Where did the month go?

I can't believe it's the 15th already and that Thanksgiving is only a week away. Where did the time go? That means that I only have 39 more days to shop for Christmas. ugh! I refuse to shop on Black Friday. The crowds are just riduculous and lately the bargins haven't been all that great. With the state of the economy, I'll bet that there are sales and big ones all season long. So I plan to scrap all day that Friday. And I really have to cuz I haven't gotten my callander done. Since the majority of my blog readers are a pretty tight knit group and know/read each other, does anyone want to maybe do an exchange of some type amongst us? Just puttin out feelers on this one.

Ok, I promised a manatee photo yesterday. There was an underwater observatory at the park.

I have a lot of other photos but they look like big blobs in them. I had a picture of Lu up yesterday, the hippo. Well they make a big deal about staying out of the way when Lu comes out of the water. I thought that this sign was hysterical! Now the next day we went down to see another aunt in Tampa and went to the gulf coast at a little place called Hudson Beach. So I took another shadow photo- this time it's me at the Gulf of Mexico.We had the waitress take this photo. (I used to hate doing that when I waited tables). It was kinda funny cuz another table asked if we were 4 generations. I'm pretty sure my aunts didn't think that was funny cuz only 1 of em is a grandma and I'm 40 so that would make 1 of them have to be pretty old. We all have the same chin so they knew we were related somehow. In case you were wondering, I'm the one with the long hair.

And here is my first vacation layout. I used Heather's Dirt Don't Hurt-It's a Pink Thang. Worked awesome with the flamingos. I would love to get a few more done, but will be gone tomorrow night and Sat.

Big, I mean big game on Sat. against Michigan. It's for all the roses. Even though Ohio State has the better overall record 10-1 vs 8-3, we both have only lost 1 game in the Big Ten. So once again it's down to The Game. It's the biggest rivalry in all of college football. And that was voted on according to ESPN. We'll be back down at the campground for the big game. They open it back up and turn on the electricity and bring in a big screen. Everyone brings lots of food and drink and it's a good old time! So I'll be freezing my butt off this weekend.

Today is the last day to get the current challenges over at OAKS done. Tomorrow starts a new batch so stop on by to see what's going on. Don't forget about the challenges over at DSO and Digital Scrap Garden. I still owe Andrea a lyric layout. I promise I'll have it done by the end of the month. Congrats too! Andrea (Boyerville Scraps) will be joining the zany designers over at DSO starting the 26th. She's movin up!

Ok, gotta go get ready for work. Enjoy your day!

Until next time, Scrap Happy!!!!!!!

There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place like home,

Isn't that how Dorothy got home with her ruby slippers? Well it's one statement that I can agree with. And there's nothing better than your own bed! And your own pets and your own man. Who I swear can't live without me. I bought tp 2 weeks ago and put it in the closet in the hallway. (not it's normal spot, but I got tired of seeing it out and about). Do you think he bothered to look for it? Do you think he bothered to get some while he was at the store 2 times? Is my septic tank gonna be stuffed with paper towels? grrrrr But I missed him and my dogs very, very much. And I missed all my friends here too. As you know I did try to get to some of the sites at least once and walked into a hornets nest at one. If you didn't read my rant on manners and freebies, it's under this one. The day I left, Yen passed on a friendship award to me and many of my friends. Well, while I was gone everyone I was gonna pass it forward to, passed it on to me. I love ya all and it's good to know that we're a happy family. So I'll list ya all, just cuz I know it's good to read your name sometimes. But better than that, it's good to know that you're considered a friend. In no particular order: Heather, Fantacy, Kristine, Cate, Andrea, Yen, Kim, Dawne, Traci - You all RAWK!!!!

Ok, on to some photos. I took over 300. I have a simple point and shoot and I never know how they're gonna turn out until I load em into my computer. All the Christmas talk about new camera's and replacement cameras have really made me wanting one with a decent zoom. But it's not to be, for now.

This is the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville Beach. There was really no one around to take my picture there so I decided that my shadow would be the next best thing. The thing with shadows is they add oh about 100 pounds to you. (yeah I wish) The next one is just waves

crashing on the beach. There's just something so majestic about seeing that. The water was cold! But beautiful. That was the first time I'd been to the Atlantic since I lived outside of Ft. Lauderdale for a year in 95.

On Saturday morning we drove to Homosassa Springs to the wildlife preserve there. I'd say it was the most fun of all the excursions. After a 20 minute pontoon boat ride, you get to this park that had all sorts of Florida animals.

The gators are heading into hibernation season and there were about 8 on the beach in area they had cordoned off. The didn't move at first and I truly thought they were fake. But then one stretched and I jumped and then started taking a ton of photos.

This is Lu. He's the main attraction there. He's 47 and was a movie actor in the early 60's. That's kinda why he's there. Obviously hippos are not native to Florida. Feeding Lu is a big production. And thrilled kids everywhere. That's only a face a mother could love.

They had the coolest bird sanctuary there. I love the flamingos. Nothing says Florida like a pink flamingo. But I also got photos of herons and cranes and all sorts of birds.

I'll save the manatees for tomorrow, that is if you want to see them. If so, mention it in comments. It's good to be back. I have to go get dressed for work now. grrrr I'll be poppin by blogs and sites all day.

Until next time, scrap happy!

Dork Dancing in Support

Sometimes I don't understand people. And sometimes I wonder if the Internet has taken the human element out of our lives. How many people on the net do you think you personally touch or affect in some way? Ten...Twenty....Hundreds??? If you're a designer it could be any of those. And the designers often go out of their way to touch your life. It's called freebies. But you know what, they really aren't free. They may be to you, but designers put their time, effort and thoughts into them. Their feelings and desires are often what drives them. They put together some of the most wonderful products out there, AT NO COST TO YOU. Do you take a minute to say thank you??? Do you actually read what's in their blogs?? Can you tell me the names of their children, or their spouse or even what store they sell at? For most of them, if you read their blog, you could answer at least one of those questions. Julie, Jordan, Alyce, Katrina, Jenny, Wayne, Lane,Tink, Mike, Vince, Joey, Little peanut, DSO, OAKS, JFTSOI, see do those names mean anything to you? You know what they mean to me? Friendship! I started scrapping, just like most people with freebies. I have an entire computer full of them. Do you know it only takes 22 seconds to type out your name and thanks for sharing? How long does it take for 4share to pull up the file. Leave some love while you're waiting. I don't understand why less than 10% of people who download freebies leave some thanks. Didn't your mother teach you better? Do you know what RAK stands for? Random Acts of KINDNESS!! Someone else thinks enough of you to act kindly. Usually it's for absolutely nothing. You wear their blinkie (you're a fan already no skin off your teeth). You leave a post over at DST in their thread. What do you do in return for these designers? At least acknowledge that you appreciate their kindness. Shout it from the rooftops or your blog. Show off your layout if you've gotten one done. (there are a few I've received that I haven't gotten to play with yet). We have got to learn to support one another, be kind to one another, love one another. Random Acts of Kindness- there's enough stupidity, hate, and ugliness in the real world - let's keep our area of cyberspace beautiful. It begins with you.

Thank you all for reading my rant. Thank you for stopping by today. If you're a friend who stops by on a regular basis, Thank You!!! If you do and you're not on my list, leave me a message and i'll get you added when I get home from vacation. But most of all, just enjoy your day.

Having a great time.

So I told you I was gonna miss you more than you'd miss me. The nice thing about staying with family is you can play on their computer almost like it was your own. So I thought I'd pop in and give you a quick update on what's been occupying my time. I left my UBC cable at home so I don't have photos right now to share with you, but give me a few days and you'll be sick of em.

I flew into Jacksonville and decided that since this was the 1st time in almost 10 years I've been near an ocean, I had to go to the beach. So I drove over to Jacksonville Beach, took off my shoes and socks, rolled up my pants legs and walked in the surf for a few minutes. The beach wasn't very crowded, it was about 68 degrees and the water was cold. but the majesty of the waves was amazing. It made me tear up for a moment. I left Shannon at home with the dogs cuz he had to work. It was really a moment that you wanted to share with someone you love. I got lots of photos so I'm sure that I'll be able to share.

Friday was just a hang out and do nothing day. My Aunt had just gotten home from a 2 week vacation herself and needed a day of recovery. She showed me around the community where she lives. It's a 55+ subdivision that covers about 7 sq miles, has a golf course, 6 swimming pools, a restaurant, an auditorium and is just really cool. I think it's a wonderful place and several of the seniors I met were in their 70-80 and very active. Really gave me a different perspective on senior communities.

Yesterday we went to Homosasis Springs and a state wildlife preserve. It was super neat. It starts with a 20 minute pontoon boat ride down the Pepper Creek (if the water level is high enough, if not you have to take the tram). They have this hippo there, Lu, who's been at the park since 1966 and is a big attraction. He used to be a movie star, lol. They do a big production in feeding him. They also have 12 alligators, that are about to go into hibernation. Several of them were up on a bank and were so still that I thought they were fake, until one started to move. Yikes. They have a huge bird aviary with just hundreds of birds native to Florida. I loved all the pink flamingos. Nothing says Florida like flamingos. But the best animal of all they have are the manatees. The Homosasis river is a spring so it's very warm and the manatees like to come in from the Gulf in the winter months. They are big beautiful animals with no natural enemies, but man. The one's that are in the park, you can look at from an underwater viewing area, are just scarred up from propeller marks. It was a good time and I took just a ton of photos yesterday.

Then we came home to watch the Ohio State game. My aunts are BIG fans (the charge of visitor room and board is always an Ohio State Souvenir). Well, my boys let us all down and ended up losing to a very good, but unranked Illinois team. So we most likely are now out of the National title hunt. Next weeks game against Michigan (who also lost yesterday) will determine our fate as to if we go to the Rose Bowl. I'm sure that my mother, who was born in Kansas but is now a Michigan fan, is extremely happy that her Kansas Jayhawks are undefeated for the first time in like forever. To help with our misery, we went to dinner at a cool little place called Stumpknockkers. What a name. It's best known in the area for it's fried catfish. Which I had an enjoyed every bite. It's funny because Fantacy was teasing me earlier in the week about her uncle who caught her a bunch and how good she cooked it up. I've been itching for it all week. Today we're going to Tampa area to see another aunt and tomorrow may be a trip to Disney. I haven't been there since I was 17.

Well if I go on and on anymore, than I'll just bore everyone to death and not have anything for the post when I get home. Oh yeah, I'm still smoke free!! It's been 9 days now.

Be back home on Tuesday so you can expect some photos starting Wed. Hope everyone has had a great weekend.
Until next time, scrap happy!
Diane

Thanks bunches

Mornin,
First I want to thank everyone for their support with my smoking cessation project. (Sounds much fancier that way) I made it through another day and like any addiction, it's one day at a time. I only coughed up a quarter of my lungs this morning instead of the usual half. So progress is being made. I also figure that the $8.50 I've saved so far (2 packs) would be better spent on scrapping stuff. But I'm still in my major slump so I'll hold off buying anything until after I get back from vacation.

Speaking of, don't miss me too much, but I'll be gone until next Wednesday. I may pop in for a quick post, unless I'm totally bored out of my mind (which is a possibility). I'll be in Ocala Florida visiting my aunts. Very low key. So not only won't I be posting, but I won't be visiting all of your fabulous blogs. I'm sure that I'll miss you all more than you'll miss me.

Make sure that you pop over to DSO for their birthday celebrations. Also don't forget about the challenges over there. Kim always has a fab color swatch for her color challenge. Not to mention that many of the participants make mini kits which you can snag and use. And not to be outdone, Kristine's doing a turkey dance this month for her recipe challenge. Scrap your favorite Thanksgiving recipe. There are tons more over there too. Just ask Cate, she does em all. She's the challenge queen.

Since I'm on the topic of challenges, let's look at a few other sites to see what they have going on. OAKS has several great challenges running bi monthly. Meaning from the 1st to the 15th and then till the end of the month. There's also a great new points program that allows you to earn gift certificates for the store so you can buy what you want. This months ad challenge is a Target ad and it's killer. There's a quotes challenge, a scrap lift challenge and a brag book exchange using Blythe Evan's To the Moon kit. And weekly Victoria Feemster does a color challenge too.

Make sure you stop by the Garden to see what fun and exciting challenges Dawne, Traci and Nita have in store for you this month. They are working sooooo hard to get this site up and running and are doing a damn fine job! My favorite challenge (I like em all, but this one is always a challenge) is the foto/frame/font challenge. Traci specifies how many photos, frames and which font you must use. This months font is really cool - Ransom Note. Dawne's photo challenge is Family. I got lots of those, so I really need to upload to the garden. And Flutterby's quote challenge is a terrific one for this time of year - I'm thankful for...... I really need to make sure I get some of these done when I get back.

If you're around today at 3 pm EST stop by SBB for Raechel Knight's weekly Sketch crop chat. I always chat, but don't get the sketch done. Last week I did!! yeah. I always love my Monday at 2 est and Wed. at 3 chats over at SBB.

Well time to head into work. Hope everyone enjoys their day. Until next time, next week- scrap happy and GO BUCKS!!!
Diane

Cravings and a birthday!!!!

Hi ya'll!

I'm having a not so great morning, so lets get this out first. It's Fantacy's birthday!!! Do me a favor and stop by her blog and wish her a happy birthday. You can see her trick or treat photos of her adorable children and even grab the alpha that goes with her new fab kit that I love so much and use constantly, Feral Faeries.Now this is the 2nd attempt at a birthday card for her. I put the other one up at OAKS just a little after midnight and never in my life was I so glad not to have anyone open and look at a layout. Don't ask me why, but browns for a birthday card? Not at all happy or cheery. Glad I snagged it out of the gallery. This one I did this morning. I think it's a thousand times more a birthday card.



Are you wondering about the cravings? No I'm NOT preggers (can't be - med reasons). I'm trying to quit smoking AGAIN, for the hundredth time. I figured that since I was driving up north with my aunt last weekend and then going to spend 5 days with her down in Florida, not to mention the nagging, lingering chunk of yuck in my lungs (great visual aint it) that it was once again time to try. I've quit a few times, the longest was 3 months when I was pregnant, but the minute I miscarried, that was the first thing I went and got a pack of cigarettes. The last time was when the state raised the taxes on em and the price went to $4 a pack. No way was I gonna pay that. Nope, not gonna do it....until I quit a great job (I hated it, but it paid good) and went to a job that promised me the moon and let me crash down to Earth. So since then I've been paying the $4 + a pack, paying more for my health insurance and killing myself slowly. (Im putting all this down so when I want to crave, I see all this in black and white.) Ok, back to now. It's going on day 4 and I am a madwoman! I can't tell you how badly I want a cigarette. I couldn't scrap last night, cuz thats always been a part of my routine- a smoke & a diet coke. Maybe that's why Fantacy's first card was shades of brown. lol. I tried 3 different layouts and nothing would come together at all. Then I grabbed a template. Nothing like templates when your mojo's hit the floor. Got it about 1/2 together and something happened to PSE, it froze up and was done. I took it as a sign, popped a tylenol pm and was in bed before 2 & 1/2 Men was over. See told you that Daylight savings time messes me up. And then I was wide awake at 11:45???????????????????????? Tried to scrap again, but all I wanted was a cigarette. I took the 3 CD's of photos my brother gave me (great photos I looked at them at work) and put em into my CD drive and there's nothing there? Just folders no photos. The screams reverberated through my neighborhood. I have no idea why the pictures are gone???? The drive reads other discs. So I went back to bed and read until 3:30 and the dogs got me up at 5:45. Can you see where this is going? So tonight, once again I'll be tired early, get no scrapping done and once again have too much to do at the end of the month. Grrr.



Ok, enough!!!! Since it's 6:30 now, I know that there are no freebies up yet. I'll try to find some once I get to work. Don't forget to stop by and wish Fantacy a happy birthday!

Until next time, scrap happy!
Diane

Monday, Daylight Savings Time & the S word

Ugh! The above are all combining to make for a rough morning. I hate Mondays, the weekends are never long enough. Doesn't help the fact that yes we did get an extra hour this weekend, but I was in bed before 10 last night because of it. And then the dogs were up at 5:30 this morning. It will take me a week to make the adjustment. They're also talking snow showers/flurries this week. I bet it hits before I make my getaway to Florida. I keep hoping it will be warm and sunny all winter long. I guess if I want that, I better just stay in Florida.

Since I was at my brother's Sat. & Sun., I didn't get to take part very much in the DSD festivities. I heard that a lot of people felt it was a good time cuz it made them feel like part of the community! That's what scrappin has always done for me. I ran a challenge over at OAKS for DSD, even though I knew I wouldn't be around. I can't tell you how good it makes me feel to know that my friends came to support me on this. Let me show you 2 of the lo's that were done around the song "Bubbly" by Colbie Caillat.

This is Cate's. Click the preview for credits and a larger view. I love the photo she used. Thank you so much Cate!

And here is Andrea's. She got a chance to play with Heather's new sparkly blues (I haven't had a chance yet, grr.). Love the funny photos of her DH. All you need is love, love is all you need. I have a bunch of photos for yours. Thanks again!

Now yesterday was Kim B's birthday. She doesn't have a post up yet for today, but I'm thinking that once she gets around to bloggin it, it's gonna be hysterical. Pop over to her website to wish her a belated Happy Birthday. Who knows, there could be a fab freebie there too. Edit** She does have a great freebie, but her stories about her weekend as wonderful so go check it out.**



Here's the few freebies I found that were up already this morning. I'm still working on trying to figure out how to show em off to their best advantage.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some lo's done with the photos I took this weekend. I really need to get the calander done. That's gonna be more difficult than I though, but my brother gave me 3 CD full of photos, so I should have plenty.

Gotta go into work, yuck. But have to support this habit somehow.
Have a great day and until next time, scrap happy.
Diane