What Animal Are You?

You're a Gorilla!

Highly social and group-oriented, you like hanging out with the same
people constantly. You have either black or gray hair and spend a good deal of time
grooming it or getting others to groom it for you. Sleep is a big part of your daily
routine and you like to either make very loud noise or no noise at all. You have
more skills with language than most, however. One of your absolute favorite drinks
is hot cocoa.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

You're a Scorpion!

You really enjoy weapons and like keeping as many of them at hand
as possible, just in case. Most of these weapons are sharp, and you have a small
collection of armor as well. You just can't be too careful these days. Maybe it's
that you've always been small and feel threatened and this has prompted your
elaborate collection to bloom. It's not too surprising that you've become a bit of
a loner, even a hermit, with those tendencies. Or that your favorite actor is The
Rock.


Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Well, I was born in November, anyway.

What Book Are You

You're Mother Night!

by Kurt Vonnegut

Nobody knows what to believe about you, and you know least of all. You
spent most of your time convinced that the ends justify the means, but your means were,
well, downright mean! And the end is nigh. Meanwhile all you want is to travel back in
time, if not to change, then to just delight in the way it used to be. You are who you
pretend to be. Oh yes, you're the great pretender.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Blog Prompt: One Food You Would Never Give Up

Wow. Does it have to be just one? I have so many! I guess I'll bend the rules and write down a few of the foods I'd NEVER, EVER, EVER give up.

First and foremost: Chocolate! Who in their right mind would? It's so yummy and satisfying and oh so good! Seriously. Need I say more?

Secondly, I would never give up BBQ'd Ribs. Mmmm....Ribs.... So good. My mouth is salivating just thinking of them! My dad and Pop-Pop bbq the best ribs EVER! They are constantly perfecting their bbq skills. They've gotten to the point where they don't even use bbq sauce anymore. Just spices and marinades. So good. (I'm getting hungry.) My trouble is that I have to go all the way to Cali or Hawaii to get some of their ribs. I was just in Hawaii in June and I ate ribs to the full! It takes my dad all day to get the ribs just right. You smell the aroma through the house all day long. Anticipation fills the air as the salivating family members wait for their chance to dive into the large plate of ribs. My dad had a bbq the day after we arrived. Since the ribs were all gone by the end of the day, my dad bbq'd some more the day before we left and they were done by 11pm. I managed to pack some away in the freezer, away from the grubby hands of my family members who weren't leaving Hawaii. I took those bad boys with me on the plane back to Seattle! So good. My dad had bbq'd just for me, anyway. My daughter, I found out, loves my dad's ribs, too. Well, I'm not surprised. She came from my womb, didn't she? :)

Thirdly, I would never give up fried chicken. I love fried chicken. Not the fast food kind, but the kind that you make yourself. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I make some mean fried chicken. I learned the family recipe while I was stationed in Cali. I would drive the two hours to get to Moreno Valley from San Diego to get some of my Aunt's fried chicken. I would call her ahead of time to let her know I was on the way so she could get that chicken going. When I opened the door to her house, I was engulfed in the pleasant aroma of fried chicken. So good!

So, rightly so these are the three things that I REFUSE to give up! If I had to, there would be war for sure! Even when I'm old and if I don't have anymore teeth left, at least I could grind them up in a blender and sip them from a straw! I'd have to learn how my dad and grandfather bbq the ribs, first.

Blog Prompt: What Are Your 10 Favorite Words

Hmm.

1, 2, 3. I Love You.
4. Mommy (at least, that is until my daughter starts saying it nonstop for hours!)
5. Shoo-shoo (that's what I call my daughter sometimes)
6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Babe, I'll watch the baby..

I've added a couple more: ...you rest!

:)

Blog Prompt: Name 5 Things In Your Freezer Right Now

Hmmm. This is really easy. I don't even think I have 5 things in there right now. Since payday is tomorrow, we're running low on frozen goods!

Let's see, there's a frozen pizza that my hubby just bought last night (he loves frozen pizza, go figure!) There's a half eaten bag of frozen veggies that I like to boil and feed my daughter. There are 2 ice trays full of ice...I think. There's two ice packs for our cooler so that we don't die of heat this summer. Ironically, we haven't needed to use the ice packs because it has been a mild summer! It has rained a lot this year! Sometimes I am so thankful to live in Seattle.

It's amazing how quickly food goes when you're a stay at home mom! I don't remember ever eating this many times a day (even though they're small meals)!

Kind of sad that my freezer is almost bone dry, but whatever. We don't really buy many frozen goods.

Ta Ta For Now!

My Little Girl

My little girl is 10 1/2 months old. She'll be 1 in October. I can't believe how time flies. Alethea is walking now. Over the past week she's been getting more and more on her feet. In the beginning it was just a couple of steps, then it progressed. Now she can walk without falling most of the time. She's gaining more and more confidence every time she tries. It's so cute to see her toddling about. Guess that's why they call them toddlers. So my baby is no longer a baby, but she's entered the world of toddlerhood. With each step, she moves further and further away from babyhood, leaving such things behind her, and taking her daddy and me into a new phase of our parenthood. I look forward to this new phase, but I still yearn for the days when she was just an infant, needing me for everything. I yearn for the days when she was immobile! Well, maybe not. It's so much fun watching her as she realizes she can get around on two legs instead of legs and hands. I love the joy and excitement on her f ace as she takes each step. I love the look of happiness as she toddles over to me to get my approval, only to turn back around again for another lap. She still crawls a bit, but it's getting less and less frequent. Alethea is even trying to see how fast she can go. Sometimes she incorporates a little jog into her steps or even jumps a bit. The less she falls, the more she tries. What I can't wait to see is my little girl running in the grass, chasing butterflies (or whatever), laughing and giggling as she goes. And with wanting to see her do new things, I still don't want her to grow up!

Besides walking, she's also talking more....a lot more. She babbles all the time. Sometimes at 4am, much to our dismay. She still needs me to put her to sleep, though. Some things are more difficult to change.

Challenges

So I've played in some challenges and contests for a few months now and haven't won a thing. It's kind of disappointing and disheartening. I know there are a lot of scrappers who are MUCH better than me, but I haven't won ANYTHING. That means even the drawings. I've kind of come to expect not to win when I do a challenge. I don't know. I wish that I could win something. I was in the NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) challenge and never made it to the top 10 in all the three rounds. That means I won't come in the top 10 with the final score. Three weeks of scrapping and hoping I'll get something. Don't get me wrong, though. The contest was fun. I met some great new people and learned a bunch. I even stepped out of my comfort zone a bit. I look at the layouts that won and mine seem so simple and benign in comparison. I know, I know. They're not. But I still can't help but think that, you know? I know that there are many scrappers there that haven't won anything, either.


I'll still participate in challenges and contests. Maybe one day I'll be surprised and find out that I won one. I think that would brighten my whole week...or longer!


I just wanted to vent a bit. I still love the site I'm a member of and wouldn't leave it for the world! The people are so great and helpful. And, if nothing else, the challenges and contests give me ideas on how to scrap some of my pictures. I guess it's a fair trade, huh? :)


Thanks for listening!


Here are a couple more pages that I did using Valeri Brumfield's Diagonal Dreams Quick Click and Minty Breeze Page Kit:

Serious Illness

Blog Prompt: Describe the most serious illness you ever had.

Hmm. The promt says to describe my most serious illness. I've never had one. The most I've ever had was a cold or the chicken pox. (I'm sick now, though.) I think this will be a really short entry.

Whenever I'm sick I usually bundle up and sweat it out within 24 hours. Don't remember if I've ever had the flu. I never even had morning sickness when I was pregnant. I guess this isn't a very good entry for the prompt. Oh well.

Maybe I'll go back and do some of the previous blog prompts.

Talk to you later!

Scrapbooking

Here are some of the scrapbook pages I have made so far. I started scrapbooking when my daughter was born. I started traditional scrapping and have a lot of those. I decided that doing the traditional scrapbooking was too time consuming for each page. Also, with the demads of a small infant, I didn't have the time to put everything away and take it all out all the time. I started digital scrapbooking with Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0 and have been doing that for a few months now. I love the variety of things you can do with digital scrapbooking! So much fun to create!

Page created using DigitalScrapbook Free's Lisa W's

Hearts Sentiments Page Kit

Page created using DigitalScrapbookPlace's DSP designers'

Celebrate Life's Moments Page Kit

Page created using my Lavendar Page Kit

Page created using DigitalScrapbookPlace's designer, Valeri Brumfield's

Raspberry Dreams Page Kit

Page created using DigitalScrapbookPlace's:

New Beginnings Kit by Suzanne C Walker

Flora Kit by Samara Gugler

Sparkle Butterfly element by Lauren Bavin

Golden Dreams Kit by Kim Liddiard

Beautiful, Blessed Kit by Marcee Duggar

Edge Flourish Overlay by Suzanne C Walker

Basics elements by Valeri Brumfield

Brushed Away Kit by Rene Bross

Devoted Extras Word Art by Marcee Duggar

String of Pearls Kit by Valeri Brumfield

Fields of Dreams by Rene Bross

Page created using DigitalScrapbookPlace's designer, Rene' Bross'
Brushed AwayPage Kit

Page created using DigitalScrapbookPlace's designer, Valeri Brumfield's

Diagonal Dreams Quick Click and her Minty Breeze Page Kit

To view my full gallery, please visit My Gallery. I am a member of http://www.digitalsrapbookplace.com/ and that's where I get most all of my kits.

Blogging

I have no idea how to create a gallery here. I don't really know much about managing a blog yet. We'll see how it goes. How on earth do you create separate pages to add these things? Hmmm? If you know, could you please share the wealth with me?

Thanks!

A little More About Me

So it's been a few days since my last post- Or my first post! Not necessarily busy, just forgetful.

I don't have a lot of stuff going on in my life to talk about. I am a stay-at-home-mom of a 10 month old. My day is basically spent cleaning up my daughter and her messes, putting her down for her naps and feeding and playing with her. Amid all that I get to do some scrapping. I watch children shows all day long. At least, until she goes down for her naps. Currently I am watching Sesame Street. My daughter is on the floor playing with all of her toys that she dumped out of her toybox.

She's growing up so fast. I watch her taking more and more steps each time she tries. She can walk about a yard now before she decides she can get where she wants to go faster if she crawls. Sometimes I can't believe my little baby is on the edge of toddlerhood.

I'm just thankful that I have a husband who encourages me to stay home to care for our daughter. If he wasn't, I would miss the many precioius moments that I have experienced these past 10 months. While he wakes up early to catch the bus to get downtown, I am sleeping. While he's at work dealing with people, I'm at home laughing and playing and enjoying my daughter. Well, at least most of the time. Sometimes she can be a real pain! But such is motherhood. There are times I wish my husband and I could switch places! Just for a bit of a breather!

So my sister is coming into town on Saturday. I'm so excited because I haven't seen her for almost 3 years! She joined the Air Force and got stationed in North Carolina. She hates it, of course. I hated the Navy, but it taught me something. In retrospect, I'm glad I joined. It taught me how to grow up. I really hope it teaches my sister to grow up and become independent. But as I said, she's coming in on Saturday. First she flew all the way to Hawaii to visit Dad and my sister there. THAT was a long, long flight! Even if there was a stop. No thank you. Next she comes here for a week. This will be her first time seeing her niece.

My youngest sister was here for a few months. She came within days of her husband leaving for Iraq. He's a Marine. They talk almost every day, which is great. Anyway. She is pregnant and wanted to be near my mom, who lives about 50 miles away from me. She stayed with me, though. Interesting and amusing to see my youngest sister go through pregnancy. She is experiencing all the things she made fun of me about. I love it! Her husband is supposed to be coming back from Iraq a couple of days prior to her due date. He is cutting it close, but I told her that she probably wouldn't deliver until after her due date. She plans on flying here mid-November with hubby and baby to visit before they leave for North Carolina, where he is being stationed. I thing she's crazy to get on a plane with a newborn, but whatever. She'll have to make sure he's at least 2 weeks old, though.

My dad is so happy that someone is finally having a boy. My dad was never able to beget a son. All daughters! Then I had a daughter (I wanted a girl first). He was so sure that my sister would have a girl. I wish I could have seen the expression on his face when he found out she was having a boy. She is naming his middle name after my dad's middle name. When I have a son, his middle name will be my dad's first name.

Speaking of names, this is really interesting. My husband's mom's first name is Louise and my mom's middle name is Louise. My husband's dad's middle name is Anthony and my dad's first name is Anthony. Pretty odd, huh?

So that is a little bit more about me and what's going on in my life. Thanks for stopping by.

Introduction

I've read a lot about blogs. I've read a lot OF blogs. I've decided to create my own blog. If you've decided to stop in for a peak, thanks! I really appreciate it. I'm new at this, so give me some slack. I'm assuming that a blog is a place to post your thoughts and ideas down, kind of like a diary. I also plan on using this blog to support my "hopeful" business.

My desire is to offer my digital scrapbooking services and maybe a few kits I've created. I've been doing traditional scrapbooking for almost a year and digital for a few months. I've created MANY layouts and have 3 kits I have made.

I'm 24 years old and I have been married for 2 years. My husband, Christian, and I have a 10 month old daughter, Alethea. She is the light of our lives. I can never imagine life without her. It's amazing how much you can love someone, isn't it? Anyway. I'm a stay at home mom. I used to work at a corporate law firm as a legal secretary. Before that, I was a legalman (like a paralegal, but without the degree) in the Navy. Interesting stories, there.

Anyway. This is my first post. I'll have another one up soon. Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate it. Come back again soon!