Scrapbook Saturday

Credits: Happy Birthday Dad kit by PimpYourScrapbook.
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It's a felt loving Friday...

Felt is such an easy material to work with. You can cut a straight line by eyeballing it for the most part and you can glue things to it, which I love. Last night I hit my felt stash and whipped up a little pencil holder for my son.

He is starting preschool in a week and is not too happy about it. So I thought a colorful, pirate skull adorned pencil holder might help his "no school" attitude. He seems to love the pencil holder, but his dislike of the whole preschool idea remains. Oh well....I tried....

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things About Andrea 13 Things I Have Done Already Today 1. Took my son to Tim Hortons for bagel breakfast 2. Went to Meijer to look for 3M Command Adhesive Hooks and a shoe organizer 3. Installed hooks and shoe organizer in the closet 4. Loaded the crockpot for mac n cheese for dinner 5. Baked up some oatmeal cranberry raisin cookies 6. Made cheesy beefy nachos for lunch 7. Watched cartoons with my son 8. Hollered at the dogs all morning long 9. Took a shower 10. Made the beds 11. Played with my son 12. Visited the mommy board 13. Fell asleep on the couch

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Who moved my cheese?

Ok, well not the cheese, but the hostess for Scrapbook Saturday will be Jessica at Nothing But Purple this week in MommaDawg's absence.

I admit I am new to this meme, but I love it. I hope more and more scrap minded bloggers will hope on the bandwagon as well.

If you are interested, here's some great places to start.

Scrapbook Saturday HQ at MammaDawg

Scrapbook Saturday Buttons at MammaDawg

A Great Way To Find Digi Freebies Is At DigiScrapDepot

Happy Scrappin!

Totally crazy thing I love...

This one is off the wall and out of left field, but ya know I love to see my friend Trisha pimping herself out in lingerie...yep that's right, she's half naked, just to get your attention and vote, check her out here....
http://momdot.com/tester/?p=40

Vote for her here!
http://www.momdot.com/?p=954

Then please, someone give her a robe, cause I'm scared what she'll do next in the name of Hot Blogger Calendar Fame.

Two more pages, oh my!

As a follow up to last weekend's Scrapbook Saturday post, I am showing off the final two page layout of my Nature Center photos.


It is rare to have four pages dedicated to one activity or outing, at least for me it is. However, all the photos from the Nature Center were so cute and we had so much fun, I could not choose just a few.

Also, all papers and elements used are from the Backyard Explorer kit by Mommy Scraps. Check out her awesome blog!

Wordless Wednesday

Me rockin' the pigtails back in '82.

Menu Plan Monday

I'm finally jumping on the Menu Plan Monday bandwagon over at OrgJunkie. This is something I have been attempting to do for years now but have always made it too complex to accomplish. So this morning I sat down and simply made a list of dinners for the week, including three new meals in the rotation.

Monday - Taco Salad Bowls (recipe courtesy of Laura at OrgJunkie), Chips N Salsa
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Caesar Salads
Wednesday - Alfredo Bowtie Pasta With Ham & Broccoli (a spin off from one of Laura's recipes)
Thursday - Crockpot Mac N Cheese (something new for me to try from A Year Of Crockpotting)
Friday - Grilled Hot Dogs, Chips N Salsa and Salad (a mish mash of somethings old and something new)
Saturday - Pizza or Carryout
Sunday - Grilled Chicken Breasts, Mushroom Rice, Corn

Scrapbook Saturday

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Scrapbook Freebie Links...

I am downloading some freebies this evening and just thought I would share the links to some items I like....

http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/theme-kit/sweet-coconut/1037084.aspx
http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/theme-kit/jungle-george/1037049.aspx
http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/paper/5-freebie-swirl-papers-for-aug-kit/1036959.aspx
http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/overlay/spooky-halloween-overlays/1036926.aspx
http://www.digiscrapdepot.com/freebies/paper/paper-pack-sleepy/1036921.aspx

And that's is for today. It is late and my eyes are tired. I will have to unzip and organize my new treasures tomorrow. Happy Scrappin!

Thursday Thirteen

Today's Thursday Thirteen is about celebrity pictures...good and bad...

1.

Way to go Matthew McConnaughey for turning your own lens on the stalkaratzzi.
2.

Seriously now, Elton John, I know you can afford a nice pair of jeans.
3. .

My husband thinks its time for Brooke to hang up her pearly whites and hit the wrinke cream and stop acting. I disagree, what do you think?
4.

Paula Paula Paula, she never ceases to leave me shaking my head and wondering what she's on.
5.

I did not know Gwyneth and Madonna were pals, this is strange to me for some reason.
6.

Now here's a man that can actually pull off a pink shirt.
7.

Ok so from behind something just didn't look right about the Ellen wedding....but then I saw them from them front and thought...awe...

8.

Is it just me or does anyone else think "drag queen" when these two are photographed together?
9.

Um, is Leah winking or are her eyelashes falling off?
10.

Can someone please get this poor reality tv star some shoes?
11.

Her hair looks nice, but where oh where is the rest of her shirt? I do not want to see her pale white freckled midriff. Ick.
12.

Love the new hair!
13.

Last but not least, this is one angry spandex wearing preggo.

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Is this the secret?

I have two dogs. Right now they are both puppies, one is 1 year old and the other is 4.5 months old. My house feels like a zoo at times.

I have been a doggy mom for many years now though and often found myself watching The Dog Whisperer marathons late at night on National Geographic. I continue to be amazed by Caesar Millan and what he can do with crazy canines. His calm manner, his straighforward approach, his lack of a temper...he is incredible. (the exotic accent helps a bit too)

Today while I was at Petco trying to find a food my allergy ridden bulldog can eat (that's a whole other topic), I came across a rack filled with Dog Whisperer products. They carried fortified water for dogs, dry food, treats, beds, collars, leashes and books all created and marketed by Caesar Millan.


One item on the shelf was very interesting though...Dog Whisperer by Cesar Millan Relax Systemic Support for Dogs. Here's what the bottle claims...

What to Expect?
Reduced symptoms of stress and anxiety
Naturally helps your pet find its own level of calm without dulling or drowsiness

Hhhmmmmmm, a liquid supplement that is supposed to help relax dogs? Is this the trick he uses to work his magic?

I don't doubt he has a wonderful approach to working with dogs and their owners to develop behaviors that are healthy, but now I am wondering if all the dogs on the show have been given this magic potion. I can see it being used as an aid to get the dog in a state of calm enough to absorb his instruction and influence. However, I am feeling a bit less amazed at this point and a smidge ripped off.

I will never be able to watch The Dog Whisperer again without wondering if the dog was given a little shot of Caesar's Systemic Support Elixir before the training began.

~pop~ (that's the sound of Petco bursting my lil bubble)

Wordless Wednesday

I won I won I won I won!

Yep that's me doing the Happy Dance! I actually won a contest! Sarcastic Mom emailed me this morning to let me know I am a lucky winner of one of her Orville Redenbacher Popcorn Kits. Yeah baby! I love popcorn and free/won popcorn is sure to taste better than any popcorn I've ever had.

Here's a link to the contest I enterred....http://sarcasticmom.com/reviewsandgiveaways/?p=7

Here's a link to the winners announcement....http://sarcasticmom.com/reviewsandgiveaways/?p=8

Thanks Sarcastic Mom!

Memorial Shadow Box

I made this memorial shadow box last week in honor of our dog Tyson who had to be put down this past June.

Our amazing vet sent us the paw impression they made as well as a white rose to express their sympathy. I knew I wanted to do something more (with the paw print) than put it in a scrapbook or memory box, so I decided to use it in a shadow box.

• I used American Traditional Designs Road Trip Earthtones Asphalt paper as the background
• The metal elements are Around The Block Dog Brads
• The white paper craft ribbon is by Paper Reflections (found at Michaels near rafia and ribbons)
• The bottom features the words "In Loving Memory" printed on Alabaster Vellum by The Paper Company
• The letters spelling out Tyson are Making Memories Providence Small Black Rub Ons
• Of course I also used Scotch Double Sided Tape and some hot glue to keep things together, and Stampin Up! Classic Black Ink to distress the edges of the craft ribbon

I cannot wait to see this shadow box hanging on the wall in our hallway. My husband seemed quite pleased with my tribute to his old buddy. Tyson, you are missed!

Summer Memories Contest...CLOSED

August is always a bittersweet month for me. The temps are normally hot (hello, where is that this year when I want to swim?), but I know it also means the end of summer. So, in honor of the fast-approaching end of summer, I am hosting a contest for a Summer Mini Album.

I made this 6x6 album with fun and fresh summery papers and elements. It has 6 pages and each two page layout has at least one tag for journaling to go along with your picture. Everything is done for you, just plop in your photos with some double stick tape and show it off to your family, friends and co-workers (perfect size for your desk).

How to enter:
1. Your first entry is to leave a comment on this post describing your favorite memory from this summer. Whether it was a family vacation or a day at the park, tell me about it and why you cherish that memory.

2. You can gain an additional entry by blogging your favorite picture from this summer and leaving a link to it here in my comments. This must be a picture you have taken this summer.

This contest will run until September 1st and the winner will be chosen at random. Please ensure your entries include a blog or e-mail address I can contact you at to notify the winner.

Only my child would do this...

I could not resist taking this picture and scraping it. He did this several times with the dry erase markers at his easel. Such a quirky kid.

Awesome Daddy Blogger...

I have read a few blogs authored by fathers, but none quite as touching, quirky and interesting as this one.

Matt is currently a guest blogger over at Single Mom Seeking. No I'm not single or seeking, and it's been so long that I cannot even remember how I came across Rachel's blog, but I visit it regularly and love her stories. Anyway, I read this post on SMS and felt compelled to learn more about Matt and the story that lead him into single fatherhood.

If you have a few minutes and a couple tissues, check it out. Matt's blog is sure to provide smiles, laughter and a few tears.

Wordless Wednesday

Inspirational Nature...

The weather is incredibly perfect here today. Warm, but not hot, sunny with a breeze, just perfect. So, we took a trip over to the local Nature Center. We had never been there before and really enjoyed it. We took a look around inside the center for quite some time. There are several live exhibits and even more that are no longer alive (such as stuffed coyotes and preserved butterflies). Here are the items that were highlights for me...

The most adorable display of birds' eggs...






I can honestly say in all the time I have lived in this area, I have never ventured near the river for any reason. Today we took a little hike and checked it out.

Snow in August?

No, no snow, thank God, although the temps have not been as warm as they should be this month. However, I did scrap some snow pics from earlier this year, check it out...



These papers and elements are from the Winter collection at Shabby Princess.