islandmom

A challenge and AI

So, I've been thinking a lot lately about a few things that have come together and I decided to bring a challenge to you.  The first thing is this post on Miss Kim's blog and I thought, "She's right, and I'm probably guilty."  There are some galleries that I post tons of comments in and then others that I post LOs to, but not many comments.  Then I saw on another blog (don't remember whose, if you know, let me know :)) where she said someone on TV had said "Give more than you take" and that brought me back to  Miss Kim's post and also reminded me of my motto, "Leave people better than you found them" (that's a borrowed quote, not mine, lol).  So I decided that I need to leave more comments than I post layouts in every gallery (my effort to give more than I take) and I have set myself a goal of posting a certain amount of praise for each LO that I post in every gallery that I post a layout it in.   Each time anyone posts a LO, it is something they have most likely poured their heart into and it is a risk to put it out there and not have anyone say anything about it.  So, join with me and let's leave people better than we found them and give their work some LOVE!!!

Moving on....lol....American Idol!!  THANK YOU AMERICA!!!  I was worried that Katharine was going to get sent home, just because I didn't think people would let Kelly go home yet.  I am so glad that they didn't send home Katharine!!  I disagreed with the judges on her performance, I thought it was great!  Kelly has been consistently poor for the past several weeks.  I really hope that the top three will come down to Elliot, Chris, and Katharine.  I still really like Taylor, but I think he has lost his groove in the last while.  So exciting to see who it will come down to.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Layout to share and a show...lol

This was a fun LO to make!  I used the new AWESOME kit from Holly McCaig and Gina Miller called "Summer Home"  LOVE IT!!!  The colors and the patterns are just FUN!!!  I LOVE the brushes that came in it too (the word SUMMER on my LO is one of them).  I finally made my way over to digitalpapertearing and bought a bunch of the paper tears.  I used to do it on my own, but you know what?  The more talented designers there are out there making awesome "ready-to-use" products, the lazier I get....lol!!!  I really don't want to have to create, make, or do anything myself if someone else has it out there for me!  LAZY!!!  I know!!  People like me should equal job security for some of the digi designers....lol!

Now that I am pretty much down for the next several months, I have a little more time on my hands to watch TV.  I used to never watch TV....seriously!  But now, it seems like that's almost all I do (notice I said SEEMS....lol).  But, I have a new show that I really like and I wanted to share it with you.  It's called "Little People, Big World" and it's on TLC.  It's about a family and the mom, dad, and one of their twin sons are little people.  The other three kids are average.  It is really interesting to see how these little people function in our world.  Honestly, I had never thought about how challenging it may be for a little person to do daily functions in our world.  Plus, their kids are great kids and they live on an awesome farm!!!  So, it all comes together to be educational, yet very entertaining.  In tonight's episode the average height teenage boy (Jeremy, I think) was helping his dad fix something.  His dad was trying to get him to stop and read the instructions before they started and Jeremy said, "Come on, Dad, we're men!  We don't need instructions!!"  ROFL!!!!  THEN his dad said, "Yeah, you're right!"  Soooo typical of the male thought process!!!!  LOVE it!!  Anyway, if you made it this far and have read this much, you can find out about the show here. 

HAVE A GOOD ONE!!!!

A day out...

Today, I got to go out!!  I had to go to the doctor so I decided to take the liberty to stop by Target (my fave.) and get a b-day present for ds.  The Target by my doctor's office is sooo AWESOME!  It's not a Super, but what they call a "BIG" Target (it's not on the outside of the store but when they were remodeling, I asked what they were doing and they told me they were going to be a "big" target...lol).  It's much bigger than my "home" target and I was in HEAVEN!!!!  I found some very fun things though and I wanted to share these beauties with you....


Aren't they AWESOME!!??  We are getting ready to do some redecorating/organizing (well, I won't get to DO much, just direct dh...lol) so I picked up some of the small pink and red ones for the kids rooms.  I think I may order a couple more online for my paper scrapping stuff and the pantry.  I just LOVE them!!!

The other thing that I wanted to share, I couldn't find a photo for the EXACT items that I bought in the store.  Yesterday, on my way to my ultrasound, I stopped into Bath & Body because my lil sis had told me that they had yummy smelling hand sanitizer and YES ladies, IT'S TRUE!!!!  They have hand sanitizer (in the bricks and mortar store anyway) AND anti-bacterial WIPES.  They come in small sizes, small enough to keep in your purse and they come in all of the fab. fragrances that their anti-bacterial soaps come in, here's the scents I got...


That's all for today.  I have some LOs that I'm working on, but nothing to show yet!!! 

HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!!

Ahhhh Spring

I love Spring and Summer...well and fall too...lol.  I guess the only season I don't love is Winter.  I'm not a cold weather person at all.  I keep telling dh that I am ready to move to Arizona...or Texas....or Hawaii (ahhhh, Hawaii)....yes, I'm dreaming!!!  But, it's fun to dream!  So, anyway, I am glad to be welcoming Spring and warm weather and sunshine!!!

I have a layout to share.  I made it using AngeDawn's TEN papers that will be at The Digi Chick this week.  I also used Sara Carling's stitching and alpha.  It was a photo from our vacation to San Diego just over a year ago. 

I really need some new photos to scrap!  Do you ever get tired of scrapping the same old photos all of the time?  I admit I haven't taken any GREAT photos in a llllloooooonnnnnnggggg time.  That just may have something to do with the restrictions the doctor has put me on because of my pregnancy.....  :)  ....just maybe!!  LOL

I bought this book a couple years ago when dd was having some issues with some of the girls in her class at school.  I read it and LOVED it.  It gave me lots of ideas on how to talk to her about what was going on and how to give her the tools to deal with everything.  I also noticed the same kinds of issues in my adult relationships with SOME women (not all) and I often thought, "It never goes away!"  So, when my sister told me about an article in a magazine by the same author, but dealing with adults, I went and bought the magazine and was very excited to see that she had a new book out...

I went and got it too, lol.  I am just starting it, but I am excited to see what new tips and tricks I can learn because these kinds of women (and obviously men) never go away, everywhere you go (church, your kids school, playgroups, preschool groups, sports teams) these type of people are there.  Why do we do this to each other????

Have a good week!!!

Book Share

I'm finally getting around to sharing this book with you.  After my ds spent almost this whole school year with a cold (it started the 2nd week of school and he would go just a few days without and then get sick again) I decided we needed to get it all under control.  I remembered seeing the authors of this book on a Dateline or 20/20.  Allison Janse is a "germ freak" with small kids.  She said on the show that by implementing the things in this book they had gone three years...THREE YEARS....without a cold or flu!!  The book is an easy read and it's rather funny too.  She and this doctor went around and did tests and studies on EVERYTHING and some of the statistics are frightening!!!  For instance, more grocery carts fail health standards than public restrooms (OUCH)!  Some of the suggestions in the book are a little "over the top" but some of them are great!  I know that some grocery stores now supply disinfectant wipes next to the grocery carts so you can wipe them down before using them, that has not hit my area of the country yet, so I carry these little handy things in my purse...

They come individually wrapped similar to the handwipes you get when you eat at KFC.  They are pretty handy for lots of different situations.  The best part is that ds has been cold free for six weeks!

This is a LO I made with one of my friends kits.  Ange started selling her digital creations at The Digi Chick a few months ago and I am SO PROUD of her!!!  Her stuff is beautiful, love her color combinations, textures and fun elements and alphas she designs.  You can also see all of her stuff at www.angedawndesigns.com where she always changes the homepage to match her newest releases...so FUN!!!  So here is my LO I did with her 5 and 1/2 kit:

Finally, RIBBONS!!!  I LOVE RIBBONS!!!!!  Especially the IRL scrapbooking kind!  I went to the LSS and they had a bunch of the newest stuff in, including the Maya Road paisley ribbons!  If there is another thing that I LOVE that would be PAISLEYS....my heart was beating so fast... so I had to buy some of course!  I also just joined the Ribbon Kit Club at 3Scrappy Boys!  This is the first I have seen of this kind of kit club....not sure if there are more ribbon kit clubs out there...I'm almost afraid to look....lol!!!  Now, if I can convince dd to stay OUT of my ribbon collection that would be good ;)

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!!!

Feeling Nostalgic...

It's been about two years ago that I discovered digital scrapbooking.  I had dabbled in doing LO's on my computer with PowerPoint and PictureIt for several months before then, but I didn't really know everything that was out there.  After a vacation, I found Memory Makers Magazine special digital issue in my grocery store and immediately bought it.  I devoured the magazine over and over and over again.  In one of the articles it listed SBB as a resource.  I went to SBB and my world was changed FOREVER!!!   Back then there was a girl on the team there with the screen name of Shabby Princess.  She had a really CUTE avatar and was very nice.  I found some kits of hers in the download section and fell in love!!  I watched her and admired her for a long time.   Now she has a shoppe, I'm on her team (pinch me) and she is a friend.

At that same site, I got to know a couple of girls.  Last April, I was able to meet these girls and quite a few fellow digi scrappers while I was in Utah.  We spent HOURS together at lunch, looking at albums, and talking.  It was so refreshing to be with a group of people that knew, understood, and cared about digi scrapping.

All of these friends that I have made through digi have gone on to make a name for themselves and find a niche in the community, I am so proud of them!!!  When they email me, IM me, or call me with exciting news about something that is happening for them, I am as excited as I would be if it were me!  So for my girls.....here's a shout out to you!!!  I admire each of you so much and I am so proud of you!!!  I really wish we lived closer!!

That brings me to the next item...Shabby Miss Jenn posted this on 2peas.  It is something that I had been thinking a lot about the last week or so as well.  I wonder this about people online, it's easy to be something electronically, other than what you really are.  There are lots of LOs that I have done, that will never see the light of day in a gallery because they make me feel too vulnerable, but they also aren't in an album that I share with lots of people IRL.  For the most part, I think I am the same online as IRL, after all, I do have my sisters watching me all the time.....lol!!!

Lastly, American Idol!!  Woe Nellie!!!  That was a shocker!!  I really did think Mandisa would be one of the last two!!  She has amazing talent and I agree with Paula that she could "sing the phone book." and it would sound good (I think she was talking about Mandisa...lol).  I do have to say that Katherine called Simon out and I was SO PROUD of her.  It has been obvious to me this whole season that Simon doesn't like country music because he always says, "Loved the performance, hated the song," to any country song!  I was so annoyed that he said that after EVERY SINGLE performance!  Makes me wonder if he tried to make it so there wasn't a country night and lost the battle and that was his way of protesting.  I think my favorite performances for country night were probably Chris, Elliot, and Kellie.  I was anxious to see what Chris would do because the week before they had challenged him to show a different side.  I would have to say that he delivered!!  It really was good even though he was out of his element.  I was disappointed in Taylor's performance, I really thought he could have done a blues/country type song and been awesome!!!

So, that's all...I hope the sap and nostalgia doesn't prevent you from coming back....lol!!!  That probably won't happen very often, but I won't say 'NEVER' because I have learned that lesson (today anyway).

Scrapping Goodies and Dinner Dilemma

I have lots to share with you!  First off, last fall I got a catalog from Oriental Trading and it was different than any other I had ever received from them.  You see, they had just started carrying scrapbooking supplies!!  I am a digital scrapbooker, but I LOVE to alter things and I still use paper supplies for most of that stuff.  I looked through the catalog and wasted no time placing my first order.  Today, after looking at the newest catalog over and over, I finally placed an order for some more goodies.  I am going to have some fun altering and have lots of projects in mind (hopefully I will be able to get to them all :)).  Here's a few of the things I ordered...

7x7 "cardstock" books to make your own "story" with.

12x12 Clipboards, I have some fun teacher appreciation gifts in mind for these!

These next two you will recognize as being very similar to another brand ;)

FUN STUFF!!!

Next,  I wanted to share a LO that I did with the totally rocking new kit called "Studio Chic" from Shabby Princess and the equally rocking new font called "TK Doodle" by Taran Conyers, both available at www.theshabbyshoppe.com very soon ;).

I also made my first printables project with the "Studio Chic" kit and was thoroughly delighted when I was able to use Mod Podge on it and it didn't bleed one bit!!!

Now for the dinner dilemma...lol!  I used to do "freezer meals" or "Once a Month" cooking with a friend of mine.  In one day we would make 20-30 meals, which we found really lasted for about 3 months.  It was a lifesaver, but it was also extremely exhausting!  Now, I am pregnant and anyone that knows me knows that I have really difficult pregnancies and get to spend lots of quality time relaxing (in other words, forced bedrest).  In January I decided to give one of those freezer meal places a try.  I'm sure you probably have them in your area, they are all over the country, here's one if you want to look at them and see what they are like (my SIL uses this company and loves it).  The meals serve 6 and so I have them divided in half and we get 12 meals for the price of 6.  The company I use, usually has a side with each dinner, but not always.  I pair it with a veggie, a starch, and sometimes a fruit and we are good to go!  Makes my life sooo much easier.  Now that I am having lots of "down-time" it is a life saver too!!  We have several different companies in our area that provide this service and I talked with lots of people before I went with the company I did.  Most of the other companies menus were not very child friendly or healthy (didn't provide low-fat/low-sodium options).  Let me know if you have done this too or if you end up trying it, I LOVE it!!

Have a good one!!!

AI, haircut, and new LO

First, American Idol.  I have to agree with the judges, most of the performers were OFF on Tuesday night, what was up?  Either the performances were bad or the song choices were.  I really liked Elliot's performance, I thought Ace did an okay job, but I am tired of "the look".  You know "the look" that everyone made such a big deal of the first couple episodes?  It's old and tired and he does it EVERY performance.  Paris...I totally agreed with Simon on her performance...enough said.  In the end, I was fine with the results.

I went and got my haircut last night.  Whenever I'm pregnant, I always do something drastic.  This time I went pretty short.  I think it's the shortest I have ever had it in my adult life.  When I got home dh said he liked it (I guess he has finally learned...lol).  DD said, "Ummmmm, I like it."  DS said, "I don't like it one bit!"  Then this morning when I got up he said, "Laying down didn't help your hair." Yes, I have a lot of work to do with him if I want him to ever get married!  His poor wife!

Lastly, I did another LO!!  It has been so nice to fit in a little bit of scrapping the last week!!!  Kristie, Shabby Princess, has a new kit out called "Moroccan Sunset" available only at A Cherry On Top there are lots of fun things in this kit that are sure to inspire.  I think my favorites are the bubble overlay (that I used on the photo) and the copper alpha...so beautiful!!  It's another beach LO...sorry if you are getting tired of beach LOs, but I have lots of beach photos to scrap and they make me happy to scrap :) brings back good memories!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!