Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Been?!

We have a Jack Russell Terror ( not a typo! LOL). Last night while I was scrapbooking with Laura, I put Zippity out, as usual to have her dinner. When I went to let her in, she wasn't there. I saw the frayed end of her leash and knew she had chewed through it and taken off! *UGH*
Here it is, 11pm, my kids are fast asleep in bed and Laura had JUST left. My husband was working last night so I was home alone. No one to watch the girls for me while I fumbled around outside in the mud, looking for my little dog.
I knew she was out of ear shot. She ALWAYS come tearing across the yard when she's outside and comes right away when I call her. Last night, I called and called. Whistled, clapped, squeaked her toys and even shook the treat can. (heck that works on TV, right?!) My ears received nothing but silence in return. I walked around the house calling out in every direction and finally gave up around 1:45AM. I got to bed around 2AM but, for obvious reasons, could NOT sleep. I tossed and turned, 1/2 asleep, 1/2 awake listening for any tell-tale sign of her return.
6.10AM. M'Kayla bursts in my room, "Mommy, I hear a dog barking" she said (mind you, she knew nothing about Zippity's Houdini act from last night). I got up, and we scurried downstairs and there, peering at me from behind the glass doors in the kitchen was a little MUDDY dog! ZIPPITY!!!
She was SO happy to see me that she burst in when I opened the door and tracked in mud! I grabbed her and we gave her lots of praise. LOTS OF PRAISE! I gave her a once-over for ticks and cuts, boo-boos etc. We then tossed her in the bathtub for a scrubbing. Usually she LOATHES the bathtub. This time she hardly made even so much as a fuss. She was exhaused from her 'night out' and promptly fell asleep after being brushed and blow dryed. With the nervous energy from the stressful, sleepless night, I created this layout about her ordeal and our joyful reunion!

Has Spring Sprung?

SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING SPRING!!!


I know that Spring has Sprung when my girls are outside running wild, playing in their sandbox, on their swingset and with their sidewalk chalk!! I am never far away poised with my camera and waiting for that perfect shot!
I'm all for Spring! The blooms, the longer evenings, the wild play outside that brings my girls to complete exhaustion!! They sleep later in the mornings, which is a blessing to me.
My favorite thing about Spring is the enthusiastic joy that it brings my family as we spend more time outside, together, laughing, playing and just enjoying each other's company.



So, CHEERS to the arrival of Spring, sunny play-filled days and togetherness!!

Scrapbooking Forums

I love scrapbooking forums. I love them so much that I frequent about 70 of them. Each forum has something to offer. Some have absolutely fantastic galleries, some have hot-jumpin' message boards and others have fabulous tutorials and classes. I love to find a board that has a great mix of all of those things. Sadly, that's not usually the way it works!
Scrapbooking yahoo groups tend to be built by a closer knit group of people who usually know each other.

Here are a few of my favourite scrapbooking forums:

The Untamed Scrapper

Time To Scrap

Scrappin' Mojo

My favourite scrapbooking yahoo group is:
Scrapbrats


I'm always on the lookout for new scrapbooking forums to check out.. got any suggestions?!

**National Scrapbook Day 20 Layouts in a Day Cyber Crop **

National Scrapbook Day 20 Layouts in a Day Cyber Crop
http://www.theuntamedscrapper.com

May 5th - 3 - PM EST
MARK YOUR CALENDAR!!!!
Join us from f3pm to 7pm eastern time for some party fun and a wonderfully exciting way to create 20 layouts in a day. You'll be given the supply lists in advance so come ready to crop your little heart out !!

All layouts uploaded to The Untamed Scrapper gallery within 24 hours of the crop (7pm Eastern Sunday, May 6th) will be eligible for a Grand Prize!!

You must be a registered member (registration is FREE) of The Untamed Scrapper forums (http://www.theuntamedscrapper.com) to participate. Keep watching the forums for more details the closer the day comes!

We can't wait to see you there !!

{Scrappin' Mojo Blog Challenge - VACATION}

"Well, dh and I have been talking about our summer plans. So, today's blog inspiration is VACATION. You can tell about your best, your worst, your favorite place to visit, even a dream destination, etc.
I can't wait to vacation with you!"
_________________
-Shelley

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ahh.. such a nice topic for such a cold, winter day!!
The most awesome vacation I've ever been on was our Honeymoon . It was 4 weeks of pure, uncharted FUN, FUN, FUN!!!
Our trip started with an 11 day work-related visit to Jerusalem, Israel with my inlaws! Can you believe it? Since my husband and father in law were both presenting at a conference there, we all started our honeymoon together. Most people would NEVER even entertain the thought of bringing their inlaws on their HONEYMOON or any other vacation for that matter! I just so happen to be one of the few who are lucky enough to call my inlaws my best friends!! We went to the Jerusalem Zoo, to Masada, to the Dead Sea and to the different sections of Jerusalem including the now, forbidden, Arab Quarter. Walking there was like time-warping to another era........ unlike anything I have ever seen!
-Arab Quarter Merchant in Jerusalem-

The Jerusalem Zoo is such a fabulous zoo. The animals there have very large habitats and lots of room to roam. The enclosures are modern, huge and make seeing the animals very easy to the visitors.
-Jerusalem Zoo-

The road to Masada was a long, long trip! The terrain changed from city to desert very quickly as we drove along in the tour bus. Once we got there, I was amazed at the size of the mountains. They don't look so huge and majestic as they do when you are standing atop of them, looking DOWN!! Below you see the Roman camp as viewed from the top of Masada. Unfortunately ou can't get any sense of the depth or height on a photograph......



The vacation was magical to say the least! Tomorrow I will post the European part of our Honeymoon starting with England!

My Little Scrapper!

My oldest daughter recently turned 5. She has always loved the fact that I scrapbook. She finds joy in telling everyone she meets that 'My mommy is a scrapbooker and I'm a scrapbooker too!" I have recently purchased a table for both of my girls (Ellie is 3) but Mackie seems to think that it's all hers!

I bought a few pairs of fancy-edged scissors, a 6x6 scrapbook, some stickers and gave her a bunch of cardstock scraps (no no.. no Bazzill!) and set her loose!


A girl can't scrap without her favorite alien action figure (*ACK*) I have no idea why she even befriended this nasty looking alien thing but it's among her top 10 favorite toys (and it's not even hers, it's something that Daddy had in the basement!)


After a long, hard day of scrappin', here's the final result! Hahahahahaha!!!

Back to the Scrap Table!

I haven't had the chance to scrapbook in ages and over the past week I've had the opportunity to scrap so I've created a few layouts. It felt really good to release some creative energy!!

Sweet little Ellie, July 2006 at Sesame Place.



This photo was taken at the D & R Canal in Belle Mead, NJ on Valentine's Day 2006.



This photo is of me and Laura at Long Beach Island, NJ at the Time To Scrap design team retreat in October 2006.

Disney World - January 2007

Happy Valentine's Day!

Studio Friday - "Portfolio"

This week's topic for Friday February 2nd suggested by Jo: PORTFOLIO!


"I've never put one together. I would be very interested to see and hear what everyone else has as a portfolio and what makes up one"

~ Jo

When I first read today's challenge, I almost dismissed it because I didn't think that it had anything to do with my artform. As I sat here for a brief moment, it occurred to me that it did, indeed, have a LOT to do with my artform!
I am a scrapbooker. Each of my scrapbooks is a sort of portfolio in itself. I do take orders on occasion when I have the time and I do use my scrapbooks as models to show people different styles, textures, colour schemes and balance. I also use my books to give other scrapbookers ideas.
My portfolio isn't just one portfolio, it's all of my scrapbooks. The best portfolio I can show you on-line would be my gallery at Time To Scrap
~ Gabi

Back from Disney World!

We're home :) *Sigh* I LOVE all of the parks of Disney World and wish I could spend 3 months there at a time! We're Disney addicts I guess!
We had a blast! My inlaws met us there for a few days to celebrate the January Birthdays and they LOVED it too! See? Disney isn't just for kids! ;)
My girls find the most joy meeting and getting pictures taken with the various Disney characters. Among the favorites are:
Minnie Mouse



Eyore is always a fun one to see!




Mackie especially loved Animal Kingdom and playing in the Dinosaur Play Area! They even had a small waterfall and all sorts of 'fossils' to climb and play on.



Ellie enjoyed ToonTown in Magic Kingdom and walking through Minnie Mouse's house. She tried out all the furniture and checked out every nook and cranny.




I have so many pictures that I can't possibly put them all up on here. Those above, are a just a few of my favorites! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney and am always up for a chat or email exchange about it!!

{Studio Friday} "Look who I found!"

This week's topic for Friday January 26th suggested by Janet: LOOK WHO I FOUND... !


"I love to discover new artists and often find them through other peoples mentions of them. So, introduce us, in words and/or pictures, to an artist, craftsperson, or writer you admire and that we might not have heard of before (i.e. not a famous one). What do you like about their work? How does it inspire your own work?"

~ Janet

This is a fun topic!
I have been out of the loop for a few months and I'm back in the groove!
A true art inspiration for me is Debbie Wachel.
Debbie's work is very unique and always brings a smile to my face. She has a certain command of the colour pallet and she really knows how to bring her art to life. I am especially fond of her whimsical sketches of her beautiful standard poodle, Penny and her beloved horses.
Here are a couple of my absolute favorites:
This is a sketch of her poodle, Penny, sound asleep. I love the soft tones and highlights. It's not just a sleeping dog, it gives the viewer a sense of peace.

I love this comical sketch of a Fashion-Zebra, able to change his stripe color at will!

My absolute favorite sketch is this one! It's her whimsical take on Raphael's "Cherubs", but done as pegasas'!!

Debbie's artistic abilities aren't limited to sketches! She's got a wide range of projects going on at any given time. She creates lovely art from flowers, fabric, paper, fibers, collages, and just SO MUCH!
Here's another piece that I LOVE!!! It's sooo funny yet SOOO TRUE!! I love her sense of humor and how she can bring it all to life in one of her artistic pieces!


This one, one of my favorites, makes me laugh the very hardest! I guess it's because I can truly relate! I have a water-phobic dog as well and Debbie captures the desperation perfectly!



Debbie's artwork and her writing inspires me to go further, take chances with color and themes and just to go for it and create! Thanks Debbie for being such an inspiration!!

The New Year's Eve Mosquito.....

Nice. New years eve. 7:30PM. Happy toddlers jumping on the bed during bedtime routine. Me sitting on the bed laughing hysterically at my 4 year old. She's a comedian already. She can make this vocal sound and it sounds exactly like a buzzing mosquito. It's funny as hell because she does this funny face and sticks her arms out....
Anyway.. well she was doing just that and I was cracking up because it's so friggin' hysterical. With my hysterical laughter and her 'buzzing' her head colided with MY face, breaking my friggin' nose.
yeah.. nice eh? I got my nose busted by a New Year's Eve Mosquito. *sigh*
Hubby was quick to grab an ice pack and I iced it IMMEDIATELY. There is minimal swelling but there are black circles under my eyes making me resemble a raccoon.(No I'm NOT posting a picture so shut the hell up. Don't even ask cuz I'll pummel you.)
My nose appears normal (aside from very slight swelling) It's not crooked and it's very slightly purple on the bridge. I have an appointment with a ENT Dr. tomorrow to assess the internal damage (if any).
Throw some happy vibes my way if ya can.

Happy Buzzin' New Year

Music Music Music!

I have a huge variety in my collection and I'm always eager to hear something new. Right now I'm listening to Jonny Blu "In Just That Kind Of a Mood..." If you like crooners like Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby or Dean Martin, you'll love this CD.
Jonny Blu has another musical side as well and he's on the top of the Pop charts in China. I LOVE LOVE LOVE his Chinese CD as well. It's awesome, upbeat and great dance music. You can listen to all the songs on his site. http://www.jonnyblu.com
I dunno why I felt compelled to blog this but I guess I'm just excited about his music and wanted to share!

What is your music of choice?

Bedtime Woes!

Almost 9PM. My 4 year old is STILL UP. If you know me, you know I am a NO-B/S mom when it comes to bedtime yet she's still up. Why is she still up? She's up because she's WIRED and physically CANNOT settle down.
She's not particularly a good eater but today she ate VERY WELL. I think I like it better when she DOESN'T eat a good dinner because she's TIRED at BEDTIME and not WIRED. It's almost 9PM and she's up, playing busily with her toys. She's quiet, so it's not a bother but what WILL be a bother is when 6AM rolls around and she is up regardless of the time she goes to BED. I tried to put her in bed a couple times and she's very sweet about it and tells me, "Mommy I just can't stay still"
We had an early dinner, around 5PM. WHEN will this energy wear off? I'm exhausted just watching her play!! Her sister went to bed at 7 without a peep. She's the queen of the bedtime routine. She goes down with no fuss at all. I say, "bedtime girls!" and she's the 1st one up the stairs to the bathroom to wash her hands and face and brush her teeth. She runs to her room, climbs in her bed and is down. 99.8%of the time.
It looks like I'll have relatively no free time to myself this evening. I hate that because then I don't get much done and feel that my time wasn't used wisely.
I am going to attempt to put her to bed again now that it's 9PM and see what happens. Wish me luck!!!
~8:59 PM

Have a Cool Yule!

Did you know that a lot of the Christian Holidays have bits and pieces from the Pagan holidays mixed in? If you ever wondered what "YULE" is, check this passage out!

The ancient peoples of what are now Denmark, Scandinavia, Finland and Norway had good reason to celebrate. While most cultures celebrated the turn of the season in one way or another, to the icebound dwellers at the top of the world the return of the sun meant life itself. No more would their lives descend into frozen darkness. The worst was over—though the winter had hardly begun. With every day a little longer hope could survive and grow.

The personification of this frosty threat was the Yule Cat, who gave warm woolen presents to the industrious and ate the lazy—much as would the harsh elements.

The word itself, “Yule,” is sometimes attributed to a similar Scandinavian word that means “wheel”. However, this seems unlikely, as the word Yule predates the introduction of the wheel by more than a thousand years. Still, the association to the wheel of the year is apt.

To the Celts, arriving late to the northern latitudes, the Winter Solstice was called Alban Arthuan, after the Arthurian legend that placed the birth of King Arthur on the Solstice. The term means, literally, “Light of Arthur”.

To celebrate this longest night and the return of the sun, the Celts lit huge fires, as on Beltane and Samhain. Burning the Yule log comes from this custom. The ceremony starts by lighting the new log with the remains of last year’s fire—thus confirming the unbroken cycle of the seasons. If the log burnt for twelve hours it was said to be a good omen for the coming year.

To the Celts we also owe the custom of decorating the home with evergreen plants, especially the magycal mistletoe, which was another custom derived from the Norse tradition where it was the “plant of peace”.

Kissing under the mistletoe, though often attributed to the English, comes from the Norse legend of the much loved god Balder and his loving mother Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty. Frigga worried about the safety of her son and so extracted promises from all the elementals never to harm him. The one exception was the mistletoe. Loki, the evil trickster, fashioned an arrow from its wood and tricked Balder’s brother Hoder into using it to kill Balder. Frigga’s tears then became the white berries of the mistletoe.

The story has a happy ending when Balder is returned to life. As a reward, Frigga elevates the mistletoe to be the symbol of love and promises to give a kiss to anyone who passes beneath it.

And while the English may not have originated the custom of kissing under the mistletoe they may have perfected it.

Here is a passage from Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers:
"From the centre of the ceiling of this kitchen, old Wardle had just suspended with his own hands a huge branch of mistletoe, and this same branch of mistletoe instantaneously gave rise to a scene of general and most delightful struggling and confusion; in the midst of which, Mr. Pickwick, with a gallantry that would have done honor to a descendant of Lady Tollimglower herself, took the old lady by the hand, led her beneath the mystic branch, and saluted her in all courtesy and decorum."
Besides the loving virtues of the mistletoe (also called “allheal”) it is considered a strong herb for healing and protection—though its berries are poisonous and must be kept away from children and pets.

To this end, the Druids performed a mistletoe ceremony on the fifth day after the new moon following the Winter Solstice.

We have this from the Roman historian, Pliny:
“They prepare a ritual sacrifice and feast under the tree and lead up two white bulls whose horns are bound for the first time on the occasion.

A Druid attired in a white vestment ascends the tree and with a golden pruning hook cuts the mistletoe which is caught in a white cloth.”
Pieces of the mistletoe were then cut and given to the people to place in their homes as a safeguard against thunder, lightning and other evils.

In addition to the ceremonial uses of the mistletoe, the indoor greenery was thought to be a winter home for the fairies.

When the missionaries arrived on the backs of the Roman invaders they usurped the Pagan holidays and gave them Christian themes. The winter solstice became the birth of Christ—Christmas—though Christ was most likely born in a warm month since the Romans never called for a census in the winter.

Later Martin Luther adapted a Pagan custom when he wrote of a silent night when stars shone through the boughs of a fir tree giving him the idea for the Christmas tree. The practice was already in use thousands of years before in the Celtic custom of placing small torches in the branches of trees on the night of the solstice.

Today Christmas, primarily commercial, hangs on by a thread to its spiritual roots. In celebrating Yule we regain our connection with the seasons of the year and the Wheel of Life. The shortest day is also the longest night. Balance and harmony prevail in the realm of our Pagan Gods and Goddesses.

What's new?!

Well what's new is this:

Got this om Nov 30th. Isn't she a beauty? *sigh* Aye... a beauty she is!!
as I've stated before, we have a traveling WW2 museum and now we have a nice, vintage WW2 Dodge Amubulance to bring to events. It's been a dream of ours to have one of these for about 5 years. What a great piece this is to add to our WW2 collection!
Now all we need to do is find an appropriately sized building to house the collection so we can open our WW2 Museum. We're taking it one day at a time.

I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks due to overwhelming BUSYNESS! It's been NON-STOP around here for the past month or so and it's only going to continue like this. I need to schedule in time for my BLOG! I MISS hanging out here and checking out everyone's blogs!

BLACK FRIDAY!!!!

Ok, today's Black Friday. To some it is considered 'THE' shopping day of the year. To other's it's a day to stay home and OFF the roads.The crowds are un-friggin'-real and the traffic is even worse. I drove 11 miles to visit my cousin who is visiting from San Diego for a few days. The 11 miles to her hotel took me over an HOUR. The roads are congested with giddy-shoppers on their cell phones, eating fast food, who are pumped with sale-provoked adrenaline.
Stay home if you're sane. If you're insane.... I hope you atleast get a good deal or 2!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving weekend.
I am having a very small Thanksgiving here. I have never hosted Thanksgiving before so it's all new to me. Of course I'm FREAKING OUT right now. I just had a mini-spaz attack freaking out because I have NO clue WTF I am doing and why I even decided to do this (granted.... it's REALLY small...just us and the inlaws~!

My brand new, just purchased, delivered and installed, DISHWASHER is DEAD. The tech ran it once and it cycled and was perfect. I loaded it, with CLEAN dishes (hand wiped) and added dishwasher liquid, turned it on and it ran 1/2 cycle and DIED. COMPLETELY DEAD. *sigh* so now I have to friggin' HAND WASH all the Thanksgiving dishes and platters, cups, glasses and silverware. I am less than happy.

It's NOT my day.

Hecate Night

Something interesting about an obscure Pagan holiday that not so many know about. I don't celebrate Hecate Night but have some friends who do, so I decided to take a prompt by a friend and post a bit about it. I did a little research since I know so very little about the holiday and posted a couple blurbs.
If you celebrate Hecate, I wish you a joyful celebration!

November 16th is Hecate Night

In Greece, the festival begins at sunset. Hecate Suppers and animal sacrifices are performed on this night and those who follow her are often initiated into her Mysteries. It is said that on this night Hecate wanders the earth with the hounds of the Styx and the hosts of the dead, blessing those followers who leave her supper. Appropriate food for these feasts include red mullet, (a scavenging fish that was taboo in other cults), sprat, bread stuffs, raw eggs, cheese, garlic, mushrooms, cake and honey. Ideally the offerings are placed at a crossroads and should be left without looking back.

The night of November 16/17 is called 'Hecate's Night'. It is the night that Hecate, Queen of Fates would roam the earth with her familiars. This is the night of initiation for witches who follow Hecate. If you leave an offering outside your home...Hecate is said to bless those who reside within.

My Space

Ok so I've entered the world of MySpace.com

http://www.myspace.com/goingforgreatness

I just started it so it's WAY boring still but hey.... it has potential to be fun!
Anyone else on MySpace? Add me to your friend's list!

This, though, will always be my BLOG!