Happiest Place

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

FONTS:
Happiest - Jeffirana JF
Earth - JiveTalk

Congratulations

OK, another really quick post. I'm making this freebee for you at 1:45 am EST on Thursday night, and the silly internet at the hotel is SNAIL speed. Goodness. I'd planned on putting on pictures, but they're not uploading, so you'll have to wait till I get back to Oregon (sorry mom!). They actually turned out fairly well, despite camera issues.

Ha! I came back and tried again, and actually got a few to post. I do have video of him graduating, and of him taking his oath, but that will have to be a project for another day :) Here's a picture of him, after graduation, infront of the Officer Candidates School arch. Isn't he cute!

And here I am, pinning the bar on his uniform. After they're commissioned, and graduated, they have someone pin their 1st Lt bar on their uniform. Originally, his dad was gonna do one shoulder and I was gonna do the other shoulder, but since his parents coudln't make it, I got to do both shoulders. We had a friend take a few pics of us pinning on the rank.
Graduation went AWESOME, and my hubby is now a commissioned officer in the United States Army. He's a new 2nd Lieutenant, low man on the totem pole in Officer land, but IN officer land, none the less - hehehe. I think they decided that they now outranked 74% of all soldiers in the army. 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.


FONTS:
Felix Titling
StephanieMarie JF
Underwood Champion

Always Be Mine

OK, girls, quick post today! We're getting up at 4:50 am to be ready to leave the room at 5:15 am to be on post at 5:50 am for a 6:00 am jog. Yeah, am I ready for this? Um, Captain America bought me a new jogging outfit yesterday, so I guess I am - LMBO!!! It's really cute :) Black and purple. hehehe. There's 160 ish guys in his company, and a lot of them bringing family/friends, and we're all jogging a mile together. Should be pretty impressive. AND, he assured me that they were going slow. OK, is slow to an army stud the same as slow to poor ole me, who took Thanksgiving to Christmas off of exercise and diet? I'm hope I don't die - LOL!

My sweetheart graduates today, and is a Commissioned Officer in the United States Army. Hooah! Ft. Bliss, here we come :) LOL! Be sure to leave him a nice congrats, and I'll pass it along - he reallly did a GREAT job, and I'm SO proud of all of his hard work and sacrifice. Way to go, babe!!!

Here's a quick freebee for ya today. It's a quote from the Movie/Book, Twilight, by Stephanie Meyers. One of my favorite new series, by the way :) This request is from Cara, and I'm sure you can all use it! 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:
Be, Mine - Hursheys
Always - Inkburrow

Are You Talking to Me?

So, I made it go Georgia!!! My flight left from the Eugene Airpot at 2:35, so I just had time to get Joe on the bus at 11:33, drop Jimmy off at the babysitters, and have my Aunt and Uncle drive me over. About 15 minutes before the bus got there, I thought I lost my wallet, but found it at the last minute. That's the last thing I needed - hehehe. But, I found it, so it was all good.

I chatted with a really nice guy who was an officer in the Air Force before our flight left, and designed all the way to Denver. I made some Birthday Ages wordart packs. They're pretty cool, actually - LMBO!

I was able to get my bag (they put my carry on under the plane because it was full) back, grab a sandwhich at the deli, and board the next flight to Birmingham. Yeah, I ususally don't like to cut it that close, but it worked out this time :)

I landed in Birmingham 10:15pm CST, and was on the road in my rental car by 11:00pm CST. It was only 9pm my time, so I did ok. It was raining, and dark, but I managed to make it the almost 3 hours to Columbus Georgia, AND find my hotel. Any of you who know me will agree, that's quite a feat - LOL! I only got turned around 3 times, and was able to quickly course correct. That's always a good thing.

I got to my hotel room at about 3 am, and my hubby, who had already checked in for the night, was just getting up and getting ready to head to base. CRAZY! Who gets up that early. Soldiers, I guess - LOL! They had a drug test. I guess those are important too - hehehe. I went to sleep, and he was back at 4:30 am, slept till 7:00 am, and was gone again by 8:00 am. Well, I slept in till 11:15 am (but only 8:15 my time). Boy was that nice.

He came back to the hotel at about noon, and we got ready and went to lunch at Red Lobster. That's fancy for us - LOL! I had Shrimp Salad, and Clam Chowder in a Sourdough Bread Bowl. We also had some Coconut Shrimp appetizers, and an Apple pie / ice cream thingy for dessert. TO DIE FOR!!! I love food - LOL!

Then, we headed to Staple to fax our ORDERS to the housing department. OH YEAH!!! I almost forgot to tell you that we got our ORDERS!!! We're definitely going to Fort Bliss, Texas!!! We'll be there all through BOLC II and BOLC III, and stationed there after that too. Usually newly commissioned 2nd LTS stay at their first Permanant Duty Station (PDS) for 36 months, until they make captain, or so I've been told. So that's 3 years in El Paso! Woohoo!!! I'm SO excited.

We HAD to stop at Wal-Mart (hehehe), because my deoderant broke, I was out of contact solution, and I didn't bring my body wash. All important things - hehehe. I got a new sleeveless jacket thingy too. It's pretty cute. White, puffy, and a furry hood. OK, it sounds kinda funny, but trust me, it's NEAT!

After Wal-Mart, we headed over to Trader Joes. It's a store that all the Military guys buy their uniforms, and such at. Or something like that. My man really knows how to show a girl a good time - hehehe. He dropped off a shirt to be dry cleaned, and we looked around for a while.

We headed back to the hotel, and quickly got ready for the dance. It started between 5:00pm and 5:30pm. The place was pretty nice, but the building next door (HUGE brick building!!!), had just recently burned down (2 months ago), so it kinda had a "bombed out" feel to the place. I was like "WHERE are you taking me?" when we pulled up - hehehe.

Wow! The ball was FANTASTIC!!! Everything I hoped it would be :) We really did have a fantastic time :) I met all of Captain Americas friends (yeah, so many that I only remember like 3 people - LOL), we had a GREAT speaker, had FANTASTIC food (gotta love salmon!), and STRAWBERRY shortcake (YUMMY!), and I even got a slow dance. All in all, it was a PERFECT night :)

This is Captain America's roommate and his wife. They were AWESOME! I could have easily been her friend. They have 3 kids, and have been married about as long as we have, if not longer. They are getting stationed at Germany. Lucky! LOL!

Look at how fancy the tables were (yeah, it doesn't take much to impress me - LOL!) We got to keep the fancy silver flosted glasses. They said their class, and something else on them. Kinda like the glasses you get to keep at prom.

And YUMMY Strawberry Shortcake. It was so moist and GOOD! Dang good :) LOL! yes, I know, pathetic. Fancy dance, and I'm taking pictures of food - hehehe. Keeping it real :)

Tomorrow, there's some kind of meeting from 9-12 on post for the families. It had some kind of Acronym, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it is, and Captain America's already asleep. But, they're gonna tell us all about being a military family, and stuff like that. He's gotta be on post at 8:45 anyway, so he'll just drop me off, then afterwords, we'll eat lunch there, and go to the PX. I just LOVE the PX. Ha! I want to find some little Army souviners for my friends who are watching my kids.

It's WordArt Wednesday again, and if you look carefully at Scraporchard, you'll see that last week (or maybe it was 2 weeks ago, can't remember), we used my 12 Days of Christmas as Word Art Wednesday Week 26 or something like that. Well, this week is Week 26. OK. Ha! Just go with it :) LOL!

Click HERE to go to Scraporchard to download the ZIP file. And remember, leave some love if you like my work.

Thoughts With You

So it's Tuesday. I'm prepublishing, because it's only Sunday for me - LOL! But, I should be in Georgia, with my sweetheart again! We're going to the BALL TODAY!!! Can you tell I'm just slightly excited! Once you get married, have kids, and get old (LOL!), you no longer get to dress up in fancy clothes and go to parties. Well, NOT ANYMORE!!! I'm so excited for my first Army Ball. I'll let you know if it was everything I was hoping for :) hehehe.

This WordArt request is for Simply Sarah. I thought that it would be nice for sympathy cards. Anyway, use it how you see fit :) 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:
Thoughts - HelenaScript ES
are, with, you - Felix Tilting

God Qualifies

Well, I spent a little while last night packing. I printed out my flight/rental car/hotel information, as well as mapquest maps to and FROM my hotel to the airport. Hehehe, I don't reverse the route too well my myself - ha! And Mapquest does it SO well, I might as well let them - hehehe.

I leave tomorrow at 2:30, so if anyone wants to see me off, I'll be there - LMBO! My Aunt or Uncle are gonna drive me over, and I found friends to watch my kids the 5 days I'll be gone. My mom will get the 3 big kids ready for school, and drive them there as usual. They leave around 8am. Then, my Grandma and/or Aunt Sue will come over and take the 2 little kids to my friends' house. Joe will catch the bus at 11:30, and Jim will stay and play. The school aged kids get back to my Moms at 4, which is also when she gets off work. My friends will just drive Jimmy back home, homework, dinner, and bed. And repeat the next day - LOL!

So, thanks to Ann, Maryann, April, Erin, and Rebecca for watching my kiddos for me! Don't know what I'd do without friends like you guys! You ROCK!!!!

AND, on a side note, for all of you who sent me Christmas Cards, be patient with me :) I'm not lugging all of my Christmas Cards with me to Georgia, so I'll have to get to that project when I get back - hehehe. Just be patient with me, and know that I didn't forget about ya!

This WordArt request is from Naomi. I thought it was a great saying! And SO true :) 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:
God - Stephanie Marie JF
Qualifies - Felix Tilting

To Grandmother's House

So we took Captain America to the airport yesterday. While I knew that I would see him in only a few days, I still kinda felt like someone was taking a piece of my heart away. I'll miss him dearly, and can't wait to see him again on Tuesday. Hurry honey, and get done with trainings :) This new army wife is growing impatient (LOL!).

Here's a family pic that we took right before we left Florence. Aren't we cute!

Ha! We matched, and we didn't even mean to - LMBO!

Awe, aren't these pictures just....sad! Poor kids. They were really sad to see their dad go. They AREN'T gonna see him on Tuesday, so they were pretty sad about it.

And I just love this one of Tom and Captain America. So sad!

So after Captain America left on his flight (2:35pm from Eugene), my kids and I, and my parents and my neice, headed to Wal-Mart. My mom got her hair cut (my Christmas present to her), and we shopped. I decided that I needed a new suit case for my trip. Mine was small, and I just need more clothes than I can fit in it - LMBO!! They're big, and red, and COOL! It was a 6 piece set for $44. Gotta love Wal-Mart. I also got some storage bins for my kids new Christmas toys. AND, I got a whole bag of M&Ms. Yeah, that's on the diet. I drownded my saddness in chocolate. I'll chocolate de-tox today. Yesterday was the last day of chocolate for a while.

Speaking of eating the WHOLE bag of chocolate.... I bought a new dress for the dance. I've gained about 8-10 lbs over the holidays, and my formal dress is a bit snug (well, it won't zip - LMBO!). So, I bought a new one - hehehe. I decided my choices were - not eat for 4 days; or buy a different one from the thrift store. Yeah, I bought a new one - hehehehe. It's REALLY pretty. It's a reddish color, and has black velvet trim on the top. I'll take pics later and show you all. I'm gonna take them both with me, just in case I shed a few lbs before Tuesday (hehehe), and can fit back into it. But, I think that at the end of the 3rd Officer training we have another ball. So I'll use it then. Ha!

After Wal-Mart, we headed to the Mall. I had a $25 gift card to "The Gap". I decided that I'm not a Mall person. I found a sweater at the Gap, and with my gift card, it was only $1.99. Who pays that much for clothes? Holy cow! Sticker shock! I'm DEFINITELY as Wal-Mart/Thrift Store girl. While those clothes were really nice looking, I coudln't see paying that much for clothes. Wow!

After the Mall, we went to dinner at Chilis. Yeah, I LOVE Chilis. I got the Quesadillia Explosion. YUMMY! Heheheh, yeah, this is the reason that I had to get a new dress - LOL! After Chilis, we headed for a McDonalds nearby, to let the kids play in the 3 story playland. We got a soda, so we were technically "customers', and let the kids play.

All in all, it was a good day. I sent part of my heart away to Georgia again, but I'm looking forward to getting it back on Tuesday. Sigh. Such is life for an army wife. What's the saying? They also serve who sit and wait. Something like that.

This WordArt request comes from Renee. She thought it would be nice for Christmas pictures of her kids at their grandparents house. Like from the song, "Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother's house we go". So, even if you don't call your grandma "grandmother", this one still works, because it's a quote from a song. You get the point - 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:
Grandmother's - Acroterion JF

Spoiled

Pre-publishing again :) It's Friday day, and I've snuck out to do some work. I really need to get back to the "FOB", though - LOL! But, I got Fridays and Saturdays done. Captain America is leaving tomorrow (or today, for you guys). I'm gonna miss him, but I'll see him on Tuesday, so it's not really like goodbye, now is it. And then, hopefully we'll be back together in February. If the guys in charge of orders ever gets his act together. We should have had orders before Christmas Exodus. Oh well. Hopefully we'll get them on Monday. Keep your fingers crossed for us :)

This WordArt request is from Dawn. How funny is this! 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!

FONTS:
Spoiled - Batik Regular
just, well, loved - ATCitadelScript
I'm, not - Effloresce

2009

Captain America leaves tomorrow. Wow did vacation go fast! The people who's house we were staying at are coming home today, so we're back out at the cabins again. The kids were really excited that it was the same cabin from last week. Funny, how something so small makes them so happy. LOL! I snuck into town to grab some wi-fi, and the kids are playing video games with there dad. One more day - we get to go on a date tonight! I'm excited! My friend, Ann, is watching the kids for us. I SO love my ward, and the new friends that I've made here. You guys are the BEST!!!

Wow, sorry girls :) I think this is the first time since I started my WordArt blog that I didn't have something for ya :) Well, I guess here it is, so I technically have something for ya, but it wasn't on time, and I knew it :( I did make this for you last night, though. And if I had had internet, I would have posted it for ya. But I didn't. So sorry :)

I thought it was kinda fun and funky, so 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:
Pupcat
Sylfaen
ATCitadelScript

Happy New Year!

Well, our temple trip was WONDERFUL! We did end up getting to go. Thank goodness :) Maren and Chet watched the kids on Monday night, and we drove up to Woodburn (about 20 minutes from the temple). We got a hotel room, and met my parents at the temple on Tuesday at noon. We went to lunch at Applebees first, then did a session.

We even got to do some sealings. I'd never done those before, so that was AWESOME. For those of you not familiar with the temple, we believe that a husband and wife can be sealed together (married) for time and all eternity in the temple. And it's not really fair for those people who died and never got a chance to be sealed in the temple, so we can do their temple work for them (proxy). That's why doing our genealogy is so important. Then, those individuals who have passed on can choose wether they want to accept the sealing or not. Fair for everyone. Everyone gets the same chance. Same with baptism.

Anyway, we helped with a few proxy temple sealings. It really was nice. It reminded me of renewing our vows. A chance to hear again the promises we made when we were married back in 1996. I'm so glad that Captain America is my husband, and I love him dearly. What a great man I have. Even with all of his short comings, I'll keep him (LOL!)!!!! Here's a few pics from our trip.

Aren't these wood doors gorgeous!

Here we are in the atrium.

These are a little out of order, but that's ok. Here's Captain America and I at lunch at Applebees.

And, we stopped at Cold Stone Creamery on the way home. OH.MY.GOSH! I got something SUPER chocolately. Can't remember the name, but it was AMAZING. It had chocolate ice cream, chocolate sauce, fudge, brownines, and chocolate chips. Wow. I was LOVIN' it! Hehehehe. (Chocolate Devotion, my mom just remembered :)

So tonight (pre-publishing), we're gonna go to the neighbors house (the Mitchells - I preschool with April) for New Year's Eve games. It'll be fun! After the kids go to bed, so it will be even more fun :) I'm at my mom's briefly to publish this post, and pick up a movie. They bought Eagle Eye, and Captain America and I are gonna watch it before we go over to the Mitchells house. Well, if I get off the computer and get back to the FOB (LOL!). So, gotta run, girls.

Happy New Years everyone :) Hope your 2008 was FANTASTIC, and wishing you an even better 2009!!!! 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:
Happy, New, Year - Pussycat
Happy, New, Year! - CK_Alis_Hand_Official (or something like that)

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!