn't you say?!

Happy Birthday Jensen! We LOVE you!!!!

*Paper Mache'*

Curses to the 4th Grade teacher who made us do the Paper Mache' project!!!!!!!! Yes, Jensen had an assignment to make a paper mache' animal based on one of the animals from the book, Bunnicula. So, his choices were a cat, a dog or a bunny. Jensen chose the cat, of course. (his favorite) And yes, it was his assignment, you know who was in charge of this project. Ya, me! (Big Daddy was in until the going got rough.)

So, with no paper mache' experience...I had no real clue what to do. but, I hate Elmer's glue, so I was hoping we could avoid that. Thank Goodness for Google! I quickly learned that flour and water could be used to make a "glue." And that sounded good to me. So, we began to cut strips of paper and mixing up the glue. And then the FUN began!


And by FUN...I mean we needed to Paper Mache' each other!!

Serious mess!

The drying cat base.... made from 2 balloons, some toilet paper tubes, newpapers, masking tape and the flour/water glue. It took over 24 hours for this thing to dry!!! Talk about down to the wire!! And then, the painting... And finally, "Chester the Cat" is finished!
(after 3 days work!) Not bad, if I say so myself!!!

Creating Keepsakes Convention - Kansas City

(don't ask about the hammer...it's a message for Alex Ann!)
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

CKC - Kansas City was *crazy fun* !!!!

Of course, this is my "home show" now that I live in Kansas, so it was fun just for that reason. It's fun when you know you will see someone that you know. And I did see a few people I know from Kansas.
But, I met some new people, too.

First of all, there are all the wonderful women in my classes!
I swear I have never met anyone that wasn't nice since I have lived in Kansas and it was the same way at the CKC Convention! Such nice girls!

Classes were fantastically fun! I just so love teaching!!

The biggest *fun* and the biggest challenge were one in the same. Alex Ann and I worked this show together, just the two of us. (Remember, you met Alex Ann here.) Yes, we had 3 booths and I was in charge completely for the first time. (nervous, I was so nervous!) But, we had trouble finding local help, so Alex Ann and I were on our own. But, we still rocked it! (normally, we hire local women to help in the booth....but this time, we had no one respond to our adds looking for workers) So, AA and I both rose to the occasion and really made it work the best we could. And it was GREAT!
She and I make such a good team. We really work well together and
we just had the BEST time!!! We are like sisters of something. We laughed so, so much! I totally love that girl!!!!

So...one cool thing was that we had the BRAND NEW Glue Glider Pro adhesive gun by Glue Arts! This thing is highly sought! And if you haven't seen it... here it is! It's so stinkin' cute, isn't it?! And it's so easy, too. All the cartridges are interchangeable. To switch to a different type of adhesive, you just pop out the cartridge in the gun and pop in the desired one, lickety split!
How cool is that?!

So, on the first morning of the convention, I'm working in the booth when a lady asks me about the Glue Glider Pro. I turn around to find....
CATHY ZIELSKE!!!

Oh. My. HotDog!!!!!!

Cathy Z is asking me for advice/info about something!
WOWZA!!!!

So, after deeming her as ~famous and fantastic~ ...both of which she graciously denied....I told her everything I knew about the new GGPro and she decided she had to have one! (and why not, Scrapbooks 'n Stickers has them bundled w/ the gun, and one of each of the 3 refills for 20% off the total price!) So, Alex Ann took a picture w/ my Blackberry to document my awe! FYI...Cathy Z is so nice and completely down to earth! REALLY enjoyed meeting her!! Take her class some day so you can meet her too!

Another highlight of the KC trip was meeting this fantastic chick! Even better was that I didn't realize she was coming.....ps...isn't she the darn cutest thing you ever saw?! Yep, she is. Even cuter in person! And SO NICE!
So, this is Charlotte. I met her online at Scrapbook Nook message board. She is friends with my *bestest girl* amber and therefore, my friend by association. So, I am working, demo'ing Bind-It-All and this cutey-cute girl came over and said, "YOU must be Roxann!" (well, I looked at her and she looked familiar -- so I figured she must have been in my class....NOPE...it was Charlotte from Scrapbook Nook!) WOO HOO! I was so excited!!!
I was so happy to meet her...and she was so super nice! We are trying to get a time to get together to scrap...and I hope we do very soon!

The most nutso part of the show was that we had a shoplifter. Not just us, but us and 7 other vendors were victims, as well. They got 2 packs of $4 KaiserCraft brads from us. (good stuff, she chose to steal...but reprehensible behavior, to say the least!) So, I am working hard, but all of a sudden I am approached by the head of CK and he asks if I can come with him for a moment. I could tell he was serious, so I was inside sorta freaking out. Well, as I followed him down the aisle, I leaned forward and said, "Did I do something wrong?" He turned and said, "No, we have a shoplifter." Well, if you know me, I really started freaking out. I hate cheating and stealing and it makes my stomach hurt! I'm just such a goody goody, that anything like that gives me a serious stomachache. So, I got the pleasure of identifying our merchandise and then identifying the accused. Then, I had to give the police officers my personal information. And the whole time, the accused is sitting right there, handcuffed in a chair, not 4 feet from me. Showing absolutely NO remorse. Apparently, this wasn't her first time. All and all...a nerve wracking experience. But, it mad me MAD, really MAD.

I worked so hard and on Saturday night, my hands, feet and ankles were so swollen, they looked like this....OUCH!!! I couldn't even get my ring on! The signs of hard work and not enough water!

The big thing I learned this weekend was about this:
THE OFFICE

Obviously, I've heard of The Office. I've seen the commercials. And of course, Ike has seen it a few times and has told me how funny it was. Well, Alex Ann is a huge Office fan, so she was making jokes from the office, that I really didn't get since I have never seen it. So, after hearing her talk about it all week, and knowing that Ike likes it, I bought Season 1 of The Office on DVD and brought it home to him. (after all, his job has been very stressful,so I thought it would be good for him to laugh!) And we got addicted to it. Over then next 3 weeks we watched every season, every episode of The Office.
I thought since I'm just a mom, I figured I wouldn't be able to relate or think it was funny. I was wrong. This show is stinkin' hilarious! So, if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it! Rent it today and start the laugh marathon!

"That's what SHE said...."

Lately my life......

....has been over-the-top, out-of-control and generally way too busy.
And way too much "serious stuff" going on.


My somewhat cool blog has turned into a ghost town and I have highly neglected it. But, sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. Know what I mean?!


So....how is everyone?! I miss your comments.
(of course, if I don't post...I deserve it!! Ha Ha Ha!!!)


So, I'm gonna try to play some "catch-up" today. Stay tuned!

Presidential Election 2008

I voted. Yes, I did.
I took photos. Yes, I did.
No matter which way the election was to go,
this was History in the making.
And I was part of it.
I hope you were, too.

What an awesome thing.

HALLOWEEN 2008

aka...

....why does Barbie dress so sleezy?!


Now, I am sure you are thinking, "What the heck?!"

Well, you'd understand if you've met my little angel. You see, when she had her 1st Halloween, she was only 10 months old. Of course, she had no choice, her Halloween outfit was completely up to her momma. (that's me)


Well, considering I had a bee costume that ALL 3 of her brothers had worn at one time or another, so of course, she HAD TO wear that. The problem? Well, it was clearly a boyish bee costume! (You see, it all started when Logan was a baby...he was called "busy bee" by my mom and my dad. So, when I saw the bee costume, I knew he had to have it.) Well, down thru the years, the costume was passed down.

So, I did what any crafty, scrapbooking mom would do.....I remade the costume and ramped it up a few notches to the girly side! Alterations included, ribbons added to both sleeves and, making them into a ruched look. Then, black lace which actually had a bee pattern weaved into it was added to the bottom of the legs. I sewed a tulle skirt that went around the costume and made a fantastic bee crown and my darling was the Princess Bee. (the direct descendant of the Queen Bee...ME!) Don't you just love her crown, bee antennae and her matching bracelet w/ bee charm?
(again...all made by me!)


Fast forward to Marinne's 2nd Halloween. She was 22 months old.


In the interest of being money start...I had purchased and adorable and
SUPER GIRLY good witch costume on clearance at W-Mart for like $3 on clearance! Yay me! So, as Halloween approached, I pulled it out to try it on the Princess and although, she was wiggly, I got it on her and it was perfect. (and Adorable!) But, she was very vocal, that she didn't like it. "No Mommy. No dress."


Well, GREAT..... (but I honestly thought she'd change her mind when she
saw her brothers dressing up and she'd go with it.

Well, GUESS AGAIN!


She refused to wear it....

No Mommy. No dress. NO THAT DRESS!


So, this is what she wore...and you can see...she was not happy, either way!


So, as Marinne's 3rd Halloween approached, I was really getting excited. Within the past year, she had really started showing a preference of PINK, PINK, PINK and GIRLY! So, I was really looking forward to costume shopping.


So, after checking out the offerings at every single store in town, we ended back up at W-Mart. I really loved all the beautiful, super girly costumes. I especially love the Fairy costumes, but she wouldn't have anything to do with them. Finally, she picks a costume that was smooshed up and even missing the paper that shows you "what it is" and declared, "This is the one I want to be!"

Well, I still don't know WHAT it was, but she did look cute! What was she anyway?

A Fairy?

A Butterfly?

I'm still not sure. But, she loved it! So, that's all that matters!

So...fast forward to this year.

We started looking at costumes as soon as they hit the stores.

And as the days went on, every time I went to ANY store with costumes, I'd take her and the boys to look. (well, Logan thinks he's too big...so, he was just along for the shopping!) And the bigger boys were quick to form their dress up opinions...but Marinne would commit to nothing!

Finally, about 10 days before Halloween....she made a choice.
It was a blue Princess Dress. The problem? It was 1 size too big. But, it was the only one and she really insisted that was the only one that would do. So, we bought it and I figured I'd just take it in so it would work.

Then, suddenly, 4 days before Halloween.....She no longer wanted to be a Princess!

She NOW wanted to be a Mermaid.
(she has been a bit obsessed with Mermaids and fish lately...I blame Barbie again. They have recently released some new Mermaid Barbies. And between that and the Dora Mermaid merchandise, specifically in the form of little girl panties...
she wants to be a mermaid.

So, we looked everywhere in town for a Mermaid outfit....with NO luck.
(all I could find were size 8-10 or bigger...Marinne wears 5T)

So, finally, after one last trip out....Marinne picks out a $30 Barbie Cheerleader outfit. It's Hot Pink and it's sparkly....what's not to love?!

Let me just tell you.....it should have been name Barbie the inappropriate cheerleader!

For heaven's sake, I had to get a size 4-6 because that's all they had.
(my point is...it was actually bigger than her actual size.)

Well, we took it home and tried it on my sweet little baby was showing off
WAY TOO MUCH SKIN!!

Like 3-4 inches of middriff!
So...my immediate job was to figure out what she'd be wearing under it.

And then, I had to decide how I was going to keep it ON her, because it was too big!

So...moving on to Halloween!

On Halloween Day, I decided to take Marinne Trick-Or-Treating at one of our local malls. So, when I went to dress Marinne in her cheerleader outfit....she wouldn't do it. Seriously! She kept telling me she was "scared" of it. Argh! So glad I spent that $30 on it!!! Ha ha! So, I said, "Ok, we don't have to go. And she brought her last years "unnamed" outfit and said, "I want to wear this"...so that's what she did!

Although, this has been in the dress up box for the past year and you can see that the headband, which she INSISTED she HAD TO wear...was no delapidated. So I took the remaining tulle pieces and tied them in the back of her hair and put the headband on w/ out the tulle ribbons on it! Little Stinker!!!!

We did this....but the mall was much smaller than I had thought...and it didn't take too long. For that matter...you can see that some of the "candy people" weren't being too friendly, so we got out of there!! (she looks grumpy, huh?)

So, then we went across the street and went Trick-Or-Treat at Daddy's tv station.

(mainly because I wanted her daddy to see
she was not wearing the $30 barbie outfit!)

I slipped daddy a lollipop to put in Miss M's Princess bucket!
(don't worry Big Daddy, I knew you wouldn't be prepared, so I got your back!)


On to the BIG NIGHT............

Who knew it was possible...at the last minute she decided to be the
Barbie Cheerleader! (I swear...this child is gonna kill me!) :) PS....nice cheezy smile!
(and since I took the pictures in the dark...I couldn't see her expression!)


And mommy did her part to return the inappropriate costume back to something appropriate for a 3 year old to wear on Halloween! Yay mommy!


Honey was a Star Wars Guy of some importance.
Don't ask me which one...I have no clue.
Something like an Imperial, Grand Storm Trooper something or other!All I know is that he's stinkin' cute!


Jensen recycled last years Ninja outfit.
(notice his hole in the knee of his pants....this has been a well-loved "dress-up" outfit)The only thing added was some new killer Ninja swords that were on his back!

I wonder how much longer he'll still want to dress up. He just turned 10.
Next year he'll be 11. (i know you can do math...i'm just talking to myself!) Anyway, last year Logan turned 11 and he determined he was "too big" to dress-up. But, he was also in 6th grade at 11. Jensen will be in 5th grade next year. I guess we'll see.

Speaking of Logan...he didn't dress up....and every single time I tried to snap his picture he zoomed away on his scooter that he spent a few days trickin' out with LCD lights so it would be lit while we went around T or T'ing. So, I have no pic. (stinker!)

Daddy came home from work early.....and in about 45 minutes hung orange lights in both trees, put up the spider web stuff, put "woody" aka Jason out on the porch and intalled the black light and the strobe lights w/ scary sounds on! Not bad for a quickie decorating job!

(Well..Woody was made last year. The boys and Big Daddy made him. He's made of 2x4's and old clothes, shoes and a hockey mask. He has a machete' but it fell. And this year a girl told me they weren't coming because they thought Woody was real! They were convinced he was gonna jump out and scare the fire out of them!

I love the random Trick-or-Treating picture....

And I had to include this one for a few reasons:
#1 - It's like the big brothers are one on each side of sister, protecting her.

#2 - It kills me how M is actually looking into the house like, "where are you?"

#3 - And lastly, click on the picture to make it big and notice the giant safety pin I used to hook M's skirt to her shirt, so it wouldn't fall off. Now, that's classy! :)

And I had to include of this one of the wicked decorations on this house around the corner from us....how cool is this?!?! Hope everyone had a FANTASTIC Halloween!!!!

The Projects

This is the result of the struggle.....the layout I did of my Momma.

I love it. The papers from the Melissa Frances Breast Cancer Page Kit are so
beautiful and combined with my feelings I put into the journaling, it was easy to
make it perfect. I loved her so very much and this layout was very hard to do.
But, I am so very glad I did it. Now that I've completed one, I want to do more.

But, emotionally, I was exhausted.

So, instead, I put together this sweet little "Think Pink" gift basket.
(supply lists for both projects are available at The Paper Mill Store Blog!)

I don't know anyone that has breast cancer right now, so if you know someone who is in a fight against breast cancer....leave me a comment and tell me how this person is special to you and I will draw a name on Friday. If I choose your name, I will send the basket to the person of your choice. (and it's filled with Milk Chocolate!!)
It might just be the right thing to brighten someone's day!

Finally, I'd like to thank all my loving friends who left me a comment or emailed me after my "Struggling..." post. You know each and every one of you are so important to me and you guys keep me inspired. You make me believe I can do anything.

Thank YOU!