September Template Challenge

It's a new month and that means I'm hosting a new template challenge.  This month we are creating a photo cube similar to this one that I found at Doodles and Dragonflies.  Of course, our templates can be placed in a plastic photo cube that can be bought at any store (found in the office section) or you can adhere your layouts to a wooden cube like the one in this example.

So pick up all five templates (available in one folder),here, and get to scrappin'.  And don't forget to post your finished LOs in the template challenge galleries at the following forums and you'll receive a little something extra just for your participation.

Scrappin' Freestyle

Groovy Scraps

Scrapper's Zone

 

Happy Scrappin'

LOs

I've found a little time to scrap during my busy week.  Scrapping has been my downtime and although it looks like I've been doing a lot, I really haven't (LOL).  I haven't been home much this week.  I really hope things start to slow down or I'm going to lose my mind.  I'm thankful that I'm a quick scrapper who loves to participate in challenges that help get my creative juices flowing.  And the kids have been in bed by 8 p.m. every evening so I've had lots of uninterrupted scrapping time. 

So here are my latest LOs for all to enjoy -

 

 

 

SSD - FOB2Y - Spelling Mistakes

Okay, so I took this stupid test.  And I got a 90%.  I found the ONE mistake that I made, but there are 20 words (or something like that) and I went through each one with the dictionary and I DID NOT miss two words.  I don't care what the quiz says - I really scored a 90%.  I know, shouldn't be a big deal, BUT IT IS - I'm an English Major.  Spelling is something I just DO.  LOL - okay, I'm over it. 

 

Your Common Spelling Mistake Score: 90% Correct

Your spelling is excellent. You don't fall for common spelling pitfalls, and you spell almost everything correctly.

Do You Make Common Spelling Mistakes?

 

Utterly Exhausted

Why doesn't Kindergarten come w/ a warning - CAUTION: Parents will feel completely exhausted and emotionally drained by the end of each day. Do not try to do more than one activity in a day until you are used to the new schedule.

That being said, I did not realize that taking on a new position as a Teacher's Aide at Noah's Ark preschool was literally going to kick my behind, and we haven't even started school.  Just 2 days a week.  It's still hard work.  I'm in mid-process of putting up our welcoming bulletin board - it's really cute.  I'm just going to see if I can make it even cuter - and of course finish it by noon on Thursday.  Now remember, I don't go back until tomorrow.

And what will I do this afternoon before picking up Hannah?  I will take a nap.  I much needed, not sleeping through the night, midafternoon nap.

And the award goes to . . .

my dear sweet hubby for Husband of the Year!!  As many of you know, I kept a boatload of children this week at my home.  And I do not believe I complained twice.  Once, I'm sure of. . . I was very tired, but I'm fairly certain, I just went with it and attempted to keep everyone happy.  And I did have a great week with the girls and Cayden.  It was lots of fun.  But it was exhausting. 

We've been planning on going out of town since June.  Uncle Les turns 50 next week.  He and Stephen share a birthday.  About midweek I decided the trip probably wasn't the best idea of our family.  I am very nervous about school starting tomorrow and want tonight's routine to be as close to normal as possible.  Plus, Ms. Molly was having a baby revealing party, and she actually called me and left a message stating that if I wasn't there, I didn't get to find out until I saw her, which could have been a while.  Well, instead of the whole family staying home, Stephen  suggested he take the kids to Jacksonsville and I stay home alone for all day Saturday and part of the day Sunday.  And that's what we did.  I was going to spend some of yesterday cleaning, but I decided against that so yes, my house is a mess,  but I am one very relaxed and rested woman.  Here's an outline of my day:

* Get up with family, help pack, get kids fed

* Send family on their way - lots of hugs and kisses and repeated hugs and kisses

* Attend a SpeedScrap Chat online at 9 am.  Wanna see my layout? This was a challenge for me.  We had to use the kit Urban Solitude, and I was having issues with trying to figure out how to make this kit childlike.

* Walk with Buster - we are still looking for Sparky. :(

* Massage at 12:30 pm - best massage of my life.  Alex from Massage Harmony, thank you soooo much.

* Lunch at Central Market - Basil Pesto, Artichoke, Mushroom, and Olive Pizza on thin crust - AMAZING.

* Bra shopping at Nordstroms - no more nursing bras!!!

* Ran some other errands - dog food, small gift for Ms. Molly, and treat from Starbucks

* Rest and relax at home for a couple of hours.  I scrapped a few more pages:

* Revealing party at Molly and Shannon's - It's a SURPRISE. . . mum's the word here.  I know, but I'm not telling :)

* Walk with both dogs - this was not fun at all and towards the end a big dog tried to attack us - owner was a little slow to react, but I'm ticked that the dog wasn't on a leash.  Grrrrr.

* Wished kids Good Night over phone.  Went and got a coke and cookies from McDonald's - just a little treat

* Bed pretty late, but nothing planned for tomorrow except to figure out how to get Buster in to get his nails trimmed, OUCH.

 

So there you have it.  I'm thinking of going to a movie but haven't quite decided.  I may just sit here in my PJs all day.  I need to get to the grocery store to get Hannah her favorite lunch items for this week and to pick up the ingredients for tonight's menu item for church.  Thinking of baking a tart. 

At any rate - I think my hubby's the best.  This was my first time away from my kiddos in a very long time - ever if you count that they are actually not in Austin.

Bloom and Grow. . . and meet the teacher

It's official.  She's really and truly five years old and going to Kindergarten on Monday.  I have been working one of her birthday photos for a scrapbook layout.  I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Notice how tiny and delicate she was in her newborn photo.  Crazy stuff!!!  Man, was she really ever that small?  And when did she turn into the little lady that she is now?  When did it happen?  I've been home with her all her life.  I just don't get it.  It happens soooo fast.  They aren't kidding when they say time goes by so quickly.  I'm still in awe with the fact that she's really going to Kindergarten.  For REAL. 

We did get to meet Hannah's teacher today -  Mrs Degon.  I snapped a photo.  Look at the fake smile from my little girl.  Totally a forced smile.  I hate photos like that.  And of course, we're "already sucking up" as Stephen says since we gave Mrs. Degon a small gift of pretty pink post it notes, notepad, pushpins, and paperclips.  But it was something I needed Hannah to do, having been a teacher myself. 

And no worries about numbers in Hannah's class.  There are a total of 13 or 14 kids, 7-8 boys and 5-6 girls.  Totally awesome, if you want my opinion.  Here's to Monday.  Say lots of prayers.  We'll both need them. 

Longest Week of my Life and SSD FOB2Y

Yep, it's official.  The week before Kindergarten starts has to be the longest week in the history of my life.  It was not the week before I got married.  It was not the week before either of my kids were born (they came as surprises so no preparation there).  It has to be this week.

Now, don't get me wrong.  I am having a blast this week.  We've been terribly busy getting ready for school and spending time together. We've started the mom up at 6, Hannah up at 6:30.  It's working.  She's going to bed tired and not fighting us.   But this week, I have had an additional 3 kiddos with me.  My three "nieces" (cousin's girls and one of my best friends' daughter).  And I am loving this houseful of children.  It's been so much fun for me.  We've even ventured out into the real world several times - Monday we went to Sam's.  Tuesday we had an entire day nearly spent in the car - Stephen took the afternoon off and we headed up to our beloved Chiropractor for one final visit before switching to a new one.  This was a very difficult decision to make.  I met my chiropractor in 2001 after wrenching my neck while working.  It was then that I learned I couldn't turn my neck at all.  We're talking a 5 degree angle.  I was literally using my shoulders and waist for everything (even driving - yikes).  After months of visits and therapy, I started seeing huge improvement, and I'm happy to say that today, I can turn my neck completely and have been mostly migraine free.  Life is good.  Soooo you can see why we've been driving all the way to Georgetown for 4 years.  Well, with K starting, it's just impossible to keep the same schedule so we went to our last appointment.  It was very sad.  I really and truly have been blessed by my relationship with Dr. Felder.  And I have two babies to show for!!  She helped me through my pregnancies and has been adjusting both kids since birth.

But I digress.  . . I had my "interview," took Miss Martha shopping, kids to chiro, and Hannah's 1st dance class all in one day.  And it was a L-O-N-G day.  We won't even get into the scam session Stephen and I took time to attend (Bon Voyage Travel - Sealand Travel - looks like a great investment if we had the $$.)  We went in for the prizes - a cruise and $1000 to amazon.com and left with bogus prizes. . . crap. . literally crap.  I've filed a complaint with the BBB).  And we came home to learn that Mr. Sparky had escaped earlier that evening while Stephen was repairing part of the fence. He'd left the garage door open and out he went. . so we're on a trek - back to posting signs and praying that someone brings him home again.  Stupid dog is microchipped but kept taking his tag collar off.   UGH!!!

And again, I digress. . . today was Hannah's last summer playgroup.  I loaded up all the children to head to the Aldridge home for swimming and play.  Kalie and Hannah had a blast playing with the kids. . . Parker's sister is Kalie's age so that was a nice break for the girls.  From Parker's we went to Chick Fil A, met Stephen, and order the Chicken Nugget Platter and 3 large fries plus small waters for all the kiddos, big water for me, and a drink for Stephen.  Turned out to be $4 a person instead of a million.  LOL

And now, I'm happy to say, they are ALL FIVE soundly sleeping. We hope to get a walk in this afternoon so that we can hunt for Mr. S.

Photos from our week -

Friday - I had the girlies all to myself!

 

Sunday - please forgive the red eye - these have no been edited.

Our nephew, Chase, eating lasagna.  Yummy!

 

Wednesday - Our last day with the baby girls.  We'll have Miss K through Friday.

 

 

 

 

The Motley Crew -

 

So this weekend, I will have the house to myself Saturday/Saturday Evening, and Sunday Morning.  Stephen and his family are off to Jacksonville for a Birthday Party for Uncle Les.  I'd love to attend, but I want to be at Molly's Reveal the Baby Party, and after this week, I think I deserve a break from any children whatsoever.  LOL

Looking forward to the day to myself - is that a bad thing?

 

BTW - I'm now the 3-year-old class's TA at Noah's Ark Preschool.  It's a MDO program - 2 days a week from 9am - 2pm.  Tuition for Cayden is free and I get paid on top of it all.  I'm excited.  It will be nice to have a little time away from the SAHM life.

And now, without further ado, the latest SSD FOB2Y - Back to School

…"back to school…to prove to Dad that I’m not a fool…I’ve got my lunch packed up, my boots tied tight…I hope I don’t get in a fight."  -Adam Sandler, Billy Madison

So, I took the quiz and found out that I was exactly what I thought.

You Were the All American Kid

Popular but not plastic. Athletic but not a jock. Smart but not a brain. You were well rounded and well liked in high school.

Who Were You In High School?

And of course, during the course of the week, we had naps.  And during naps, since I have been going to bed at 9:30 pm, I have been scrapping.

  

 

Groovy Scraps $1 Sale

All of my Brag Book Template Collections, Brag Book Pages and Kits are on sale for $1

Grand Opening Chat

Groovy Scraps Chat Tonight

Hi everyone! Wanted to let you know we are having our Grand Opening Chat at Groovy Scraps tonight! So, just like the Ad says, "Put on your party hats & grab your bags!" We hope you'll come join us & get a chance to meet all our Groovy Scrap Girls! Be prepared for a fun filled night & maybe even grab a few goodies while you're there!

You can click on the Ad above and it will take you to our forum, once there-just click on CHAT up in the Navigation bar and you will be taken to our Groovy Scraps Chat Room! You must be a Registered Member to get into the chat, so if you are not signed up yet, just leave a few minutes early-you can still click on this Ad and register through our forum! This is something you're NOT going to want to miss! We'll see ya'll there!

Event: Groovy Scraps Grand Opening Chat!
When: Thursday, August 14th
Time: 8 p.m. Eastern
Location: Groovy Scraps Chat Room!