Today has been FULL of surprises!!

3 Bugs posts a sketch contest in their newsletter every month...so last month, I decide, what the heck, I'll try it. So I never heard anything and didn't see an announcement on the site and never got a copy of the May newsletter. Well, I found the May sketch info at the veggie site and thought I would try again (must be a sketch addiction). SO....I go to the site to upload my entry and FINALLY I see the May newsletter link. So I thought I would check it out...and there it is...MY layout in the newsletter as the winner of last month's sketch contest! So I e-mailed them to see if they needed any info since it said I would get some 3 Bugs goodies (please be Seeing Stars...please be Seeing Stars! LOL)...haven't heard back yet, but what a nice surprise tonight! This is the winning entry! By the way...can I just tell you how much I LOVE the new Design Boards 3 Bugs makes??? (that's the letters and words on my page).

Simply Star Material!

OK - for those that don't know...this is my sweet puppy, Annee. One of my favorite things to do lately is take pictures of her and scrap them. I mean with all the cool pet products from Boxer, who wouldn't want to, right??? Well, awhile back, I posted that a project I did was going to be on TV...guess who it was about...yep! My dogs!

So I got an e-mail yesterday requesting another Annee layout for the Simple Inspirations section of the July (on-line) Simple Scrapbooks!!! I had been inspired by a layout done by my friend and Scrap-a-Latte bud, Jen Erikson. She had a layout published in SS and I chose her layout as inspiration for the call which just goes to prove...Jen's work is completely awesome even when you scraplift it!

But as for Annee...I think she is starting to get a big head from all the fame. She is currently demanding that I up the amound of Kibble in her Bits! LOL But most of the time, she is just an adorable beagle puppy and the love of my life!

Boxer rocks the Doghouse with TRIVIA...

Hey everyone! Just thought I would let you all in on some fun going on at the Boxer blog...Monday TRIVIA...check it out to win some cool prizes! Any of my faithful blog stalkers that don't win a prize and post on the site will get put into a drawing for a Boxer RAK from me!!! See? You can't lose!!!

Also...the Boxer May Reveal is coming this week on the Boxer DT Blog. For those of you wondering...my projects are in the "water group". Make sure to check it out! These products were WAY too fun to work with!!! Which reminds me...better get started on my June Reveal! LOL

What I couldn't live without...

Here's another blog challenge...What things could I not do without and why...

1. My family - I would be lost without them! I suppose I could loan them to someone for a few days...but I would totally miss them eventually! LOL (this of course includes my beloved BEAGLES)

2. Food - for obvious reasons as well as the fact that I just love food. I could do without certain foods, but I would miss them - especially candy and chips!

3. Friends - life would be a lonely place without friends.

4. Some means to entertain myself - I hate being bored! I would prefer to have a computer with internet access, but if I couldn't, I would settle for cross stitching, reading or scrapping.

Random thought - if I was never able to buy another scrapbook supply, book or cross stitch kit again...I think I would still be set if I could keep what I had! LOL (except for maybe adhesive).

5. Ponytail holders and sunglasses. OK - I realize this is a wierd one, but I hate to have my hair down all the time - it bugs me, but I won't cut it short. And I need sunglasses because my eyes are MAJORLY sensitive to the sunlight. I suppose I could live without them, but I would have to go out only at night!

I am sure that my list could go on and on and on...but those are my top 5.

My Mother's Day...

Another SAL blog challenge, but something worth sharing and documenting. This past weekend was Mother's Day. It was a very bittersweet one for me this year. My family was wonderful and I am so thankful to have them, but we learned that my husband's cousin passed away leaving 4 young children without a mother. I can't begin to tell you how sad that is. My heart just aches for them. All 4 children were foster children that had been adopted. Now they are losing a parent once again.

Out of tragedy, however, comes a huge sense of humility. I am so thankful for my children, my health, my family, my friends. I stopped to take more time to listen to my children, to give them a hug, the really spend time with them. I have a couple of AMAZING kids and I want them to grow up knowing how very much I love them. I guess in a way, that is why I scrapbook. I want to give them a part of me, knowing that I will not always be there. I want to focus more on the journaling and the message. These pages that I create will be cherished someday - I hope - as a way to communicate with each other when I am no longer able to. That is something that I don't have that I wish I did.

So here is a snapshot of my Mother's Day this year...

My husband surprised me with Emerald earrings (my favorite). My daughter made an entire bouquet of oragami flowers and butterflies and a beautiful Stampin Up card (I will convert her yet! LOL). My son made me a bookmark with his fingerprints and when I came home, they yelled surprise. I also got lots of hugs and kisses. And the most amazing part...Shane and I actually got to go on a DATE!!! I know...amazing! We went to see Spiderman 3 - AWESOME!!!

So that was my day. Can a gal get any luckier???

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!

Hey everyone! Happy NSD! Today is also Free Comic Day - which is a big event around my house. The kids got dressed up in Superhero costumes (because of course we have a multitude of them laying around! ) and went to the comic store to get a free comic and they had several characters there for them to meet and take pictures with. Logan was totally excited about a Storm Trooper from Star Wars that was there. Bailee was dressed like Batgirl and there was another one there...how cool, right?

So after that I decided to spend my day scrapping and napping! What better combination? Hope everyone has a great scrappy day!!!

Danielle - e-mail me with your e-mail address and I would be happy to tell you about my new business. It's awesome! I make more in one day's work (which is about all I do) than I did in a week at a professional job. My e-mail is onescrappymom@msn.com

Tag! I'm it!

OK...so I guess I got tagged by Sue! So here goes...

Seven Random things about me:

1. I graduated from college in 3 years instead of 4 with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work. (ok...apprarently I have ALWAYS been the energizer bunny! LOL)
2. I just started a new business selling Mortgage Protection and Annuities so that I can stay home with my family.
3. I am a natural red head (in case anyone was wondering!)
4. Being a red head in the 70s was NOT cool!
5. I am addicted to paper!
6. I love Beagles - - and apparently anything that is a bit ornery!
7. I LOVE to swing on my kids' playset. It's just such a free feeling!

The next thing I have to do is share some blogs that inspire me:

Ali Edwards OF COURSE!!! Duh! She is my freaking HERO!!!

I also like Donna Downey. I just LOVE her articles she does in Simple Scrapbooks.

I think they both inspire me because I love simple, graphic designs. And they both just ROCK!!

OK...guess I'd better tag some people...

I tag SARAH, JEN H. and DANIELLE!!! (Now...let's see who looks at my blog! LOL)

Finally...a layout!

All this hype going on lately and I haven't had much time to scrap at all! So here it is (although it looks like I scanned it wonky)...a layout!!! LOL This was a picture taken of my dear Shane on St. Pats Day this year. I used some really cool embellishments from We are Memory Keepers. I had never tried them before, but got some in my DT kit from Creative Crafts and Stickers. It was really fun to work with and seemed to go really well with the Chatterbox papers I have had in my stash FOREVER!!!

Well...the house is quiet and I am inbetween cleaning, so I think I might even try to scrap again! SHOCK!!! Anyone scrapping for NSD??? I've got my pictures already developed and ready to go! Can't WAIT!!!

I made it on Angie Pedersen's BLOG!!!

OK...so I am sure you all are sick of hearing about this...but this is just so exciting for me, so I have to post it on my blog. I was checking out Angie Pedersen's Blog (Scrap Industry News). Basically anything that is happening in scrapbooking - Angie knows about (Martha Stewart's release, press releases, etc.) Well, I go there today to check it out and there is a whole press release of me winning the TV contest!!!! I couldn't BELIEVE it! If you want to read it...check it out here.