Cherrie Scraps

An Awesome giveaway to share

2010-12-14T17:22:00.001-08:00

a friend told me about this blog giveaway and I wanted to share it with all of you...check this out

http://beckyconley.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-2nd-chance-blog-give-way.html

She is giving away a Cricut Expression...I would love to find one under my tree this year!!

2010-11-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share my most recent layouts

Happy Halloween

2010-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween - Glue Arts is doing a special Boo for Halloween - check it out..
http://gluearts.blogspot.com/
you might get lucky and receive a special BOO package!!
And here is a new Halloween layout I made using mostly Doodlebug Products - so cute!!

2010-10-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Timeless Daydreams still has this great contest going on - with an awesome prize package up for grabs!! Check this out timeless-daydreams.blogspot.com/2010/09/back-to-school-contest-prize.html?spref=fb

This is my entry for week 2 of the contest

and this one is for week 3
I can't wait to see what the challenge for week #4 will be - I am ready!!

2010-09-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

Timeless Daydreams has a great contest going on - with an awesome prize package up for grabs!! Check this out timeless-daydreams.blogspot.com/2010/09/back-to-school-contest-prize.html?spref=fb
I am playing along - this is my entry for the First weeks Challenge

It's been awhile!!

2010-09-14T16:30:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad blogger....and lately there just is not much time for scrapping or the computer. But I am going to try once again to update this blog periodically - keyword is TRY!!

2010-08-03T05:24:00.000-07:00

Today is a very talented scrapbookers Birthday...Tanisha Long...Happy Birthday Girl!!
She has an amazing give-away on her blog - you should definitely check it out!!
http://tanisharenee.blogspot.com/

Just a lil Toot!!

2010-05-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

I tried out for a guest Designer spot on a sketch blog here
http://sketchesbytamara.blogspot.com/2010/04/may-guest-design-team-challenge.html

This is the page I entered

The challenge was to journal about another hobby we have - beside scrapbooking.
Well I made it - I am the Guest designer for

Tamara sent me this sketch to use for my reveal...

and here is the layout I created with it

You should check out This Sketch Blog - lots of talented designers there
http://sketchesbytamara.blogspot.com/

Where have I been???

2010-05-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

WOW!! Seriously I haven't blogged since July 2009...how the heck did that happen??

Today is National Scrapbook Day!! I am celebrating this Holiday this weekend - how about you?? Ok so I have been scrapping again - after a little break from it. And this weekend I have been very busy playing along in a few challenges, and contests to help get me inspired - what are you doing??

Check this one out - there is a HUGE NSD party going on over at Scrapbook Challenges http://scrapbookchallenges.ning.com/ and they have a TON of awesome prizes you can win. They are also doing a really fun Blog Hop - start here -http://www.pamelasworldofscrap.blogspot.com/ then keep hopping along to all of the DT's Blogs where you will find even more prizes.

One of my favorite challenges is the "HOP ON BOARD" challenge - find it here -http://scrapbookchallenges.ning.com/forum/topics/nsd-hop-on

They have posted this sketch

All of the Dt's have created a Layout using this sketch and if you make one - then follow the instructions on the HOP ON BOARD challenge - you could win an awesome prize for it.

I did my sketch layout tonight - but I have to wait until the morning to post my picture (sorry).

And one lucky person that comments on one of the blog posts form the people playing along will win an additional prize - how cool is that!!

So check back here tomorrow - for my sketch layout and a few others that I have completed today - I can't wait to show you!! And Happy National Scrapbooking Day!!

Here is my Sketch Layout

here is my sketch layout

More summer creations

2009-07-08T21:04:00.000-07:00

I am such a bad blogger - but here I am back again.

2009-07-08T20:43:00.000-07:00

ok - so lets see where did I leave off....wow it has been nearly a month again since I blogged - shame on me.
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Welcoming Tyler Home!!

2009-06-18T15:52:00.001-07:00

It has been just 1 month since my grandson Tyler William was born weighing just 2lbs 14ozs. I am very happy and relieved to announce that on Tues June 16th he was released from the hospital to come home. He is such a sweet tiny little baby - and oh soo cute!! Here is a couple of my favorite pics from his homecoming...

I have been scrapping again!!

2009-06-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy girl - lots of challenges - lots of scrap time!!

My Grandson - Egg Hunter

My adorable daughter at age 2!!

My adorable daughter (now) and her best friend !!

My adorable - teen daughter!!

My grandsons Graduation from Pre-K

My Grandson's 5th Birthday

My Grandson's 5th Birthday again

My precious new baby grandson

My adorable Daughter at age 2 again

My lovely roses!!

Mosh Posh June Challenge

2009-06-14T09:21:00.000-07:00

Over on Mosh Posh's Blog they posted a challenge to use this cool vintage Delta Airlines Ad as inspiration for a layout or card

I loved the vintage AD and it inspired me to make this layout

I liked the whole layout design of the Ad and used that as inspiration...but I also kept with the same basic semi-muted colors, and I used the formula BLANK + BLANK = BLANK for my title. I hope you like my interpretation - and I used the January Mosh Posh Kit to create my layout - all items are from the kit except the car diecut (october Afternoon) and the Orange Alphas (American Craft Thickers - Chit Chat). You can see the challenge on the Mosh Posh blog http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/

Rainbow Springs Park

2009-06-09T17:58:00.000-07:00

Today my darling daughter conned me into taking her and a couple of friends swimming at Rainbow Springs State Park. I didn't really want to go because I have been sick all week with bronchitus and I am suppose to avoid exposure to the sun with the meds I am taking. But I packed up a blanket, a book, and decidied I would relax in the shade for awhile so they could swim. WOW - I am so glad that I went - I have never been there before and frankly did not know that this place existed - and only 20 minutes from home!! Ok enough talking about it - I am going to let my pictures explain it. Just click on a picture to see it fullsize.

Isn't the water pretty??
Yep it is actually a River - but a natural spring fed river - cool clean water!!
Can you say BEAUTIFUL!!
Luckily we did not see any alligators!!
Such a lovely park
This is the main spring - 1000's of gallons of fresh clear water pumps out daily!!

Looking down the river
Across from the swimming area - so blue!!
Majestic old Oak trees
My favorite photo of the day!!
Crazy kids
Along the nature walk they have the most beautiful waterfalls

Just Gorgeous!!!

All I can say is WOW!!!! I never knew such a treasure existed and so close to my home - SWEET!!

Scrapping the New Grandson

2009-06-01T15:43:00.000-07:00

I made both of these layouts for a GDT contest over at Mosh Posh (one of my favorite hangouts), www.mosh-posh.com Check it out if you get a chance!!

More Miscelaneous Scrap stuff

2009-05-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

This one was done for a Blind Scraplift Challenge over at Treasured Scrapbooking - I had so much fun waiting to see what everyone else created using written directions only.

The rest of these were done for a Crop over at Scrap Freak - National Scrapbook Day Crop
My grandkids at the Pool... this was a color challenge

This one was a scraplift - and I just love this picture of my family

and finally this is my neice Lisa again - she does have a serious cupcake obsession!!

May's DT work for Treasured Scrapbooking

2009-05-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

ok - I know I prolly say this about every kit I have recieved from TS...but this one has been my absolute favorite of the bunch - so much fun to work with. This first one is an altered wall hanging I made for my Granddaughter - she just LOVES horses!! Then this one of Ally playing in the park with the kids...so happy and content - I love the way she enjoys spending time with them!!

This is the most affecionate horse I have ever encountered - Kota is just too sweet!! We definitely have a little love thing going on!!

This one is the grandson getting "kisses" from the horses, so cute!

this is the Kites I got the kids for Easter - they had a ball learning how to fly a kite!!

and lastly - this one is not from the kit - this was my challenge layout for the month of May. May 1st was Mother Goose Day - so I challenged everyone to make a LO using a Nursery Rhyme as a title - I chose Rub - a - Dub - Dub!

April's Scrappy Projects

2009-05-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ok we are moving into the month of April now - these were created all for Treasured Scrapbooking using the April Kit. This first one is an old photo of my Mom and Dad from 1965, they were so in Love.

This one is my adorable grandchildren and some yummy new Jenni Bowlin products!!

More of the JB products - so much fun to work with...this one is ME with my Daddy!!

And this last one is a journal that I created using more of the delicious JB papers - I love the play of the cherrie's with my name Cherrie - so much fun!!

Catching Up

2009-05-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ok I am going to play catch up - these are some of the creations I have made since I stopped blogging. This post contains all DT work for Treasured Scrapbooking using the March Kit - I absolutely loved this kit - it was so much fun to play with!!
This one is my lovely neices Lisa & Angela...

This one is my neice Lisa and her boyfriend Gage...

and this one is my lovely sister Cathy...

And a mini album I made with that fabulous kit!! Note the "FAMILY" theme I used this month!

Been away awhile

2009-05-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

I kind of lost track of things for awhile here - but I am going to try to get back to blogging again. I have lots of creations to share - too many for one post - so I will be adding a few each time I blog. But the biggest and best creation I have to share is that of my grandson Tyler William - he was born on Sunday May 17th (quite early) weighing 2lbs 15ozs. He is doing well, considering his size and prematurity. Would you like to see him???

Scrap Freak Birthday Bash Crop

2009-03-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favorite places to play "Scrap Freak" and they are celbrating this weekend with a huge party/crop. Come on over and share in the celebration and have some fun.

I have been a bad blogger lately - so I am going to share a mixture of stuff that has not been posted yet - hope you enjoy looking...

Check out this Blog Candy

2009-03-10T19:22:00.001-07:00

My friend Tracey has an awesome Blog Candy Give-a-Way going on over at her blog...you should definitely check it out - http://tailoredpages.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-candy-update-and-sneak-peek.html

March 1st Reaveal for Treasured Scrapbooking

2009-02-28T22:51:00.000-08:00

Yep it is that time again - another gorgeous kit to reveal

Here are my first couple of projects using this awesome kit

I have already started working on my assignments for the reveal on the 15th too - I just love working with this kit - I can't wait to share them!!

Please Say A Prayer For This Family

2009-02-20T13:46:00.000-08:00

This is about a fellow scrapbooker - a very talented and caring lady ~Nikki.
On Tuesday April 29th, 2008, her daughter Ellie was diagnosed with a diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG); an incredibly aggressive and inoperable tumor in her brain stem. There is no known cure for this rare tumor and only a 10% survival rate.

Well this morning I awoke to read this message...
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2009 12:15 AM, CST
Our sweet Ellie Rose left this earth tonight at 9:15pm to go home to Jesus. She was surrounded by family and friends and so many who loved her. She raised her right hand to Heaven and I could feel God reach down and carry her safely to His kingdom, where I am confident that she was greeted by many fellow angels. She passed peacefully, while lying between her mama and dada. We love you, sweet little Ellena ~ you will be forever 5, forever whole and forever in our hearts until we meet again.

My heart just aches and I don't have the words to express my deep sorrow for this family - we want to help in a small way - and if you would like to help please follow this link to Pinky's Blog... http://blueyecicle.blogspot.com/
Any donation big or small would be extremely appreciated - even a dollar - it all adds up. I know times are hard for a lot of people right now - but this family really needs our prayers and our support. Thank you!!

More Fabulous Treasured Scrapbooking stuff

2009-02-16T22:46:00.000-08:00

ok folks this is the rest of my creations using this awesome kit from Treasured Scrapbooking - I just loved this Feb kit - it was so much fun to work with.

This was an old wooden trincket box that i got at a thrift store for a quarter - I altered it to match my daughters room decor - she loved it!!

Mosh Posh Blog Party Sketch

2009-02-16T07:57:00.001-08:00

The Party is going strong at Mosh Posh - yesterday they posted this awesome sketch

I came home from work and made this page using the sketch

I love how it turned out - and it was so fun to make. Tune in for more Mosh Posh fun this week at.... http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/

Mosh Posh Blog Party

2009-02-14T23:36:00.000-08:00

Hey ladies there is an awesome Blog party going on over at Mosh Posh

http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/

You should really check out the prize they have up for grabs and if you do happen to go there - please tell them that I sent you there.

Woo Hoo

2009-02-12T22:30:00.000-08:00

Well this has been a pretty good week for me...not only am I "Freak of the Week" over in Scrap Freaks...... http://www.scrapfreak.com/forum/showthread.php?t=24172
But then today at work I was browsing blogs and came across this on the Mosh Posh Blog
http://mosh-poshkits.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-member-spolight.html I had no idea - such a nice little surprise to my day. I just thought I would share my excitement - thanks for looking!

A few new things

2009-02-12T08:29:00.001-08:00

I have made a few cards this week

And this page about my sweet boy Mossimo

and a few other layouts as well

This one is for the "We Love Our Members" Contest at Treasured Scrapbooking - I am just playing along for fun on this one.

I'm in the Mood for ~ Valentines day

2009-02-06T15:39:00.001-08:00

just a couple of Valentine pages - I usually do not make Valentine pages (singles awareness day for me) but this year I love some of the products - so here ya go!!

Another FABULOUS Kit from Treasured Scrapbooking

2009-02-04T09:47:00.000-08:00

This month's kit was just incredible to work with - I can only show you a few things I created with this kit - the rest will be posted after the 15th of the month.

and here is my challenge layout for the month of Feb in TS - the challenge is called "Clearly Love" and I asked that everyone creates a layout showcasing something that they love (not people) and they are required to use some sort of CLEAR element on the page.

Check back later to see the rest of the creations I made using this awesome kit.

some more scrapping

2009-01-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

here are a couple of layouts I have done recently

This one was done for a 1hr sketch challenge at Just Scrappin

and here are a couple of cards I made with Mosh Posh kits for a challenge in the Mosh Posh forum

Hope you enjoyed looking - be back soon with some more new creations.

I am scrapping again - WOO HOO

2009-01-23T09:40:00.003-08:00

This was the fabulous Kit I had to work with this month in Treasured Scrapbooking

And these are the creations I made with it...

My Altered Photo Album from the dollar store - turned into a desk Calendar

Maybe not my very best work, but I am proud of them anyway. I definitely struggled to get back into scrapbooking again - it seems my creativity was missing for a little while. But I have more to show and some more I can't show yet...I will be back with some more stuff very soon.

Trying To Heal

2009-01-11T13:37:00.000-08:00

Thank you again to all of you that sent well wishes and prayers - I am hanging in there. I still have some pretty bad days - I suppose I will for awhile yet - but it is getting a little better. I miss my hobby...or addiction better known as scrapbooking - I haven't played in a couple weeks now. It is rather difficult jumping back into it again - mood has so much control over us - but I am going to attempt to EASE back into it. I do have some super delicious NEW products from my DT kit at Treasured Scrapbooking that is calling to me - time to get back a few pieces of "me". Wish me luck - and hopefully my next post will be happily showing off my creations. I am going to leave you all this week with a couple of pictures of my family - have a great week.

New Year 2009

2009-01-01T08:19:00.001-08:00

So today is the first day of 2009 - so many mixed emotions for me. My life has changed drastically in the last few days - and it is changed forever. My son was in a severe car accident in the early morning hours of 12-28-08 - and yes alcohol was involved. My son will be ok physically, he is banged up and bruised - but he will live. One of his friends - a boy that I have known personally for 18 yrs now - was not so lucky - he passed away on 12-29-08 from extreme head injuries. My heart just aches, I am so devastated - EVERYONE is so devastated. The ripple effects of this accident are tremendous - and there are so many unanswered questions. I don't know who was driving and it really does not matter at this very moment - all of those boys made very poor decisions that night. I do know that the boy that died has a 4 yr old son that will never see his father again. I do know there are a lot of angry - hurt people in this small community - I do know that our lives will never be the same. There is so much more than what I am writing - I just don't know how to write it.

I want to thank everyone that has reached out to me, sent messages, and said prayers. You all have been a great comfort to me and I feel the love. I have not taken the time to talk to very many people or answer emails, etc. But I am reading them and I do appreciate them greatly. I have to end this message with a strong warning...DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE - and DON'T LET YOUR FRIENDS DRINK AND DRIVE!!

Out For Publication

2008-12-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

I have never had a need for one of these signs - until now!!
Scrap N Art chose 3 of my layouts for their Jan/Feb edition of their magazine - woo hoo I am so excited about this!! So if you happen to see this in one of my galleries or here on my blog - you know why!!

Oh and I have been a BAD blogger - I have so much catching up to do and no time to do it - please stay tuned for further updates.

Join Me For some Croppin Fun!!

2008-12-12T14:19:00.000-08:00

"HOLIDAY CHEER" Cyber Crop
Friday-Saturday - December 12-13

Just a reminder - join us this weekend for our "Holiday Cheer" Cyber Crop!! The new DT's are so excited to share their challenges with you at their first Cyber Crop !

The crop will run from 6pm (eastern time) Friday December 12- midnight (EST) Saturday, December 13, 2008. Look for lots of challenges from the Design Team, prizes and games!! You'll have until midnight (EST) Sunday December 14 to upload any of your challenge entries to the gallery for a chance to win the Cyber Crop grand prize!

Hope to see you there!! Cherrie

Dreamgirls Challenge #17

2008-12-05T09:05:00.000-08:00

I love the DreamGirls Challenge blog - it is one of my favorites. Lately I haven't had much time to play along with them - but I am a faithful follower anyway. The current challenge was to scrap something that you can't live without - the page Delores did about her Bluetooth really caught my attention (I can so relate). But it got me thinking - besides my Bluetooth - what is there that I can't live without. Here is my answer...

You should check out the Dreamgirls Challenge Blog - always something fun going on over there... http://dreamgirls.typepad.com/dreamgirls/

It's Official!!

2008-12-01T15:37:00.001-08:00

Today is the first official day of my term as a PROUD Design Team member for Treasured Scrapbooking - I am still sooo very excited about it!! Look at this...

Ok so today is the big reveal day - here are the absolutely gorgeous kits for December - Ladies these kits are some of my absolute favorite ever from TS - leslie really outdid herself this month. You can bet these beauties will not last in her store for very long - better hurry up and order yours!!
Here is...Kit #1 SO PRETTY

And the Kit I had to work with this month - Kit #2 SO ELEGANT - I LOVE IT!!

And here are the 2 layouts I can share with you - I knew as soon as I saw this kit that the colors would match perfectly with my daughter's Homecoming Dance Pictures

And this is the Sketch that Cristal totally made for me - to go with my Layout (THANKS CRISTAL)

And this one was totally for fun - It is the first page for my Nashville Trip Album

I also posted my very first challenge in TS today - it is a challenge to Show your Holiday Feasts --yummy -- Here is my example

The Excitement is Building!!

2008-11-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

I am just so excited about my 1st DT reveal at Treasured Scrapbooking. It is not till the 1st of December, but I am working on my layouts now of course. I can't show you my work yet - but I do have a little sneak peak to show you now...
That will have to hold you over for now - LOL!! I still have a few things to do before the big reveal - I will come back and show more when I can. Thanks for looking!

Thankful

2008-11-18T19:44:00.000-08:00

I returned home around 2am this morning - after the most amazing weekend of my life!!

WOW - just isn't a big enough word to describe my feelings about the Nashville Fiska-Friendzy!! This was by far the best crafting experience I have ever participated in --- just AMAZING!!. I am so blessed and thankful that I was able to fly out for this event - and it is definitely a weekend I will NEVER forget. Pinky was soooo hospitable (THANK YOU SO MUCH GIRLFRIEND), I met so many awesome people, and friends (LIke the amazing Aymee), and I simply had the best time of my life!!

Rebecca - you just floored me. You have such an incredible energy, you just NEVER stopped. Your spirit and your love of your job is just AWESOME!! Thank you so much for allowing me to help you prepare for the event, it really let me feel like I was giving back just a fraction of the amazing treasures I recieved throughout the day. I am just in awe of you Rebecca - you are Fabulous!!

To all of the wonderful people I met and enjoyed spending time with - Thank you all so much - I had an awesome time. And thanks for allowing me to feel comfortable in front of such a large group - I still can't believe I had to get up and sing in front of all of you. Just an amazing experience and I can't imagine spending it with anyone else - but all of you!!

Fiskars, Chad, Carrie, Susan, and anyone else involved with organizing this event - WOW - THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!! And Cristal - my best friend - girl I owe you - YOU ROCK!!

I am leaving you all with just a few quick photos - I have soooo many!!

Unbelievable News

2008-11-10T08:43:00.000-08:00

I AM SO FLIPPIN EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE
That my best friend Cristal(Pinky) and myself BOTH made the Design Team at Treasured Scrapbooking. Somebody needs to pinch me HARD - I am just squealing with delight. TS has been a favorite hang out sight for a long time now - it is definitely a GREAT place to play. I am just floored, I cried, I laughed, I was pacing the floor with excitement, and every 10-15 minutes I am letting out a little squeal of delight!! This is a dream come true for me and something that I have strived for. I am still just beside myself - giddy even - WOO HOO!!!

I encourage you all to join us at Treasured Scrapbooking and see for yourself what an awesome site this is - hope to see "you" there.

ALSO - Just 4 more sleeps and I will be doing this...

Heading to Beautiful....Nashville Tenneesee

I am so super excited about this trip - this is my first REAL vacation in over 10 years - and let me tell you girls I am GOIN COUNTRY...I got my Cowboy hat and some boots - I am READY!!

I also just got a report that the fall leaves are still in season - I am hopin to see some of this...That would be the icing on the cake for me!!

But to be quite honest the very best part of this trip is not the Fiska-Friendzy (which is gonna be totally awesome), it is not the fall leaves, it is not that this is my first vacation in forever, ....nope....the very best part of this trip is getting to meet my very best friend (and my new little friend Gage)

My week in a nutshell

2008-10-31T17:06:00.000-07:00

So there was a Big Crop over at Treasured Scrapbooking last weekend and I scrapped a BUNCH!! I have had a very hectic week and I am just now addind these to my blog - but better late than never - right??

1 Hour Sketch Contest

2008-10-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

These little contests are so much fun and it always amazes me how beautiful and diverse the results are - given such a short time to scrap. We had a great turnout again - and I really enjoyed it! so here is my creation...

I just loved these cute papers from Creative Imaginations (Debbie Mum's line), so I wanted to whip up another page from the same set of photos as a page companion...

And this is my very first LO on Cardboard - so much fun!!

And finally - here is a fun Birthday LO of my daughter

Thanks for looking - hope you enjoyed them!

Halloween Memories

2008-10-19T13:11:00.002-07:00

Just a fun Halloween LO I did of my sweet Ally when she was in the second grade - I just love this photo. This was the last year she showed a girly side before she went all totally tomboy on me - oh the cherished memories.

NASHVILLE HERE I COME!!!

2008-10-18T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well it is a done deal - November 14th thru November 17th I will be painting Nashville RED with my very good friend Cristal(Pinky) and Aymee from Just Scrapping.The 3 of us will be attending the Fiska-Friendzy Event with Rebecca and a bunch of other fiskateers. This is an all day party/crop, event with lots of extra fun. The event is being held at the Radison Opryland Hotel, and includes a trip to a Famous Nashville recording studio, and The Famous Nashville Palace Honky Tonk.

We are going to have sooooo much fun - I am so excited about this trip. And the very best part of all of this is getting to spend time with my girls. All I can say is...Is it November yet??

Fabulous Fall

2008-10-13T21:42:00.000-07:00

Yeah it is still HOT in Florida, we really do not have a "Fall Season". But I can't help it - I am in the mood for fall, I am wishing I could experience fall again - I miss it. So I guess my creative side is being pulled by my mood - here is what I made this weekend...

And I have been on a roll with cards...

This one was made for the upcoming Crop at Fiskateers.com this weekend - I love May's crops - they are tons of fun - you should come crop with us too. Sat. Oct. 18th

Croppin Fun

2008-10-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

The Fall Crop at Just Scrappin was so much fun, so many people participated - a total success.

Here is a couple more things I created during the crop week
The first is from the 1 hour sketch challenge we had - man that was a blast!

I also made a couple more cards this week for Birthdays...this one was for a very dear friend - whose Birthday is tomorrow

Then this second one was for my Daughter's 17th Birthday on Wed of this last week.

I made it to go along with the gift I got her - Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock

Hope all of you had a good week as well!

Java Monster ROCKS!!

2008-10-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

This Rocks!!! A few months back I did this Layout for the Treasured Hunt over at Treasured Scrapbooking...

Well a few people commented that I should send the layout to the Monster Energy Drink Company - because I had made them want to go out and buy Java Monster. Well I did not "send" it to them - but I did upload it onto the Monster Energy Drink websites gallery. I recieved an email from them saying I would be getting a "goodie box" in the mail - woo hoo!! Well this is what I got in the mail...

Not one - but TWO 12packs of Java Monster Drinks - How flipping cool is that!!!
I love these drinks and they are kinda pricey too - so I am just absolutely thrilled with my goodies. And all I did was submit my page to their gallery - THAT ROCKS!!

World Card Making Day

2008-10-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

well if you know mr at all - you would know that cards are so not my thing, but every once in awhile I dabble in them anyway. WCMD is one of those occaisions - I felt compelled to make some cards - it also helped that Treasured Scrapbooking had an awesome little crop to honor the occaision. Here is a few of them I did...

Summer Girl

2008-10-02T13:27:00.000-07:00

Ok first let me say I am really surprised (pleasantly) that I am still participating in the Bad Girls Kits - Top Design Academy Contest. 300 people entered this contest and we are now cut down to 96 (I believe), the talent in this contest is just astounding - I am so thrilled to be participating with them. Ok This week's Class was all about accessories/embellishments and the pressure is on - big time.
This is my entry...

And since I was at home sick on both of my days off this week - I also did this fun page of my granddaughter from one of her Pageants.

Also there is a CROP going on over at Just Scrappin - why don't you come in and take a peek...
http://pinkyscraps.proboards88.com/ Lots of fun challenges and some sweet prizes!!

More from me

2008-09-27T22:24:00.001-07:00

I have been a busy girl this week - lots going on both personal and scrapbooking. But I did manage to get 3 layouts done - here they are.
This is my Entry this week into the Bad Girls Top Design Academy - this weeks Class was all about "White Space"

That is the page I submitted - but I actually did 2 pages for the contest this next one I chose NOT to enter (I like it - just not enough I guess)

And I also made this page this week for a couple of challenges, In Just Scrappin the challenge was to Layer High, In Treasured Scrapbooking we had to use a TV show as the Title to a LO, and in Scrapbook Heaven we had to sew on a LO and sew on an embellishment. I did all of the above with this LO - created for all 3 challenges.

So Girly and Dragonfly

2008-09-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

ok here is my next entry for the Bad Girls Top Designer Contest

And these pictures were taken yesterday at my work - I just love Dragonflies and I found this poor deceased one on the sidewalk and was just amazed at the beauty - so I thought I would share - be sure to click on the picture to see the full details!

Hope you are all having a great weekend - and if you get a chance pop on into Fiskateers this weekend for the crop - lots of fun and prizes.

Happy Days & Flamingo Love

2008-09-17T23:14:00.000-07:00

ok I interupt this scrappy blog for a brief pause of Happy Inspiration. I read on my Fiska-friend Annie's Blog ( http://littlewingscreates.blogspot.com/ )today about inspiration and how it could come from so many places. Well that got me thinking - I am inspired almost everyday by the overwhelming love and sharing going on each day in the crafting world - what an amazing thing this is. Here is some proof of that love...my dear friend Cristal/Pinky made this gorgeous mini acrylic card/album - I was so inspired by it - I absolutely loved the way it turned out (check it out http://blueyecicle.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-cherry-has-been-popped.html )
She knew I would love it - she made it with me in mind - it had one of my signature symbols all over it ~cherries. I cried when it arrived on my doorstep - she is so sweet and thoughtful! Then Today Karen B from Just Scrappin (my favorite place on the Net) makes me this adorable personalized blinkie for my siggy and now my blog

Holy Cow - is this perfect for me or what?? I am the Flamingo Queen!! My collection is growing and it makes me so happy - just look at all of this Flamingo Love I have acquired recently

So this is the view I have at my computer desk every day - and it represents such LOVE and sharing - it inspires me every single day!! Ok one more thing before I close this - I got another surprise in the mail today. I recieved a box of happy Scrappy mail (the best kind) I am now the proud owner of my first cropodile (now more hammering) and a whole bunch of other scrappy delights - you would think I was in scrappy overload - but the very best thing in that box today was this...
Oh My Goodness - is this not the most adorable little coin purse you ever have seen? I squealed with delight - yes little gifts filled with BIG LOVE - it is a Happy Day.
Thank you to all my scrapping friends out there in cyberworld - you inspire me, you enlighten me, you lift me up, and most of all you love me...my cup runneth over - THANK YOU!!

Scrapping again

2008-09-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

After some much needed time off for a family ordeal I finally got back into some scrapping. The first Page is for a BIG contest over at Bad Girls Kits Forum ***see above*** The Challenge was to use their layering techniques.

Then this page was created for BOTH Just Scrapping & Creative Scrappers. In Just Scrapping we were to creat a Fall/Halloween Layout without using any orange and we had to use paint - in Creative Scrapping it was a Sketch challenge using a new technique (using punches).

Hope you enjoy them!

Been Away

2008-09-13T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have been kinda absent for the last 4 days - and not really scrapping either. So I don't have any pretty pages to share - but I do have a couple pretty pictures to share. Just a little family time - hope you enjoy them.

Reminisce

2008-09-08T00:15:00.000-07:00

Reminisce has a call for a new DT position on their site and call me crazy - I am entering it. I do not have a whole lot of faith in being chosen - but you never know if you don't try - right?? so here are the few pages I have created using Mostly Reminisce products. Thanks for looking!

Check This Out

2008-09-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

My good friend Pinky has a great give-a-way on her Blog today and it is all about one of My favorite Sites - Treasured Scrapbooking. Just go to the TS blog http://treasuredscrapbookingblog.blogspot.com and leave a comment for Leslie over there and then go back to Pinky's blog http://www.blueyecicle.blogspot.com and let her know you visited Leslie at TS. You can win a gift certificate to the store over at Treasured Scrapbooking!!

Productive Time Off

2008-09-04T09:37:00.000-07:00

ok so I was off work the last 2 days and I scrapped - I ended up completeing 3 layouts. 2 of them are for the second chance contest in TS - so I had to follow specific requirements - but I am happy with them. Here they are...
Round 5

Round 6

now I have NEVER scrapped anything to do with my Ex-husband...but the journaling prompts made me think of Broken FairyTales - so that is what I chose.

Then this page was created for a Guest Design Team entry over at Creative Scrappers (one of my new playgrounds) It is mostly a sketch site and we had to use a sketch for the contest - here is what I did...

I hope you enjoy looking!! It is my Monday - UGH - so back to work for me. I hope you all have a great weekend!!

TGIF

2008-09-01T23:19:00.000-07:00

Yep thankgoodness it is Friday - for most of you it is Monday - but this is my Friday. Labor Day weekend was kind of a bust around here - too many Hurricanes around. So it was a long slow weekend - and I managed to get some scrapping challenges in. I still need to work on my 2nd chance contest entry for TS - yeah I was eliminated from the contest last week (BOO HOO). I am completely proud of my ability to make it as far as I did - there are so many Super Talents in that group - whew!! Ok - then onto the next pages...

Fay Forces Flamingos to Flock with Fiskateers! Film at Five!

2008-08-25T23:34:00.000-07:00

Yep that was the Header for this crazy picture...

Ok it was a crazy week here...first there was "Fay" the Terrible Tropical Storm that hit Florida a Record Breaking 4 times!! We knew about the approaching storm days before it hit Fla. the 1st time - we prepared for it...

Yep the family was prepared for the Big storm...that was headed right for us...

Well Fay came into Florida way South of us and was headed out into the Atlantic ocean - it appeared that we would miss the storm all together - NOT!!! This storm hit the ocean - stalled (dumping TONS of rain)- and then came back into Florida. This time she passed just about an hour north of us - which means we had the the wicked south-end of the storms winds and rain - GREAT!! So schools were closed, our county was declared a State of Emergency for flooding, the weather took a total tun for the worse.

Now mind you I was counting on the big CFD (Certified Fiskars Demonstrator) training even in Orlando on Friday, with the fun Crop afterwards. I planned for this trip, I arranged to have the day off (which is no small task), I bought a new car 10 days before (this means I had a way to Orlando - my old car was unworthy). I was so excited about having the New To Me Ride for the trip...

I pre-registered for all the events, I invited my fellow Fiskateer and favorite scrapping buddy Denise to come along, I was ready!! Then when I woke up Friday morning - the weather was horrid - I spent hours looking at the news - talking to Denise and Cristal about whether we should cancel the trip. I did not want to cancel - this was a big deal for me - but I didn't want to kill myself trying to get there either. Well call me crazy - I decided I just had to go!!

So Denise and headed off to Orlando - through the storm, and the flooding. We arrived at AC Moore's safely, a little frazzled from the intense driving conditions - but safe. The training was fun - Rebecca is a hoot! Her and Megan (her trusty fiska-assistant were great - I learned a few things too - like how to do perfect corners with the Threading Water Punch!! We met some awesome ladies too - this was turning out to be a great day - wet - but great!!

We headed out to the next stop - a wonderful little Scrap store called Piktails. The owner was a super nice lady, and she had a great selection of scrappy goodness in her store. The crop was a huge success, Rebecca and Megan did a Great little mini album Make and Take with everyone and of course she shared the Fiskars Love...

Ok so we were all having a great time - so we just had to bring out our Mascot's from Just Scrapping....meet Thelma and Louise

Thelma and Louise were adopted into our Scrapbook forum last month, they are planning a trip around the country - meeting all of the girls and visiting many places. We were lucky enough that Denise had just finished off a couple of weeks of Girl Scout Camp with Thelma and Louise and they hadn't left Florida yet - so we brought them along to meet our Lead Fiskateer Rebecca. This isn't the first time we have had some Flamingo fun - another group that I was a part of came up with the idea of a traveling Flamingo "Ned", but unfortunately someone removed Ned from his travels and no one has ever heard from him again. We ended up with twins when I went to adopt our new Flamingo, as the owner only "released" them in pairs. We held a contest in Just Scrapping and everyone voted on names for our finely feathered flamingo friends - and Thelma and Louise were chosen to be out Forum Mascots. Ok so Rebecca thought we were crazy - in a good kind of way - but it was all in fun and Thelma and Lousie love being the center of attention...

So this is how we ended up with this crazy picture - and the Funny Heading.

We ended up closing the crop - it was supposed to end at midnight and we ended up chatting with our wonderful new fiska-friends, and the awesome store owner till after 1:30am - WHOA!! Denise and I still had a 2 hour drive home - in the rain again!! What a weekend!! It is one that I will remember fondly for a lifetime!!

Round 4 Treasured Hunt

2008-08-25T23:30:00.000-07:00

Ok people - This is my entry into round 4 of the big contest at Treasured Scrapbooking. I made this page LATE Saturday night with the rembrants of a severe migraine headache. So I don't think of it as my very best work - but I am hopeful that it is good enough to get me through to the next round.

Wish me luck!!!

Round 3

2008-08-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

well this is my entry for Round 3 of the Treasured Hunt... I am so nervous this time. It does not matter whether I am chosen to continue on to round 4 or not - at this point - I am just super thrilled to have come this far!! These girls participating in this contest are so flippin talented - I am just honored to be included amongst them. ok here it is - this weeks challenge had to include the words "If I ruled the world" somewhere...I made this

It was just announced...I made it - I am so thrilled to be moving on - WAHOO!!!!

Round #2 of the Treasured Hunt

2008-08-09T09:29:00.000-07:00

Ok so the pressure is ON bigtime...I made into round #2 of this huge contest. I really do not expect to win the Grand Prize because the girls in this contest are just spectacularily talented - but I want to do my best and go as far as I can. So after many failed attempts, way too much thinking, and a few late nights, ......here is my entry for Round #2

I hope it is good enough to make it through the next round......now we play the intense waiting game....sigh!!

The Treasured Hunt

2008-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

It is the biggest contest of the Year in Treasured Scrapbooking and the contest is going on now. We all had to submit a layout to be judged eligible to participate - this was my eligibility layout

Well I made it into the contest - woo hoo!! Now we will all have 1 challenge a week to complete, with elimination each week, until a winner is announced. Week #1 Challenge was to use scallops and felt on a page - oh and only one picture - here is mine

I am up against some EXTREMELY talented scrapbookers...it is a little out of my element (playing with the big leaugues) but I am so proud that I made it into the contest and I hope to advance into the next round - can't win if you don't try - right??

Wish me luck - and thanks for looking!

Treasured Scrapbooking Guest Dt layouts

2008-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

ok so I had already announced that I won the Guest DT spot on TS for Aug. Well when this HUGE kit came in the mail I was so excited, it was packed full of Delicious scrap products. My favorite in the kit were the New Heather Bailey products - so yummy!! Here are a few of the pages I made using this wonderful kit...

I still have a Big Bunch of stuff left in this kit - so I will add more creations as they are made - thanks for looking!

Jingle Bells

2008-07-25T09:45:00.000-07:00

Yep it's Christmas in July - I made this page for a challenge. It is not my best work - but I accept it for what it is. It was amazingly hard to "get into" Christmas when it is in the upper 90's with 90%humidity. I even tried listening to the wonderful Christmas music that Noel Mignon has playing on her blog - just didn't work. Ok enough of that here is the page I made.

A Great Day

2008-07-24T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a great day - why - well here is why...

I got to spend the entire day with my Grandkids - they are so cute!
My Grandaughter is getting ready to start school this year and she is so very excited about it. I was fortunate enough to spoil them a little too - new School backpacks, some supplies, and a few new outfits each. We had a great time shopping, they modeled their new clothes for me, we went to Burger King for lunch, and then went swimming for awhile.

Yep it was a great day and I got some great pictures too (scrapbook worthy).
So watch for future scrap layouts featuring these two adorable little ones.

Whatta Weekend

2008-07-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a really hard weekend for me, work has been off the hook busy. You can check out the link if you want to know more about our scallop harvesting season.
http://www.florida-adventure.com/travelguide/archives/Homosassa-Crystal-River.shtml
Ok so that has kept me really busy, and then of course this is CHA weekend. So many new things to look at (and drool over) I have been surfing the net quite a bit for the new treasures being introduced. Then there is Fiskateers virtual crop - crammed full of challenges and good times - I had to work all weekend - but I did manage to get a few challenges done. I have had a couple other events happen this weekend that I am NOT going to disscuss on here - but these have made me re-examine my life quite a bit. It is not always easy to let things go - even when you know it is the best thing to do. But sadly I am going to try to close this chapter of my life and start a couple new ones. So here is to NEW Beginnings!!!

Please Stand By - Under Construction Again

2008-07-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks I had to remove my slide show while I make some adjustments to my photo hosting account. As soo as time allows I will resume with the regular broadcast of my recent work - until then carry on!!

The Amazing Spiderman

2008-07-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

My adorable little grandson LOVES Spiderman, he dressed up as Spiderman for Halloween last year and we took some awesome "posed" shots of him playing the role. I had an idea for a LO using this comic strip paper, I had a hard time finding the paper at first - but a good friend sent it to me. I have had the pictures printed for months - I just needed to do the LO. Well a challenge came up in Treasured Scrapbooking to make silhouettes of your pictures on a scrap page - so I knew what I had to do. It worked so well - these photos were just perfect for this page - don't you think??

For Pinky

2008-07-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

My great friend Pinky posted a challenge on her Blog and I did this page for it. The Challenge said to make a tropical/flowery page. I did this at work yesterday. I had only one tote full of supplies and did not prepare ahead - so I dug through my tote stash and found this flowery paper - but it was on BLACK. So I hand cut all of the flowers off the paper - leaving a thin line of black as an outline and layered onto of the yellow paper - Whallah - tropical!!!

I am so flippin excited!!

2008-07-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Guess who won the guest designer contest over at Treasured Scrapbooking - yep - ME!! I have never been one to Toot my own horn - but I am so honored and happy, this is huge for me. I am going to share the LO that I entered into the contest - we had to use circles creatively...so I did my best. Ok I have to get ready for work - running late now - playing too much on here. Thanks for looking

Thank you Friend

2008-07-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

A very dear friend of mine sent me this Blogger template - I LOVE IT!! I do seriously have a Flamingo Fetish and this is perfect for a Floridagirl - don't you think?? Well this has inspired me to do some revamping with my blog - I know I have said it before - and I really want to. But here is the thing - I am intimidated by blogger - I never used to be intimidated by computer things - I don't know why this one gets to me. But I have been assured that in the last 4-5 months blogger has become easier to navigate, to add pictures and slideshows, etc. So I am going to work on this - I am!! Only one other problem - for some reason my work computer does not like blogger sites - so I will have to do all of this from home - which limits my time - ahhh. So be patient with me friends and watch for some more changes.

A new endeavor

2008-05-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

I am going to get serious about making a blog - I made the first big change tonight and learned how to change it up a little bit - I will figure this out - so watch for changes as I am currently under construction!!

OK OK I seriously need to REVAMP this BLOG

2008-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

I know it is on my to do list....very soon I am going to change this around and spruce it up. Till then just consider it a work in progress!!

10 THINGS (that make me happy)

2007-02-11T22:05:00.000-08:00

1. FAMILY

2.My Faith

3.Being a Grandma

4.Friends - all kinds....they know who they are

5.Scrapbooking /Scrapbook shopping / My computer

6.Music / My MP3 Player

7.Mother Nature - Natures Beauty

8.My Collections

Flamingos (ever since I met Ned)

Kokopelli - they remind me of my MOM

Snowmen - I have soooooo many - I LOVE THEM!!

I love frogs

Tigers - remind me of my Dad - such majestic creatures

9. Coffee/Mountain Dew

10. Cowboys/Wranglers (Wrangler butts drive me nuts!!)

Mirror Challenge

2006-08-26T22:24:00.000-07:00

Wow - you all have no idea how tough this one is for me - I have truely been avoiding this one. What I see when I look in the mirror is a work in progress - not all of it forward motion either. I am getting old - I see wrinkles - age spots - roseacia - and way more facial hair then is necessary. The roseacia has been there for about 3 years now and it has gotten so much worse - makeup barely covers it somedays. And gray hair!!! I used to be proud of it - I earned it the hard way - but recently I found a gray eybrow hair & a gray mustache hair - come on now - seriously WTF!!!! Ok that is what I see that aggrivates me - but I know it is just part of the aging process - but no one ever said we have to go gently - right? I also see a pretty smile and kind eyes - I think that I have a trusting face - the kind that could sell used cars - ya know what I mean??
Ok that is the superficial stuff - now the deep stuff.....

When I really look at myself in the mirror I see a scared, lonely lady. I see the years of suffering and pain that I have endured - the failed marriage - my troubled children - and my financial failures. I see the girl that once was so smart and had such big plans for the future - and I do not know how I got so far away from those goals. College - I so wanted to go to college and I am smart - I know I could accomplish it. What happened to my dreams??? Here I am 43 yrs old - alone - broke - and no real future. What the hell am I doing so wrong?? I see guilt for the lousy childhood my kids have had to live through and the damage it has done to them - and you can't take any of that back - its permanent. I watched my boys be abused by their father - and I was too afriad to leave him - I let it go on for way too long. And then when I finally found the strength to leave my Ex - I was so financially devastated, I couldn't make it. I lost our house - the only home my kids ever knew - not that it was anything worth having - it was a crappy OLD mobile home - in desperate need of repair. But I LOST IT - I was working 2 jobs and still could not keep up on the mortgage and insurances - and I lost it to back taxes. Then just 2 weeks later my youngest son (age 17 at the time went to jail) I could not afford to hire him an attorney - he ended up getting a really raw deal too. The sentence should have been 3-4 yrs tops - he was sentenced to 11 yrs in prison. I was so devastated and I felt so guilty, if only I could have got him that lawyer - he would be here today instead of a prison. I know now that it was beyond my control - the circumstances were just too overwhelming. I kicked myself in the ass and made the Bold attempt to do something about this shit situation - I sold everything I owned and loaded up a tiny uhaul and moved me and my 11 yr old daughter to Las Vegas - to start over. I learned a lot about myself in Vegas - I learned I was strong - I suffered through some pretty rough times there - most of the 3 years I was there I did not even have a car - I took a bus everywhere. But I learned to let go of some of the guilt and some of the resentment in my heart. I also learned that I was not the worthless human being that my Ex proclaimed that I am for so many years. I found some peace with myself - I did not get rich - but I supported my kid and I alone with no help from a single person in 3 yrs. I furnished an apartment on commisssions only, and I did finally save enough to buy a car (which died 5 months later). We were surviving - and we were learning and growing. Coming back to Florida was huge financial setback for me - there is no future in this rural area - I knew this. And I am stuck without a car again - which I just hate - but I hold my chin up - I did not come home as a failure. I came home with respect - mostly from myself and my children - but that is the most important ones anyway. I still see failure when I look in the mirror - but I also still see HOPE. Hope that someday it will get better, HOPE that my children have learned from the mistakes of their parents, and HOPE for myself as worthy human being. I still struggle with the lonely part - I do not want to grow old alone - that is one of my biggest fears. But I also have earned enough respect for myself to not settle for just anybody in my life - he has to be worthy. I have learned to accept being alone - I just surround myself with my family and my dearest friends - YOU!!! Ok I may have been long winded here - sorry. But as I said this was hard for me - I do not usually like what I see when I look in a mirror - but I have learned to respect it!

Ok one more thing I guess - am I a different person online?? Yeah I guess that I am different when I am online - I am optomistic, humorous, endearing, friendly, proud, sexy, etc... a whole lot of things that in real life I do not feel. I guess I haven't REALLY shared all of myself with all of you - sometimes it is hard for me to be so open. I show all of you the good in my life - not the bad. Does that mean that I am deceptive?? No I don't think so - I think it just means that there is a time and a place to reveal yourself - your real self. Tonight I made a really big step to introducing the real Cherrie to all of you - and it is not all pretty and good. But on the other hand I am still genuine when I relate to all of you - I genuinely care about you all and I have come to love and respect you all and your families, and your struggles, and your pain, and your realities. I have not practiced to decieve anyone - I have just been a little shy to reveal the ALL OF ME. I am still very much a work in progress.

Wishes

2006-07-31T19:19:00.000-07:00

ok first my serious wishes....My biggest wish is to become financially solvent - not rich mind you - just comfortable enough to be able to know that I can take care of myself and my family. I worry about not having money to pay for my daughter's college - heck I do not even have our own place yet - so this is a big worry. My whole life we have struggled, well mostly after my father passed away. But I remember her working the graveyard shift in factories to keep the mortgage paid - we went through a lot. I didn't marry well either, we have never really been much more than a low income family. I moved out to Las vegas (where I knew only 1 person) in a desperate attempt to better myself - get a career - and that ended up only putting me further in the hole in the long run. Since divorcing my husband 7 years ago we have done nothing but struggle to keep our noses above water - sometimes I wonder if it was worth it. There just has to be a way for a single mom to support her family - without having to work 2 jobs. See I did that before I moved to Vegas - I was really sinking in debt from the divorce - I worked 2 fulltime jobs to keep the bills paid and I still struggled. While doing this my boys ran the streets - I was never home - I was always working -( it is a big fat catch 22 and another long story). I just feel like I have let my family down, my kids should not have suffered the way they did - and I just feel powerless to fix the situation most of the time. It is a vicious cycle - one that I pray i will not have to live with for the rest of my life.

ok my playful wish...since I was a little girl I have always loved art - coloring, drawing, whatever. Well it was always my dream to grow up and work for the Great Walt Disney company. I wanted to be a cartoonist - work in the animation department. I made it as far as moving to Florida - closer to the Disney complex - but of course I got married and went the family route - it just never happened. Ok so you know something different about me - ta da!!

Dreams

2006-07-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

Just before Father's Day this year - I had a profound dream. My father died when I was just 11 years old - that was over 30 years ago. I had been really thinking about Father's in general - I had been looking at everyone's Cards and layouts they had made for their Father's Day gifts. I ended up having two separate but connected dreams that my Dad was still very much alive and well. Now like I said I was very young when he died so my memories of him are kind of juvenile - if you know what I mean. Well in this dream it was if he had never died - he was living here in Florida (he died in Chicago) and we were on a picnic with my grandchildren. This dream was so vivid and detailed - I usually do not remember dreams either - but this was different. A month later I can still replay the dream over in my head - he was in this park playing with my grandkids - they were running and laughing - he was chasing Katelyn trying to tickle her by rubbing his whiskers on her neck. I can picture it clearly - he caught her and she just giggled so hard she snorted. I can tell you what everyone was wearing - it was that detailed. So bittersweet this dream - he spent hours playing with the kids and talking and joking with my daughter Allyson too. In the second dream he got sick (cancer - just like what he died from), I was there for him - holding his hand and telling him that everyone was going to be ok. he was crying - telling me that he did not want to leave us. I held him as he passed away in the dream. I woke up that morning with my pillow soaking wet from crying - I just cried hard for over an hour. In fact I am crying again now just remembering it all. I had not dreamed about my dad since I was a teenager, I have ALWAYS carried his memories in my heart - but not my dreams. He was in my heart the days I had all of my children, the day I married, the day I graduated from High School, etc. - and most poingnantly he was with me the day my Mom passed away just 3 years ago. Dreams are so powerful - it kind of scares me. I think I am all big and bad most of the time - yet this one dream took me down HARD. Thanks for letting me share.

A few of my Favorite things

2006-07-28T23:52:00.000-07:00

Ok first I apologize ladies I am a little behind here...

My Favorite Song right now is "Brooks and Dunn" ~ "I Believe"
I hear it on CMT a lot and I always crank it up and sing along - it is such a powerful song - I get all lumpy. Such a great song!!

My favorite movie is...Sabrina
I like both versions the old one and the new one.. I watch this movie over and over -such a great romantic story. I just adore it!

My favorite friend right now ... now this is kind of strange but my favorite friend is Jay (aka - the crow). Jay was a guy I dated for a year in Vegas - we hit it off as friends right from the git go - but it developed into a deeper (more fun) kind of friends with benefits kind of thing. He is the only person that no matter how long we are together we NEVER run out of things to talk about - never any awkward silence. He was a recent widower and I was the first person he dated - so he had a lot of difficulties with his feelings for me - I was going through a strong period of low self esteem and he made me feel so beautiful all the time! In the year we were together we never argued once - except one time I told him off and kind of broke up with him - and the next day my car broke down and I had no choice but to call him for help - he came running to. That is where the "Crow" comes form - cuz I had to eat it -feathers and all!! Anyway when I moved I knew I miss him so much - but our friendship has grown so strong since then - we talk everyday - I dont know what I would do without him sometimes. Now we offer advice and share war stories about dating and sex - it is just so strange yet so comfortable. I still pine over him sometimes and wonder what might have been - but I am so darned overjoyed at how close we have become since then - I finally told him I loved him - as my best friend just recently - it appears we have come full circle. I know that know no matter what I have a friend for life - and we know each other so well - we can share ANYTHING! Funny how things turn out sometimes .... go figure!

My favorite childhood memory - Breaker Breaker 19

2006-07-24T13:02:00.000-07:00

The Citizen's Band Radio (aka - CB). My parents were both big into these things and they belonged to several groups/clubs that were involved with it. My dad's handle was "Tiger" and my mom's was "Kitty Cat", I was "Love Dove" (which I did not pick out - K). We had so many close friends in these groups and we would do all kinds of things together; camping, fishing, picnics, parties, coffee breaks, and my very favorite the "FOX HUNT". In a Fox Hunt, a large group of cars would use their mobile CB radios to play hide and seek. One person was the FOX and he would have to keep his CB radio microphone "Keyed - or talking" for 1 hour nonstop - within a 30 mile square radius - while the hunters searched for them - using only the strength of the signal that the talking FOX put out. So when we hunted -you had to have a co-pilot to navigate you - tell you when you turned here the signal got stronger or weaker - I was my Dad's co-pilot. Whoever found the FOX (sitting in their car talking) first would then become the FOX in the next month's FOXHUNT. We had so much fun doing this, it was always a good time. My dad came in second like 12 times -GGRRRRR, and just before he got too sick to be driving we actually won first place - so his last ever FOXHUNT the two of us sat in his van and joked and laughed on that microphone waiting for someone top find us!! These are Priceless memories!!!