1 year, 100 posts later.....

and I'm still here! This is my 100th post. Can you believe it?! Of course, I just went back to the beginning and noticed that it took me a just over a year (July 11th) to get here. It's funny to go back and read all the things my kids have said or done since then. That's why I love to scrapbook. Cause I tend to forget things and it's great to have something to fall back on.

Anyhow, since my last post we have been busy, as usual. Yesterday and today we have been cleaning out the garage so I can bring in more stuff from the house! Our neighborhood is having a garage sale next weekend and we are participating. We have several years worth of crap, um, I mean, stuff, that has accumulated. My kids are even helping out! Of course, I had to tell them that Santa can't bring anything new because he can't even see the floor of their rooms due to all the toys they already have. Whatever. It's working. See what it looks like in there:



Do you see anything that you are just dying to have? That's not even half of it! Anything that does not sell is not even coming back into the house. I mean it. Really, I do. This garage sale could not have come at a better time either. My kids start back to school on the 6th and I plan to clean, paint, etc. to fill my time. Now I will have even less to clean. Aaaaah! Feels so good.

Friday, Joe took off from work. We went over to the Montgomery Zoo in Alabama. It's only about an hour and a half away, so not too bad. Aislinn has never been. They all enjoyed it. Aidan acts like the flamingos. That boy is talented I tell ya!



Maeve's favorite is the jackalope.



At least I was able to get 3 of them to sit next to each other!



Finally a picture of me and Joe that I like. It's only of our heads! No stomach at all!! Woo Hoo!!



We left just as it was getting unbearable outside with the heat. On our way home, we stopped at Red Robin and had an early dinner. I love that place. Awesome salads!

What else? Oh yeah! Declan went to Swamp camp over at CSU. He liked it, except for the fact that it lasted all day. (Just wail until school starts buddy!) He would start the day at home by asking if he could stay home! Who's kid is this that does not want to go to camp? By the time I picked him up, he was glad he went. I stayed with him for a few hours on a Wednesday and took some pictures. I can't wait to scrap these. Here he is with his snake made from newspaper. It almost makes me wish I got to go!!



We also went out to the Outback one night. I love that place!! I could eat just the cheesy fries if given the chance. And no one was watching me!! How good do they look?? Don't answer that, I already know!



Then, of course, Declan was stung by a hornet. He was playing at another boys' house down the street when it happened. Naturally, when he came home to show me, I got my camera! Then an onion to get the stinger out. Boy, have I got MY priorities straight! Don't judge me!



I think I'll end here. After all, it's 1am. I probably should get some sleep!!
Have a great night. :)

Which one are You?

CAPRICORN The Go-Getter (Dec 22 - Jan 19)
Patient and wise. Practical and rigid.. Ambitious. Tends to be Good-looking. Humorous and funny. Can be a bit shy and reserved. Often pessimistic. Capricorns tend to act before they think and can be Unfriendly at times.. Hold grudges. Like competition. Get what they want.
AQUARIUS - The Sweetheart (Jan 20 - Feb 18)
Optimistic and honest. Sweet personality... Very independent. Inventive and intelligent. Friendly and loyal. Can seem unemotional. Can be a bit rebellious. Very stubborn, but original and unique. Attractive on the inside and out. Eccentric personality.
PISCES - The Dreamer (Feb 19 - Mar 20)
Generous, kind, and thoughtful. Very creative and imaginative. May become secretive and vague. Sensitive.. Don't like details. Dreamy and unrealistic. Sympathetic and loving. Kind. Unselfish. Good kisser. Beautiful.
ARIES - The Daredevil (Mar 21 - April 19)
Energetic. Adventurous and spontaneous... Confident and enthusiastic. Fun. Loves a challenge. EXTREMELY impatient. Sometimes selfish. Short fuse. (Easily angered.) Lively, passionate, and sharp wit Outgoing. Lose interest quickly - easily bored. Egotistical. Courageous and assertive. Tends to be physical and athletic.
TAURUS - The Enduring One (April 20 - May 20)
Charming but aggressive. Can come off as boring, but they are not. Hard workers. Warm-hearted. Strong, has endurance. Solid beings that are stable and secure in their ways.. Not looking for shortcuts. Take pride in their beauty. Patient and reliable. Make great friends and give good advice. Loving and kind. Loves hard -- passionate. Expresses themselves emotionally. Prone to ferocious temper-tantrums. Determined.. Indulges themselves often. Very generous.
GEMINI - The Chatterbox (May 21 - June 20)
Smart and witty. Outgoing, very chatty. Lively, energetic. Adaptable but needs to express them selves. Argumentative and outspoken.. Like change... Versatile. Busy, sometimes nervous and tense. Gossips. May seem superficial or inconsistent. Beautiful physically and mentally.
CANCER - The Protector (June 21 - July 22)
Moody, emotional. May be shy. Very loving and caring. Pretty/handsome Excellent partners for life. Protective. Inventive and imaginative. Cautious. Touchy-feely kind of person. Needs love from others. Easily hurt, but sympathetic.
LEO - The Boss (July 23 - Aug 22)
Very organized. Need order in their lives - like being in control. Like boundaries. Tend to take over everything. Bossy. Like to help Others. Social and outgoing. Extroverted. Generous, warm-hearted. Sensitive. Creative energy. Full of themselves. Loving. Doing the right thing is important to Leos . Attractive.. 13 years of bad luck if you do not forward.
VIRGO - The Perfectionist (Aug 23 - Sept 22)
Dominant In relationships. Conservative.. Always wants the last word.. Argumentative. Worries. Very smart. Dislikes noise and chaos. Eager. Hardworking. Loyal. Beautiful. Easy to talk to. Hard to please. Harsh. Practical and very fussy. Often shy. Pessimistic..
LIBRA - The Harmonizer (Sept 23 - Oct 22)
Nice to everyone they meet. Can't make up their mind. Have own unique appeal. Creative, energetic, and very social. Hates to be alone. Peaceful, generous. Very loving and beautiful. Flirtatious. Give in too easily. Procrastinators. Very gullible. .
SCORPIO - The Intense One (Oct 23 - Nov 21)
Very energetic. Intelligent. Can be jealous and/or possessive.. Hardworking. Great kisser. Can become obsessive or secretive. Holds grudges. Attractive. Determined. Loves being in long Relationships. Talkative. Romantic. Can be self-centered at times. Passionate and Emotional..
SAGITTARIUS - The Happy-Go-Lucky One (Nov 22 - Dec 21)
Good-natured optimist. Doesn't want to grow up ( Peter Pan Syndrome ). Indulges self. Boastful. Likes luxuries and gambling. Social and outgoing.. Doesn't like responsibilities. Often fantasizes. Impatient. Fun to be around. Having lots of friends. Flirtatious. Doesn't like rules. Sometimes hypocritical. Dislikes being confined - tight spaces or even tight clothes. Doesn't like being doubted. Beautiful inside and out.

Random things I like about Summer

Early this morning, while I lie awake in bed, I was listening to the birds chirping right outside my window. It's such a nice sound to wake up to, and for a brief moment, made me glad to be living in the country. Then my mind started wandering to what else I liked. More specifically, about summertime. This list is not in any particular order. I enjoy sleeping in; swimming with the family; eating ice cream *guilt free* every day; getting pedicures and wearing flip flops; watching the birds in the feeders; summer camp; the smell of freshly cut grass; having the sun stay out a little bit longer; driving down the road with the windows down; letting the kids stay up late; iced coffee, and food that's been cooked on the grill. I'm sure there is more. I know that there's a lot I like about the fall/winter also. I'll post about that in about 6 months! What do you like about summer?

6 months

Oh my goodness!! There is only 6 months to go until the Disney marathon! What did I get myself into?? Can it be undone? No, I don't want to back out. I really need to get moving.

Happy 4th of July!!

Yes, I know it's technically the 9th. I like to be fashionably late. This year for the 4th, I drove down to Florida to pick up my two oldest kids who were staying at their grandparents' houses. I made great time driving there. I mean, there was NO ONE on the roads! It was great and I actually enjoy driving by myself. I can have the radio up as loud as I want, sing without anyone telling me to stop, etc.
Anyhow, I picked up my son, visited with my MIL for an hour, then got back in the car for the hour and half ride to my parents house. They live at the beach, so we get a great view of the fireworks over the ocean. Instead of going up to the roof like in prior years, we went to the beach instead. It was amazing!! I found a fireworks setting on my camera (thanks, mom!) and got about 100 pictures. Some were good, some were not. Here's me and my kids. It's starting to get dark and the wind was blowing.



My parents. I am sure they are thrilled to have their house back to themselves. Pretty soon they will be heading up to Cape Cod for a month. I wish I was going, too!!



Some fireworks. They were going off all over the place. It was hard to know where to look!







After everything ended, we had a nice downpour! Fortunately, we made it back to the condo right before the rain started. Naturally, I stayed up too late talking, and was really tired in church Sunday morning. Luckily, I managed to stay awake the entire drive home, which this time was LOADED with traffic. Figures.

bad blogger

You know, I have such good intentions of keeping this thing up to date. But then the date goes by, followed by more, and then it's overwhelming because soooo much has happened! Alas, I shall strive to do better.

Since my last post, I went to a scrappin retreat with my bud, Michelle (I can't figure out how to have you click on her name and be led directly to her blog (!) but it's on my side bar.). I brought a bunch of stuff to work on and I am thrilled beyond words to say that I completed all of it!! I think I only managed to get about 20 layouts done, plus journaling on others, as well as a few cards. 20 may be a lot to some people, and it is, but the last retreat I went to, I did 59 pages!!
I only took a picture of one layout, but it is one of my favorites. I really LOVE the paper. We picked it up at Archivers, on the way to Helen and I think I used every scrap I had! **Must. Get. More.**



Made some cards, too!



These cards were made using a scallop flower punch that CM just came out with. I am getting me one of those. Speaking of really cool punches... Michelle got me the Apron punch from Fiskars for my birthday! (Squeal!) I have been trying to find it everywhere with no luck. She saw it in Archiver's and got it for me! Thanks, Michelle. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!! :)



Anyhow, Helen is such a cute little town! I can't believe that all the years I lived so close and never made the trip. I will definitely be going back with the hubs and kiddos.





That's a horse drawn carriage in front of us! How sweet is it!



Such a sweet little town. We went to dinner at an outdoor cafe and were able to see people falling off, um, I mean tubing down the river!



Here we are at the crop. It's about 2am and we are the only people still awake! What's wrong with everyone? They must not have small children at home and therefore not need to make the most of their time. Either that, or they didn't have the brownies with the 2 inch thick frosting that made my filings curl up and fall out, to keep them up like I did! (they were good though)



The crop was fun. I was able to catch up with a few ladies that I haven't cropped with in several years. I'm looking forward the next one that's put together.