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Marley is doing great. When Chad brought her home on Wednesday, she didn't really know what to think, but she's doing better now. We have to keep her calmed down and near us every minute so she doesn't put strain on her foot. She really wants to run and play, but she's being really good. The bandages come off this Wednesday, and the stiches come out next Wednesday, but she still has to take it easy for 6 more weeks after that.
I went to my monthly crop with my scrap group yesterday. I only managed to finish one page, as we had alot of other stuff going on, too. I did a page about Marley's surgery. She only has to wear the cone when we can't watch her constantly.
One of the girls who came as a guest yesterday was getting ready to have a scrap supply 'garage sale', so about 9 of us went to her house to go shopping. OH MY GOSH...this girl was selling the best stuff! Stuff on my wishlist! I got the Autumn Leaves/ Katie Pertiet journaling stamp set for $5! A quickutz accent die set for $10, a few sheets of 7gypsies rub-ons, some AC Thickers, a big package of glue dots, a tin of the elusive Maya Road huge bottle caps....almost $70 worth of stuff for $20! And all of it was brand new and unopened. Awesome.
Have a very Happy New Year!!! I'll be scrapping some more over the next couple days, so more layouts will be coming!
I hope everyone out there had an awesome Christmas. I know I did! Christmas Eve, my friend and I scrapped until midnight while the guys watched football (and whatever else!). I had gotten our dogs fluffy bell collars to wear for the party we had on Friday, so I made her dog a flower collar to wear. I took a photo of Greta (their dog) in it, and it turned out so good, I just had to scrap it:
Christmas was fun. I got my big present a few weeks ago, a 50mm f1.4 lens for my camera. Chad suprised me with it before we went on our trip. On Christmas morning I opened up some kitchen utensils (OXO wooden ones...Chad thought he was giving a corny gift, but I LOVED it! I NEED new utensils!), a digital meat thermometer (I actually wanted that, too!), a cool Neoprene lunch bag that we had seen on TV, a dark pink Colombia sweater, and Chad suprised me with a pair of Pearl Studs. I've been wanting some for over a year, because I lost one from my other pair I had. So sweet!
I got scrap stuff from Chad's parents (Including the pink bag with the pink Cutterpede trimmer), and GC to Jo-Ann from one set of friends. Another friend gave us a GC to the movie theatre, another gave us a GC to the Cheesecake factory, and Chad's secretary and her husband gave us a GC to a nice local restaurant on Marco Island. Both Chad's parents and my parents are giving us money to go toward our new patio furniture, and my Dad made us a whole gallon size baggie FULL of his famous home made beef jerky. Seriously, it's the best jerky on the planet. We got it a week and a half ago and it's almost gone. I've been eating it for meals.
Yesterday, we went out and picked out our patio furniture, made a quick run to the Scrapbook store so I could replace all those brads I used up fr gift wraping, and then I scrapped some more when I got home:
Yes, that is THREE photos you see on that page. Amazing, isn't it? And they're ALL 4x6! I usually scrap one 5x7. I easing my way into multiple photos, so I will be all set when I tackle the page about Chad's mahogany chair.
Marley (our lab) is getting her knee surgery today, so please send out good thoughts! She's going to be babied and spoiled for the next 8 weeks!
I just wanted to share a few of the gifts that I've wrapped so far. I love gift wrapping. I treat each package like it's own individual craft project. I got three different papers from Pier 1 this year, and the white one in front is American Crafts paper! The glittery snowflakes are also from Pier 1. The flower centers in the gold one and the small one are seed beads. I think my favorite is the pink one, because, well....it's pink! And I put a double layer of Heidi Swapp flowers on that one.
I hope everyone's holiday preparations are going well!
So, last week I submitted to the Design Team search for the new kit Zing Boom. I didn't get chosen, but when I saw the names of the ladies who got it, I didn't feel bad at all! They're so talented. Then, I scrolled down. There, under the Honorable Mention section, near the bottom was my name. Penelope Lach. How freaking cool is that?
I haven't been on any DT's or been published, so this is like WAY COOL for me! This is the first thing I've gotten as far as scrapping related stuff. I'm so excited! This kit looks like it's going to be really cool. She only has a sneak peek posted right now, but I still want one! Definitely check it out. I bet it's going to be one of those ones that sells out like mad.
Well, Marley didn't end up having surgery yesterday. When they put her under at the surgeon's vet to do more detailed x-rays, she got a rather bad case of diarrhea. Yuck. They said it's probebly because she's nervous from being left at the vet so much the past few days, especially since we've been away. So of course it made me feel horrible that I made my poor baby sick.
Soooo, they want to make sure that gets cleared up and give her a couple weeks to chill. She goes back in on the 26th of this month to get the surgery.
The surgery is the other new development. She DOES have hip displaysia in her left hip, but it is in the VERY early stages. The nurse said dogs with hips several times worse than her are often not limping yet. What is causing her limping is her knee- she has a torn ligament. I don't know how it happened, but it's there. So, Marley is having knee surgery instead. The part that's going to be a little difficult is instead of a 2-day recovery time as with the hip surgery, this one will be 8 WEEKS! No running hard before the surgery so it doesn't tear completely, and then after, no getting up on furniture or the bed. Only walk outside to go to the bathroom. Very limited time on her feet. We'll see how it goes. We're talking about a dog who loves to run and play, get up on our bed and curl up with us, and has a little doggie brother that she likes to wrestle with. I'm sure all will be fine, though.
I found these treats on the Trixie and Peanut website when I was ordering their Christmas presents. I am totally getting them for her for after the surgery. They are just too cute!
Thank you so much to everyone who left well wishes for her surgery! I know she'll be fine. I'm glad we can do something to make her all better!
Our baby Marley has to go in for Hip Surgery tomorrow. Several months ago we noticed she was getting stiff after running outside alot, so we started her on Joint Care vitamins. It worked for a while, but over the past month, it's gotten worse. By the time we left for vacation, she was hardly walking on her back left leg.
She went in yesterday, and as we assumed, she has full-blown Hip Displaysia in her left hip. The surgery is something to the effect of grinding out the cartilidge surrounding the joint so muscle can grow around it. The Doctor said she'll be walking and playing withing two day after the surgery, so that's good.
She's 4 1/2, so I know the sugery will go well for her. I thought that was young at first, but the vet said it is pretty common for it to show around her age. Just keep my sweet pea in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery!
Imagine this house, but with fallen leaves. I love that house. It's home to me. It's weird now that Grandpa's gone, but I still love being there and seeing Grandma!
We left the Sunday after Thanksgiving and took a day and a half to drive to North Little Rock, Arkansas. We stayed there a couple days, then took Grandma with us to my parents house for my Bev's (my sister) 18th birthday party. Grandma is staying with them for a few weeks. We got home last night. It was so hard coming back to work today!
Oh, and a really cool thing...Grandma has a Hobby Lobby AND a Scrapbook store a block from her house! Of course I came back with a couple goodies, but I was pretty good and didn't spend too much (A lort of it was adhesive!). We need a Hobby Lobby here.
I'll update with some photos soon. I just need to get back into the swing of things. A very long blog post is coming up!
My awesome sister is 18 today! Wow, I can't even believe it. I feel old, and I'm not even OLD! Here's the card I made her:
Bev, I just wanted you to be able to see it in case it didn't get there in time. Have a great day, and I'll see you in a week and a half!
So, this is how it started: Last year when Hurricane Wilma hit, one of the trees that came down in our park was a Mahogany tree. Instead of putting it through the chopper like the other debris, Chad drug it over by our house, where it had been 'curing' for the past year. All the bark fell off on its own. He finally decided that he wanted to make an Adirondack chair, so he got a pattern, and went to work on the log.
Here's how it started. He cut it into rough planks with a chainsaw. We didn't have the means (or a place to take it!) to get the log to a mill and cut into planks...not to mention the outrageous expense we would have had to absorb!
He then cut the pieces roughly to size and planed them down into boards.
He cut out all the pieces, sanded them smooth, and applied Tung Oil to everything. This stuff is awesome, because it brings out the grain in the wood.
And here's the finished product! Isn't it gorgeous? It's so comfortable, too. Chad is going to make another one out of Cedar. I'm loving this awesome stuff he's making!
Now I need to get to work on a scrapbook page about this...you will be seeing a very rare multi-photo layout (POSSIBLY even 2-page!) from me in the very near future.
I just wanted to share the invites I made for my sister for her 18th birthday party. She's having a fall theme, and I wanted to keep them somewhat simple so they wouldn't cost my parents a fortune to mail! I didn't know if I was too thrilled with the design I came up with, but I think they turned out really cute. I hope she likes them!
Hopefully I'll have some more layouts to post by the end of the day. I still need to take a picture of Chad's chair, and over past two days, he built a small smoke house out of cedar! He's making a smoked pork tenderloin and beef jerky in it today.
Have a great Sunday everyone!
I just noticed, this is my 100th Blog Post! Happy 100th post to me!
Anyways....back to business! I did this layout over the weekend. I have been wanting to use this paper and a newspaper flower since I got them in the Jenni Bowlin September kit. This is another photo I came across whem my Mom and I were going through pictures when she was down. This is my kitties that I grew up with, Smokey. He was almost 20 when he passed away last year....hence his nick name 'old man'. I just love this photo!
Man, I sure do love Scenic Route paper. I could scrap with nothing but that and American Crafts paper and not miss anything.
This weekend, I'll be making the invitations for my sister's 18th birthday party, so I'll post those when I'm done. Have a great weekend, everyone!
Okay....finally, half a week later, I'm getting around to posting a couple photos! We actually went out to a party at a local sports pub on Saturday night, because all of us have to work during the week, so going out Tuesday night was out of the question. Anyways, here's a close up of my hair, tiara, and the awesome eyelashes I had. I was a vampire, but I really just wanted an excuse to wear a tiara! Yes, that is my hair....I just puffed it up with hairspray and sprayed white iridescent hair color on it. (Sorry about the cleavage shot...I'm trying to pin my cape in place here!)
Oh, and FYI...when Maybelline says SUPER COLOR STAY on the lipstick, they're not kidding. I finally had to use fingernail polish remover to get it off! Ouch!
Now, here's our group. Friends of ours that dressed as Shrek and the Ogre Princess Fiona, me as the Vampiress, French Maid and Fat Elvis, and Chad dressed as Larry the Cable Guy (he had the exact hat with the fish hook clip and everything). Shrek (Kirby) actually won the costume contest...we knew he would! Everyone got a huge kick out of it. We couldn't even look at him without cracking up!
I do wish I had a better view of my whole costume. My dress had black crinoline underneath, and I had red and black striped tights with these huge shoes on. I also had opera length black gloves on with a huge red stone ring. My cape is floor length. Other people were taking pictures, too, so I'll have to get some other ones. I didn't get a great photo of my teeth, either....they looked real!
I also have a new layout to post, as well as the awesome chair Chad just got finished making out of Mahogany. I just need to photograph them, so that'll be coming up.
Have a great Thursday, everyone!
...I married the most wonderful man in the world! Happy Anniversary, Chad! I love you!
And 53 years ago today, my Dad was born! Happy Birthday, Daddy!
So, now a couple of updates. On Sunday, I went to my second crop with the scrap group I was invited to join. My Mother-in-law, Marty, is a part of the group now too, so it's fun scrapping with her. I had alot of cards to make (which I didn't take photos of), but I did manage to get one layout done. I came across this picture of me (at age 8)when we were going through photos while my Mom was down. I thought it was too hilarious NOT to scrap.
I call it my Afro Mullet. Gorgeous, isn't it? My sister is SOOO lucky she missed most of the 80's. And I have to say, I am LOVIN' those Heidi Swapp bling borders. Even though you can't really tell, I used the Martha (light green) ones here that I got in my last Poppy Ink kit.
One last thing. About 6 months ago, I retired my beloved (but tired and not big enough) Coach bag and got the Daisy Tote from Etsy. Although it's cute, it just wasn't working for me as a purse. I wanted another nice purse, but really didn't want to spend a big chunk of change again. I browse the big purse sites now and then, just to see what they have. and I came across this one on the Dooney & Bourke website. I comes in about 6 different colors, but I LOVED the pink on green.
Well, on Saturday, Chad and I were out and about and I asked him to stop by Dillard's just so I could look and see what purses they had. I walked over to the Dooney display, and there it was....the EXACT bag in the EXACT color combo I wanted. The best part.....it was 50% OFF (and it's still a current season bag, too)!!! I swear it was fate. I had some extra money, and Chad said he didn't mind if I got it. It's slightly lighter than it shows in the picture, and the green and pink part is a kinda silky canvas cloth. It's the happiest purse I've ever seen. So cute.
Well, that's all I have for now. Have a great day, everyone!
Today's blog challenge on 2Peas:
If you could ask for only 3 things this Christmas, what would they be?
Well, this one is actually pretty easy for me, because I don't tend to ask for alot at Christmas. I buy myself all the smaller things I want during the year, but Chad and I use Christmas to get each other the slightly pricier things that we wouldn't neccessarily buy on a whim.
I've decided I want a new Nintendo DS Lite in Coral Pink. Chad got me the Gameboy Advance SP a few years back, and we both play it all the time, but since the new one came out all the new games are released for this one, plus this one has a brighter screen and backlight. I would eventually like the new Nintendo Wii, but I know I'd play the handheld more. Chad and I decided that we didn't want to spend $600 on the new Playstation 3, so it wouldn't be fair to turn around and get the other system right away, even though it is alot less.
The next item is a game for the DS. Let me tell you, the Wario Ware games are seriously the most fun games ever made. I have the two that were made for Gameboy Advance, and I can play them for hours (great for long trips!). So, the game I most want is Wario Ware: Touched! (the site is pretty fun, check it out!).
The last thing I thought of would be a Quickutz Aplha. As this would be $200 alone, I would rather have the DS. But, the challenge asked for three things, so here's my third! The new QK Diesel aplha (just the alpha, no shadow!). I mainly got the QK to use the shapes so I wouldn't have to get so many punches (and it came with a cute aplha), but I wouldn't mind having one full size, versatile set as well.
Okay, so there's my Christmas list. Funny, because Chad and I just talked about this over the weekend. He's decided that he wants a Smoker and has already picked one out, so I guess we're pretty well ahead of the game! Now to plan Christmas cards....
I am SO behind on my blogging! I slacked for a few days, then my Mom has been in town for the past week while Chad is on his annual Canada Fishing Trip with his college buddies (he comes home tomorrow, yay!!!).
SO....I thought I would share all the fun stuff I've been getting in the mail. First of all, the WAY CUTE skeleton and goodies I got from winning BonnieRose's RAK Contest on her blog. A couple days before that, I received a cute Fall Card from her, too! Cards from her always put a smile on my face!
I ordered a couple more items for my Belly Dancing costume. Everyone raved about my skirt in class last week. I wanted to get some nice jewelry to go with it...I can't believe the awesome prices you can find on Ebay! This stuff is new, too! A headpiece and ring/bracelet cuffs. I got them from two different stores, and they match perfectly. We are also starting to learn Zils (finger cymbals) in a couple weeks, so I am REALLY excited about that! I'm getting my set in class tomorrow.
I also got my second package from my Swap Sister for the Sassy Secret Sisters swap on 2Peas. I found out she is the fab Ms. Kiki! Awesome stuff. HS fuzzy rub-ons, chenille rick rack, Basic Grey monograms, chipboard flowers, a TOTALLY cute Altered 'P'. I was especially excited about the Petaloo Flowers. I've had my eye on those! I'll have to come up with something pretty cool to use them on.
A nice pile of paper posies for the Flower Swap I'm doing with my local scrap group. I'm really looking forward to getting all those packages of different flowers! I decided to go unconventional with black. I thought they were pretty cool.
Last but not least...lots of lovely Alphas. All my favorites. I just LOVE HS chipboard alphas, and they are such a great value! Also some MM velvet alpha sticker in colors I didn't have, and some small HS mailbox letters! You can never have too many alphas, and I use the HECK out of them!
Before Chad went out of town, we also got the FABULOUS 85mm f1.8 lens for the camera. I am totally loving this lens! I also scored a Black Quickutz Squeeze (that comes with the Metro alpha) for $45 on scrap-mart.com when they were having their big 50% Off Quickutz sale last week!
I still have 3 layouts that I have to photograph and post...another thing I've slacked on. I'll probably do that on Friday. Have a great day!
Okay, I'll put this simply.....if you don't get the Poppy Ink kit, you're CRAZY!!! I *almost* feel silly for being this excited about paper and embellishments (notice I said almost...), but man, Heather just comes up with the coolest combinations of supplies! All my favorite pages have been made using Poppy Ink kits. I just got my September kit last night (I was too lazy to take pictures of mine):
And check out these awesome add-ons we had to choose from. I got the top one, although I kinda wish I had gotten them both! I just had to get that monthly stamp.
October pre-orders will be starting around the 20th of this month. It's going to be a FLEA MARKET theme (peekies can be seen on Heather's Blog)! She has said that soon they will have to put a cap on subscriptions and start a waiting list soon, so if you're interested, make sure you get a pre-order sub in...all current subscribers are locked in for the future!
On a COMPLETELY different note, another of my happy obsessions that I haven't mentioned here yet: BELLY DANCING! A month ago, my friend and I started taking Belly Dancing classes at a local studio as a fun form of exercise. Man, it is ever a BLAST! Well, of course that means our Halloween costumes are decided! We'll eventually need all the costuming anyways, so why not start now?
The whole reason I brought this up is because I found (and bought) this GORGEOUS skirt today. One glance and I was in LOVE! I just got the skirt...no bra. I'm not really into showing my belly at this point! I'll wear a nice tunic with bell sleeves and my hip scarf with all the coins.
We started learning walking shimmies yesterday, and I'm determined to get some form of it down by Halloween. I can do a few other things pretty well, but I'm still not all that great at the basic chest and stomach circles. I'm better at the hip and arm stuff.
Well, have a great weekend everyone! I have that all day crop I'm going to on Sunday, so I'll have some new stuff to post next week!
