How Does Your Garden Grow?

I have been scrapping. This is my daughter Amanda and flowers grown in our yard. Amanda has one heck of a green thumb and keeps our yard looking so pretty!! I used the yummy Chatterbox papers and embellies I had won as a door prize at Treasured Scrapbooking during a Cyber Crop. Thank you TS!

This is the Azalea bush that sits in our front yard. Beside it blooms gorgeous big peonies. We also have tulips and ornamental grass, tea roses, hostis plants, tiger lilies and petunias. Our yard is so colorful and pretty IF you overlook the FP picnic table, play desk, play kitchen, slide, over-sized plastic cradles, child-size Tommy the Train, electric Barbie car and the dolls, cars and chalks.

Amanda just called. She had an appointment at the genetics clinic. So far, so good. They gave her pictures of the baby which she thinks looks like a boy. As this pregnancy goes, I say boy, even though I wouldn't mind another girl. I love playing dolls and house with my grand-girls. Not that Ben isn't fun, he is, he's a riot. He is a mini version of his rough and tumble, and hard-headed dad.

It's gorgeous here! Hot - just like I like it! The Point is preparing for the 3 Rivers Arts Festival. Lots of activity out there. Tents and stages being put up all over. The Point itself is under construction, so streets have been blocked off and tents put up. I usually just walk through this event during lunch at work, but this year I am bringing Kayla down to check it out. Maybe Sunday. Usually it rains pretty much when the Festival here. It sort of became a joke. So far, the forecast is sunny!

Happy Thursday!

Grand Ole Weekend!

I hope your weekend was as fun and restful as mine! Kayla and I started the weekend off by going bowling at Lokay Lanes Friday evening. Okay, so I didn't have those bumper rails put up cause my competitive side wouldn't allow it. I should have. Kayla, at least, was consistent. Both her games she bowled 48. I, however, wowed the crowd with an 84 and followed up with a 130.

Saturday we were awoken around 6:30 a.m. by the energetic Ben.

The boy is boundless. He doesn't stop. He is so full of personality! In the afternoon, we took Kayla and Ben to the park.


Ben loved the slides, but it was awfully hot. Here he and Kayla hide out in the shade. After the park, we went for ice cream. Ben's dad came around 3:00, I took them both home and then went home for a nap. Kayla played with Kaileen for the rest of the evening.

Church on Sunday and then Kayla went swimming with her Dad, Amanda went shopping with Jerry and my Mom came over for a quiet afternoon to kibbitz. That evening Amanda and Kayla stayed at Jerry's house.

Monday, I picked up Kayla and took her to see Shrek III. Cute movie; the graphics are awesome! Then to McDonald's for lunch. Back at home we had one of her friends over to play and that was our weekend.

Back to work. Happy Tuesday!

I AM SO EXCITED!

Another post in the same day. Who'd a thought? Anyway, I submitted a layout to the 3 Bugs in a Rug Gallery around May 7th and totally forgot about it. Checking out a friend's blog who freelances for 3 Bugs I thought I'd visit the site and see what was new. AND THERE WAS MY SUBMISSION. Blessed Slumber under the Coco line. So cool!!! Just had to share!!!

Three Day Weekend!

Woo Hoo! I have SO much to do. Besides getting caught up on my favorite boards, I have a list and a half of ideas to scrap, mountains of laundry to do, and

Kayla's Slumber Party

Just need to jot down some highlights of Kayla's slumber party. The day started out a little chilly. Mom came over and she, Kayla and I met Cathy at our Church for its biannual rummage sale. I spent about $8.55; Kayla about 35.00+. She bought a 1961 doll for $10.00; a musical doll for $7.00, a porcelain doll for $1.00 and a Boyd's pig for $7.00, plus lots of little items for a quarter. She was very happy. I got a five cent bag of sequins, a floor lamp, a chair and some Golden Books. Then Kayla and I headed over to Michael's where I picked up some ribbon for a swap, onto Giant Eagle for some milk and last minute items, Target for pillows and, of course, Barnes & Noble for some magazines and my White Chocolate Mocha and a Vanilla Bean Frappucino for Kay. Back home we straightened the house and then waited to see if any girls needed picked up. Out of the, let's see, 7 girls and 3 boys asked, 3 girls came. Believe it or not, that's pretty good. We baked 24 funfetti cupcakes which were frosted with funfetti frosting. Served pizzas, potato chips and dip, salsa and tortilla chips, lots of juice boxes, and watermelon. The girls ate everything. There were tears, small spats, lots of laughs, running, jumping, playing dolls, playing on the computer - making Meez, singing to their favorite videos with videocure, a chilly hour at crazy park and finally sleeping. We all slept in and they had a breakfast of a variety of cereals. After breakfast, I gathered them up and dropped them at their homes. I took photos and then messed up royally when uploading and lost them all. I have no clue what happened. It's frustrating!!!

On Sunday, I got a migraine and missed Mikey's graduation. Amanda, Jerry and Kayla went, so that was cool.

Got lots of work and lots of scrapping work to get to. Have a great Tuesday!

I Am At Work

I am at work and Amanda is at home on the first floor watching Joey's two daughters, Cammi and our new baby, Jade, and Kayla has a school friend over for a play-date. She calls me on the phone to say that someone is stuck in the closet. What??? What someone, Kay? Is it Monique? "Yes." Which closet, Kay? "The bathroom." The linen closet. With its wide deep shelves built into the wall above the tub. Okay. So I tell her that she will have to get Amanda to get a screwdriver and pry the top of the cupboard door opened. All doors in our house stick at the top. "She's gonna kill me," I hear her mumble. Oh, well.

So much scrappy good stuff going on. I am in two swaps - one for buttons and one for ribbons. I bought the ribbon at Michael's and wooden clothespins from the Dollar Store. I will be wrapping my ten 12" pieces of ribbon around the clothespins in preparation for mailing on Monday. My buttons, I am mailing today. I also have a CJ that needs my attention and it will definitely be going postal Monday.

I have a list of housecleaning chores I want to accomplish. The major chore being the playroom. UGH! I have to at least make a walking path through it. Kayla is having a slumber party and I want the house to be very clean before it gets trashed by 6+ little girls and 3 boys. (The boys are only invited from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. No staying over for them.)

Mother's Day is Sunday. Jayme and Amanda gave me pretty cards. I remembered to actually buy cards from my Mom and Amanda and got them mailed early. I think the girls and I are going to the movies to see 28 Weeks Later as presents to ourselves. Jayme gave me a $25.00 Starbuck's GC. Yay, me!!

Well, it's 4:07 p.m. I have a few things I have to complete before leaving the office for the day.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!!

A Photo a Day

And of course, I am a day behind. I did have a photo for yesterday, I just didn't get it posted here. Di over at TTS suggested we take a photo a day for the month of May. Good idea! So here is my photo for May 2. This is the beautiful tree I stand under each morning as I wait for the bus into work. Isn't that pretty!

Okay, so what's been happening?? Well, let's see. I have been scrapping like a maniac this past month thanks to TTS. What a wonderful, fun month it was . I can't wait to see what May holds. I visited my favorite sites yesterday (see side panel for places I hang) and copied down all the contests and challenges each has for May. I am going to be busy!!

Tonight I will go home and scrap the last four pages to my Great Aunt's heritage album. I want her daughter to be able to give it to her for Mother's Day. It's gorgeous and I would like to keep it for myself, but. . . I can always scrap another!

Kayla has a dentist appointment tomorrow morning and then I go to the Doc's for an electrocardiogram to see if the swelling is edema or what and then back to Kayla's school for her Maypole recital.

And I have to pack for this weekend's crop in Austintown, Ohio. But first, I have to get through this day and we have an appeal due.

Have a great Wednesday!