More Disney Layouts

Trisha and I scrapped together one day during Thanksgiving break, and I got 3 Disney pages done! :) Two of them are downright direct rip-offs of her layouts, but she lifted a couple of mine too...so we're even. ;) This first one was based on a sketch by Valerie Salmon.

Thanksgiving Break

Well, today is the last day of Thanksgiving Break. We had a nice full week of no school, and Van was able to get 3 days of holiday time from work. Thanksgiving started on Wednesday afternoon for us. We had Thanksgiving dinner at Van's parent's house, along with his parents, brother and sister-in-law, grandparents, Uncle, Aunt, Cousin, and cousin's baby. Other than eating a glorious feast of delicious food, the majority of our time there was spent playing Beatles Rockband. Yes, this family knows how to rock...even Grandmamma.




For lunch on Thanksgiving Day, we went to my older sister's house to eat with her and her family, my mom (dad had to work), my grandpa, and our "adopted" family (The Lin Family from China). Soooo much food! But ohhhhhh so good! We came home for naps after lunch and then headed back over there for supper. Dad was able to be there for supper since he got off work at 3:00, so it felt complete then. :) After eating, the kids enjoyed wrestling in the floor with my dad, playing on the trampoline, and running around burning off all those Thanksgiving calories.



Somehow, I let my older sister talk me into getting up early on Friday morning and going Black Friday shopping with her in a town an hour away. Little sis was able to go too. I got a wake-up call at 3:15 a.m....yes, there IS a 3:15 a.m....from my sister, making sure I was up and getting ready. I had tossed and turned all night and had hardly slept at all, so I was up and quickly got ready to go. At 3:45 a.m...yes, there IS a 3:45 a.m....both of my sisters pulled up in big sister's SUV and looked entirely too well put together and happy for that early in the morning. I, on the other hand, had thrown on a hoodie and a ball cap, carelessly tossed on some makeup in the dark, and was not so eager to begin the day.

Our first stop was to Old Navy....I mean, how can you resist $5 fleece and $10 kids' jeans? That was the longest line we waited in, but Target was a close second. The end of the checkout line at Target was at the back of the store...I kid you not! Thankfully, we only had a few items and were able to go through the express checkout line....which was still a LOOONG line. We went to a few other places, and I think Trisha won the title of "Most Successful Shopper" for the day. I think she cut the circulation off of one of her arms while carrying her bags from the mall to her car.

We got back home, and hubby and the boys talked me into putting up the Christmas tree. So, we spent the rest of the afternoon getting Christmas decorations out and setting up the tree.

On Saturday, I was still feeling hungover from the previous day's events, but for some crazy reason, we decided to take the boys to Six Flags in Arlington. I had won some free tickets back in the summer, and they had to be used by the end of the year, so since the weather was gorgeous yesterday (73° and sunny), we decided we better go now or risk never getting to use those tickets. So, we loaded up the boys, picked up little sis and her boyfriend, and headed 2 hours away. We first went to my uncle's house in Ft. Worth for lunch and to visit for a while. Then, we all went to Toys 'R Us to do a little shopping. Little sis and her boyfriend entertained Evan and Aaron while Van and I did some Christmas shopping for them. After shopping and spending too much money, we were on our way to Six Flags Over Texas!

Six Flags was fun, but after going to Disney World this past summer, it seemed a little more lame than when I had gone in the past. Everything was just so much on a smaller scale than Disney. We had fun though. The boys even rode a few little roller coasters, and I rode The Titan. It was awesome! It's one of the 10 tallest roller coasters in the U.S., and that first big drop was such a rush! Aaron got to meet Bugs Bunny while Evan and I were in line for a ride. Aaron also met a couple of reindeer while the rest of us were in line for something else. Both boys got to meet Foghorn Leghorn (you know the chicken from all the good cartoons we used to watch when we were kids, back when they showed REAL cartoons). We finally made it home around midnight after everyone except for me and Van fell asleep in the car the second we left the park. We were all exhausted and glad to be home.



The boys and I stayed home from church this morning so that I could catch up on things around the house since being gone for the last 2 days. I'm on my 4th load of laundry right now, and Evan is driving me nuts about being bored while Aaron is taking a nap, so I guess that's enough blogging for me!

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving break! Tomorrow, it's back to the ol' grind!

Living Room Contest UPDATE! :)

So a while back, I posted about making the top 100 finalists for a living room sweepstakes/makeover by the very talented designer, Angelo Surmelis. The photos are now up on the Facebook site, and voting BEGINS TOMORROW!

How to Vote: Simply post a comment on the event wall telling them PHOTO #20 - Jennifer from Texas and WHY. The photos are labeled by number, and include the name and location of the entrant. The photo with the most votes will automatically be entered into the top 5 contenders for a chance to win a brand new living room makeover from celebrity designer Angelo Surmelis, and other exciting prizes.

The entrant number and location will be located under the photos. My room photo is PHOTO #20 - Jennifer from Texas.

As you can see, my room is boring. We love good style and design, but we just don't know where to go with this. It's an L-shaped room that actually functions as 3 different rooms: living room, dining room, and office for me and hubby.

I appreciate your votes...please spread the word and get me some comments! :)

Thankful Blog #15

I'm thankful today for family outings! We loaded up and headed out of town this morning to do a little shopping. Quick little trip, but fun to be able to spend time together anyway. Our public schools are out all week for the holiday, and today is my husband's day off of work....so it was fun just being together. :)

Thankful Blog #14

I'm thankful today for A CLEAN HOUSE! I've been organizing, throwing away, decluttering, and cleaning up all morning, and it feels great! Next on my to-do list: My closet!!! dun dun dunnnnnn

Thankful Blog #13

Today, I'm thankful for days off of work! I didn't have any transcription work to do today, so I got to snuggle up with Aaron at naptime and try to get a little nap with him. Didn't work, but it was nice to be able to try anyway. I'm just not much of a napper, no matter how tired I am. I had a nice afternoon of catching up on the computer and doing some housework. No work deadlines...and it was great!

Thankful Blog #12

I am thankful today for a job I can do out of my home. I worked today and didn't even have to get out of my pajamas. Nice....

Wordless Wednesday - 11/18/09

Thankful Blog #11

I am thankful today for a nice, hot shower in the mornings. It's my quiet place. The one time during the day that I am totally alone. Relaxing and refreshing. A time to gather my thoughts and say some prayers before the day starts. Thank God for hot, clean water!

Thankful Blog #10

Today's thankfulness is for family meal time. I love that my husband and boys eat supper with me every night. It doesn't have to be big and fancy, but just being together makes the meal so good. :)

Thankful Blog #9

I am thankful today for a warm, cozy home! Sure, I need a kitchen makeover/remodel desperately, and there are always little thing here and there that I would definitely change about our house...but when it comes right down to it, I am incredibly thankful for our home. We've already made so many wonderful memories here with backyard birthday parties, cousin sleepovers, late night catching up on the DVR with hubby, bringing Aaron home for the first time, holidays, visits from friends and family, and so many more! This has been a home of happiness and love...and that is our goal. As the colder weather approaches, I am reminded to be thankful for my shelter...my safe-haven.....my home.

Thankful Blog #8

I am so very thankful for my hobby of scrapbooking! Those of you out there who are scrappers too know what I'm talking about! ;) I love watching my childrens' faces when they look through their albums and remember things that they would have otherwise forgotten had I not taken the time to take pictures and make a page about it. I love that their little lives are so documented. I love that they will be able to show their children their albums and talk about the stories with them. I love that I get a cool, meaningful way to be creative.

Speaking of being thankful for my hobby, here are 2 layouts I did this weekend!





And here are 2 recent ones I did for this month's sponsor at Have Your Way with Paper. Our sponsor for November is the wonderful Jillibean Soup!! Their products are awesome, and so much fun to work with!

Thankful Blog #7

Today, I am thankful for a washer and dryer...and fresh, clean sheets on the bed! I know this may sound like a little thing, but I'm so glad I don't have to go to laundry mats to wash and dry things. I can do that all in the convenience of my own home. When Van and I first got married, we lived in an apartment that didn't offer a washer and dryer. I had to haul our laundry to my parents' house every weekend and sit there while it all washed and dried. It was awful and such a time waster...not to mention, I felt bad for using my parents' stuff! So, today as I washed three loads of laundry...I was reminded again of how blessed I am to have this modern convenience! :)

Thankful Blog #6

I am thankful today for good health! Recently, there have been a lot of people in my life who have gotten sick or have gotten a new diagnosis of something life-threatening. It makes me so aware of how grateful I need to be for my health. Not only my health, but my family's health as well. I am truly grateful.

Thankful Blog #5

My thankfulness today is for my awesome online sisters at Have Your Way With Paper. This past summer, a group of us had a chance to meet in person, and it was the trip of a lifetime. We all met because of scrapbooking, but the friendships that have formed are so precious to me.

Speaking of Have Your Way With Paper, we have an online weekend crop going on there that started today! Lots of fun challenges and prizes...come on over and join us and see just how precious these ladies are!

Thankful Blog #4

Today, I am thankful for my two sweet little boys. I just made them some fruit ka-bobs, which they gobbled down quickly, and now they are outside playing in our backyard. Just sitting here at my desk, listening to them giggle and play together, is such a blessing. They are beautiful and smart little boys....who make my life worth living.

**This Just In!!!**

I could just piddle in my pants!!!!!!! I am so excited I can barely even type!!!!

Okay, so I have turned into my mother and am an avid watcher of HGTV now. Well, there is this one designer on HGTV whom I have watched several times on several shows and just LOOOOOVE his work. Seriously, I've never disliked anything he's ever designed. He used to be on "Clean Sweep", and more recently had his own show called "Rate My Space." I'm talking about Angelo Surmelis. The totally talented, awesome room designer!

So, I've followed his blog for a while, and he announced a contest a while back about a "Search & Rescue" Room Makeover sweepstakes. To enter, you had to enter an essay about how the recession has limited your ability to design your home.



Well, I entered and wrote an essay on when our house flooded and how that caused us to not have enough money to really establish our living room/dining room/office area the way we want to (it's kinda all one big room).

So, I received an email today that said out of 6,000 applicants, my essay was selected to be in the top 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The next step is: I have to send them a pic of my room with either me or a loved one it it. Naturally, I will choose to sit my boys in the room for the pic. :)

So, then they will take the top 100 photos and put them on their Facebook page. Then, my friends/contacts are supposed to go leave comments under my room photo...the one with the most comments automatically gets in the top 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Commenting starts on Nov. 20. I will let you all know when it's ready and when comments can officially start. PLEASE help me out with this if you have a FB page...this would be an absolute dream come true for me, and can you imagine the scrapbook pages I could do with this remodel?!?!?!? LOL

Thankful Blog #3

Today, I am thankful for beautiful Fall mornings! I woke up to the let the dog out this morning, and there was a light fog over the backyard as the sun was coming up. It was beautiful! It was nice and cool, but not too cold. I love this time of year, when everything changes colors and the Texas heat finally cools off. I hope you see the beauty around you today, good weather or not. :)

Thankful Blog #2

Today, I am thankful for my husband of almost ten years! We met and started dating when I was only 14 and he was 16. Mondays are his days off of work, but I work at preschool on Monday mornings, and Aaron goes with me. When we get home, the house is picked up and lunch is usually made and waiting on us. I am so thankful for a husband who cares and provides for his family. He is extremely talented and strives to be a Godly man. I take him for granted so many times, but today I am taking the time to let everyone out there know....I AM THANKFUL FOR YOU, Van!

Being Thankful...and a RAK!

I received this challenge on Facebook, but now I'm passing it on to you - my blogger friends! Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as a new blog post. "Today I am thankful for..." Elaborate a little or a lot...let's just give thanks every day from now until Turkey Day! :)

If you want to do this too, please leave me a comment below with a link to your blog. I would LOVE to read all of the thankful posts...and to celebrate, all participants will get their name but in a drawing to receive a small RAK as my way of saying, "Thank you for being thankful." For every day you leave a comment and link me to your new "Thankful" blog post for the day, you will receive 1 entry.

So, are you in?

Today, I am thankful for the freedom to worship God. In church this morning, our pastor told us to thank God out loud for something, and that was the first thing that popped into my mind -- being thankful for my freedom to worship. What a fortunate and blessed country we are! So many Christians in other countries are persecuted for their beliefs...I wonder if we truly realize how blessed we are to be able to freely worship God here in America? Something to think about!

I love Thursdays because....

One of the best shows ever. Can't wait to see tonight's episode.

That's what she said.
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Wordless Wednesday 11/04/09

November Scrap Room Kit!

The November kit for The Scrap Room is posted! You will LOVE this kit! It features products from Cosmo Cricket, Crate Paper, Pebbles Inc., and Bo Bunny! How's that for fabulous?!

Here are some projects I made with the kit for my Barista assignments:

















Cosmo Cricket "Earth Love:"


Bo Bunny "Flutter Butter:"


Pebbles Inc "Lil Miss:"



Crate Paper "Seasons:"
To be posted at a later date!