Things you think you would never say...

Well, okay type actually. I just told Melanie this and now I can't believe I actually said it in the first place, and then to her, and now, in my early morning rambling your ears get the joy, neigh, the torture even, of hearing the new tag line for my life...

"I am not a pork chop kind of gal."

Yep, I said it to my neighbor a couple of years ago whilst discussing a restaurant where Micah and I had been. It was a vineyard actually, and many of the meat options were slightly more exotic than I care for. (despite the fact that her husband tricked me into eating buffalo meat, I do not nornally eat anything other than chicken.)) So, I ordered the pork chops and loved them even though, as I explained to my neighbor... "I am not a pork chop kind of gal." She has never let me forget it either. :)

Melanie brought it back to my mind when Amazon offered her a lovely power tool... she asked "What about me screams power tool?" To which I was LOL. So, my question for you is ...

Are you a pork chop or a power tool kind of gal?

What kind of goofball statements have you made that you can't, even though you may wish to, forget???

Of course,there are also Mom related things I have said and then realize... Wow, that is not something I ever thought I would say out loud. Things like...

"Stop eating your boogers"

"Tell the poopy to come on out! " (that is potty training talk)

"Um, are you eating that lady bug?"

"Who has been peeing in the shower?"

"Why did you pee on your brother's leg?"

"Please do not toot on me again."

"Take my underwear off your head."

As I reread that list I realize that many of ours revolve around body functions... well that is life in the house of testosterone...

And, that is all. I am attempting to end the milk river here and will close this one out quickly... Here are some scrappy pics though.
This is a mini book I made two weeks ago Friday, when some friends came over to scrap. We had a great time and I got this little gem all started and then finished it up Saturday. :) The white blocks are where I took out personal info...

And another one bites the dust...

Yes, another childhood fantasy has bit the dust courtesy of Lincoln the logical child. Yesterday he suddenly said "Mom, I lost another tooth!" This is tooth number four for him, and we didn't even know it was loose! (um, he later told me he purposely did not tell us because, "Mom, sometimes children don't tell their parents about loose teeth because they don't want them to say 'Pull it out! Pull it out!'. So, that is why I didn't tell you and dad." Well, alrighty then, I guess we have been a tad enthusiastic about prior teeth, but when your kid has a tooth hanging out of his mouth horizontally you tend to encourage its extraction.) So...

We put the tooth under the pillow and the tooth fairy came and left a dollar. When I get up this morning, Lincoln is laying on the chair looking thoughtfully at said dollar. This is the conversation that ensued...

"Mom, is the tooth fairy really real?"

I pretend to not hear. "Um what honey?"

"Are you and Dad the tooth fairy?
"What???"

"Did you leave this dollar under my pillow?"

Since Micah had left the money I could answer without lying to him, "No. I didn't. The tooth fairy must have!"

He does not look too convinced and he is back to looking and pondering the dollar, and Micah enters.

"Hey Lincoln! Look at that! Did the tooth fairy leave you that dollar?"

"Dad, are you the tooth fairy?"

"No!"

"Dad. Is the tooth fairy even real?"

"Um, well -"

"Dad, TELL THE TRUTH!" and this is said so emphatically, with a pointed finger, that Micah confesses...

"No son. The tooth fairy is not real. I put the dollar under your pillow. How did you know?"

"Well, you said she has wings and people do NOT have wings, so I knew it wasn't really real."

Nice. No Santa, No tooth fairy, and I am guessing the Easter Bunny is on thin ice...

We went over, repeatedly, that he is NOT allowed to tell anyone, and gave him several punishments options should he choose to spill the beans anyway.

Then he asks if he can trade back the dollar and have his tooth back. Seriously, whose kid is this???

Other than that, we have had a quiet few days here. The fat dog is continuing on his journey to be the best baby ever! He sleeps good, eats good, and is generally just a happy baby all the time.

Emerson has been having some new imaginary adventures... these involve his gramma. He says things like...

"Mom, my gramma taked me to my school." (um he doesn't even go to school!)

"Ma, my gramma says I can have Spwite (sprite)." (yeah, at 8am only a gramma would give you sprite!)

"Mommy, my gramma says I can do..." Fill this in with any activity that Mom and Dad have banned or said no to.

Onto some scrappy things...

Here is one of my pictures for the 365... A pretty little apple pie that I made this week. It was yummy and my crust came out the prettiest I've ever made. I still have to get these printed and put into some kind of album. I am doing them all at the end of the month, and printing them at Costco, so I have a few more days to figure out exactly how I want to album them up.

My Book of Me for week 3. The idea was to frame something. No, I didn't get this in a real frame for my wall yet, but once we paint in here I will. I love this quote and it so defines why I scrapbook! Remember I am using up my stash and scraps for these so its not like they are brilliant or anything. :)

And, please pray for my girl Kim. Her little bundle of joy arrived 8 weeks early. His name is Joshua and he is doing great. He will be in the hospital until his due date probably. Kim is a super Mom and woman of faith, and seeing her handle this is amazing and encouraging! Speaking of Kim, here are the pages I made a while back for her CJ. I loved the theme, "Queen for a Day"

And I am finishing up the last few Deck of Me Cards... yes, I know I am terribly behind, but I only have a few more to go.I have gotten behind whilst caring for the fat dog. Yeah, blaming a baby is pretty low, but hey, if you really read the card below that is for the prompt "self realization" you will know I am pretty low at times. LOL) If they had pretty backs other than the simple written prompt, I have included them. :) (click to enlarge)

Cryin' Over the Netflix...

I am not myself lately... I mean, I think there is a vicious conspiracy between my hormones and my brain to make me nuts. Here is an example...
It all started innocently enough. We got the NetFlix and it was Evan Almighty, which I picked. So we start watching at 9:30pm. By 9:35pm I am literally dead asleep. So, the next day Micah, the great husband that he is, takes the boys hiking and gives me a little quiet time with Alden. Well, I go to put in the movie to watch and its gone...
I begin a frantic search for it.
Why I felt frantic I do not know. Micah had already said it was not as funny as I was anticipating. Yet, still the "frantic" search went on. Then I see it out the window... the flag on the mailbox is up. I know what that means. It means Micah has already put it in the mail to send back!
What??? I have not watched it yet... hello hormone surge...
I got upset.
I mean, literally in tears.
I called Micah and asked,
Sniff, sniff " Did you send the netflix back?"
"Um, Yeah." he replies.
"Well, I was going to watch it! Did you forget about me not getting to see it?"
"Jude, babe, if you want to watch it, it is right out there in the mailbox, just go get it. Sorry I just forgot you didn't watch it."
"Fine" I retort.
"Hon, are you upset? he asks.
"No, its okay" I fib...
Cause then I hang up and cry because, and I literally say out loud and tearfully, " I cannot believe he forgot me. I just can't believe he sent that Netflix back." Then as if the sanity fairy came out of the heavens and smacked me with the 2x4 of reality I realized what I was doing...
Sitting there.
Crying.
Over the NetFlix.

Next example... cause there are many...
I am having an errand night. Alone. Meaning Micah gets home and I exit, rather quickly, to go get some alone time whilst running errands. So, I have Babies R Us, Target, Costco, and the grocery store on my list. It is cold, it is rainy, and I literally do not want to go. I want to stay home and snuggle with Micah on the couch. Ah, but I realize this is the only night of the week I can go, so off I set. First stop, Babies R Us. I get in the door, and realize as I go to put my keys in my purse, that I have left my wallet at home. So there I am. No wallet... which means no credit cards, no ID. I wait in an insanely slow line to ask in my best -I am a trustworthy person who doesn't bounce checks- voice if they will let me write a check sans ID. NO! Was the quick reply. Well... alrighty then. Another employee asks "Doesn't someone with you have ID, we could even use theirs."
Well, that is the irony of alone errand night... My wallet is in the diaper bag, so if i HAD my kids with me, I would not be having this problem. Hello Hormone Surge
So I walk out to the car, and literally burst into tears... I mean, these were river flowing, need a tissue, dripping off the chin, tears.
I call Micah and say "I am headed home! I forgot my wallet and I can't buy anything or even get into Costco. I am so disappointed with myself for forgetting. I am beyond ticked off!"
His sweet reply... after a little giggle i might add...
"It's okay hon. Just calm down. Have you prayed about it?"
"HUH?" I literally held the phone away from my ear and just looked at it.
Are you kidding me I think? I am too busy being ticked off and crying to pray! And that is the point of his question I know. Now, I can write about this because normally Micah does not do things like this. He is a pretty terrific husband and Dad. If he asked goober questions like that all the time, it would not be so humorous.
So, I head home. Get my ID and head to the grocery store at least. (cause that is all I have time for thank you medela! It will be so nice when my entire body can go out for a few hours... ) And after hugs from all the men of the house I feel better, and on the way there, I do think and pray and realize... (hello, 2x4 moment again) this is not a big deal. I mean, really, really not a big deal. Hurricanes, cancer, etc. these are issues I should be crying over. So, reason returns and as I look at my pile of discarded tissues and think of the last half hour, I ponder... "who was that freakish woman?" I wonder if this is what having a split personality is like???
These hormones are sneaky little things. I will not be bested by them. Sanity will reign! Well, okay, maybe not total sanity, but at least some reasonable measure of normalcy would be nice. Cause between you and me, I am ready to stop feeling like Mommy Dearest. (No More wire hangers!)
Until then, I will be scrapping... or crying about you know, the fridge light burning out or getting my shirt wet while I wash dishes... those really upsetting big life issues...
Here is my latest LO for UnPubbed. Go check it out... our newest sponsor is Memorable Seasons. Jill the owner, is great, and her site is going to be awesome!

Do not adjust your screens...

Yep, that is right... Another update from me. I know Dawn is fainting by now, but I am keeping my resolve to update more often. We had a busy day of pajama wearing and chores... laundry, dishes, and the usual. The highlight of the day was getting to touch a big hunk of raw meat.. ugh. Here is what I speak of... it is my picture of the day for the 365 project.

Yep, that is gross, but it is part of the journey...the realization that I am not that girl...

You know the girl who buys turkeys and such and makes stuffing and knows about proper basting and seasoning. I think I like the idea of it all... Me stooping into the oven to see a golden brown turkey and basting it whilst wearing a cute apron, and nary a hair out of place...
Yeah, in reality... not so much.
I realized today that I do not like to touch that big dead bird. It is smelly, and slimy and you will not believe this... I literally had to pull out a feather they missed in the turkey processing plant. I almost vomited.
There was no careful selection of spices after that... I shoved that thing in the too small disposable roasting pan I bought, and slathered it with olive oil, salt, pepper and a little Nature's Own. There is no stuffing cause I refuse to eat anything that is cooked in an area referred to as a "cavity". Plus that is where they put that nasty bag of innerds... can they not make some of these birds with an option like "Neck and innerd bag free"??? I would buy those birds for sure. I don't wish to know that what I am cooking once had a neck let alone have to see it and throw it out ya' know?
So anyway... We had a big turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, carrots, and homemade apple pie for dessert. I make my own, from scratch which makes me feel a little better about my culinary skills. I am pretty mad at myself because I wanted to take a picture of the pie, but then I cut and served it before I remembered... that would have been a much more pleasant photo, but now I am stuck with the raw,dead bird shot for the day... like I said it is part of my journey... now you are all thinking it seems fitting that there will be a picture of a raw, dead bird...

Here are some happier things to look at...
My first two weeks for the Book of Me Challenge. Yeah, I can't remember if I heard about that one from Beth, Corey or Nicole... but anyway, I actually have my first two weeks done. On Time. Pretty Miraculous I know. I decided on using a 4x4 size. So far so good. Here they are...

The prompt for this one was to make a list of five things you wanted to do for yourself that week and do them. Got all mine in, except the toes...


This one was "Freedom". You were supposed to let go of something that is holding you back, or keeping you from being all you should/can be. I knew that I did not want to list mine for all the world to see, so i wrote down a few character qualities I know cause me grief, and put them in that cute little vellum envelope. Hence the title "free me from me."

And here is the Mini book for Alden for December... and a picture of him today in his johnny jumper. He is so cute, and I promise, the child does not cry for more than ten minutes a day TOTAL! Thank you Lord on that, cause with old Emerson doing things like breaking keys in half, I need one that is subdued. Yes, Emerson literally broke Micah's house key in half. I am not kidding. He brought him the two pieces and said, "sawwy Dad, I breaked your key." I saved it cause you know that is going to be on a scrapbook page for sure...


Alright, I am outta here...

Peer Preassure...

So, there are two kinds of peer pressure. The good kind and the bad kind... I have fallen victim to both as of late. Fist, the good kind...
I have this girl to thank for reintroducing me to a love of reading. Yes, Mel is a fellow blogger who devours books at an alarming rate. Her blog is always full of great book reviews and she has never steered me wrong. I literally could not put down 1000 Splendid Suns, finished it in just a few days. I also remembered why I love the library. There are books there, thousands of them, and you get to take them home to read... for FREE! So, go to her blog, read her reviews, then head to the library to check some out. That is good peer pressure. Mel helping me to become more well read...


Now, the rest of you are the bad guys.
I resisted...
I said "No, I will not do this."
But then I kept reading and seeing and reading and seeing and then...
My resolve was gone.
"What speakest thou of Oh Jude?" you may ask...


This whole stinking 365 photos is what I speak of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I loved the idea after Corey posted about it.
I thought Chrissy's first photo was modelesque and inspiring.
I felt spurred on when Nicole, a mom of three, including twins, jumped in.
Pretty soon, Karla,Ronda, Melissa, Vee, and others I know I am forgetting, were all posting their journey. Today was the kicker....
That Kim. That little stinker and her amazing book... it was then I knew I had lost the battle to resist... Kim is so talented and her book... well, go look at it. It is way cool.


I have caved and will take up the challenge as well...
Plus, I have been taking pictures every day anyway and I won't be too behind! HA!!!



Everyone has been posting their Ali word. I was still debating... i mean, hello? There are alot of words out there to choose from. Here are some of the choices I was struggling with...
Hope - As in Psalm 27:13,14. My favorite verses. I have needed to cling to that hope lately.
Obey - I have been dealing with an issue that is requiring me to obey God even though I do not want to. I hate that kind of obedience. I want to WANT to do the right thing... does that make sense even?
Create - cause I want to make so many things and preserve so many memories.
Dude - Cause let's face it this word covers alot... as in,
Shock - "Dude, you would not believe what Emerson did today." or
Delight - "Dude, I love those new shoes." or
Rebuke - "Dude, it is not cool to talk to Mommy like that." or
Whining - "Dude, if I don't get some sleep I will be even grouchier than normal."
So you see, Dude really is a good word and was staying near the top of my list. And yeah, it is inspired by the Bud Light commercials.
Then there were choices like "Stopbeingawenchallthetimetion" Come on, sound it out slooowly... But, since I realized that was not going to happen, well, at least until I am not forced to get up and meet with the Medela whilst everyone else is sleeping...
Also a two word combo, "Be-Patient" But I realized that was just asking for more things to help teach me patience... um no thanks. I have all the learning material I need embodied in a three year old.
So, today at church the word was found. Our Pastor shared the need for us to ENDURE. Endure in spiritual matters was the focus of course, but I was also struck how that word did in fact include many other things I was wanting my word to...
ENDURE... when you have no more human reason to.
ENDURE... because God commands you to.
ENDURE... when you aren't feeling creative.
ENDURE...when you are tired and that Medela is still around.
ENDURE... when small children come show you nuts and bolts they have removed with their bare hands from who knows where and you are wondering if your bed or kitchen table is going to collapse next time you use it.
ENDURE... when you think if you wash one more dish your head will explode.
ENDURE... in spite of it all.

So, there is the word... Endure. I will have a LO or mini about it soon. Until next time my friends...
And in keeping with my resolution to update more i had no new LOs scanned to share, so I will share a few more photos taken by the amazing Kristin...

A New Year, trends, and goals...

Okay, so I did this last year HERE. They were my scrapping trend predictions... If you read it I think I did pretty good... except that little bird was not totally gone, but you must all admit, he was replaced by the ever big-eyed owl...
So here are the predictions for 2008...

1. Wood... yep, the minute I saw wood grained Hambly I knew it was next... just like we all love the American Crafts letters in vinyl, felt, and foam, soon we will be buying them in thin wood. Yep, you read that right, wood grain letters will be here soon... I can hear the lumberjacks coming now...

2. The White Sharpie will be the new black pen of choice. Now, I realize this is no big feat of ESP here. I mean, the minute Ali E says she likes something we all want it too. (um, and rightfully so, has she steered you to a crappy product yet???)

3. Orange is the new black and its pal is brown. Yep, that color combo will be all around, and brown will be another favorite journaling pen color, and edge inker.

4.Mini Book... no, we will not throw out our 12x12 page protectors, but the mini book love will be through the roof this year. People may even tour Beth's house to see all of hers, and the Zutter Bind it All will be on lots of wish lists...

5.Buttons. It is the year of the button. Seriously. Gramma's everywhere will get all excited that we are asking for their old button boxes, only to find out we are using glue dots to adhere them to pages for scrapping endeavors.

So, there you have it. Those are my predictions for the world of scrapping.

Onto personal goals...

1. Update Blog more often so that I stop receiving e-mails asking if I am alive... LOL :)

2.Write at least two cards or letters a month.

3.Keep up with the read through the Bible in a year program in my Bible study book.

4.Keep my office and scrap area more organized.
5.Get rid of some of the crap, yes crap, that is in my house. We have too much stuff and I think it is choking me out of breathing space.

Scrappy Goals

1.Keep up with this...

A Gratitude Journal. It is the idea off Emily Falconbridge's blog. You write down something you are thankful for every day for a year. I made mine and will decorate the pages as I go along if need be with some buttons, ribbon, etc. I left a few pages out as I want to use photos as actual pages throughout the year too. I used all my favorite greens and blues, cause those are two colors I am thankful for. :)

2.Scrap Alden's baby book. I am behind now, so I am playing catch up...

3.Um, scrap Emerson's baby book.... heehee

4.USE MY STASH! Ugh, I have a ton of stuff and I resolve to use it up and try and stop buying more. I am not making some outlandish "buying freeze" statement, but really... gotta use what I've got ya' know?

5.Learn to take better photos, and have professional ones done a few times. My friend Kristin (a photographer) took some of Alden and she gave them to me... they are awesome. So awesome I want to save them for their own little post.

So there is 2008 in a nutshell... We brought in the New Year with some friends and fun and laughs... that is a good thing to be number one in my new journal. :)

Here is the rest of the Christmas mini... all done yesterday, and that made me happy! (cause my 2006 holiday one is still in its "almost" done state on my desk! How tragic eh?) As usual, click the pictures to enlarge them...

These two are the inside covers, and I still have write a little quote or something inside them.