It's been a YEAR!

One year ago today I broke down & started this blog. WOW!

I've never been the type of person that could keep a diary for very long as a kid. Oh I'd start it & then forget about it, then I'd feel guilty about forgeting & stop. Yeah I know now, I could have picked up from where I left off, like my sister Marie told me to, but I never liked to listen to her.
So with that I'm sorta surprised at myself for following through with this blog! It's become an addiction of sorts, especially how often I check in on some of my favorite blogs! Through the blog world, I've connected with some wonderful & talented people. I've shared my creativity. I've shared my life, (sometimes too much--SORRY). Thanks so much for everyone who takes the time to come here & visit the insanity I call life!

This post was written back in July due to the fact that I will be in the magical world of Disney during this anniversary of sorts. I'll be back soon (we'll be home today-actually) with all sorts of stories AND pics from the trip....after I get out of the ginormous pile of laundry waiting for me!

Yeah, like I have time for that!

Greetings from WDW!!

Having a GREAT time!! Wish you were here!!

(insert cutesy postcard here)

Yes we're still here in Disney. We are having a GREAT time. So much to share! Stories AND pics!! I've taken about 700 so far & the trip's not over yet.

We had a crazy flight in (long story), we had a couple of rainy days (had fun anyway), had some beautiful warm days (had more fun), ate a lot (need to diet)!!

Our trip is almost over. We'll be home before you know it! Miss you!

Something to look at...

Since this will be my last post before we leave I figured I'd leave you with something to look at, besides cold medicine!

As always I make 2 of each Disney LO for each of the girls albums, just slightly different. I made this very similar to the other except I changed the cardstock under the vellum from pink to blue. Someday I'll be done with this trip so I can move onto the April '08 trip & then eventually move onto this Aug. '08 trip so that means you'll be seeing lots & lots of Disney LO's for a long, long time......



Maybe once in awhile I'll throw in something random like these.....


Remember this post from the other day?? Well I was motivated to scrap it for a couple of reasons.

1. I finally (thanks to Laura) figured out how to use the collages from Scrapbooks Etc's website. I am technologically challenged & have never mastered Photoshop, but these, once I watched the how-to video (several times, pausing it continuously) were simple to do. I used these pics since there weren't a lot to choose from.

2. I needed a change from all the Disney.

**GASP*** Did I just say that?? Please, don't tell Mickey!!

It's not perfect, like the close up of the crayons rotated on it's side. It's a little stretched but since it was printed I figured I'd go for it. I also covered up 2 spots that I didn't add pics to with the crayon & the title. Like I said not perfect but I like 'em.

Yes I did 2 of them for each of their albums. The difference is very slight but Marissa can't choose which she likes better the purple crayon & white lettering or the green crayon & black lettering. She's my child when it comes to making decisions! I figure I use of more of my stash when I make 2, especially since I've had this paper since forever! I kept it simple & got to say these were the fastest LO's that ever came from my desk!

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I'm done packing except for the last minute things & I'm happy to report that I managed to fit everything into 4 suitcases! Oh and the bags DON'T weigh over 50lbs!! That's a record for me (actually 2 records)!!! I had my doubts thinking I'd spill into a 5th bag but I pared things down to the essentials.

I had a few odds & ends to do around the house today. One was cleaning. I don't like to clean before we go away because really who's gonna be around, besides my F-I-L (whose watching the house)? However, I have been neglecting the house so I felt compelled to make the house "presentable". I cleaned the bathrooms, I vacuumed, and I mopped the kitchen floor. I am now suffering with a throbbing pain in my hips which never fails when I vacuum & mop. However, I can now go to sleep in peace, knowing that my F-I-L will not judge my housekeeping skills!!

So once again we are off to Disney. We are all excited!!! Marissa is so excited that she even helped me out A LOT today. Total brownie points but I'll take it! I hope the weather is decent & since Joe is bringing his laptop I'm sure I'll be blogging at some point during the trip. Don't miss me too much! LOL!!

Random

I've been packing for our trip to Disney,

to see this guy,

when I realized that I'll be needing some supplies. A trip to Target was in order.

Gianna has had a stuffy nose the past few days (of course right before we go away--it never fails!) & I realized I was low on this stuff.

I also realized I was in need of reading material so while I was there I checked out the book section & came up with these two that sounded good.

I also happened to see this & wondered if it had anything to say about Twilight. Sure enough there on the cover they mention it so into the cart it went!

Yesterday I was at Michael's for a few things & picked up the Scrapbook Trends "Vacation" idea book. I forgot to get some MM Embellie jars which will have to wait until after the trip at this point.

The past few times I've scrapped I've been going through my button stash (which was orginally in 2 jars but I eventually combined them into one) & I realized that it's not working for me. I like how they look but when I need a few matching buttons it takes forever to find them. I broke down yesterday while I was taking a break from packing & started sorting them out. The girls were eager to help so I let them at it while I went back to packing. Now everything is sorted & ready for those jars when we get back.

Another reason why I jumped to do this? Joe was talking more about re-organizing the den to create more space for me!! He even went so far as to measure things out, which got me excited & I gave him some ideas. Before we knew it I was pulling up some scrap rooms I've seen online. 2 Peas was a good source & of course all the great blogs I read. We discussed things & have some ideas we're gonna work on once we get back. Can't wait!!

I've got a couple of LO's that I want to share so I'll get those up soon.....

Pachelbel Rant

This is HILARIOUS!!

Cards

Once again I'm behind on my sharing. I made these cards way back when I made these LO's.

***Colors are off but I left the pics dark for detail....don't judge me.....


I was channeling my "inner Laura" on the 1st card. She inspires me with all her wonderful ideas!

This was pretty simple & pretty quick.

This next one was another "WWLD" moment (what would Laura do?")

So there's some more scrappiness I wanted to share. Enjoy!

FYI...Once again I just wanted to state that I'm NOT preggers....really!!

The Vampires are Coming!!!

Sooner than expected.....Just read that they moved up the release date & "Twilight" will be in theaters on Nov. 21!!! You can read about it here.

CAN. NOT. WAIT!!!

My Dad

Today would have been my dad's 69th birthday. He's been gone since '94 & I miss him so much! He never got the chance to see any of his 4 girls married. Never got to meet his sons-in-law. Never got to meet his 6 beautiful grandkids, one who was named after him.

I love you daddy, Happy Birthday!

As promised!

Here are the LO's that have been sitting on my desk for so long. They're for the Disney albums I'm working on still, nothing out of the ordinary like the ones of me preggers.


This version is for Gianna's album. I saw a lot of blue in these pics so I went with it. Also lifted myself from these. Hey whatever works right??





This is Marissa's version. Used the same design again.

This is for Marissa's album. I know I didn't journal it but I didn't care at that point. I might go back & add it later. The windows were on Main Street & the dresses were made out of dolls that matched the dresses. Gianna's version will be up at another time, I was missing a "Belle" dress so I'll show it when I get it in. I made it slightly different than this one like I always do. I used Stickles on this & have to say how much I LOVE those things!! Very addicting!
These are of SpectroMagic. The parade is something you've got to watch at least once every trip. Made these very similar with only slight differences.

So there they are. The LO's that have plagued me by sitting on my desk unfinished but not unloved.

Looking at these pics I realized that by this time next week we'll be at the Orlando Airport. WOO-HOO!! Can not wait!!

I have some more scrappy stuff that I'll save to share in the near future. Gotta give you a reason to keep soming back!! LOL!!

Promises

Last night I finally finished a bunch of LO's that have been sitting on my desk for awhile now. It's pathetic I know, but the reason they weren't done sooner? The titles & journaling needed to be done.

For me this is one of the hardest parts of scrapping. Usually to get the journaling started I'll just write down bits & pieces of information & then eventually tie it all together. I think my problem (one of many) is that my computer is in the kitchen & not near my scrap area. If I'm on a roll I don't want to stop what I'm doing to go on the computer. Besides once I'm there the temptation to surf the web is all too tempting!!

So with that said, I will be sharing some LO's later on.

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Earlier I was talking to Joe about various things & we started discussing ideas to re-arrange furniture. I slipped in some ideas to give me more scrap space & he went with it but his ideas were way better than mine. I almost don't want to think about it just in case it's one of those things were I get my hopes up for & then it doesn't matierlize due to lack of time. Keep your fingers crossed. Mine are.....

Breaking Dawn Q & A

Did you read Breaking Dawn? Do you have questions about it?? See Stephanie Meyer explain alot of the questions people are asking here. Keep watching during some "commercials".....

Spoiler Alert!!!
Don't watch the interview unless you've finished the book!!

What did I do??

So I was invited to join "Tagged" online. I tried signing up & now it's sending emails to everyone I may have ever sent an email to. No it's NOT a virus but I thought I was including certain people & not others that I barely know instead it did the OPPOSITE of what I thought it meant.

CRAP.

So if I've ever emailed you & you're now getting invited to join Tagged, just do it carefully if you choose to join. And I'm sorry.......

Cookie Cutter Crayons

Got old crayons?? Wanna get creative? Wanna occupy the kids during a thunderstorm? (Thunderstorm is optional) Try this, the kids get totally into it & love the idea! I got the idea from Marci Lambert's blog, you can see her post on this here.
The girls were totally into it & since we had the TV off during yesterday's thunderstorm they had no choice but get into it. Marissa & I peeled the crayons. Gianna lost interest in peeling the wrappers off so we had her breaking the crayons into little pieces. Finally we layered them all on a foil covered cookie sheet & into a 350 degree oven they went, for 10 mins.

Should've REALLLLLLLY keep an eye on it since we got a liquidy crayon soup. Will have to adjust the time if we should ever try this again. I found a few more crayons & added those hoping to thicken the "soup".
It doesn't look like much right now & wouldn't probably been better if the sheet I'd used was shorter or we had more crayons but it is what it is. Don't wait too long to cut them out like I did. I threw the sheet back in the warm oven for a few minutes (without turning it back on) & then I was able to use the cookie cutter to cut out shapes. Since this had taken longer than I had anticipated, I went with a basic circle. I had planned on the girls' initials but I canned that idea & just went with the plain ole circle. Once you flip them over they look much prettier. Just let them set up & harden & you've got some pretty rainbow crayons.

Great Wolf Lodge Finale

To re-cap the last of our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge.....
On Saturday night we (the adults) were deciding where to go for dinner & discussing our options. Joe happened to say.....

"This place has to be better than the shitty place downstairs."

Then of course Marissa had to add her two cents & said.....

"But I want to go downstairs to eat."

Gianna not to be outdone, adds her opinion.....

"I don't want to go to the shitty place"

We were floored!!! We didn't know what to say or how to not laugh! I explained to her that she couldn't say that word anymore & hope that she doesn't!!!

We ended up deciding to go locally for dinner & went to this rib place that was advertised in this book that was in the hotel room. We figured it HAD to be better than what they had at the hotel!

We get there easy enough & the hostess asks if we had reservations --no we didn't. She then says in this SNOTTY voice "Well then there's anywhere between 20-60 mins wait". We decided to go for it especially after she asked if we'd opt for a table on the patio. Luckily we didn't wait longer than 10 mins, however it was chilly outside & we forgot our jackets back at the room. Luckily I keep a lightweight throw blanket in the car for each of the girls & that saved us, especially since Gianna was feverish again & even napped in my arms while we waited on the food. The food there was good, the service wasn't but it's way better than the hotel.

The hotel sells this "Magic Quest" game where you buy a wand for $15.00. Then of course there are decorative "toppers" for another $15.00. THEN to add insult to injury there's a $10.00 activation fee!! You go around the hotel down all the halls & wave your wand at anything that has the game logo & acquire points. What you do with those points I couldn't really tell you other than you become a "grand pooba" or something of magic. What a rip-off. I told Marissa who of course wanted to get a wand that she could get 4 (approx) Webkins for the cost of the game & she can continue to play with those at home which you couldn't with the wands. She thought about it but didn't want to go for it. Either way we didn't end up with the wands.

Sunday morning was check out & after loading up the car we did go back in & treat the girls to some time in the arcade. Joe of course scoped out his competition. Afterwards we took some more photo ops. Which to me are way more important than a magical quest that doesn't include a decent meal.

This was at the entrance to the hotel.
This was the front of the hotel.....

This was as we were leaving on our way to the Outlet stores at The Crossings.
We get to the Crossings & have lunch at the food court. After we hit 2 shops & then the sky darkened & we realized we'd hit traffic if we stayed so we left. I was a little bummed that I didn't get to shop like I had planned but it just wasn't worth the trouble.

All in all the trip was good don't get me wrong. It's definitely a family place & it'd be cool to go to a water park during the off season. Besides we're going to Disney in about a week & a half!!

We're Back!

Well we've actually been back. We got back early from Great Wolf Lodge. Due to the thunderstorm that hit as we were just starting to shop at the "Crossroads" outlet shopping center. Bummer.

Here's another update on the Lodge...
Saturday morning we were contemplating a place to eat breakfast that wasn't at the hotel. However the girls were itchin' to eat & get back to the water park so we gave in & ate at the "Loose Moose" again.

Let me tell you that they CAN screw up breakfast just as bad as they screwed up dinner. There was a display of what I assume were "Eggs Benedict" but really looked like a congealed mess. I'd be embarrassed to display those! Wish I'd taken a pic of it but the Chef? Cook? Server? was standing by & don't think he'd appreciate my mocking his talents. The pancake I tried tasted like a sponge, literally. Joe had a made to order omelet & said it wasn't bad but the cook was a ditz & kept mixing up the people & their orders giving people the wrong omelet.

After breakfast, we hung around the lobby since there's a show at the Clock tower & it was almost time for the show to start. Meanwhile we took some pics. Gianna was not a happy camper & didn't want her pic taken, but we managed....somewhat.

Here's my sister, Chet with Marissa.Here's the clock tower just before the show started at 10am.In my opinion it's not a fantastic show but the kids liked it & that's really what it's all about. (I tried uploading some of the video I shot but either I'm incompetent or blogger isn't cooperating.

Here's a pic of the great stone fireplace in the middle of the lobby.After the clock tower show we managed to take some more pics in the lobby.

Marissa was the only one willing to pose....

Then we decided we were ready for some action & hit the water park. When you walk in you see this great big bucket that fills with water & every so often it would tilt & everyone in the area would get soaked.

People would stand there hoping to get soaked & I have to admit this is a COOL photo op....but that's not my family......

These are the tube rides, the blue one is the roller coaster one that Joe & Chet did. I am not that brave my friends, actually I'm more chicken than anything.

This is the wave pool we spent the most time at. When the wolf howled you knew the waves were coming.

Marissa heading into the waves as the wolf howled....This is Gianna all bundled up when she was shivering & cuddling in Titi Connie's lap.Then I find my husband was snuggling up to some hot chick in the hot tub!! She was all over him!This is the outside water area. It's not as big as inside but the main draw of the place was that it is an "indoor water park".Gianna had some issues with this fountain thingy & kept going over there & turning it off.

Since this has turned out to be a lot longer post than I intended I'm going to stop here & continue this later. To be continued......