Thanks to Randi...

who is a super cute twenty-something year old friend of mine (even though she teases me about everything - but mostly how OLD I am), I made this layout of my girls in their Christmas dresses.


You see Randi decided the use the Jenni Bowlin flag chipboard as a Christmas tree - I know, pure genius - that's another reason I love her (even though she thinks I'm old).




All of the stuff (and that's a technical term) I used above is at Scrapbook & Co. I forgot to look at the brand of paper before I walked downstairs, and since it's almost 2 am, I don't feel like going back up - but if you really want to know, leave a comment and I'll answer. The Jenni Bowlin chipboard is a must and the tulle and Bazzill pom poms are awesome!


Then, for your viewing pleasure, I have my Halloween layout.






I like it enough - I guess. Both the spider web paper and the Laser Cut paper are from Little Yellow Bicycle. Don't kill me, but the Fancy Pants Tree on the first page is sold out at Scrapbook & Co. Hey, I'm only the messenger! I have to admit the orange paper and the stickers are from the $Spot at Target and I stickled the laser cut paper to add some orange.


Halloween layouts are always so hard for me because my girls are ALWAYS princesses! And pink and frilly just doesn't fit into the Halloween motif. But at least I snuck some orange in there. Oh - the letters are Thickers and you can't really tell, but the background paper on the right is the Reminisce Ghost paper.


That's it - that's all I got. Hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving. Remember to wear your stretchy pants, take extra meds if your family requires it, and PLEASE laugh your butt off!

Miss Angel's Happy Mail...

I sent "one of those chain letters" to Angel for a sticker swap. I hate them, but then I think of the sad faces that don't get mail compared to the happy faces that do - and then I play along. I hoped Angel would play for Kylie. Well she did, and the girls couldn't get their packages open soon enough! Morgan was excited - and then Avery, well, she was Avery... Thanks Miss Angel!


PS - Notice Morgan was already wearing her Hannah Montana t-shirt. And it was Morgan who suggested we make something for Miss Angel as a thank you - Avery, as you may understand hasn't had those thoughts yet...

Newest layout...

I so LOVE the Heidi Swapp World Traveler line (of course - available at Scrapbook and Co.). For this layout, I used Compass and Old Map (2 pieces) from the HS line along with reddish brown cardstock and black cardstock.

I added a few brads and inked the white parts of the paper (it was just too bright for my layout). I put my journaling on a tag and in the upper left hand corner, I used the Heidi Swapp Traveler tape - but if you don't have that, just use strips of left over paper to add a little extra something :)

I also inked the "Journey" letters with a little red brink ink. And the "celebrate" is from My Mind's Eye and Denise may have some at the shop. Voila - an easy layout!

Since I can't teach this month...

You get a free class on my blog! Well, not so much a class, but a layout idea with all the details...

Scrapbook and Co has the paper and then I'll list the other items that I used...

First this layout is done entirely with four sheets of Fancy Pants Paper. It's the Daily Grind line and the papers are: Chalkboard (the black on the left), Vacation (the red on the right), DG Strips (gives us the title, words and strips of different paper for embellishments), and Notebook Doodles (which I used for the swirl on the left page - cut from the middle of the page to save the outer doodle pattern for later).

Ok - so for the embellishments. We'll start with the left page. I channelled my friend Angel who is a wizard with an exacto knife. I hand drew the blue swirls and cut them out with an exacto knife - but there is nothing EXACT about the swirls. Don't worry, sand the edges and no one will notice the imperfections! Then doodle around them with a white pen and REALLY no one will notice the swirls!

The strip of "dot" paper is from the DG Strips Paper as well as the title "Every Day Moments". I used parts of the DG strips paper and the Notebook Doodle paper (front and back to cut out the circles and the little tab). Once I cut those out, I sanded the edges and added Diamond Glaze to the top (for a little extra texture). I used four red buttons and 6 red brads. Don't stress about that part - just use whatever you have that coordinates.

For the right page, the quote on the bottom is from the DG Strips page. Find any black and white ribbon for the bottom of the layout and add any brad or "buckle" for some extra detail. Once again, I cut the picture turns out of scraps from the DG Strips paper. And I cut the journaling circle out of the back of the DG strips paper. Once again - go through your stash and use whatever brads work with these colors.

If you have no desire to make your own embellishments, this Fancy Pants line has two embellishment sets. They are both at Scrapbook and Co and just choose one and add them wherever I have mine.

I bought the similar Fancy Pants line for Christmas - with the embellishment set, so I'll be using those soon.

E-mail me or post any questions. I just love this paper - and four sheets goes A LONG way! Hopefully this gets your creative juices flowing. I'm hoping to post a new layout every other day - since I've left you high and dry on the classes this month. Enjoy!

LittleMissMatched Sock model...

Typical Avery - these aren't kids knee high socks - they are adult ankle socks. But Avery took them from my drawer and is wearing them around the house. I laughed so hard when I saw it - and that was way too painful in itself!

Megan - thanks for getting these funny socks for our shopping tour in Nashville!

Enough post-op - here are the girls...

They make me laugh everyday - even when it hurts!

Things your plastic surgeon leaves out of the information booklet...

1. It will be weeks - even a month or two before your children can run up and hug you.

2. With lipo - you can actually weigh MORE post-op than pre-op due to the water they pump into your tissue. Luckily, I weighed 5 pounds less, but I talked to someone today who weighed 15 pounds MORE after surgery than before.

3. There is no lag time for the bruising - as the surgeon is sucking your fat - your tissue immediately bruises - you leave the Operating Room black and blue.

4. You quite possibly won't fit into your clothes for a month - due to all of the swelling and fluid -and I thought I was going to be sending those clothes to Goodwill - glad I held on to them.

5. Wherever you had lipo, your skin is numb, but underneath, there is an unreachable itch deep down in your tissue - it's enough to drive you insane.

6. Lipo is by far worse than the tummy tuck. And I thought it was the exact opposite. Wrong!

7. Your skin can be ghastly white from the blood loss and anemia for "awhile".

8. You can't make it through the day without a nap for up to four weeks due to the blood loss, anemia, and the healing.

Just a few REAL facts in case you are considering a visit to the plastic surgeon...

Warning - I just took my late morning pain meds...

and I have about 10 minutes before I take my daily nap. I have been GLUED to the computer watching the first12 episodes of Lipstick Jungle. Have you watched it? It is the most fabulous show on my computer (haha). The jewelry alone is enough reason to watch it - but the story - the three amazing women - juggling real life - plus all the b#*sh&^ that goes along with the high powered exec life. I love it! Seriously, how beautiful are they? Even after plastic surgery, I"ll never look as good as Nico or Wendy or Victory (although I think I may already have Lindsey Price beaten in age - so she doesn't count...).

Do you know what's truly unfair? - they drink alcohol all the time - they are always pigging out on cupcakes or Halloween candy - and in only ONE episode have they been in a gym - and I think it was a pilates gym at that! Now THAT is not real life!!! No one gets to drink champagne at lunch, munch on tootsie rolls and look that good! That's how you know it's TV and not real.

Anyway - I still think it's the best show on TV. I will continue to watch the episodes on hulu.com until I get to the current show. And I want every RING they wear in the show - that's my new Christmas wish list!!!!

The post-op report...

Note: For your convenience, there will be no pictures during this post...

6 days ago (Tuesday at 8am to be exact), I paid someone (a highly esteemed plastic surgeon) to cut me apart from hip to hip, pull my stomach as tight as can be, and sew it back together. I also paid him to pulverize the fat in my hips and thighs and suck it through some disgusting apparatus - leaving the entire middle of my body bludgeoned and bruised. And I remind you once again - I actually paid dearly for this treatment...

For the first two days I stayed religiously on pain medicine while unable to consume any food for fear or vomiting. On the third day, mom and husband played hardball and told me no more drugs until I had nourishment. So on the third day, I started to singlehandedly support the local Smoothie King. And the drugs were administered. Also, on the second day - against my will, I was forced to walk around - with the help of a walker to help diminish the excruciating pain ripping through my torso (remember - I asked for this).

I have made it to Saturday, day six of this glorious journey - I am happy to report, that I am walker free, I'm moving around pretty quickly, and both girls have actually cuddled on my lap. I dressed and went to a neighborhood birthday party today.

If you know me at all - you will understand the difference between my recovery timeline and the doctor's. My doctor told me that most patients are back to a normal schedule in three weeks. He said that some of his younger, more active patients are back in two weeks. I took that info and decided I would be back to normal after one week. The eternal optimist right?

As I get closer to the one week mark, I am more realistic about the recovery. I know that I won't be at the mall at the end of week two buying an entire new wardrobe, because I will still be swollen and bruised, but I probably will be back at work. And today, when I wanted to stick my head in the pillow and cry due to the pain, I didn't - because I asked for this - so I better save the tears for something out of my control. I have severe feelings of guilt for making my wonderful husband bear all of the responsibilities around here - all in the sake of vanity. When I glance in the mirror, I can see that the outcome will probably be awesome - but the jury is still out if the war was worth the battle. I'll keep you posted...

And for once - I'm trying NOT to laugh out loud - because it HURTS too much, so find something to laugh about for me!

Halloween - the unscary version...

or maybe it's scary if you are looking at Collin and Shane...

and, yes, Avery is heading to "hack" into someone with her "bloody" hatchet - thanks to Daddy...