A day in my life!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Do you ever wonder if you really know why you are given the trials you are given? I often wonder why I made some of the decisions I did when I was younger. Those decisions came and still come with consequences. Consequences that affect my marriage in a negative way. They bring about evil things in our relationship. We have discussions that don't ever seem to be resolved because neither of us really know how to resolve them. This is going to be a blog with a lot of rambling. I am writing as the thoughts come to me, so please bear with me.

My husband and I have a terrific relationship. We talk about everything, good or bad. We have learned to survive with only each other. That is one of the benefits of not living near family. We are forced to deal with everything that is thrown our way. We don't have the benefits that come with having family right there for you. We choose not to call Mom or Dad and talk about things with them. We have to talk to each other.

I am not close with my parents. I have some very negative memories that I have chosen to put behind a locked door in my brain and not open it again. Some day, I may choose to seek help to open that door, but not today. I don't want to remember things now. It is hard to explain why I chose to do things that I did when I was younger, but many of those decisions stemmed from the lack of parenting I had growing up. I had parents who were more concerned with how quickly they could make it to a bar and I was stuck going along for the ride. I hated every minute of it. I wasn't able to form relationships with friends because I was never home. My parents didn't attend sporting events to see me and tell me how well I did or what I could improve upon. We didn't take vacations. I loved being told I couldn't have that bag of chips or piece of cheese that cost a quarter because we didn't have the money while my father drank his beer and shot pool and my mother drank her beverage of choice and played the punch boards. Good thing their priorities were straight. I loved watching the clock knowing that right before 9 pm, my father would make sure to have a full beer so that, even though anyone under 18/21 (me) was supposed to gone by 9 pm, he would have to finish his beer so that he could prolong his time there. It didn't matter that we arrived around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. I would take graph paper and barbie dolls and try to make furniture and play houses for them to make the time go by. But, if the bar got full, I was lucky enough to have to sit on the stoop next to my parents feet, because, after all, the seats were for patrons only.

I made decisions when I was younger to get attention that I never received as a child. I often wonder why I have very few memories growing up. I have come to the conclusion that I have chosen to lock those memories away for some reason or another. I am guessing because they are not memories that mean anything to me. They are just more of the same.

My husband has a difficult time understanding some choices I made. He had a very different childhood. One filled with love and happiness. He didn't have a dark side to his childhood and he finds himself struggling to understand mine.

Our discussion last night stemmed from him essentially laughing at me about the bad decisions I made. That, of course, made me quite upset. I know those decisions were poor, but I certainly don't need you to laugh at me about it. That was a great feeling to have him laughing at me.

We started discussing how we would handle Sabrina when she comes close to the ages where I made mistakes and poor decisions. Her life is much different than mine was. She has parents who love her, and tell her how much she is loved and how proud we are of her. She doesn't have to look for love, affection, and attention elsewhere. She has parents who openly offer these things to her. I am not saying she will make great decisions when the time comes, but she has the tools and support to help her make better decisions.

I want my children to have a better life. To be able to nurture them and love them and be proud of them in everything they do. I want them to learn by making mistakes. I want them to see things and enjoy life and not worry about 'grown up' things until it's their time.

I want my husband to be involved in his children's lives. Many people look at me with anger or disgust because I EXPECT my husband to help with child-rearing. He is expected to help with upbringing our children. He is expected to bathe them, to help feed them, to change diapers, and discipline them. He is their father and I don't want them to see him as simply a man who is in their lives. I want them to see him as their father. Someone to respect and look up to and love. Someone they can get advice from and play games with and talk openly with. I want these things for them and expect them from him because I know what it's like to not have this. To not have a father who is a father. To not have a father to look up to, or talk openly with, or respect.

I want my children to form relationships that last a lifetime. Friendships are not my strong suit. I have no idea how to be a friend. I have acquaintances whom I talk with frequently. Building relationships are difficult for me. I can easily talk with someone, but building a relationship is something I am unsure of how to do. I have a difficult time asking for help or relying on anyone except my husband. I have a difficult time doing things with anyone except Mark. Will you expect something from me that should not be expected of me. Will you judge me for my past? Will you not like me? These are the questions I find myself asking when I am trying to build a relationship.

In the first several years of our relationship, I found it difficult to be restrained by my husband. He could not hug me or hold me in any way that felt restrictive. Why? Because I had a relationship with someone who threw me across my driveway leaving me bruised and then a few months later held me up against the wall by my throat so my feet were off the ground and I was unable to breath. Yes, I did press charges, both criminal and civil, but was only able to get him for harassment in the end since we did not live together and because I did not call immediately after the incident. I spent years of my life in fear of this person. I spent years of my life in fear that everyone was like this person. I still try to keep tabs on this person just for my mind's sake. Not that I have fear of him, but I like to be aware of where he is. I have been unable to locate him for quite some time now, but I don't feel uneasy about it anymore.

I am who I am. I have come a long ways over the past twenty years. I still struggle with making better decisions. I am far from perfect and never claim to be, but I have been through a lot and have experienced many things both good and bad in my life. I want something better for my children. I do want them to learn from their mistakes, but not the same mistakes I made.

I love my husband with all of my heart, but there are times where I feel like a piece of meat to him. Sex had a different meaning for him then it did for me. Sex is a way to show someone how much you care and love them not as a way to gain attention as I used it when I was younger. I didn't care how it belittled me, I was just happy to have someone paying attention to me. Now, I know the difference. Now I know that it wasn't being used properly and struggle to use it properly now. He doesn't understand the struggle I have with it. He doesn't understand that even though his intentions are good, that to me, they seem evil in a way. I often find myself wondering if he is 'one of the guys' from my younger years just using me, or if he is really my husband, the man I love and plan to spend the rest of my life with...I KNOW he is my husband. I KNOW he isn't one of those guys, but I do find myself in a state of withdrawal...wondering... We've been together almost 12 years and married 9 1/2. I know he isn't going anywhere and he loves me with all of his heart. I know his intentions are not evil, but I still struggle with the affection I do receive from him.

TAG YOU'RE IT!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:26:00 +0000

I've Been Tagged!!! I was tagged by Teri at The Beaded Branch. Now I need to come up with 10 interesting facts about myself, and tag 10 other people. Hmmm...10 interesting facts about me.

1. I have two tattoos from my 'previous' life. One is a gecko on my right thigh, and the other is a sunburst around my belly button.
2. I had jet black hair when I met my husband 11 years ago.
3. I enjoy paper crafting, but haven't had time to do anything with it since I became a mom.
4. I met my husband at his sister's wedding reception.
5. I actually enjoy being a home body.
6. I have a huge Winnie the Pooh collection - Lenox crystal as well as stuffed animals and more. My husband is a Tigger collector, so our total collection is HUGE!
7. I grew up in an alcoholic household and continued down the path until I met my husband.
8. I became a born-again Christian a short time after meeting my husband. I still have a long way to go, but I am learning something new everyday and my faith is growing stronger!
9. I went to Disney at 36 weeks pregnant, had DD two weeks later, celebrated Christmas two weeks after that, had a trip in the ambulance to the ER on New Years Eve for a gall bladder attack, and had my gall bladder removed the following month. It was an eventful couple of months!
10. I have issues with developing and maintaining relationships. Stems from my childhood.

So, I am not going to tag anyone, but feel free to tag yourself and repost to your blog! Have a fabulous day!

Legitimate Work From Home Opportunites

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 12:32:00 +0000

Legitimate Work From Home Opportunites

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SEPTEMBER BRINGS AWESOME SPECIALS!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:59:00 +0000

Have you heard about Thirty-One's September specials? Well you will now! They are awesome!

For our hostesses who submit a $450 party, you can purchase the Weekender Bag for only $20, a $72 value! Choose from either Medallion Vine or Chocolate Blossom. (Embroidery is an additional $6 charge.)

For our customers who spend $25, you can purchase a Black Hanging Cosmetic Organizer for 1/2 off with a FREE signature icon. The signature icon shown on the flyer is exclusive only to this special offer. Purchase the Black Hanging Cosmetic Organizer for $13, a $26 value.

Stop by my Thirty-One site and purchase your personalized items, and/or contact me to book your super easy online party today!

Have a fabulous day!

FABULOUS AUGUST SPECIALS!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 03:00:00 +0000

Hello everyone! I hope this update finds you well! It has been way too long since I've updated on here, so I thought I'd stop by and post our newest specials! Our website has had a huge makeover in the last few weeks and it just looks wonderful!
Our August specials include:
Spend $31 and get a Pleated Accent Purse for half-off! That's $19! How awesome is that!
Our August hostesses can purchase a basket liner and receive the basket for free! The basket is based on your show total.

If you haven't heard, I have a booth at Harford LIVE! next month and I am uber excited to be there! If you're local, be sure to ask for a VIP ticket from me for FREE entry! Stop by and enter to win our door prize, too! I hope to see you there!

Thirty-One May Specials

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Thu, 07 May 2009 14:37:00 +0000

I am excited to announce our May specials! This month offers some fabulous deals for those special teacher gifts and hostesses are rewarded NOW and LATER! Shop for your special gift today at My Thirty-One!

Thirty-One!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:20:00 +0000

I am excited to announce that I am a Thirty-One Consultant! Thirty-One is a Christian-based company specializing in monogrammed bags, totes, purses, and, most recently, baby items. Thirty-One will be releasing a new Tweens and Teens catalog on June 1st!

Thirty-One's mission is:

Thirty-One is more than just a company. We are people who believe in encouraging, recognizing and rewarding others for who they are. Through God's strength, we've built a family of individuals who feel women deserve to treat themselves to something special. Our commitment is to provide women with a fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding experience. We are a privately owned company who cares about people. Cindy Monroe began Thirty-One in 2002 with women just like you in mind. She believes in empowering women to improve their quality of life through providing opportunities for financial independence, and encouraging relationships with other women. Through her passionate vision for helping others grow and succeed, she has seen countless lives impacted through the mission and success of Thirty-One. Our beautiful product lines are designed exclusively with our customers in mind and offer a wide variety of styles at affordable prices. We are committed to offering high quality products like you would find in the most exclusive Gift Boutiques but we add value by bringing them into your home through our amazing Home Party experience.

We have some fantastic specials going on right now! Please stop by and check it out! Connect with me on Facebook and join my group!

Individual online ordering is available via my website as well as online parties with an Evite system. Traditional in-home and catalog parties are available as well. Feel free to share this wonderful company with your friends!

https://www.MyThirtyOne.com/JennFlory

ONE WEEK INTO 30 DAY SHRED

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:59:00 +0000

I completed Level 1 Day 8 last night and had Mark take some measurements. I wasn't anticipating a big loss in weight, so I wanted to see if my measurements have changed in this one short week of Shredding!

Measurements One Week In:
Biceps: 11" unchanged
Waist: 30.5" -.5"
Hips: 36" unchanged
Thighs: 23" -1"

In one week of doing the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels, I have lost 1.5 inches. Yeah! I can't wait to see what happens over the next 22 days! That is super exciting!

And for the big weigh-in this morning....DRUM ROLL, PLEASE.....

I lost 3.2 pounds this week! HOLY CRAP! I was totally not expecting such a big loss, but apparently, eating healthy, following Weight Watchers, and Shredding really working the fat right off of my body!

I am in total shock because I expected little to no loss this week since I just added in the workout last week. Typically, when you start working out, your body tends to retain the water until it adjusts, but in my case, it just opened the flood gates!

Updated stats:
Starting weight: 160
Week 1: -3.6
Week 2: -4.0
Week 3: -0.2
Week 4: -1.4
Week 5: -0.6
Week 6: -3.2

Total loss: 13 pounds
Current weight: 147.0 pounds

This puts me only 12 pounds away from my final goal of 135. I am just in utter shock at how amazing eating right and working out is!

I am finding that I am eating more in terms of quantity of food because of the quality of food I am eating. I have not had one day go by where I didn't have something sweet. Whether it be a couple pieces of candy or a piece of cake. I have always managed to satisfy my sweet tooth!

Weight Watchers is NOT a diet! It is a lifestyle change! I keep having people ask about my 'diet.' I am not on a diet, I am changing my eating habits and losing weight while doing so! I want to live to a ripe old age because I am taking care of myself now. I don't want to be overweight and dealing with diabetes, heart issues, or other health issues. I want to be able to chase my kids around and not be out of breath. I want to be able to take my kids bike riding and be able to stay up with them! I want to be healthy! I am finding that you can balance having a treat with eating healthy. I just don't overindulge anymore!

I enjoy working out with my husband because we are not just sitting next to each other on the couch or watching over each other at the computer like lumps watching our health deteriorate. We have taken action and have decided enough is enough!

We went window shopping for a bicycle for me and a trailer to attach to it for the little ones. Mark has a great bike from his younger years that is in need of some repairs, so we had the repairs priced out for that, too. We have put those purchases on hold for a bit, though. We are still able to walk with the kids, so perhaps next year we can look into make those purchases.

Our main goal right now is to be debt free and buy a single family detached house! We are looking at 3 years to obtain those goals. By summer 2010, we will be debt free except our house and we plan on putting whatever snowball we can towards our principal on this house until the end of 2011. We are hoping to have made a big enough dent in our principal balance on this house to have a nice down payment for a 4 bedroom locally!

If you haven't figured it out yet, we are long term planners. We plan things out for years. Come next year, we are also adjusting Mark's 401k contribution to a higher percentage and starting an education fund for Sabrina. We are behind on those, so we are going to try to get a jump start on hers for now, then add the other two kids once we get the new house.

I have tried to get a picture of my new haircut, but I just cannot get a good angle, so that will have to wait! I will have to see if Mark will take a picture once I have actually figured it out and I'll post it then! In the meantime, here is a picture of the style:

My hair is currently red and doesn't sit up this high, though. I am still learning how to 'do' my new do, so hopefully, it will get there!

I think that about covers this update! I hope I can encourage more people to take control of their lives and get moving! You only live once, so why not live well!

ONE MONTH DOWN - PICTURES!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 01:29:00 +0000

Here are some photos for my "one month down" on Weight Watchers. I actually still own the clothing from my before photo, so I was able to put them on and show you some reality. These shots will also serve as my before shots for 30 Day Shred!

Before and one month down:

And me in my new size 10 jeans! I haven't been in size 10's in forever!

Measurements before:
Biceps: 11"
Waist: 31"
Hips: 36"
Thighs: 24"

I still have a long way to go, but it is amazing what a 10 pound loss will do for you! It allowed me to jump from size 14's to size 10's in one month!

10 down, 15 to go! My copy of 30 Day Shred should arrive tomorrow, so I can get started right away!

Let's do this!

MONTH ONE DOWN - GREAT RESULTS!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:28:00 +0000

Wow! I am really excited and motivated with how well Weight Watchers is working for me! Last week was a bust due to feminine issues, but I am back on track this week!

After doing some research, I decided to raise my 125 pound goal to 135 pounds. I know I can maintain that weight better since that is where I was most of my life. I will look better, too, because I am working out again. The muscle tone will definitely look better than fat...ewe.

That being said, I am now a mere 15.8 pounds away from goal! Considering I have lost 9.2 pounds in my first month, my goal is not only attainable, but will be a piece of cake! At least I hope it will...lol.

I ordered Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred today in hopes of kicking it up a notch for my workouts. I love Power 90, but tend to get bored of the same routine. Mark is going through P90 now and when those 90 days are up, he wants P90X. A friend of ours, Kurt P. was the June 2004 success story for P90. He is a great motivator to get into shape and proof that it works! Mark was always picking is brain about P90 and still asks him about it to this day. Kurt has moved onto P90X and still loves the program!

So, stats as of now:
Starting weight: 160
Week 1: -3.6
Week 2: -4.0
Week 3: -0.2
Week 4: -1.4

Total lost: 9.2 pounds
Current weight: 150.8 pounds

I will see if I can get another picture posted this week with my first month down. I can see and feel a difference, but don't know if anyone else can! Stay tuned!

WOO HOO! WEEK TWO DOWN!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:31:00 +0000

Well, week two is over and I had my weigh-in today. I lost another four pounds! Yahoo! I cannot believe this weight is just falling off of me! I am so looking forward to my 125 pound goal now!

Weight Watchers is awesome! I am not feeling deprived at all. I am realizing it is about quality instead of quantity. I am eating a TON of food, including goodies, but I am eating more fruits and veggies, now! I haven't had one day go by where I didn't have a treat! I lost a point already because I dropped into a new 'decade' as they are called. As soon as I went from 160 into the 150's a point went bye-bye. That's okay, I am still eating a lot of food, and I am not bored with what I am eating!

I didn't check body fat numbers today because I decided to check them once a month instead. I will check them sometime in April.

So, Week Two down and here's where I stand:
Starting weight: 160
Week one: -3.6
Week two: -4.0

Total lost: 7.6 pounds
Current weight: 152.4

I feel refreshed and ready to go again! I cannot believe how much energy I have! Now, I just need to get to bed earlier at night!

Onto week three! Sabrina's birthday party is on Saturday, so I am going to save my weekly points for then so I can enjoy extra pizza and birthday cake!

Sabrina got her ears pierced on Saturday. She picked out the cutest earrings! They are rainbow daisy's. They are so cute! She cried, but with a delayed reaction. She cried for just a few minutes, then was done and ready to move on. She is fine now and shows everyone her new earrings!

Here are some pictures. They didn't turn out to good, but we got a few anyway! We took the kids for ice cream and let them ride a couple of the rides at the mall!

WEEK ONE WEIGH-IN!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:20:00 +0000

So, week one with Weight Watchers is over and on to week 2! I bought a new scale last night as we were told that the Wii Fit balance board can be inaccurate. The new scale not only weighs you, but also calculates your body fat percentage along with body water percentage and pounds of fat in your body. My numbers are ridiculous, but I am sure they are close to accurate.

My goal at the end of this is to get lower in the healthy range. My body fat is currently at 31.8% which is borderline to being overweight. My weight itself, when I started last week, was 160 pounds. The weight is also borderline to being overweight for my height. I think the scale said I was carrying around 49 pounds of body fat. Not good.

So, week one down.
I am down 3.6 pounds to reach 156.4 pounds.
I am at 31.8% body fat which is about 49 pounds.

I am shocked at how easy it is to do Weight Watchers. They give you a set amount of points based on your height and current activity level. You can eat anything you want, but they encourage you to eat your healthy guidelines which consist of fruit and veggies, dairy, 6-8 eight ounce glasses of water, healthy oils, and take a multivitamin daily.

I am working with 22 points a day, which is about 1100 calories, plus everyone gets 35 weekly points to use however you want, if you want. You have to eat your daily points at minimum, but the weekly points allow for that splurge when you want. I ate all 22 points every day and 33 of my weekly points last week and still lost 3.6 pounds. I may try to avoid eating my weekly points this week to see if I can squeeze out another pound or so.

One day last week, I was planning dinner and Mark made chicken breast. He grilled it in a tablespoon of veggie oil with salt and pepper. An entire chicken breast is only 6 points or so. I looked at how big an entire chicken breast was an just about fell over. Needless to say, I couldn't eat an entire chicken breast. I was so full!

My shopping list this week is full of fresh produce. I feel much more energized and ready to go now that I am eating healthier. We ordered an herb garden, which will be arriving on Friday, and we will be switching to olive oil, which is much healthier for you than veggie oil.

I was able to reach 11 activity points, which I did not eat. They encourage you to reach 28 activity points each week, so I am not even half way to where I should be, but with just starting out, I am okay with just 11. I will bump it up as the weather gets nicer. I have been trying to walk around two miles when the weather is decent. I am also working out on our Wii Fit almost daily. Seeing my body fat percentage, I am thinking I need to increase my workouts to the next intensity, but I will do that gradually.

Mark and I will be getting our Power 90 DVD's back soon and will be working out to that, too. We are 105 days away from our Disney trip, so Power 90 will be getting started at the perfect time!

My end goal is to be about 125 pounds and at a much, much lower body fat percentage. I am aiming to live a healthier life and eating less junk. Mark is on board and working at eating better too. He doesn't need to lose, but he would like to tone up again.

I don't have any recent pictures, but my weight hasn't changed but a pound or two since this one was taken, so we'll consider this my before:

IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Wow! I feel like it has been forever since I have been on here! We have been so busy lately trying to keep up with running our kids everywhere, and our oldest has had some ear issues lately.

I have added a few new items to my shop in the past few weeks. Here's a sneak peek at those:

An altered picture frame and a 12x12 scrapbook page. I was able to play with my Cricut Expression with both projects, so it made me super happy!

On another note, we are taking our family to Disney in June! We saw an ad for their Buy 4 Get 3 free and realized this was a deal we couldn't pass up! Our youngest is still under two, so she goes for free, and our son is under three, so he is free in Disney's eyes! Sabrina, we have to pay completely for, but all-in-all, we knew we would never have this opportunity again! We crunched the numbers and realized we were able to take my parents too! We are all very excited and cannot wait! Jase keeps saying he wants to see Pluto! We have no idea where Pluto came from, but it's cute, nonetheless! We are headed down in June (yuck!), but that is after Sabrina is out of school for the summer, so it fits our schedule.

We plan on utilizing TourGuideMike.com again to help schedule our itinerary. He is awesome! If you plan on going to Disney, you should definitely check him out! I can get you a discount for joining, too, so just let me know!

Last, but certainly not least, I have decided to try Weight Watchers! I joined last night and am really motivated to get down to what I was when I got married! My husband is being extremely supportive and is excited about eating healthier and exercising! We started working out daily with our Wii Fit and try to get in 30-45 minutes each, every day. We took yesterday off, and plan on taking Saturday off due to a birthday party, but are trying to get at least 5 days a week in with the Wii! I was really surprised when I entered in my points how much I was overeating! I was only 5 points over, but it still shocked me. I had started paying more attention to my portions about a week ago and realized I was eating too much, so I cut back on some. I am seeing that I need to cut back a wee bit more to shed the pounds. I am looking to lose about 35 pounds overall, so this will definitely be an adventure! I am listed as 'normal' as far as my weight and BMI goes, but I am on the line of being overweight, so I am trying to get to the bottom of my range.

The points system with Weight Watchers online is so easy to use! I was really surprised at how much food you can eat, if you eat the right foods! I joined the online program, so I don't have to fit meetings into my crazy schedule. Mark is my motivator and keeps me encouraged. I have heard great things from personal friends with success stories, so that is why I decided to join! Wish me luck!

Well, my first load is done in the dryer, so I need to get that put away and get the second load into the dryer, so I am off! Hopefully, I can get on her a bit more often to share my WW story with you!

Have a fabulous day!

Newest Valentine's Day item!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 00:14:00 +0000

I have been wanting to try working on 3x3 note cards and box (tutorial found here) for quite some time now and finally took the time to do it. It took significantly longer to complete than I anticipated, but I am happy with the final results.

I actually started with the box design and created the cards from it. The box and the cards all have a shaker with 'x's' and 'o's' and heart pink confetti.

The box was fairly easy and not very time consuming simply because the details were much larger than the ones on the cards. The cards were very tedious. The details took some time to get just right. Laying the mat over the shaker 'just so' took some patience. I decided to make a total of 10 cards along with coordinating envelopes. Getting the sizing on those envelopes took me quite a bit of time, too. I just couldn't get them right. Needless to say, I have many, many envelopes sitting on my desk just screaming for a use!

So, after many hours of work, here are my 3x3 Love Notes with box:

I hope you enjoy! You can purchase this Love Notes set here. Have a fabulous day!

Etsy worthy?

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 16:11:00 +0000

So, I am working diligently to add more items into my Etsy shop and have ventured into acetate! I created my first acetate card and am trying to decide if I should list it! It is slightly different than what I pictured in my head, but I am pleased with the result, nonetheless.

I don't have stamps, so I work mostly with Cuttlebug dies and folders, and soon Cricut items (Yay!).

This particular card base is the acetate, and I embossed the base using Divine Swirls in my Cuttlebug. I initially inked the embossing, but did not like the result, so I removed it. The flower design is also a Cuttlebug folder in which I decided to use coordinating markers to color it in.

I needed to do something to the base as it was just blah, so I decided to try to emboss it. It came out divine (HA!)

So, tell me what you think, and help me decide if I should list it!

Valentine Candy Pouches!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 14:58:00 +0000

Do you need a treat for that special someone? How about favors for your child's birthday party, or your best friends baby shower? These pouches are just perfect!

Each pouch measures approximately 3 3/4 inches tall by 3 inches wide. The card stock is embossed with coordinating words or patterns. There is also a coordinating tag attached with ribbon and brads on each pouch. There is an empty baggette attached inside the pouch to be filled by you.

You pick the colors to coordinate with that special occasion, and I'll do the rest!

Please feel free to contact me for a custom order in the amount and style you need!

More Valentine's Cards!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:42:00 +0000

I am on a mini creative streak right now, so I am listing goodies like crazy! I am trying to list something new everyday, so here is yesterday and today's installments!
I made some fun 10-packs of ATC-sized Valentine's for children. They are perfect for your children to exchange with their friends.

I love stopping by splitcoaststampers for inspiration! The gallery is huge, and you are sure to find something you like there! They have a ton of resources available no matter what level paper crafter you are! Take a look, and I bet you'll be hooked!

Off to work on something fun today! I am just not sure what that will be! Thanks for stopping by, and please remember to subscribe!

YAHOOOWEEEEE!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I ordered me a Cricut Expressions on Friday! Mark and I reviewed the prices, and what I could do with this monster, and he said sure! I am really excited to get this new toy and start playing with it! I bought it off of a authorized dealer on Ebay, and it comes with three cartridges. I also purchased DesignStudio, too!

I have an explosion box that is just screaming to be finished, but my creative juices have stopped flowing recently. The cartridges that come with my Cricut are perfect for this! They are Accent Essentials, Makin' the Grade, and Plantin Schoolbook. I just am itching to get this and get playing with it!

I just listed some new cards for Valentine's Day today! Take a peek at these:

You can purchase these and other paper items in my shop on Etsy.com

Have a fabulous day!

CHRISTMAS!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 15:07:00 +0000

My polls are finished, and with the results that were received, we found out that we shop pretty much the same as others. Our budget may be small, but it seems to fall in line with others.

We have never been big into Santa or presents. We have always tried to make Christmas more about Christ. After all, He is the the true meaning of Christmas. Whatever gifts were received by our children by us were well received. They don't make a fuss over just receiving one or two items. They enjoy them, nonetheless.

The big hits this year were Jase's book/track/bus combo, and Paige's color toy. They can't seem to get enough of them!

Sabrina likes her new Clifford game for her Leapster even though she lost her privileges to Leapster just two days after Christmas. She was happy to receive candy and a Barbie in her stocking. She is getting into Barbies more now.

Mark's family came down on the 26th and spent the night. My kids really enjoyed playing with their cousins. It is nice to be able to share the holidays with family and not have to take large chunks of time to do so.

We took our kids to Annie's playground yesterday. It is labeled as the East Coast's largest playground and I can see why! This place is huge! It was built for a little girl who lost her life to a drunk driver. Here is a link to the site. They have slides galore, both big and small. They have swings and picnic tables. They have a memorial garden, too. We need to go back in the spring to see all the flowers in bloom.

We only stayed about an hour because it was chilly outside and we were all getting cold. No one wanted to leave, though. We told Sabrina we would take her back by herself one day so that we could just let her do her thing without needing to tend to the baby.

They have a section for Jase's age. It has smaller slides and smaller steps, too. He loved it! Of course, there were some big kids who felt the need to play in the little kids section, so we had to watch him a bit more closely.

Sabrina really is in three of these pictures. She is peeking out the slide in the first one. She had a red coat on. The second one is Jase coming down the slide. The third one shows Sabrina almost in the center of the photo. You can see her red coat. Next is Jase on one of the swings. Then Sabrina is way up there waiting in line to come down the big three story slide. You can see her red coat again.

We have one more family visit for Christmas. We are heading to PA on Thursday to see my side of the family and exchange gifts. Phew! Then, on to next year. I hope and pray all of you had a wonderful Christmas and have a fantastic New Year!

Christmas shopping!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:59:00 +0000

Mark and I finally wrapped up our Christmas shopping! We shopped online again this year, so we could avoid the atrocious crowds that head into the local shops! Neither one of us like to shop, so online shopping works well for us!

I usually have my shopping and wrapping done by October, but this year with the move, we didn't even start until late November. We managed to find everything we wanted at great prices, and with little or no shipping costs because we shopped around first!

As I am looking through the number of people we shop for, it made me curious as to how many you shop for each year! I am curious to know if we fall into the average. We have 16 people that we shop for at Christmas. Our budget is very tight, but it works for us.

As our kids grow up, we realize it will be harder to shop using the small budget we have, so that gives us even more motivation to pay off our debt so we can open up the purse strings...even if it is only a little bit. Starting next year, we have increased our oldest daughters budget to allow for things that our younger kids are not able to use, yet, like video games and such that are a bit more expensive.

Mark and I have such a hard time spending ridiculous amounts of money for gifts. We know each person/family is different, but spending hundreds of dollars on one person...really? To each his own, I guess, but that is really hard for us to swallow! We don't even buy birthday or anniversary gifts for each other. It is just 'stuff' to us, and spending the money on something we need versus something we want is a better reward to us. We seem to live such a frugal life compared to most of the people we know. We really don't go anywhere, and we don't eat out often. We haven't taken a vacation outside of our Disney trip last year since our honeymoon in 2000. Now that I am thinking about it, I did take Sabrina to St. Pete when I was pregnant with Jase because Mark had to travel for work, but does that really count? I guess it would. We are excited to think about vacations, now, though.

I am going to try to add a poll or two to find out how normal or different we are when it comes to Christmas shopping! Take a peek and join in! Oh, the polls are anonymous!

Winter Wonderland!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:15:00 +0000

Sabrina's school is having a Winter Wonderland on December 12. I am so looking forward to going and taking the kids, too! They asked for some donations, so I thought, sure! I ordered some AVON product and made a set of cards and a coordinating gift box for them. I had such a blast doing them, too!

I thought I would share the cards that I made since I had a blast making them. I made cards in the same format as invitations for Paige's upcoming first birthday party!

I found the design here on Splitcoaststampers, a site I frequent often. They have awesome resources there! I also found the design for the gift box there!

I hope you enjoy! They were so much fun to make!

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:46:00 +0000

I just reopened my Etsy shop, so please feel free to take a peek! There are several items that are perfect gifts for this holiday season!

POKAGON STATE PARK

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:36:00 +0000

I started this way back on 10/6, but this is the first chance I have had to finish it.

We had some things that we were storing for a friend of ours, and we needed to get them back to his house in Angola. We took yesterday and loaded up the van (literally!) to take 3 - 5 gallon paint containers, several 1 gallon paint containers, and his snow blower up 'yonder.'

We were very appreciative that we were able to use the snow blower while we stored it for him. It came in handy a few times!

At any rate, we decided to eat at Clay's because we know the owners, and we knew we wouldn't get a chance to again. Then, we headed off to Pokagon for a while.

We headed near the playground as the goal was to tire out the kids. Found a spot, parked, and went into the Nature Center. We all took a potty break, then walked around a bit. It is a really neat place.

We headed out onto Trail 1 which winds around the nature center a little, and you are able to see the lake there, too. The kids really enjoyed walking through the woods.

We came back around to the nature center just in time for another potty break and feeding time for Paige. After that, we headed up to the playground. The kids all enjoyed playing up there. Jase would just go up and down the steps. He was just content doing that. Sabrina liked to play with the other kids that were there, and she was swinging next to her daddy.

We spent the better part of the day there, then headed back home in time for supper. We certainly tired everyone out! It was a great day!

ARE YOU VOTING THIS YEAR?

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 01:16:00 +0000

I am not one to debate when it comes to politics. Most of the time, people are set on whom they are voting for before any conversation begins. It isn't worth the discussion, then. I came across this video and wanted to share it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RZVw3no2A4

I think it was an eye opener for me in more ways than one. Many of you know, I am a Republican, and while McCain is far from perfect, I believe that he is the best choice this year!

Obama may be book smart, but he certainly isn't street smart. I, for one, don't want to worry about my family's well-being if Obama takes office and yanks the military out of Iraq freeing up our country for a huge terrorist influx.

I think I will leave it at that, and allow you to watch the video and pray it may be an eye opener for you, or it just may confirm some of what you already knew!

PACKING!

noreply@blogger.com (Craft_mom) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:23:00 +0000

Mark and I have spent all weekend packing. The guy from our moving company dropped off boxes on Friday, so we jumped all over it. We only have this weekend and next weekend to get ready. They are coming to load us on 10/8!

We managed to pack most of the clothing from all of our closets. The linen closet and the coat closet are both packed except for our bath towels and wash cloths. We packed up most of the garage - well Mark did, anyway. I avoid the garage whenever possible other than getting in or out of the vehicles...lol. The kids toys have mostly been packed already, but we packed a few more this weekend.

We haven't touched the kitchen yet. The movers are packing one of the cabinets for us only because we have some stemware in there. We are going to pack the kitchen stuff next weekend.

It is definitely going to be an adjustment not having a garage and only having two parking spaces - assigned, no less.

We are still a little concerned with Sabrina. Just because she has to learn a new bus route, a new school, etc. She'll be fine once she learns it, but until then... At least here, she had one of the older kids walking her to her classroom in the beginning so she wouldn't get lost. She also took Sabrina under her wing and made sure she got off the bus where she was supposed to, too. I don't know if Sabrina will have that in Bel Air. We shall see.

This is the townhouse where we are moving: MLS: HR6641474 held by Coldwell Banker. We are just waiting for inspections and appraisals, etc. to be done. Everything is ordered from what we understand, so we just have to wait.

We are being loaded on the moving truck 10/8, then we are driving to my brother's house in PA on 10/10 just for the night. We are supposed to be able to get into the townhouse on 10/11. We are trying to make our list of what essentials we need to take with us. The moving company said they probably wouldn't have our 'house' to us until 10/13 or 10/14.

Our friend Matt dropped by last night for a few hours. He had just returned from South Africa, and we hadn't seen him in quite some time. It was nice to step away from packing and sit and talk with friends for a little while.

Well, I am pooped. I am going to go climb in bed! I think the dishwasher may need to be emptied, but then I am off to bed. Mark is staying up to watch the Eagles tonight. BORING! I just can't get into football or UFC that he watches. Two grown men beating the snot out of each other just isn't something I like watching. A bunch of guys chasing each other up and down the field is the same...just boring and not appealing to me. Of course, he says the same thing about me when I watch my CSI shows...lol.