Well Christmas has come and gone and sometimesit just doesn't seem like enough time with the family. We did have a wonderful time but I must be totally honest by time it was all don I was ready for everyone to leave, does that make me a bad person???? I hope not, I had spent 3 days with these people and just wanted time alone, I think I was getting on their nerves too. Here are some holiday pictures from me to you.




Tim wrapped my gifts with love.



















even Rascal is dressed for the occassion.

Right now all has come to a screetching halt at my house. But I am soooo very thankfull that it is this weekend and not next weekend. All was well, got up drank my coffee, didn't shower, why bother I was going to do some massive cleaning and get all grimmy and sweaty so I'd shower afterwards, right. I was cleaning doing the laundry, wrapping gifts, helping the cable guy, I didn't want him climbing around my village and didn't want to move it. The weather is abnormally warm so the kids are all outside playing, getting dirty. And did I mention I haven't showered yet????? We are planning on taking the In-laws out for dinner, need to get some baking done, truffle done, kiss cookies started peanut butter balls done, and bishops bread to go. I'm folding laundry and I'm so proud of myself, I never get it all done and hardly ever fold any of it. I go down stairs to change loads only 2 more to do, on average with the 4 of us we can do 10-14 on the weekend (two hoodies can be a load) I hear water running and think nothing of it at first, then I think it really doesn't sound right the dishwaher is done running and the sumppump sounds different, have I mentioned I haven't taken a shower yet????? Look over and the hot water heater is spuing water everywhere. Ok I'm the handy one in the house, but there are two things I don't mess with plumbing and electricity, and this is one of them. And wouldn't you know it not male was home in our neighborhood, they were all out Christmas shopping just like mine. I couldn't get the water to the heater to turn off the valve was stuck, and I even had Drew try it and as my FIL says if he can't get it to turn it ain't turning. Drew amazes doctors with how strong he is. well now we have no water I had to turn the main off and DH tried to fix the leak and broke something and now we are waiting for a new hot water heater to be installed sometime tomorrow afternoon. Have I mentioned I still haven't showered?????

But after all that I am very greatfull that it all happened this weekend and not next weekend.

Well Christmas is almost here, another year is almost gone and yet again I have not done half the things I wanted to do. I thought I would have been published or maybe even on a DT by now, but nope none of those things have happened. Then again I haven't really tried very hard. I just haven't had time, I've been doing more important stuff, spending time with the boys, not always quality but time.

I have managed to keep my kids alive!!!!!!!! That's a biggy for me, teenagers are not easy, but sometimes they can be fun if you have an evil side. I have watched them both grow so much this year. Tim both physically and emotionaly. I think that boy grew two feet since last Christmas. Drew has showed me he has great respect for somethings and yet none for others, he knows he is not invinsible, but feels he is too smart or maybe just too lazy to do anything. Sometimes I just want to ring his neck.

I have spent time with friends, made some new ones, and added a couple more countries to my list that I have been to. This year we sy we are staying home, although we said that last year too so we'll see.

Well I guess since I've been back from Germany I should post some photos.
This would be the Castle that we stayed in, I think it was haunted, long story.

This would be DH making friends with the goat that tried to eat me, the castle had it's own farm. I just don't think this castle liked me at all, although I enjoyed being there, it didn't like me and it let me know it.

This would be sun rising over the mote, once again I am the only on that saw things jumps out of the mote, by things I mean fish, no one else saw them. I am not loosing my mind.

This would be the main gathering room, did I mention the mirror in our room was made in 1750, I could still see myself. It was for decoration not for use you could tell it was really old and worn.

We had a ball and I have many more pictures I did take 509 most turned out ok, that surprises me. I would deffinately go back and even stay in the sam place the people were nice, and I still have to laugh at the castle, that I believe is haunted. We also visited the Netherlands , a few WWII cemeterys, Amsterdam, some Christmas Markets, and bought more chocolate that nay one could eat. Actually Mike bought the chocolate we didn't, he gives it out to his employees. He can give it to them as long as he takes me on the shopping trip for the chocolate.

Well I'm just about ready to go on my trip to Germany, yikes!!!!!!! Next year I don't think I'll be leaving the country, but I think I said that last year. But definately not around the Holidays again, that's just too much.

Look what else I did my neighbors think I'm strange for having my tree up so early but I don't care I didn't want to have to rush to put it up when I got back, too much other stuff to do then, besides I'm not the only one on the street with it up already.
Ofcourse I had to play with my camera, the one of Santa is taken from across the room.

Well it's only two weekd from today (yikes!) I'll be on a plane somewhere between here and Germany. I finally got started buying stuff for the trip, well beside my new camera(Canon power shot S3IS). Let's just say that Jon is going to kill me when he gets the bills so I better make this trip count. I will look good when I go though, I do need another pair of shoes, black ones, ok lets just say I need a pair of shoes, don't have any yet. I can't wait to get in some Christmas shopping. Now I just need to get the house in order to go. That means cleaning, something I hate doing, but Jon is leaving in the morning to go fishing in Florida ,with the alligators (I just uped his life insurance) so maybe I can get some good cleaning done. Next weekend we put up the tree, I know it's early but we want it done before we leave or it will never get done, last year when we were gone it took for ever for me to get my act together after we got back.

The store is crazy busy for me atleast right now, we have a teacher having to take a step back for personal reasons, please keep her in your thoughts, but she had to take her classes off the calander, yikes!!!!!!! Cass wants to fill those dates. Oh and as of the 24th I've been working at the store again part time. So I need some class ideas if any boodles, since that's all that reads this thing, has any we could use the help. I also have to make 120 gift tags for customers in Dec. one of my brillant ideas, what was I thinking, Deb and I are also making card kit for Christmas for people to buy, another one of yours truely, I can dig myself in a big hole can't I?? I know I love it, sometimes I do some of my best work under pressure, that way I don't have that much time to think, just create.

Well I got myself a new toy yesterday, a new camera. I wanted it before we go to Germany in a few weeks, and I played around with it today while the boys did the leaves in the front yard. And sinse they don't let me take photos of them I had to be sneaky and I was actually inside for most of the photos. Some turned out pretty good and some blurry but I have about three books to read on how to use the thing, so I haven't figured it all out yet.



The last one I like the leaves blowing. Hopefully I get to play a little more before Germany, the kida aren't very helpfull in that department.

Ok this is something I just have to share. I love my children and I do trust them, they are very good kids, I am VERY blessed. I feel guilty, almost like I was checking up on my oldest, but what I was doing was trying to get some pictures of him. I gave him one of my old cameras, and he avoids me with the camera like the plague, I never get his face I get a shirt or a hand it's horrible trying to get a picture of him. Well he wanted the camera so he could email pictures of himself and his friends to his girlfriend that lives in Florida, so when I saw his/my camera sitting there I thought I would see if there were any good pictures of him on it, OMG I'm sooooglad I did, I got some of the funniest pictures ever, I can't wait to scrap them, but don't know how to tell him I have them without loosing his trust, because I really don't go through his stuff, like I said he really is a good kid, and not just Eddie Haskle good he has a good heart and respect of things, who would of thunk a teenager these days knew what that word was??? Well here are some of the pictures.



















Here is my other son as his true self.

Ok so I have decided I am the worlds worse scrapper ever, not when it comes to scrapping but when it comes to taking pictures, this week was Halloween, I dressed up in TWO different costumes, is there one picture of me?????? Of course not, not one bumble bee or Cat in the Hat picture, what's up with that?????? I had to carve the pumpkins myself, really quite sad, y boy think they are too old to, do I have photos of my cute pumpkins, NO! Maybe my new camera coming tomorrow will get me motivated to take more pictures. What I need to do is take more pictures of projects that I do Cass snaggs them all before I photograph them maybe some will be on her class scheduale??????? http://www.papertalesinc.com/ But here are some of my projects from the past.

Ok so I guess since the reason I started this blog was to have a gallery to show people my work I should put more of my work on it, so please bear with me. I am not very good at this whole computer thing, and if something has been added twice I'm sorry, some things are old some are knew, some i need to take beeter pictures of first.

Well another week has passed and not much has gone on im my life, I guess that's a good thing, although I didn't get published, I didn't submit anything I didn't win the lottery because I didn't play, but I did take my son out driving and no one got hurt that's a good thing. Actually he's a very good driver, unlike most teenagers he respects and fears the power of the car.

I did get to go cropping with some friends and had a blast, I don't know if it's because I had to cancel the last two time we all got together or what but I had an absolute wonderful time, maybe it was just the drugs Krystn????? I only did two LOs but they were items done for me, not for a class or any other reason just me, sometimes I need that. Notice one of them has glitter on it and I normally am not a glitter person but Teresa Collins has me addicted to the stuff.


For those of you who might have been wondering my medical issues we think have been solved, I've been having horrible headaches and dizzy spells for weeks now about five or six, after telling methere is nothing growing in my head, that's the exact words from the doctor, my FIL says not even gray matter???? They have decided to treat me for a sensitive nerve on the left side of my brain, lets hope it does the trick, I have super sensitive reflexes what ever that means, I think they just enjoyed hitting me with that hammer whatching me jump around, they did seem to get a kick out of it.

Ok so it has been a while since I have blogged, maybe I've been taking lessons from Kelly???? Really I've had medical reasons, life always seems to throw you a curve ball (had to put the baseball analogy in, being from Detroit and all) when you think things are great. I do know that the doctor said nothing is growing in my head.......is that a good thing????????? :) Kids are sick and my Mother is once again "My Mother" Now I get to be the worlds worse mother (had a good teacher) My oldest has been planning on going out with friends to a battle of the bands, didn't tell me of his plans that involve me driving he talks to his dad about these things, but he is at the Tiger's game, now I have to keep him home because progress reports came home today :( I thought things were going well, but the class he usually sails through without thinking he's failing!!!!!!!! UGH!!!!!!!! Kids can't live with them and as far as I know you can't kill them, if you can will someone let me know.

Well it's been a while since I have blogged anything. I've been busy, we expanded the store, it looks GREAT!!!!!! We can now hold about 50 for a crop or class. We also had Teresa Collins from Junkitz teaching this past weekend, it was wonderful, she is amazing, so talented and sweet. Here are some photo's from this weekend, I didn't take very many, I've really been slacking on that, sorry.
My life has been really boring lately, been working on a lot of projects, I think I need to do a book? :) Like that will ever happen, I need a "Fairy God Mother" but so far I haven't found one of those.

Yup I forgot one, here it is.

I finally did it, I finished 25 layouts without purchasing anything new. I must Thank Caroline at Maya Road for the inspiration, you are my husband's hero. Now to go get some more of that new stuff out there. Memory Trends is coming up soon and I know Maya Road is coming out with alot of new stuff, I can't wait. well here are the last of my LO's now I need to do some class projects, oh, and clean my room it's a mess.

I hope I haven't for gotten any.