Summer Classes already

In my opinion, education is one of the most valuable things that we can own.  Yes, own.  An education is one thing that nobody can ever take away from you. I've wanted to be an Interior Designer since I was in elementary school.  At the beginning of last month I started going to school in order to get the education I need to pursue this dream.  So far, I absolutely love it!!!
I can hardly believe that this quarter is almost over already.  This week I registered for summer classes...yes! already!!!  What's more exciting than that?  What's more exciting than that is the fact that one of the classes I just signed up for will teach me a few basics for a few computer programs that I cannot believe I don't know how to use yet.  This is big.....I get to learn about.....Photoshop!  Hooray!  I am beyond thrilled! 

Hello

Hello there!  So, here is the deal....I am not new to blogging, but I kind of am new to it at the same time.  I have (had) another blog that I updated here and there with randomness.  Then, I kind of stopped because life took over.  I quit my job, I went on a long vacation, I moved to a brand new huge city, I moved in with my Mr. Fantastic, I began going to college (again), AND THEN WE STARTED LIVING!!!!  I have decided to start blogging again.  I figure that now is the perfect time to start blogging again because after all, I did start living again.  I took my chance for happiness and started running with it! 
I will be blogging about all kinds of things.  I will be blogging about myself, my love, and my pug.  I will blog about crafty things I find amazing.  I will blog about scrapbooking and things like that.  I will try to post up cute pictures I take or that I find.  I will blog about other blogs....etc. etc. 
Here we go...............

TGIF with a Cherry on Top!

A look at a year: (my facebook status cloud!)

Wowza! It's been a while since I have updated. Oh boy, do I have much to share. Beware, this could get long!

Thank Goodness It's Friday! This is not any ordinary Friday though, this is the best Friday! Today was my last day of work at the company I work for! Whoa! I know, crazy huh? I have worked for this company for over a year. Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy some of it, but I am so glad to be done! I worked my ass off so many days and really, I often questioned why. Was it really worth the stress? Probably not. So, today they gave me a little going away party. It was sweet. The funny thing is that they have never given one before because nobody has ever quit. Haha....not what you are thinking....everyone else (and there have been many) was fired and had to be escorted out of the gated and barb wired compound! I am the first to have made it to a going away party! I even got a plaque for my hard work and dedication! That made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. With my arms full of stuff from my desk, I looked back into my office (my own personal office) and kind of wanted to cry. It was a bittersweet moment. I will miss a few of the people, but I certainly will not miss working there. Work was always a mixture of chaos and miscommunication. My supervisor of 7 months was worthless. I usually cleaned up behind the messes he made. I covered his butt. The last couple of weeks has been quite interesting as I discovered that he doesn't even know how to do the job that he has. Most of the things that I did were not even part of my job...but his, and I actually had to show him how to do his job! I had to show him (and argue with him about) how to do many a things! It was hilarious when I realized that without me, the ones above him might actually realize that he cant do anything in his job description. He was usually too busy taking two hour lunches and leaving early to go home and take care of his goats! I'm actually not joking about this either!

When I came to the company, everything was chaos. There was no standard within my department. I wrote the training manual and procedures for the department. Just recently he took all the credit for it. Now, as I leave it upsets me to know, that all of the blood, sweat, and tears, I put into my job, is going to go to waste. It's all going to go back to one huge mess. It's sad!

Okay, okay! Sorry to be such "Negative Nancy" (sorry all Nancy's) here....on to better things....

Valentine's weekend was amazing! I met Dakota at the half-way mark between here and there. We spent 3 1/2 days together in Texarkana, TX. We watched movies, ate out, and cuddled! On Valentine's Day, we went to a park to Rollerblade with the puppy. Well, my feet did not like the blades...so I ended up walking. It was pretty cute/fun/romantic walking through the park for a couple hours together. We had some really good conversation about where our life is about to lead. The future looks so bright. I love that man!

So, not only was today my last day at work, but it was also Dakota's last day in the Army! He signed out around 4pm today, and sent me a text, "Done!" How awesome. He has decided to stay a little while in Texas though. He has several friends that he has had and been stationed with for the past 8 years. They all got out today. So, Dakota is sticking around there to spend one last bit of time with them before they all part their separate ways into the real world. I honestly was upset to learn that he would not be coming here right away, but now that I think about it, I am OK. I was in that same unit and friends with the same people. They are all pretty awesome. They have been through so much together....3 deployments to Iraq included. I can't be upset that he wants one last bit of time with the guys. These are friendships that will last his lifetime even through the distance apart. He knew them before he knew me, and we have the rest of our lives together. I'm happy for him. I'm also sad for him. He has only cried 3 times that I know of, but he will probably cry when he says goodbye to them. They are brothers.

So this bright future ahead. What is that all about? Well, this coming week we are leaving for a little family visiting vacation. We will travel to Michigan, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. It will be a little over three weeks of family time, before we return back here to southern TN just in time to pack up my house and move out. We are getting a place in Nashville, TN and I will be attending school. I was accepted at The Art Institute in Nashville as a full-time student to study Interior Design! The best part about it is that my tuition is payed for from my time in the Army, and I get books and housing expenses paid on top of that! WooHoo! Can't wait! As for Dakota, he is really not sure what he want to do. All he has really known is the Army. He has the same option of going to school completely paid for, but he doesn't know if he is ready for that quite yet. He has 15 years to decide! He may just get a job for now. Either way, we will be together! That is the best part in all of it.

So, with all of that said, I hope to be a better blogger. I know that I won't have such a busy time. Sure, I'll be in school full time instead of at work, but hopefully I won't get as tired and stressed out by that. I hope that I will be a little more up to the idea of blogging after a day of school than I was after a day of work. I can only hope. Needless to say, living life is always more important than blogging about it, so we will see.

Are any of you from the Nashville area? Do you know some cool places to hang out? Are there certain thrift stores I must hit up? Tell me a little about the scene up there if you can. I love to hear about what I am getting us (Dakota and I) into!

violet Bella at Before The Baby Wakes

Violet Bella's creator is the talented Laura. Laura has been creating her whole life but just recently she has been able to turn her passion into something more full time.
If you head over to Before The Baby Wakes, you can see an awesome feature on her. You can also get your comments in for a chance to win a 5X5 of anyone of her beautiful photograph prints. Awesome!!!

The Dainty Squid's Beautiful blog

Head on over to The Dainty Squid to check out this lady's awesome blog. She is just amazingly talented. I just love it over there; so much inspiration! Oh, and she just so happens to be doing a giveaway right now as well. How adorable is this cute owl pouch. The giveaway has three pouches...the owls, one with squirrels and hedgehogs, and an adorable cupcake one. I am already thinking up the great things I could use them for! Go now!

Pretty pictures and a new week to open!

All the excitement has died down around here. Dkota left last Saturday to go back to Texas. 7 weeks, 6 days until he is home with me for good! I'm not excited or nothing!!! HAHA. We are planning to do the whole each drive half way thing for Valentine's Weekend. I can't wait. I always cry when we have to say goodbye. As you will see though, we had a lot of fun while he was here.
As for this week, you may have already read it, but I finally posted up my goals and whatnot for the year. I put in a few words for the year and an awesome color too! I think I should have a song. What do you think? I have everything else...I need a song for the year too! My books that I got are amazing. I am really liking them BOTH right now. The Happiness Project just took a minute to get into. I got a blank sketchbook to help me along. Yesterday I finally finished making the front oh, so pretty! I will post pictures.
Speaking of posting pictures, I am hating my cell phone right now. I got everything set up so that I could post from it, but now it doesn't work. So, the pictures I promised so long ago, may never actually make it to my blog. I'm sorry. Pleae orgive me!
This weekend, while I should have been doing other things, I crafted a bit. It's nearly 7 o'clock on Sunday night, and I have not yet finished organizing the craft room. My newest friend Daniella is coming down from Nashvill tomorrow to visit. I don't really know if she is going to go home. Kidding! Her main squeeze will be out of town for a few days so she is visiting me. We are going to have so much fun. She has never scrapbooked before but is really wanting to start. Fresh Meat! I can't wait to get her going with it. That is going to be awesome! Our plans for this week? Scrap crap Scrap!! Oh, and our puppies are in love! They will stay occupied while we are busy crafting!
So, I will leave you with some super un pictures. I was told about picnik.com through a blog and checked it out. I had entirely too much fun editing my pictures with it. Most of the ones below were editied using this site. I think you can probably tell which ones were not.
Leave me comments. I always love comments. I hope you beautiful ladies have an awesome week. Stay positive and stay full of energy. Have fun!

Dakota. Avitar. 3-D. IMAX. Amazing!
The newest edition to my ongoing camera collection. It used to be my grandfather's. He passed on shortly after I was born.

Puppy in a box. Puppy not pleased! I love my new cricut though!

The four of us went on a fancy date night!

I am only pretending to sleep. Kaye is yawning for real though!

Trolly in Memphis. Ye, they still have them there!

Pretty sunset.

I love love love hats!

A lady can never have too many bottles of perfume.

Loving this book so much!

Organizing my scraproom by using my cricut!

Oooops forgot the pictures!!

Here are the pictures of the things that make me happy today that I totally meant to put in the post below this one!

Life is a Verb and The Happiness Project

Last night I pulled under the carport and looked at my doorstep. There it was...my package I had been waiting for since Friday of last week. In bold letters, it said Amazon! I pulled the tape and peered inside. Books! I had been so anxious to get them. I pulled out the blue one... The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and dove into it's pages. I read. A bit dry to start off....hmmm....what about this other book? Life is a Verb by Patti Digh I began to read it. I am in love. Originally, I was most excited about the first book, but now I think I am more excited about the second book. It has pictures!!!!
I brought them to work today. I began reading "the verb book" and almost right away, it invited me to write in the margins. Why had I not thought of this before? As I continued to read, I wrote things down that came to mind.

Make Changes that you can keep
You are what you eat?
What does a butterfly symbolize?
Am I lost?
I don't want to forget Happiness only has meaning with contrasted with unhappiness
Quiddity - a beautiful word
When memories fade, are they still in our hearts so as to make us us?

I am finished with Chapter one now. (Please know that above are only some of the many notes I wrote. As you know, I am on a mission to make this year so great. I want to live intentionally, and I guess I need a little help to figure out how I can do that. I thought I would post up some pictures that make me happy today.....

Something that I would love to have

Nearly a year ago....what a pretty place


I could never have too many Cherry Blossoms in my life

How true is this?

And just because this is the cutest picture in the world to me today!

I appologize for having no idea where these images came from. I have them saved to my computer at work, without any labels to tell me. I don't take credit for any of them, but if you would like to take credit...please let me know, or please tell me if you know where they came from so I can give credit! Thanks!

Inspiring

I happened upon a little blog today that I am now quite fond of. The blog is Violet Bella. I was reading along and reading along, and then, BAM! I found something that she had found that really really spoke to me. Here it is:

Written by Melody Beattie

Remember to be Happy

Sometimes we get so bogged down in dealing with feelings, issues, problems -- the realities and details of our lives -- we forget to be happy. Often happiness can be ours if we just remember to be happy.

Joy is a choice -- a deliberate, concious choice. That choice is available to us each day. Our joy isn't controlled by others or by outward circumstances. Joy comes from a deeper place, a place of security within ourselves. It's an attitude, not a transitory emotion.

Remember to be kind. Remember to be loving. Remember to feel all of your feelings and to take care of yourself. But most of all, remember to be happy.

A New Me

I appologize if the following paragraphs make absolutely no sense, if the statements seems silly, or if you just don't get me....

Back in December, I had an overwhelmingly positive outlook for Twenty Ten. I couldn’t place my finger on what exactly caused this new positive attitude though. There were a couple things that might have been part of it….I had finished my application for The Art Institute, Dakota was on his way out of the Army, and I had plans to move away from my depressing job in my depressing little town that I live in. I just knew everything was going to be wonderful. I think I had the expectation that the ball in New York would drop and all of a sudden everything would be perfect in my little world. I must admit, it sounds completely ridiculous and irresponsible to believe in miracles like that.
So what exactly does make for a good start to a brand new year full of possibilities? I hate to admit it, but certainly sitting back and expecting something to just happen is probably not the way to start off. With that said, I need to give myself a swift kick in the butt! That is exactly what I have done with my first two weeks of this new month, this new year, this new decade. Ok, so maybe not exactly….
I have done a couple things that give me a few tally points of goodness. I have considered the "One Little Word” idea, I have considered who and what I want to be, I have taken pictures every single day, and I have ordered a book from amazon.com. So all this thought is somewhat getting me somewhere, but it is only at the thought stage; not the action stage, and it is two weeks into the year already. Two weeks, in the grand scheme of things, is not a very long time, however, if you consider that my thoughts revolve around action and just getting up, going out, and doing….two weeks is a long time to do nothing!
I started out with a list of about 22 words. I slowly began to cross words off the list as I thought more and more about them. I don’t want a word that has any negative possibilities. I don’t want a word that describes new in a way of new life, or starting from scratch. I am a girl in this little world, and at one time I always smiled. At one time I was energetic and positive and nothing could get me down. I miss that girl. Slowly I lost her in the darkness. I need to find her again. I need to find that passion for life again. Four words remain on the list: Alive, Awaken, Emerge, and Open. So….who says I have to narrow it down to ONE LITTE WORD? Who says that I have to follow that current trend and conform to what everyone else is up to? Why can’t I have four words that inspire me to find that girl again?
In a previous post, I mentioned my new favorite color. I love turquoise. I really have no idea how it is possible that I never knew turquoise before in this life. Perhaps it is possible that I knew turquoise in a past life? Maybe in a past life I was a rabbit that looked up into the sky everyday because it was beautiful color, and I knew that someday I would be something bigger and better. Whoa!!! Where did that come from? Ignore that last bit! However though, I even thought about choosing a color instead of a word. What does turquoise mean to me? It means everything to me that those four words mean to me. It describes the sense of me that I aspire to find again. It stirs up inside me the ambition to awaken from my slumber, to emerge from my cocoon, to be open to new possibilities and to be alive!
This year is the one! It is the year I find myself again. I will be me, and not someone else. I will choose to do instead of just simply be. I will surround myself in turquoise. (You are probably imagining me painting my entire house turquoise right now!) I do mean figuratively….I do mean the mental state of turquoise! I will embark on new journeys of discovery….

Now that I have completely lost all of your attention, I have a few lists to share with you:

1. Color of my year
-Turquoise

2. Words for my Year
-Awaken
-Emerge
-Open
-Alive

3. Goals for my Year
-Simplify
-Begin (and stick with) school
-Keep a planner/calendar
-Paint a sunflower
-Buy and use to learn a sewing machine
-Take at least 1 picture per day and document them all in a cute little way
-Be much more romantic
-Get and ride a bicycle whenever logical
-Make a scarf I’ve had my eye on (which includes learning how to knit better)
-Finish my military scrapbook and continue with up to date important albums
-At least 4 mini-albums
-Grow my hair to the middle of my back
-blog more often
-Smile every single day
-Take time to breath

Okay, now I am accountable! I have it here in writing. I have it set in stone. These are my goals. Goals are attainable. Goals can be reached. Never give up on your goals! I just know that I will be so much happier now that I have them out in the open. I will see them and reach them. I will use these goals as the stepping stones to successfully live with my color and four words of my year. I will be a better person for achieving them!

Scrapz N Stuff: Blog Candy!!!!

Scrapz N Stuff: Blog Candy!!!!: "So, here's what I want you to do..."

Blog Candy!

There is some yummy blog candy going out to one lucky follower of Scrapznstuff. Click on the link to go check out all the details of how to get in the drawing!!!

Exciting new things to come

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I know that I have been absent a lot lately. Hmmm....I kind of have an excuse? For Christmas, I traveled to Michigan and left my computer behind. Two days later, I picked Dakota up from the airport. I have really been enjoying his company. I admit that maybe I have a little time and could have at least said hello, but I have been a little lazy too! Last weekend we were in Nashville. We spent some time with his very good friend, Adam (he likes to go by Shane though) and his fiancee Daniella. She is going to become a very good friend of mine I have the feeling. So, I have been checking in with the blogs that I follow and I came across this cute little survey on Molly Lou Gifts. I thought it would be fun to post it on mine....I changed the end of each sentence to relate to me!

I’ve come to realize that my job. . . is not what I want forever.

I’ve come to realize that when I’m driving. . . I have tremendous amounts of road rage

I’ve come to realize that I need. . .to be positive.

I’ve come to realize that I have lost. . .my art

I’ve come to realize that I hate it when. . . things don't go my way.

I’ve come to realize that if I’m drunk. . . I am quite honest.

I’ve come to realize that money… is just paper but what you do with it, can be wonderful

I’ve come to realize that certain people. . . will only bring me down

I’ve come to realize that I’ll always. . . love chocolate

I’ve come to realize that my sibling(s). . . are all very different from eachother, but aremostly all great.

I’ve come to realize that my mom… is amazing and very funny.

I’ve come to realize that my cell phone. . . is something I cannot live without

I’ve come to realize that when I woke up this morning. . . I still hated mornings!.

I’ve come to realize that last night before I went to sleep. . . I forgot to kiss my puppy

I’ve come to realize that right now I am thinking. . . I can make this year great.

I’ve come to realize that my dad. . . really should have made different choices.

I’ve come to realize that when I get on Facebook. . . I wish I had more messages

I’ve come to realize that today. . . is one day closer to a difference.

I’ve come to realize that tonight. . . will be nice to relax and rest so I can kick this cold in the butt before it turns me upside down

I’ve come to realize that tomorrow. . . will be very very very cold here.

I’ve come to realize that I really want to. . . appreciate the little details in life.

I’ve come to realize that the person mostly likely to repost this is. . . oh dear, I don't know.

I’ve come to realize that life. . . is way too short

.I’ve come to realize that this weekend. . . will be sad when Dakota leaves again
.
I’ve come to realize that my friends. . . Are awesome!

I’ve come to realize that this year. . . has amazing things in store for me.

I’ve come to realize that my man. . . loves me very much and wouldn't change me for the world

.I’ve come to realize that maybe I should. . . stop procrastinating and wake up to life.

I’ve come to realize that I love. . . scrapbooking!.

I’ve come to realize that I don’t understand. . . how some people can be born without common sense

.I’ve come to realize my past. . .is what has made me who I am

.I’ve come to realize that parties. . . can be fun but very stressful.

I’ve come to realize that I’m totally terrified. . . of failure.

I’ve come to realize that my life. . . is turning out well.

Please believe me that I do have a lto to share with you all very soon. Dakota will be saying goodbye again on Saturday. *tear* After he leaves, I have a scraproom to redo and organize. I have layouts after layouts to complete. I have my one little word for the year to post....or my 22 little words? I have goals to write down (makes me more accountable), and things to share about how wonderful this year is going to be. I will see you again really soon, friends!
Hugs!

A new color for the year! My favorite color!

Just a couple weeks ago I announced to Dakota that I now had a new favorite color. I also made sure to tell many many other people! To describe it, I did not call the color by name. I told them that my favorite color is an aqua blue, but it is more greenish, but more vibrant, and yet earthy. It is a happy color that really excites me. I refured to old vintage photos with the bright blue hues and the blues associated with the southwest. I told them to boil all those together and the result is my favorite color. this favorite color of course is not my only favorite. One of the reasons that I love it so much is that it goes so nicely with my other favorite color - pink in every shade and hue! I love it so much because it makes me feel positive. It makes me believe that life is beautiful and great and fantastic. I painted my finger nails with it, and now as I type, I watch them and smile simply because they are pretty, and girly, and lovely, and happy!
Shortly after I made the huge decision to give this amazing color a spot next to pink with the glory and title of "favorite," I found out that Turquoise was announced as the color of the year for 2010! Yes! Yes! Yes! the color is called turquoise! My favorite color has a name! Hooray! So, here is the article from the Pantone website that discusses exactly some of the reasons that this color deserves our attention this upcoming year:
I am reposting this from the Pantone.com website:

CARLSTADT, N.J., Dec. 8, 2009 –Pantone LLC, an X-Rite company (NASDAQ: XRIT), and the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, today announced PANTONE® 15-5519 Turquoise, an inviting, luminous hue, as the color of the year for 2010. Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.“In many cultures, Turquoise occupies a very special position in the world of color,” explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “It is believed to be a protective talisman, a color of deep compassion and healing, and a color of faith and truth, inspired by water and sky. Through years of color word-association studies, we also find that Turquoise represents an escape to many – taking them to a tropical paradise that is pleasant and inviting, even if only a fantasy.”
Whether envisioned as a tranquil ocean surrounding a tropical island or a protective stone warding off evil spirits, Turquoise is a color that most people respond to positively. It is universally flattering, has appeal for men and women, and translates easily to fashion and interiors. With both warm and cool undertones, Turquoise pairs nicely with any other color in the spectrum. Turquoise adds a splash of excitement to neutrals and browns, complements reds and pinks, creates a classic maritime look with deep blues, livens up all other greens, and is especially trend-setting with yellow-greens.
In fashion, Turquoise makes a statement that can look elegant and dressy in fine silk and gemstones, or casual and fun in cotton and athletic apparel. Because of its versatility, Turquoise is a great accent color in jewelry, purses, shoes, hair accessories and even nail polish for women, and ties, shirts and sportswear for men.

For brides wanting a flattering choice for attendant apparel and accessories on their big day, Turquoise is now one of the nearly 200 PANTONE WEDDING Colors available from Dessy, a leading manufacturer of bridesmaid, social occasion and flower girl dresses, as well as destination wedding gowns under the labels Dessy Collection, After Six, Alfred Sung, Lela Rose Bridesmaid and Sandals Destination Wedding Dresses. PANTONE WEDDING exclusively from Dessy provides a collection of color tools to make it easy for brides to achieve perfectly color-coordinated weddings – from inspiration to “I do.”Additionally, Turquoise is one of 3,000 colors available in Pantone’s line of superior-quality, eco-friendly paint. PANTONE Paints combine the accuracy of PANTONE Colors with the beauty of high-performance Dutch paints. Perfect for a powder room or bedroom, Turquoise is an evocative, spa-like hue that adds an undertone of warmth and excitement to any cool space. In the kitchen, Turquoise adds a unique flare to tabletop and appliances.
About Pantone Pantone LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of X-Rite, Incorporated, has been the world’s color authority for 45 years, providing design professionals with products and services for the colorful exploration and expression of creativity. Always a source for color inspiration, Pantone also offers designer-inspired products and services for consumers. More information is available at www.pantone.com.About X-RiteX-Rite, Incorporated, is the global leader in color science and technology. The company, which now includes color industry leader Pantone, develops, manufactures, markets and supports innovative color solutions through measurement systems, software, color standards and services. X-Rite’s expertise in inspiring, selecting, measuring, formulating, communicating and matching color helps users get color right the first time and every time, which translates to better quality and reduced costs. X-Rite serves a range of industries, including printing, packaging, photography, graphic design, video, automotive, paints, plastics, textiles, dental and medical. For further information, please visit www.xrite.com.

Puppy Pug Party / Papercrafting!!

I am INALLY getting around to posting a few pictures. Here are the pictures from Kaye's birthday. I made the carrot cake and decorated it too. My cake decorating has gotten pretty bad becaue I never do it anymore! Anyways, it was my birthday the same day.Here is the cake before Kaye got to it!

Then Kaye saw it... Oh man was she excited! I just had to do the whole cake in her face picture thing. The is my baby ater all and it was her firt birthday!

Here is one of the baby girl and mommey together with our pretty cake. I'm surprised that I somehow managed to get this picture. It was just the two of us, so please understand that I was not only the subject of the pictures, but I was the photographer too.


She loved the cake. Don't worry, I just gave her a little bit, and she did not get sick from it.

And here she is with it all over her face! Cute.

Time or the presents! She got a pretty new sweater that is brown and pink. It has a picture of a bone on the back of it. And....a bone!! She was the happiest puppy ever! That sweater will keep her warm when we go up to Michigan in the snow for Christmas!

Happy Pug Puppy!!!

Now, for some papercrafting.I saw this Christmas gift bags at WalMart and instantly thought of what a cute mini album I could make with them. I cut the bottoms off and sowed the sides of each bag together to create one page. Then, I added the foam snowflakes to each page, bound them together, and completed the cover with glitter, thickers, and ribbons! I just love it! So cute for holding this years Christmas pictures!

A picture of the tiching and a couple snowflakes....

I used different sized bags...Just love that

I made some journals for the little sister. There are four of them and I took pictures with my phone, but not my camera before I tied them together in a cute little bundle. I'll have to post the individual ones later ater I get them off my ohone. They were so easy though. I cut paper down to 12X6 size and folded them together. Then I punched holes in each side and tied them together with bows for the bindings. I applied a little embellishment to each one. There is a heart or this one as you can see.

And here is the Christmas Tree. Its fake this year because I don't know where to get a real one around this little villiage, and its just me and the pugster, so I'm not sure I would have been able to get it stood up in a stand if it were real. I'm absolutely loving the silver and turquoise this year. so pretty. By the way, turquoise is the color for 2010, and happens to be my new (tied for first place with pink) favorite color!!

And finally, to leave off, a cute little battery toy. When you push the button it sings "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," and the little penguins ring their bells as the snowman sways. Too cute. Happy Holidays!! More to come soon.

I'm So Blue!!

BlueMoon is a fabulous site about all kinds of fun stuff. They feature a lot of inspiration and product features that you will just have to get your hands on. I'm just loving them. I'm loving them even more after this morning when I found out I am their weekly winner for a gorgeous pack of Christmasy yummies!! Hooray! I'm so blue!

In other news, the company Christmas Gala is tonight. I was fighting with myself over whether or not I really wanted to go. Dakota is not here, so I don't have a date. Don't get me wrong, I love to dress up anyways! Mostly, the biggest part of it is that there are only a handful of people I can stand...especially when they are drinking. Most of us are prior military, and I hope that I don't effend anyone by saying that a lot of times military and drinking go hand-in-hand. It is no exception with these people. Open bar means open bar. another thing too that seems so true most of the time, is that these military people have no shame about acting like fools. It does lead to some entertainment, but there is always that point in the evening, that it becomes less entertaining and more plain out annoying. Needless to say, I didn't really want to spend the night alone, when I kow everyone else will be eating yummy food and having some fun at least, so I got rid of my scrudgey attitude, and decided lazt minute to go. Yes, I'm dressing up a little bit. I just hope that my pretty red shoes still fit me while wearing tights. You read it right, tights! This should be very funny, as I NEVER wear nylons or tights.
One last point....I am sorry that I did not post pictures like I promised I would try to do. I could not find my camera for the life of me. I found it this morning though....in my purse where I put it. So, we'll see how quickly I can get those pictures posted. I'd do it now, but I'm at work. I don't have my cable, and who knows what they are tracking now. Have you ever read the book 1984? Well, I feel like that now. We are banned from sooooo many things now, and really should just sit like zombies staring at the white institutional walls all day! I'm honestly not even sure if I should be on blogger! They have blocked every other social networking type thing...it just might be next. Besides, we were told that unless it's work related, we cannot do it. I promise you though, that there is absolutely nothing to be done at work. All my work is done, and has been for a while now. Occasionally something small might come up here and there every day or two, but other than that, I'm not doing anything! Yuck...boring! Alright, I will leave you on a high note...
Less than a week until Christmas!! WooHooo! and just over a week until Dakota comes to visit! So excited. Have a beautiful day!

I am currently....

I was totally inspired by Nancy to create a post about my currents! So here you have what I am currently...
feeeling....

I have no regrets! I love my life right now. Everything that I have done up to this point has made this life worth living now!

Missing....

I miss Dakota each and every minute that he is away from me. Two more weeks before he comes to visit!

Wearing...

Old Navy Diva Jeans. I have mine in a dark wash though. I had to break up with my Boyfriend Jeans from American Eagle after they no longer look good on me since I have put on a little weight. Believe me though, I hope they will take me back when I get down to my size again.

Surfing....

I am addicted....to everything on this site!

Eating....

Jackie sent them to me for my birthday. Love love love them! Awesome friend!

Watching....

Every single night...new ones, old ones, whichever!

Reading....

I have not gotten too far into it. I need to read more often though, and this book had good reviews. Updates to come.

Creating with....

I want about 10 more full lines to play with! I only got 1 to begin with. I need more...hint hint Santa!!

Jody's Rusy Pickle Winner!!

Thank you so so so much Jody! Jody was one of the members that helped put on the Rusty Pickle blog hop over the weekend. She had two awesome giveaways on her blog to celebrate holiday fun. She has been so generous in selecting me as the winner of the Rusty Pickle White Christmas Paper Packet! WooHoo!

Yesterday I got my package in the mail of the items that I bought using the gift certificate that I won from D-Lish Scraps! That was pretty exciting. I will be trying to post up some pictures before the end of the week if I can. I know I have been so bad about posting things up....
Ok, maybe tonight? I know that I have pictures to post of Kaye's first birthday, our Christmas tree, and fun in Texas with my boy! I promise I will try to find time to do all of those tonight if I can. This time of year has been quite hectic. Travels, present projects, birthdays....oh goodness... So I will try. I'm also about to post a fun little what I've been up to post inspired by Nancy. Look for it.

Dakota and I have been texting back and forth all morning. He is sitting through some very boring briefings (in Texas) to get out of the Army and I have absolutely nothing important going on at work. He is arriving here on Dec. 29th for our Christmas together and New Years! I can't wait, in case you couldn't guess that already. I asked him what he would like me to cook for our "Christmas" dinner. Turkey, smashed taters, gravy, and green beans! Oh dear! I told him I would cook whatever he wanted me to...this should be very interesting because I have never made a turkey before EVER! To be honest, I barely explore my kitchen except for the pathway between the freezer and the microwave! I can cook, I just really never do, and it is always a surprise what the food actually tastes like when I am finished. {side story....I once was making instant potatoes and read the directions wrong....instead of 1/8 teaspoon of salt, I added 8 teaspoons of salt!} Wish me luck...I don't want for my house to burn down!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

I thought I would share with you some of this weekend excitement...
Saturday morning began with a weet text message from Dakota...I knew there was a reason that I love him! Then off to WalMart with a hopping list. Yes, I actually wrote a list, and somehow managed to leave the store before I bought too many things that were not on the list. Did I mention that I got all the way there without my purse? I had to drive all the way back home, get the purse and drive all the way back to WalMart. So I got some great things...Christmas tree decorations, storage bins, laundry basket, new pillows, new sheets, a phone charger for my car, and some random other things. When I got home I cleaned the laundry room. Yikes! I put away all of my summer clothes into bins to make more hanging room in there for when Dakota comes beause I do not have closets! Gasp!!! My laundry room is outside by the way, so I froze! I then came inide and decided that the kitchen floor needed to be mopped. Smart me put cleaner directly on the floor and thought I would just use the water bucket to rinse the mop....obviously I do not ever use anything other than the swiffer on the floor....I had cleaner sud and water everywhere. It took me two hours to finally get it all soaked up and the suds gone...too long. Then I baked a carrot cake. Yummy! I put up my wonderully ugly new fake christmas tree! I hate fake trees but it seemed to be the only option since it's just me and the puppy right now. Pretty decorations though!! Teal and Silver! I talked to Dakota for a while about random stuff. then I put the freshly washed new sheets on the bed! Oh so soft. The old sheets were two years old and wearing thin. I want to have nice sheets for when Dakota comes. I love them! The only bad thing is that they had the light blue color only in king size so I had to go with the deep brown ones. I have a brown comforter....lots of brown! I did get an extra pair of pillow cases though in the light blue. It looks so luxerious! I think that was just about the end of the day.
At 12:15 am I got a text message from Dakota being the first to wish me a happy birthday but not wanting to wake me up! It woke me up but that is ok. Grandma A called at 7am and I didn't answer. She let a message wishing me a happy birthday. I went back to sleep. Mummsie called at 10am and I woke up. She sang to me. I froted the cake and made it all pretty with leafy vines and pink flowers. I wrote happy birthday Kaye and me on it. I put candles on it and brought it down to puppy level. I got some pretty funny pictures of kaye licking the frosting! I did manage to get one picture of the cake with candles ablaze, kaye and me, then quickly blew them out a cut a tiny peice for her. So many funny pictures of her chowing down. She loved it. I put her new sweater on her and gave her a bone. She likes the sweater and the bone so I got more pictures. Called grandma back. Accidentaly called grams and gramps so I figured instead of hanging up I would talk to them. They had planned to call in the aternoon, but that is fine. Misty, my awesome friend (and only one I really have here) called and wished me a happy birthday and asked if she could take me to the city for sushi. I would be crazy to turn that down! I love love love sushi! So went to eat after I took a shower... she convinced me to go to the company Christmas party on Friday night. I had to go to Target to buy a new skirt to wear. I've gained quite a bit of weight lately and didn't have anything to wear to the formal business dress party. Found a skirt that could not be any more perfect. Fell totally in love with it! Bought it! My ather actaully called to wish me a happy birthday. I was shocked! I have talked to him (including today' call) three times since August. we don't talk much. Then I talked to Staci...his recent ex-wife, who I am still very close to. And talked to my little siblings about Christmas. And that is about it for the wonderful birthday weekend! Hope you are all doing well!

Who wants Paper?

Urban Swank is giving away a bunch of awesome papers! Go check out the blog and enter for a chance to win. Good luck ladies!

Mission Create

Mission Create where have you been all my scrapbooking life? I just found this blog today and I love it. they have somre really great challenges that really will challenge you! I cannot wait to play along. Check out this post from the site today, and visit them for your own chance to win some yummy yummy goodies!

December's
Prize!
Here is a little peek at the prize we are giving away for the
December Challenges!
Thank you to the Scrapbook Cottage for being
December's sponsor!
There will be challenges posted on December 13 th
&
27th and you will have until January 7th to link up your layouts
for a
chance to
win this prize :-)
Living in the land of reality we
know
December is a hectic
month for everyone and we may not have quite
as much
creating time-so we have an
additional way you can try and win
this
prize!
All you need to do is become a
follower (see the left
hand
column!) and post a link to this site on your own
blog!
Once you
have
done both just post in the comments here to let us
know!
**Don't
forget
you have until December 7th to complete Mission 0003,
0004 or
0005 to be
entered to win the November Prize**

Long Time no Post (Kind of long!)

Hello all!
I know that it has been quite a while since I posted last. I had an absolutely wonderful trip! Dakota was supposed to come home on Wednesday, but got delayed until Friday night. then he had to work when he got back. Yucky! That's fine though because I got to extend my stay in Texas a little while and really get to spend some good time with him. we did so many nice things...played with the puppy, went out to eat, played monopoly, played rock band with friends, and just spent some much needed time together. Don't worry...I have plenty of pictures to serve as memories of this very happy reunion. I am so glad that he is finally home from Iraq. Oh, and he got me an early birthday present - the new Droid phone! what a sweetheart, huh? This way we can talk all we want because we are now on the same cell phone plan. So, even though he had to stay in Texas, and I just had to come back to work in Tennessee, we can talk and text all we want to stay in touch! so excited about that!
I put together a mini-album before I left to display all of the awesome fun we had. Last night I spent most of the night editing the pictures and getting them ready for print. He has to email me the ones from his camera still though. As soon as those are printed, I can put them into the album real quicklike and add some finishing elements! Woohoo! My first mini-album will be completed and I will post up the pictures.
While I was waiting for Dakota to come home, I spent some time in the hotel by myself. I did some 2Pea searching and some blog fun stuff. Out of the Hat announced their November winners while I was there....and.....I won! Now don't get too crazy with the congrats because they had 4 winners. Two of the winners were people choice and people choice runner up. another winner was the Design Team favorite. I managed to squeak in with the random draw winner slot! So, although I won, and I think my layout is awesome, i'm not up there with the pros yet! heeheehee. The other winners did such awesome layouts too! I thought it was a great challenge though....trees and diecuts are so much fun! All about Me also announced their winner for November. Now they also do the random winner thing I believe, which is still pretty great because it gives beginners just as much of a chance at winning as the pros. they have two challenges a month and for each challenge that you complete, you get a chance in the drawing. I completed both. You can see them in earlier posts...I can't live without you much longer and my forever mark. So I just want to thank the wonderful ladies over at both of these blogs. The design teams are totally amazing! The sponsers were also just as amazing! Nikki Sivils, Scrapbooker and De-Lish Scraps! WooHoo thanks so much!
The last thing that I really want to talk about is in regards to a previous post. If you read my post about hating my job, saving money, and wanting to return to school, then I hope you will be interested in a little followup from that. Dakota and I had some long talk going on about my situation here in Tennessee. He knows that I am so very unhappy here, but it does seem kind of silly for me to move down to Texas with him right now. He gets a couple weeks off at Christmas and New Years in order to go visit his family that he has not seen since this time last year. then he will go back to Texas and pretty much just be doing all the crazy things you have to do when you get out of the Army. after that (sometime around the end of January) he is going back up to see some of his other family members that he can't see during his first trip - the ones in Winconsin and his dad I believe. So, basically if you really look at it, he is going to be back and forth a lot and actually done with the Army for good on February 20th. then he will be coming to tennessee with me. I might as well keep working right now and keep paying those bills and saving that money for a little bit longer. At that point, it will be time to start looking for a new place to live up in Nashville so that I can start school. the actual date for the quarter to start at The Art Institute is April 5th. I am working on my application now so wish me lots of luck! I just can't hardly wait!
Well, I truely hope that the holidays are magical for all of you right now. I wish only the best for you all in your family time, fun crafts, and the dreadful Christmas crowds! I'm praying for you all that you continue to be blessed, and that you have a joyous season. In two weeks from tomorrow, I will be heading north to Michigan to spend a quick Christmas weekend with my loving family. I cannot wait to see my mumsie, little sis, grams and gramps, step-dad Rodney who I haven't seen in a long while, Staci, and the whole rest of the gang! Woohoo!

Hugs and Scrappy Loves!

A shocking win!

As I blogged about a couple posts ago, I participated in the blog launch activities for Scraptivity. There were a few technology issues that I had, and I was unable to post my submissions on the page in time. Scraptivity has been so awesome in all of this. They were able to fi the issue that I had, and then even had my submissions put into the contests. To top it off, I won!!! My layout that you can see below - Cause Every Girl Is Crazy 'Bout A Sharp Dressed Man - was the winner! I was absolutely shocked. I had so much fun doing the project. I was ecited to at least get them up on my blog, but what Scraptivity did about submitting me to the contest was totally unepected. I am incredably greatful to all the wonderful ladies over there. This is just another proof that people in the scrapbook community are amazing! Thank you so much Scraptivity! I love the site over there and can't wait to participate in the future.....

Dakota's home from Iraq *VACATION**

Hey all,
It's Tuesday night, and I should actually be sleeping right now. I know, it's really early in the night, but I have to wake up later and drive for a long time! I am leaving tonight to drive to Texas. Google says that it is a 12 hour drive. It will probably be more like 14 because I have a bladder the size of a pea and a psycho puppy too! Why am I going that ar, you ask? I get to see my Dakota!!!! Hooray! Dakota is coming home from Iraq! It's about time! So, I don't know how good the "free wi-fi" is going to be at the hotel, but I may or may not be on blogger for a bit. Oh so sad....I'm going to go through withdrawls from 2Peas if I can't get on!!! HAHAHA! I'm so addicted 24/7. So, um, just wanted to let you all know that I am super excited, wish me luck on the road, and thank God, Dakota will be home soon!!

My Forever Mark

For the All About Me Challenge, we needed to scrap about our mark. It could be a scar, a tattoo, a beauty mark, or even a non-physical mark that you have left for someone or something. I immediately knew that I had to scrap about my cherry blossom tree tattoo. It takes up my entire right side and part of my back too. I love it, and would never regret getting it. The meaning behind the tattoo is so important to me. I journaled about it on the LO.