Gearing up for the end...

Of the year that is. It's hard to believe that November has come and gone and the count down to Christmas is officially upon us. I've been sitting in my scrappy office and I see so much stuff but not enough scrapped pages. I think it's time to get back to setting goals for my self for the month.
In December I will:

1. Complete my Christmas Cards
2. Scrap 20 pages
3. paint Paper Mache ornaments for gifts

It's a small list but there's a lot of work there. Now how about you? I would love to see how you plan to finish out the year 2008. There may even be a RAK in it for 1 lucky scrapper.

SO Far Behind...

Wowzers! I can't believe it's been so long since I've been here to write. I feel like such a total slacker. Well, I've been doing some scrapping, but I'm not anywhere near home so unfortunately no pictures to post. I am currently in Pennsylvania visiting my family. It has been so long since I've been here and I am just so thrilled to be here. I am staying at my Grandma Ruhl (Mom's Mom) but I am planning to see as many folks as I can while I'm here. We've been making Christmas Cards all night and I am happy to say all of her Christmas cards are done and ready to mail out. Now if I could finish my own. :) I also brought my kits from the fabulous Studio Calico to play with. I'm hoping the change of scenery will inspire me to create....I've been so blocked lately. I've had no problems making cards but I can't seem to get a scrap book page done at all. It's like my will to scrap has been sucked out of me. I really want to scrap...I have lots of pictures to scrap and lots goodies to scrap with. I've even had time to do it...I just can't seem to find the motivation or the inspiration. Now I'm here, hanging out at Grandma's and sketching away. Hopefully I'll have pics to share when I get home.

In the meantime, y'all have a great weekend, hug your family and friends and scrap loads of pictures!
Hugs!!

She Loves Me!!

She really does! my friend from Scrap-Diner, Amanda, left me this award on her blog last week. I am very flattered that such an amazingly talented lady thinks my little blog is something special. :)

Naturally a blog award must be share, and a litttle love must be spread, so here are the rules:

Award this to seven of your favorite blogs with the following instructions:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog
2. Link the person you received your award from - Amanda
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs - I'm picking all ne winners from last time...but I still love you guys...and I don't read that many other bloggers. :)
4. Put links of those blogs on yours

So I don't have 7, but here are 4 more blogs that I LOVE:

Nancy With A Jones
Di Hickman
Lucy the Scprapping Queen
Sonia D - Love her style!!

So thank you to Amanda for honoring me with this award, and congratulations ladies! You continue to inspire me everyday!

I'll be cropping today while working on laundry...the never ending chore, so hopefully I'll really have pics for you guys this weekend. :) Enjoy your Saturdays and the cooler weather!
Hugs,
Jessi

Crop Pink

Hello Bloggers,

This was a very quick week. We celebrated Customer Service Appreciation Week at work and my team voted me to have a Best Customer Service. I was very surprised, but it really does feel good to be recognized for all my hard work.

So, this weekend The girls at Scrap-Diner are scrapping pink and raising money for Breast Cancer Awareness. Check it out. Sherine has really out done herself with prizes too. If you've never been to the Diner go check them out. It is such a fabulous place and her store is to die for. I heart Scrap-Diner.

Ok, so no pics right now, but maybe tomorrow after I've done some scrappin.
Much Love!
Jessi

Moving Forward

So, Friday was the memorial service for my sweet dear friend. In the viewing room all of her beautiful scrapbook pages and mini books were displayed for all her friends and family to see. She expressed her love for her family and friends, and her passion to make the world a better place through her art....her creations truly are works of art. Afterwards David took me to dinner and insisted I indulge in dessert and scrappiness. I am so lucky!
Sitting in my scrap room today I look around, I am reminded of her so much, and I realise that she would want us to keep scrapping...to let life continue and remember her in our art...in our lives...Aleida would want us to learn from her. To live life to it's fullest....experience everything and regret nothing. Today is my day to move forward. A huge thank you goes out to all who have been here for me through this. Your friendship means so much to me. Now, let's not remain sad but rejoice in the beauty and love that IS Aleida Franklin. She will always be with us, every where we go, and in everything we do. The world is a better place because she was a part of it.

So, moving forward - I have been working on Christmas cards. I know, a little early, but Christmas always makes me happy. Here they are!

I am missing my friend....

It's been 4 days and I think I am finally ready to write this. For those of you who haven't heard the news by now, the world lost a beautiful woman and amazing mother Friday morning. Aleida Franklin was driving to work when someone ran the red light and hit her. She died very shortly at the hospital. 10 hours after her death I came home from work, logged into my email, getting ready to send her an email about a movie this weekend when I saw an email from April at Studio Calico. I didn't understand her email. All it said was

"Just wanted to contact you regarding Aleida and the news I heard this morning. Is everything alright?"


I had no idea what she was talking about. I grabbed my phone and called her cell...no answer. Then I jumped on the boards at SC and read the news. My amazingly talented, beautiful friend was dead. My heart stopped, and for a moment I stopped breathing. It was like some one had punched me in the stomach. Was this real? Then I saw a post from one of our mutual friends, and I sent her a PM with my cell asking for confirmation and Brandon's number. I had to hear the truth from "real" sources. I didn't doubt my eyes...I just didn't want to believe what I was reading.

4 days later I am still very sad, but at the same time I am amazed. The response from the scrapbook community has been so overwhelming! So many people have visited Aleida's blog, sharing their sadness and offering condolences and prayers for her family. If she ever had any doubts about being loved, they were all blown away. So many people read her blogs or knew her from online scrapbook message boards.

Aleida came into my life mid summer last year while I was working at Recollections. She was a spunky, feisty and sarcastic scrapper that spoke her mind and had a style all her own. Admittedly I was intimidated by her when we first met. Over the next couple of months we got used to each other and started talking about our lives outside of the store. By September I was happy to call her my friend. We started sharing our goals and dreams of what we wanted, both in our scrapbooking and in our lives. Then Dave proposed. Naturally Aleida was one of the first girls I thought of when I started thinking about Brides Maids. The look on her face when I asked her...it was brilliant. That was the day our friendship, in my mind, changed forever. That was the day I started to consider her as one of my best friends. I was so inspired by her work, her zest for life, the love she had for her family, but most of all I was inspired by her spirit. She spoke her mind and never thought twice about it, nor did she regret it. She gave encouragement to all who entered our store and all who encountered her online. She was fun to be around and she made sure you know how she felt about you.

Tonight I sit in my office, looking through my albums...thumbing through memories, remembering my friend. I created this LO after she made the Scrap the Music DT. It was perfect. Looking at it now, it is even more perfect. Her friendship was a true gift and I will treasure it always. I love you Aleida. I will miss you, but I will take what you taught me about life and use it every day. Thank you for living your life and loving those around you. I'll see you again someday.

Quick Post - FYI

My cathartech email is down due to the weather. If you want to reach me you can find me at jessig99@tx.rr.com. I will keep you guys updated with any news I hear about arrangements. I hope you are all doing well in this sad time. I love you guys so much!

Sad News

I am not prepared to write the blog I want to write about this....I'm still in shock. Today a truly special woman was taken from this world. Her name, Aleida Franklin. I considered her to be one of my best friends. To say I love her is understated. To say she will be missed is not even scratching the surface. Tonight my prayers go out to her sweet beautiful family and friends. I pray that God provides peace and comfort to them in this terrible time in their lives.

Now I'm going to be with Dave and grieve the loss of my sweet scrap sister and dear friend.
Good night blogers, and be safe, and hold those you love close to you.

I am way late, but WOWZA!

I am so honored to even be mentioned on her blog, much less receive an award! Thank you Aleida! I am honored!

Here are the rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
   
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
   
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
   
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
   
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

Here are my 7.....so here they are!

Sherine

Liz

Tanisha

Kim

Amanda

Wendy Jo

Lauren

Go check them out and show some love. They are all fabulous!!
I am mostly a lurker, but I lvoe them all! Congrats lady and continue to be fabulous!!
Sorry no pics again, Hoping to get my album finished before I post the pics. :)
Have a great night everyone!!

Sunday Morning Quickie

Hey Bloggers!
I'm off to Mom's today to help her work on a project but I wanted to stop in and say Hello.

I have some sad news. My little brother and his new wife aren't doing so well. I don't have any details, but there is already trouble in paradise. He's on his way to Iraq right now so that doesn't really help. I don't usually do this in a public forum, but I am a firm beleiver in the power of prayer and they really need it. Please, anyone reading this....pray that they can work through this. I hate seeing either of them in pain, and I just don't know what to do other than be for them to talk and to pray.

Ok, enough of that....I have a minibook to post later on today. I'm going to gry to finish it while I'm at Moms so I'll be posting pictures tonight. :) I am also working on a challenge for Studio Calico. We've been challenged to create something with the Bind it All. I'm hoping to work on that a little bit today too.

Y'all have a great Sunday and I'll be back tonight with pictures.
Hugs and Love and Happy Scrapping!!
Jessi

What's this? Twice in 3 days??

Hee hee...so that was for Aleida who always fusses at me for not keeping up with my blog. You know I love you girly!!

So...It's Labor Day and I spent the afternoon at Movie Trading Company with David. We, and by we I mean I got Guys and Dolls, Fiddler on the Roof, The Devil Wears Prada, and Hairspray (the new remake). We also picked up an original NES and the Gold edition of Zelda 2, The Adventures of Link. I know, it sounds uber nerdy, and maybe it is, but it still kicks ass! :)

I also spent all day yesterday playing at Mom's. I made about 50 Heidi Swapp inspired cards. Hey..I had all the pieces cut for me, why not? I also made some photo wallets for Etsy and I played with some other fun techniques from Splitcoast Stampers. Wanna see my favorite? I know you do...and I wanna show it off, so there!

I also finished my Circle Journal from Studio Calico. Wanna see it? Well, I'll give you a sneak peak. I think Heather is going to need bigger rings. I'll send some along with the album...you never know. :)

Finally a quiet weekend!

So my brother flew back to Washington State. His lovely bride, and my new SIL Shannon stayed behind with their beautiful daughter Kylie. I loved having him home, and I was glad to meet his lovely wife, and I am glad I like her 'cause I always wanted a sister. She's just great, and her little girl is adorable.

I have to say tho, I am glad to just have a weekend where we are not rushing off to meet anyone or rushing back to meet friends from out of town...it's nice to just sit in my office and play with my paper and computer and crank up the Pandora. "The Pandora?" you ask. Why, Pandora is my new favorite web discovery. It's a website that you can build radio stations based on your favorite musics. Right now I have about 10 stations. I am loving it, and it's less distracting to me than TV so I actually get some stuff done in the office. :) I also discovered a new website called Splitcoast Stampers. It's not a new site, but it is new to me. My friend Jeannine used to always talk about it at Recollections, but I never really payed it a visit until last weekend. I learned so much just in my first hour. Wanna see what I made? Here it is - and all from my scraps!!

So now I'm off to scrap some more and moake some more goodies. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Happy Labor Day!!

PS - Marla and Debra it is so great to hear from you guys. Of course I remember y'all! I miss you guys and really miss seeing all the beautiful things y'all create. I hope y'all are well, and if you ever want to chat, feel free to email me: jessig99@tx.rr.com

He's Home!!!

I am the happiest girl in the world right now! My little brother is home on leave from his life in the United States Navy. We spent most of the day Sunday with our family and I got to spend some more time with my fabulous sister-in-law to be. Here's a picture of the happy couple. :)

Dave and I had lunch with Justin, Shannon and her beautiful little girl Kylee. (sorry if I misspelled that Shannon.) They are getting married Thursday monring and soon I'll be an Aunt!! I am very excited. Since I'm off the next 2 days I'll be helping them where I can and hopefully scrapping. My head cold has been hanging on and may FINALLY be gone so I'm looking forward to getting some scrapping done.

Well, I've gotta go make dinner. Y'all be good, or at least be good at it. ;)

Hugs,

Jessi

She lives...

So after my last post I came down with a nightmare of a head cold. I barely went into my scrap space even tho I was dying to get my hands dirty and play. I was sick at work, missed a day and then back to work, even tho I wasn't entirely over being sick because my "lovely" employers thrive on making their employees feel guilty for being sick. I just wanted to say "I LOVED that I was running a fever and couldn't breath and couldn't keep food down! It was the best day of my life!" All sarcasticly of course, but I didn't and I won't because I'm feeling much better. Still a little congested, but I'll survive.



So...I am very sad to say that my computer ate my Circle Journal pics and I didn't catch it until after I formated my SD card. If anyone out there is in Circle Journal Group 3 and has my books, please feel free to post pics on your blog so I can link there and show the rest of the world. In the mean time, this came in the mail to me today! I am the first to add to her book and I am way excited. It is such great book and I love the house. I really want to go order one of these books and make a house book all my own. (Yes, Recollections made me really sick of houses, but these ones come apart, making them much easier to cut. )



Well, now that I'm well enough to do stuff I'm going out to dinner with my sweety and then I'm coming back to snap and upload pics of projects I did while I was at the Scrapbook Retreat in July.

Have a great night!!
Jessi

And she reappears...

So after I disappeared for like a month I've decided to re-surface. I"m feeling under the weather today, but I know I really need to update so my online friends at least know I'm still alive. I have been so burnt out, but I'm back to play and chat. I've been working on my Circle Journal for Studio Calico and it has been a challenge. It's now on it's way to Erin's and one is on it's way to me so I'm excited about that. Other than that, I really haven't been up to much. 3 weeks ago I was on a scrapbook retreat and got quite a bit of work done. I'll post some of that later. I have also been re-reading the HP books...I've read them multiple times, but sometimes I just feel the need to read them. Oh....and David pre-ordered the Limited Addition "Tales of Beetle the Bard" for me for Christmas. It's just gorgeous and I am so excited.

Anyway...away from the nerdy-ness for a little while. Dave and I are getting closer to finally picking a wedding date. So far it is looking like October 24,2009...We're looking at another date in November, but I am really drawn to the October date. It just seems perfect to me...don't know why, but it does. So now I just need to create some lovely invites and ask a few very important people some very important questions. That doesn't mean I'm set...not by a long shot. But, it's a step closer to the big day. :)

In other news, I've been waffling on Weight Watchers, but I have finally made the commitment and stuck to it. Dave agreed to do it with me, so now this girly is slimming down and she's got help. Dave and I cleaned out the fridge and pantry last week...no junk food in the house...that I know of. I"m sure there's a stash somewhere for when the boys come over to play, but I've asked him to make sure it's somewhere I can't find it, and to not tell me it's in the house so I don't go looking for it either. I have a terrible addiction to junk, so if it's in the house I'll eat it...otherwise I'm fine. My name is Jessi and I'm addicted to junk food. :p

Let's see...what else have I been up to....not a whole lot. Work is crazy busy and that's good, but I think I"m starting to burn out on that too. I'm hoping for a lateral move to a new dept in the coming months...I'm so tired of what I'm doing now. We'll see.

Ok, the DayQuil is starting to wear off so I'm going to go take some more and go back to bed. Y'all have a great Sunday!!

See, I can scrap...

So I have finally made time to just sit in my office and scrap today and I have really enjoyed it. I've been doing Challenges for Scrap-Diner's Cheers Crop, and I did a Layout for Scrap The Music. Really gals, if y'all haven't been to either of these places, I advise you to check 'em out. A lot of inspiration and a lot of talent! Before I show you the goods, let me catch you up on life at Jessi and Dave's. I've been working my ass off...Dave's been on vacation. He deserves it, but it is so hard getting out of bed, knowing he's going to stay there until noon, and then the hardest thing he is going to do is run from the cops while his crime level is 4 stars. (If you don't speak geek that's a GTA reference. I know, it's sad that I know this, but that's the price you pay for marrying a computer geek.) Then I come home and try to do housework, but this has been a rough week, so it goes undone, and I go to bed. In other news, I have been collecting those Coke Glasses from McDonald's. Does anyone else do this? I swear, it started out as a joke and now has become almost an obsession. I think all we need now is the pink one and the clear one and I'll have them all. This leads me to my next question tho...is it a sin to drink Pepsi from a Coke glass? Think about it while I bring out the goodies!

Anyway, I digress. I was challenged to scrap-lift this, and here's what I came up with.

Then I went onto another challenge in the Cheers Crop. We were challenged to scrap music that inspired us. What a coincidence! I was just sitting down to start my STM LO. Here it is. "Sentimental Mood" by Duke Ellington and John Coltrane. I love this song and I LOVE this picture. Hope you enjoy.

I'm still scrapping away, but I wanted to get these two posted while I was contemplating my next LO. I think the laundry's dry too, so I'll see y'all later!!
Hugs!!
Jessi

Me and My Mojo!

So my mojo may just be coming back. after cleaning my scrap space last week I finally sat down and decided to create. I got a fabulous Journal Kit from Studio Calico last month and I decided it was the perfect project to get me started. I am really pleased with the outcome. Take a look!

So yesterday I went down to Mineola and met my little brother's fiance. She is super nice and my brother has really picked a good one. We had lunch at a little Italian place near her house and talked about how they met and that kinda stuff. All in all it was a nice afternoon.

After wards I went home to take Dad out to an early Father's Day lunch/ dinner at Blue Mesa. LOVE this place. I have gotten a sampler every time I go because there is just so much good stuff there. I love their Sweet Potato chips and Queso Blanco. If you've never been and there's one near you.....shame shame..it is AWESOME! Its also a great place for Tequila because it is most known for their Tequila bar. Good stuff.

Well, it's Father's Day so Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's past present and future out there. I'm gonna go call mine and then maybe go with Dave to take his out to lunch. Y'all have a great Sunday and be safe!

Hugs,
Jessi

Amazing Scrap Space!

Just a quick post, but I had to share!

Ok, so I was cruising the websites tonight and I stumbled across this fabulous scrap space! You have to go check it out because it is truly a sight to behold and a true inspiration for me. Gotta Love Making Memories.

Ok, so now I'm gonna go scrap. Y'all be good!
Hugs,
Jessi

Viva Las Vegas!

So, I finally downloaded and sorted through all the pictures. Don't worry, I didn't upload all of them, just the fun ones. We had such a great time. Dave and I went all sorts of yummy places, place a lot of penny slots, had a lot of free drinks, saw Phantom of the Opera and even left ahead in a few casinos. If you ever have the chance to go to Las Vegas I highly recommend it. We spent a week there, and it was nice because we got to wander around and get to know the city, but our next trip will only be a few days. Now we know what we like so there will be less exploring needed. Now I just gotta print pics and get ready so scrap 'em.

Guess what I did this weekend??

Ok, so I know I'm a day late...you love me tho...right? Thought so. So this weekend I decided I would break out of my funk and get some work done. Well, when I went into my scrap room I was met with a disaster. I was discouraged so I turned on Lifetime and started to watch Army Wives. (Great show unless you can't deal with anything military without getting choked up. I'm getting there...) But I digress. So I cleaned my scrap space!! Wanna see? Thought you might. Soo here it is in all it's glory. Keep in mind I only get 1/2 of the office and I have a room full of stuff.

So Sunday morning I took a break from cleaning my space and went to one of my best gal pal's house. Some of you may know her, and for those of you who don't, let me just tell you she is fabulous and a girl couldn't ask for a better friend. She took me to see Sex and the City, and I loved it. It was definitely a great way to escape the boy at home and the company made it all the better. After the movie we went to Bahama Buck's and back to the Casa to hang out for a bit. Then I got out the camera and captured a few sweet moments.

This is a picture of Aleida and her gorgeous little angel, Bella. She is the kinda little girl that makes Mama's proud and Daddy's nervous. She's so sweet but she's got a wild side that is gonna keep her parent's on their toes as she gets older. I only hope to have a little beauty of my own one day.

So I know you all want to see Vegas pics..they're coming...I promise. I'm still sorting through them and hoping to have a slide show up in the next couple of days. I'm off to grab a snack, a shower and then head to bed. Y'all be good and be safe!
Hugs!!
Jessi

Getting out of my funk

So, I know my posts have been very few, and very far between...more so lately. I've just been in a crazy, uncreative funk. Today that stops. I have been MIA for far too long and I've been neglecting my art,k my firneds and my favorite scrappy haunts online. So this will be a quick post because I'm on a secret mission, which I will share later...not a mission for anyone but myself...but you will see my end result later tonight or possibly tomorrow.

So I bid you all good Saturdays as I dive into my scrap room and prepare to work. I love you all and will have pics and a much lengthier post coming.

Vegas Baby!!

Hi Friends!
I know I'm not good at updating, but I have an excuse for next week. I'll be in Las Vegas!!! I am so so so so excited. Dave and I are cleaning up the apartment, finishing some laundry and packing 'cause we leave in 14 hours!

I hope you all have fabulous weekends and great weeks. I'll pull the slots for all of y'all. (And Aleida, I'll be scoping out good places for us 'cause I have a feeling we'll need to plan a girls trip there someday.)
Love y'all and be safe!!
Hugs,
Jessi

Small updates and BIG frustrations

Howdy Folks! I know I promised pics like 2 weeks ago, but I have hit a few snags. Aparently the USB cable that came with my new camera is BS 'cause it don't work with my 'puter. *sigh* I don't have a card reader ....yet...so I need to run and get one so I can post pics soon.

I've also been away because I really feel like I lost my mojo. Not really sure what the prob has been, I just know that every time I walk into my space I just feel so uninspired and so ....blah.... I'm hoping the worst is behind me now...it was a good weekend.

Now for the updates. This has a been a whirlwind of a weekend. Friday was Dave's birthday so I took him to CGX to pick up a few vintage games for our Darth Vader Atari. I know, completely nerdy, but it makes him happy and that makes me happy. As we were headed out and on our way to dinner, work calls. I took Dave home to deal with work and we dined on the gourmet goodies of Burger King. ;) Ok, so Birthday dinner was a bust. TO make it up to him I took him to Blue Mesa for lunch. It was AWESOME!!! It is beauutiful and classy and unlike and mexican restraunt I've ever been to. If you're in Dallas, I highly recommend it. Then we stopped by Siegles to stock up on the essentials for a small Birthday Party. For those of you who know me, you know I'm not a drinker...I was last night. Nothing big, but I did have a few drinks and we had a great time. Now, let me start by saying I don't condone drinking and driving at all....but Mario Kart with a buzz is HILARIOUS! A good time was had by all.
Today I went to Mom's and picked up my MSD packages from QVC. And Aleida, you will be very proud of me. I got the 7gypsies ATC holder! I also got some other yumminess to play with . I'm hoping to get a new USB cable so I can start sharing my pics.

On other news, one of my favorite gal pals also had a birthday this week. Happy Birthday Aleida! I know it's a little late, but you know me...always late. Love you girl and hope you had a fabulous week. You've got Happy Mail coming your way this week.

Well, I'm off to rearrange my scrap space in hopes of jump-starting my mojo!
Have a great Sunday!!

Happy NSD!!!!

National Scrapbook Day is upon us and I could not be MORE excited. I was sick today, which sucked, but I'm feeling much better now. So now I'm sitting in my scrap room, gotting down goals for tomorrow and setting challenges for me and Mom. We are going to spend the whole day together, scrapping, shopping and munching out some yumminess.

I promise to take pics and post all my goodies tomorrow. I hope you get the chance to play a little, or alot and celebrate NSD!
Hugs!!
Jessi

Reliving my musical childhood

So I saw this on Scrap-Diner and it made me smile. Here's a chunk of my childhood! Enjoy!

I feel pretty...oh so pretty...

So, I'm waiting for the Big Reveal at Studio Calico so I'm blogging because my computer is not liking the messsage boards right now.

I feel so BEAUTIFUL right now. Wanna know why? I have finally found a make up that is perfect for me! Have you guys ever heard of Bare Minerals? I know...I know...we've all seen the infomercials late at night. Usually I just roll my eyes and say "Yeah, if it were that good there wouldn't be ugly chics. We'd all have flawless skin and we'd all be beautiful." I was completely skeptical because I've done the Mary Kay thing, I've tried other make-ups...I've tried EVERYTHING....until this. My mom called me yesterday and said she needed to go buy more foundation and Dad didn't want to go with her. I was confused because we used to just pick it up at Wally's while we were grocery shopping, no biggie, and they had gone shopping earlier that day. That's when she told me she couldn't get it there. So I shrugged my shoulders and tagged along. That's when I found out she too uses the infomercial make-up. She told me how much she liked it so I thought, what the heck. Not working at Recollections has helped me save up some money so I bought the starter kit and the Eyes, Cheeks, Lips starter kit. I LOVE it!!! It is uber easy, uber quick, and it doesn't feel like I'm wearing 20 lbs of make up on my face. I also love the instructional DVD that comes with it. Yes, I said instructional DVD. It seems silly, but it did help me feel more confident using the product after I had seen it. Long story short, if you haven't tried it, go for it!

Ok, I'm going to go try the boards again. See y'all later!
Hugs,
Jessi

Catching up

Hello Bloggers!!
So I have been a very busy girl the past several weeks. Let's see...where to start. Well, 3 weeks ago I got bit by the "Clean Everything" bug and spent the whole weekend cleaning and scrubbing the whole apartment. I mean, we had loads of cleaning to do and I managed to do it all Saturday and part of Sunday. It felt so good to have a clean house.I was feeling so "Housewifey" after that so I actually cooked a dinner. Not a fix something quick or anything like that. I actually peeled potatoes and read recipes and made a killer corn chowder. I'd share the recipe, but.....well, it's an old "family secret" that can be found at any Central Market. :) The week that followed was just crazy with work.

The next weekend I took off to scrapbook at home. It was so nice. I slept in on Saturday, got up, went to my computer and logged into Scrap-Diner. Here I read up on some challenges and even started a few. I was so proud of myself. I finished the card challenge, and even managed to finish the first challenge of the "Blast A Thon". I ran into the living room to grab the camera....what? No Camera?? Somewhere between here and Paris, TX I have managed to lose my camera. I'm sure it's floating around the house or the car or my mom's house or car...we just have no idea where. Good news is I've been saving my pennies for a new one, so no biggie. Bad news is, I won't get it before Blast a thon is over. It's ok, tho. I feel good getting the challenge done anyway. I also managed to score a day off for the next week so I'm plotting what I will do with my day off.

The week ran super fast until I got to Thursday. Just as I imagined, my morning flew past me. I was running through calls, typing up paper...it was golden. At 1:30, about an hour and a 1/2 before my lunch I leave my desk to coach a colleague. It goes great. I was able to help him resolve some issues and improve his productivity and we go to lunch. Lunch flies past...which is a bummer because I had a wonderful lunch. I get back to my desk, I'm starting a new paper claim and then time ..... just.....stops.....Damn! I swear my last 3 hours of work crept along like ....well...like something REALLY SLOW. I was so relieved when 7pm finally rolled around. I set my away message and headed home. I went home, sorted 700 pictures from Flicker and packed my bags for a 2 day crop at Judy's Happy House.

The next morning I took Dave to work and on the way home I stopped by Target. I bought the CUTEST stinkin Pink Converse tennis shoes. You know the kind I'm talking about. They were cool when our parents were kids and they were high tops. Then our generation thought they were cool as "low tops". Well, I never had a name brand pair growing up. I always had the imitation brand. So I splurged and and spent a whopping $20 on my new treasured shoes. Perhaps I'll scrap a page...a "Ode to my Converse All Stars". :) Anyway, I stopped by the scrap book section and WOW! The Target on Lemon is to be commended. There scrapbook section has a decent selection and.....are you ready for this?? They had page kits from Cloud 9 Design!!! I bought 2 Brittany's Castle kits...one for me....maybe one to RAK? Who knows. I was so excited to see it tho. They also had quite a bit of Making Memories and K & Co yumminess. I bought a few 8x8 kits that I've never seen before and maybe I'll be making some new goodies for the Etsy store...maybe I'll be giving away goodies. Only time will tell.
After my adventures at Target I went to Judy's where I spent the next 2 days creating and having a blast. I'll be posting pics of my creations soon...just waiting on the newest edition to my family. I bought a new camera!! I got the Cannon Power Shot SD870IS. I haven't had it long and the memory card we picked up at Micro Center doesn't work worth a flip in it, so I can only take like 3 pictures at a time. I'm going to run out and get a new SD card this weekend and play with it some more. Hopefully I'll have pics up by Sunday.

Well, the storms here are finally closing down, so I think I'm going to clean up the kitchen and head to bed. Good night bloggers!!

Back into the swing of things...

Happy Sunday Bloggers!


So, I know I've been away a while...it's been a very hectic 2 weeks. Let me just say, I missed you guys but I'm back.

Moving on - I am currently down 5 pounds! Woot! I weigh in again tomorrow so we'll see this week went. I've been doing the weight watchers thing, but I also started watching this show on TLC - "I Can Make you Thin". If you haven't seen it yet, check it out. It is completely common sense stuff and I'll admit, I was totally skeptical, but it really is working.

On the work front, I'm still there...that's as much as I can say tho. Its still no my favorite job, but for once I have the chance to take trips with Dave without worrying if all my teachers are ready for their stuff...and did I get all the class paperwork done....it's all so completely mindless where I work. So...that being said, Dave and I are going to VEGAS Baby! We'll be gone the last week of May and I am so excited. Neither of us have ever been, and our accommodations look and sound so wonderful. Kudos for Expedia for hooking us up. I'll let y'all know how fabulous it is once we get back.

Speaking of Dave, wedding plans are very slow going. I think we're still trying to decide on what how we want to get married, and making it way too hard on ourselves. At this point I just wanna go do it. I know I'll regret it if we don't have a real wedding so I know that won't happen, but c'mon, try to help or just let me plan it already! I'm also ready to start talking about ids. I've been reliving my favorite childhood memories this week via Best Buy and my favorite DVD purchases to date. Last weekend I bought Seasons 1-3 of Fraggle Rock on DVD.

For those of you who don't know about fraggles, I highly recommend finding a friend who can enlighten you. For those of you who grew up with these wonderful furry creatures, you know what I'm talking about. I just love them and I want my kids to experience Jim Henson and friends back when they were great, and honest and pure. Now his creatures have become so PC and careful. I don't really think it's been a positive thing for our kids...so needless to say, mine will hear the truth about life and things as children and not as young adults when it's harder to learn.
Well, I'm off to finish the laundry. My house, minus the office looks so good now, so I'm off to enjoy the cleanliness.
Good Night Bloggers!!
Hugs,
Jessi

Grr...I'm so disconnected!

So our email server is down so no email. *pout* I feel so cut off, which is silly because email is usually slow on the weekends, but still. I'm not sure when it'll be back up so if I don't get back to you in a couple days, please forgive me.

In other news...I opened an Etsy store! I really enjoy altering goodies and making cards, but they really aren't being put to use here so I am trying to find good homes for them. I have to finish some cards to post this evening, so there's not much now, but I think I'm gonna give it a year or two and see how things go.

Well, the Wizard of Oz is on and I've got cards to finish. Y'all be good and have a very Happy Easter!!
Hugs!!
Jessi

Getting healthy

So I've been working at Cigna for 2 months now and I take claims for people with all kinds of medical maladies. Alot of the health issues I've recorded are weight related, and some of these people are around my age. This makes me both sad and scared. Sad because their illnesses are really life threatening. Scared because that could be me one day. I won't lie and say I'm not doing it for shallow reasons too, because let's face it, everyone would like to look better, but mostly I just want to feel better. O I signed up for Weight Watchers. I figure I'll start slow and just take it one day at a time. Dave wants to loose a little too, so what better way to help him and myself?

On a different front, guess what? I'm on Etsy!! After looking over my yummy stash of goodies and my pictures, and scrapbooks, I've decided to sell some of hand made goodies. I can't in a million years scrap with it all, and buy the new yumminess that's been coming out. Look me up and check it out. I'd love any feedback.
Well, bloggers, here's to healthy living and happy scrapping!
Goodnight Bloggers.
Hugs,
Jessi

Scrapping the Music

Ok, so this week the song is "Most Beautiful Girl" by Prince. Isn't this such a great song? Thanks Aleida for picking it out! My page is a tribute to my mother...well...because she is! The pic in my LO is from our lst day in San Antonio with the N50 and Fiskars. We were waiting on our plane and we decided to gift our "graduation" flowers to some traveling soldiers. My mom gets teared up anytime we thank or talk to any military personnel. I know it's mostly because Justin's in the Navy, but I am always so touched by how she takes the time to make sure they know how much they appreciated here. Its just another shining example of my mother's beauty. The pic on the LO looks much darker here, but it's awesome in person.

So Mom...This page is for you! I love you!!

Updating with a Sneaky-Peek

Hello Bloggers! I am so so so looking forward to this weekend. Work has been crazy busy this week that I am about to pull my hair out. We've been working overtime to get stff cought up and now I have to start working OT to finish new hire classes. Oi, I'm ready for a break.

Soooo...Saturday I'm heading to the Arboretum to check out Dallas Blooms and take some pictures and enjoy the yummy spring air. I'm also hoping to be joined by my friend...we'll see what happens since I kinda sprung it on her like...tonight...well tomorrow by the time she gets her email. (You know you love me. ) :) I am also hoping to get a secret project up and running...I'll let you all know about it . I've also got a SUPER SECRET project for Fiskateers that I am dying to show off, but I can't show the whole thing until next month...gotta wait till our lucky girly gets it....so here's a sneek peek:

And here is a baby card for my friend Holly at Fiskateers. Congrats girly and enjoy being a Momma!!

I'm also planning to work on a page for STM. If you haven't already been to play, I encourage you to go. It is such a great site and it really is inspiring. I've learned so much about me and stretched myself beyond my regular boring old style. The song this week is one of my fave's from Prince and it was picked by my favorite lady, Aleida!

Oh! I got lots of goodies from the Diner this week and I am soooo excited! I'll be a busy girl this week playing with all my new goodies.

Well, bloggers, I need to get some laundry finished so Dave and I have clean laudry to wear tomorrow. Naked at work is no fun. *shudders* Well, good night all and Happy Friday!!

March Scrap Goals, *revised*

Well, I got some bad news Friday, and I forgot to tell y'all. As of April 1, Michales will not be offering classes. It is my understanding that the Corporate team is making an effort to streamline their courses company wide. While I think this is a wonderful idea, I really don't think canceling classes until they can figure it out is the way to go. How hard would it be to keep classes as usual and work on the new plans behind the scenes. Then all they have to do is get the Events Coordinators involved, again behind the scenes, to get it all set up in the store. Its really stupid...but whatever, they didn't ask me. That being said, I have to get rid scrap goal number one, 'cause I won't be teaching there after March 29. So here is my new list of goals.

1. Finish all the journaling in 2006 albums and get the rest of the pictures in.
2. Get finished NY pages in an album and covered.
3. Alter 1 set of canvases
4. Complete 6 sets of LO's w/ new pics for the NY Album
5. Create 3 sets of cards for my stash.

That's what I've got planned for the month. I'm off to a good start so far. I've got all the 2006 pages in their album, now I just need to finish the journaling and print the missing pictures. I've also started loading NY pics in their album but there are still more to get in. Well, I'm off to play a bit more before bed.
Good Night Bloggers!!!

Weekend update

SO it's Sunday evening and I've been pretty porductive this weekend. I didn't get a whole lot of scrappin' done, but it is still a little early...there's still hope. I did manage to get all of Christmas back to storage in Garland. Dave also took me to the movies this weekend. If you haven't seen Juno yet I recommend you go see it. It was wonderful, witty, edgy, fun...a new favorite of mine. Dave and I liked it so well we bought the soundtrack and it is now on my ipod.

I also spent an hour at Central Market yesterday. We roamed up and down the aisles, learning about the different types of potatoes, apples, and oranges. We perused the 20 different types and brands of marinara and all the different types of pastas. We picked up some wonderful rolls in the bakery and some yummy Easter chocolates for the people in my little corner of the office. I also picked up a bottle of my favorite carbonated pink lemonade. I just love it. It's yummy, crisp and comes in one of these really neat bottles. Truth be told, it was the bottle that drew it to me. It made me feel kind of nostalgic because it looks like a wine bottle. When my little brother and I were kids we used to drink Big Red in wine glasses on the holidays with my parents. Buying the Fancy Schmancy lemonade reminds me of that and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. We also got a Corn Chowder kit that looked yummy. I think I'll make it for dinner tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out.

So on the scrap front, I'm about the get out my New York photos and start scrapping. I'm also headed to Scrapping the Music to see what this week's challenge is. I missed out last week so I'm hoping to be inspired by this weeks song!
Well, Y'all have a great Sunday night and enjoy your week!
Hugs!

Certifiable FUN!!!

Hello to the land of blog!
I am so excited because I just landed 3 more class dates to train Fiskars Demonstrators!! If anyone is interested Deb G and I will be training certified demonstrators in Dallas, at the Michael's on Greenville Ave the following dates:

• Sunday, March 16 from 11am -1pm
• Saturday, March 22 from 10am - 12pm and again from 1pm - 2pm
• Sunday March 23 from 11am - 1pm

Deb G will also be in Paris, TX at Michelle's Craft Store teaching a class from 1pm - 3pm.

If anyone is interested or would like more information, please contact us at fiskarsdemo1@gmail.com

Scrap Goals for 2008

So, I told myself I would never again do resolutions because I never hold to them and then I get depressed. In light of my new found inspiration I must make goals for scrapping! LOL Besides, goals are much less daunting.

Actually, the girls over at Scrap-Diner have been setting monthly goals and now that I've rediscovered my mojo I've decided it's time to give it a go. SO here are my goals for March:

1. create new samples for April Classes at M's.
2. Alter at elast one set of canvas's in my closet.
3. finish journaling for my 2006 album and put on the page protectors.
4. Get my completed NY pages into their album.

It sounds like a lot, but I am an ambitious girly! How about you guys? DO you have any goals for March? What about for 2008? I'd love to hear about them.

Inspirations and Revalations

Today was a day filled with reflection...and Excedrin. I slept til 1pm, which was nice because last week was a rough sleep week for me. When I got up I hung out with David for a little while and watched him play some game where he was blowing up gang members in the inner cities. Not a game for the kiddos! After I finally got bored with that I came into my scrap room to play. I've been in here for 3 days trying to get inspired and nothing....No cards, no layouts, not even tags. I pulled out supplies, looked at all the pretty colors and ribbons and jewels....nothing. I blamed my lack of creativity on the lack of perfect organization of my space so I started tearing up and re-cleaning my room for the 3rd time this month. About half way through this process I started putting in movies. The first movie was "You've Got Mail". It really is one of my favorite movies. I know it's practically the same movie as "Sleepless in Seattle", but I love it so much more. I got to the part where the book store is closing and Meg Ryan's character is talking about how sad she is and I started to cry. Then I looked around at all the stuff I had scattered around my room. It occurred to me that maybe I wasn't trying to reorganize my room, but that I was trying to recapture a little piece of Recollections in my space. I really didn't spend much time mourning the loss of such a great store...life moves too fast for that. But I did that today. I finally cleaned out all my bags, put away all my goodies, and organized all my project kits. After that I felt a little better and I was finally able to create again. I made a few samples with my MM Curling Tag. I also used this as an excuse to make a LO for "Scrappin' to the Music". It's probably too late to get into the slide show, but I was inspired all the same, and in the grand scheme of things that's what matters anyway.

Moving On...

Well, it's been about 2 weeks since Recollections said their goodbye's to the world. I have been laying low and recovering from it all. It' so crazy, I was so ready for it to be over, but once it was I really felt like I lost something so special. I am sad its gone, but now it's time to move on. So here's what's been going on for me:

I have a new job!! I am a CSR at Cigna and take new disability claims. It's been interesting and a nice change of pace. My bosses are pretty cool, and I work in the same office as Mom, so I get to see her everyday....a few minutes at a time. It's been kinda neat. Only drag is that I'm working 10am -7pm. It kinda makes life hard because I get home around 7:30 and that doesn't leave much time to do the scrappy stuff I want to, make dinenr and hang out with Dave. I do get weeknds off tho, and that has been AWESOME! It leaves me time to teach and play. I am also teaching at Michaels! I'll be teaching scrapbooking and cardmaking at the Michaels on Greenville Ave in Dallas. Looks like I'll be teaching the 2nd and 4th weekends of the month. I'm also training Fiskars Demonstrators. It's been fun and I'm really enjoying teaching again. I'll have new pics of my goodies later today.

I've also been playing with goodies form the Diner and making fun stuff for Valentine's Day. Wanna see? Ok, I'll share. :)

A card for fun made from Scalloped paper by Bazzill and Confetti by MME

These cute little boxes are from the Diner and are made my Daisy D. I made some for Dave's office, and a gal pal of mine liked them so much that we've decided to use them as party favors for her little girl's tea party.

This is my FAVORITE Valentine's Day Card. I made it with scraps from my stash, and I just love it. Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with love, and you were surrounded by Family and Friends. Love you guys!!

So that's what I've been up to. I'm working on scrappy stuff for Mike's and I'm planning Fiskars classes. Stay tuned for dates and pics. Hope to see y'all soon!

Hugs! and Thanks for reading!
Jessi

The end is near....

Well, I went into my store today after work and it is a sad empty shell of the greatness it once was. I look back now and think about the first time I ever walked into a Recollections store, I was amazed at all the scrap goodies. I was like a kid in a candy store. To my left there were rows and rows of solid cardstocks that I would eventually learn to love as Bazzill card stock. The parameters of the store were marked in sections and filled with all sorts of yummy embellishments that I had never seen before. It was Recollections where I learned to love fantastic brands like Basic Gray, My Mind's Eye, American Crafts and Daisy D. They also introduced me to both Heidi's, Karen Foster, Tim Holtz and all 7 Gypsies. It was in Recollections that I learned that paper is for more than just scrapbooking and that bling is not just for jewelry. I learned how to use my passion for paper and crafting to reach out those around me. I learned how to open up and make new friends. It was here that I also learned how to stand up for myself and how to get what I want out of life. I have made so many great friends and so many great memories. For all you wonderful folks who shopped at the Greenville store, thank you for making my job such a joy. I wish you all the best, and hope you continue to create such beautiful works of art. To my co workers...I love you guys...all of you. You've made even the bad days fun, and I really appreciate all your hard work. I will never forget any of you and consider all of you friends. I'm always up for a crop, so just drop by and leave me a comment.

Good Lovin...

Hah! Made ya look! Actually I have been scrappin some goodies for the Diner and I had to share 'cause I'm rather proud. This months card Challenge is "Tempting Textures". I got to stretch my mind and play with felt and lace and velvet ribbons. Here's what I made...and Aleida, the Noteworthy card was in spired by you!

This card is made from Noteworthy and it is totally inspired by a friend of mine. She has been pushing me and pushing me to step outside my box. Look what I did when I did what she said! Funny thing is, I wasn't sure I liked it, but I am so excited about how it turned out. The die cut is atached with hinges and actually swings open like a door. Love it!!

This is another one I made for my texture challenge. The white paper is a funky textured paper I found in my stash of scraps. The flowers are felt goodies from Noteworthy and the "I love you" is from the "Foil Glitter Flock" RO kit by We Are Memory Keepers. It's pretty fun, but a word to the wise, it works better on less textured papers. Considering the depth of this texture tho, it came out pretty good.

Also, on the job front, Recollections final day is Sat, 2/2. It's sad, but I am relieved. It's been a very hard road, and now that I've reached the end, I'm ready to hang it up and get back to life. Cigna is pretty interesting. It's defintately different. It's also nice 'cause there are NO WEEKENDS! That means I'm free to teach Scrappin' on the weekends and I'm free to see my girls and Dear Dave. I'm excited.

Well, Laundry is about done, so I'm off to bed. Good Night and Thanks for stopping by!
Hugs!!
Jessi

Look what I made!!

Hey guys! i've been busy busy. 2 weeks ago I went on a scrap retreat with the galls from my CM group and we had a blast. I made 2 calendars for my Grandparents and some awesome cards with the goodies from my Scrap Diner DT kit. I have had so much fun designing for them. My calendar was inspired by the calendar class we taught at Recollections. It gave me the chance to use up some of the patterns papers I had on hand....and boy did I use a lot of paper. I've also recently been ispired to spread my creations to the masses. A few friends and I are considering going into the crafting business. I'm thinking it'll be great because I can create with all my goodies, get a little of my money back and not have to worry about Dave saying "Where is that gonna go?"

SO ya wanna see what I made? Here goes::

Here's my yummy Calendar. Pics and July are missing, but it's ok. I made 2 of these on retreat...it took all 3 days!

And here's the awesome stuff I made with the "Lets Party" kit at Scrap-Diner.

We are also having a huge Challenge Blast-a-thon going on at the Diner. Sherine is givin away all sorts of aweseom prizes and there are loads of great LO's to inspire so head over and check it out. I'm anxious to get my NY pics scrapped using methods from the challenges in our Blast-athon...I may actually finish another album! Woot!!

Well, y'all have a good night...I'm sleepy.

Good NIght Bloggers!!!

Hugs,

Jessi