Happy Birthday BFF Laura

It's Laura's birthday! She loves the surf, the sand, and the sea, and who can blame her?!! There's something wonderful about sitting outside in a lounge chair, along Lake Michigan beaches by the Dunes, listening to the water and the gulls...did I mention 85 degrees too? Her family always invites my family to come and join them for the day at the beach house they rent out yearly...we always have a great time. I made these for her birthday...they remind me of the sea and her.

The note pads were made to fit into the box, but I should have measured the box first because I would have known the pads were 1/4" too wide. Yikes! What to do? Make a chipboard notepad holder!

Colors of the Morning

I woke up really early this morning and decided to take advantage of having some quiet time to myself...I got on the elliptical, turned on the ipod and zoned out for a half hour or so. Then I went downstairs, got a cup of coffee, sat down on the couch with my laptop and enjoyed the peace and quiet! After a while I looked up and there I saw it, the sun creeping slowly up over the top of the burm in the backyard. I haven't seen...or should I say I haven't paid attention, to the sun rising in a couple of years. It's beautiful to see the colors of the morning and was a wonderful way to start my day, and all I could do was to say "thank-you" for letting me be witness to such beauty. God is good!

A big shout-out to Christina!

Look what Christina awarded me with, how cool is this? My first blog award! I'm not sure if I should wear a crown and royally wave my risen hand while balancing a couple dozen roses, or pass this on to those who are more deserving....hmmmm.....but there are some rules, so let's go over them.

List 6 things you value, six you don't, and six receivers.

Things I value:
1. My faith, I wouldn't be me without it
2. My family, they complete me
3. My 5 senses - think about it, the miracles of the human body (see #1)
4. My parents, I wouldn't be me without them!
5. My friends, they listen and don't judge
6. Being an American

Things I do not value:
1. Cartoon Network
2. Corporate greediness
3. Feral cats
4. Whinning
5. Obstinance
6. Littering

My six receivers are:
1. Vi
2 Vanessa
3 Amy
4 Tracy
5 Karrilee
6 Michele

Enjoy ladies!

Use CAUTION when entering Illinois!

There is another newly licensed driver in the state - LOL! He is so proud of that new license, he must have text'd 20 people letting them all know that he passed. Sounds like he was worried, doesn't it?!!

I couldn't have planned it any better when the Sunday cartoon strip of Zits had their son going through the Driver's Ed program at the same time. My family can soooooooooo relate to that cartoon! LOL! I kept putting the comic strips on the fridge, we got such a kick out of all of them, it's like looking at our family in caricature form! I saved all the comic strips, I knew they would come in handy some day!

Don't you just love the Sammy Hagar song?!! I hope my son doesn't think this is appropriate behavior....LOL! Maybe I should change it, or maybe not!

Who doesn't love coffee?!!

Read no further if you don't LOVE coffee!!! LOL! I'm still in love with this cheap foam stamp and can't seem to stay away from it for very long. And then I remembered I had some small coffee/hot cocoa cup stamps, so I used them for the background on these cards. If you ever come to visit you might want to know that I take my coffee with soy and splenda! And I'm sending a big shout-out to Michele for her "cup of kindness" for sending me these cute coffee stickers....it's a shame they're not scratch 'n sniff because I love the aroma of coffee! I know, I know... Miss K will have something to say about scratchin' and sniffin'.... LOL!

Some Cards for Vi's Troops

I promised Vi I would make some cards for her local troops which are deploying in January. If I get more time I'll make more cards, but for now these are the ones that I'm sending her way. I tried to keep one set of the cards "manly" so there is no glitter involved! LOL!

Now to get to this weeks Stamp-to-Lose challenge...to emboss a stamped image! Ink, embossing powder, and a heat gun.....how deliciously hands-on is that?!!!

King Tut Rises in South Elgin

My youngest son has been fixated on King Tut for a couple of years and when he said he wanted to be King Tutkahamen at Halloween, well...how could I say "NO"?!! It took only took me about 4 hours to make, and it turned out "cool" enough for a 9 year old. LOL! I can pretty much guarantee that none of the other kids at school, or even the neighborhood, are going to be dressed as KING TUT!