Kelly in NC

I mean three posts in 3 days… and 4 scrapbooking layouts to boot! That really isn’t like me these days. I should probably wait a few days- but what the hell! The page is finished- so I may as well show it off! This one is of Tim’s guy trip out to Jackson Hole Wyoming last January. He had a great time- but do not even get me started on how I was screwed out this ski trip…anyhow, enjoy his photos.
This page was created using a template ($1) by LizDesigns and Kim Hill’s Snowboarding kit. By the way- I just realized that I have one MORE page to finish before I am officially finished with my 2008 scrapbook….

From Scrapbook

Also on a separate note, Grayson is really working hard on his potty training. The final step has been trying to convince him to go number 2 on the potty. We started with hot wheel bribes each time he used the potty and the first time he did it, I was cheering loudly and he looks up at me with those big blue eyes and says, “Mama, you pwoud uh me?” Umm, yea- I’m proud of you! Since the hot wheel bribes were going so well, we recently moved on to a potty chart. He has been working hard on filling in the chart and finally last night received his Hot Wheels Racing Hauler (a big rig). He was so excited to put his last sticker on the chart and then trade the chart in for the truck. YOu should have seen how happy he was!

Well, now that I have photoshop figured out- I am on a roll. Here’s the page I created today. This one is of my niece Kellynn’s Birthday back in January. I think that I only have one more layout before I can print my scrapbook for 2008! Then, I will need to get cranking on 2009… and 2007… and Grayson’s individual scrapbook. So let’s not get too excited. There’s still plenty of scrapping to do!

From Scrapbook

This page was created using my own layout, a free paper/embellishment kit from Shabby Princess. I used a cupcake template created (for sale) by Trish H Designs .

So here’s a catch up on the happenings of my life since my last “Odds and Ends” post:
~For the past two weeks Grayson has been refusing to take his afternoon nap. He will stay in his bed- but will not fall asleep. He will usually call for me every 20-30 minutes to ask “Dit up time?” I still make him “rest” for the 2 hours- but man, I wish he would go back to sleeping! He’s been pulling the same stunt at school too. You can just imagine what the evening are like around here. So any suggestions?
~Grayson has been saying some rather funny things these days. Yesterday, I put him in the car to run an errand and realized that I had forgotten my coffee in the house. He looks at me and says, “Oh mama….You lost your mind!” I has also started to joke…or at least that what he calls it. He uses this one anytime I have asked him to do something and he refuses. I start counting and about the time that I am going to say “3″- he laughs and says “Mama, I jus jokin’!” then he runs off to do as I’ve asked.
~Tim was so cute on Valentine’s- or should I say the day before Valentines. He got home before me on Friday and said that I should go inside and look on the counter. There I found a beautiful vase of flowers. Then a few hours later he asks if I want the rest of my valentine’s gift. I tell him no- I can wait until Valentine’s Day. An hour later he asks again. I again choose to wait until the next day. The third time he asks, I finally say ‘Tim, is this something that I need to open tonight? If not I would rather wait until Valentine’s day in less than 9 hours.” His response, “No. it can wait. I’m just proud of myself for getting you something BEFORE the actual day!” And he should be proud of himself-as this must have really taken some effort. Buying gifts in advance is completely outside his nature. I did wait until Saturday to get the gift was very excited to receive a beautiful silver necklace. It’s the type of jewelry I could wear almost any day and I love it! I gave Tim a box of chocolates and made him a yummy dinner of steak, sweet potatoes, salad, and home-made chocolate cupcakes for dessert!
~Grayson was able to feel the new baby kick this week. I didn’t think that he really felt it or understood- but apparently he did. While visiting my neighbors this week, he proclaimed that his baby brother kicked him through mommy’s belly!
~I have finished a couple more scrapbook pages. The first one is from my nephew’s 2nd birthday in March. Template- a freebie from Moriginals. Paper/ Embellishments from a variety of sources…too many to credit!

From Scrapbook

This one is of photos from my nephews Jewish Naming Ceremony. The page was created using a free template from: http://www.scrapandrea.com and paper/embellishments: Merry Go ROund by Trish H Designs.

From Scrapbook

Well, I am getting there. Slowly- but making progress none the less. I have finally found some decent tutorials on how to use Photoshop and with a bit of practice- I think that I am going to really like the program. Here’s my latest page created from the photos of the wedding we attended in March. I have finished all the pages from April- December and am now working backward in 2008 in hopes of finishing this scrapbook sometime this century.

From Scrapbook

So besides playing in the snow, here is what I spent the rest of my “Snow Day” accomplishing…another scrapbook page. This one is of Grayson’s visit with Santa this year. It was created using the free Seaonal Sampler Holiday2006 kit from Shabby Princess.

From Scrapbook

From Scrapbook

Finally another scrapbook page (Tempate: KijmLizzy free DIP template 33 Kit: Lazy Summer. This one is in honor of my brother-in-law Kevin who was officially as “old as dirt” in November…or at least 40. I swear that Kevin is the youngest looking 40 year old person I have ever known. He is kind and thoughtful, sarcastic at times, but always fun to be around…even if he is almost ancient. He is a wonderful father, and an even better brother-in-law. I am lucky to have him as a part of my family. So Happy Birthday Kevin, you junk-collecting old fart!

By the way, have I mentioned how SLOW my computer works on my scrapbooking projects. It is driving me crazy. I know, I know…buy the IMac already. I would but it seems as if we have been making a number of large purchases lately that seem to “trump” by new computer. First there was Christmas and now we just bought a new leather recliner for Tim’s Audio/Video Room. Maybe next month. Yes, the A/V room is basically finished…except for a few final details and furniture. I promise to post photos once it is completely finished!

Lastly, cross your fingers and do your snow dance….I am praying for a snow day tomorrow!

On to my November pages- here’s my Thanksgiving page created using the free kit Harvest Spice from Shabby Princess. I love thier kits!

From Scrapbook

It will likely be a few days before I am able to make another post. My dad flies in for a visit tomorrow- so I am sure we’ll be busy! Have a Happy New Year!

Whew! Does anyone else feel like you have just run a marathon after the Christmas Holidays? Not that I would really know what it feels like to run a marathon! But really? Is anyone else exhausted. Shoving 5 present filled events into three days without much down time is tiring to say the least. Yesterday was my first day without visitors and I will admit that I enjoyed it. (I’m not saying that I didn’t enjoy all the company because I did!) But having a “down” day was awesome. I took a nap, finished reading “The Choice” by Nicholas Sparks (a very good book by the way), worked on my Christmas photos (click on the one at the top to see them all), and even did another scrapbook page (see below).
As for all the festivities, Grayson LOVED Christmas this year. It took him only a couple of times to figure out the best method for opening presents and after three days of gifts, he asked again yesterday if there were anymore to open! Too funny. He loved putting cookies out for Santa to eat and insisted on celery for the reindeer. He was so excited to see if they had eaten their snacks- that he actually walked by all of his gifts from Santa (unwrapped) and inspected the left over crumbs on the coffee table. His favorite gifts were firetrucks (one is remote control), the truck transporter semi, and of course the small John Deer Track Hoe and Back Hoe Loader. Tim and I also got him a tricycle although he hasn’t shown much interest in it.
Well, now it’s time to get ready for New Years! My dad is coming up for a visit and we are very excited to see him. He hasn’t visited NC in over 2 years and has never seen our new house. I know that it will be another packed long weekend- but it will definitley be worth it!

From Scrapbook

From Scrapbook

Well, I have finally finished another scrapbook page. This one is of my nephew and niece who were born one week apart. I promised that I would eventually post some photos of them so I guess this will have to do for now. My computer is working VERY slow and I do not have the patience to edit the rest of the photos and blog them. Maybe if I ever get that iMac you’ll finally see them. Cross your fingers- I hope to get it after the holidays!

That is for my computer. I can read the signs and I know that my computer is on it’s last leg or microchip maybe. It spends an incredible amount of time “thinking”, and takes forever to save things. Not good signs. This computer is about 5 years old and it has had the processor replaced in it once already. I’ve already started preparing Tim for the inevitable (sp?).
Needless to say the issues with my computer has made it very challenging to scrapbook. I often press send and then walk away to sweep my house. When I return 10 minutes later, it will have finally finished saving. It is driving me CRAZY!!!
Anyhow, here’s another page I recently finished. It is from Easter when we celebrated the holiday at Chris and Jill’s house The page was created using the Spontaneous Delight Freebie from Shabby Princess.

From Scrapbook

Well, I scrapbooked the photos from Tim’s birthday finally. Here’s the page:

From Scrapbook

I’m sorry to say that myscapbooking has started to really slow down. It seems I was a roll for a while- but with work and all of my other motherly duties- it’s hard to finally finish a page. This one was created using the Bring It On kit from DigiChicks and took me FOREVER to finish.

Now I am working on some photos from the county fair. Mom B and I took Grayson there yesterday and did he enjoy that! Going to the fair definitely brought back some memories of my days in FFA and of the annual “kids day”. I am not sure if that was the official name of the day- but that is what my mom called it when they sold the ride wrist band. Besides Christmas and my birthday- Kid Day was my favorite day of the year! One day Grayson will be old enough to love all those stomach churning rides. Until then, we’ll settle for the white trash Carnie Shows and an occasional funnel cake.

Iknow. I know. 2 scrapbook pages in one weekend? That is thanks to Pop Pop for inviting Grayson to visit the local drag strip celebration this weekend. That gave me the entire afternoon to clean my house, update my blog layout, and scrapbook. This page is from the baby shower we had for Jill last weekend.

It was created using the free Promise Kit from Shabby Princess. I also cannot take credit for the layout. I mimiced the layout that I saw here byGayle Smith

Grayson seems to enjoy his new classroom. His teacher, Ms. Wendy is incredibly nice and keeps the kids very busy. He has been absolutely exhausted every night once he comes home, falling asleep within minutes of being put to bed. I think that he was ready for the change in classrooms for quite some time and I am glad to see him adjusting so well.

Here’s the scrapbook page I created from his Daycare Graduation:

I’ve finished reading all of my “open” books and have gotten my scrapbooking motivation back. Here’s my latest page of Grayson and Ella’s 2nd Birthday. It was a farm theme- as you can probably tell by looking at the pictures!

Also, I have received a few requests on posting my scrapbook pages so that when you click on the image, you could see a zoomed in version of the page. I have yet to figure out how to do that. Any one have any suggestions?
Ah ha! I figured it out. Kind of. Click on the scrapbook page and it will take you to a larger version. You can click on the magnifying (sp?) at the top right of the photo to zoom in. happy?

This past weekend was packed full!
~On Thursday afternoon- we attended Grayson’s Graduation into the 2 year classroom. It was funny watching all of the toddlers march into the room, run for thier parents, and then of course not pay attention to anything. I am thankful that his teachers took the time to prepare the little cerem0ny. I may have teared up a time or two reflecting on how much he has grown. Tim’s parents were able to attend the graduation too! The highlight for Grayson was the little school bus they gave him as a present.
~Also on Thursday, Tim’s brother Joe and his family flew in from Florida. We haven’t seen my nephew Adler since March- so we couldn’t wait for them to arrive. Adler is a wonderful baby- quiet and mild tempered. We were sad to see them leave on Sunday and Grayson is still asking “A Agler doe?” or “Joe-Joe” or “an Amy”.
~On Friday night, we invited all of the family over to our house for BBQ. Tim’s aunts, grandparents, and cousins were in town from Ohio for Jill’s Baby shower on Saturday. Our house was filled to the max with fun, food, and laughter. We loved having everyone in town.
~Saturday was Jill’s shower. Mom B planned most of it, with me in charge of decorations and some of the hosting responsibilities. ONly a few more weeks before little Krugie is due to arrive. I can’t wait to meet my new neice or nephew!
~Here are the photos from this weekend. Click here to view them.
~I finally finished another scrapbooking page. This one is for Grayson’s scrapbook. I use my monthly letters to create an album for him. So here is the one for 24 months:

These pages were created using the free kit “Lazy Summer” by Whimpy Chomper Creations

I saw this on a blog somewhere while searching for scrapbooking freebies. Wish I remembered where I saw it- as I’d give that person a shout out…but since I can’t remember- Oh well.

This Week:
Highs: There are a few. 1) This was the best 1st week of school that I have ever experienced. Perhaps it is because my school hired a third Guidance Counselor to help reduce my case load- maybe it’s because the grade level of kids who gave me headaches for the past 5 years- are finally NOT my responsibility anymore. Who knows…and to be honest who cares! Whatever the reason- I am very pleased with this school year already. 2) Sometimes I take my husband and Grayson for granted. This weekend I was reminded just how lucky I am to have them in my life. I love when something happens to remind me to count my blessings! 3) It was tax free weekend which = shopping!!!
Lows: Just one. I discoverd some rather upsetting news on Saturday. I would rather not get into it right now- but I am sure that I will blog about it sometime soon. The positive side of this low was my #2 above. See? There always is a silver lining!
Etc: I completed another scrapbook page this evening. Now that I am back at work it takes me an entire week to get a 2 page layout finished. Wish I had started scrapbooking a bit earlier this summer! Anyhow, the pages I finished are featured below. These are the pages created from our trip to the NC Zoo in April.

Papers/Embelishments- Simply Sweet Designs Just Dirt Kit.
Layout Template: Lisa Minor

Now that I am back at work, there just does not seem to be enough time in the day. Between all of my normal daily-around the house chores and now all of the begining of the school year requirements, I am left wishing for a few more hours to get it all completed. I am exhausted by the time I come home in the evenings and have no desire to clean the toilets or put away dishes. I am hoping that maybe I can catch up on all my “house” stuff this weekend.
I did get the chance to scrapbook another layout this weekend. These pages are from the weekend of May 10. Tim was out of town for a bachelor party and when a couple of my friends, Becky & Kelly, came in town- it just seemed natural to declare a Girl’s Night. We went to uptown Charlotte and danced the night away at the Breakfast Club- an 80’s theme disco. It was so much fun. Anyhow- here are the pages from that night:

Also, for those who wish to see all the photos that I took of Grayson for his 27 Month post- check them out by clicking here!

I realized today as I was scrapbooking my trip to Punta Cana that I never really gave any details about the trip. I wrote a bit about leaving Grayson, but almost nothing about the trip itself. Well for starters- you should probably read my review on Trip Advisor (click here). That pretty well sums up the resort.
Now for the real details. Tim and I had a great time. The weather was amazing for the most part. It only rained one evening- of course right in the middle of our horse back riding tour- and I mean a down-pour! Which was kind of fun- except that I ruined both my digital camera and my brand new HD video camera. I absolutely wanted to cry. Luckily I had an underwater camera with us on the trip-so I did get a few more photos with it. The quality of those photos did leave something to be desired though. Anyhow, the beach was the best part of the resort. We would sit under a tiki hut in our lounge chairs for hours, enjoying the breeze and doing exactly what we went there to do- RELAX! Then in the afternoons we would head to the pools. We received a couples massage on one day which included a treatment in the spa. The only other event worth mentioning would be the Double Cuervo Margaritas Tim enjoyed on our second day at the resort. When they finally hit him- they hit him hard. He ended up using our inroom jacuzzi tub when the Cuervo made a reappearance and then slept for 4.5 hours. Whew! I guess it’s hard to have self control when the drinks are already paid for! Anyhow, here are the pages I created from our trip:

So it just dawned on me 5 days ago that my summer was already nearing an end. I am not sure where the time flew so quickly, but for me- school will begin again on Tuesday. *Sigh.* Of course when I get my break in October- I won’t be as sad that I went back so much earlier than the rest of my teaching friends.
Anyhow, I wish that I had caught the scrapbooking bug at the begining of my break. If I had, then I would probably be up to date on my albums. Oh well. So without further procrastination…here’s the newest page:
The Family BBQ from May. When 7 family members from Ohio all came down to NC (for different reasons) it just seemed natural for Tim’s parents to host a get-together…and not just any get-together. This one was extra special because they made “Greasy Bread”- a hungarian apetizer! Yumm!!!

This page was created using a free template from DIP Diva’s and a free paper/embellishment kit from Shabby Princess.

On May 17, we helped celebrate Leah’s 3rd birthday by joining in on her luau. Here’s today’s scrapbook page with those photos. Whew, I’m on a roll!

Page created using the same paper, embellishments, templates I purchased yesterday.

Back in June, I posted photos from the weekend when my neighbor’s were away and gave us access to their pool. Here are the scrapbook pages I created from that weekend.

I finally broke down and “purchased” scrapbooking paper, templates, and supplies. These pages were created using materials I purchased from Scrapbook-Elements.com. I figured the $6 I spent was worth the hours I spent on the other pages looking for freebies.

Below are the pages I created for Memorial Day weekend. Tim was awesome and planned the entire weekend away at Wilson Creek, NC.

These pages were created using free paper and embellishments from Tempus Fugit. I used a free template from Simply Sweet Designs for pg1 and a free template from Trish Designs for pg 2.

Yes, I am going back in time. With the blur of the past month, there have been a number of events that I just couldn’t find the time to blog about. Luckily for you, I am back into scrapbooking and I just finished my layouts for my friend Carri’s Bachelorette Party. Yes, it was back in June. Sorry for the delay- but this summer really has been pure caos.

Anyhow, on June 21, I helped celebrate Carri’s final days of “singlehood” with a trip down to Jacksonville Beach. Her sister Becky did a great job of organizing the entire weekend -from the hotel right on the beach to the custom CD she made for all the guests. My favortie part of the entire weekend was when “Jerry Clueless” surprised Carri at dinner with a singing telegram and magic show. I had been threatening a stripper for months- so while Carri was definitley surprised, I think she was also releaved that I didn’t get her back for the slimey exotic dancer she hired for my “last night out”. Anyhow, here are the pages I created commemorating her Bachelorette party. I created them using a free template from SimplySweetDesigns and using free embellishments and free paper from Kawouette Designs.

You can check out all the photos from that weekend by clicking here.

This past weekend, I was honored to take part in my best friend’s, Carri, wedding. I can’t explain how excited I was to be a part of her day. See Carri has been my best friend since my sophomore year of college. We were/are alike in so many ways and once we bonded over a roommate from hell- we were inseperable. Well, maybe not literally. In the twelve years since we’ve been friends, we have only lived near each other for 6 of them. But the distance between our homes didn’t keep our friendship from growing. When she finally moved to NC two and half years ago, I secretly hoped that I would be able to convince her to stay forever. Little did I know that she would meet Dave and that my hopes would come true.

So congratulations Carri and Dave on your wedding. I am so glad that you found each other. And Dave, now it looks as if I owe you for keeping Carri here in NC. I couldn’t pick out a better match for my best friend. You are considerate and thoughful and you make her happier that I have ever seen her. I look forward to raising our families together and all the memories we will create. Congratulations and thank you for making me a part of your special day!

Here are the scrapbook pages a created from the photos from the wedding:

These pages were created using a Freebie from Digital Gator.
You can check all the photos from the weekend by clicking here.

Well the photos I took on July 4th plus the post by Daverhi, inspired me to start scrapbooking again. If you happen to check out Rhi’s site, make sure you click on her home page. She has really gotten busy in the last few days! So thanks for the inspiration!
Anyhow, I am still trying to tackle digital scrapbooking. It is getting easier the more I play around with it. These pages were created using the freebies from JenLin Designs. Maybe now I will go back and scrapbook the other hundreds of photos I have taken this year!

My latest digital scrapbook page:

These pages were created using the following products:
Papers, Flower Embellishemnts, 31: http://freedigitalscrapbooking.com/index.html
Font: Footlight MT Light
Editing Program: Microsoft Digital Image Suite 2006

This year I decided to choose a New Year’s Resolution that shouldn’t be too difficult for me to keep up with- after all it is about something that I love to do: Scrapbooking!
So in, 2008, I resolve to keep up todate with this year’s scrapbook!
A challenge I know! To be honest, in the past I had no problem keeping up with a yearly scrapbook. However since the birth of Grayson and the building of our house- I have gotten pretty far behind. So I have decided that rather than trying to get those caught up (which I will do if I have EXTRA time), I will instead focus on the photos that I take this year. I have noticed that since I have stopped scrapbooking, I have started taking less and less photos. So hopefully by making this year’s book a goal, I will also start taking lots of photos again. (And by lots of photos, I mean more than just those of Grayson-which I photograph ALOT!).
Anyhow, to start off this year’s goal I have already made my first pages. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have been considering going to digital scrapbooking. It was bit overwhelming at first and I still have alot to learn, but I did it! I created my first two digital pages:

This page was create using:
Embellishments: “Dazzling Evening” by Newlife
Papers: WInter Formals 1 Sampler by Kim Smith Design
2008 Font: Liquid Silver by Atomic Cupcake
All other Font and editing software: Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite 2006.