A big shout out out for Devin's birthday

So September 30, 1977 was the day my husband was born. He has officially turned the big 31. Unfortunately, I am turning the even bigger 35 next year. Ouch. He likes to tease me about how much older I am than him.

Well, for his birthday, I got him (and the family) a Wii. He told the kids at school that is what he wanted. He's never really been a gamer but I think the Wii is a bit different. We just spent the past 2 hours playing bowling and golf. Our family has always liked to bowl. I'm not very good at it in the real lanes but my Wii score was a 171. I beat Devin by 15 points. Woo-hoo! The kids are really excited that we got this system. I think we all are.

Devin and I attended my firm's 40th anniversary celebration tonight. Over 800 clients were invited. I would say probably around 150-200 showed up for some goodies and drinks. It was a real neat time and it's fun to be a part of such a great firm. Here's to another 40 at A&W.

I hope everyone's Tuesday was fabulous and a day well spent. If not, there's always tomorrow.

Color Challenge

A fellow CTMH sistah, Marjorie, has been doing regular color challenges for the past year or so. I have finally decided to participate. This weeks colors were tulip, honey, new england ivy, and vineyard berry, from the CTMH color palette. Rules to play are use 3 of the 4 colors. I've used the latter 3 colors as I don't have the tulip ink yet. It was recently released from CTMH, along with 3 other wonderful colors, that I also don't have. Boo Hoo for me. Okay, the layout was done with picutres from over the summer when the kids and Devin were in Washington and Steve was turning 31. Sorry for the glare on the left side of the layout. I couldn't get it not to glare and ran out of time this morning.

Christopher and Black Spots

I had the camera out yesterday to take some pictures of my artwork and Christopher decided that he needed some pictures taken of him and Black Spots, his black and white cheeky dog from Webkinz. Did I mention that my boy LOVES his Webkinz?

A day at the park

Devin and the kids had a chance to spend a few days with Heather and Steve, Devin's sister and her husband, in July. They went to a park and took lots of pictures. I ended up with 2 two-page layouts of this trip to the park. Here is one of them. I wish I could have gone as well but unlike Devin, I don't get the entire summer off to play.
Remember that you can click on the picture to make it larger and see more detail.

10 Things

Okay, I'm in the gall of bitterness over the Bronco's loss. How will I ever go on? I think I'll make this post and then try and take a Sunday afternoon nap. That will probably help.

The layout I'm showing features 10 things I love about my kids. I've seen many of these types of layouts. Mine is not very fancy but I think it gets the job done. I random stamped on the cardstock with CTMH's white pigment ink. I absolutely love that ink pad. The title was done with some Making Memories rub ons. Rub ons are one of my favorite items in my scrapbook room. Although, ask me what my favorites list consists of and I'll probably have 20 items on it.

I hope everyone enjoys their Sunday afternoon. As for me, I'm signing off.

Cougars are in the top 10!

So the latest college football rankings are in for the new week. BYU is #7 and #8 in the two polls. Not a bad day at all for them, getting a chance to rest by having the bye week and moving up 3 and 4 spots in the polls. Needless to say, I am very excited. I found a widget to add to my blog with the top 5 teams. Look for it on the sidebar. You can also click on the link and see the top 25 teams. GO COUGARS!

I'm currently watching the Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs. Currently, the score is 16-13, favoring the Chiefs. I'm hoping to report later that the Broncos were victorious. For right now, it's time to get our lunch out of the oven and enjoy the rest of the game. I'll see you later when I post some art.u

Go Bulldogs!

So the mascot for University Schools, where Devin teaches and the kids attend, is a bulldog. It was homecoming week so to show school spirit, each child was asked to color a bulldog. Reynna colored hers blue and silver while Christopher opted for a multi-colored look. Both, I think, and I might be biased, are absolutely wonderful.

Christmas card

So as I mentioned in yesterday's post, it was scrapbook night. I made this card which was cased from Lisa with a few minor modifications of my own. Again, I just think this snowman is the cutest little thing ever. There are so many pieces to this stamp set. 3 parts to his body with lots of accessories. I debated about if I wanted to add some metal to my card, in the form of brads, but decided against it as I thought that if I put 3 in the bottom right corner, they might get lost in the patterned paper. I also thought about putting a brad over each ribbon piece. In the end, I decided that the card really didn't need anything else.

So I watched Baby Mama today with Tina Fey. What a cute movie. I love movies that can make me laugh and cry. Anyone who knows me will know that I am the biggest softie and am very emotional and it doesn't take a lot to make me cry. I also find many things very humorous so my laughter can often be heard as well. If anyone was on the fence about watching this or not, it gets two thumbs up from me.

I spent most of today watching college football. 4 teams that were ranked ahead of BYU lost this weekend. However, with BYU having a bye week this week, it will be interesting to see how the rankings shake out tomorrow afternoon. Currently, BYU is ranked #11 in both the Coaches poll and the AP poll. I would think that they would go up at least 2 spots but we'll see what the pollsters think.

Well, another Saturday has just about come to a close. I wish Saturdays could last a bit longer. I never seem to get my mental to-do list done. Oh well. Thanks for stopping by.

Scrapbook time!

So I get together with a few friends usually once a month to crop and get away from our husbands and kids. Often, the event is held at our house, which is just fine, because then I don't have to drive anywhere and more importantly, pack any stuff. I look forward to our scrapbook nights because everyone's lives are so busy and I don't get to see my friends very often.

I don't have anything to post today because I simply don't have the time to get out the camera and take some pictures. I did want to let my readers know that I will make up for it tomorrow and post some of my creations that I create tonight.

I am looking to use CTMH's November SOM titled "All decked Out", which is one of THE cutest stamp sets ever. I am actually planning on making some cards and try to get a jump on my Christmas cards for the year. If I don't start now, I don't think I'll make it. If only there were enough time in the day to create all the cards I want plus keep up on my scrapbooking. Alas, there is never enough time, as I'm sure you can all relate. I hope everyone enjoys their Friday night and has a great start to the weekend. See you all tomorrow.

Our long-lost cousins

So, a few weeks ago, I took the kids to Utah for the weekend. Rob and Taryn and their family were there as well from Michigan. It was so good to see them and my cute nephews. My brother Rob decided to uproot his family to Michigan and move away from us. I miss their family a lot. Here are some of the pictures of the cousins playing together. It was love at first sight for Reynna when she saw Isaac. None of us had seen him yet. She was so good with him and loved to hold him. Christopher and Brigham were in heaven. They had so much fun playing together and being goofy. I'm sad that they don't get to spend quality time together like they used to. Anyway, the trip was real fast but lots of fun.

I think I can, I think I can

Okay, so I've been going to Denver for the past 3 weeks for a client. It has worn me out. I am definitely in need of a mental health day. Luckily, I have an office day tomorrow, and it is Friday, thank heavens. I really look forward to Fridays because then the weekend is here. It's not that I don't enjoy my job but there are so many things that I need to do, want to do, or could be doing that I just don't have the energy for after working a long day.

So the card I'm posting, I made about 2 years ago. I took a picture of it awhile back, so it's on my computer, and I don't have any other art on my computer that I haven't posted. That coupled with the fact that I'm feeling too lazy to get the camera out and go downstairs to the basement to capture some more recent creations means that you get to see this Halloween card. The size is 6x6, again, another size that I don't do a whole lot of.

Happy Hump Day!

So it's hump day. At lunch time, the work week will be officially half over. Today, I'm posting a thank you card. It was really easy to make although somewhat time consuming, (I made several of them) because of all the different pieces of paper. But I love the look of the card and the knotted ribbon. I'm not good at making pretty bows from my ribbon but I think I can handle this technique. Again, I've showcased one of my favorite color combos, pink and brown. I've specifically used blush, chocoloate and colonial white cardstock from CMTH.

Thanksgiving? But it's only September

Were you intrigued by my title? I thought I'd post a Thanksgiving card I made awhile back. This card is 8x3.5 size. I don't usually make cards this size but sometimes it just seems to work.

I'm off to Denver again today to look at financial aid testing. It should be lots of fun and very stimulating. Can anyone sense my sarcasm? Really, I do enjoy my job and am very lucky to have it. The location is perfect and the hours are perfect. Personally, I'd still rather be independently wealthy, but since I don't play the lottery, I doubt that will happen to me anytime soon.

Cousins

So I thought I'd cheat and post while I'm at work today since I'm in the office. I've been traveling to Denver as of late so it's nice to be in town and at my cube.

This layout is a simple one but I like the results. I used CTMH's white daisy pigment ink for the flourishes. I love the pop that it gives the page. These pictures are several years old, taken in May 2003, the week that Christopher was born and Devin graduated from UNC. Did I tell you that I am way behind on scrapbooking my photos? I have made quite a bit of progress this year but am still very behind.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Monday.

Missing You and the 3-0 Broncos

Here's a card I whipped up. I cut the "u" from my fabulous cricut. Can anyone imagine the stamping/scrapbooking world before the cricut came along? I don't use it very much in my card making. However, I wanted a bigger "u" and thought that my cricut could fit the bill. I love the 3 little flower gems adhered to the card. These were a promotion CTMH had awhile back and I just love them. They are adhesive backed which makes working with them very nice. And of course, I used one of my favorite color combinations, pink and brown, with some other complimentary colors.

On another note, the Denver Broncos won today with a score of 34-32 over the New Orleans Saints. This is two weeks in a row where the outcome has come down to the final minute. I am please to report that the Broncos earned a W for the win column in each of these last two weeks and are now sporting a 3-0 record to start the season. Not too shabby for the 7-9 Broncos in the prior year.

I hope everyone has enjoyed the weekend. I know I did and will admit that it has come to an end all too soon.

Friendship

Here's my artwork for the day. This card was inspired by fellow CTMH artist Lisa Stenz. She is truly a talented artist who is always sharing on the CTMH bulletin boards as well as her blog. I love the flourishes used on the card and its soft colors. For some reason, the small green flower appears to be a bright green in the picture. The color is actually much truer to that of the sweet leaf ink used on the other piece of the card.

BYU 44 Wyoming 0

I believe the title of this post sums up how I've just spent the last 3 hours of my life. I watched BYU mop of the field while its defense has now held opponents to the big goose egg for the last 8 quarters of football. Devin and I are so excited this season for BYU. We've always been big Cougar fans but the excitement that surrounds this year is very contagious and infectuous. In case you haven't been following BYU this year, they are currently #11 in the Coaches poll and are now 4-0 on the season.

TGIF

Who else is thankful it's Friday? I know I am. It's been a long week with my travel and training and then right back to work. I'm definitely ready to unwind for a couple of days. Although, it seems like our weekends are just as busy. At least I am usually able to sleep about 1 more hour on the weekends.

My cards tonight are ones I made a few weeks ago. Ultimately, my goal would be to post very recent creations. Hopefully I can sit down this weekend and create something.

The cards are very simple but I think striking with the color and the black portion. I don't think you can tell in the pictures, but I used textured cardstock. A must have, in my opinion, for a card maker. I know that the picture quality is not good. I'm going to try and take my pictures in a different spot. One background color is key lime with the other one being baby pink. They are really very pretty in real life before me and my lousy camera got ahold of them. Here's hoping for a better picture of tomorrow's card.

I hope everyone had a good week and enjoys the weekend. I'll be looking forward to some Cougar football and hoping for some major upsets in the NCAA ranks.

Happy Birthday

So I made this card a couple of weeks ago. It was inspired by a consultant on the CTMH boards, although, I don't remember who. The happy birthday stamp is actually a straight vertical stamp but with acrylic, you can bend and do basically whatever you want with the stamp. CTMH has been acrylic for more than 3 years now and I'll never own another wood stamp.

As you will come to notice, I'm sure, I am not a good picture taker. I never have been and I probably never will. I will try though.

Two new adoptions in the family

We have two new family members. I brought each of the kids a new Webkinz from Chicago. Reynna got a unicorn who she named Ella. Christopher has had his eye on the American cocker spaniel for quite some time now. I was able to track it down. He originally wanted to name it Cocky but that name was unavailable in Webkinz World so he named him American. You gotta love that. And of course there's the fact that he had to put it on his head for the picture.

What do you mean I have to go back to my real life?

So in a few hours, my training in Chicago will be over. I then get to spend several hours traveling home. What a joy that will be. My life, as I formerly knew it, will then resume. Wife duties, mom duties, housekeeping, laundry, and the list goes on and on. Now I really have missed my family but it has been a nice break from all those demands plus work. I've learned a lot from my training and am excited to take it back to the office and make myself a better auditor.

I've decided to try and post something each day on my blog. I haven't been very good at keeping a journal but I think I could post here about things important to me and my family that have happened. Heck, I don't even think they need to be important. Just everyday things. Like, cute things the kids say, and things of that nature.

I also want to post my artwork. I've been inspired by Kathi's blog, who I've listed on my favorite blogs. I have just recently found it, but she posts art nearly every day as well as her thoughts and feelings about her day. She has some great artwork and is rather humorous so if you haven't checked out her blog, you should do it now.

A full day of training

So I had a full day of training today in Chicago. There was quite a bit of information that I already knew and some that I didn't know. Of course, I can always use a refresher and reminder of what I already know. And as it turns out, a lot of what we talked about today in training was on my audit lecture CD that I just spent the last 2 hours of my night watching.

For those that don't know, I am studying for my CPA exam. So far, I haven't had any luck passing any of the tests. I came real close 3 times scoring a 73, 73, and a 74. Wouldn't you know it that a 75 is passing? Well, I've decided to make a conscious effort to buckle down more on my studies. That includes watching some lecture CDs that have a lot of good information on them--they just get a little bit tedious.

But I thought, it's quiet here. I'm all alone in this giant suite, I might as well knock this lecture out of the way. So I did. 1 lecture watched for the audit portion with 4 more to go. Of course, there are literally hundreds of multiple choice questions that I also need to answer. Will it ever end?

I have scheduled my audit portion of the exam for Friday, November 7th. I have confidence that this time will be the charm for auditing. I took this part of the exam a couple of weeks after I graduated college last year, having only had 1 auditing class, which really didn't teach me a whole lot. I can say though, that 16 months of audit experience has helped tremendously in my studies this time around. Nothing, but nothing can beat on-the-job experience. Things just make more sense.

Well, I guess I've rambled enough for now. I do need to get to bed because there is another full day of mind-riveting traning being held at this wonderful hotel.

Calling all Twilight fans

So I am probably the last one out there to jump on the Twilight bandwagon. From what I hear, the book and its sequel(s) are amazing. Unfortunately, my schedule doesn't allow for much personal reading. Any time that I'm not spending time with the family or paper crafting, I am studying and reading for my upcoming Audit portion of the CPA exam.

I just found out that Twilight will be coming to a theater near you so I figure that's how I will jump on the bandwagon.

The giant Redwoods

I thought I would post some pictures of the kids and Devin when they went to the Redwoods this summer. The kids loved being in front of these giant trees.

I'm in Chicago

As some of you know, I will be spending the next 3 days in Chicago for some training for work. When I arrived at O'Hare airport, it was raining buckets. It has since stopped raining. I'm currently in my hotel room enjoying the peace and quiet. The real fun will begin at 8 am tomorrow. Who wants to learn more about auditing? :) Okay, I'm off to study now and take advantage of the quiet.

First day of School 2008!

The first day of school at University Schools was 2 weeks ago. We took lots of pictures. Here's a few. Reynna started the 3rd grade and Christopher started kindergarten.