Desert Scraps

Time to Pre-Order your 2011-2012 Stampin-up Catalogue!

2011-05-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

Pre-order 2011-2012 Catalogs Here
It is hard to believe, but it is that time of year again. The new catalog is right around the corner.

Do you want to pre-order a 2011-2012 Idea Book & Catalog? I will be putting in my order on June 1, so that I will receive the first shipment of catalogs that go out.
You can begin ordering out of the new catalog at noon on July 1st, 2011. I am so excited to see what is in it, aren't you?

Also, to make the most of your scrapping dollars, check out all the great buys in the 'clearance rack'. There are some real deals to be had. Why not stock up on things you can use no matter what the season?

Want to get together and stamp, scrapbook or make cards? Let me know and we can get together at my house! I'd love to make time for anyone interested! Hit me up!

Sale-A-Bration

2011-03-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder to all my Stampin' Up friends-March 31st is the last day to pick your FREE products from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue. If you haven't gotten a copy, please contact me today. There are some really cute stamp sets and digi sets available for FREE with your qualifying order.

We have thru April 30th to order out of the Occassions Mini Catalog for spring. I encourage you to take a look at the stamp sets in the Mini Catalog because most of them are limited edition and likely will not be available after April 30th. We also have some versatile new punches that have come out in the mini catalog that were not previously offered.

2010-07-14T10:43:00.001-07:00

2010-07-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

Zeke Swims!

2010-06-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T15:31:00.001-07:00

I am wearing my green shirt, some shamrock beads and the emerald claddaugh ring I won from the local radio station a couple years ago. I have fond happy memories of St. Patrick's Day. Growing up, I always went to religious education classes, (catechism) at Holy Angels School in Globe, AZ. We were taught by nuns who were predominantly from Ireland. They were old-school and very serious and very dedicated. They were also very kind. I remember having shamrock sugar cookies and generally enjoying hearing about St. Patrick chasing out all the snakes. With fondness, I'd like to honor Sr. Paul and Sr. Carmel. They have a special place in my heart. God bless them today!

Spring where are you?

2010-03-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Well I got sad news today that my sitter is quitting us. She has been taking classes to be a dental hygenist and she is going to have to do her internship. So great for her but sad for us. She has watched my son Zeke since he was just months old. This is going to be hard for him. He loves her. And not to mention she is not too far from our house so we are going to have to be on the lookout for a new sitter. Hopefully things will work out. We still have a couple years to go before he's in school.

CKC Mesa is coming up and I am really looking forward to it. It seems this hobby of mine is going down. My scrapbooking buddy told me that our big local store Scrapbooks, etc. is starting to carry more fabric than paper which is not a good sign. They are trending over to quilting it seems. This makes me want to add to my paper stash. Which is probably more of a hoard than a stash. i've been buying design cards for my slice machine on ebay at fantastic prices. It seems that the quickutz has not been selling at great prices lately though. I wonder if they too are on the bring of closing up shop. Their product lines have been not so inspiring and there are only so many great alphabet sets I can buy. I am also really into stampin up products. I had gone to some card classes taught by one of my coworkers' wives and she makes cards that are so beautiful that I became inspired to stamp. I only wish I had more time to do it. Because I love it.

Tell me what inspires you to scrap or make cards. I want to know what your new favorite products are.

Happy Scrapping!

Wild Winter Weather Jan 22, 2010

2010-01-22T09:41:00.002-08:00

We were under tornado watch last night. That was a bit unnerving being that we had just got the kids to bed 'early' for the first time all week. We experienced torrential rains for most of yesterday and all of last night. The ground was already saturated from the previous day's rain. We are now on our third day of rain. There are only 2 ways into my neighborhood and now one is blocked. Fred got up and went into work today to get his plant up but he may not be able to get home. I think he'll be snowed in by the end of today. They are under blizzard watch for Gila County. I wish the kids could be in Globe with my parents so they could play in it. Thankfully our home is ok and we survived the night!

2010-01-22T09:41:00.001-08:00

2009-12-30T15:19:00.001-08:00

Shake, Rattle and Roll

2009-12-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

Today sometime after 11am, I felt like I was getting sick or like I might pass out. I look up and the walls are moving, I felt the floor rolling and I could not figure out why I felt like I was about to lose it. There was no one in the office today in my area so I figure I need to just stand up and go to the bathroom or get a drink. I finally found someone a row of cubes over and I ask him if he also felt the floor shaking. He said yes and that a chain hanging on his cube wall was swaying. So we both figured it had to have been a small earthquake. That was the first time I had ever felt that 'rolling' feeling. And hopefully the last! I didn't like it one bit. I also never truly believed anyone in Arizona could really feel an earthquake. I thought it was a bunch of baloney. But today I became 'one of those people'. haha

My friend Sara sits down at the opposite end of the building and she sent me an IM asking if I had felt the earthquake. She said she looked up and the hanging lights were swaying. It was quite a rolling feeling.

I can't believe only 1 more day is left of 2009. The year sure went by fast. I hope for a great 2010. Our trip to St. Lucia is coming up in February so I am counting down the days. It is going to be so much fun.

Halloween Week

2009-10-29T15:30:00.000-07:00

Halloween is approaching fast and I still have lots to do to get ready for a fun-filled weekend. I have the afternoon off tomorrow to attend Caris's class party. I am really looking forward to it. I hope they get lots of great treats. I think it's sad that everything has to come pre-packaged or from the store now-a-days. The schools do not want anything home-made for fear that it will contain something that would harm the children. Understandable, but my best memories were of school parties with home-made treats.

We are having our 7th annual Halloween Potluck in the cul-de-sac. I've had a few neighbors call and ask if we were still doing it this year so I was pleased that they were interested in participating. It seems to get bigger and better every year.
There's no telling how many people will be joining us this year. I'll be cooking up a storm Friday night and Saturday to get ready though.

This year Zeke will dress as a monkey and Caris will be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. Zeke has been fascinated by the inflatable pumpkins and cat we have out in the yard. He goes out every night to pet the kitty-meow as he calls it. I don't know how he will like all the costumes. He will probably say 'scare-you-mommy' as he does not like masks.

Hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow and Saturday and warm us up a bit. It's pretty chilly outside and we're just not used to it!

My 'ALMOST' cat

2009-10-07T13:56:00.000-07:00

This morning my son kept looking out the back window so I looked out and saw a cat in our yard. I took him outside to see it, but the cat was not at all friendly and sort of hissy. So we went back inside. My son kept looking at the Cat and soon I looked out again and noticed it had a kitten out near our pool. I was a little freaked out that the kitten would fall in our pool so I went outside and took it a box and some water. I just knew if the kitten were in our back yard by the time my daughter got home from school that she'd want to keep it. So luckily I saw a neighbor as I was leaving and asked if he could check on it or leave some cat food back there for the momma cat and it turned out that he decided to keep the kitten. So lucky for us becuase I'm allergic and not a big fan of cats. It was cute but certainly would have to find another home and my kids would be so devastated if I didn't let them keep it. But it's better that it goes to a person who would want it. So lucky me! I did get a couple great pics of the adorable little thing and it's mom.

2009-10-07T13:51:00.001-07:00

2009-10-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

2009-09-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

Labor Day Weekend @ Big Lake

2009-09-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

Just spent a relaxing 5 days in the high country. We took a trip up north to Big Lake. It is in far Eastern Arizona and about a 6 hour drive from my house. The kids had such a great time. I think we all did. The only negative was that it rained a little more than we all would have liked. The thunder was wonderful to listen to, but the mud and puddles were too much for Zeke to resist. He had to jump in feet first and slop around like a little piggy. Thank goodness Fred had put some watersealant on his new boots. They look amazingly good for having been through all that mud. And my girl Caris was quite the fisherwoman; she caught a pretty large trout and the biggest fish in the whole group. She was so proud. The food we cooked was amazing. Fajitas, tortillas, rib-eye steaks with 'secret sauce', breakfast FEASTS. We are truly blessed not only to be able to enjoy the beauty of nature and to get out of the sweltering desert heat but to have all the little luxuries that make a camping trip great.

Creative Escape 2009

2009-08-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in blogland! I'm so excited. I am headed across town next Wednesday to the Wild Horse Pass Resort for Heidi Swapp's Creative Escape 2009 event. I am super excited. I can't wait to have class with Tim Holtz, Carol Wingert and all the fabulous people in the Scrap World. Not to mention all the great and exciting women from all over the planet who will be in attendance. This is going to be a ton of fun. My roommate will be my scrappy co-worker Karen Engelder. She and I met several years back at a CK convention and since we knew each other from working in the same area, we made a connection. Since then, we've met up for various classes over the years and although she invited me to join her at CE last year, I had just come back from the Memory Works convention in Layton, UT and I couldn't afford to go to CE right after that. It was a huge bummer but I'm super ready to go this year. I have been picking up my supplies from the class lists but now I have to figure out what to wear and pack. There's so much to prepare. I did the Yahoo charm swap and got all the cute and fun charms and I've been working on that necklace the past few nights. It's so cool. my husband thinks I'm a little nuts with my 'old lady' activites as he calls it. But I love to scrapbook and he's the first one to show off my stuff. My kids are hopefully going to treasure what I make for them (they already love their disney books). This is a hobby I have been in love with for quite a number of years. I only wish I had more time to devote to it.
Here's a photo of me and Heidi Swapp.

2009-08-10T10:58:00.001-07:00

2009-07-20T14:52:00.001-07:00

Desert Heat Retreat

2009-07-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

We headed up to Arizona's high country for a 3 day retreat from the heat. We met up with our great friends Brian and Lindy Francom for 3 days of camping along the Mogollon Rim. On Friday afternoon when we arrived, we were met with a thunderous sprinkling rain which was an awesome way to cool our heels. We set up camp and had a dinner of fajitas, fresh tortillas and fixings, then afterwards a campfire with plenty of SMORES! The kids (and Lindy) were in heaven! Thanks to Brian for cutting all that wood. I don't think Caris would have let him rest if he hadn't gone out and got that wood chopped right away. She was just dying to get that fire going so she could toast her 'smarshmallows'.

The next day, Zeke woke up at the break of dawn and we were up early, ate some yummy breakfast burritos and then Brian used his Arizona map and GPS to find us a hatchery to visit. We were off on a new adventure to God's Country. We found out that we made a wrong turn on a forest service road, but ended up at a beautiful stream called Clear Creek Ranch. It was truly a beautiful place. You could still see the remains of the fire that burned all around the rim a few years back. That ranch was completely encircled by burned trees as far as the eye could see. We then back-tracked and made it up to the fish hatchery. The kids loved it. Thanks to the kindness of strangers who gave me a couple quarters to buy some pellet food for the kids to feed the fish. We had a great time, then after a morning of driving around the forest, went back to camp for some rest.

We then made steaks for dinner and an ominous monsoon storm looked like it might hit us at any minute, but was uneventful. After a delicious dinner, we enjoyed our campfire and Brian and Lindy surprised me with a birthday cobbler in their dutch oven by the campfire. They even brought along ice cream. It was so yummy! I think that with all the relaxation and eating, I'm going to have to go on a serious diet.
It was such a great way to spend a weekend.

On our way home, we took a detour by Saguaro Lake and ended up deciding to pull in and hop in the lake with all our clothes on for a dip! The hot desert had already gotten to us so a cool-off in the lake was just what we needed. I wish we could do it all over again this coming weekend!

2009-07-14T11:31:00.001-07:00

PAYDAY Friday!

2009-07-10T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hi Peeps! Just rolling thru a Friday afternoon wondering what I'm going to have for lunch. I am due to get out of work at 3:15. I sure hope I can cram all my work into the next 3 hrs! haha

I have been a blog-slacker, but since I saw a chance to get a completely free Bo-Bunny Blinkie AND a chance to win a great prize from them, I decided I better get crack-a-lackin'.

As for some scrap news, I have to say I am SUPER disappointed with Creating Keepsakes magazine. I got the new August issue in the mail this week and happened to notice an article and picture of a Seashell album on page 112. Well, I read and re-read the article 3 times and nowhere did I see any credit to a gal named Glynda Roffman. I happen to follow her blog http://glyndaroffmann.blogspot.com/ and several months back, she sent me an email that she had put together a cute seashell album kit made out of REAL shells that she drilled herself. Well, I was amazed by her creativity and how cute it was, went over to etsy and decided that while I didn't have $25 to blow right then, I'd keep checking back and buy one eventually. Fast forward to this past week and what do I see but her exact same idea with credit given to someone else. I emailed Glynda and asked if she had come up with the idea herself or if she had seen it somewhere before because I had seen the CK article with almost her exact same album. She replied that she was HORRIFIED because it was her own god-given idea and that she had submitted the idea to several magazines months and months ago and after she didn't get any response, she decided to make up kits to sell on etsy and ebay. So for you CK readers and fans-I challenge you to decide for yourself....Cruise on over to Glynda's blog which will lead you to her etsy stuff where she has the seashell albums for sale. Then take a look at page 112 of CK mag./August issue. I'd love to hear your comments. The pictures posted here on my blog are copied from Glynda's etsy kits that she has for sale.

Happy Friday everyone-keep it scrappy!

p.s. in all fairness to the CK contributor, I emailed her directly this afternoon and she replied that she really had come up with the idea all on her own and cited a timeline to when she submitted it. So in all fairness to both parties (neither whom I have ever met in person)-it is a probable coincidence.

Packing for the Bahamas

2009-04-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

I can't believe our trip is in two days. We leave for the Bahamas
this weekend and I am NOT READY! LOL. I've only had 12 months to get packed
and I'm a total procrastinator and slacker. I have my kids all packed up and ready to go (somehow the thought of shipping the kids off is more exciting!).
We are going to be staying at the super-all-inclusive Sandals Royal Bahamian Resort in Nassau. I have never been to the Bahamas, but we have stayed at various Sandals resorts in Jamaica 7 times. We have high expectations of the resort because we know
how great the accomodations are in Jamaica. We have 6 other couples (friends and relatives) traveling with us and we are a party crew so it should be a blast. I am looking forward to all the fruity drinks and of course scuba diving. I am hoping we don't run into any sharks, but from what I've seen, there will probably be plenty. We also intend to spend a day at the Atlantis resort so that we can see the aquatic life they have there. When I return, I have stamp club night on Wednesday (I'll be the hostess) and CKC classes and vendor faire shopping on Friday. Sheesh this is going to be one heck of a month as far as spending goes.

Ides of March

2009-03-13T14:56:00.000-07:00

Well the wind was blowing yesterday and it made me wonder....does the wind blow EVERYWHERE in the month of March? Is that a 'global' thing that happens? Why does everyone know about March winds? Does the world turn windy in that particular month only?

I can hardly believe how fast time goes. In the past few weeks, we've entertained our friend Leah, who we met while scuba-diving in Kauaii. I truly think she'll be a life-long friend for us. Hopefully I'll get to go visit her more often than she'll get to come visit me! She and her hubby are from Texas and decided to open a scuba shop in Hawaii. Very brave of them, but they seem to enjoy what they do. Doing shore dives is pretty tough work. Especially if someone gets tired. It's alot of swimming and when you're underwater, you don't quite notice how far you've distanced from shore because you're exploring and having fun, it's only when you notice the oxygen tank level is low and realize that you're nowhere near shore and that there's no boat to come pick you up that it's tough. Trust me. I swam a great distance when this happened to me. I never felt so unprepared. But since I was on vacation, I just took a breath and realized that even if it took me all day to swim to shore, I'd get there eventually!

I am planning to help my Aunt with her yardsale tomorrow. I am looking forward to finding some new treasure that she's ready to cast off and I'm looking forward to meeting her friend who has traveled all the way from Pittsburgh. Should be a nice 80 degree weekend too so that should be great.

Our trip to the Bahamas is quickly approaching. I hope we can gather up all our 'loaned out' pieces of luggage so that I can start packing. I'm sure the weekend will be over with all too soon!

Single Mom

2009-02-04T16:20:00.000-08:00

My hubby called and said he has to work late AGAIN so he'll have to stay the night up in Globe with his mom or his sister. This makes the 2nd night in a row he can't come home. YUCK! I feel like a single mom when he doesn't come home. I have to do it all and it's no fun!

Kids-I think this means we're having Ramen Noodle soup for dinner again! hahahahaha

TUESDAY....BLAH BLAH BLAH

2009-02-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

OK so the Cards lost the superbowl....oh well. I am still happy they were in the big game. And they didn't play all that bad either. Heck I was a Cards fan when they were losing ALL their games so what's another one?! go Cards! Maybe next year I can actually go to a game. I had a hard time justifiying the ticket price, the all day trip just to get out there, finding a sitter, etc. but I'll be there next season for sure. I hear the tailgate parties are awesome and something to see.

I've been trying to find some scrap time. I brought out all my junk yesterday and it looks like I won't have to cook dinner tonight since Fred won't be home. So I am thinking tonight will be a good night to scrap and watch some TV. I joined 'album club' at Scrapbooks, ETC. and the whole point of it is to scrap 50 pages. So I seriously have to get busy so I can go take in some of my work and get my list stamped for my store credit.

SKELETON CREW

2009-01-02T09:04:00.001-08:00

Ok I must be one of the only fools working today. It's empty here at work but I must say it's nice and quiet. I didn't sleep well last night. Zeke was crying and wanted me to hold him so I was lazy and took him to my bed. BIG MISTAKE. He tossed and turned all night. Mostly kicking me in the head! I'm such a sucker for my babies though. I love them. I am having lunch with my 2 girlfriends from the office today. I think we're heading over to the new Sauce restaurant on the corner. I could eat a whole Pepperoni pizza there! But my tummy doesn't quite feel like it so I probably won't. I am working on a Basic Grey 2009 calendar while I'm at my desk today. I am hoping I get all 12 layouts done. It's a cute project and I bought it for like $10 or $11 at Michael's with my 40% off coupon.

We Missed It

2009-01-01T10:33:00.000-08:00

Am I getting old or what? We all fell asleep on the couch waiting for the New Year to begin. I'm not sure if that's a good sign or not. Hopefully it will mean this coming 2009 will be a well rested year and not so chaotic like years past. I am looking forward to coming to an end of buying diapers in 2009. Potty-training Zeke will be a challenge I'm sure, but I am looking forward to all that extra money I'll be able to spend on other things since at some point, I may not have to buy any more diapers! Wishful Thinking! My house is in disaster mode. It looks like 30 squatters have been living here rather than the 4 of us. EEEK.....getting ready to mop floors. Hopefully I'll get the house under control today.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

New Year 2009

2008-12-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe this year has come to a close. The time escaped me. It's almost 2pm 12/31/08 and I don't even know where today went. I hope 2009 will go by a little slower so I can enjoy every minute of it. No big plans for tonight but I am hoping to try out my new slice machine and do some scrapbooking. I have a bottle of Champagne for tonight and I plan on drinking it! We will be home with the kids so it should be pretty peaceful. I am hoping someone in the neighborhood blasts off some fireworks. Should be fun to watch.

Happy New Year!

Holiday Lunch

2008-12-19T13:57:00.000-08:00

Just got back from a Holiday Lunch at the Olive Garden. It was hosted by our 'big' manager aka the Jefe named Dean. He's a really nice manager. So calm, easy to talk to and just a regular joe. I've had some managers who have been unapproachable, so having him as a manager is nice even though I rarely have to work with him directly. I also got to see my other 2 managers and I haven't seen them in person for a while so it was nice to see them and talk about other things besides work. I also got to talk to another manager of another group and she and I both had 12 year old daughters in common so we were talking about shopping for them. It was good to make that contact. Never know with this economy if I might be looking for a job in the near future. I was telling her how the Hollister store always smelled like a broken bottle of perfume and she told me that they had heard Aeropostale clothing was sprayed with perfume every morning before the store opened so they got there early one morning and sure enough, the clerks were walking around the store spraying everything. I was really shocked to hear that one. I am pretty much done with my holiday shopping. I still have one more person to get for and that's my brother in law. I hate always giving him gift cards, but then again, I myself LOVE getting gift cards. So if I can't find anything great for him (he probably has everything anyway) then I'll get him a gift card again.

Wynonna

2008-12-05T14:25:00.001-08:00

The Wynonna Judd Christmas show at the Ikeda Theater in Mesa last night was AWESOME! I think just being on a date with no kids was part of the fun. My husband even got all gussied up so that was nice. We didn't go to any place fancy for dinner but it was a place we had been wanting to try forever and it was worth the wait. We like to think of ourselves as 'hotdog connoisseurs' and we've been to the famous Pink's Hotdogs in Los Angeles, Puka Dog in Kauaii. This place was pretty good. The place is called Micky's hotdogs but they only serve dogs after 4pm. The hotdog was wrapped in bacon and well cooked, then he had pinto beans, diced tomato, onion, grilled jalapeno, jalapeno relish sauce and mayo. The restaurant also sold tacos inside 2 for $1.35. They were authentic Mexico style tacos, but really tasty. I think the hotdog with Jalapeno sauce is going to be calling me back. As for the concert. Wynonna is an amazing entertainer. She really has a gift and she is so down to earth. She is a BIG woman. Big booty on that lady but she's still really pretty and she has the whitest teeth. We were sitting on the second level (mezzanine) and her teeth just glowed. Listening to all that Christmas music really put me in the mood for the holidays. We are getting our tree out and decorating tonight. Should be a fun way to spend Friday night with the kids. Hopefully Zeke doesn't yank off too many ornaments from the tree. I did notice the babysitter hasn't put any ornaments on her tree. Probably because of Zeke!

Fa La La La La

2008-12-03T10:35:00.000-08:00

Where does the time go? I can hardly believe it's DECEMBER 3RD! Freddie and I went 'blitz shopping' on Friday after Thanksgiving. We hit our normal stores-Sports Authority, Walmart. We got some deals but seriously I think we didn't make a dent in the Christmas shopping because we only bought stuff for ourselves!!! But there were some great deals to be had. We got some lights up in the front yard and cleaned our side yard weeds over the weekend. It was some nice time off. Thanksgiving was not really that great. My kids and I were sick and had the stomach flu. We are finally all coming around. But the dry air and poor air quality has me hacking up a lung still. I almost feel asthmatic. I made a date night for me and Freddie tomorrow. We are going to see Wynonna Judd at a small Mesa Theater. She'll be doing her Christmas music and I guess she just came out with a holiday CD. I am hoping she sings more than Christmas music, but either way, it's a date, it should be fun and I can't wait! I am also hoping we get to enjoy a nice dinner with no kids too! We'll see how it all plays out tomorrow night.

Swimming in November

2008-11-17T10:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I have to say I feel LUCKY. We took my 12 year old step-daughter
and two of her friends to the Pointe Hilton at Squaw Peak in North Phoenix over the weekend for her 12th Birthday. Lucky that we could afford such luxury, and LUCKY that the weather was PERFECT. We had so much fun. Who ever dreamed of swimming in November? Well the pools are heated, so that helps but also there were very few people there so it was not at all crowded. We had originally rented a suite with the intent that the girls could sleep on the fold out sofa and loveseat in the living
room. But the room was really small compared to the last suite we had at a different Pointe resort this past summer. So my husband called down to the front desk to see if they had any better deals on bigger rooms and they offered us a Casita for only $20 more. SOLD! We moved over to a 2 story Casita that had a bedroom/full bath upstairs and a huge kitchen, dining, bathroom, living room with 2 sleeper sofas on the first floor. It was pretty cool. Right outside the Casita was a more private pool and jacuzzi (the Cacuzzi as my 4 year old calls it) and we were only a short walk from the entrance of the Lazy River Ranch where the resort has a huge lazy river. I also took the girls (and myself of course) for pedicures on Saturday morning, then we went back for swimming all day. Saturday night we all piled in the car for dinner at Old Town Scottsdale at a place called Banderas Restaurant where they serve quite possibly the best Mac N Cheese on the planet oh and the Rotisserie chicken is also their specialty and that's pretty darn good too. We topped off the night with cupcakes from the Sprinkles Cupcake Bakery also in Scottsdale. YUMMY! My husband and I shared a red velvet and a coconut cupcake but seriously I could'a had two! LOL My daughter Caris had the most fun of anyone and she asked me if we could just stay one more night......I WISH! Anyway-back to the real world....Happy Monday everyone!

DIETING

2008-10-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Tired of feeling FAT. Well my hubby and I decided we needed to get in shape. We have been on a diet for 2 weeks and I have to say it's working. I am down 15 lbs. according to my scale this morning. I have to say that I am feeling more like my old self again instead of such a blob. My clothes are fitting once again so that's also a nice feeling.

We are doing low-calorie meals and then protein shakes in between. I kind of like this idea because I am not hungry, it satisfies my sweet tooth and I can just make it to the end of the day without feeling like I gotta cheat. This may be a realistic new way of living.

Gotta give a shout out to my friend from work-Melissa Sturgeon today is her 29th birthday (wink). Whatever birthday it is Melissa YOU ROCK! And have a great time at Organ Stop Pizza! (I joked with her that she's much too old for a pizza party-but isn't any age a great age for a Pizza Party?)

We are finally having nice weather again here in Sunny AZ. I love this time of year...wish I had saved more days off so that I could actually enjoy it. Oh well....maybe next year.

September '08 Update

2008-09-23T10:51:00.000-07:00

Well, haven't blogged in a while. Today I am totally inspired by all the great scrapbook shows coming out on QVC. Although I haven't felt the need to pick up the phone and order anything, I have been watching for new ideas to put in my own scrapbooks. I have been doing quite a bit of scrapping lately, my kitchen counter has been covered in scrapbook stuff, but so long as I've been doing something is all that matters. We did have a great time in the mountains for Labor Day. I got a really great photo of Caris with a bright yellow butterfly we caught. I think the butterfly was on it's way out because it never flew away, it just let her hold it the entire day. I think that's what made it even more special. Those magical creatures are only around for a few days and on it's last day of life, she got to hold it, treasure it, love it, enjoy it's beauty. I also got a really great photo.

Creative Escape 2008

2008-09-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

Ok fellow scrappers...I was not able to attend this year's Creative Escape Event held at Wildhorse Pass and Casino down south of Ahwatukee. It is a scrapbooker's delight hosted by the Bazzill Paper Co. (local company) and Heidi Swapp. The cost to attend this year was 699.00 plus resort room fees so basically $1000.00 Sort of out of my price range, but I am a huge Heidi Swapp fan. I was able to get a hold of a project idea book from the event as well as a 12 x 12 paper pack and I have them listed on ebay if anyone is interested. I started the listings at only 99 cents which is a bargain considering I paid waaaay more. But with ebay, who knows what these might sell for.

Labor Day Weekend

2008-08-27T15:34:00.000-07:00

Time to head up to cooler climes and escape this desert heat. Me, Freddie, the kids and my parents will be going up to the White Mountains in Pinetop, Arizona for a long weekend. Hopefully we'll get to experience the big annual White Mountain Apache Rodeo Parade. It is a true Arizona experience that I have enjoyed since I was a young child. My least favorite part back in the old days was that sometimes the crown dancers would circle our truck and I would be terrified. Or they would pick me out from the parade route nearly every time and threaten to kidnap me. It was so scary back then as a child, but now I have so much respect for those who keep their culture alive. Not only that, but I'm looking forward to eating a piece of Indian Fry Bread...like the natives say....KIYEAAAAH!

Check it Out

2008-08-02T23:46:00.000-07:00

As mentioned, one of my passions in life is for Scuba Diving and travelling the Caribbean.
There is a new travel website started by a friend we met in Whitehouse, Jamaica. Her name is
Shelby and she lives about 5 miles away from my cousin Brant in New Jersey.
The website link is: http://www.rantalot.com/
It also has disney links. I am looking forward to seeing her message board grow into a beautiful resource for travelers and I wish her all the best!

yes this is a picture of me (third from the left) scuba diving with my compadres Jody and Deanna Castaneda and my hubby Freddie this past April, 2008 diving at a spot called Koloa Landing in Kauai. This is one of my fav. pictures of all time. How many people get a group shot 40 feet under? GOTTA LOVE IT!

Tribute to my Neighbor

2008-07-23T10:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to take a minute to honor my neighbor
from my childhood home. Ross Bittner passed away over the weekend. He was our city councilman, member of Holy Angels Catholic church, husband to Armida, father to David, Kim, Lisa and a loving grandpa. I still remember when they first bought the lot above us and I used to go play in the dirt while Ross worked to build their home. Probably never again will I know someone who builds their home with their own two hands. He lovingly built a modern, beautiful, castle-like home with an amazing 2-story view. He was a gentle giant, patient, caring and a wonderful neighbor. I'm sad he's gone, but celebrating his entrance to heaven as I am sure he is there. Ross-thanks for a lifetime of memories, you will be missed.

Happy Birthday to Me!

2008-07-16T11:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Me and Susan McFadden my scrappin' buddy.
we are 'twins' and celebrating our 29th birthday again today.
Mom and Dad called first this morning and Mom said I am not
officially 'born' until after 1pm. So lovely for her to remember.
She always says Dad wasn't there and that he had gone to eat
lunch when I arrived. Those were the 'old' days.
Going to Stamp Club tonight at the Stampin' Up demonstrator's House.
She is a neat lady. We learn great techniques there. She does an
excellent job of presenting what you're learning step-by-step.

Happy 1st Birthday Son!

2008-06-27T11:19:00.001-07:00

Zeke-I can hardly believe it was a year ago today that you were born. What a handsome little boy I have been blessed with. I can't wait to see you get cake all over your hands and face, but more importantly, I can't wait to take a picture for the scrapbook of course!

We'll be having a house-full of family and friends tomorrow for a little cowboy style BBQ lunch and swim party to celebrate Zeke's 1st Birthday. It should be a real fun event.

2008-06-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

Work has got my day going fast and furious. I can't wait to get home to
my kids and Freddie. The weather outside looks dark and ominous. I hope I can beat the storm home. In fact I just saw lightening strikes out in the desert floor.
YIKES.
Hopefully I'll get some time to scrap later tonight. I have all the stuff! hehehe.

2008-06-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

Finally decided to get my blog together. Seems like all the world is saying what's going on in their lives...why not me too?! So here I am. Hopefully you can find some patience until I can get this groovy little tool where I want it to be. Just got finished with a long day's work and going out to dinner as soon as my hubby gets home. I am trying to find some tunes for this thing too. Geesh if I could remember the names of the artists I like that would be a start! LOL

Went to Salt Lake City last week. It was my first trip to Utah and I was amazed at how beautiful it was there. I went for the Memory Works scrapbook retreat in Layton, UT. Left on Wednesday with my friend Susan and we had a blast. I did really miss Freddie and the kids. The retreat was absolutely amazing. The guest speaker was Stacy Julian of Big Picture Scrapbooking. She was phenomenal to say the least and we were treated to a copy of her newest book AND she signed it! Lucky me!
Our flight home was cancelled so we got stuck in a really awful airport hotel. I hope no one out there ever has to stay at the Salt Lake Airport Comfort Inn. What a dump! It made our trip home even better though.
I'll try and post some pictures of what I made real soon!