TGIF!~{What an original title}

This will most likely be another short one today. No real new scrapping news. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday. Mine was so so. I got to work and there was no heat in the office. Went and got a space heater, but still not good. They're supposed to be fixing it this morning. I'm not holding my breath. Shannon was supposed to fix me dinner last night, but decided he wasn't gonna cook and take me out instead. I just wasn't feeling up to dealing the a holiday crowd in a resteraunte so we grabbed cheap Chinese and came home. At least I got to watch my TV for the night. Gotta love it when someone gets totally blindsided on Survivor. And then I got a second wind and watched LOST. I love that show! Too many twists and turns and a hundred unanswered questions, but I love that show. I did do a little shopping yesterday even though I haven't been scrapping and still have a ton of CT layouts I still have to do. Just stocking up for my vacation, I mean Shannon's vacation. I'm gonna miss him while he's gone but finally time for me. I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. With any luck I'll have bunches of new stuff to show you next week. I also hope to get my new blog up and running. Enjoy!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hey all,

Hoping that you have an awesome day today and are able to spend it with the ones you love.

Not sure what's on my agenda for the day. Not feeling all that great, but really have to go into work. The weather's cleared but it's still cold. I really have a whole lot more to say, but I didn't want to pass the day without wishing everyone all the love in the world. Enjoy your loved ones today.

Checked your insurance rates lately?

As an insurance professional, I know the importance of carrying the proper insurance. I also know how confusing insurance terms and conditions can be for people. So every year about a month before my policies are set to renew, I do some comparison shopping. It never hurts to shop around. Any company that will flat out guarantee you that they are offering you the lowest rates, usually isn't. I do both my homeowners and auto at the same time, same place. But being in this line of work, I know what to look for and what to ask. It pays to do your homework when it comes to car insurance coverages, rates and companies. There are several good articles on this website, carinsurance.com to help you navigate the ins and outs of the insurance lingo. There is a comprehensive state by state guide that explains what is required by your state. They also have articles about rates and why they increase or go down, claims, easiest cars to insure and a complete glossary of insurance terms. In addition to the information, you can get a quick insurance quote. That will give you a great starting point on your search. When looking for a new quote, make sure that you have your current insurance information handy so that you can give them the correct information. No use comparing apples to oranges if they give you a lower rate but it turns out to be less coverage. And keep in mind that a less coverage doesn't always guarantee a lower rate. And while an agent is to look out for your best interest, the bottom line is their business.

I was wrong I admit it.

So I'll admit that I was wrong and the weathermen were right yesterday. We initally only got about 3 inches of snow and then it rained for a good part of the day. Then it turned to freezing rain and later on more snow. Since the rain melted down a good part of the snow, I'd say there's only about 3 inches on the ground but it's covered with a layer of ice. I will say that I was a little impressed that the company I work for sent everyone home a hour early and we get to delay start time an hour, so our safety is important to them. I once worked for a company in the same field that during a level 3 snow emergency called the local sheriff's office to ask to have their employees classified as essential workers. I sell car insurance, not save lives. I think that was the start of the downward spiral with that company. Anyway, I'm wide awake and don't have to be in til 10 now. Yippee!!!

Thanks for answering my questions about challenges and why you do them yesterday. It was very helpful. On Heather Manning's CT blog, we have a new challenge that is starting and I hope that everyone will stop by and play. It's a quote challenge. Anne has come up with an awesome quote. Being a small size, the ad can be difficult to read on my blog, click the link to see it full size.

Here's my lo from it. Little Addi sleeping. I just love photos of the girls asleep. There's just something about it that touches my heart. And talking to my SIL, she loves it when they're asleep too. lol.

Last time I went to see them, I took my Shutterfly book. My SIL ordered 3 of them, one for her mom, my mom & herself. Mom took hers into work and sent me an email saying that several girls in her office wanted to know more about the book and how to do them. And her boss was very impressed, which just made my day a whole lot brighter. So I may be responsible for some new addicts being brought to the "dark side". My SIL swears she'll kill me if I get her hooked on it. I think she enjoys her time with her mom and their paper scraps too much to change. I haven't told her about hybrid scrapping yet. I'm saving that one.

Here's another challenge I finished last night. It's for Cherie Shield's Rock the Desktop challenge over at Gotta Pixel. I used her Chai Latte papers, J'amie Le Rouge elements & Melissa Bennett's Oh my Mat2. I was a little late in getting a start on this one. Cherie's challenge runs from the 16th of each month, so there will be a new inspiration this weekend. I hope you'll join in on both challenges.

Well, I'm off to ride the DSO & DST trains. Hope you all have an awesome day! Stay warm and safe.

Winter weather warning for only 3 inches of snow?

I've decided that the weather forecasters in my area all need new jobs. For the second time in 2 weeks they've forecasted doom & gloom in the amount of heavy snowfall. The local news last night showing everyone rushing to the grocery store to stock up on supplies. I get up this morning, all the schools in the area are closed. (man, I want a snow day too) And there is about 3 inches of snow on the ground. 3 inches is not a "Winter Storm Warning" amount worth getting upset over. Just ask Cate (hehe). So now the freeways and roads will be in a tangle and what would normally take 15 minutes tops will take 45 at least. It's like a little bit of snow turns everyone's brains to mush and they forget how to drive. There were back ups on the freeway at 6 am already. I just hope we don't get the freezing rain they're predicting.

Check out the new elements to play with from Cherie Shields. They're all available at her store at Gotta Pixel. Isn't that alpha just the cutest. And I love the beads. And keep an eye out for a beautiful new kit coming to Sophia Sarducci next week.

I scrapped some last night, but got stuck on a title. I've got it posted for a little bit of help and CC on a board. Hopefully someone will come up with a terrific title for me. Mine's horrible and must be changed. I just looked and there is a few awesome ideas so I'm sure it will change again.



There will be an awesome new challenge posted tomorrow on Heather's CT blog. Just curious, what do you look for when you're selecting a challenge to do? (Cate, don't answer this one, lol). How much of it's for the actual challenge itself. Do you prefer ones that stretch your limits or do you prefer simplicity? Do you do the challenges based on the participation bonuses or gifts? I'm just checking. Any info would be appreciated.



Well, off to work early, since it's gonna be a long 5 mile drive. Hope you all stay warm wherever you are and scrap happy.

New releases & a freebie

It's almost Monday and that means new releases. Look at what Kiki Halbert has just released over at Scrapbook Elements. The first preview is a beautiful kit with a name I love. A Breath of Spring. With the artic blast coming through, I could use a glimpse of spring now. But looks at the colors on this kit, aren't they beautiful.


And then she also has 2 wonderful alphas. All previews link to her store. Stop by and check them out. I hope to have some more layouts done with her amazing stuff soon. You can scroll down a few days and see the ones I did yesterday and Wed. night.

I was having issues getting things to go together right. You ever have those days when your pictures just don't go with the kits you've choosen and nothing looks right. I've decided when those days hit to leave everything behind and do something else. When I go back to it, it works just like I thought it would. Anyway, I started to play around with some actions since I finally learned how to load them. And thought I'd play in Kim B's color challenge over at DSO. I give you my first element set (well, it's all one thing) - Hearts a plenty. 24 hearts, different colors, different materials. As always please no hot links, send your friends here to grab their own copy.
You can grab it here. And if you haven't played in Kim's color challenge, you really should. Kim posts a color swatch and so many people play with and make some of the most beautiful kits with them. Last month, I tried my hand at papers and while there were a few people who uploaded them, I wasn't impressed with them. There's a lot more to this than it seems. But it's fun to play and it's fun to give away.

Well, maybe I'll get another layout done tonight. But don't count on it, hehehe. Hope everyone has a good Monday (if that's even possible).

Get paid to blog

I know that you've seen the reviews for different products or websites scattered throughout my blog posts. Heather & Yen introduced me to the get paid to blog program in December and I've been going ever since. It's a great way to make extra money to pay off those pesky credit card bills, fund your digiscrap habit or save for a rainy day. I was introduced to another company and I wanted to take a minute to tell you about it. Smorty is a site designed to connect advertisers to bloggers who want to make money by using their blog to talk about sites or products. It's quite easy to get started and those of you who already do pay per posting will qualify for Smorty too, get paid to blog . Click the blinkie below to get some more information. It's quick and easy and if you've been blogging for more than 90 days, you too can make money off your blog.

Enjoying your weekend?

I've been a bad blogger this week. I think it's been an every other day thing. I haven't had much of a chance to scrap this week and there haven't been a lot of new products coming out. So instead of going on and on about my life I just didn't blog. And that means I also didn't do many ads either. Oh well.

So how's your weekend going? I did have to work yesterday but I got up early and got 1 page done. I love this photo of the 3 kids. It was taken for Addi's 6 month photos. I love how they got all three of them in there.
Everything but the glass flower and vine are by Kiki Halbert from her Sandy Cove collection. Flower & vine by Natali Designs.

Yesterday I tried to do another page and ended up with 2 of the same subject. The photos are from Em's birthday last weekend. When it's your birthday, you can eat your cake however you want. lol. Her face is close to rivaling what she did on her first birthday. I can't decide which one I like better. So you tell me which one you like.

Credits: Flergs & Lindsay Jane Designs. Template by Andrea Gold on first one.

Any NASCAR fans? The season officially started last night with the Bud Shootout and Shannon was so happy his driver won. With the big changes to Jr.'s world over the off season and the last 8 months, it was good to see him win. The Daytona 500 is next Sunday. I didn't get into a fantasy league this year. I tend to be competitive and when my drivers got knocked out, it would put a damper on the race for me.

Well, I really need to clean the house and do the laundry. Especially if I want to get a few more pages done. Enjoy what's left of your weekend.

Oh yeah, anyone else who uses Blogger, does your spellcheck work? Mine doesn't and I don't know why or what to do about it. Just curious.

Romance should be more than just 1 day a year

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I've been thinking a lot about love, romance and the past 8 years of my life. It's always the mystery, what to get Shannon for Valentine's Day. Do I get him anything? Will he get me anything. Now he's not the flowers type of guy. As a matter of fact, the only time he's had flowers delivered he was in BIG trouble and knew it. Ok, to be fair he had brought home a few bouquets over his lifetime, but few and far between. So I started thinking how was he romantic? Coming home to a clean kitchen and nice, simple dinner. Romantic. Curling up on the couch to watch a game or a race. Romantic. Sunday mornings in bed with the dogs. Romantic. Mowing the lawn without me having to ask a million times. Romantic? Well, maybe not so much. But romance shouldn't be a one day out of the year thing.

How do you keep the romance alive in your world? Especially in a long term relationship? We all know that in the beginning both parties work so hard and everything is new and exciting. But after so many years, the kids, the mortgage, the bills how do you keep the fires burning? Have you ever written a love letter? Looking for a good way to get started on one? Check these out.
One of my favorites is this one;I miss you. I really like the idea behind it. Instead of writing it, you could scrap a page. Find some good old photos and do a love letter layout. What a great gift to give and with it you also give yourself some time doing what you love.