Trick or Treat

I am not a big one on the Halloween holiday.

Don't get me wrong, I think the kids have fun with it and there is something nice about the family carving pumpkins, and for the first week there is the cool candy high....but really, honestly I am just not a holiday person.


Not a scrooge...just not a holiday person.


The thing that I do like about Halloween is the carving of pumpkins.


Usually we do 'pumpkin head' pictures. I pulled these up from 2005. They crack me up for a number of reasons but I must say that I REALLY need to repaint my dining room. LOL! AND the family is totally cutie with the pumpkin heads.


This year Shawn picked up a design pumpkin carving kit from walmart and they didn't do pumpkin heads. Although I must say that they carvings turned out pretty dang neat.The pumpkin guts are the worst for me. I am proud to say that I did NOT gag this year!! (Thanks you my dear sweet children and hubby for not slapping the snotty stringy pumpkin guts on the table while making totally gross sound effects.)This is Mason and his pumpkin with Shawn's help. edit...yep, again too lazy to rotate the picture. You will just have to turn your head sideways. LOL. ;0) This is Bai's pumpkin that she carved all by herself. It must be noted though that throughout the whole carving process she complained that it wasn't 'good enough'. My little OCD girl.
My pumpkin carving job is to take the pictures. :)

Tonight we will be taking the 'Ninja' (Mason) and 'bumble bee' (Booda) out trick-or-treating. Bai hasn't decided if she will go with us, her bff, or stay home and pass out candy. She was a little bummed that I wouldn't BUY her a costume....told her she was too old for me to buy one that she could 'create' one and that didn't appeal to her too much. Does that make me a bad mom? Am I a Halloween dream crusher? LOL.

OK, enough of my rambling. I am going back to sprappin. Shawn called on his lunch and I answered the phone "Michelle's scrap shack" because that is what I am doing today. Not studying for the math test, not making lesson plans out, not the dishes, not the laundry, not dusting or sweeping or vacuuming.....nope I am a bum of the greatest proportion today - AND I LOVE IT!!!

Hugs and happies!
OH and Leah....totally missin' ya too!
m

The Tag is Done....

The tags are done and posted but they posted under the date that I started.
So you will have to scroll down to find out my juicey info. ;0)
More stuff for you all later.
Hugs and happies.
m

Scrappin' Post

I really do scrap.
I just don't seem to get stuff posted on sb.com any more.
Heck, I am lucky if I get to post.
Today my goal was to finish the 'tags' and, well, I'm not going to be able to. The ABC one is a bit more work...totally in a good way. (That post will be coming shortly and I am soooooo going to tag someone gooood! LOL)
Anyway. Here are a few layouts that I have done in the past couple of months. Ang you might remember some from the start-a-bunch-of-layouts-but-not-finish-a-single-one crop.


I will try to get more of some stuff posted to share with ya.
I am working on a few things right now....some layouts, my 2008 planner, an Ali E index scrapbook, playing in my art journal, getting a class together to teach in Feb.....so much good stuff to do on top of chores and homework and life.
Speaking of which, I need to go start some dinner.
Hugs and happies.
m

Working on...

Been working on some stuff.

Have a few tags that I am working on answering (will post them soon I hope).

Working on getting Mason feeling better. He is home sick today. Think his body is fighting a bug. He is such a drama queen about taking medicine that he gags and .... well, it is work.

I will be teaching a beginning scrapbook class at the local community college and have been working on harnessing all of my ideas for that. So completely stoked and cannot wait to share my passion to get others started in this 'obsession' of ours.

As always...working around the house, chores, chores, chores.

It is on 'my list' to get some of my layouts and projects posted....really need to work on that one.

Really though....I need to go study. Have a test today.
Just wanted to shout out and update.
Hugs and happies.
m

Tagged and tagged again.

I have been tagged by my wonderful scrapping friend ChristianeK to list 5 things that keep me going. Here goes:


1) My children. I know this is one that most people say....but no matter how much frustration they may cause Bailey and Mason are my life, my breath.


2) Shawn. Again, I've said it tons, he is my balance and my rock. We have been married for almost 15 years and not only still love each other but we still LIKE each other. I cannot imagine my life without him.

3). My 'cup of happy'. This is for the most part coffee, but I need my Diet Vanilla Pepsi like some kind of junkie.


4) Scrap Art. I love to, need to , want to, create. There was an add for fiskars that said something about hands being jealous of what the brain does and I soooo relate to that! My brain is constantly on the go with crafting/scrapping/art projects it is just that my time management isn't at is best yet and my hands are very jealous.


5) Electricity. Origianlly I was thinking of the every day basic stuff that I love and use and enjoy in my life like the computer (reaching out to all of those scrappers and connecting with so many people in a quick way), microwave....ummm yeah can anyone pop popcorn now-a-days without it, TV (totally and completely addicted to TV and all of the shows it has to offer.) Heat gun, cricut, lighting for reading and crafting at night.......OH the list goes on. So it may not offically "keep me going" but electricity definately keeps me sane(er). ;0)


I was also tagged by the beautiful Nancy about 10 billion years ago and haven't gotten back to it....so here it is now. ;0)
Here is my scrapbooking alphabet soup:

A arccivo
B bling
C cricut
D diamond glaze
E embossing powder
F felt
G (7) gypsies
H heat gun
J journaling / art Journal
K Karen Russell (just a 'real' scrapper)
L life artist
M mini albums
N noteworthy (MM new line)
O obessed
P paint
Q Q-tips (yep, totally use them to scrap with)
R rub ons
S stickles
T time (needed sooooo bad to scrap)
U utee
V vision
W www. ? (totally connect to other scrappers through the www)
X x-acto knife
Y y-not?
Z Zats all I can think of.

OK- I am totally sharing the tag.
Donna D, Ang, Christiane, and Shannon....all you others have lucked out BUT I will catch you on the next ones ;0)

Hugs and happies.
m

Catch Up

I have some pictures to share.
Finally ;0)
All writing with the pictures is below the picture (I seem to get confused when blog reading sometimes the writing is above the photo, sometimes below.....maybe it is just me.)

This is a picture of Mason in front of the 'replica' Christopher Columbus ship. We couldn't get too close or on board but this photo turned out kind of neat.
A sideways picture (because I am too lazy to delete it go back and rotate it and re-upload it, LOL!) of the Endeavor packed to the gills with carpet. Nothing like a last minute trip to pick up carpet and try and get all of it home. And you know what? We over bought by like 6 boxes!! We were able to return them but how funny to have 4 boxes on the roof, the back packed Mason sitting on a box and I had one on my lap. The whole time Mason kept hi-fiving us saying "The Moore Four" or "Moore Power"....it was cracking me up. Good memories.
This is the new carpet going in. We did the do-it-yourself-squares-that-you-can-replace-if-accidents-happen kind. It is a bit darker than I wanted once we got it in, it looked lighter in the store on the ONE SQUARE - but it is OK. It is new, fresh, soft and will work until we get this dang house put together to sell.
Had to share this photo. This here is all of my scrap/art stuff. Pulled out of all the nooks and crannies to make it look like there is a crap-load of stuff. OK, I will admit I DO have a lot of stuff. I am blessed. I am thankful. The tree out front is starting to turn. So freakin' awesome. I love the colors of fall. I need to get my camera out for some more pictures because everywhere is just so pretty right now.
NEWS FLASH.......
Chopped my hair off! Bai and Mase had appointments on Friday and I called Kelly to see if she could squeeze me in. It so happened that her 5 o'clock apt cancelled. Have been thinking about the little wedge cuts that are all the rage (saw Jenny McCarthy - is that how you spell her name?-on Oprah and L-O-V-E-D it but knew I could never pull it off.). Walked in and Kelly had cut her hair in a longer wedge and I said THAT IS WHAT I WANT. She did it and I am adjusting. She cut off 9-10 inches. I like it, I think, but I haven't had my hair this short since, like, 8th grade and it was atrocious then. SO....what do you think? I will try and get some different pics up for ya. Maybe one of the back so that you can see the wedge.


That is about it for the pictures.

BUT I have to shout out a late Happy Birthday to Angie!!!
And a HUGE congrats because she will be PUBLISHED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Scrapbooking Trends has been smart enough to choose one of her layouts for publications.
She is sooo totally on her way and I am TOTALLY proud of her.
Happy Birthday Ang and I really am proud of you. (Even though I knew it was just a matter of time ;0)

Gotta go pick up Mase from school.
Hugs and happies.
m

A Little Something

OK....where in the holy heck has this week gone?????
Is it really hump day?
Do I really have NOTHING done that I wanted to do???
Craziness.
But hey, at least I am not choking. Right? LOL
Hope all is well.
Things are moving well here.
School is fine.
The class I am teaching is smoothing out.
I will be (thinking total positive although nothing is set yet) teaching another class this spring.
Completely stoked about that.
The new Ali Edwards book came into my local sb store and I am broke.
Funny how things work like that.
But I am still not choking AND I have my sense of humor which really gets me far.
Off to flip the laundry and make some cards.
Good times here.
Hugs and happies.
m

A Little Funny and Something Else

OK.
Long blog.
I seem to have some stories I want to get recorded.
Although I am going to start with my freakin' obsession.
Hello.
My name is Michelle and I have had a slight Archivo OBSESSION the past few days. Then realized that I haven't even been spelling the dang thing right!!!!......DURH!!!
So let me correct myself in spelling.
I have had a major Arccivo OBSESSION lately.
I WANT this thing.
{{{sigh}}}
It has been added to the list of things that I 'want'. ;0)

Have to share that this 'obsession' almost got me 'kilt' yesterday because I was daydreaming about the ARCCIVO and ran a stoplight.
Screeching tires and everything.
I KNOW!!!! Total idiot! I have issues, huh? LOL!

Then the second time I almost died yesterday is part of the 'little funny' from the title.
Here is the story. I am hoping that I can type the words and it will be as funny as it actually was.
Last night I was teaching and had forgotten my bottle of water.
I had some "Restore" lemonaid-berry mints (LOVE THOSE BABIES!) and thought that I would just pop one of those until break.
During to process of putting the mint in my mouth I thought to myself "don't choke on this while you are talking".
Myself didn't listen.
The mint and become a sliver and on an inhale to begin the next sentence I brought that little sliver of mint straight into my lungs and started choking...right there in front of the whole entire class.
OK, so I wasn't 'officially' choking because I was able to cough.
BUT the cough was coming from the very bottom of my lungs.
Those forceful coughs where your body it trying to save itself from dying.....
Well......let me tell you. I was conscious enough to clamp down on the bottom half of my body because in old age a forceful cough and also cause some farts to escape. YES, I totally type fart! Gross I know, but image yourself in front of a class room, choking, and farting......I could not stop the choking, obviously I had already inhaled the sliver of mint, but I was doing all I could NOT TO FART.
I won't even go into the other item of concern when dealing with forceful coughs. I will just tell you that after having a 10 pound 11 oz baby boy, I am not able to jump, run, or cough very well any more........
In the end, I managed to save myself from death by coughing up the sliver of mint from my lung and I am hoping beyond hope that I didn't fart.
Can I tell you now that I am a classy kind of girlie!! LOL! Nah...just keeping it real.

In other news.

I had said in the beginning of the week that I was going to share a story about the Pinta Marie replica....
In Peoria (a near by city) they had a boat that was docked off of the Illinois River and it was a replica of one of the boats that Christopher Columbus had come over on.
We all wanted to take a peek at it.
So we stopped and it was really quite neat. Everything was made out of wood...EVERYTHING. It was so much smaller than I ever imagined the boats coming over the ocean on...this caused my mind to wander about the "replica" thing. Cause it was small.
OK....so this isn't really even the point of the story.
The point of the story is that Shawn ran into his dad.
Now, this is where it gets sad and something else I can't quite put my finger on.
Shawn hasn't seen or spoken to his dad in about 7 years.
I believe that his dad has bunches of issues ranging from mental disorders to plain ol' selfishness.
I don't say this out of bitterness or anger or even being judgemental...it is just the truth.
I am however very angry and bitter over the way Shawn's dad has hurt him.
The saddest part is that Shawn was trying to decide if he should go over and say anything....I told him that he needed to because obviously if he was trying to decide then deep down he wanted to.
He decided to go over and say hi.
And his dad didn't even recognize him.
That was heartbreaking to me because Shawn is a good man. He has done nothing wrong in all of this and he as the son and child has been hurt the worse.
After Shawn said "hi dad, it's me Shawn", his dad gave him a hug and they talked about little stuff like work, tattoos, our children growing so big (his dad hadn't seen Mason since he was less than a year old).
It was all very awkward.
Very sad.
It is then that I wonder if our children know just how very blessed they are to have parents that try so very hard to be healthy and happy and provide a safe base for them....always. I am incredibly proud of what Shawn and I have done as parents with where we have come from. It really is all about breaking the cycle and it can be done.

So there you have it.
A little funny and something else.
Thanks for taking the time to read.
To connect.
Hugs and happies.
m

Relief

Relief that I received my test back from last Thursday and got a 96%.
Relief that I am done with my test this afternoon and think that I did well.
Relief that I was able to get signed up for the classes that I wanted for next semester.
Relief that the heat seems to have moved on.
Relief that I have NOTHING to do tomorrow.

I can feel the tension leaving my shoulders.
Nice.

I have a few hours before I teach.... so I think that I am going to
1. go for a walk around campus (did I mention that it is a BEAUTIFUL fall day?)
2. get my homework done for Thursday so that I am actually 'ahead', instead of waiting til the last minute and complaining about the stress of it all ;0)
3. read for sheer luxury without interruptions
4. relax
5. smile at the world
6. wish that I had a green archivo so that I could work on some scrappin' stuff....{{{sigh}}}, not that I actually need the archivo but it would make things a bit nicer...in theory anyway...hehehe

Hope you all are having a really good week.
Hugs and happies.
m

Hot Fall

Yep it is a hot one today.
Mom says that it should cool off tomorrow.
I am hoping because it doesn't feel like spring....it is looking like fall, but it doesn't FEEL like fall.
This is a picture of our apple tree.
I feel kind of bad because we have let it go to rot this year.
This picture was taken last year and we didn't get the tree pruned and it is all over grown and doesn't' really look this good.
But I craved a picture to post in my blog today.
This is the one that called to me. Running a bunch of errands today.
Getting a bunch of stuff done.
I do have a story to tell about the 'replica Pinta Maria'...but it will have to wait until tomorrow because I HAVE to go study. Yes, I know....good times here.
Hope you all have a FABULOUS WEEK!!
Hugs and happies.
m

Another week gone.

Sunday night.
Another week gone.
BUT....
I have got my list for next week totally ready ;0)

We were out and about on Saturday and during a stop for fuel I ran into the gas station to use the restroom. In that restroom was a scale. For 25 cents I could find out how much I weight....sooooo YEP, I ran back outside grabbed a quarter and checked it out. (Only had to do this because I had gotten rid of our scale at home due to the obsessive-hate relationship I had with it) Back to the scale.......I am down 5 pounds!!! Not too shabby. Must say though that I am starting to loose a tiny bit of my exercise mojo. It is just sooooo much work. LOL!!

I had read Karen Russell blog about being days were she was "on" as a mom and those days were she was "off". Completely related to this. Lately I feel that I have been "off" with Bai. I realize that the whole teenage thing plays a part, but I am foreign territory a lot of the time and I feel that I have been caving into the 'parent pressure' as of late. This makes me mad and I end up taking it out on Bai (and Shawn)....such a difficult time. The push and pull, the give and take, the boundaries and tests...I just want to do it right.

Three goals for this week.
1. Blog three times.
2. Fill out main calendar and update planner.
3. Do three totally random nice things for someone.

Off to study and scrap....good times.
Hugs and loves. m

Some Randomness.,....

***Is it Friday or Saturday?
The kiddos are out of school so it totally feels like a Saturday but the back of my brain registers that it is Friday. Weird.

***Still feeling the healthy-get-my-butt-into-shape-take-care-of-myself thing. I have exercised every single day for two weeks AND have been very aware of the food choices I make. Ya know what? It is totally working (as eating well and exercising ALWAYS does). I am down a size, feel great, and really noticing a difference in how I feel. Most days anyway ;0)

***My Cubies are totally making me cry. Can't really talk about them now....

***I would really like to scrap today. First I need to clean out/organize my space. It is getting to the point of being confined and stifled.

OK, I have avoided it as long as I can....must go pay some bills.
Hugs and happies to all.
m

Happy (Late) Birthday...

Happy (tiny bit late) birthday to Shawn!!!
His 33rd birthday was yesterday.
I am a bad wife, unorganized, unprepared, bombed at the birthday thing this year.
Don't feel too bad because he will enjoy his 'birthday weekend'. Although he seems to think that he is getting a 'birthday month'. ;0)
He is so stinkin' cute.
Love this man.
Have a test tomorrow...off to study.
But before I go.......
I wanna say......
GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Totally wearing the Cubs shirt today.
Hugs and happies.
m

What's up?

This is what I have been up to.
Doing the whole soccer mom thing. I just love watching Mase play soccer. And how flippin' sweet is it that he asked for the #3 shirt??????? Just for me. God, I love that boy so much.





Bai has started her volleyball. It is club ball so it isn't every night, and we car pool with another family so that cuts down the running also. She has soooo totally improved. I seriously want to play some volleyball with this girlie ;0)

Yesterday we went 'to town' and shopped at the mall for a bit. Bai and I had our eye makeup done at the Clinique counter. Loved it!!! I was completely impressed with how the make up consultant (think that is what they are called) showed Bai how to make her eyes pop without doing the black eye liner Cleopatra thing. She felt sooo good and learns some. Heck so did I! I highly recommend you taking the time to do something like this. It is just good for the soul.

Still kicking butt on the health thing. Feeling really good about me.

Totally miss connecting with people. Seems that we have all been in a whirl wind of life.

Need to go get some things done around the house.....maybe for Christmas I will ask for a maid. LOL!

Hugs and happies. m