21 years ago today.....

Was the first of my best days....they have gotten better since but this was the beginning....the start....the day my wonderful dh and I were married!

This year we had a sweet weekend. My boys had to head to Arkansas to switch out cars with Reva...(that is another WHOLE subject for another day) and then Martina came and got the youngest two so dh and I had the house to ourselves! Wooohooo!

We went to the movies on Sat...YOU HAVE TO GO SEE FIREPROOF!!!!! It is a MUST SEE movie for everyone, but bring the kleenex! Wow....then went to eat....yum....Ben is back and he even brought me a little gift from China Town in New York. I didn't think we would ever see him again but he told us he really loves Mississippi! LOL....

Anyway...after that we went to Borders....ahhhhh time....then came home and ended up falling asleep! HA....

Got up this am and went to have breakfast and then headed to Mynell Gardens...it is beautiful...in the midst of chaos and a place that you are almost concerned for your life is this several acre botanical gardens....we spent about 3 hours there...walking and talking...sitting and swinging....feeding the fish...marveling at the wonders of creation.....then we came home....

Simply sweet....simply us.....

Week 3/52 ATC Challenge

This our Life Deck....okay....52 weeks, or 52 years...whatever it takes we should create this....we should have something to look back on and remember these times...but yet know, that our BEST DAYS lie ahead of us...but it was the past that placed us on the roads we are on....and the 'Y's we face every day.....the curves we didn't see, the curves we did.....let's take the time to TRAVEL our road!! And travel it together! What a fun venture...are you ready????

So....for this first group of '3'...we will be looking at the days.....the first week we looked at Today .... last week we thought about Tomorrow...and of course, we can't leave out YESTERDAY

That is where I want you to go now....could it be just yesterday (the day before this one!) that you want to remember something special....it could be that Yesterday be a time in your life that was special,fun or even hard that you have been able to overcome! We don't want to spend a LOT of time dwelling on yesterday, and remember that our BEST DAYS lie ahead of us BUT it was yesterday that we had to go through before we got to today.....so this week.....share about YOUR YESTERDAY!

I had it easy....I got to think about 21 yesteryears ago today!!! Here is mine for this week! Get ready! The next 3 weeks we will take a total different turn.....and get a little FESTIVE!

Week 2/52 ATC Life Deck

Here it is! Week 2...

Well....Today I get to put up a new challenge....come on ladies! These are fun and EASY!!!!

This our Life Deck....okay....52 weeks, or 52 years...whatever it takes we should create this....we should have something to look back on and remember these times...but yet know, that our BEST DAYS lie ahead of us...but it was the past that placed us on the roads we are on....and the 'Y's we face every day.....the curves we didn't see, the curves we did.....let's take the time to TRAVEL our road!! And travel it together! What a fun venture...are you ready????

So....for this first group of '3'...we will be looking at the days.....last week we looked at TODAY....now...can you guess where I'm going...

Let's dream about TOMORROW!!!! What do you want to do tomorrow.....where will you be tomorrow....your tomorrow can literally be TOMORROW (the next day) OR you can dream about your future....your family's future....your world's future....take it where YOU want to take it...remember they are YOUR cards and are YOUR emotions....YOUR colors, YOUR thoughts! But pause for a moment...and think about TOMORROW.

Here is mine for this week...

My dd that moved to Arkansas about a month ago has a thing with all of us...we miss her so much and she told us...I'll only be gone a minute...we remind her that a minute is up....and she says 'give me one more minute'....so in honor of my sweet Reva....

Tomorrow will be here in a minute!



Don't forget...that we are sharing them HERE at 4SS...come see what the ladies are doing and share yours....

This week I also added them HERE at ASF....so there are two boards joining in on the fun!!!

And if you don't want to post them at either place, just link them here!!!!! I wanna seeeeeee them!!!!

Honor.....

Can I tell you all that I am married to the MOST HONORABLE man I've ever known....

Yes, there are times I'd like to ring his neck....yes there are times he'd like to ring mine....but once again, I've watch this man have the opportunity to LASH out and yet, he remains silent. When someone else is yelling and cursing at him....he remained calm....frustrated yes, but at the same time didn't yell the same insults back....

And I KNOW that God will HONOR that....I know He already has, because I see him as honorable...

He has made mistakes....but he is first to admit that, he is first to ask forgiveness of that, all the while others are telling him things like 'you made your bed'....yes...he did....but there are things under that bed that have not been uncovered....things he didn't put there....but others don't want to admit that they put those there...no...he will cover it for them....because he doesn't want them to hurt..he does not want them to have anyone else think of them anything but good...he will stake his own reputation to avoid hurting theirs.

Yes...I am married to an UNDOUBTEDLY HONORABLE MAN!!! I don't care what anyone else says!!!! And I sooo am IN LOVE with him!!! Can you tell???

Life Deck....week 1 of 52

I am going to be hosting a 'Life Deck' challenge each week for 52 weeks HERE at 4SS

I am so excited about this journey!!! Here is the first challenge! Feel free to come join us at 4SS, or if you just wanna share them here, you are more than welcome to link them on here and share them with us! BUT if you share them with us on 4SS I'll put your name in the hat and each 3 weeks I'll draw a winner for a little RAK from me! The RAK will mostly be goodies that you could use on these cards! BUT it is always fun getting goodies in the mail....AND after 52 weeks you will have a little LIFE deck about you and your life!



Are you ready? Do you have a little 'blank' pallet in front of you yet??? I KNOW we allll have piles of scraps around us, and little pieces of this or that...well, these will be PERFECT for you to create 52 little pieces of ART, JUST for you, will be about you and the things you like, it will be about your family, it will be about things we do, places we go, people we meet.....it will be about our town, about our neighborhood, about our home, it will be about the rooms in our house.....yes...for the next 52 weeks we will walk on this little journey together...we will get to know more about each other, and about ourselves, through these little tiny pallets....

Not to worry, you won't have to talk much....sometimes you won't talk at all....because the KEY here is CREATIVITY!!! Your imagination is your world....remember when you were a little girl and you were asked to draw a picture....you might have been told to draw a picture of your favorite flower, of your family....what ever the case we were EXCITED to draw....excited to put onto paper our creativity....well...YOU ARE THERE AGAIN! There IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG....NO penalties for coloring outside the lines...or even making the colors match! If you want a red plaid skirt with a yellow polka dot shirt...GO FOR IT!!! YEA!! We are FREE!

Tee hee hee...didn't know these things were going to be that much fun did ya????

Let's call this our Life Deck....okay....52 weeks, or 52 years...whatever it takes we should create this....we should have something to look back on and remember these times...but yet know, that our BEST DAYS lie ahead of us...but it was the past that placed us on the roads we are on....and the 'Y's we face every day.....the curves we didn't see, the curves we did.....let's take the time to TRAVEL our road!! And travel it together! What a fun venture...are you ready????

So....for this first group of '3'...we will be looking at the days and time.....and what better place to start than TODAY!!!!

Yes...this is your topic....TODAY.....

Where are you today....you can make this funny, you can make this simple, you can make this emotional....(but how much can you put on a 2.5x3.5 piece of paper???) Today can be me LITERALLY TODAY (9/14 in this case) today can be a 'right now kind of thing' (like this year, as opposed to 10 years ago)....it can be what you did today...what you ate today....what you played today....what you watched today....about the weather today.....ANYTHING you want! (remember that blank piece of paper and crayons!) Oh....and you don't have to do both sides...but it is fun....it is up to YOU!!!!!

Here is my example....probably a bit on the emotional side because I was in an emotional mood....

Design That Stamp Contest....

How cool is THIS

Want to be a guest stamp designer?
Love to draw or doodle?
Have a fresh and funky flair?

Queen Kat Designs is looking for you! We are holding a guest stamp designer call from Sept 12th-Sept 30th. Send us your hand drawn stamp ideas and if we love your style, we will manufacturer your design into one of the highest quality acrylic stamps on the market.

QKD is known for their funky flair and quality stamps and we want to invite you to join the Royal Court for the month of January. The winner(s)* will be a guest designer for the entire month, we will send you a free stamp set of your design, and you will be expected to create three papercraft samples with that set and upload them to the QKD gallery.

*We will choose more than one winner if your artwork stands out from the crowd.


Rules:
Please send the following information with your images: Full name, email address, title for your drawing(s) and a list of any design teams you are currently on.

You can send in as many sketches as you like but we ask that your images be no larger than 100K in file size. And they must be sent in 1 email. Do not send multiple emails throughout the month. Make your 1 email count.

Send all images to nikki@katstamps.com please have your name in the image name. Subject should read: Designers Contest Submission: (your name here)

Once you have submitted your art, please do not email us for the status of your submission. Emails will not be returned. If you question that we got your submission email it again. Do not submit more than 2 emails with the same art or your art will be discarded.

You can not currently be designing stamps for any stamp company.

You must complete your samples and upload them to the QKD gallery by a set date TBD.

All designs submitted must be your own original art work. Art work will not be accepted if it is under copyright of another artist.

Only hand drawn artwork will be accepted. No computer generated art.

All art must be emailed to Nikki by 12pm PST on September 30, 2008. Late entries will NOT be accepted.

We apologize but at this time this call is only open for U.S. residents.

Current QKD employees and Royal Court members are not eligible to enter.

Today

Today I am a crisis Christian.....and that is a good thing.....when I live in 'crisis' I remember who I need to turn to...I remember who to rely on.....I remember where I came from....

I remember to WORSHIP!!!!

Yes...TODAY I am a crisis Christian....and I pray that tomorrow I will be too......

2 week CYBER CROP!!!

Just wanted to remind you all about ASF's (A Scrappin Friendsy) 2 week long cyber crop!!! All the challenges are around the Olympics! You GOTTA check them out! AND JOIN US! Prizes to be won, creations to be made!!!! What are you waiting for!!!????

Also, while you are there, make sure you check out this weeks DT dare....Penny had a GREAT idea...kind of like an UNdare....HA....remember every week a winner is picked for a small prize for DT Dares! Make sure you come check it out and participate with us!!!!

So today was fairly uneventful....even with Gustav the house was fairly laid back. We had one tornado warning but nothing came of it (thank heavens!) and lots of rain....we will have lots of rain all week....and we do still have tornado watches out there.

Here are a few photos I took today
I love looking at clouds....

And then....Lydia had the girls to spend the night last night.
They made a tent in her room....
there is still a little bit of 'little girl' in there!
They are just so funny!

Think I'll leave it at that for today....

Wanna see....

What I did this weekend so far.... HOPING I can do more tomorrow! Was going to work on
more...BUT I'm thinking I could start my SEPTEMBER goals!

OH and you guys HAVE to check out the 2 week long cybercrop that ASF is having!!!! LOTS of great challenges! Check it out here....it is open to ALL and we would LOVE to have some old and new folks playing with us!!! You do have to register for the site but heck....that is easy to do and lots of things to be won!!!!

Here it is!!!

The debut of the September and first ever CARD KIT at 4SS!

Let me tell you folks, if you wanna card kit that will EXPLODE your creativity you HAVE to get one of these! They are LIMITED and it is first come first serve so DO NOT WAIT! And let me tell you, if you are not a card maker you could STILL have LOTS of fun with this kit making layouts! There is just sooo much stuff packed in this kit and the price is UNBELIEVABLE! I created 7 cards with the kit and EASILY have enough left for a few layouts and a few more cards! We are talking FULL 12x12 layouts too!

First, here is a pic of what ya get....

8 FULL pieces of 12x12 paper, and most of them are double
sided! A FULL set of alphas (perfect size for cards too!)
A FULL book of Scrapworks rubons, A full sheet of
tags and die cuts, a 12x12 rocking Prima border, an
awesome template, buttons, ribbons, and more little
yummy goodness!!! You HAVE to check out all the photos of the kit at 4SS! And to wet your whistle (like you needed more drool) here are a few of the creations that the DT came up with using this yummy kit.
This is Jennifer's fun goodness

And this by Ali Lee not only created cards and tags but also this rocking layout.... And here is one of the cards I made For more awesome goodness that the DT created make sure you check out the full gallery HERE. Or you can click on each of the designers name and it will take ya to their blog to see more!!!

THEN while you are checking out the card kit....don't forget to check out the FULL kit!!!! Here is a peek at it!!! If you think the card kit was loaded....You HAVE to check the full kit out! And what the heck...why not get both!!!!

Have fun drooling folks!

Yea....I'm alive!

Wow.....it has almost been 2 weeks! But it has been a WHIRL wind of 2 weeks!

Wedding on the 16th was so sweet! The 'first' kiss was a moment to remember!!!

Here are a few pics.....

Dad giving away his girl.....

Marriage Vows.....

And THE kiss.....

They had a good time on their honeymoon in Panama City...and they didn't have any problems from Fay either!

Well...that was the end of that week....

Monday was chalked full of running....got new Military ID cards (only 2 years late on those)....getting Mason's feet looked at and on the road to some improvements there...he is moving to Parts where he works. He just can't handle standing on his feet for 10 hours a day...but he should be fine...pay should be the same if not a tad more so he is happy, we are happy and work is FINALLY happy (they found someone to take his place in the shop).

Tuesday was full of Dr stuff....pre ops...we won't even go there though...okay? Then Wed was surgery....it went well but it has taken more out of me than I ever thought. I thought I would be up and running the next day...NOT....but it is better...and dh has been a sweetie yesterday and today and is letting me scrap my heart out! What a guy! And the first layout I did was in HONOR of how wonderful he is!

New DT Dare is up!!!

DT Dare at ASF! Here is the link to the blog that you can read it at too!

Ready for the dare this week? Well, Ken has a great challenge for you.

We’re going to call this Dare…Dressin’ Up!!

Well, I’ve been in the mood for creating my own embellishments lately, so I figured you could join in. The challenge this week will be to create a chipboard embellishment and dress it up to use on a page or card. It can be painted, glittered, stamped, etc. Whatever your heart’s desire!! The possibilities are darn near endless. So get ready to get your creative groove on and make something AWESOME!! I can’t wait to see what you come up with.

Here’s my creation:
Hand painted Chipboard Frame

Love Bug (using chipboard frame)

Projects must be linked and posted by midnight (CST) on August 16th. Make sure you link your project to the thread in the Cybercrops & Challenges FORUM, not the blog!

The winner will receive a small prize, free with your next purchase from ASF! I will pick a winner, at random, on Monday, August 20th.

Thanks for having fun with me!

New ones are up!!!!

Challenges that is!!! QK is still CELEBRATING!!! And YOU STILL get the gifts!

The challenge this week is at SG's blog -- or should we say challenges??!!! Go check it out!

SG

I'll be drawing for a winner in a bit!

QKD Turns 3!!!!

Yup! Queen Kat Designs is 3 years old! WOW!!!! Where does the time go?

Well, to celebrate the DT team will be hosting challenges all month long! Wooohooo....wish I could celebrate my birthday all month long! HA! Make sure you keep checking all the DT Blogs because everyone will be doing different things different weeks! (not to worry....I'll give ya the links!!!)

BUT the fun thing is I get to play the FIRST week with Vicki herself! Make sure you check her blog for her challenge! And OF COURSE there will be prizes!!! (AND DISCOUNTS!!!) It is our birthday but you get the presents! WOW! How fun is that!

So.....for my challenge I wanna see dimension....pull out those POP dots or something to make your card have dimension....and if you think I am gonna stop there...well....try again....I also wanna see BLING on your card! Yup....make it SHINE somehow!

Anyway....You may submit 1 card per challenge so make it your best. Deadline to have cards linked here is Monday August 11th at 12pm PST. Winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday August 12th.

To enter simply post your card on your blog or online with a link to the QKD Challenge, Then in our comments section here, post a link to your card where it's posted. Simple as that. :)

Now.....I'm sure you want the links to the rest of the DT's Blogs right.....remember....some of the gals will be celebrating different weeks so keep checking!

Vicki (Owner/Designer)

Tanis (Designer)

Bev (Designer)

SJ (Designer)

Penny (Newsletter Editor/Creator)

Nicole (Creator)

Amy (Creator)

Have fun! Don't forget to link your projects for me to see here in this comment thread!!!

It's August!!!

Wow! I have a LOT of stuff to post today! So I'll start here....

First check out the challenges at ASF! The DT team creates a new challenge each week and always has a prize attached to the winner!

Here is this weeks challenge from Wanda!!

It’s priceless!

$250 for tickets, $90 for t-shirts, $35 for snacks………taking your daughters to the Jonas Brothers’ concert? Priceless!

Okay, I made that up! But it IS my challenge to you. Make a “priceless” page. Model it after those Mastercard ads. There are no other requirements or restrictions! Well, maybe just one: HAVE FUN!

Also, have your layout posted in the gallery and linked to this THREAD by the end of the day on Sunday. I will choose a winner at random and you will win a small prize with your next order or purchase from the store. Yay! I might even pick TWO winners and send you something from my ever-growing stash!

Here’s a link to my PRICELESS page and a copy of the pict as well.

Crazy Thursday

UGH....woke up to my house smelling like gasoline! YUCK....apparently one of my wonderful sons (ADISON) was fixing his z-turn to sell and some gasket wasn't good and gasoline spilled allll over the garage....

Sure hope this goes away! It is Thursday which means in about an hour and a half I'm out of here....I love what I do when I get there but it is the point of leaving the house! HA.....I think I might take a 2 week break on Thurs evenings and let Jackie do them for me....I'll do this week and next and then let her have the one right before Mar's wedding and the one after.....that will be a nice little break.

I have some great news! I got 2nd place for my card at ScrapNCircle for the first week! YIPPIE! There is some tough competition! The card I entered for the 2nd week is still being judged and I have week 3 ready to upload....going to do that on Friday evening.

So....what are you guys up to these days??? I did some blog hoppin yesterday....

What a way to start the week!!!

Wooohoooo! What a way to start the week! AND a MONDAY no doubt!
I made the Card Design Team for 4 Scrappy Sisters! It is such an honor
to be among such talent and a group of FANTASTIC ladies! They are such
a HOOT and LOVE to party! Come stop by and say hello, and meet all the
teams and the rest of the gang!

I HAVE to share this....this is my beautiful 93 yo mom and 2 of my dd's....

She is an incredible woman! Reva is moving in with her, NOT because she is 93 and needs help but because Reva is going to college in the same town. She is so excited and said she is going to take all sorts of pictures of her....that will be wonderful! I might have to duplicate this page because these two girls will FIGHT over it! I sure hope I look this good when I'm 93...and she doesn't even color her hair!

I really am blessed!

QKD CHA Releases!

Aren't these the CUTEST!!!!

Just a few of the CHA releases by Queen Kat Designs! Lots of fun stuff planned also in the coming months! You HAVE to keep your eye out HERE at the store and see what the designers there are up to! Make sure you check out the monthly kits....everything from 6x6 kits, 12x12 kits, Take 3 kits (where you get 3 different stamp sets EVERY month at an incredible price!!!) When you order, tell them that Jules sent ya!

By the way...this is just a SMALL taste of the new releases! You can click on any of the stamp images and they will take you directly to the store and you can see more!!!! Have fun!

Middle of the week!!!

Yup....Wed instead of Tuesday! HA! I would have posted yesterday but my hand was so swollen that it was hard to type....Monday am I'm hanging out laundry and swish, out of NO WHERE, came some 'stinging' type of animal and it got me good!!!! I don't do well at all getting stung....

It got me on the outside of my wrist...well....above the wrist and below the pinkie...but my whole arm was as big as Poppeye's after he ate the spinach! Yesterday I wrapped it in ice and I think that and keeping it up last night helped....but man...that was NOT fun!

So...today is Wed....I get to see the wonderful ladies and gentlemen at Bank Plus around 11:15....then I'm coming home and looks like I need to get in that pool again....hoping all this will soon lead to a clear pool again...ugh....it does look a little better....but still a ways to go. I might have to break down and bring a sample to the pool store and see what they suggest...

Let's see if I can find a few creations to put up for your enjoyment...lol....Well..how about this one?? I LOVE how this turned out! I'm doing a card challenge at Scrap-N-Circle and this was my week 1 entry! It was to use all scraps! Had to take a pic of the before and then the after. I did use fabric for the strawberries! Isn't that fun!

Now I just remembered...I NEED to give you guys a few sneak peeks of some great stuff happening at QK stamps.....oooohhh....two posts in one day!