OK... it's been crazy, as always, around the house. Meggie is home from Northwestern and we are really happy that she is here. I love having her at home, she balances us all. Today was pretty hectic. Church in the morning, then big formal lunch, then off to Chris' to play with sculpable clay that we will bake later. Then it was home again in time to watch the Broncos barely beat the Vikings in OT. I love football, always have and always will. It's a blast to watch, especiailly in real life. I love the atmosphere of the crowd, the yelling, cheering, the smell of beer and peanuts and hotdogs. I hate hotdogs, but can stomache the smell during a game. I am off on a tangent, which is ok... it's my blog, so I can write what I want..nanner nanner..

Ok... enough of that.. Have you made any "resolutions?" I hate them. I don't make them any longer. I make "Intentions" and I love that thought. There are a lot of things I "intend" to do, and if I do them, that's great, if not, that's ok, too. Well.. it's getting late so I should get off the computer. I fell asleep for a bit earlier, so I guess I should call it a night for real... I "Intend" to get to bed a a decent hour from now on. Well.. night all... love you.

Mary

Well..... It's been forever since I enterred any new posts...so here is the scoop.. Meggie is home for Christmas break. We put off decorating the tree until she was here with us, so we decorated it this evening. While the kids were busy putting the ornaments on, I read a short story from a book that Megan brought us.. Chirstmas stories from the Little House books. I read aloud and they had a great time, the only thing missing was a log on the fire. Which makes me think of cold weather. We do have snow on the ground and may end up with a small storm before Christmas. I just love white Christmases. So festive and cozy indoors.

The other new news around here is that I took a part time job to get out of the house a bit. I am loving working just a few days a week at Beads Inspired, our local new bead store that has amazingly beautiful supplies. Tons of real stone beads in all sizes and lots of incredible findings. Love working and playing with all the fun things. I will post some photos a bit later.

Another thing that has happened and I don't know if this is going to sound strange or not, hopefully not. I know that I said I wasn't going to enter HOF this year. I had resigned to just skipping it all together. Well, I dreampt Nana Sara and in my dream she asked why I wasn't going to enter and I told her. Her response was, "well, Mija, you need to do it, but do it in Spanish, for me," so... I am enterring. I know I won't win, but it's not about winning this time. It's about continueing doing what I love doing and preserving a big part of my heritage by completing it in Spanish. It's coming together rather nicely.

I have also decided to step back from the design teams, to stop doing things that add too much stress to my life. Working with different companies is a lot of fun, and the rewards are pretty good, but, it's becoming more of a task where I have to force my creativity, and that's not what I like. I want to create and play for the sake of fun, not because of deadlines. Giving up my teaching on Creativity Unbound was a big decision and it was a hard one to make, but, I know it was the right one for me. It's still a great site and I will enjoy seeing where it goes from here.

I feel like I am jumping all over the place, I guess that's what the mind does at 3:59 am...hmm.. oh.. other interesting news.. with working at the bead store I am able to play with beads and create beautiful jewelry and get paid at the same time. Can't beat that... I submitted a few things to Bead Trends a while ago and they are publishing four of my items in the March/April issue.

I went shopping the other day with Shelly and Lori D, and we did a power shop day down in SF. We left at 8 am and didn't get home until 12:45 am the next morning. I got all my Christmas shopping done in a day.. woot hoot. while we were there we went to a Scrapbook store and Lori D bought 601 and then asked me to show her my layout. I did and the sales clerks overheard us and asked to see the layout.... it was kinda funny.. they made a big "to Do" over being pubbed and a bunch of other gals got around and wanted to know how I put the page together... it was fun... well... I am rambling so I have to hit the hay and try to get some rest. I think Meggie will be glad that I finally posted something new...

Love you all soooooooo very very much.
Mary

Here She is...... I just got my original layout back from Memory Makers Magazine. They sent me a copy of the book as compensation. That's ok by me....lol. Lots going on here on the home-front, as always. I will post more later as I find time. Love you! Mary

It's Here!!!!! 601 Great Scrapbook Ideas!

I know you are probably thinking that I am crazed, but I am!!! lol. I just got my copies of Memory Maker's 601 book that has my page of Megan in it. I did a page called "Timeless" and they published it. Which makes me feel really good. It's on page 106...See

This is really exciting for me. If you have the book, please check out page 221. My online scrap sister, Theresa Tyree, has a page of her beautiful son with incredible curls and angelic features. Theresa is really a great scrapper, but more than that, she has become a great friend and encouragement/prayer warrior and we can all benefit tremendously from knowing a prayer warrior or two.

Today has been busy as usual. Meggie got home last night/this morning at 2 am and we stayed up til 4 am chatting and laughing. She is so in tuned with me and I really have missed her a lot these past few months with her off at college. She is still loving Northwestern and is keeping busy. When she walked in this morning she told me that she brought me a surprise and I can't believe I said this to her, "please tell me it's chocolate". lol. it's a good thing that it was. She brought me three Godiva truffles.. not telling anyone that I have these...hehehehe.

She really knows what I like. The other kids know some of my favorites, but definitely not all. Robby challenged me to complete a page about what my favorites are. He has been asking me to record more of me than I have ever done before. So... I did this page, "Favorite 20" in response to Robby's request.

The second photo is a pull out that lists all 20 of my favorite things. I took my digi and walked around the house and shot some photos of the things I LOVE..

Well, It's getting to be that time. You know, when you run and throw a load of laundry in, sweep the kitchen, straighten up the living room and pretend you've been cleaning all day.....instead of scrapping.. actually, I haven't scrapped at all today but am planning layouts out in my mind.

I posted a super fun class over on Creativity {Unbound}
Make sure you check it out....

Love you!
Mary

Happy Monday!!!

What an incredible weekend. I cannot believe how much activity happens around here, even when we try to slow down and just hang out at home, there are tons of things that keep us running. The play is over and I am so very happy to have that in the past. Belle is bummed and cried a little on Sunday morning because she realized that there would be no more dress rehearsals or getting to the theatre early for call. Oh well.... there's always next year.

This time of year really gets to me. I love the fall. I love all the colors and crispiness of the air that greets me when I step outside my home nest. I love that Thanksgiving is just a few days away and I still haven't gone shopping. I will, later tonight. Other than doing two shows this weekend I was able to do a little shopping. Mainly looking for a new vacuum cleaner, which brings this little story to mind. You all know how detailed Bob is. He researches everything before he makes his mind up on just about any purchase. Well, I killed our vacuum cleaner, Yeah!, and needed a new one. I looked and found the machine I wanted. Bob wanted to check every vacuum out in our entire town. After spending four hours Saturday morning looking, but not buying, I was done. I wanted to go home, get lunch and get to the theatre in time to get ready for the afternoon show. I had spent an hour at Belle's ice skating lesson prior to going window shopping for the cleaner and was freezing. I was so cold, so we went home unsuccessful in the hunt. I showed Bob the machine I wanted and he decided that it needed further research...urgh!!! I love him, but sometimes that engineer mind just kills me. lol. Then he tells me that he doesn't know if I know what features I want on a machine. What woman doesn't know what she wants her vacuum cleaner to do? Then I asked myself....why the heck does he care, he's never turned a vacuum on in his life... that's when I got ticked....

So, he went out again Saturday night for three more hours and came home empty handed, knowing how badly I needed a machine. We are having friends over this week and Meggie is coming home from school tonight. On Sunday, I was so upset, I stopped talking to him. Then he tells me that he needed to check online, etc. and find more information. Gosh it's not like he was buying a car. So Sunday was pretty chilly inside the house as well as outside.

I can't believe what my mind can think up when it's ticked off. I am human, so please don't judge me too harshly, and I have four kids at home and only one is a girl, so I am sick of the male mind right now. I decided Sunday afternoon that if Bob wanted to hold on to the old vacuum that I would make him really see what it would be like to be tied to a broken vacuum... No I didn't tie him up..hehehe.. though that would have been funny. Bob went out after church and I had decided that if he didn't come home with the specific machine I wanted that I would just substitute the old vacuum for me.. I thought...hmmm.. it would be funny to put the old vacuum in bed with Bob when he was in a deep sleep and just slip out of the room. I thought of putting it in the shower early in the morning before he got in. I thought of tying an apron around it and leaving it in front of the stove. I also thought of putting it in the passenger seat of his car and buckling it up for safety.

And just when my evil mind was envisioning him driving down the street with a vacuum as a passenger, he comes in the house carrying the exact machine I wanted in the first place. It's a good thing. I started laughing and he wanted to know what was so funny. So I told him of my plans and he laughed so hard. The kids laughed and said, "Man dad, you ruined a good opportunity for us to make a funny movie". They are into filming right now. So, alls well that ends well....

I played a little bit with beads and wire and made some embellishments for pages that I am constructing in my mind.









I also am working on this necklace for Megan. I think she's going to like it. Well... that's it for today. Hope this week brings you lots of love, warmth and happiness.
PS... the vacuum works incredibly well.

What a great day. The kids all cooperated and finished most of their work, which is great. Robby is practicing right now and Andrew and Nathaniel are out doing their paper route. We have a concert tonight up at DD Miller, it should be good. I spent a lot of time this past weekend doing not much of anything. I did get my cupboards organized and really didn't accomplish all that I had set out to accomplish. Megan being environmentally conscientious really has made me think about all the plastics and junk I have in the house. Remember when we all had to have every tupperware item in the catalogue? well, that's what is in the land fills, that and diapers. So to cut down on landfill I have decided to donate all my tupperware, not buy anything other than glass and especially vintage/thriftstore finds. I use a lot of thrift store finds in my scrapping, so why not use it in the kitchen. I organized my spices/herbs/grains and really love seeing them all lined up on the shelf.












I wrote about making it as a finalist for the Daisy Ds Design Team and I thought I would just share two of the final items I submitted. I had planned on using these for Hall of Fame, but since I am not doing that this year, I thought it would be good to use them for the DT. We were asked to pick 1-3 of our favorite layouts and 1 altered item. My altered item is an altered 6 pack with four altered boxes, two are made by Maya Road and the other two are handmade from cardboard. I made them to snuggly fit inside the 6 pack. In the boxes I have altered chipboard pieces and recorded favorite scripture verses and prayers for my family. One box has letters I wrote to each of them. I really believe that scrapping is about sharing the heart. I don't scrap like they do in the magazines, but that's not what scrapping is about. for my family, it's about sharing my heart, my dreams, my hopes, and my prayers for my family. I have to keep that goal in my mind.













One of my layouts is one that I did for Bob. I don't usually scrap us. It's usually just the kids. Robby challenged me to write/scrap a bit about me and Bob so they would have those things to look at when we are gone. So... I scrapped about my love for Bob. It may seem corny, but that's ok, it is what was on my heart on that particular day when I was scrapping. Well, speaking of my dear hubby, he is again out of town and due in tonight, yeah!!!
I guess that means I should clean up a bit around here. I spent the past two days playing with supplies and learning a new craft.... And... I can incorporate it into my scrapping. I'll have to share that with you when I get it put together. I also need to get dinner going before the kids all head off in their different directions. Love you!
Mary

Please forgive me for being absent for the past two weeks. Lots has been happening around the Chapman home. Bob is in MN at the U and will be spending some time with Megan. She just finished up Suessical and has auditioned for another play. I don't have the information on that yet. We are getting ready to open tomorrow night with The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Anabelle is just adorable as a baby angel, Rob is great as Ralph Herdman and I am wondering how in the heck did I get the lead??? We are all memorized and ready but we still need prayers...

I have been spending time scrapping, as always. It's almost as necessary as breathing. I just posted a new class over on www.creativityunbound.blogspot.com under Tuesday's entry. I put up instructions on how to make your own overlays and transparencies. If you haven't tried these, they are a blast, you should give it a try.

I feel like I am jumping around here in my thoughts, but that's ok. The human mind, especially a woman's mind, has that tendency. Speaking of giving things a try.... I had encouraged Chris West to submit some of her beaded creations to a magazine last month and they picked up several of her creations. This past week Megan talked me into submitting some of my stuff and I got an email today that they want all three things that I submitted so they will be featured in the March/April issue of Bead Trends. How fun. Don't worry, Scrapping and writing are still and will always be my passion.

Which brings me to this thought...what have you been scrapping? What stories have you been preserving and sharing with your family. Don't keep those things to yourself. Share them with your family. I am super fortunate in this area. My Nana told me stories every time we sat over a cup of coffee or tea, and that was often. My mom is the master story teller. She has a way of making her characters come to life in the minds of her audiences....which was always her kids. I love telling these stories to my kids and they tell me that they will tell them to their kids. What a blessing this habit has been. It's the same with scrap booking. I guess that's why I love it so much. I love recording today so our kids can ponder and reflect tomorrow and know just how much they were/are loved.

And this thought leads me to this.... I have applied to Daisy D's Design team. They are my favorite paper company. I received an email today that I am one of the finalists. The reason I love this company is their philosophy..."Everyone Has a Story to Tell". How many times have I said that over the years? They truly are committed to getting people to preserve their stories. How cool and noble is that? So.. Please cross whatever things are crossable and say some prayers that I am chosen to be on the team with such an incredible company.

ohhhhh and check out the lesson over on creativity unbound.
Love you!!!
Mary

Well... it's Friday and I thought I would have some time to post earlier in the week, but I was mistaken. We have had another way busy week. I have been pulling kits together for the site and have also been putting my own kits together for my weekend getaway next week. I so need the break.

I went to the dentist yesterday, I know, ya all REALLY want to hear about that..... so, 1700.00 later, I have a crown. I guess Creative Escapes isn't in the cards for this next year. Well, I was feeling kinda down and I came across Robby's Utube post of a song he has been working on. I just want to share it with you and think you will enjoy listening to him. He has such talent. This particular song, he wrote himself, while just sitting at the piano. He seems to have a knack for compossing... without further ado.. I leave you with, Rob Chapman at the piano...

Hope you enjoy,
Love ya.
Mary

The Plains are Alive with the Sound of Music.....

We just returned from the High School and were treated to a wonderful Fall Chorus & Orchestra Concert. Robby and Andrew both sang with their groups and did incredible jobs. Rob was singled out as making All State and Mr. Gauger stated that making All State in small surrounding towns isn't like making All State in our town. He emphasized the competition and talent that is here and that if a singer makes All State from Watertown, it means the student is a great singer. It really made us feel good knowing that Rob is good enough. And to think, I didn't even know my son could sing until he was asked to sing the National Anthem at a school event. lol... It just goes to show that a lot of the time moms are the last to know.

Another surprising thing happened to me today. I have decided, as I posted yesterday, to skip HOF this year. Just when I decided that I received an email from Creating Keepsakes informing me that one of my albums is on their site as the tip of the week. This is the fifth time they have used something I have made on the website for the tip of the week. I am wondering why my things are good enough for the website, but not enough for the magazine. hmm.

I also decided to put in for Daisy D's Design Team call. They are, by far, my favorite scrap paper/embellishment company out there. I have loved each and every paper line they have. I don't know if this is a God thing or what, but their sub heading on their blog is a statement that I have been droning into my children for years. It is: Everyone Has a Story to Tell, I follow that up with... so what's yours? I wanna hear about your day, I wanna hear about your thoughts, I wanna hear about what's on your heart and mind." The kids know that I value communication and recording today's events for tomorrow's reflection. So... what I am asking is that you would all pray that DDs likes what they see and think I am worthy enough to be on their team. Well... I think everyone has headed off to bed..... and I should get upstairs as well...

Oh..... some news on the Megan front. Still enjoying Northwestern and is asking that we pray for direction. God has placed Israel and Africa both on her heart and really needs to work this out between her and God. I am sure she will make the right decision with His guidance. I cannot tell you how proud I am of her and how happy she makes us, knowing that she doesn't do things rashly, but with forethought and lots of prayer. So, if God is telling her something, we have confidence that she is listening to Him. She has an interp meet tomorrow, so please pray that she does well.

Love you all...

Mary
Just finished "Swan" very late last night...I couldn't sleep well and scrapped til 2 am..Shhhh don't tell Bob...heheheh
blogspot isn't uploading files properly so I will post photos in the am... nighty night

It's Sunday and.....

I am home with a sore throat..oh well... I guess that means I get to scrap! I am sitting here in the Library/home art studio, looking out a window at the trees. Some are a beautiful shade of orange, others are brown, light green/yellow, rust, and peach. What strikes me the most is that they are all fluttering in a crazed dance that reminds me of the warped speed of the events of this past week.

Last Sunday we came home from the cities and seeing Meggie and drove through two awful thunder storms. Monday was a holiday so Bob and the boys kept busy getting some stuff done in the garage. They donated a sofa to the thrift store, which is good. I want to park the cars in the garage. It seems that with the veranda restoration, Megan's Grad Party, and the Parade of Homes Tour, that we accumulated a bunch of things in the garage leaving no room for the cars.

Tuesday I started having a tickle in my throat that I just chalked up to eating some popcorn. As the week progressed it got worse and now, here I am on Sunday, home feeling just awful. But that's ok. I had planned on working on my CK HOF entry, but then some interesting events popped up over at Creating Keepsakes that leaves me disappointed, frustrated, and yes, even angry. It will be interesting to see what comes of their policies and rules in the future. I have decided to NOT do HOF this year. I really want to focus on positive aspects of creating and having fun teaching others to tell their stories.

Speaking of teaching, here are a few snippets of what I will be teaching on www.creativityunbound.blogspot.com this next Tuesday....

































These four layouts have a couple things in common. Since I know how smart ya all are I won't insult you by pointing it all out... What I am going to be teaching is the art of graffiti. It's so much fun to just doodle and let go. I love to color outside the lines and do things that aren't expected. Maybe they are expected, but I am not with it enough to know the difference?
I promised a look at "Science" so here it is. I think you all know that we homeschool. It was
while doing a science project that I snapped a few photos of the kids examining an ant farm they put together. It's super cool because it doesn't take dirt, but a jell-like substance. Now we have a mini garden growing in the ant farm and six happy ants that have burrowed holes in the blue stuff. For this layout I purposely chose papers that have a science feel and threw in some vibrant blues and some great reds to pull it all together. I just love the little chirping bird on the "e". Well...thanks for looking and check out www.creativityunbound.blogspot.com for further instructions on how to doodle. Better yet, post some photos of your doodling for us all to admire.
Love ya!
Mary

I bet you are wondering what all this is.....hmmm. Well, it's my first kit that I put together for Swap4fun. Swap4fun is a scrapbook element swap site that encourages scrappers and sets up swaps for it's members. We have about 600 members who love scrapping and swapping items that they make for their scrapbook pages. I have been asked to put together a kit for the month of November. If you are interested in getting a kit you have to go to MSN and apply for membership to Swap4fun. It is a closed group because we really want serious scrappers and no lookie loos..Although once you join there really is no obligation to swap. It's really a fun site.















This kit is loaded... seriously loaded. It has 88 pieces of fun including 13 papers (scenic route, imaginisce, cosmo cricket, Tinkering Ink, A2Z, and Bazzill)
5+ yards of ribbon and fibers (at least 1 yard of it is luxury velvet ribbon)
1 fancy fold box
2 match boxes
1 mint tin
12 buttons
22 brads (fancy, shaped, and autumn colors included)
3 manila tags
2 natural envelopes for our card makers
4 misc. chipboard pieces (shapes vary)
4 silk flowers
2 silk leaves
6 felt adhesive backed leaves
4 paper autumn leaves
6 eyelets (autumn colors)
and... 1 photo turn

I am not making any profit and just put the kit together to have some fun with all our scrappers. If you want one they will go fast and are going to be around 25.00-30.00 depending on what I can do about shipping costs. Well... that's what I have been up to. I am still working on "Science" and will post some interesting angles of that later.
Love ya!
Mary

It's already Tuesday... wow.

We spent the weekend in the cities, visiting Meg at school. It was a beautiful weekend. The weather was simply perfect and we were treated with so much beauty while driving. All the trees are in the midst of changing so we literally drove through a rainbow of fall splendor. The only snag in the whole trip was driving home...we ran into some pretty ugly weather and drove through two large storms complete with rain, thunder, and lightning. I love that kind of weather and love hearing the crashing of thunder, but it's only fun when I am curled up with a good book, not while driving across the midwest.

Robby and I had our first rehearsal this evening and it was pretty fun. There are so many kids in this play. I felt odd, being the only adult on stage at all times, but I am sure it's going to be just fine. well. I will post more tomorrow along with a fun layout that i am working on called, Science". love you!
Mary

Today really felt like fall and I feel so sorry that summer is gone. The warmth of the sun on the back of my head while I sip ice tea on the veranda reading a good book is long forgotten as the leaves on the trees all fall around me. I love fall, too.. and I will lament it's passing as winter sets in here on the prairie. And then when the trees start to bud I will think of the promise of a new season. God is pretty amazing. I love the colors that He has chosen to paint the canvas of the world. No matter how hard I look in stores and online for certain colors to replicate, there are simply a few that can never ever be copied. Take for instance the perfect color that peaches turn when you know they are at their sweetest and you can imagine the wonderful taste and texture when you take your first bite.

This past summer we bought fruit literally by the case because we don't get very good fruit here in South Dakota. We order it from Washington state and it is so very good. Last month, Anabelle was helping me in the kitchen and she was putting peaches and nectarines away. We ran out of room in the refrigerator so we had to eat a bunch of them. I had some errands to run and I left Belle home with the boys and asked them to finish taking care of the fruit. Anabelle lined a few nectarines and peaches up on my kitchen window sill and when I came home the wonderfully sweet aroma of fresh peaches greeted me as I entered the back door. I followed my nose to the kitchen window about the sink area and leaned forward to experience that great smell a bit closer. It was then that I looked down the ledge from an angle that I knew I needed to capture that moment on film. I wanted to preserve that instant when the whole summer could be summed up with just a smell. For some it's the smell of the beach, or woods, or campfires, or even sulfur from fireworks that were shot off on July 4th, but for me, this summer was captured in the scent of "Summer Fruit"





I love the look of sepia photography.

Have a wonderful day, Love you all,

Mary

OK.. this is going to be short and sweet... I simply can't sleep. I hate when that happens. I know I have to get up early with the kids so why am I up? Well...

something really cool happened last night and I want to see if I think I did what I think I did..lol

About two years ago I let one of the boys do a load of dishes in my new dishwasher and they accidentally locked the settings. I have been pushing buttons for two years to get the machine to wash on any cycle other than "normal". I wanted "Pots and Pans" or "Quick Rinse" or how about "China"? or any of the other settings. So...last night I was loading the dishwasher and I hit the start button like always and it didn't come on.... the delay wash light came on...hmmmm I am thinking "what the heck is wrong now"? So I got mad and rather forcefully pushed every button and yelled at the machine.. and guess what???? It's working correctly..... I washed a load on "Pots and Pans" last night and everything came out sooooo clean. So I wanted to make sure it wasn't a fluke. You know it would be just my luck.... So I put a 3x5 index card and wrote, "DO NOT TOUCH, OR YOU'LL REGRET IT!" on the card and taped it to the machine. Everyone stayed away from the machine like it had the plague..and I am highly suspicious that they stayed away from it in fear of knocking the sign off and then thinking they had to wash the dishes.....Well...I'll tell you, I am sitting here listening to my machine, which cost 3 x as much as a regular one, just because it's stainless and has computer something or another in it...that sure didn't stop it from screwing up now did it.... oh my I am digressing....
Back to the point of the post... it's just that when you think you know something and how it's going to respond, it doesn't do what it should. In this case it was good instead of having my machine decide to break down, it decided to mend up...is that a proper analogy?

At any rate... I thought many of you would enjoy hearing about my dishwasher..hehehehe.. Night all.. oh wait... it's morning... Good Morning... I love you all!!

Mary

Life never ceases to amaze me.....The other day Anabelle asked if we would let her audition for "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever", which was being cast by Town Players. So, we said, "sure, Honey". Then she told me that she didn't want to do it alone so I loaded everyone in the van and took them over to the theatre to audition. I was sitting there watching the kids and thought, "heck, I am forcing them all to audition just because Belle doesn't want to do it alone", "why am I sitting here being a poor example?" I filled out the call sheet and sat back and watched all the 50+ kids audition. Rob just hammed it up and had a blast. They didn't have many males audition so he had to read for two parts and ended up having a conversation with himself. It was hilarious and those in attendance we laughing quite loudly. Belle auditioned with a group of girls and did a great job. She has an incredible memory.
Andrew and Nathaniel did not want to audition and their read through showed their lack of interest and then they called me to read with an adult British man for the parts of the mother and father. I wasn't nervous at all because I just read it like I would have for the kids when running lines with them. Then we went home. I couldn't get Bob to audition and I have a feeling Oklahoma was that last time he'll be on stage for a very long time.
Yesterday the cast list was posted and........Belle got the part of Jaunita, Robby got the male lead, and I got the female lead of "mother". Too funny. I haven't acted since we did "Run to the Roundhouse, Nellie". I think being a mom is going to so much more in my comfort zone than being a can can girl/call girl and the costume has to be better..lol.

The other fun thing that has happened around here is....
Memory Makers' 601 Great Scrapbook Ideas hits the stands the beginning of November and "Ready-Set-Create, October Issue is out. They picked up the altered prom dress and matching shoes and is on page 90, if you get a chance to see it that's great, if not, here's the dress and shoes..

and Meggie wearing the dress. Until next time. Mary

It's Official... I am a Girl Scout Leader...hehehe..

I know you are probably thinking that I am crazy to add yet another thing to my busy life, but Belle needs me. She has asked for a long time if she can join the GS and we have put her off. The other kids keep us busy enough as it is. Bob and I were talking about all the things the kids have done over the years and we realized that all the other kids were super busy from David and Boy Scouts, Swim Team, Baseball, Awana, and all the other things he did, all the way down to Nathaniel with Scouts, church things, piano. The other kids all are in Scouts, have paper routes, were all active in Awana and other church things, community theatre, school theatre, interp, sports, work, life guarding, etc, etc, etc. the list goes on and on and on.. we then realized that poor Anabelle has been the tail of all these activities. She gets dragged to everything and really has no one thing that is just for Belle. So last night, when the GS director in our area called me she told me that there is no leader for Belle's age group, so I volunteered and I know that we are going to have a blast. I have heard that GS are a lot different than BS because they do a lot of craft stuff, which is just up my ally. So... wish me luck, and pray for the group....

Hugs,
Mary

I just have a few minutes to post about the happenings and activities of the Chapman Clan. My days seem to blend one into another as I look forward to a relaxed weekend. We had a pretty uneventful day. The kids all worked well on their school work and they are all off at Mid-week church activities. Bob ran to the store for more laundry detergent. Why is it that laundry never is fully done? It's a rhetorical question which really has no logical answer.
So, Anabelle has decided that she is brave enough to let me change her earrings. She has had the same pair on since she had them pierced in May 2006. She is super scared thinking that they will hurt like it did when she had them first done. So yesterday she finally let me change them for her. Then I showed her how to do them herself and she must have changed them out at least 10 x in one afternoon. Last night we sat on my bed and we sorted through my drawer of earrings and actually for a few that are appropriate for a young lady of 8. She is too funny. This evening two of our neighbor girls came over looking for Belle. When I answered the back door I said, "I am sorry, Megan isn't here right now, she's at church". Bob laughed and corrected me. Megan has been on my mind for quite a bit lately. It's definitely different around here with her gone. She is really really enjoying school and I have a sneaky suspicion that she is loving her independence. She has always been a trail blazer. Belle reminds me so much of her. It's too funny. I know that kids are supposed to grow up and spread those wings and I am glad that I have Belle, being so much younger than the others. I just dread the day when they are all grown and gone and I no longer answer the door to friends looking for them. Well.... have a great night.
Love you all!

Mary

You never know when the urge to create something stikes. Here I am at 1:40 AM, on Sunday morning just finishing up some fun items. I received some great papers and chipboard in the mail today and couldn't wait to play with it all... Bob, Andrew, and Nathaniel are out camping with the Boy Scouts, Robby is upstairs fast asleep, and Anabelle is conked out on the sofa. It was a fabulous day. I had the funnest day with just Belle. Robby worked from noon til 6:30 at the coffee shop and Belle and I just played the day by ear..well, except for a wedding we went to at 2 pm....

To start my day I slept in! Can you believe that! I loved it! No one bugged me to make a big breakfast, or needed me to help find something...so I was lazy and slept in. Then when I decided to get going I played around with my scrapping supplies which are now strewn about the dining room table. Bob hates it when I take over the dining room. He reminds me constantly that I have a scrap room and really should try to contain my mess there... Shelly came over last night and we scrapped til 12:30 am. In getting ready for the wedding I discovered that Anabelle needed a new pair of pants so after we dropped Rob at work...we did what every mom and daughter do on Saturdays...we shopped. Went to the wedding and then out to lunch, late, with Carla and Laura. I didn't cook a thing today. I am amazed at how few dishes one uses when you don't have to cook...the funny thing is that I LOVE to cook.

We were thinking of going out to a movie but nothing worth watching was at the theater, so we rented a few movies instead. If you get the chance to see Possession with Gweneth Pltrow, it's an older movie, I think. I really enjoyed it.
I am jumping subjects so please forgive me. The reason I posted is this.....

Anabelle and I have always had to share our time with all the other kiddos. Which is fine, but I have come to realize that she gets very little Mom and Belle time. I loved my day, love my Belle, and can't wait for more days like today.

Well, it's getting late and I have a book to finish.

Today was a bit breezy but still beautiful, none the less.
Big news on the home-front..... Rob sang the National Anthem at the High School Varsity Volleyball Tournament and did a great job. That was on Tuesday. Wednesday he auditioned for All State Choir and was told today that he made it. I am so stinking proud of him. He has a beautiful voice.

Meg is doing well and is growing, stretching, and learning lots of new things, even some wonderful things about herself and her heart. Love that.

Homeschooling is keeping me busy beyond belief. I haven't had much scrapping time, but did manage to squeeze in a few minutes here and there to create some fun things.
OK I know it's not Valentine's Day, but I have been in the mood for creating with hearts. I've also been playing with gold leafing. It's tons of fun and just adds a little something extra.Speaking of Hearts. I love the look of White on White and I love Vintage.. Vintage anything. So I dug through my old button jar and came up with this "Love" card. The top of the heart is not attached so a photo or love not could be slid into the center of the heart.
Another card... loving Vintage and old old things. Love Tim Holtz Designs and inks.
I have no idea why I made a "bon voyage" card. No one I know is going anywhere.. Maybe it's that I wish I was going somewhere...hmmmm
I put this layout together for a class that I taught on Creativity Unbound. It's an amazing blog that is devoted to nothing but encouraging, helping, inspiring artists to stretch their creative minds and push the edge. There's lots of stitching on this layout. I love the look of sewing and handwork on layouts. I am really happy with this style and will explore it a bit more in the future.

Just got off the phone with my doctor and the biopsy is benign.woo hoo... I feel so good knowing for sure. At least now I can go on and know that it's been checked and the mass is out of me. Thank you so much for all the prayers and good wishes.. God is so good to us all the time.


love you! Mary

Beauty Abounds....

It is such an incredibly beautiful day. The birds are singing and everything is so bright and green. I haven't seen the lawns this green without loading them down with fertilizer. You know the green where it all looks crisp and fresh? Well that's it. I am going to take a photo of it right now and post in a bit. I have made some decisions regarding home schooling. In the past I have treated my schedule much like I did when I was teaching in San Diego, very regimented. I had to when I was teaching in the public system; they have schedules to keep. But, with home schooling, I can make my own schedule and teach the days I want to teach. So here's the plan. We will hit the books hard Monday-Thursday and then take Fridays for projects and "me" time. I really need this because for those of you who do not home school, if I don't take a day, I will not get any time to myself. The weekends are spent doing "family" things and "God" things, ie. Church, etc. The kids are all for this schedule as well.

This year the boys, and Anabelle, have decided that they want to take foreign languages other than Spanish, which they have all had. Robby is in his third year of Spanish but wants to learn Japanese as well. Andrew wants to learn Latin, Nathaniel and Anabelle French. So, we did what every home school family does; we bought Rosetta Stone curriculum and they are taking those languages. Rob and Andrew are having it installed on their school laptops and had to be permission from the Principal at the High School. He was impressed that they are taking those classes and o.k.ed it for them to have it loaded.

Well, I am going to have a nice hot cup of tea and am going to sit out on the veranda and listen to the birds. Talk soon. Love you!
Mary

I think the title of my blog really fits my life, especially right now, this very minute. I am sitting here, trying to type, but am finding it a bit difficult. As many already know I have been having some health issues regarding tumors and some breast lumps that are suspicious. My world for the past four days has really be taken over by circumstances way beyond my control, but definitely in God's control. The short version is this.
Last week before we took Meggie to school I had a follow=up appointment from my mammogram and had to have an ultra sound done of my left breast. That was last Tuesday. We left for Northwestern on Thursday and got home Sunday late. When we arrived home I found a letter from the clinic stating that they tried calling me but were unsuccessful and that I need to get in contact with my doctor as soon as possible regarding the results of the ultra sound. So.. Monday morning I called my doctor and he told me that he wanted me to see a surgeon here in town. I called the surgeon he recommended and his receptionist told me that they already had my file and that the surgeon wanted to see me that very afternoon. I am thinking, "hmmm... something's fishy in Denmark" I went to the appointment with Bob at 4:45 and the doctor examined me and told me not to show him the area...to see if he could find it.. well.. he found it right away and told me that I had two options.. one was to have the area removed and biopsied and the other was to come back every two weeks for ultra sounds to see if there is growth. I opted to have it removed... so he set me up to have the area removed on Wednesday morning. The area removed was rather large, not my full breast, but about 1/4 th of it.. I am awaiting the results and should know tomorrow. In the mean time I have been taking the pain killers, but they make me sick to my tummy, so I am calling tomorrow for a different RX. I am glad that I had them remove the area instead of just sticking a needle in and hoping to hit the right area. it's not just a little bump. It was an area about 4 x 2 inches behind my breast but on top of the rib cage so they had to literally go behind to get to the area. Well.. that's probably more graphics than anyone would ever want so I will shut up now and just ask that you all pray about this. I feel good and really believe that the results are going to be good. Well.. enough for tonight, I am heading up to bed. Hugs.
Mary

Hi there!

Lots going on here. We are getting ready to take Megan to school on Thursday...two days from now... She is heading off to the big city and Northwestern, as you all know. She is super excited and a bit on the scared side. I can't blame her. I remember being a bit scared of facing college, but I didn't go away like she is doing. All will be fine. The kids are getting ready to start a new school year. Classes start on Thursday for them as well. Rob and Andrew are taking a few classes up at the high school...ie. Spanish III, Drama, Meistersingers, regular chorus, and Chemistry. They are taking the rest of their academic load here at home.

I have some great scrapping news.... I was just chosen as a team member for a new scrapbooking site, Creativity {Unbound}. It's a totally new concept of blogging where we go beyond just scrapping and will actually be teaching online classes, much like I already do for my site, but with a much larger audience. We will also be hosting swaps, posting challenges and have some interest in our site from manufacturers. Check it out... here's the link... www.creativityunbound.blogspot.com
seven gals were chosen because of our varied gifts and talents and as a whole group.. it's going to be amazing.

Well... It's gettng late and I have to run. Love you and I need to post some photos... so behind on that..

Mary

Whew! It's over! Woot Hoot. OK.... here it is... the Parade of Homes is over and I am so glad. It was the most work I have ever thought or imagined possible The kids and Bob were unbelievably helpful and worked so hard to get their rooms ready. You would be so proud of them. There were so many people that came through and the most accurate count thus far is... 440 presold tickets and 380 onsight tickets sold... that's a lot of people coming through. Everythinglooked great, especially using all of Nana's beautiful antiques and Bob's great grandmother's silver.. It's late and I am super tired so I will write more later. Love you.


Mary

OK... so we are now five days away from Parade of Homes and having about 800 people tour the house...and I AM GOING CRAZY.... Actually today wasn't as bad as yesterday, so I guess there is hope. I have been busier than I ever thought possible. Saturday I painted the upstairs bathroom and gave the front of the house an extra coat of white paint..on the original clapboard. It looks nice and clean and only took three hours to do. Yesterday I spent the day in the Library going through books and papers. That's all done now and that room looks great. I also did four loads of regular laundry and then washed all the feather beds, which took forever to dry, etc. So... I finally hit the sack at 3:35 am after cleaning the kitchen. I was really mad at the kids because I had asked them to clean the kitchen and instead they camped out in the living room and watched movies until 12:30 am. I made two huge meals yesterday and told the family that I was only cooking big meals so they would have energy to help.... instead, it was too much and they all wanted to sleep... hmm... going to have to use another tactic. So... this morning I was up at 7:40 and woke everyone up. Andrew finished cleaning his room. Nathaniel was in the dog house so I made him clean toilets...hehehe... Megan sorted material. Belle helped me, Robby was at work...as was Bob. I shampooed the bathrooms, library, living room, and the boys' rooms. Then.......

A reporter from our local newspaper, the Public Opinion showed up and wanted to take interior photos. The music room was clean and set so I let her take photos in there... whew... now.... It's dinner time and I AM NOT Cooking a thing...we are going out and I will get back to the house when we get back... gosh... there's such a difference in getting the house company clean and tour clean.... urch..... Bob just pulled up so I will post more late tonight....
until then...

Mary

It's an incredible day!
The sun is shining and the kids are actually happy cleaning their bedrooms. Can you believe that?
After posting yesterday I thought that I need to take the focus off me and share a few blessings with you all. I don't know if I have been holding back posting this because of selfishness or what. I don't like to share some things..lol.



The last Wednesday in July, my little brother and wife, Donnie & Shelly, became grandparents. Haley had her baby is she is so very beautiful. Elin Rosa-Lee arrived at 9:53 am weighing in at 6lbs. 30z and is 19.5 inches long. I have been selfishly enjoying myself whenever I sneak up to their place to hold the baby. She is sooooo stinking beautiful. Haley is doing well and looks fabulous. Watching her hold Elin and experiencing all those instinctive things that jump into action has been a lot of fun. It's a side of every woman that changes the moment she becomes a mother. She is so very intuned to Elin even though motherhood is so new to her. I think that's what makes all new moms so beautiful. I am very proud of Haley and her wisdom. She is getting ready to go back to school, is working full time, and now has her own apartment, which is really great. It's more of a town house than an apartment, with three stories, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a great lower level with washer and dryer.

So, now that Donnie and Shelly are grandparents, I can let the cat out of the bag... no I am not expecting.. whew! David and Brandi are expecting and are due in March, so that means I too will be a grandmother. I am just glad Donnie beat me to the status of grandparent. hehehehe.

Other happenings around here... I will post about the kids and all their adventures tomorrow.... Until then... Love you!

Hi all,
Seems like it's been forever since I blogged....well...it has. So much going on here with life in South Dakota. Kids are all getting ready for school to start and I am still winding down with some health related issues. Many of you know that I have been going through a series of tests and appointments due to my dentist discovering two rather large tumors in my lower mandible. Bob and I spent two full weeks down in Houston at MD Anderson with various doctors to determine the seriousness of these tumors. They are bilateral and are pretty close to identical to one another. To make a long story short, they appear to be benign and a biopsy cannot be done of them because of their proximity to the nerves that control my lower mouth and jaw. If these nerves are severed I will not have feeling, etc. Removing them at this point isn't a good option because it would neccesitate bone grafting, extensive dental work, and plastic surgery...so we are taking a wait and see approach to this whole thing. We will be monitoring them and rechecking them every six months. I completely trust the oncologists at MD Anderson for a few reasons. First, because they are the best in the US, rated above any other cancer facility including Mayo. Secondly they actually have DDS MDs in oncology whereas the other facilities do not... highly specialized. Thirdly, they see 100,000 patients a day and only come across a few cases like mine, where as other facilities have never come across something like this.

I told you it's a long story.... The bottom line is this... God is good! HE is in charge of my life, not me, not the doctors, so I place my trust in Him. If I hadn't waited and trusted the people God has put in my path during this journey I would now be jawless...and in need of several surgeries. But in God there is peace, direction, and hope....I am now awating to get an appointment down in SF for an MRI check of my left breast...I had a mammogram done and there is some concern that needs futher checking... I figure that dealing with the second concern is much easier than dealing with possible bone cancer. God is good.

Being away from the kids for so long really made me home sick. It also made me look long and hard at my priorities and direction of my life. Bob and I had some great quality time alone and after twenty years of marriage I can honestly say that I am blessed to be married to such a wonderful loving man. Soooo... now that I am home, we are getting ready to take Megan off to school, get her all moved in to her dorm, get boys' settled up at the high school, order curriculum for the school year, and get the house ready for the parade of homes which is in less than two weeks from now. It should be an adventure. Thanks again for all the wonderful prayers, notes, emails, and cards. I love you all.

In Christ
Mary

It's been forever since I posted. so sorry.

Well, Meg's grad party is over and all our out of town guests are gone and things are starting to get back to normal... whatever "that" is. This morning I went to Wal Mart to develop some film and while I was there I picked up a few grovery items and a cool summer dress. I don't like clohs shopping and rarely buy for myself. I hate malls and crowded centers. After coming home I decided that I need to reload xp onto my personal computer and the next few days are going to be spent trying to get everything back on the desktop where I feel comfortable where it is. Gosh, all this work simply because I can't remember my password...urgh.....

Well, hopefully I will be posting more in the next few days. So much to do around here and so little time. Hugs!

Mary

Just a few of Megan's recent Senior Photos. Isn't she so pretty? Thought you would like to see these. We have about 250 other shots...lol

May 1st can you believe this.... time has flown by so quickly. We are busy around here getting ready for Meg's graduation. She picked up her announcements today so please be on the lookout for your invitation to arrive shortly. We have been trying to get some major and not so major things done around the house. Not major would be planting flowers and getting my veggie garden in along with reinforcing my herb garden. I am going to plant a wider variety of basil this year since we all love it so much.
Major would be the undertaking of the front porch. We have hired Mike Farthing to replace the entire veranda...all 800 square feet of it! While Mike was tearing up the old cedar planks he was able to remove that ugly faux brick siding that surrounded the front door...and guess what? under that ugly siding we found the original slat siding from the 1800s. We also had him remove some boards that had been covering up the transfer window above the front door. Now we get to wait for Mike to finish the porch and then we will be painting the old siding. It's really exciting to be able to see what lies beneath the ugly siding.. I guess it wasn't so ugly forty some odd years ago when it was first put up there. I will have to post some photos a bit later.

Such a busy weekend. We spent our weekend at home, just the seven of us, reading, watching old movies, baking, cooking, drawing, painting, scrapping, and doing a little work around the house. I really enjoyed our weekend of rest. The kids all wanted to stay put. No one asked to go anywhere, which is a rarity around here. Meg did get to the movies with Stephanie. I worked on a few layouts for upcoming calls and finished some projects for Cut the Crop. I finished another layout and three cards for the site.

Love working with Dream Street Design papers. They are so much fun and very versitile. I am really enjoying these paper right now.

Well..... Here we are, April 5th and we still have snow.... God really has a sense of humor. It snowed on April Fool's day and it's been here ever since. I guess we are going to have a wintery Easter. We are going to spend Easter here at home with just us in our little world of Liberty Hall.
Bob and I are going to have to hide the eggs inside. We have decided to skip the candy thing. The kids are all for this. I am amazed. They all requested that we do books instead. Just shows you how nerding the kids are. I think I will pick up a couple classic movies for them as well.

well, I have to run. Hope you have a wonderful day.

Busy crazy day. It's snowing and I want it to stop. So tired of the snow and really really want spring to stay put. There is something good about being reluctant to venture out into the snow and that's having some time to scrap...that is after I did a bit of house work. My floors look great, by the way. Just sent some images to Cut The Crop for the Month Kit Designs. This is a really cool kit because it actually comes with some really cool Drawers that you can alter. This is

what I did with mine. I really love designing for Tove. She's super nice and always very encouraging. I love her kits because they include some really fun supplies. I also made a fun "Mom" wall plaque and have it hanging in my scraproom. So easy to put this together using some fun supplies. Love brads right now, tomorrow I may love buttons, or clips, or a combination of all

I think what also makes designing a lot of fun is pushing myself to create some fun different layouts using specific papers and supplies. Lots of fun. With Megan graduating this year I find that I need to get all her photos scrapped so I am not running around like a chicken with my head cut off next month getting ready for her celebration. Well. That's about all for now.

Seems like a long time since I took a few minutes to post. This past week has been a whirlwind. I cannot seem to even think of what the next few weeks will be like.
Rob and Megan just finished "Peter Pan" and that puts a close on Megan's High School Drama Career. This was her last play that she will ever do as a high school student. The play was pretty good. Lot's of crazy colorful costumes and great makeup effects. Rob had a good role and had quite a few lines. He was so handsome and looked so tall on stage. I cannot believe that he is only 15. Megan did his makeup and gave him a five o'clock shadow making him look about 25. When we saw him just after the play I couldn't help but think that he is going to be an extremely handsome man.

Bob took the kids, Max, and Nick, to see it again last night and they all had a great time. Max was a little on the scared side until he saw Robby close up and realized that he wasn't a real pirate.
Belle came down with a tummy virus so I stayed home with her last night and all of today. Bob took two of the boys to the Scout oh rama and then to set up for a pancake feed for tomorrow. He just walked in the door from taking the kids to see some Chinese Acrobat performance at DD Miller. It's been a busy day for him. Rob competed this morning in Jazz Choir and will find out how they did on Monday. Megan worked for a few hours at the coffee shop and I took care of Belle all day.

Well..... I feel like my writing is a little on the confusing, no focus, or continuity, side and it's driving me crazy. I know that I will look at the post tomorrow and will alter it. lol. I came across another scrapper's blog and was reminded of the important things... it's these daily adventures that we encounter that really gives excitement to our lives. It's seeing the ah ha moments. It's hearing the little voices of the kids as they communicate with one another in the next room. It's all about these little minute, seemingly mundane tasks and events that we overlook all too easily. I love my life and where I am right now at this very moment. I love being a mom of six kids. I love taking care of my family, doing laundry, washing dishes, and making meals for them. I am blessed...blessed because I have a loving family who loves me in return. I am going to run down stairs right now and tell them just how much I love them... Good Night.

Just thought I would post before hitting the sack. It's getting late and the kids are all tucked into their beds, hopefully sleeping away. We spent the past few days marking milestones. Bob & my 20th anniversary, Andrew's 14th Birthday, and Anabelle deciding she wanted to sew on her own without mom helping at all. Yes, this is a milestone. She is only 7 and loves to create things. I think she gets this from Megan. So this evening Belle comes into my room with a pink sweater in hand, a spool of thread and a needle and climbs onto my bed preparing to sew down the huge collar on her sweater. She hates big collars and asked if I would cut it off. If I did that, the whole sweater would unravel... so, she did the most logical thing in her 7 year old mind... she sewed the collar to the inside of her sweater. It's a little bulky, but I am not going to undo it. It's her creation and she is so proud of it. I will praise her when she proudly wears it to church in the morning and I will not undo and resew it. She would know. Looking at the sweater and the big stitches reminded me of something. You know how often we make sure that we repair things in our lives, whether it be a sweater or hurt feelings, or some other faux pax that we have created, with small stitches so it's not so apparent or visible to others? I do this. I want things solved with the least amount of attention. When I watched Belle sew, I thought of my silliness in trying to hide or minimalize things. I was reminded that it's ok to see the imperfections... that's what makes each of us beautiful, original, and flawed. Being flawed is a good thing... well, knowing that we are flawed and recognizing those flaws is good because we can never better ourselves if we think we are perfect. ha... there... that's the whole lesson God gave me today.. I am NOT perfect, I have flaws, and it's ok. Now to celebrate them, to embrace them, and to work a bit on them... that's the task at hand. Love you all! Blessings Always~ Mary

Today is Bob & My 20th Anniversary and he's away on business....he'll be home late tonight, though. I have had an incredible day. Memory Makers Magazine is putting out a book. Memory Makers 601 Great Scrapbooking Ideas...and....... they have asked for one of my layouts for publication in this book. This is really really really exciting for me. I am totally blown away. I was feeling kinda sad yesterday when I realized that Bob was going to be gone and that Creating Keepsakes isn't making their Hall of Fame calls til Monday and then I got the email. I guess it just goes to show you that good things do happen when you least expect them. I will post more later. I have to go make dinner for the kids.

I will start today's post out with a photo that was taken several weeks ago of Robby and Megan while they were on a theatre trip to Minneapolis. They had a great time. Isn't Rob getting tall?

What a fun weekend we had. Bob and the kids spent a lot of the day clearing out ice and melting snow chunks out of the driveway and off the sidewalks around the house. There was so much snow. There is still a lot of it left. I have been thinking of some interesting things lately. I was thinking of how wonderful my life is right now this very moment. The kids are all healthy. Dave is doing great in San Diego with his job and is gaining a lot of experience and responsibility with Smart Drive as a Field Service Supervisor. Megan is getting her things together for college in the fall. She's so excited that she will be studying theatre at Northwestern. Robby is busy with his piano lessons and "Peter Pan". Andrew, too, is busy with piano and Boy Scouts, as is Nathaniel. Anabelle has met two new friends who have moved into the house across the street. They seem to be really nice girls. I still can't let her go and play at someone else's house without me there. I am not ready to let her go. She isn't ready either, which is good. She is growing up too fast. Where are the breaks? She needs to slow down. Bob is healthy and is keeping busy with his job.....and me, well, I am here at home taking care of all the things that moms usually take care of and... I am loving my life, so Life is good.

As I was sitting with Anabelle this evening I looked at her and thought that I really wish my kids could stay at this point forever. I wish they would not leave home and not grow up, but that we could live in this perpetual state of March 12, 2007. Dave is proof that time flies. Megan is as well. I think of the next few days and all the different directions our daily lives are taking us and I am reminded that I really need to stress to my family that they are loved. Bob is heading down to Huron for meetings and won't be home til Wednesday night. Wednesday is our 20th wedding anniversary. I can hardly believe that we have been married that many years. Time just goes so quickly.

Well... it's getting late and I am thinking that I should go up to bed. I love you and send lots of hugs and warm wishes.
Mary

I have been thinking that I need to start posting some photos and maybe get some inspiration from them for scrapping.. soooo here is my photo of the day.... Guess who this is???

It's Friday the 9th and it's been a long week. Hopefully this weekend will be nice and quiet around here. We have been working like crazy helping Megan fill out all her scholarship information, school questionaires, and trying to get some regular home schooling done at the same time. Megan did receive a small scholarship in the mail on Wednesday from our local American Leagion for her oratory that she gave on the Constitution. She used part of the money to buy a beautiful had quilted comforter that she found on clearance, for college. Other than that, she has been pretty frugal with her funds. She is looking for a good computer to take to school with her.

I have been working on more layouts for submitting to various magazines. I am still plugging away. I am amazed that there are so many calls out and so much wonderful talent out there. I have met a few ladies on 2Peas that are really very helpful and encouraging. I am really enjoying getting to know some other scrappers who are busy moms just like me.

Calls for Hall of Fame are not going to go out until the 19th instead of the 16th so I will be waiting three extra days to see if my scrapping is good enough to make it. If not, that's ok. I did give it my all and I have some really really really cool scrap items that I made to enjoy for years to come.

Well, I am getting tired and am heading off to bed. Love you all!

Mary

Well, the snow is finally melting a bit and the streets are getting cleared a little bit more each day. I am still amazed at the pile of snow that is still sitting at the top of our driveway hiding the Bravada beneath a huge white blanket. It looks so soft and beautiful, but it isn't. Looks can be deceiving. The kids have enjoyed their time outside building snowmen, forts, igloos, and making snowballs galore with a snowball making thing that Bob bought for Nathaniel's Birthday. He made 242 snowballs the other day and stored them up for a battle the following day. He won! Well, I should sign off for a bit. I think I am in need of a nap. All the snow makes me want to bundle up under a big fleece blanket and just dream away. Have a great day! Mary