All I want for...

Christmas and Hanukkah is.......
BUTTERSCOTCH!
Our family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah. December is a whirlwind! Ellie's birthday, Hanukkah and Christmas all fell within the same week this year! C R A Z Y!
The girls were VERY excited about their presents this year. We payed extra attention and got them things they REALLY wanted. One such present is 'Butterscotch' the Pony. She's a large mechanical pony that responds to touch a special brush and carrot that came with her. She has several sensors all over her which make her do all sorts of things when she's touched by you or 'hears' or 'sees' you.

The girls enjoyed spending time with all of our family over the past few days! I love this time of year because we all get together and have a chance to catch up and enjoy each other. The rest of the year always seems to be all hustle and bustle and time just slips away. We always have ntentions of seeing each other through out the year but that seldom happens. I love December because for us, it's family time and there's no better time than that!!!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wishing you and your families a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!!!!

Halloween 2008!

It's been a long time since my last post! *eek!* I think it's about time for an update, eh?

Halloween!

Halloween around our house is a big deal! We love to decorate the entire house, in and out, including a graveyard, ravens, pumpkins a skeleton and various other creepy stuff!

Here's Captain Jack and Mr. Skelly in our entry hall!
Captain Jack was soon joined by Daphne from Scooby Doo and Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb!

Here are a few shots of our 'graveyard'

Ellie decided that she wanted to end the night as a little witch!
We had a great Halloween, as always!!

It's the LAST DAY of JULY!

I can't believe how quickly the summer is going by! For some reasons I'm happy to see it going by so quickly and in a way sad too! I LOVE taking day trips with my family, visits to the neighbors for evenings of chat and fun outside, being on the patio in the shade, watching my girls splash in their little pool and their little dirty bare feet right before they are put in the tub at the end of a very fun, active, sweaty, heat and humidity filled day!
It amazes me how quickly the seasons pass by us! I remember as a kid, summer really did feel endless and carefree. I miss those days! As adults, nothing is really carefree anymore. We've got sooooo many responsibilities and obligations that sometimes we let the days pass without so much as a blink. I haven't taken the time to update my blog because we've just been having such a great time together that I haven't thought much about the computer. I know that as soon as school starts (early September) I will have more time and will update more frequently.
We've had family visiting from over seas! Lots of things on the 'to-do' list before she leaves on August 15!
So far we've .......
gone to the mall
Philadelphia Zoo
IKEA
Crystal Cave
Atlantic City Boardwalk / Beach
Valley Forge National Park
New Hope, PA
Monmouth County 4H Fair

Still to do:
Bushkill Falls, PA
Somerset County 4H Fair
6 Flags Great Adventure and Safari
Discovery Museum
Ringing Rocks
and a few other places that I can't remember at the moment!

It's been a jam-packed summer so far with lots more to do! I hope everyone else is having a great summer, too!!

Parades!

Ahh the summer.... lazy days, heat, humidity and PARADES!

We do several parades a year. This was our 1st time in the Rocky Hill Independence Day Parade.

We drove our WWII ambulance this time. It was great weather UNTIL we go to the end of the route and the picnic got rained out!


Thank a Veteran for your freedom!

A Kick-Start into Summer!

For us, Memorial Day weekend is the 1st 'official' day of Summer!
Our weekend usually starts with my husband driving one of his WW2 vehicles in a local parade. This year he participated in 3 different town's parades.
We find it incredibly important to honor those who serve and have served in our country's military.
Whether you approve or disapprove of the government's involvement over seas, we ALL need to respect and honor those who give all to protect us.

On Saturday our new neighbors invited us over for a BBQ and a dip in their pool! What a fun afternoon we all had, especially Mackie and Ellie who were in the pool for 4 straight hours!
Even Kirby got into the pool for a few seconds to cool off. It amazes me that he's just 4 months old, has never been in water (other than the groomer's sink) and he KNOWS how to swim!

On Monday, we opened our little pool, we fired up the grill and we headed outside for a BBQ!
It was a PERFECT weekend. I can't remember a more perfect Spring than we've had this year.

Lil Fuzzy Pom

Kirby is SO friggin' CUTE!
He was only 2.5lbs in these photos!
Here's a layout of pictures of him from the 1st few days right after we got him. He's still teeny but he's bigger than this now (4Lbs).... *sigh*
I was inspired to do this layout by a challenge on "A True Friend A Priceless Treasure" blog! I love that blog because it's for scrappers who love to scrap their PETS!
Anyway, here's my take on this week's challenge.

Mobile blogger

Back in the scrappin' saddle!

It's been a while since I've scrapbooked anything. Over the past couple days I've actually been able to sit and relax and pull out some scrap supplies. Here's what I've worked on.

I am on a roll over here and hope to get a few more pages done by the weekend!

Gators and Turtles and Snakes, OH MY!

We went to Charles Towne Landing in Charleston, South Carolina with our friends, Beth and Ed. It's such a gorgeous place. The trees are ancient and so huge, there's wildlife all around. We saw a lot of different 'critters', including alligators!
And, yup... we were THAT close! *Gasp*

Beth found a snake while she was walking in the grass. He didn't even seem phased that she was about to step RIGHT ON HIM! She called Ed over and he picked the snake up (grass snake) and showed him to the girls.

He then released it onto a tree branch to get it off the ground away from harm.

The trees in Charleston are HUGE! During our walk at Charles Towne Landing, we came across some GIANTS! The girls loved playing beneath the beautiful huge trees. There was shade everywhere we walked.

Everything's bigger in South Carolina....or is that supposed to be Texas?? LOL! Anyway, the girls, being the animal lovers they are, were also fascinated by the bugs. Yeah.. they're a LOT bigger than they are used to seeing and they loved picking them up off the walkway on leaves and sticks and putting them back on the grass or trees.

As we walked the path we saw a large box turtle and decided to take a picture of it. When we approached we noticed she was laying eggs. We got a fast picture. We didn't want to disturb her.

Can you see the tiny fiddler crabs? Look hard.... there are lots of them!! The girls had fun trying to count them as they scurried around.

I will post more pictures as I download them from my camera. All the photos above are by Beth King. ( Thanks Beth!! )

Therapy Dog in Training

We recently got a Pomeranian. His name is Kirby. He turned 3 months old yesterday (April 9th 2008).
He is SO good. He doesn't whine, complain, yap, or carry on in any way at all. He's friendly to everyone, which is probably because we take him just about everywhere we go! He's started training to become a therapy dog (Therapy Dog International) and will take the place of the 17 year old dog, Bailey, we recently lost 2 weeks ago.
I had taken her to Stonebridge (an over 55 community which also has an Assisted Living section where they house advanced Alzheimers patients.) Bailey was the resident therapy dog there until about a year ago when she became deaf and could no longer her commands. She lived a great, long life and we miss her terribly!
I think she'd be proud of this little guy following in her footsteps.
Kirby will be the resident Therapy dog for the Montgomery Senior Center! His training has started and he's just such an 'eager to please' kinda boy!
If you are unfamiliar with the work of Therapy dogs, I can explain it a bit and you can check out the website for more info! You may have a dog who could change lives!!
Therapy dogs are friendly dogs with excellent behavior that visit hospitals, nursing homes, senior centers etc and bring a bit of joy to the residents and patients who live there. They are excellent dogs to help people without them even knowing it!!
People who have had strokes reach out to touch/pat the dogs making strides where they didn't THINK they could!
There was a man who had a stroke and hadn't spoken in 3 months but when he saw my dog (Bailey) he said "Well hello there little dog!" . The nurse just about fainted because this man hadn't said a word since his stroke and the dog made it effortless for him.
Kids recovering from trauma and childhood diseases brighten up when the therapy dogs come in the room! Older people in nursing homes LOVE when we bring in the dogs. They always reminisce about a dog they had 'way back when' and how wonderful the dog was and how "this dog reminds me of....."
It's an excellent, excellent therapy for memory, motor skills and just plain morale. We are excited that Kirby is so compatible with the training so far and hope that he continues on the road he's on! He's gonna be a star!!!

Weather Woes!

I am tired of all the rain. ALL WINTER all we've gotten is day after day after day of RAIN, RAIN, RAIN! WHEN WILL IT END? We had one or 2 nice days in the past 2 weeks and today, once again, RAIN. *sigh*
I am drowning over here in mud, muck and RAIN!!!
We got one small snowfall in late January or early February. That was it. This was the rainiest, wettest, dreariest winter I think I've ever experienced.
Spring is here and yes, it's supposed to be a 'rainy season' for the most part but 5 of 7 days a week of RAIN is pathetic. I think I need to migrate like birds do. I'll winter in a place where it's sunny and in the 70s with VERY LITTLE RAIN and then I'll summer in a place where it's 70s, SUNNY and VERY LITTLE RAIN! lol
Can ya tell I'm all washed out by all the RAIN?
I hope your weather is better than mine has been for the past 5 months!!!

Scrapgarden's Blog Challenge for today

Do you make it a habit to do something scrappy each day?
I DO! That's not saying that I actually ACCOMPLISH it.....
More often than not, I get side tracked by laundry, scrapbooking forums online, a phone call or something good on TV. Sometimes it's something as simple as being distracted by wanting to be LAZY.
I don't get any daytime scraptime. It just doesn't work that way. My scraptime only comes after 8:30PM and honestly, MOST of the time I'm feeling kinda lazy and un-scrappy by then.
I get cattle prodded now and then by my buddy, Laura!
Going to check out the scrap blogs of my friends and the forum galleries can get me inspired too. I TRY to get SOMETHING scrappy accomplished daily but it just isn't always in the cards!

Spring

is REALLY here! How do I know this, other than the obvious calendar? Well I know it because the PEEPERS SAY SO!!

The Peepers? What's a PEEPER, you ask?

Wikipedia can give you a good idea about the Spring Peeper.

" A Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer, synonym Hyla crucifer) is a small tree frog widespread throughout the eastern USA. The spring peeper is a small frog, attaining an adult size between 0.75 and 1.5 inches (up to 40mm) long. They have a dark cross on their backs roughly in the shape of an "X", though sometimes the marking may be indistinct. The color variations of the spring peeper are mostly tan, brown, olive green, or gray. Females are lighter-colored, while males are slightly smaller and usually have dark throats."

Photo by United States Geological Survey

Are these little frogs cute or what?!

Every night at 11PM I walk the dogs for the final walk of the day. I've been listening and listening for the Peepers for about 2 weeks now, hoping that I'd hear them soon as this really IS the sign that Spring really IS here! Tonight, I walked outside and was greeted by the sound of 100s of Peepers, singing and peeping and just making my heart soar! I LOVE these little froggies and can't wait to hear them on their 1st night, every year! We're lucky enough to live near the canal and river where they breed and live so we get a concert every night through the Spring right on into the summer!!

These little frogs sing their chorus and keep me company, late at night when I am walking my dogs. For more information about the Spring Peeper, check out Wikipedia

Whoa.. I scrapped!

I got to hang out with my buddy, Laura on Friday. It had been SOOOOO long since I'd scrapped a page and having her over just jump-started my creative mojo! This page was done for our newest challenge over at Scrapdragon! Ya gotta go take a look! The challenge is amazing and our creative team rocked! The prize is a gift certificate to Crop Addict so be sure to go check out the challenge! Enter and ya never know... you just may win!!!

Mommy, can we keep him? Oh CAN WE??

YES!!



Say WHAT?!



Yup... you heard right! YES! We CAN keep him!!



His name is Kirby Commando and he's a 10 week old Pomeranian puppy. He's adorable, sweet, well adjusted and loves EVERYONE including cats, other dogs and even guinea pigs and hamsters! He's SUCH a cool little boy and we're already madly in love with him!




He fits perfectly into our family!
Welcome home little boy! You've found your forever home!

Scrapdragon Creative Team Call!!

Laura and I have been brainstorming and we've decided to kick up our challenge blog a notch! We're calling for some new members for out creative team ! Check out the call below!!

Scrapdragon Creative Team Call!!

Rapidly growing contest blog seeking creative team!!
The Scrapdragons want YOU!!

We are looking for 4 more members to join our Scrapdragons Creative Team!!

This Creative Team call is open to EVERYONE - World Wide.

What You Will Get:

A 6-month term on the Scrapdragon Creative Team with options to renew at the end of the 6 month term.

Scrap STUFF! Each month we'll send you a small scrap rak pack of goodies to play with! It will depend on the month what we send out but we have our hands in the latest and greatest stuff!! As we grow and get more sponsors we hope to have more goodies to pass along!

What we am looking for:

Creative scrapbookers who like to think outside the box. This is a challenge blog with funky and fun challenges!

The workload for the creative team will be light and quite easy to manage (only 2 layouts a month are required) but an ability to get things done on time is definitely important!

What You Need To Do:

E-mail us at twoscrapdragons@yahoo.com Put "Scrapdragon Creative Team Applicant" in the Subject Line.

In the body of the e-mail please include the following:

Name

e-mail address

Link to your personal blog and/or online gallery

3 links to layouts/projects that you have made that YOU feel are your personal best .

A list (with links if possible) to any past/current Design Teams you are on, guest design spots count as well! If you've NEVER been on a team before that's great too - We'd LOVE to see some new faces!!

DEADLINE to get e-mail applications in is May 1st 2008. An announcement will be on the Scrapdragon site on May 2nd with the list of new Creative Team members!

We will not be replying to each application sent in. You will hear from us on May 2nd via e-mail with instructions and more details if you are chosen.

Any questions about this design team call can be sent to twoscrapdragons@yahoo.com with "Question About Creative Team" in the subject line. Depending on the amount of e-mails and applications we receive it may take a while to respond!

Look at this cuteness!!!

I am an avid scrapbooker but ya know what's even more fun than scrapping a page yourself? It's when your friend whips out a page like THIS ONE for ya!!!
Isn't this soo cute?! I LOVE IT! This is Ellie at the 4th of July party last year that we were invited to. Thanks Laura! You are THE BEST!!

Laura made this for the American Idol contest over at Scraptastic. Check out that site, there's so much creative talent over there!

Back in the Saddle!

Honestly, there are few things more frustrating than computer problems, especially when you're a blog addict like me! I haven't been able to blog in months.
I'm here now and need to 'catch up' on my blog strolling too. I have missed seeing everyone's posts and being a part of their lives through their blogs.
Let's see.. what have we been up to lately:

January -
Disney World
The girls experienced "Pirates of the Carribean" for the 1st time and fell head over heels in love with "Captain Jack". There is a really cool mini-show right outside of the ride where you get to see Captain Jack and 'become" a member of his crew. Totally cool and omg.. lemme tell ya... the guy they have portraying Captain Jack is really good!!
Ellie (age 4) braved the "Haunted Mansion" and loved it! I am so glad that my girls are adventurous! We had a great time and actually got to do the 'rides' this Mackie turned 6 and celebrated her birthday at Cinderella's Castle with a lovely dinner. Unfortunately in the middle of the night she got stomach virus that lasted through the entirity of the trip. The poor thing was a trooper though. I think we probably visited every bathroom in all the parks! lol Luckily, none of us got her tummy bug!
Computer Virus *ACK*
My laptop got a virus which brought my computer time to a complete halt! Some type of virus ate the McAffee. Ate it. *GULP! BELLLLLCH!* and it didn't even say 'Excuse me!'
Birthdays!
My hubby, mother in law, Mackie and I all had birthdays in January. Needless to say, it's a busy, busy month!

February
School Pictures
Nothing to write home about... I was pretty disappointed. I won't even bother to scan them in.... *sigh* Poor Ellie had croup for a week. Picture day was the 1st day she was back to school and she was drained, grey and very tired looking. *UGH*
Mackie's turned out "ok" but still nothing like what I wanted. I will have them done again at another place in a week or so.

So that's about all we've been up to, other than the mundane errand running, laundry doing, meal cooking, house cleaning stuff that we all deal with on a daily basis!
we were in NYC the other day. I will blog about that on another day once I get the pictures back!

Ok off I go to do some blog strolling... I gotta go see what you have all been up to!!

Didn't Disappear....

Just having computer problems and have been uber busy.
I'll update soon!

Back from Disney World!

And what a time it was!
If you're going in the near future and have a chance to hit the Pirate's and Princesses Party, I highly recommend ya do!!!









And that's just ONE reason to do so! The Disney experience is always magical, no matter how many times you go. We've gone every year, at least once, for the past 7 or 8 years . One can never see it ALL, no matter HOW many times you 'DO the Kingdom'


This time we focused mostly on Magic Kingdom and Epcot, leaving only one day for MGM and a 1/2 day for Animal Kingdom. The girls were most interested in meeting characters and riding "Pirates of the Caribbean at Magic Kingdom, and the Gran Fiesta Tour in Epcot. It was a nice, relaxing, no pressure vacation!

Photos to come........