Is that a FACE?!

Hello all, hope this post finds you all well.  I haven't been doing any papercrafting lately because I have been ELBOW DEEP in kitchen construction with the HOTTEST paratrooper that has ever walked this great land of ours!  And I am happy to share his last name! BooYAH!  This weekend we are renovating our kitchen, but that is not what I came here to talk about.  I will talk more about that when I have completed pics to go with it.  What I do want to post today is a question.....to see if you guys are seeing the same thing I am seeing. We were kind of breezing through some old vacay pics and came across this one that we took at Fort Macon, NC. This fort has seen many battles and has some great history as well and the phenom beach just outside the walls. My husband snapped this pic, I hope you guys can zoom in on it and tell me what you see in the door? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Butterflies.

You know when you make a change...one of those big, life changing changes, that as it approaches and starts to effect the way you do everyday things, and ya get those butterflies. You know, those BIG butterflies that start in your stomach and radiate into your arms and legs?  I am feeling that on a daily basis now as Monday, August 1st approaches.   See, I have made the decision to stop working part-time and begin a full-time position at the Endoscopy department  at the Veterans Hospital.  I am so proud to be a part of their team, but leaving a place you have known as home for the past 20 years is hard. I have been working for my current hospital since I was 19. Wow.   This doesn't come without some doubts, but, the Lord has lead me there, truly, and I know that I must keep my end of the deal. I was unsure as I interviewed and had a discussion with Him when I was finished.  I told Him that I was unsure, and that He would have to put me there if He wanted me there.  Well,  He did, so now I have to keep my end of the bargain.  God is good and He puts us right where we need to be. All we have to do is BE STILL, and listen. 

Day of Reckoning

On May 1st, our elite team of military professionals successfully eliminated Osama Bin Laden. We as a country couldn't be more proud of their selflessness, courage, determination, and bravery. It is because of our military that we live in a country where we have the freedom to BE.  Thank you to the people of the UNITED STATES military, we love you, we appreciate you, and we will continue to love and support you.

Change your words....

I just wanted to share a beautiful little video with anyone who bounces along here. I hope that is changes your day. Have a beautiful one! 

Con de Partiro at the Bellagio

I was on Kelly Purkey's blog and she had a link to this video, stunning and thought I had to share. If you want some scrappy goodness inspiration, visit her blog...It's Me KP....Kelly Purkey.

"When it rains...........it doesn't flush"

Aha!   Bet you thought I was gonna say it pours..which would be nice...but it didn't pour......and it sure didn't flush. Recently we have had a boatload of rain and  our "vintage" septic tank just couldn't take it anymore. It wouldn't drain and sooooo our toilet would not flush. I am sure you are wondering what could possibly make me devulge this info. Well, there is an interesting part to this story, when the oh-so-nice gentleman came to "evacuate" the tank we found that the lid was cracked. Not just cracked, but without the dirt on top of it began....to....shift.  They tried to stop the shift and lift the lid, but once water got on top of the lid, it bellied up like an old dead fish, and  S...A...N...K.  So now I have a big gaping hole in my yard with a big piece of plywood over it, and a little makeshift fence, just to keep the kids, and the kitty from falling in to the poophole.  So, that my friends is what I have been dealing with today. I have no cool pics...yet. BUT did get a chance to stamp a muslin bag today, only its not quite finished. Leave me a comment if you happen to pop by, and check back in when you get a sec. Sayonara!

Diggin' it!

Okay, so its been more than a long time since I have blogged. Seems as though with no traffic on this thing I am blogging to myself. However, I changed the look of the blog and I have to say I am DIGGIN' the colors. The swirls and the combinations of color reminds me of spring, and you know that after spring comes SUMMER! Boy, I can't wait. Home with my boys and trips to our self proclaimed peice of summer heaven, Emerald Isle.  If I had the cahonas I would sell my land here and move there in a heartbeat!  I am workin on revamping this here blog, but in the meantime I'm gonna leave you with a great summer pic. Can't wait! See ya soon peeps!

Its December 1st!

Hello all! I have been a busy bee doing the Thanksgiving thing.  Since I woke from my two day post-turkeypumkinpie slumber, I have finished putting up my Christmas decorations and finished quite a bit of shopping. WOW. That is a first for me. I am trying to stay motivated and make short lists of things to complete, I am trying to break out of my ADPS, translation- Attention Deficit Procrastination Syndrome.  No, I don't think that is an "official" diagnosis, but it sure feels that way to me. There are so many things I could be doing, but somehow, sitting on the couch, looking at the Christmas lights, and watching ELF, is so much more fun. And it is GREAT for my bum, makes it nice and round and plump... and jiggly... like Santa's belly.....ewww.... I think I have to go run now. Six miles. That should do it, at least for today!

I will leave you with a picture of my sweet dog Jack.  He keeps me company when my kidlets are at school, and besides, his picture was already on my computer, and he is way cuter that I! Have a beautiful Wednesday people!

What I've been up to.....

Hello all! I know, its been a long time since I have posted. But the trouble is, I really wonder if anyone sees this blog at all. I mean, I am not a very good blogger so its really no surprise there are no readers. But I have done something really that has surprised even me.   You see, at work there a few crafty people with embroidery machines at home, and they have made this oh so cute badge reels that are "monogrammed", they are cloth and they are very cute. I got to thinking, and ordering, the supplies to make some of my own, for all of my co-workers in our department, but to make them out of paper. Well....lets just say after a couple of rounds..... and lots of
product developement, I have finally made some out of paper, they are glazed with glassy glaze and impervious to any fluids they may splash about. The first picture is of the original group with no glaze, and the second picture, though it is hard to tell, is the group that is glazed. It also allows me to sprinkle just the tiniest bit of superfine glitter, you know, the kind that looks like pixie dust, over some of them to give them extra sparkle.  I am going to make some this week with just stamped images instead of letters just to see how fun I can make them.

I am off to shoo the kids to bed, tomorrow is a school day and it is already passed their bedtime~!

And the Fat Lady sang......

It's offical. Summer is over.

And I am sad. Though I love fall and all of the wonderful things that come with it, I can't help but be sad that summer is over. We had such a good time together, so many wonderful memories that I am getting ready to put into a scrapbook, I still long for all things that say summer to us. I would like to make one more trek to the beach with my kidlets before it gets cold. But as of now we are back to the grind of school, homework, and preparing for the fall. Both my boys are enjoying school, most of all my middle schooler. He went back to public school and loves it so much more than the Christian private school he went to last year. He is in the band, (playing the drums, how cool!) and is going to be joining clubs and being social. I love him so much and it makes me feel so good to see him happy. Sure, public school has its drawbacks. But Gavin is no longer in this little "box" that he was expected to be in last year. He is Gavin. Plain and simple, and he is allowed to be creative, quirky, and a bit of a daydreamer, and I love that. Scout is doing well in fourth grade and is loving his teachers also, they are changing classes this year, and he feels like such a big kid. I consider myself so blessed. Promise to be back before the end of the week to post something crafty! 

Romping on the Beach

In search of the Endless Summer...

There are only a few days left...a few more lazy days left, and then, its back to the grind. I love summer so very much.  My boys are out of school, no deadlines, projects, homework ect. And we play. I MEAN WE PLAY.  We go to the pool, play in the yard, play games in the morning in our jammies, make breakfast together. It is wonderful. (And they let me sleep on the mornings I don't have to go to work.)  They are so much fun, and I don't want our summer to end. However, I guess they do have to learn to make productive people out of themselves, so they must return to school.

These are a few pictures of our vacation to Emerald Isle. It was so beautiful, and yes, the water is beautiful there.  And it makes for good surfing, which my husband are going back in September and taking surf classes from Hotwax Surf Shop.  I swear they are the sweetest business owners ever. There shop has been there for 25 years.  We decided that longboarding would be my speed, you see, I don't like big hungry fish, and the more board I have, the less likely they will bite me and bite the board instead. ( I know that makes no difference, but don't tell my logical mind that.  Its the only way I am going to learn to surf with my husband.)

I have been making button badge reels lately and hopefully soon I will be taking a pic and posting it here for all to see. I will be selling them at the hospital and the school, and if they go over well enough, maybe I will put them in an Etsy shop.

You guys make the most of what is left of the summer, take care of yourselves... until next time....

Close call....

Once again God has blessed our little stamping community. I am sorry for not posting this earlier, but I have news about the LSS fire. There was a building behind our stamp store that apparently housed part of a printing business.  The oh so responsive Mooresville Fire Department kept spraying the adjacent buildings to keep them wet and cool so that they did not catch fire also. The stamp store did have a little damage, but it only went as far as some cracked window panes and melting door framing. The fire of the building behind it was so bad, and so hot, that they are not sure if they will even be able to determine what caused the fire.  No one was injured and all the beautiful papers, projects, stamps and memories are intact!  Thank you Lord!

Sorrowful Evening....

I just heard tonight that our LSS may have been involved in an explosion which resulted in a fire and total loss of the entire building which housed two businesses. I have been watching the news and searching our news websites for more info but I am afraid it is too early for that. Please send a prayer out to Brenda.  This place was a warm wonderful place of stamping family where they always knew your name.

Happy Independence Day!

Ok, so it proves that I don't have ANY readers, but just to make myself feel better, I am going to post..again...today...on the....4th! Happy Independence Day all you peoples!   Prayers and good wishes go out to all the SOLDIERS, their families, and a BIG...GINORMOUS...HEARTFELT...THANK YOU. Thank you guys, girls, families...for serving our country, and making it safe to lay our heads on a pillow at night. For allowing us the freedom to choose, when we will wake up, where we will go to church, where we work, what we wear, and how we choose our leaders. If it weren't for these brave, selfless, individuals, we could very well be the group of people dictated by some lunatic that won't let us think for ourselves. Fellow Americans...join me in supporting our soldiers and their families. Tell them thank you when you see them in  in the grocery store or on the street as you go about your day. Don't be shy, let them know that they are appreciated, and ask them to tell those in their divisions that we appreciate them too. It's the LEAST that we can do.

I have decided......

I have decided that it is pretty pathetic that when you get ready to stamp, and you have to take your heat gun or a hairdryer to blow the dust off your workspace, that you probably aren't stamping enough, or blogging enough. I know....it's bad. Really, really, bad. And I am going to change that. It's just that the pool is calling our names, and my supervisor at work, and the dirty dishes in the sink... know whut I mean?  So, I am making these cute little boxes for my sister (who is a brat) and my sister in law's birthdays, which are the 2nd and 4th of July. As soon as I get them done.. I will post them... and if you leave me a comment, I will choose one person to send a cute little unused stamp set.....it will be a surprise!  Let's just see if you leave some comments, eh? Mwah to da summatime peeples out there!

Love,

Princess T

It's almost here!

It's almost here, the end of school, light at the end of the tunnel, take a deep breath...freedom....ahhhhhh... SUMMER!  I am in love with summer, because that means that I get to sneak in my little boys' rooms in the mornings, tickle their sweet little boy feet, gently wake them with the smell of pancakes or waffles and bacon cooking, and tell them to get ready.....WE ARE GOING TO THE POOL!  The pool that we go to has got some of the most awesome girls and guys as lifeguards. They love my kids. They do. I can see it in their faces when we arrive there the first few days of summer. These are college kids, COLLEGE. They never act like they are too cool to hang out with my 12 and 9 year old children. At pool breaks you can find them IN the lifeguard stand, eating popcicles and taking a break with the BIG kids. I love them, these guarders of LIFE. They are amazing, and I truly appreciate the people that they are. Now don't get me wrong, I am not one of these mothers that lays by the pool and expects them to watch my kids. If one of my children slips from the diving board, I am the first one in. But these lifeguards at our pool are amazing. I love them, and I make them brownies with chocolate bars baked in! Mwah, to all the Pines Pool lifeguards!

Scrap Stamping Challenge!

Hello all! Its a very happy Thursday morning in  NC and the sun is shining. I just went walking  and hopefully dropped a bit of a buttcheek here or there.  I also saw a happy family of deer that thought that if they ran really fast across the road that I wouldn't see them. They were jumping a pasture fence and darting into the woods while I was thinking, "I wish I had legs like that, I would look much skinnier". Wouldn't that look funny, I mean if I really had deer legs......whoa.  Anyway, I sat down at my craft table late one night last week before bed, and had a smallish idea. What if I could take just the scraps that I found on my tabletop and made a card out of them, could I do it with just the scraps laying out?

This is what I came up with! The sentiment stamp is one of the new unmounted stamps from SU! They are pretty cool, and since I don't demonstrate for SU anymore I can say I used a PTI circles stamp to accompany it and bring some of the colors from the patterned paper onto white sentiment. I thought the words needed a little sparkle so I went over the sentiment with a little jellyroll pen action. This card is not perfect, but it was sooooo super quick, I am thinking like maybe five minutes. I added the little cloth flower at the top just because the jar was on my tabletop  and it really wanted to be on the card too.  I hope everyone is having an amazing Thursday, and will have a wonderful weekend!

Hooray!

Hello all! Happy Monday! Ya know...we should all love Mondays, because without them, you can't to Tuesday, ect., ect. It has been awhile since I posted, I have recovered fully, well almost fully from my surgery, with a little soreness, but my hands are working wonderfully! No numbness or anything! It is wonderful, I can actually hold my husbands hand without my fingers going numb! THAT....is very important! So I made this little cupcake box for my mom for her birthday, in it went a little bracelet and charms made by Brighton. It was the kind that you can add beads and charms to, sort of like those Pandora bracelets and such, except a little less expensive. I got the idea from Val Stangles blog, she made the cutest little cupcake box, I am pretty sure there is a tutorial there is you can to visit and check it out for yourself. The paper is from SU designer series, the little die cut flowers are also from their new die cut collection. The stamp is Butterflyabella from Stamping Bella, soooo cute.

In other news, I went cruising around Salisbury the other day, my hometown, just taking pictures of some of the historical buildings and thought you might like to see a couple of pics of this really really cool hotel. The Empire Hotel was a place where the actors that played at the Meroney Theatre stayed (which was across the street) when they were involved in whatever play was active at the time. I am not sure how true this is, but I was told that there is a "tunnel" or passageway under the street that led over to the Meroney so the actors wouldn't have to travel outside to get the the theatre. How cool is that? I think I will do a little research on that and see if I can get some details. I hope you all have a wonderful Tuesday...only three more days till FRIDAY! ( I apologize for the order of these pics. I am not sure how to move them quite yet!)

Great Words....

"Life is hard...it is difficult...but its YOURS."
Mark Hamilton-figure skating legend

Winter Olympics.....

Hello, its me again. Nothing crafty to show right now, we are currently watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics! It is an exciting yet sad time right now, considering the tragedy that happened this morning on the Whistler, the luge track where a young athlete, Nodor Kumaritashvili lost his life. Let us all gather in a spirit of camaraderie and hope, and say a prayer for all the athletes and the family of this young Olympian hopeful.