New Year's Eve

More pre-publishing. You know, I don't really like the impersonableness (yes, I just made that up on my own - hehehe) of pre-publishing. And I kinda feel like I'm rambling on. Me? Not me? I don't ramble, right? LOL!

So do you all have plans for New Year's Eve? We've gone to a few New Years parties in the past (all for families), and they're kinda fun. One time, we did a New Year's Eve party where we counted down the minutes till New Year's early, so that we could go and put the kids to bed. I think it was like 10 pm or something. Ha! I think that's a GREAT idea - LOL! Don't know if we have any plans or not right now? Maybe we'll get together with another couple in the Ward (congregation). They live RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the place we're staying. How cool would that be, to have friends as next door neighbors?

You know, when I finally get back to my internet, I'm gonna have DAYS worth of emails to answer. Just so you all know, if it takes a while for me to respond, it's because I've been away from email for 2 weeks, and my inbox is CROWDED and OVERFLOWING. So, just be patient with me. LOL!

OK, it's a little abstract, but hey, it grows on ya. Just give it a chance. You'll like it too :) Hehehehe. Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
New - Stephanie Marie JF
All rest - Pharmacy (yes, I know I overuse this one, but hey, everyone needs a stand by favorite, right?)

Can't Smile Without You

OK, I'm pre-publishing again. It's only Sunday evening for me, but what, like Tuesday for you guys? I think thats right :) I should be in Portland right about now. My friend, Maren (LOVE you, girl) and her hubby are watching my kiddos for me. The kids slept over last night, and Captain America and I drove up to Portland. We're gonna go to the Portland Temple today! I'm SO excited. It's been so long since I've been able to go. That's the temple where we were married in back in June of 1996. Beautiful temple. So, I hope that everything is going as planned, and that we're actually able to make the trip. I know that Portland was buried under snow for a while there, but surely it's better now? Right? Please? LOL!

Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Smile - Jeffriana JF

Friendship

Hehehehe, this is the only family picture that we have so far. Um, I think I need to make this a higher priority, or this will be the Christmas Card photo for this year (yeah, I think they're gonna end up being Valentines Day Cards and newsletters - I wanna wait till we KNOW where we're gonna be stationed before I send them out, and we need to get the list out of storage - sigh). So, My goal for the next 6 days is to get a SPECTATULAR family picture taken :) I know I can do better than this - LOL! (showering for me would help - hehehe)


We decided to go to Eugene on Saturday. I just love spur of the moment trips. I didn't used to be like that, but the more into the Army lifestyle we're getting, the more I do. We just loaded up at 2pm, and headed over. It was RAINING. I mean, really bringing it. Standing water on the road kind of raining. But we didn't care. Captain America just drove a little slower :) We went to Wal-Mart (of course!), and out to eat at Izzys (woohoo for x-mas money), then over to Chucky Cheese. We had some really good token coupons, and the kids just had a blast! It was some really nice family time. I think the kids will remember that trip for years to come :)

And how's my diet coming, you ask (ok, so you didn't ask, but I'm volunteering!)? Well, I was really good for 1 day (hehehe), and ended up losing 2 lbs, but then not so good the next day, and the 2 lbs were back. BUT, I did learn that with the 2 lb weight drop, my dress will fit again. SO, all I need to do is cut the 2 lbs before the dance, and not gain anymore, and I'll be fine. Then, after graduation, I can work on getting back to my pre-holiday weight :) hehehe. No use super dieting while Captain America's here. That's just no fun - LOL! Of course, eating Ice Cream and "Bar in a Jar" sauce while I'm supposed to be blogging isn't really helping the whole "Dress" cause. I'll have to watch out for that next time - LMBO!!!

Oh, I REALLY liked this saying when I came across it! I'm SO glad for all of the friends that I have. They really are such a great support to me. You know, I've never really had a "best" girl friend that I do everything with, and I'm so glad that I found Maren here in Florence. She's just AWESOME! And even though I'm thoroughly enjoying this time with my hubby, I must say, I MISS YOU Maren :) Can't wait to hang out again!

Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Friendship - His Name Is Honey
All rest - Hobbes

All Bundled Up

So, it's Friday night, and I'm pre-publishing again. Sneaking away every night is just not working for me. So, I'm doing a few nights in a row. I know, it makes for boring posts, but that's all I've got for ya - LOL!

You know, as I sat here on my mom's couch, I was trying to think of a cute little story to tell you, or a funny thing that a kid had said, but I've got nothing. LOL! The WordArt will have to do for today. I'll try and think of something clever tomorrow. Try, being the operative word. LOL!

Here we go! I KNOW that you can all use this one - LOL! Is it as cold where you are as where I am? The Oregon Coast is NOT supposed to be this chilly. OK, so it's not as bad as Chicago was (I'm SO glad that I'm not living there - hehehehe), but dang it's cold. But , that DOES give me the excuse to layer. And we all LOVE layering, don't we.

Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks, girls!

A Snowman's Prayer

Thanks so much to everyone who shared advice yesterday. It was a MUCH better day. And you're right. It just took a little bit of adjustments. Things aren't exactly the same as they were when he left. But that's because we've both changed. And there's nothing wrong with that :) Change is good. We had a much better day today - hehehehe.

Captain America and I went jogging yesterday. The holidays have been AWFUL for my diet- hehehe. I've gained about 6 lbs since Thanksgiving, and my formal knows it - hehehe. So, I have 12 days until the dance. Since the little bit of weight came back fast, it should come off fast too. Eating well and exercise for a few days, and I'll be back in no time :) But let me tell you, I could SURE use a piece of Chocolate right about now - LOL!

We had a nice relaxing day at "home". It's funny, because Captain America's taught the kids that our "vacation house" was the FOB (Forward Operating Base - army term). Isn't that the funniest thing! We're out and about town, and when we're ready to go home, they say, "Lets go back to the FOB".

We went jogging in the morning, and watched Season 4 of Doctor Who all afternoon. I just LOVE Doctor Who, but you already knew that, right? hehehe. We also watched Indiana Jones #4, since Captain America hadn't seen it before. Good times! I took it pretty easy since I was having Chocolate withdrawls. Headaches are no fun. But, I think that the worst of it is over. As I'm pre-posting this, I can barely feel it. Woohoo for Advil - LMBO!

And, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who sent Christmas Cards! They're SO much fun! Germany, Florida, Oregon, Canada, Australia, New York, California, Deleware, just to name a few places. Thanks so much for making my Christmas bright!!!

I may be a bit slow at sending out the WordArt packs, since my internet is non-existant (and I have to sneak out at night to pick up a wireless signal from my moms house), but rest assured, I won't forget about you guys :) When I fly out to Georgia (the 5th - 9th), I should have a lot of down time. I'll get to that inbox too. My email is quickly getting out of control. Hehehehe.

I thought that this saying was HILARIOUS!!! And since there's been SO much snow, I'm sure that LOTS of you can use this one - hehehehe. Anyone make a snowman this year? Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Freeze - HARD ROCK
All rest - Euphorigenic
Snowflakes - Faux Snow BRK

Power of Mom

So, how was your Christmas? Did everyone get/give everything that they wanted to? My kids were REALLY pleased with their gifts this year. Everyone got what they really wanted. That's always nice when it works out that way. Hehehe. We've had years where it didn't - LOL! Maybe my kids are just greedy. Or mabye they're just finally learning that telling the person who gave you the gift "Um, this isn't really what I wanted" isn't so cool. It's SO embarassing as a parent. Geesh! Thank goodness we didn't have any of that this year.

So adjusting to life with a man around isn't as easy as I thought it would be. I mean, I knew that the "I miss you so much it hurts" stage wouldn't last forever, but I'm not really liking the "I'm still getting used to having you around" stage. We're having problems with misunderstandings on both of our parts. Rrrgh. Men. Can't live with them, can't live without them - hehehe.

Not that I'm by the computer (no internet at the place we're staying), but do any of you girls have any suggestions for me? Any tips for making the transition a little bit easier?

This WordArt request is from DJ. What a funny, but true, saying :) Hehehehe. Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

zFONTS:
Power - um, yeah, ask again when I get real internet :)
of, Mom - Lainie Day SH

A Child is Born

Wow, the no internet is really cramping my style - LOL! I'm sitting here at my Mom's house, checking my email and getting products loaded into the store. We're going to my Aunts house tonight for Christmas Eve, and the kids are TOTALLY excited. Is it 5:00 pm yet? LOL!

Have you ever listened to Handels Messiah? I just LOVE it! When I was a Sophomore or Junior, my boyfriend at the time gave me a "made" tape of it. I just LOVED it! I don't currently have a copy, but I can still remember it. I think I'll have to pick up a CD one of these days. Anyway, I thought that this scripture (and song from Handel) would be appropriate for this day that we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Enjoy!

Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Child, Born - Scriptina

Night Before Christmas

Woohoo!!!! My man is HOME!!!! Hehehehe, this picture says it all :)

I drove to the airport Saturday night to pick up my sweetheart. Captain America's flight was supposed to get into Eugene Oregon at 12:07 AM, but it was delayed until 1:00am. I remember seeing people coming down the escalator, and they would come into view from the feet up. I remember seeing one guy with nice shoes, nice jeans, big muscles, and thinking - OH please, I want that one - hehehe. And guess what? It was Captain America!! Woohoo! I got the cutest guy on the plane :) Not that I'm biased or anything - LOL!

The airline lost his luggage (it went to Chicago - we just can't get away from that place - LMBO!). We had to go to Walmart to buy new Sunday clothes for Captain America. Luckily, most of his stuff was in his carry on bag. We left Wal-mart at about 2:30am, and got back to Florence about 3:30am. We stayed the night at my friend, Angie's house. She and her family went to Portland for a few days, so her house was empty. We got to bed at around 4:00 am, and then had to be us at 7:30 am to get ready for church. Here's a pic of us before church. We may be tired, but don't we look happy :)

Christmas Sunday was nice. The primary kids sang 2 songs (I'm the chorister), and did very well. I just love to hear the little kids sing. My friend, Maren, sang a solo, and was FABULOUS!!!! What a BEAUTIFUL alto voice she had :)

After church, we went to Coos Bay to renue our Temple Recommends, and decided that since we were already down there, we'd stay the night. Angie's house wasn't available anymore, so we didn't have a place to stay anyway. We stayed at Motel 6, and just relaxed as a family. It was kinda fun. And big, for a Motel 6. 2 queens, and lots of floor space. But, by about 11 the next day, we were all ready to come back to Florence. There's only so long that you can keep kids good in a motel room - LOL! We hit Wal-mart while we were in the city (hehehe- can you tell that I like Wal-Mart!), and stopped briefly to see a friend of Captain America's, then headed back to town. We stopped by my parents house to re-fresh our suit cases, and then my parents, my sisters family, and my family went to Abby's Pizza for dinner, then Christmas Carolling. That was a lot of fun. While I didn't get any pics of the group, I did get one of me. We all had these cute Santa hats that we wore.

After the pizza and caroling, we headed out to a different place to stay the night. We had a friend at church who managed some cabins/motel rooms on the lake. I'd seen her earlier in the week at the store, and she was trying to get some Christmas Cards made at the photo department. They were giving her a hard time, so I told her to just give me her media card, and that I'd do up a Christmas Card for her, and send it to the photo lab, and it would be cheaper because it would be developed at a 4x6, not as a Christmas card, and would be cuter, because I could use kits from Scraporchard. She just LOVED the cards, and when she heard that we were having "housing" issues, she offered us a night at the cabins. WOOHOO! See, when you do good things for other people, goodness comes back to you :) Words to live by :)

Here's a pic of Captain America and I at the cabin. I have individual pics of him and all the kids, but didn't really have time to post them all.
And here's all the kids at the cabin. Isn't that a gorgeous view of the lake! I just LOVE Oregon scenery :)
So, I got a call from another friend, Ann, and she said that a different family in the Ward was gonna be out of town for the WHOLE time that Captain America was here, and that she'd called them, and that they said that WE COULD STAY AT THEIR HOUSE!!! So, we're there now. And let me tell you, it feels SO nice. No more "house hopping". That was starting to get very weary. I must say, though, that I'm feeling VERY blessed right about now. There are so many people out there thinking of me, and taking care of my family. Thanks to everyone who sent cards, and well wishes, and have been praying for us.

Just need to share a quick story about the blessings of Tithing. I don't know how many of you "tithe" in your churches, but let me tell you, the blessings from it are real. In our church, we pay 10% of our income. And I know that we've been promised that if we do, that we will be blessed. But some times, I have a hard time remembering to pay it. I write out the check, and it just sits in my purse. And sits, and sits. That's not always good when you live paycheck to paycheck. Anyway, I had Decembers tithing (Captain Americas pay and mine) written out, and in my purse, and finally turned it in on Sunday. Money's a bit tight right now, but I knew that there would be barely enough to cover tithing. Anyway, I turned it in.

Well, on Tuesday, my mom called me from work saying that she found an envelope addressed to "The Hartys" in her car door. Inside was a note saying that "our service was noticed and appreciated", and it had a large amount of money. We don't know who it was from. Let me tell you girls, I believe in the power of tithing. I know that when you give to the Lord, he will give back to you. It was more money in the envelope than I paid in tithing for the month. I know that Heavenly Father works through other people to bless our lives. He does that for me, and he will do that for you, too.

So, THANK YOU to whoever left the gift for my family. We will be forever grateful! We truly appreciate you generosity! And thank you for re-affirming my testimony in the power of tithing :)

OK, on to WordArt :)

I thought that this would be PERFECT for all those night before Christmas photos that I will be taking! We go to my Aunts house for Christmas Eve, and open presents from extended family. Then on Christmas we all get together and eat Tacos. Yes, I know, that's not a typical Christmas dinner. Heheheh, we're not even Hispanic, which would make more sense. We just LOVE tacos. And I was in high school, I think, before I realized that not everyone had tacos on Christmas. hehehe.

So, click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
2 variations of Fontdinerdotcom

Here Comes Santa Claus

I thought that this WordArt was a lot of fun, and could be used on Santa pictures. I know my kids got their pictures taken with Santa this year, and I bet some of yours did too! Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

Wonderful Time

Oh yes, it is!!!! I've always liked this Christmas song, and I thought it turned out FANTASTIC as a WordArt. I do enjoy working with the Jaw Fonts, even if only in Freebees. I can't sell them, but I can give them away to you for free. The "wonderful" is a Jaw Font. Anyway, click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

Carol of the Bells

I just LOVE this Christmas song :) Hope you guys like it too! Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

Eyes Off Of You

Well, I tried to post the X Day of christmas, and I think I got it wrong today :) I went to the Orchard, and its wasn't the "day" that I thought it was. Hmmmm, I think it's Kami's day. OK, go to the Orchard, and check it out :) LMBO!!!

We had a Cookie Party yesterday at my friend, Angie's, house. It was WONDERFUL! Tons of little boys, a few little girls, and a WHOLE bunch of cookie dough. Add some cookie cutters, a bunch of frosting, and lots of different choices in toppings, and you have a TERRIFIC cookie party :)

Joe Joe and his dough

The boys decorating bags to put their finished cookies in

And all the moms. There's Mariann, April, Me, April, and Ann. We sure had fun!

I thought that this WordArt was SO appropriate for today, since my hubby in ON HIS WAY home! He gets in tonight a midnight! Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited :) My sister and her family got in yesterday. It was NASTY driving on the way to Eugene/Portland, but much better on the way home. I'm hoping that it's not too nasty when I head over later today. I'll probably go over at 9 or 10.

Anway, click on the image below to go to my box.net account, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks, girls!!!

FONTS:
Eyes, You - Unnamed Melody

Little Drummer Boy

OK, the link is working now - OOPS!!! hehehe

So my mom left this morning, admist the HUGE winter storm, to drive to Portland to pick up my sister, her hubby, and their almost 2 year old. They're flying in today at 10:30 ish. Woohoo! It'll be good to visit with them over Christmas. They'll be here for a week or so.

I'm really starting to get excited about my hubby coming. I have all day today, and all day tomorrow to wait. What kinda crazy flight gets in at Midnight? Sheezh! What's that all about? Hehehehe. I just KNOW that I'm gonna be bawling in in the Airport! I'm SO excited!

As for the housing for the 2 weeks, it's not fun. I was SO looking forward to being at our own cabin for the 2 weeks. Having our own space. Doing our own thing. Not being at someone elses house, and at their whims. We have a place for the Sat night, we're getting a hotel the Sunday night (that was already in the works), no place for the Monday or Tuesday night, staying at a friends (empty) house till Sunday day, need a place for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday night, then have a place for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. So, anyone wanna loan me their house? LMBO!!! This is NOT how I imagined my time with my hubby. Sigh.

Emeline had a Christmas/Winter Program today. All the 2nd and 1st graders participated. It was SO cute. Her grade sang 2 songs. She's such a cute little singer :) Love ya, Eme!

I went to my Aunts house yesterday and made Peanut Butter balls. Then, later in the day, Mom and I dipped them in the chocolate. I'm giving the Almond Rocha, the Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls, and some Stuffed Bears to the kids' teachers for Christmas. I'll take a pic when they're all done. I was a little disappointed in Fred Meyers. Their photo lab is down, and I couldn't develop my Christmas Cards for the teachers. Sigh. I had to print them pff with the printer. Not quite as cute, but they'll get the idea :) I'll try and remember to take a picture of them.

I'm actually remembering to post this. It's SURE been a long week. Today is the 8th Day of Christmas, and it's SHAUNAS!!!! Day. She's the one who asked me to come on at Scraporchard. Did you know I was the first designer that they hired? Who knew! Hehehehe. Anyway, Shauna (Pineapple Plantation Design) has her whole store on sale, so go give it a look!

Well, I coudln't find where to link this at last night (prepublish), so just go to Scraporchard tomorrow, and you'll find it - hehehe. Shauna made an ADORABLE mini kit for you. Isn't she great? I SO love Shauna :)



So, from here on out, until after my graduates from OCS, I'm not doing requests. I may pull from the email list here or there, but I just need to pre-publish a WHOLE bunch of stuff before he gets here, and I can't be stressing about what quotes to use. I'm just gonna do something easy for me. hehehehehe. Come on, girls, you know it's all about me! LMBO!!!

I'm doing Christmas songs from now till Christmas Eve. I just LOVE the little drummer boy song. It's a good one :) Click on the image below to go to my box.net account, and leave some love if like my work.

FONTS:
Drummer - Will&Grace
Boy - York Script ES

Silver Bells

Oops, forgot to blog about this AGAIN! I definitely need more sleep - LOL! Well, better late than never :) Sine, of Designs by Sine (you know, our Template girl at the Orchard), is having her ENTIRE store 50% off today! Click on the image below to go to her store.




And, here's a CUTE freebee for you guys from Sine - Don't you just ADORE her templates? She's wonderful!!! Click on the image below to go to Scraporchard to get Sine's freebee.


So as I was at preschool yesterday morning, I got a call from Captain America. He said that he'd just got off the phone with the Boy Scout caretaker. Did I tell you that we were renting a cabin at Boy Scout camp for the 2 weeks that Captain America is here? Well, this last storm that hit knocked out all of camps electric and water. And there are trees down, blocking the roads in camp. So, staying at camp is a no go. So, I was left scrambling for housing. My sister and her hubby and little girl are coming into town tomorrow, and are staying with my parents. That would be 13 people in a 3 bedroom house. Yeah, not gonna happen - LOL!

So, I told the girls at preschool the situation, and Angie, one of the moms, said that her family is going out of town for most of that time period, and that we could stay at her house. WOW!!!! That's HUGE! I'll just need to find a place for us to stay for a few nights. I'm SO glad that Heavenly Father is looking out for our little family! My life sure keeps me busy. Never a dull moment. Ha!

After preschool, I went to Marens house, and she taught me how to make Almond Rocha. Oh My Goodness!!!! It's FABULOUS! Here's our recipe:

Almond Rocha

2 lbs butter (yeah, it's THAT good)
4 cups sugar
1 cup water

Heat in large pot, using a candy thermometer. STIR CONSTANTLY. When it gets to 300 degrees, add

4 tsp vanilla and
4 cups of roasted, chopped almonds.

QUICKLY pour onto 2 cookie sheets, lined with waxed paper. Spread so it coats the entire sheet. Sprinkle

2 bags of chocolate chips (semi sweet and/or milk)

over the hot mixture. Spread with a spatula. Top with finely chopped almonds. Let cool, then break. YUMMY! SO GOOD!!!! Try it, I know you'll like it.

I was at Marens until about 3:30. At 4:00, my mom and dad and my mom's friend, Pinky, and I got to go to Eugene to watch Glenn Beck's The Christmas Sweater. Grandma Ida and Aunt Sue watched the kids. The show was FABULOUS! He wrote this cool book, and it's been in the stores for a while now. My mom got them for us for Christmas. I guess let me back up. You all know who Glenn Beck is, right? He used to have a show on CNN, and is moving to FOX next year. He's SO COOL! Gotta love Glenn Beck. He has a national radio program, and also a TV show. He's fabulous.

So, he has the book, and it's doing very well. They also decided to make the story of the book into a "play" of sorts. More like a dramatization. Here was a singer, and an orchestra, and Glenn told the story. He's very animated, and a GREAT story teller. It was like a Broadway one-man show. And adaptation of his book. Anyway, it was great.

And we didn't really get to see him in person. It was performed for a live audience in South Carolina (the last show of his tour), and was broadcast across the country. We went to Eugene (well, Springfield) to the movie theater to see it. It was broadcast there. I just LOVE technology.
And, we had to brave the storms to get there. See that BLUR in the picture? Those are icicles. They were HUGE and fabulous looking. But, we were going so fast that the camera didn't capture it well - LOL! My dad drove, so we all rode easy, knowing that he's a pro! It was a little snowy and wet, but not too bad. We had studded tires and chains in the back, so we weren't worried. Well, I wasn't worried. Pinky seemed a bit nervous - LOL!

We got to the mall in time to get our tickets, get dinner, and look around the mall for a few minutes. There was a store that was going out of business, and I ended up with 2 wrap sweaters (one black with fake fur, one red with black fake fur), a skirt, a sparkly shirt, and a pair of jeans, all for $21. Not too bad, eh? I have a complete new Christmas Sunday outfit - I'm SO excited :)

Here's Pinky and I after the show. We were all crying! He really told a beautiful story about redemption. It was wonderful.

And here's my dad and mom. Aren't they cute!

After the show, we drove home, but not before stopping at Jack-in-the-Box for a shake. I got a Oreo Milkshake. Let me tell you, it was FANTASTIC!!! Super thick. My poor mouth was SO sore when I was done. I haven't been using my mouth like that enough, I guess. My kissing partner is gone - LMBO!!!

Really, it was a great day. And it's getting SO close to my hubby coming home! Woohoo!!! Here's the WordArt for today. Click on the image below to go to my box.com account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Silver - Champignon
Bells - An Unfortunate Event DeWarped

6th Day of Christmas

Oops!!! I TOTALLY forgot to promo the 6th Day of Christmas! I was so flustered by the overcrowding of my inbox with "orders" for freebees, it slipped my mind. That and I'm getting SO excited for my hubby to come home, my normal brain processes aren't really working too well - LMBO!!!

Today is Day six, sponsored by Polka Dot Plum!!! Amy and Lauren are such nice girls! Go check out their store!


It's 50% off today! Check it out, you'll like it!! Click HERE to see their store.


And, here' s a Scraporchard freebee, just for you! Aren't these gift tags ADORABLE!!!! They're made using Scraporchards December 2008 Collab - Santa Baby - made by Patti (Scrappinmint). She did a FABULOUS job :) Click HERE to get the tags. They put theirs in the gallery, so they're not gonna get a bajillion emails in their inbox. Smart girls - LOL!


And, since I'm "spamming" your inbox, I figured I should give you a little something for your time - hehehe. Here's a "On the X day of Xmas" WordArt for ya! It would be fun to make a little brag book with family activity pictures from all the days before Christmas, wouldn't it! Hehehe, I'm just full of great ideas - LOL!

Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks, girls!!!

FONTS:
Christmas - BaroqueText JF
On, The, Day, Of - A Little Pot

And, I decided to leave my sale on for the rest of today. I'm disabling it when I go to bed tonight, so you have a few more hours to grab my stuff at 50% off. Click HERE to go to my store :)

Remember the Reason

Wow, it was sure COLD today - Only got up to about freezing. And let me tell you, it's not supposed to be this cold on the coast! Really, it's not :) Good thing we have an AWESOME wood stove in the family room. I just LOVE to hang out in there. Hehehe.

So, I finally broke down and cleaned the kids' room. Well, really it was just the shoes and laundry. I hadn't put clothes away for about 3 weeks. It was TRASHED in that room. 5 peoples clothes in one closet. Yeah, disaster. But, all the shirts got hung up, all the pants folded and in their "box", all the underclothes in their "box", all the shoes in their "box" (yeah, box, not drawer). It looked really good in there when I was done. Sure, that's 2 hours of my life I'll never get back, but I could actually find their clothes last night when I put them to bed. And that makes all the difference.

Maren and I (and Jim and Eme (she's still sick-ish)) went to my Aunts house yesterday to play with beads. Aunt Sue does AWESOME bead work. I made a really fun 3 tier PINK necklace. I DO wear pink, occasionally. Hehehe, I had a friend once tell me that I don't wear pink. And true, BLACK is my favorite color. If all else fail, wear black. But sometimes, I do like to be a bit girly. SOMETIMES. Ha!

Jacob had a choir concert last night too. Dad stayed home and watched the 4 little kids, and Grandma Ida, Mom, Jake and I went to the concert. Oh yeah, and Matt. His mom and dad just sold their vehicle, and they haven't bought a new one yet. She wanted to know if I would drive Matt home from the concert, since they didn't have transportation. He'd walk to the concert. It was 20 degrees! I said tht I'd come and pick him up before the concert, AND take him home. Poor guys. Can you imagine how hard it must be not to have a vehicle. My heart goes out to them .

The concert was really good. A HUGE improvement from the last concert for the 6th graders. They're learning a lot.

You know how I had my freebee in the store yesterday? Well, NEVER AGAIN! Ha! Every download produced an INVOICE, which was emailed to my inbox. Let me tell you, digging through 450 emails, seeing which ones were "freebee" orders and which ones were "real" orders was NOT fun. hehehehe. I'll have to remember that for next time - I'll just do the freebee in the gallery like I do for WordArt Wednesdays.

Oh yeah, speaking of WordArt Wednesday, since I had the HUGE download yesterday, I thought that I'd offer the version I gave out on my blog yesterday as the WordArt Wednesday Week 26. Shauna (one of the Scraporchard owners) thought that would be easier on me, so I didn't have to make 2 freebees back to back. LOL!

Well, you know me. Overachiever! I made one for you guys anyway! Ha! This request is from Lisa. I always liked ths quote. Click on the image below to go to my box.net account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Remember - Impact
Reason, Season - Luxury Royale JF

12 Day of Christmas

So if you don't read the whole post today (yes, I know I'm long winded -hehehe), make sure that you read the part about how the school "lost" one of my kids yesterday. Really :)

We had a FABULOUS day yesterday!! My dad couldn't get to his job site (show), so he came back home and got the day off. Well, off but not paid. Anyway, because it snowed yesterday up in the coastal mountains, he said that we should drive up there with the little boys before Joe's afternoon kindergarten started. It was a FABULOUS idea!

There was about a foot or more of snow once we got to the top of the mountain. And we only got stuck a little bit. My dad has MAD driving skills, so I wasn't really worried. Not that much. One time our rear end came dangerously close to the edge of the mountain, and I started to get a little bit worried. But then some nice guys came by and offered to pull us out - LOL. I'm sure glad Heavenly Father was watching out for us that day. hehehe.

Here's some pics from our trip. Look at those incredible snow covered trees. I just LOVE Oregon scenery.

Me in the snow. I figured out how to use the timer on my new camera :) And it's not a tie, it's a scarf - LOL!

My dad. My sister thought he looked like a mountain man - hehehe.
Jimmy. He's a bit cold. At one point, I looked over, and his pants and come undone, and were around his ankles and he was screaming. Poor kid. He has permanent plumbers butt.

This kid makes the FUNNIEST faces. I just LOVE my Joe Joe faces - hehehe. He should be a cartoon character.

No really, they did have fun. These pictures were just taken right before we decided to head back home. That's why they're so frozen looking. LOL. Here's Jimmy.

These were a bit earlier, when they were still happy and warm-ish

And here I am, with my hair hider and all - hehehe.


Joe forgot to put on his coat when he first got out of the truck. We didn't realize it for the first few minutes. Poor kid. He was much warmer once we realized it.

It was a relatively easy drive up the mountain, but when we got ready to go, it was a bit more tricky. We had to go up a slight hill, in over a foot of snow. We were going back and forth in the road, and we were fish tailing pretty bad. Good thing my dad is an EXCELLENT driver.

But we did get stuck a few times. My dad brought a shovel (genious!) so he was able to dig us out most of the times.

Yeah, see those dirty parts in the snow on the bottom left? That's where we were before they guys pulled us out. Close to the drop off. Wow! It doesn't really look like a drop off, but those green snow covered trees are really tall, and they start down in the drop off.

And here's the nice guys who pulled out our truck. My dad said that he really had it, that it was just seconds from coming out by itself, and while I believe him, I really did feel a bit better that they were there, with the truck hooked up to their truck. I knew I wasn't gonna go over the edge.

It really was a fun snow trip. We made it home just a bit late, and Joe was 10 minutes late for kindergarten. When we got back in cell range, I found a message from the school saying that Eme needed to come home because she was coughing so bad. She has Asthma, and whenever she gets a cold, she gets a HUGE coughing fit. Most kids get sniffles. She coughs till she almost pukes. Poor little girl.

Oh yeah, one more story. So I had an appointment at 2:00, and my dad was watching Jimmy (3) and Eme (7 - remember, she came home sick). I got back at 3:11, and my mom was off work already. And Tom was home. Weird. The bus doesn't get there until 3:50. I asked how he got home so fast. My dad said he'd been there for an hour. Now I was really confused.

After calling the school to find out what happened, and talking to his teacher, here's what I found out. On Mondays, Tom's class goes to the library last period. They take their backpacks, and line them up in the hall before they go to the library. Then they walk to the library room, and their teacher stays in the classroom. The library teachers release them to the bus after school.

Well, Tom missed the part where he was supposed to leave his backpack and go to the library. He got his backpack, and went to the bus line. Obviously, no one was there. He figured that he missed the bus, and WALKED HOME!!! He had to cross a major highway to get here, too! Highway 101 is a 5 lane highway. Luckily there's a stoplight with a crosswalk, but STILL, he's 9!!!

But the part that upset me most is that NO ONE AT SCHOOL KNEW HE WAS MISSING. What's up with that? How do you lose a kid, and not even know they're gone. I'm gonna have to go into school tomorrow and talk with the office about it. Tom was safe, and it all turned out fine, but what if it hadn't been Tom? Or what if he'd got hit crossing the road? Or taken on the way home? Not a great thing, school people. You really can't lose kids. Not good!

Woohoo! It's my day at the Orchard!!!

And just for today, my store is on sale for 50% off!!!!! So, now's the time to buy that WordArt you REALLY want. You know you want it :) Click HERE to go to my store.

And check out this CUTE series that I decided to make for you guys. AND YOU GET IT ALL AT ONCE!!! Aren't I nice!!! Click HERE to go to Scraporchard to get the zip file. It's in my store, but it's FREE. Just make sure you're signed into the store to get it.

And you know me, I can't just do something easy. I have to take it further than really necessary. So, here's a DIFFERENT version of the same series. But it's only available on my blog. Click HERE to grab it from my box.net account. And as always, please leave some love if you like my work.