Black Friday

Happy Black Friday!! I was so excited -- Target had their Black Friday ads online yesterday, so we bought 2 Garmin GPS's and lots of Leapster games. I'm SO SO excited! The GPS was the big ticket item I wanted. One of them we had sent to up north for Christmas. Yippee!! I went to Wal-Mart this morning at 5:15, after what I wanted wasn't available online (Leapster for $30 - sold out online). Unfortunately they were sold out there as well. One lady was going to give me hers, but it was pink. So my friend was in line at Kohl's and got me one there with her extra 15% off coupon. I came home around 6:15 with nothing, then took Sweet Girl with me at 7:00 and went back out to Target and Justice for girls. We then ate at Panera, stopped at Blockbuster, and was home by 11:00. So we did pretty good!

College Boy and his girlfriend went to Disneyworld today. I just talked to him and they said the lines were good and they were in line at IASW and it was a 20min. wait, their longest wait so far.

At least I don't have to cook now for awhile. We have enough leftovers for a VERY long time!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!! The College Boy is home, the desserts are done, the sweet potato casserole is finished, the stuffing is in the bird, the bird is in the oven, and all is well with the world. I'll be cooking throughout the day today, then our family will be going to the neighbor's for dessert. God Bless you and your families, and remember those who are overseas.

Merric Joseph Peart

A big congrats to the Rocket Scientist's cousin who had her little boy yesterday. Mom and son are doing great, but dad is over in Afghanistan and had to miss the birth of his son. Luckily he will be home very soon! Wish we could be there to see him! You all are in our thoughts and prayers.

Fall Festival Marketplace

Yesterday was my daughter's Fall Festival at her school, and it was the first time I had a table and sold my wares. I made mostly bottlecap necklaces for the kids, scrabble tile necklaces for kids and adults, glass marble necklaces, glass tile necklaces and handmade beautiful bracelets. It was a lot of fun, but I was SO SO sick! I'm on an antibiotic, but tomorrow I hope to get a stronger one at the doctor's. I still have that yucky chest-head-throat congestion and fever. Yuck! But I did well yesterday, and that was a big plus! Then I ate dinner with a bunch of girlfriends. Other than being sick, it was a funfilled day!

The Night Launch

Well, the shuttle launch was fantastic! Now, getting there and coming home was another story. In the shuttle traffic to the launch site, we got rear ended by a very large SUV on the interstate, who did not stop. We were stopped, and they rammed into us. We pulled over, but they didn't and that was that. We have to get it all fixed now out of pocket. Then we took the L-O-N-G way home with traffic that barely moved. TWO HOURS it took to get home. Unreal! But the kids had a great time, and were troopers in the long car ride home. Thank God for DVD players in the van!

Shuttle Launch Tomorrow

Tomorrow we are going to see a night lauch out at KSC. Night lauches are fantastic to watch. The Rocket Scientist got us a lauch pass so we can get as close as you can. Let's pray the weather cooperates.

I Voted!

Well, I was worried about long lines at the voting precincts today, and it ended up I didn't have to wait at all! I went around 10:00 this morning with no wait! That was great, because I had Little Man in tow and didn't want to have to deal with him in a long line for over an hour. Now, let's pray that God's Will will be done and the RIGHT man will be in office! This will be exciting, no matter who will be president.

On another note, my DEAR College Boy was at a (democratic) rally in Tallahassee over the weekend and got to hold a sign and was standing behind Joe Biden. Here is a picture of him. He has the FSU hoodie on and the Ray Ban Sunglasses. (who raised this boy, a bunch of Monkeys???)

Halloween and Trunk or Treat

Halloween night the kids got dressed up in their costumes. Little Man was Batman and Sweet Girl was a Cat(woman). The Rocket Scientist and I dressed up as pirates, because we participated in our church's Trunk or Treat at the local High School. Wow, was it crowded! 6000 people were there, and I believe it! Not a minute went by that one of us wasn't handing out candy. Amazing! But the church did it up well, and everyone had a great time.

Pumpkin Carving

Ah, Fall is in the air! We actually ran the heater for the first time this season, this morning, because it got down in the 40's last night! Brrrrrr!! Last night the Rocket Scientist and kids all had fun carving the Great Pumpkin. Sweet Girl came up with the design, and they all took a turn carving the expression out. Lots of fun, even with removing the yucky pumpkin guts. On halloween night, our church is having a Trunk or Treat outreach at a local high school, and we're decorating our van in a pirate theme. I think I still need to get a few things for it. I'm not quite certain how we'll dress up, but I'm sure whatever we come up with will be fine. Besides, all that the kids will want is the candy!!

Weekend Fun

Today after church, sweet girl and I are off to see the big HSM3 movie. I can't wait to see which big film this one rips off. The first one was like Romeo and Juliet, the second one was an exact copy of Dirty Dancing, and now this one. I hear it is a mix of quite a few movies, so we'll see!

Yesterday Little Man had a BIG birthday party to go to at one of his little friend's house. Wow, did she go all out and did we have a great time! It was a halloween theme and the kids all went dressed up in their costumes. Of course half of Little Man's batman costume was off once he jumped in the princess bouncy house. Then the shoulder repair I did right before we left didn't hold and it tore. They had the bouncy house, decorate your bucket, carnival games, scavenger hunt, a pinata, bouncy ball races, prizes, pizza, food...it was great! Such a fun time! Ah, to be a young mom again.... lol

Candy Corn

It's that time of year again, when the stores are stocked with fall sweets and the sweet tooth comes out stronger and stronger! I'm going to try to lay off sweets for a while. I know this is the worst time of year to do that, but I've got to lose some weight and get my body into shape before winter hits. ha! My friend Melissa (at MCC designs) was telling us about her candy corn addiction, and I think I made it worse for her by suggesting mixing them with peanuts and m&m's. Here are some YUMMY recipes you can put out and will get devoured in no time flat!

Great candy bar recipe tastes in a bowl:

Snickers - candycorn, salted dry roasted peanuts, m&m's
PayDay - candycorn and dry roasted peanuts
Chunky with raisins - candycorn, peanuts, m&m's and raisins

Happy Snacking!!

Holiday Cards

Aren't these the cutest cards? I made them at my friend Annette's CTMH card class. She is SO talented at desiging. I love everything she makes! A few of these will go to my god-daughter.

Go Gators!!

We're FIIIIIRRRED Up!! WooHoo!! SO glad we beat LSU! What a blowout that game was, 51-21 in the SWAMP! Gotta love Florida Football!!

Someone had a birthday!

Little man turned 4, and we all went to Chuckee Cheese for the afternoon. Luckily a few of us were able to sneak away to the scrapbooks and bead store across the street. He was thrilled with the games, but wasn't too sure about the lifesized chuckee that walked around. After all was said and done, he turned in his tickets for a big chuckee cheese gumball machine! It is now hid away, since he doesn't know how to "chew" gum correctly. Why dad let him get that is beyond me. lol It was great to have college boy home for the weekend. We miss him already!

Fun Craft

I found this at ScrapMart's site. Very cute!



Lisa

New Car

It was time to turn in our other Sienna, and decided with a 10 year old and a soon-to-be 4 year old at home, we should still stick with the van. It is a Toyota Sienna in Desert Sand Mica. SO pretty! Drives just like the other one we had, so no difference there. The DVD player inside has a much bigger and wider screen which the kids love, and I just LOVE the electric doors on both side. I can't say enough about this van. We have owned quite a few over the years, and the Sienna is definitely the best!

Back To School. Again.

After being off so many days last week, the kids are finally able to go back to school. Both Sweet Girl and Little Man absolutely LOVE their teachers and their classmates! Hopefully this will be a very good year for both of them. I did sign Little Man up for Lunch Bunch once a week. He always asks to bring his lunch box to school, like he sees his sister doing during the week. So cute... College Boy is settling down in his new apartment up in Tallahassee. They didn't experience any power outages or flooding where he was at, which is good, but with two storms brewing out in the atlantic, I'm always worried about where and when the next storm will hit. Keep everyone in the gulf coast in your prayers that they will be protected. Little man is addicted to the Wii. Did I mention that?? He asks to play it EVERYDAY which drives me nuts since he wants ME to play it with him. He asks CONSTANTLY!! I've been getting quite good at Mario Party 8 now! lol

The CLEAN-UP Begins

Today we finally were able to clean up outside and venture out to stores! You could tell school had been out by what was picked over at Target today. Sweet Girl got the LAST Miley Cyrus CD in the whole store, and Little Man got the last Wii Olympic Games that they had as well. So what does a person do when they are cooped up inside? Why shop, of course! Here is a head's-up from a friend of mine who makes the most beautiful correspondence items. I ordered one of the personalized 5x7 note pads. You can find her items here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5062959

Catastrophic Flooding

This was the headlines in today's paper. We have had a total of 26 inches of rain so far, and it just keeps raining with the winds blowing off and on all day long. Above you can see the flooded back porch and the lovely green, overflowing pool. Yes, that is debris that somehow got into the back pool deck and you can see how high the water was until I went outside to drain it. 4 times. Around 8 inches each time. Yeah, that is alot of water! Did I mention that the kids are out of school again today and tomorrow?? They went back to school on Monday and have been home the rest of the week. Now we'll have to make up the days they lost. That won't be fun. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. We drove around a little today and the flood waters are receding which is very good news. I'm sure this will take a lot of time and money to clean up.

The Nightmare Continues...

This tropical storm has been worse than any hurricane we have had thus far. It has been a complete hellish nightmare for me...and STILL is! The flooding is horrendous - worse than a fast moving hurricane. And it is still not moving! Our pool is green, the front foyer has been flooding and I've been mopping through the night, the back porch has flooded, the ground has flooded, I've been outside dealing with the pool pump, and the rocket scientist is trying to fly in from Denver. Not good! The kids are stir crazy and out of school again today, and the cable went out. AT LEAST we still have power. Thank God for that!! Keep us in your prayers over here...

Tropical Storm Fay

Tropical storm fay is here. School started yesterday and now today it was cancelled. We are having gusty strong winds and tornado warnings right now. I hope it travels north quickly. College boy left this morning to go back to school, thinking he could outrun the storm, which he did. Of course the Rocket Scientist is out of town. At least this storm isn't very strong. Hopefully it will stay that way! Go away, Fay!!

Back from Vacation

Disney was fantastic! The whole mini vacation went so well, we couldn't have asked for a better time. Yes, it was hot, but we brought in some frozen water bottles each time and they really worked to cool us off. The first day was the hottest. We stayed at a 3 bedroom resort just outside of Disney and it was the best. Full kitchen, 3 bedroom/3 bath, free breakfast, large pool with a tiki bar. It was called World Quest Resort and was half price that week, plus we got a gas card if you stayed longer than 3 days. WooHoo!

We bought 3 day passes and broke it up during the week. SO SO glad we did that!! We live an hour away from Disney, so on Monday we drove straight to Animal Kingdom and stayed there until around 3:30. We rented a double stroller all three days because we had a large backpack filled with snacks and things...ointments for bug bites, etc. We left to go check into our hotel and it poured rain as we got to the resort, but then it stopped, so we changed into our bathing suits and swam a bit, then changed and went to Epcot that night, rode a few rides and watched the fireworks. Little Man was great, taking a nap here and there whenever he was tired. He loved the rides he could go on. He was JUST tall enough for the 40" height requirement rides and loved them all...EXCEPT...any of the 3D movie types where you had to put the 3D glasses on. He begged to go home during the Bugs Life 3D show. They were just not for him.

Tuesday we got up and went to Magic Kingdom and stayed there all day. We did get caught in the rain, but we had just gotten off of Splash Mountain and right there they had a play area that was covered so we stayed there and rode out the storm. That was like 30-40 minutes. From there we rode more rides, then left and decided to find a place to eat on the way home and swim. We ate at Macaroni Grill and it was terrible. I should have known to walk out right when they said their Bellini machine was broken. College Boy's meal was completely wrong and mine was undercooked, but that was ok. The worst fook of the trip was right there. We had reservations at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (Boma) restaurant the next day so we were excited about that and just took the pizza with us for the kids to eat the next day.

Wednesday was our day off. We slept in, then went down to the pool and swam, and ate lunch there. That afternoon we showered and changed and drove to Downtown Disney to see Wall-E at the theater. Little Man slept halfway through it which was good - he would be awake for dinner. After the movie, it started to pour and storm as we made our way to the Animal Kingdom Lodge. Our reservations at the Boma weren't until 9:45 (it was all they had) but we went early and walked around the resort and let Little Man sleep still. I guess since it was raining, people were stuck at the parks so they were able to seat us right away. Sweet Girl and I went straight to the gift shop and looked around, then Little Man woke up and they all came to where we were until they called us to be seated. I LOVE the food here - we literally ate until we could hardly move. Afterwards we went outside and saw the animals on the grounds (zebra, giraffe, etc.). What a fun and relaxing day!

Thursday we got up early and went to the Hollywood Studios park. We stayed there until 3:00 then jumped on over to Epcot until dinner time. We actually had no rain this day! We then left, ate dinner on the way home at Logan's steakhouse, and went to our resort to watch So You Think you can Dance (lol).

Friday was time to come home. Except for the minor sibbling bickering, everything went really well and the weather really cooperated on the most part. We couldn't have asked for a better time. That is definitely how you should do Disney in the heat of summer.

Les Mis

I'm SO proud of the College Boy today! He was lead trumpet in the orchestra for Les Miserables. It was put on by The Summer Fine Arts Program, which is a collaboration between Brevard County Public Schools and Brevard Community College. He acted in Oklahoma two years ago, then played lead trumpet last year and this year. Sweet girl and I went today and it was SO good! Just loved the acting, the singing and the story. They got around three standing ovations and deserved each one of them. Such great singers!! What a fabulous show! At the end, while everyone was leaving the orchestra played "Master of the House". Just LOVE that song! So upbeat and fun. Great job, son!!

New Cards

Yesterday I went to my friend Annette's house to make some cool cards. Aren't these cards so cute and fun? She is such a talented designer. She should be boxed up and marketed, she is that talented. But then she wouldn't have anymore classes because she would be too busy. She is a Close to my Heart consultant and she designed these cards based on most of their newest stamps. Incredible. So perfect - I think that is why I like art journaling so much, because I can be my sloppy self and not have to worry that I'm not perfect. Like my friend. lol Love her!

New Art Page

This is my latest art journal page, intitled "Identity Theft". I had just found out that someone had used my social security card number, and I was afraid that someone was stealing my identity and using it. After many phone calls and credit reports run to see if there was any activity going on, they seemed to think it was just a type-o when someone had put in a check on this other person. I sure hope that is the case! Anyway, here is my latest page. Made with torn paper, paint, images and stamping.

Saturday Update and a Blog Giveaway

The kids and I just got back from a walk up to Publix, then stopped at the lake to feed the fish. It was a nice morning - not too hot at all. We live near some lakes and the country club. The kids wanted to fish, but maybe a later time ;-)

Thank you to everyone who commented on my journal entry. I will post another one tomorrow that I finished. I still have not journaled on the page, and I'm still not sure of which style I like. I love the dark vintage colors and I also love the soft shabby chic colors, so I have no idea what my style really is. That is always my problem. I like just about everything, which makes me eclectic. And I don't really like that word, because it immediately makes you look like you are unorganized and love a hodge-podge look. Which I hate to say, is probably true!

Mary, over at http://averymarydesign.blogspot.com/ wants to get 100 posts by Sunday for a giveaway she is doing on her blog. Just scroll down and leave a comment to participate. She is cleaning out her attic! How fun - but here in FL that would not be very fun because of the heat index in ones attic is literally through the roof and you can only stay up there for around 2 minutes.

New Art Journal Page

You can tell it is close to summer here - we have been bombarded with rain now for a few hours. We definitely need it here, so I won't complain about the rain. Decided to work on an Art Journal project to learn a few techniques in. I figured I would begin by what is going on at the moment, and right now that is thinking about what to do for summer vacation! We have toyed with a few ideas, like going to Clearwater or St. Augustine or Disney or Busch Gardens. We just haven't decided yet. I love to go where the beach is and the hotel is right on the beach so you can shower off and jump in the pool, then go back out to the beach again. I love looking for cool shells and sea glass the most. Fun, fun times! So here is my page. I was going to journal right on it but then I chickened out. Not sure if this will be a journal or not. We'll see if I have the guts to write on the pages!

Happy Father's Day

Just a note to say Happy Father's Day to the Rocket Scientist. He is actually up in Chicago spending time with his dad and brothers, and was so sweet to call this morning to talk with the kids and was all sentimental about it being Father's Day, wishing he was here instead. But this is a special weekend for his dad and his four sons. I know he is glad to have them all there at one time. Wish we were there as well. Happy Father's Day, hun -- We All Love You!!

Recital Time

Last night was Sweet Girl's dance recital. She was in four different numbers which included Jazz, Tap and Pointe. It went very well and everyone in the entire show did a great job. It was nice that friends could come and enjoy it with us. Now she has to practice during the summer and be ready for next year!

Since school has been out...

1. I have two sick kids, the youngest of whom threw up two glasses of orange juice and half a hamburger with ketchup all over his bedroom carpet (TMI) and it will not come up. Used three different cleaning methods including a carpet cleaner and nothing is removing the stain.

2. Sweet Girl has a dance recital in 2 days where she is dancing in four different numbers and now she is sniffling, sneezing and hacking all over. Not good for a piroette!

3. Spent $50 on a throw rug at Target for Little Man's carpet in his bedroom to cover unsightly stain which shows the sitter on Saturday Night just what has been going on in said room.

4. Went to AC Moore to get spray glitter and glitter glue for props used in Sweet Girl's recital.

5. Computer mouse is driving me crazy.

6. College Boy is buying up things (Hollister Jeans) he NEEDS since being home for the summer and eating me out of house and home.

7. Sprinkler system outside decided to gush water all over from the main hub while system is running and we just got that part replaced a few weeks ago.

8. The Rocket Scientist has been out of town while all of this is going on.

And it has only been three days... ugh!!

Winding Down

Last night we went to BFF's daughter's high school graduation. I can remember like yesterday, seeing her as a tiny newborn all wide-eyed, staring up at you from her baby car seat. Time really flies by sometimes. Things are winding down here now. College Boy is home for the summer from college, Sweet Girl has her last full day of school today, and Little Man is on his summer break from pre-school. All is well with the world, except what are we going to do this summer?? I'm afraid if we don't have reservations for hotels at the keys or at Disney yet, those won't be happening. We'll see! In the meantime, check out this video. I have seen it before, but it gets me laughing SO hard I get tears in my eyes!

Mrs. G

OK peeps, I must have too much time on my hands, because how else could I have found the time to somehow find this woman's blog and start reading it? Anyways, she has the best sense of humor! I guess she mentions many things in my past and that is what draws me in...:
http://derfwadmanor.blogspot.com/

Read her Oprah post here:
http://derfwadmanor.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-05-27T09%3A50%3A00-07%3A00&max-results=2

And then, yes, I had to read something she linked to which was HER HAIR changes over the course of her lifetime. Pretty funny because I can relate! Does anyone remember the name of that family show with Willy and Buddy??
http://derfwadmanor.blogspot.com/2008/01/mrs-gs-life-in-hair.html

Let me know if you read any of this and what you think. She just cracks me up!

Lisa

A Wonderful Giveaway

I just wanted to mention about a wonderful giveaway on Martha's website at Vintage Trifles. What a beautiful piece! It means so much, especially near Memorial Day. You can find her website here: http://vintagetrifles.blogspot.com/2008/05/first-official-vintage-trifles-giveaway.html

Update: Darn, I didn't win it! Maybe she will make more and put them in her etsy shop to buy at a later date! :-)

The College Boy

Last week was a big day for the College boy. He turned 19 and got his wisdom teeth taken out within days of each other. He is still recovering, but is doing better than I thought, which is good. We were blessed to have his girlfriend come over and spend some time with him the day of his surgery. Here is a clip from YouTube of him playing his trumpet in a jazz concert at FSU.

I've been busy with the kids - Little Man graduated from his Wee Three school, and Sweet Girl has a recital coming up in a few weeks so we have LOTS of practices to squeeze in. On Memorial Day we will all be going to Orlando. My dear friend Kelli is having a big bash at her house, celebrating her newly adopted son's second birthday. I can't wait to see her and the kids! Lots to do, so little time. On a crafting note, I've been working on some gift cards with vintage pattern images. Lots of fun to make!



Lisa

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mom's out there. I wish my mother and mother-in-law were still here with us. I miss them both so. But life goes on, and hopefully I have learned what they taught me through the years so I can pass it on to my children. Yesterday was a big day. My friend Annette came over and we wheeled and dealed in the sweltering heat, selling our treasures until 1:00 and called it a day. We did pretty good I think! It was hard to part with some things. The tons of Beanie Babies that I got the kids which they have now outgrown, the Calvin Klein dress I have held onto for years to see if I could get back into it, the Scrapbooking idea books that are way outdated but have special layouts in them from favorite scrapbookers...but I have WAY too much stuff and need to lighten the load. All in all, a very good day!

Birthday Love

Last week on our trip out to Arizona, my sweet Rocket Scientist bought me this wonderful tote for my birthday. I just love the color, the size, the style...it is just perfect! Once I got back, my group of girlfriends went out to the Outback for dinner and they got me a Rice Cooker which I wanted. Then the whole family celebrated at Longhorn's Steakhouse a few days later. Now, back on the Weight Watcher band wagon.

Back in Town

Well, what a fun and fast weekend! We started it off on Friday flying to Arizona on a 4+ hour trip. The flight wasn't too bad at all. It helps when they show a movie during the flight. It makes the time go by much faster. We landed and rented a car and drove to Sedona for the day and then spent the night there. The Rocket Scientist and I had a great time shopping and having a fabulous spa treatment. The next day we drove to the Grand Canyon, and boy was that a great site to see! It was chilly and I wore my jacket for the four hours we hiked around there. Such a fabulous site to see. I wanted to see some wildlife there, and all I saw were ravens, chipmunks, and two condors. No jackrabbits, no coyotes, no elk. We even saw snow! So funny to think there is snow there at the Grand Canyon. We brought back some rocks for Little Man, which he loved. We bought goodies for all of the kids and they loved them. The next day was my birthday, and we went to downtown Scottsdale and shopped in the old town, then made our way up to the Fashion Square mall and did a little damage there. All in all, a fabulous trip with good food, good fun and good margaritas! yum! The kids did fine with their "Aunties" while we were gone. I will forever be grateful! Love you guys!

Last night the girls went out for our annual birthday celebration. Always so fun to get together and chat and laugh all night. College Boy is coming home today for the summer. Little Man has been asking about him for weeks now, and Sweet Girl can't wait to see him also!

Lisa

Karla's Aunt

Today I made a card for Karla at http://karlascottage.typepad.com/karlascottage/, whose Aunt Caroline is turning 100. Visit her at her blog - she is looking for 100 cards to give to her on her birthday when she visits her in Mt. Dora. Here is a picture of the card I made. I also made a matching gift tag, which I'll show later. I'm getting ready for a trip to Arizona for my birthday this Friday. My Rocket Scientist hubby has a business meeting there and I'll get to go along for the first 4 days, sight seeing and being pampered. Hopefully my cold will be better before we fly!

Starting Fresh

I'm going to give this blogging thing a go and hopefully stick with it and update it on a regular basis. I love all things vintage, all things photo, and all things paper crafting! I love to go to thrift stores and antique malls to see what treasures I can find. I love it!