Seriously????

I cannot freaking believe that a MONTH has passed since I last updated my blog.  Apparently, this is not the tool for me as I cannot for the LIFE of me remember to update it.  It's not that I don't HAVE things to say, I just never seem to want to get on the computer at home.  BLEH!  So I guess I am going to have to put a reminder in my phone or something because I just can't seem to get with the program. 

The Time Just Ticks Away.....

I am never quite sure where my time goes.  No matter how much time I seem to have, I always have unfinished tasks that seem to loom over me with no end in sight.  I do 12 things, there are 23 more on my list.  I can see from my perpetual list that things are getting done but the list just keeps getting longer.  Then I feel guilty if I stop to read or watch TV or a movie because there are so many things I could be doing that would erase more things off my list.  Don't get me wrong, I still read or watch but I hate feeling like the time was wasted and I could have been doing something productive.  I am working to go through all of the "stuff" I have accumulated but I get so distracted.  I mean, I have pretty phenomenal taste (laugh here) and I have collected some pretty awesome stuff over the years.  On the flip side of that, I am a paper horder.  I collect mounds of paper that I think will come in handy one day...recipes, craft ideas, pictures of cards I like and would like to copy, articles I want to read...you name it and I probably have one or two!  I also have several boxes of magazines that I think I am going to sit down and read.  Of course, those also contain recipes I want to try, craft ideas that look like fun, decorating and home improvement ideas that might make my house look fabulous!  Oh, and let's not forget that magazines can also be used for altered art when you have taken all of the important pages you want to keep out of them.  LOL....and then you have the loose pages that you have to find a home for.  In the end, you are just trapped in a perpetual circle of death by paper.  Okay, that was dramatic.  In the end, I find that even after I purge, I have a ton of paper that I don't really know what to do with...If I put it in that file, am I REALLY going to use it or have I just hidden the paper from eyesight? 

On an unrelated note, I found this plate at a thrift store and it reminds me often of my time dilemma.  Don't you love it???

Tanga's This Contest Really Sucks Dyson Giveaway

So I am in desperate need of a new vacuum cleaner and I really want one that will be AWESOME.  Supposedly Dyson is that vacuum so I am trying to justify spending the money to get one.  Today I received an email from Tanga announcing this new contest where you can WIN a Dyson vacuum and whoever referred you will win one too!  So head on over and enter to win! Good Luck!!
   http://www.getsubmit.com/enter/sweepstakes/214

New Year's Eve Shopping

On New Year's Eve, my husband took me to two of my favorite stores....  First was Joann's.  I was trying to use a bunch of coupons that I had that expired on December 31st but of course, everything I wanted to buy was on sale.  (I honestly think they do that on purpose!)  I ended up with a delicious new paper pack by DCWV.  It's called Tattered Time and I love every single page in the stack (which is almost unheard of for me!)  Half of the pages have gloss on them which I just LOVE!  I also got some SMASH tape and the SMASH paperclips.  I am LOVING the SMASH products!  I also picked up a "Will you be my valentine?" rubber stamp in the dollar bin.  Our second stop was Archivers.  I received a gift card from my friend, Cindy, for my birthday and I saw that I had coupons for Archivers so I thought I would stop in and see what they had.  Archivers has an exclusive bag for your SMASH journal and I thought it was FABULOUS!!  I also got a new SMASH journal, some SMASH clips and the SMASH quotes pack.  All in all, I was thrilled with everything I got and I paid for MOST of it with my gift card!  I already had one SMASH journal which I am using for 2011 and the new one pictured here is for 2012.  Looking forward to a CRAFTY new year!

It's Beginning to look a LOT like Christmas....

My hubby and I are on vacation this week...and it has snowed twice!  Our backyard is a wintery playground for the dogs and they have thoroughly enjoyed romping in the snow!  We currently have about 10-12 inches of snow in our back yard!  On the one hand, I would love to have a white Christmas but on the other hand, we have to go back to work on December 27th and I would like the roads to be clear!  Also, my daughter's friend, Mary is driving in from San Diego and is expected to arrive around the 27th or 28th so I really hope that the roads are clear enough for her to make it here. 

This week has been such a blessing.  We have been able to sleep in, watch movies, read books and even bake!  I am really relaxed and there has been no tension in the house!  It is really amazing what getting enough sleep and relaxing will do for your attitude!  The only problem is that the days are going by really quickly!  Before we know it, it will be time to head back to work!  But all in all, I am so grateful that I have had this time to spend with my family! 

Christmas Pic

My husband and I attended a Christmas party this past Saturday and this is the photo that they took while we were there!  I always love the fact that my husband is willing to act goofy with me and he's secure enough not to care what other people think!  You gotta love a man like that!

Free Crafting E-Book

I am ALL about things that are FREE so I was thrilled to find this Free Crafting E-Book.  It is called "The Ultimate Guide to Upcycling" and it looks like there are a ton of cute ideas inside!  Go to http://www.alteredupcycling.com/and request your copy today!!! 

Introducing..... A Scrap Meddler

My Fabulously talented friend Cris has created her own blog! She is SUPER creative...we call her a CRAFTY BEEYOTCH! Stay tuned to her blog for some GREAT ideas! She is a real ROCK STAR!!!

Chaos Reigns!

So I am sad that Halloween has passed me by this year with very little notice! I did not put up one single Halloween decoration in my home. Shocking but true.

This summer has been filled with one catastrophe after another and I am just reeling from all of the madness. In May we had to replace our hot water heater. In June/July we had to have MAJOR electrical work done and that was soooo not in the budget. Then in September we had a flood caused by heavy rain and an incompetent contractor. The same day as the flood, we also had a leaking skylight due to roof damage. So we are in the process of getting our roof replaced, fighting with the contractor's insurance company to pay for the damage to our home from the flood and basically trying to figure out which way is hope. You dream of buying your first home but no ones sits you down to tell you the reality of home ownership. Expense after expense after expense. Add in to all of this madness a half finished painting job in the main part of the house, a kitchen floor that desperately needs to be replaced and off-white carpet that the dogs have ruined and you can begin to see why I feel so overwhelmed.

I realize that I have so much to be grateful for and I do appreciate what I have. I just sometimes feel like we have had enough bad luck for any one family. Word of advice... NEVER buy a house from relatives. No good can come from the event and it will definitely leave you bitter and angry in the end.

Steampunk Digital Stamps

I am a HUGE fan of Tiddly Inks (a digital stamp company) and check often for new releases. I was thrilled to see that Tiddly Inks is joining up with Make It Crafty for a Steampunk/Victorian release on July 14th. Steampunk has been hot for a while and it seems to be becoming more mainstream so I am really looking forward to this release.

Catch up time.....

So I seem to have lost track of time and let my blog sleep for 9 months or so and I am trying to get into the habit of blogging at least a few times a weeks since I know I can't commit to every day yet! The truth is, I am a real technophobe and would prefer to be sitting at my desk with paper and pen than working on a computer. I am an admin and I spend a lot of time on the computer at work so when I am home, I am not at all interested in surfing the internet or playing on facebook.

My real motivation is that I have seen ads to join design teams for numerous stamp sites and one of the requirements is that you have a blog...and they want you to use it. Can you imagine? So I am going to try and be diligent about posting items to my blog and try to keep it up.

~*~ Blog Candy Giveaway ~*~

Tiddly Inks is hosting a blog candy giveaway. You can go here to enter: http://tiddlyinks.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-candy-continued.html

Completed Card for Challenge

I worked on getting my card finished this weekend because I tend to be a procratinator! So here it is:

Thursday Card Challanege

The girls and I will be doing a weekly challenge.

The above picture is the challenge from http://stampincelebration.blogspot.com/2010/10/stampin-celebration-inspiration_14.html

Cris' Birthday

Today is my friend Cris' birthday! She is turning.....well, we'll leave that part out! This is the card that I made for her birthday! I love this image (from Mo's Digital Pencil!) and I actually used supplies I had on hand! That's right...I did not purchase one single thing to make this card! Yeah for me!!!

Halloween Swap

I hosted a halloween swap on Splitcoaststampers and this is a picture of some of the artwork I got to keep!!!

New Toys for Me!!

While on a shopping trip to Target this weekend, my husband found these for me! I was THRILLED and I am on the hunt for Clawdeen!!! Meet Draculaura and Frankie Stein!!

Art Journal

Here are some pictures of the art journal I am working on. It is for a Round Robin exchange so I will be mailing it out on June 28th so several women can lay there artistic hands on my journal and make it a one of a kind!

Sign up for the Give-away

So there is an awesome give away at Halles Hobbies blog and all you have to do to enter is leave a comment! Go check it out.

Art Journal Round Robin

So I have asked a group of fantastically talented women to participate in an art journal round robin. The premise is that we will each create a journal and then send it through the group for each participant to create a two page spread and an artist page. I am currently working on prepping my journal so it can hopefully begin its journey in a week or so. I am also waiting to hear from two more of the invitees to be sure they are participating. I am so excited to begin this journey. Once I have all of the agreements in place, I will introduce my lovely artistic friends.