Been a LONG time ....

Yep, it’s been FOREVER since I blogged. So let me see if I can do one massive update.

August – School started back for EVERYONE in our household. I work at a University and the students came back; which means crazy hours the first week of school for my office and busy non-stop days. I was also assigned a ‘new’ job task. I am now the Trademark Licensing Office on campus. Uh, that would be ‘me’; just me. I worked with the Assistant Vice President in order to put together the license agreement and get that out to all of the vendors we do business with here that use our logos. So that has been a huge undertaking. I have enjoyed the process because I love getting the ball rolling on new ideas!

My son, now in his second year of college, also started school back in August. He decided to take all of his classes on Tuesday and Thursday, meaning he can live at home and commute the hour drive two days a week. This saved a little over $2000.00 in fees.
He is working the other three days a week.

My teenage daughter started high school this year. She is also in the marching band. So August was a VERY busy month for her (and me as her ‘taxi’!). Band camp was a week and a half long. Then school started directly after that. The band practices 4 days a week, with football games on Friday nights. Needless to say, we are running the roads constantly!

September - I turned 42 on September 9th. I was fortunate enough to have a friend take me on a cruise for my birthday. This was a long time dream of mine. I ‘rang in’ my birthday in Cozumel, Mexico!!! Our port of call was ON my birthday. Now, the flip side of that was that is was EXTREMELY hot. However, it was two firsts for me. I took a cruise AND was out of the ‘country’ ON my birthday. Yes, I have a photo or two; didn't really MAKE a lot of them; but I will try to post one on this update tonight at home.
September continued with band functions and football games with my daughter. Plus a niece’s birthday tossed in there too.

October - We are ALMOST finished with this month! Where has it gone????
For me, it meant more band and football games PLUS adding in band competitions and festivals on Saturdays. I got in after 2am this past Saturday night from picking up my daughter after a competition. She has been enjoying it as their band has already won two Grand Champions at their festivals. We have another one this weekend fairly close that I plan to attend, weather permitting! It will be exciting as one of my older nieces will also be at this same competition. So it should be a family outing with my sister and mom attending.

So really you, what couple of readers I have (laughing!); really haven’t missed TOO much going on with me.

The 'perfect' purse

If you all knew how hard it is for me to find a purse that I actually LIKE; much less LOVE ~ well, let's just say it has taken hours upon hours of looking, only to leave an entire mall empty handed. I was at my sister's a couple of weekends ago and saw this purse; her 'new' purse and fell in LOVE. Just happens that she got it at a Bass Outlet store while vacationing. Drats! Just happens, my loving sister says ~ that mom is there this weekend! Alright! I called up mommie dearest and asked if they went into town to please look for the purse. They were on sale and there were ONLY 2 left in the store. You are looking at MY very own Bass 'backpack' type leather purse. I LOVE it! My sister brought it over yesterday! Mom says it's an early birthday gift ~ so it's FREE too! Thanks, Mom.

So for it to be a 'perfect' purse for me it has to have certain features.

1. Durable - CHECK
2. Pocket on the outside to hold my keys ~ I HATE fumbling around in the bottom of a purse to find them! - CHECK
3. Small; I don't need to be able to carry the kitchen sink out of the house with me and this helps me avoid that ~ my back thanks me. - CHECK
4. Attractive - I think it passes. *smile*

Ok, so I will admit that it isn't really THE 'perfect' purse; because it really doesn't look to great with some of my business attire. However, if I have a meeting that is with the 'big wigs' then I will just leave my 'perfect' for me purse in my locked desk drawer.

5 months until Christmas !

With the temperature outside climbing close to 90 degrees today (cooler thanks to the cloud cover) and I'm thinking that we only have five months left before Christmas. It will be here before we know it! So for those of us that make our Christmas cards and Christmas gifts, it's time to start at least thinking about it!

How am I actually suppose to plan for five months down the road when my baby is starting high school on August 10th?! My oldest will start his sophomore year of college a few days after that!
Band and football will be in full force for months. My birthday is in September and I am FINALLY getting to take that cruise I wanted to do for my 40th birthday. I need a dress for the captains dinner. YIKES!

Does it ever slow down? You know, life???? I'm working nine hour days four days a week with a half day on Fridays (ten if you count in my lunch hour); which mixed with the heat and stomach problems (Doctors appointment coming up on July 31st) has left me exhausted. I'm a night owl that has been going to bed around 8pm! Or at least coming in and taking a mini nap; then still going to bed at night. I refuse to believe it is 'old' age!!

Scrapping ~ well I did do a page last week. So far, it's been fit time in when I can and the there hasn't been enough hours in the day to do all the ideas in my head. I have two mini projects I want to do and a couple of page ideas too. Plus I have a box of the neatest color cardstock cards that I purchased on clearance at Hobby Lobby. I have really wanted to sit down and just make up a bunch of miscellaneous cards to have on hand and possibly sets for gifts. Hopefully I can make some time for scrapping this weekend.

Easy & fun Scrappin'

I took a challenge over on 2peas based on the new Ali E book! Had to randomly, with your eyes closed, pick 6 patterned papers and punch into squares. Then add 3 punched photos ~ with journaling around the outside. There were many different 'takes' on this challenge and I loved seeing all the different ideas in the 2peas Gallery. This is mine. It was fairly quick (looking for the pictures took the longest!) and it was FUN! Super easy, so I enjoyed the process.

How the years pass! These were pictures that I made in 2000. I actually used them for a calendar that I made that year for my mother and grandmother with different photos throughout the year. This was for the month of April. Just some candid shots on a rainy day. A little bit of 'liquid fun'.

Why do I do this????

How is it that when I smile for a photo of myself; I ALWAYS squint my eyes almost closed??? I really don't care to have my picture made. I don't think I am photogentic. So here is a picture a friend made of me on the 4th of July. I like it ok, except for my squinty eyes. Does it make me look 'shifty'? *laugh*



Getting geared back up for school around my house. My son, Derek, will be starting classes back in a few weeks at his University. My daughter, Leah, will be entering high school. She actually will get a taste of things to come with band camp in about a week. Oh the FUN of being a 'rookie' at band camp!!! I am sure she will be testy, ill, hot and exhausted at the end of the day. Add that to the 'normal' grouchiness of a teenager and OH MY!

Scrapbook wise, I finished up several 'undone' projects at the house over the weekend. I also finished up a Circle Journal entry for Sally's CJ at ScrappersGalore.com. It was on Simple Pleasures. I kept with her color theme in the album and this is my layout. I hate that the scanner cut off all the inking; it does go around EVERY side.


Used some Heidi Swapp products (flower, tab label); My Mind's Eye ~ Wild Asparagus pattern paper, Ranger Distress Ink and a Technique Tuesday stamp. Sally did something different with her CJ in our 'sign in' was an actual page, plus she gave us the option of making an extra page to round out to 4 with a quote or poem. My complete entry can be seen at ScrappersGalore:
http://scrappersgalore.net/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=697
Or at my 2Peas gallery here:
http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=927034

Beach FUN!

I took my daughter to the beach for July 4th. We went with a friend of mine and her twin boys. It was such a wonderful experience as it was the boys very first visit to the beach! Leah is holding Caleb and he wasn't really impressed with the sand. However, I LOVE this photo of the two of them. It reminds us all to take in new experiences through the eyes of a child and see the wonder in our world. Although my teenage daughter isn't really impressed with the picture of herself not all 'dolled' up. I love it! She actually looks so sweet.

Our June sponsor at ScrappersGalore.com was Bo Bunny Press. I've shared a page with their products and thought I would also share this cute little cardboard box we had to alter for the month. All of my 'kit' had a beach theme. How awesome to use it with this and end up with a keepsake memory box for our July 4th trip! Leah and I spent a morning hunting shells so that she could save some for the memory box. We also filled a tiny ziplock with just a couple of spoonfuls of sand. Then she added her receipt from a desired Pineapple Willie restaurant t-shirt purchase. Along with a few other girly remembrances.

I fondly remember family vacations to Panama City Beach, Florida growing up. We went every year. We stayed in the same hotel every year. I even fondly remember a crush on the pool boy. I made a long time pen pal friend one year and we wrote letters back and forth throughout high school and even up until we were married with children. We lost touch for a while, but through the connections of the internet were able to reconnect.

I hope my children will one day look back and remember our family vacations through their albums, their own memories and a tiny keepsake memory box.