10.30.06

What a nice surprise on the porch when I returned home today. :)
A box of new stuff from WRMKeepers. I absolutely LOVE this Peasant line.
It's all beautiful.
I feel very blessed!
And it smells printing press good. :D

(You can click on the photo to see it larger)

Oh, and I have a Creating Keepsakes magazine "toot!" (meaning I have something coming out in the magazine at a future date) :D Just something small, but it's still fun to know.

Am I completely crazy for volunteering for recess duty tomorrow...on Halloween? The kids are going to be nuts!

Here's a recipe that I plan on making sometime in November. We absolutely love chocolate and pumpkin together, so these should be heavenly! - Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars -

Have a great last day of October! :D

- Jennifer

"If we only desire a small piece of God in our lives, we will similarly have only that same measure of His peace in them." - G. Jett

10.29.06

Noah just walked in here saying, "whoooooooooooooooooooo! I'm the unheaded ghooooooooost!"

haha...unheaded.
:D


Have a happy Sunday!
- Jennifer

"At times all of us experience fear. But don't allow fear to keep you from being used by God. He has kept you thus far; trust Him for the rest of the way. " - Woodrow Kroll

10.28.06

I snuck out of the house for a couple of hours today and just walked around Hobby Lobby.
I recently got the new Basic Grey Fruitcake collection of papers and thought I'd look for some fun ribbons to go with it. These are what I picked up. There's a wide rich red and emerald green (both with very thin wire edges), a wavy red sequin, icy blue pom-pons, and a really cool goldish-brown lace with red gems.
Why does buying ribbon by the yard make me giddy?
That is strange. :D



In SIX days Donna Downey will be in Austin - at the store where I teach.
I CAN'T WAIT.
I'm not being stalkerish or weird, but she really inspires me because of her whole home decor project thing.
And since that's what I teach, I dig her more than I would maybe other well-known scrapbookers.
I'm taking one of her classes and then doing the dinner crop.
I got something really COOL to give to her, too. Didn't go looking for it. It just jumped out at me at Uncommon Objects when I was there last. Not a kiss up gift either, lol.
It's just something she collects and I thought she'd like it.

At that crop I'm going to work on a Christmas project with the Fruitcake papers and these ribbons.
I don't wanna do layouts. I'm in a total PROJECT mood, especially since Christmas is coming and this is going to be a gift. I'll post photos next weekend.

I just have to say that I feel so blessed to be teaching these classes. I feel like I'm going in the direction that God wants me to be in, and that's such a peaceful feeling.
I decided not to enter the Hall of Fame contest...and I feel peaceful about that, too.

If you are working on Christmas gifts and projects already, don't forget to tune in
to the free Christmas radio at Live365. There's a link on my right toolbar. ~~>
:)

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!
- Jennifer

"When you become consumed by God's call on your life, everything will take on new meaning and significance. You will begin to see every facet of your life - including your pain - as a means through which God can work to bring others to Himself." - Charles Stanley

10.24.06

Tonight for dinner I made Barefoot Contessa's individual meat loaves.
They are SO good. (look in my October '05 archives for the recipe)
Noah does not like meatloaf, not even these.
So I always make his favorite frozen yeast rolls when I make meatloaves so he can make meatloaf sandwiches.
He's eating and says, "Mommy, this is good!" I said, "thank you, Noah, I'm glad you like it!"
He says, "yeah, I can BARELY taste the meatloaf!"
Was that a compliment? I don't know. :D


"It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" is on TV Friday night.
I absolutely love this show. :)

I found it...the whole thing....on You Tube.
Sweet!

Enjoy!


- Jennifer :)

"I love that word "encourage" – when you do it, you literally put "courage in" to that person. Someone who may be more battered than you know, closer to going down or giving up than you could imagine. You never know when your encouragement might literally be the difference in that person's life. When you're bruised and hurting, it's that person in your corner who can get you back in the ring for another round." - Ron Hutchcraft

10.23.06

Just some random things for today that make me happy or that I want to share. :)


A new issue of Everyday Food in the mail. (Thanksgiving issue) This is actually my last issue and I don't think I'll be renewing. It's been a good magazine, but I've only made a few of the recipes and wasn't thrilled with many of them. I was surprised!

Our digital cable connection has STUNK for the past few months. Lots of channels didn't come in at all, including Food Network! The cable guy came today, changed some settings, and now all of the channels work perfectly. Yay!

I added permanent photos of my scrapbooking space to my right-side toolbar.
You can see them over there. ~~~>

I got a pair of red Crocs. I LOVE them!

I am almost finished with Christmas shopping, with the exception of about 5 people. Such a relief to get things done early and to spread out the spending. I started about two months ago.
We are drawing names for family gifts this Sunday. The adults all draw names and then all of the kids get gifts from everyone. Makes it fun!

Speaking of the kids....our gift the last two years to all of the grandkids/cousins has been a pair of Christmas pajama pants for Christmas Eve and some books. (this year we got these in Classic Red for all of the kids) I ordered almost all of the books this year from Noah's school book orders. I was able to get lots of books for some really GREAT prices.

At the Scrapbook Expo on Saturday, I bought the new Basic Grey "Fruitcake" collection of papers. They are double-sided and SO pretty. (click on the photo to see it larger)

Did you know that Thanksgiving is 4 weeks from this Thursday? :)

We watched TLC's new reality series The Monastery last night. It was pretty good! Wow, one of those guys on there is so irreverent and rude. He wasn't raised with any religious background at all, but still...he's just disrespectful to an annoying degree!

My sweet Mom is having a Halloween carnival on Sunday for all of her grandkids. :)
She is setting up her backyard with carnival games (cupcake walk, egg the skeleton, apple bobbing, etc.) and the kids will all play in costume for candy and prizes. They are all so excited!
My Mom has the best ideas. :)

We'll do trick or treating all together on Halloween night in our neighborhood. Almost every house on my mom's street is decorated and there are tons of kids. It's a lot of fun!

My first "Scrapbook Your Home" class is coming up. Can't wait for that!
You can call the store to sign up. I'll also have extra kits for sale. Stay tuned.

And last.... It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! is on TV this Friday night. Don't miss it! :)


Don't get a rock! :)
- Jennifer

"Give me a stout heart to bear my own burdens. Give me a willing heart to bear the burdens of others. Give me a believing heart to cast all burdens upon Thee, O Lord." - John Baillie

10.21.06

Went to the Scrapbook Expo today for a few hours.
Saw lots of familiar faces, which was fun. Met some new people.
And got to hang out with Kara. :)
She is a hoot...so much fun.
We totally laughed at some of the shaped eyelets together.
(sorry, but beer mugs? wine glasses? frankenstein heads?)
And watched Sandi Genovese sign autographs.
Definitely a tear-jerker moment.
:)

Kara, dude, next time tell me if my hair is completely windblown when we take a picture! :D

I bought the new Basic Grey Fruitcake collection, some SEI buttons, some DD chipboard shapes, and a rockin' cool scrapbooking T-shirt. I wanted them all, but...oh well. Here is the one I got:



I got to meet the ladies of The Scrap Boutique in West Monroe, LA. Very nice bunch!
You can order your own T-shirt or see the other styles there. They are soft and vintage and
not the big men's cut. They aren't baby doll, but are cut for women, so they aren't so wide on the sides and sleeves. LOVE THEM! I'm wearing it tonight to a Halloween party. :) I guess I'll go as a scrapbooker, LOL.

Gotta go! Have an awesome weekend. :)
- Jennifer

(for me and Kara today...)

"I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean." - Gilbert Keith G. K. Chesterton

10.17.06

**EDIT: I'm a dork! It's page 92, not 94. haha** Ok, yes I'm excited! This is my first time being published in the Better Homes and Gardens' Scrapbooks, Etc. magazine. :D The November/December issue just hit the stands and I just happened to see it when I was grocery shopping this morning. This layout means SO much to me. Thanksgiving 2004 I handed out cardstock squares with everyone's names on them and asked them to write something they were thankful for. (babies and small ones had theirs written by the parents) :D I didn't have any photos from that day since I was hosting and just didn't have time to take any. So I made a layout anyway, using these name tiles. We didn't know it at the time, but this was the last Thanksgiving we had with my Dad, who passed away the following February from lung cancer. So to have this layout published means a GREAT deal to me, especially at this time of year. :D

Lots of good things happening right now. :)
God is good!
- Jennifer

"Without expectation, do something for love itself, not for what you may receive....Small things, done in great love, bring joy and peace. To love, it is necessary to give. To give, it is necessary to be free from selfishness." - Mother Theresa

10.15.06

We carved a pumpkin yesterday :)
All Noah's design and most of his cutting, with a little help.
I love the color and smell of pumpkins.

Martha Stewart had some other pumpkin decor ideas on her website last year and I shared these then, but here they are again.
Use a drill to poke holes in a pumpkin. (after it's cleaned out)
Put a string of Christmas lights inside, poking the lights out thru the drilled holes. Cut a larger hole in the back of the pumpkin to pull the cord out...plug in...and that's it. So pretty! I want to do some of these.


You can also cut out shapes all over the pumpkin and light it with a candle. See the Charlie Brown zig-zag one? Love that!

If you haven't subscribed to Donna Downey's new monthly newsletter yet, you should. It's really cool :) She has it divided into sections where she shares ideas on organizing from her scrap space and also gives you a challenge to alter something in her "Trash To Treasure" section. You can subscribe on her website/blog here.

I'm going to work on rearranging Noah's playroom today, so I'm off to organize.

Blessings!
- Jennifer

"If we must judge, let us first use the mirror on our own wall for practice." - Anonymous

10.13.06

This is my latest music purchase on Itunes.
Wow, it's WONDERFUL.
Tony Bennett is one of our all-time favorite singers and he holds a special place in my heart.
When he came to Austin a few years ago, we bought tickets to see him and we also took my Mom and Dad. They were thrilled.
I think the tickets were $100/each.
The entire show was just Tony and his pianist and it was AMAZING!
The audience was full of people of all ages, which was really fun and such a testimony that good taste in music can reach any generation. :)
David and I are old souls. We love the brat pack, romantic music, blues and jazz, and bluegrass.
There aren't many singers today that can hold a candle to Tony.
Give me Tony, Frank Sinatra, or Alison Krauss over Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, or Fergie ANY day. Our next concert will be Aretha Franklin in December!

If you click on the photo of the CD, you can hear samples of each song. He sings duets with Bono, John Legend, Tim McGraw, Sting, Barbra Streisand, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, k.d. lang, George Michael, Billy Joel, and so many others....it's just a wonderful CD. :) My favorite is the Stevie Wonder song. At the end of the song, Tony Bennett says, "wow." And it IS wow. Stevie Wonder is amazing!

This week has been SO busy.
I'm looking forward to a little less on the calendar for next week so I can scrapbook a little!
I've had such a wonderful response to my class kits and the class series in general.
Thank you so much.
I may even have some teaching opportunities "out of town." :)
I'll have more info on the extra kits once it gets closer to the class time.

And for today's laugh :) This is one of my favorite skits EVER from Saturday Night Live. What makes it even funnier is that they are trying not to laugh! Don't we all know someone like this? Here's Debbie Downer!



David is on his way home with our favorite pizza.
Have a good weekend! :D
- Jennifer

(This is one of my favorite quotes I've ever posted)
"It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, not God's. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present." - George Macdonald

10.8.06

Wow, thank you for the positive response to my scrapbook decor class.
I've had lots of really nice emails.
Some of you have asked if I'd sell kits to make the project as living in another state
doesn't allow you to take the class. :)
I'll have to give this some thought because I'm just an independent person and
would need to purchase all of the supplies and do them all on my own.
I could probably just have a set number of kits to sell from here each time I do a class.
I have no idea how many, though.
If you'd seriously be interested in purchasing a class kit (with instructions), please
comment and let me know. It will help me in estimating and deciding what to do.
This isn't a commitment and I won't be taking your credit card number or anything, ha.
I just have no clue how many people would be interested.
Thanks!

And I don't mind giving out project specifics here (some have asked),
but I'd prefer to wait until after
I have taught it as a class. Thanks for understanding that.
It's just a lot of work to develop the class from scratch and I'd like to teach it first.

And above is another peek at the project. :)

I went to Uncommon Objects with my Mom yesterday just to do a little treasure hunting.
This store is SO MUCH FUN. Just look at the website and click on the top right corner
for booth pictures. It's a little junk/antique/vintage store. And there are tons of booths
just FILLED with well, uncommon objects. I could really spend hours in there!


Tomorrow I'm taking dinner over to some friends of ours who are leaving
the country in November as missionaries in Africa.
The husband's favorite pie is Key Lime Pie, so I'm making them one.
I'm not a fan of Cool Whip, so this recipe uses real heavy whipping cream
and real key limes. (it is very tart!) Here is the recipe:

Key Lime Pie
1 pt. heavy whipping cream
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. lime juice
1-2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
grated rind of 2-3 limes (if using small key limes)
graham er crust

Whip 1/2 pt. of cream until very stiff. Fold into condensed milk.
Slowly add lime juice. Add grated lime rind. Pour into pie shell.

Whip remaining 1/2 pt. of cream with powdered sugar until stiff
and spread on top of pie. Chill before serving.
-----------------

And here is one of my favorite music videos.
Weezer singing "Buddy Holly."
So funny how they worked themselves into an episode of Happy Days. :)




Enjoy your evening and day with your family :)
- Jennifer

"Do what you can, being what you are. Shine as glow-worm if you cannot be a star. Work like a pulley if you cannot be crane; be a wheel grinder if you cannot drive a train. Be the pliant oar if you cannot be the sailor; be the needle if you cannot be a tailor... Be the sharpened sickle if you cannot be the reaper." - Anonymous

10.6.06

Yay, Friday!

I finished my December class project. Above you can see a sneak peek of what we'll be making. This class series is going to be so much FUN for me to teach.
I'm so excited about it!
I put a link in my sidebar ~~~>
and if you look on the store'e calendar for December 9th,
you can see all of the class details.
I'll have my display up at the store this weekend, too.

Yesterday Noah went over to a friend's house to play after school.
Noah is taking ancient history (yes, in 1st grade!) and they have been learning
about pharaohs in ancient Egypt and mummies. (which he thinks is totally cool)
So his friend's mom, who happens to be his kindergarten teacher from last year,
asks him what he likes about 1st grade. He says, "well, we are learning about mummies...
and they take out their brains, their lungs, their heart, and their instants." (LOL!)
She said, "their instants? what's that?" He said, "you know...the guts...instants."
Intestines.
So funny....and of course, he thinks that's cool, too.
I love that story!

Today I'll share a theatrical trailer for a new movie that is coming out in December.
"The Nativity Story."
I can't tell you how excited we are about this movie.
We took Noah to see Open Season last weekend and this trailer came on.
David and I were both crying when it was over.
I hope it's released before Christmas Day.
What a wonderful reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.



Have a wonderful weekend with your family!
God bless!
- Jennifer

"This is Christmas: not the tinsel, not the giving and receiving, not even the carols, but the humble heart that receives anew the wondrous gift, the Christ." - Frank McKibben

10.5.06

Here's another layout I did recently. Love this one!

I won't be submitting this one because of the photo I had to blur out (ha) but dang, is it cute!

Noah and his cousin obviously like markers. So thankful for WASHABLE ones! :D

(you can click on the layout to see it larger)

I'm working on my December "Scrapbook Your Home" class project right now, so this will be a short post. I love how it's turning out!

Ok, I like the R.E.M. song "Shiny Happy People," but when they appeared on Sesame Street and sang "Furry Happy Monsters," I loved that! So, so cute and makes me smile every time. Funny how the R.E.M. guys are trying not to laugh..haha. So, here it is! Enjoy!

Happy Thursday to you all! :D
- Jennifer

"Let your only evaluation of worth derive from the awareness of God's love for you. All other measures leave one in a state of delusion." - Anonymous

10.2.06

Just a quick post today as I need to finish my grocery list and mail a layout at the post office. :)

I've started trying to go thru some things in the garage and PURGE.
So last night I got a pile of things ready to put in the trunk to drive over to Goodwill.
I'll be doing that at least 3 times a week....filling the trunk.
I can't wait to have a tidy garage again!
It's becoming the "put it in there until later" place and I want to change that.

Above is a layout I did this weekend. Love putting as many photos as I can
on the page. And there really wasn't one I wanted to leave out of this set, ha.
He's such a goofball.

Here is another one of my latest favorite commercials. Audrey Hepburn
is so cute and The Gap is SO cool to use this song and film clip!




Oh, and finally.....STACEY WON! :D

Have a good Monday!
- Jennifer

"Rich is the person who has a praying friend." - Janice Hughes