I'm blogging from my bed....

Why? You ask......


Because I have my 2 little sweeties on either side of me taking a nap.
Both of them are sick. I am sick, too (although, not as sick as the kids.)


Poor Marinne just came through a scary 24 hours, in which her fever was so high, we could not get her to drink anything. She just flat refused. She wasn't eating, either, as she had thrown up in her bed that morning. She wouldn't take her medicine (and normally she's a good medicine taker.) All of this eventually led me to the pediatrician, who said we had to get her rehydrated and get her to have a wet diaper. (she hadn't had one in 11+ hours at that point) So....the pediatrician said go to the hospital. We were so worried!!!


Fast forward to today. She's doing fine. Still sick, but finally hydrated. No vomiting.
Although, she is still running a fever of 102 degrees.
It's viral and the fever lasts 3-4 days.

So, I guess it's safe to assume we'll be home all weekend.
(which I think were gonna have freezing rain/snow mix tonight, so that just fine w/ me!)


Now, poor Griffin, his virus has now turned into congestion in his chest.
His voice is extremely hoarse. And he sounds just terrible when he coughs.

Anyone wanna take bets on us having to take him to an after hours clinic this weekend?!?!
(based on our medical expenses so far this week....it wouldn't surprise me!!)


And me, well, I'll be ok. I'm just exhausted and have a sore throat that hurts like I swallowed razor blades and then drank lemonade directly after. Basically, it hurts bad. If I can just get some decent rest and avoid getting this virus from the kids...I'll be fine.


I hope everyone has a nice weekend.


I'm under deadline (which I not ready for since everyone has been sick for a week now.) I hope to possibly work tonight to catch up. I guess we'll just have to see how the day goes, though.
Usually, I put everyone to bed and go do my work, but when the kids are sick....they earn the privilege of sleeping on a "bed" on mommy's floor (so I can watch them closely.) Well, I've had a guest now for 7 nights straight! And every night they insist I go to bed with them. Well, by the time they are asleep.....I am asleep. Of course, I'm not feeling well, either, so it's probably best I go to bed, anyway. So, I haven't gotten anything done. What can you do?!


All I want is everyone healthy. Is that really too much to ask?!?!

Ok....I know that one day I will be old.....

...but dang it, old people are REALLY getting on my nerves!!!!!!!!!


I believe in respecting your elders and all that, but there are just some things old people should not do. Or assume they have the right to do. It's so frustrating.


For instance, last week I got a visit from our old lady neighbor. You see....we live on a cul-de-sac. There are only 5 houses on our "street." And we are the middle house....#3 of the 5 houses. (literally...we are stuck in the middle!) Anyways, on one corner we have an old couple (the hubby is 79, so she's probably close to that.) Well, the husband is nice, but I barely even know the wife at all. She was sick w/ shingles on her face when we moved here....so I stayed away. Didn't want her to feel self-conscious or whatever. Figured I'd meet her later. Well, I have only seen/talked to this woman twice. Once, when I went to her door to get her daughters phone # for Ike......tv news related errand. Was there like 4 minutes to get number and get it to Ike quickly. The second was just a month ago on Halloween night. We even took a pic w/ their granddaughter. It was nice, but casual. And again, about 5 minutes. (and we were with the old neighbor who moved away, but came back to let her son trick-or-treat with my son... and that was the main reason for the pictures,etc...not that I even know their granddaughter.)


On the other corner, we have another older couple. Probably in their late 50's to low 60 years old. They are nice enough, but they are super-douper chain smokers. Like....I went to their door once and opened the storm door to knock on their front door and the ciggy smoke smell was disgustingly overwhelming...wafting onto the front porch. And they weren't even home smoking at the time. This was lingering smoke. Gross.


In addition, the wife is the biggest busybody you have ever met in your life. She knows OUR EVERY MOVE. Actually, EVERYONE'S EVERY MOVE!!!! Like once when Ike went out of town on business, he took an airport shuttle. And within 30 min. after he left, I went out to check the mail and she was running out to ask me where my hubs was going and when he'd be back. And why was he going? And were we staying alone? And what would I be doing?
Just..... N.O.S.E.Y!!!!!!!!


She is also obsessed w/ the neighbor who lives between me and her. (my good friend Kelly) She wants to know what's going on with her divorce? Why isn't it done yet? When's he moving out? Doesn't she see how bad he is? He hates me. I think he's in infant. I'm scared of him. He's rude. He's got an anger problem. We don't trust him. We think he's mean. ...... ON and ON and ON and ON! Just because one time they had a disagreement with Kelly's husband like almost 3 years ago. (can you say grudge?!?!)


Then, it's onto the house on the other side of me. It's going into foreclosure. The owners are trying to sell it For Sale By Owner. So, she wants to know. "How can they sell that house when it's not theirs. Ya know, it was in the paper that Countrywide has foreclosed on it. And if they hadn't been so greedy w/ their house and the other rental houses they bought, they wouldn't be in this mess. And they deserve it, they are not good people."
(well, first of all......I feel sorry for anyone in this situation. Secondly, how does she know anything about their financial situation?! SHE DOES NOT!!!! And Third, I know these people. Although, they have never lived here since I have.....the wife teaches swim lessons and I was at her house about 4 times a week for and entire month this summer!!! So....I got to know her and I like her. The husband is a fireman......a hero. Seriously, so what's so bad about them?!)
Anyway, she just showed how shallow and mean she really is.


So.....she's on my nerves bad. I am just nice enough to her to keep her close enough to
watch her. But, dang it, woman........Mind your own business!!
(Kelly and I call her Mrs. Kravitz........the nosy neighbor from Bewitched!)


NOW.....the two old ladies, who are one on each corner and their houses are directly across from each other.......are good friends. One set has lived here 25 years. The other 17 years.
They BELIEVE they own the place. WHAT-EVER!!!!!!!


So, last week on the day it hit a big 19 degrees........my doorbell rings. I go to the door and it's the shingles lady.....the one who has never really even talked to me. And certainly never made an effort to come meet me or anything.

I open the door and she blurts out, " I need to ask you a favor."

"Sure, come on in. What can I do for you?" I respond.

She says no.

So.....we stand there.....her in the cold, me getting cold and letting all my very expensive heat out the front door! And me, trying to keep Marinne from running outside w/ my legs.


So, she basically lays into me (although, under the guise of me doing her a "favor") about our trash cans. You see, this was Wednesday morning. About 9am. And our trash day is Monday. She was upset because our trash day is Monday and our trash cans are at the curb on Wednesday morning.

(in my defense, I had told Jensen to bring them up the afternoon before, but he did not do it. And at 9am, I had not been out, so I had not noticed yet that he did not do his chore.)

She continues on that we need to be mindful of property values, etc. And if I would just do her a favor and bring in the cans on Monday, rather than not. Because, it really makes the neighborhood look bad. And, really, there is no reason it shouldn't be done on Monday. And they've lived here 25 years and they expect our street to look nice. And she doesn't appreciate looking out her window to see our trashcans. On and On and On.


Then she says.....well, we had to say something to Kelly about her trashcans and she's doing much better now. (like it's their job to police all of us.....)


Now, mind you.....during this entire episode she won't look at my face, she is standing sideways looking at the foreclosure house. Which irritated me, as well.
If you're gonna bitch me out, at least look me in the eye.


So, then, she says, " How does Dan think he's gonna sell that house. It's not even theirs. You know that Countrywide is foreclosing on them. They've wintered the house and changed the locks."

Well.....this really pissed me off.

Hateful, judgemental, busybody, know-it-all old lady!!!!!!!!!!!!


So, I went off.

I said, "Well, that house is their's until the foreclosure is final. And I hope, for them, they can sell it. It's so awful that foreclosure is happening to so many hard-working people these days. And I feel sorry for them. And you should, too."


To this, she replies.....

"well....just do me that favor and bring the trash cans up....."


So, at this point, I am pissed!


So, I blurt out, "If it bothers you so much, you are welcome to roll them up the driveway any time you'd like to.......!!!!!!!!"

And I shut the door.....

WHATEVER!!!!!!


I sure don't need to be told what to do by a woman I don't even know!!!


NOW....I did make Jensen bring the trash cans up, because I had asked him to the day before and he didn't. And I grounded him, as well. (and I hated that it made it look like we did it just to please her, but that was not the case. I made him do it because he needs to be accountable....so it was a simple parenting decision.)

So, I called Kelly and told her what happened. She thought it was completely ridiculous. And she said they had NEVER asked her to do anything with her trash cans that she knew of.
(so I asked her hubby......who was angry she came over and said all that to me....and he immediately drug out his trash can to the curb in support of me. For the record, they never said anything to him, either.....so she lied to me.....whatever.....)


But, when I told Big Daddy what had happened, he was FURIOUS!!!!
And, it was everything I could do to keep him from going right over there and taking their heads off. He really was angry. And it's really a miracle he didn't go over there.

He does not take kindly to being told what to do at his own home.

So, as soon as he came home that night, he drug those trash cans right back to the street.
To send his message.



Ok....now, I know that large trash cans aren't the most beautiful thing to look at, but if you've ever heard me whine about my husbands insane work schedule....you'd know why the trash cans sometimes get missed!! (technically, all things trash related are the hubs responsibility....
although I help frequently....) So, anyway....whatever!!


But, in the grand scheme of things......are trash cans reallllllly THAT important?!?!

I mean.....find a serious complaint OR better yet, go find a serious problem in the world and do something to help with it.....

So.....you can see why they are bugging me......


Then, I had to take G to the pediatrician. And the office is 1/2 mile from our house. And in that short drive....I had 2 different old people (one man, one woman) almost hit us. Ok, if you can't see.....DON'T DRIVE!!!! Pretty simple concept......

Ok....rant over.

Another WorldWin DT ENTRY Project

Look at my *adorable* baby girl!!!!
Isn't she the sweetest thing ever?!?!?!

HELLO?????

TAP....TAP....TAP.....

IS THIS THING ON?!?!?


WHERE IS EVERYONE????????????

Guess what?!?!?!

I got up to **SNOW**!!


Hey, Dorothy....

I don't think we are in Georgia, anymore!!!!

Yes, I am clearly insane......

It's 2:44am and I'm awake.

I have all 800 ads from the paper all around me.

The organized lists are made.

I know what I'm buying for who.

I can tell you what time each and every store opens.

And......it's 19 degrees outside!!!


My first stop is at 4am.....
...just enough time to grab a shower,
bundle up and get going!!!!!

Anybody with me?????


(This is only part of the "insane." Ike has to work tomorrow and I have to deal w/ all 4 kids all day with NO SLEEP!!!!)


I survived it last year.

I will again this year.

(when you have 4 kids to shop for and a birthday...
...Black Friday sales are a NECESSITY!!!)


Pray for me!

Update.....

Bird is in the oven....

tragedy averted! (I think!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!! :)

Well, CRAP!!!!!

.....so, guess who didn't realize it would take 4 days in the refrigerator for our 20lb. turkey to thaw?!?!?!?!?!

I was thinking if I pulled it out this morning and put it in the fridge, it would be ready to be baked tomorrow.

Um....wrong!


So, guess who's having chicken for Thanksgiving?!?!?!?!



DOUBLE CRAP!!!!!!!

(obviously, I am not Paula Deen!!!)

This weather is just....

insane!!!!!!


Yesterday it was in the 70's.

Right now it's 33 degrees and it's supposed to snow!!

Yep, I said SNOW!!!


I'll let you know if it does......


...but for now, I'm freezing my buns off!!!!!!

BRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Fantastic Fall is here.....

This is one of the things I missed so much while living in Georgia. In Georgia, the weather fluctuations are so mild, that there is very little difference between the seasons. (except for Summer where it's hot as hell!)
It was so weird because most of our trees in Georgia were the super-tall log cabin pines. But, with pines....they are ever-green, of course. So, we never got the spectacular color I am enjoying so much this Fall........ Enjoy!
This is looking out from the front of my house.....
....some of the trees are bare. But, most are full of color!

Another Month, Another Birthday!!!!

This time it was Griffin!! I literally cannot believe this child is FIVE!!


We took him and his two bestest friends to Chuck-E-Cheese. Along with your family.....we had a great time!!! And with the cake, you had to have green cupcakes (your favorite color) and this was the result of that....Funny!!
You are my big boy, I love you! Happy Birthday, Griffin!!!!

Potty Training.....

So, we've been working on Potty Training with the Princess.

She's been going pee pee on the potty since she was like 15 months. She will be 3 in a month. (It's been a long wait!!!) So, she's been showing a lot of readiness clues, such as: telling me when she pees and taking her diaper off herself to be changed, telling me when she poops and wanting it off immediately after doing it, wanting to wear pull-ups, going potty before getting in the bathtub, going to the potty when requested to do so and usually going pee pee in the potty. It seems like we should be so close. Ya, so close, but yet so far away..... Argh!!!!

I don't really care if she's in panties or not, not really....but I had hoped we'd be there by now, just to save money!! I mean in Oct, Nov, December we have 3 kid birthdays, 2 expensive car tags and of course, Christmas. To say money is tight, is an understatement. She is in Size 5 diapers and the bigger the diapers, the less you get for the money. So, that sucks big time!!


What I can tell you is, we are no closer now than we were 6 months ago. And there's not one thing I can do about it. Thru my past experience (aka 3 kids) I have learned that she will not do this until she's ready. No amount of begging, pleading, bribing, pressuring or any other tactics are gonna work.


Trust me, I know.
I know what NOT TO DO!!


When Logan was almost 3.....I was beginning to feel like a real failure as his mother. Why could I not potty train this child??? He was nowhere near potty training and I felt the shaming judgements from the other mothers. Or so I thought. The truth was, they were actually probably in the same boat as me, but weren't willing to admit it. They had their kid in pull-ups and they were using them exactly like diapers, but they could say their child was in "pull-ups," which put them in an elite group of mothers whose children "were almost there...almost potty trained." A group to be envied.


So, what did I do?

I pressured my poor child.

I bribed him with toys and candy.

I begged him.

I pleaded with him.

I cried.

And one day, I spanked him for an accident.

And as we sat there on the bathroom floor, a shocked child and his guilt-ridden mother. Both of us crying. I realized....there was no way that being in underwear was worth any of this.

So, I apologized to him.
I hugged him tight and I promised I wouldn't mention it again.
And that I would wait for him to decide it was time and he could tell me when he wanted to wear underwear and we'd try it.

Well, it was several weeks after this incident that he asked for underwear.

And, when he was ready....he did it.

And he never had an accident.
Not even at night.

He was ready and I had to be willing to let him "get there."


So....that's the bottom line.
I have to let the Princess "get there."


Because.....


My 35 month old daughter doesn't care one bit what diapers cost.

My 35 month-old daughter doesn't care that I have been changing diapers for almost 12 straight years, sometimes 2 kids at a time!!

My 35 month-old daughter doesn't care about all the other mom's told me that girls potty train early and that I could expect her to potty train at 24 months or so. And so, I've been waiting for a really long time to be rewarded w/ a early trained girl.

My 35 month-old daughter doesn't care that we should have bought stock in Huggies for both the diapers and the wipes for what we have paid to have 4 kids thru diapers.

My 35 month-old daughter loves Dora, but even the Dora panties are not motivation enough to her to even try to wear the panties and stay dry.


Bottom line......

She'll do it when she's ready!!!

And I have to be READY to wait for whenever that will be.


(and for the record.....all 3 boys potty trained between 3 years and 3 1/2.
And NOT ONE MINUTE SOONER than when THEY WERE READY!!!!)


**for KS, another mother in the trenches........miss ya girl**

It's the INTRODUCE ME DAY

On the WorldWin Papers Blog!!!


So....come check it out and leave a comment there
so I know you were there!!!!!!!


And click on my gallery to see the BIG PROJECT
that has kept me so busy over the past 2 weeks!!!!!!

I love it...and I hope you do, too!

Aunt Sis's Visit & a Family Reunion!

This is Big Daddy's Family....
...the entire clan!!

(pretty good picture for 11 adults and 4 kids.......at least only the 2 year old was wonky!!
Oh, and I love that black/white shirt, but my hubs says it does not make me look pregnant...I gonna disagree. Oh well, hopefully it won't still fit in a few months anyway! I guess I'll wear it on my "feeling fat" days. Maybe people will think I am pregs...not just fat. And with 4 kids always in tow....the pregs thing could seem like a real possiblitity!!!! At least can you tell that the black pants are huge on me. I have them tied on with a belt!!!)

Ike has a sister. Just one. She's 14 years older than him.

We don't get to see her too often.

Partially this is because she lives in North Carolina.

Partially, it's because she is so busy working all the time.


But, earlier this month, she came to Bixby for a trip "home."

It was so great to see her....The first time I met Teresa was at my wedding. She was so sweet to me. And of course, we had my beautiful niece and handsome nephew in the wedding!

The next time I got to see her was the first Christmas we were married....December 1992. Well, in the middle of Christmas Dinner she mentions the name Charlie Hxxxxxx. I ask her if he's related to Duane H. She says, yes. And I say...oh I love him and his wife Linda. I've known them for years. What a great family! On and On and ON....... Well, the whole time, my MIL is giving me this "go to hell" look (which I was getting quite accustomed too, but still, was unwarranted...or so I thought...) Well, finally it comes out at the table that Charlie Hxxxxxx is TERESA'S FATHER!!!!! WHAT THE HELL?!?!?!?!!?!?!? NOBODY (including Big Daddy) HAS BOTHERED TO TELL ME THAT MY MIL HAS BEEN MARRIED BEFORE AND THAT TERESA IS REALLY IKE'S HALF-SISTER AND HIS MOTHER HATES HER DAD AND IT IS A SUBJECT THAT IS NEVER, EVER, NEVER, EVER, NEVER EVER TALKED ABOUT........
....AND HERE THAT'S ALL I'VE DONE FOR THE PAST 15 MINUTES!!!!!!!!!!!!



WELL.......HOLY HELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!



NEEDLESS TO SAY, MY MIL HAS NEVER FORGOTTEN IT AND AS I JOKINGLY SAID TO TERESA DURING HER VISIT....I DON'T THINK I HAVE EVER FULLY RECOVERED FROM THAT MOMENT!!!! (sadly, I think it might be true.....)



UGH....moving on...........



Logan was only 8 weeks old, when we flew to Idaho for his first visit

with his Aunt Sis. (and he slept all night through during his trip to Idaho!)




Jensen and Aunt Sis will always have a special bond because Jensen is such
and animal lover and so is his Aunt Sis (and cousin Kami, too!)But...he thinks it's cool Aunt Sis trains dogs and breeds the full-breed
German Shepards. In the past, she has trained police dogs and protection dogs.
She trains them in Shitzun training. And in German, no less!
When I first met her main male, Fritz. I was scared. But, that dog knew it and tried to make friends with me, without being threatening. So, what does he do....goes into my luggage and gets something of mine out to give to me. (like a peace offering) But, out of everything in my bag....what does he choose? A maxi-pad, of course!
HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!




Well, Griffin spent alot of time with Aunt Sis when we went to her house out in North Carolina 3 years ago. So, this visit, he just warmed up to her real easily. He really loves her a lot.
So, it was easy to get him to snuggle up to her.


Well, the times that Aunt Sis and Marinne have seen each other....Marinne was a tiny baby. Until, now! But, Marinne, in true Marinne fashion warmed up to Aunt Sis quickly. And when it was time to go, she threw her arms around her and even gave her a kiss! Sweet girl!!


All I can say is....visits are NEVER long enough!!

here's the crappy picture....

This is the only picture that got taken before the camera died of
Big Daddy and I on our way to the hospital fundraiser.
(yes...I was talking to Logan, answering a photography question, when he snapped it accidentally. Then, when we smiled for the "real" picture...the camera was dead. GREAT!)

Big Daddy's station was one of the big sponsors (it's for the kids, ya know!) and donated all
the video shoots/ editing work to raise money for
families in Topeka who cannot afford medical care.

What a great feeling to get dressed up and spend a night out....
...and help people in the process!!!!


If you want to help, too....then, click here to learn how!

So....

... I won a RAK from Scrapbook Takeout on October 2nd. Well, I was real excited! I mean, really, what scrapper doesn't love free scrap stuff!!! So.....I anxiously awaited the surprise coming to my mailbox!

So, I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And emailed them to be sure they had my address correct. (never heard back)

And waited some more.

Then....forgot about it.


AND FINALLY OUT OF THE BLUE!


MY RAK!!!!!!!!


YAY!!!


And some good stuff in here:

Magistical Memories Chipboard Circles

7Gypsies rub-on alphas

American Crafts Thickers

American Crafts Slick Pen - red

Deluxe Designs - Chip Chat

3 sheets of cardstock chipboards

...and a handwritten note!



So...go check out their site. They have a monthly kit available that looks real cool.

Wanna see something COOL?!!

There it is in all it's glory.......

My box from WorldWin Papers.
I felt so excited when the FedEx guy gave it to me....
...I even forgot to check out if he was hot or not.
(see....I really was excited!!! :)



I barely made it thru the door before I was ripping that sucker open!!!


And behold all the beauty inside........oh yeah, baby!!! Look at all this delicious paper and goodies!!


I mean seriously...check out this huge stack of cardstock, chipboard, vellum and all kinds of specialty papers!!!!! YUMMY!!!! And you can bet I've been playing with all this!!!!!

wow.

So, as I was cruising my scrappin' message boards this morning, I found a post from a fellow Kansan who had left some advice for a girl who's FIL is close to death. Her very simple advice to them about being with him and saying goodbye was to wish for all of them:

"the Peace that Passes Understanding."


wow. wow. wow.

WOW.


(light bulbs...here...)


That actually took my breath away and made my heart beat fast.


As you all know, I have struggled for 10 years trying to accept the untimely and what I have always considered unfair death of my mother. You can read my most recent post about this here. Believe me, it's so hard to lose someone that you love so much. If you've been there, then you understand. If you haven't, well I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. But, what I can tell you is....it sucks! Bad. And no matter what anyone ever said to try to make me feel better (although I love all of you for saying it and I appreciate it) I have never really felt at Peace concerning her death. For so long, I was too angry. Now, I just miss her. But, I can't say that I actually feel like I have ever had "Peace" about it.


So, that's what I am hoping for....
The Peace that Passes Understanding.


And just like that. A simple statement to someone else. And all of a sudden it's like my eyes are opened. I read that totally different than I ever had before.


...the Peace that Passes Understanding.

wow.


I'm sure I can't be the only child who remembers singing that little song in Sunday School...

"I have the Peace that Passes Understanding....
Down in my heart.
(where?)
Down in my heart.
(where?)
Down in my heart to stay."


I never really listened to the words.
I didn't understand what they were talking about.
I didn't get it......


....until today.


So, I'll be striving for the Peace that Passes Understanding.....

And I wish you will find it too.

WHERE ARE YOU????????

So...I finally eek out time to post and I only get a shout out from Beth and a new friend, Dee!


WHERE IS EVERYONE?!?!?!?!


If I get some responses....I'll post again today!!!!

I promise.

Serious Blog Neglect...

Go ahead.....

...someone should call the "blog police" and report me for serious blog neglect. Because I am guilty, as charged.


But thanks, Jamie, for the shout out that you miss me! That warms my little heart all the way to my little toesies!!! Miss you, too!

And Matt.....I'll forward you the emails. Really, it's all about Erica!! ;)

Thanks for the encouragement FFM and Tam, sorry, I'm updating now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Moving on........

So, what everybody been up to??? I've been working on my primary goal of getting the cars in the garage for winter!! Yes, we've already had frost in the morning 2x and our garage is still filled with boxes!! (shut up...don't judge me!! :) So, I've been emptying boxes and throwing stuff away and putting stuff away! It's fun when you find something you've missed or something you had forgotten about. But, man it kills me how much crap we PAID to move 1/2 way across the country. And that's just dumb!!!! But, what can we do about it now?!?!?!


Then, we decided since it was supposed to be 65degrees, we'd throw together a garage sale..... So, we did. I wish I could say it was wildly successful.... But, no. We only had 10 customers the whole day!!! And the first one came at 11:20am! (we were out there at 7am freezing our butts off!) So, that seriously sucked!!! But, we made about $45 before we hauled off 3 loads to GoodWill.
We still have a bunch of big stuff that went right back into the garage and we loaded about 30 boxes into the attic! Now, that's fun...let me tell you!!!


Then, last night....we went to a hospital auction/fundraiser at a fancy hotel near downtown. It was really nice and we had a good time. Ike looked really nice. I can remember a day when I'd get excited when he'd get dressed up. Now, I get to see this most everyday. (a perk for me...the news director's wife) He has to wear suits most days..... and I get to enjoy him! He cleans up good!!

And I got to wear my most favorite dress. It's a Jessica McClintock. It's white lace on the top and black chiffon on the bottom. Floor length and super pretty!

But, because I am a mom of 4 and because I rarely do the "upkeep" I should...my toes needed a serious repainting. So...I sat down on the bed to maneuver myself into unimaginable positions to reach my toes with nail polish. And within seconds, the princess was right in the middle of it all! (now mind you, I have tried to paint her toenails before and she adimently refused me from doing so.) SO OF COURSE, when we have somewhere to be by a certain time....she insists that RIGHT NOW is the time to have her 1st ever toenail painting. (something I would love to have on camera...but didn't have time to document....) So, I painted my little lovelies toenails pink and added a little red heart to both big toes. And she loves it! She was so cute blowing on her toes!!!! (so you can bet your booty that I will be "staging" these pics again this week ....and I know you'll keep my secret in the name of scrapbooking!!!) :)

Of course, I wanted to get pictures, but when Logan tried snapping a few for us....the camera battery died. Great! I was po'd! But, what can you do????? And dang it, my hair was nearly perfect!!! (man...this hair cut by Doug Rhinehart at Rhinehart and Company rocks!!! It's without a doubt the best haircut I've ever had!!!!! Ever!!! If you live in Tulsa...I highly recommend him!!! It's more than 3 months old and my hair is still awesome!!! (albeit, longer...)


I'm still working on my project. Remind me to quit being an overachiever!!!
I love it, but it's taking FOREVER!!!!!


So....in the interest of not showing you everything at once....here is one of my WWPDT Submissions...... I LOVE IT!!! (and I really made 8 of them for Jensen's birthday invitations...... I know. I know. Insane! What can I say?!?!
Click on it and really look at the detail.......

Busy little bee...I am!

So......

I'm working on a huge project, which is turning out so cute!
(sorry....I can't show you....yet.....)
But, I do think I can show you my entries that secured my spot on the
WORLDWIN PAPERS DESIGN TEAM.
(so once I get confirmation this is ok....I hope to post them tomorrow.


Speaking of WorldWin.....we will be having a BLOG SKETCH CHALLENGE on Monday. So....be sure to go check it out! I'm fairly sure this will include prizes. (not completely sure, though)


So....I promise to check in later! Hope everyone is doing great!!!!

I SWEAR.....

....if I get another spam email that reminds me I need to

do something, take something or buy something

to enlarge my pen!s.....

I AM GOING TO SCREAM!!!!!!


That's all....have a nice day! :)

It's ANNOUNCEMENT DAY!!!!!!!!!

So, I didn't tell you guys I was even gonna do it, because I figured I was just wasting my time. In the world of professional scrapbooking, it's often hard to get a break.


Well, I have often thought of trying to make a career of my hobby (more than a consultant for any of the several companies I have done in the past...) I have never had the desire to actually attempt it. It always seemed like so much work, for a long shot...... I mean attempting to become a published, designer of scrapbooks and altered arts. But, in the end, I always chickened out due to my fear of failure. (not to mention, I scrapbook to make myself happy....and I am 100% certain of my talent, so I don't need the validation to know what my talents are. Although,
the validation would be very nice!!!)


So, a few weeks ago, an online friend posted on her blog that the company she designed for had a call posted for their 2008 Design Team. I was interested, but nervous. So, I contacted my friend, who encouraged me to go for it. So, I did.
But, I didn't tell anyone, because I didn't want to be embarrassed when I wasn't chosen. (yes, I know it's sad I assumed I wouldn't be chosen) But, in the professional scrapbooking world, the competition is STIFF!!!!! REALLY STIFF!!! There are so many incredibly gifted and talented women out there, it's amazing!!!



And, honestly, in this business, it is very rare for someone to be chosen or published on their first try. In this business, you have to be ok with hearing a lot of NO's before you ever hear a YES. And, I wasn't sure if I was ready for that. Which I why I didn't tell hardly anybody. I just assumed I'd apply, they'd choose more talented, more experienced, well-known people and it would be a good learning experience for me.


Well....I completely underestimated myself because:

THEY CHOSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!


Imagine my surprise and ELATION when this landed in my Inbox:


Roxann- I first want to thank you for your submission to the WorldWin Papers 2008 Design Team Search. After looking through your submissions/application, I am thrilled to extent an offer to you to be a part of our 2008 Design Team!


When I first read it, I read the first line, which sounded to me like the "thank you, but no thank you" part of the letter. When I hit the second line, I was like...."what did that just say?!?!?!" I had to read it 3 or 4 times, until it SUNK IN!!!!!!!!
I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!!!!


So, here's my ANNOUNCEMENT:

I have been OFFERED and ACCEPTED a postion on the


WORLDWIN PAPERS 2008 DESIGN TEAM!!!!!!!

(Click ^ above to read the official announcement!!)


THIS IS SUCH A HUGE DEAL!!!!!!!! HUGE!!!!!!!!


CHECK THIS OUT.........
This is the Official Announcement on the 2Peas Message Board
(a BIG scrapbooking message board for those who don't know....)

THIS IS ON the PUB.....for being "published" and "design teams."


And here is the WorldWin Papers Website. Check it out!!!!
They have the most awesome cardstocks, chipboard and specialty papers!!


Try it....you will love it!!!!!!



BUT, THAT'S NOT ALL!!!!!


I was also offered a position on the Scrapbooks 'N Stickers 2008 Design Team!!!!


WOO HOO!!!


This was offered to me by the owner of the store I worked for in Tulsa and KCity, at the Creating Keepsakes Conventions! SO exciting!!!!


She has also asked me to travel with her next year and given me
the title of Assistant Manager of Consumer Conventions!!!!

S'nS has an online store, as well. But, it's down being re-vamped right now! I'll make sure you have the address when it's back up and running! New and Improved!!!


How completely exciting is ALL OF THIS NEWS?!?!?!?!?!