Sale....

Today I am off to the DMV.... again... for the third time in 2 weeks. (sigh) I have never in my life seen a DMV closed so often. Its the only one for our large-ish town... and it seems to be only open 2 days a week, and then only until 4 pm. 4 pm?!?! What.. people don't have real jobs or work to do in my town? I am so annoyed. Annoyed b/c, first of all, my liscense needs renewing. So I do what any respectable internet-lover does... I renew online. Except, that they mail you a paper you have to take in anyways... totally defeating the purpose! So we went on a Monday. Closed. We went on a Wednesday afternoon. Closed just 30 minutes before. Oh my word! Now, Nate has to come home early to watch Seth, so I can leave the house at 3 pm to catch them while they are still open. Its really a pain.

Tomorrow is a small family Birthday party for Seth and his cousin Lauren. Their Birthdays are a week apart (she's 9 though) and we thought it would be nice to have the immediate family get together for some cake and such. I am excited... Lauren is a top reader in her class, so I picked up 3 Ramona books for her. Remember Ramona? LOL~ I loved reading her when I was Lauren's age.


Golden Glory kit by Andrea Burns at The Digi Chick, vellum hearts by Michelle Coleman. Font: Arial.

This is a scraplift from a magazine... I *think* it is Memory Maker's Sept 06 issue, but I'm not sure, b/c I tore the page out with the LO on it, and it doesn't have distinguishing marks... if anyone can help? TFL!!

And introducing a new favorite of mine.... Birthday Boy~



Birthday Boy was designed to celebrate my son's second Birthday. But don't be fooled by the title or 3 specific elements... this will make a GREAT kit for any little boy Layout! Bright primary colors and masculine touches can help you celebrate any boy in your life!

Included in Birthday Boy are 9 textured papers, 3 stitches, 3 folded ribbons, 3 notecards, 2 ric-rac bookplates, 2 Boy wordart, 1 handprint brush, 1 stamp brush, and 1 balloon rub on. Also included is a full painted canvas alpha, numeral, and symbol set.

Get it HERE

And you can get everything on sale 30% off till Sunday!

TGIF!

Burn's Bedroom Before and After....

Here you go! Finially finished enough to show you pictures!

The Before~ A Full Size (we inherited this bed and mattress set when we got married from my great-grandparents as they moved into a nursing home. We loved it, it served us well, {and saw the creation of 2 Burns' kids} but we needed new mattresses and more space. No worries, the heirloom is in our attic waiting to be used by a future daughter.... ;) (no... i don't know yet....)



The After~ A Queen Size (new paint job, new side tables for us both, and Nate's favorite... Lamps for us both, LOL! Bed & tables from Bombay & Co.)


And yes... before you are squinting your eyes... they are the same quilted bedding.. just in different colors! LOL! The first in blues and purples from Bed Bath & Beyond, and the second (newer) is done in burgundies (MY FAVE) from Linens & Things. I loved it enough to get it again, LOL! The middle pillow I took to this mall kiosk, and had embroidered with our monogram.

I still have to hang burgundy curtains like the blue ones in the top pictures.

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I forgot to mention yesterday that for Seth's Birthday (well, for Nate's too...) we like to make a wonderfully yummy Monkey Cake. Some of you might also call it a Monkey Bread. But since It is made in a cake pan, I win. ( ;) Nate)

Monkey Cake

4 cans of refrigerator bisquits (Regular size, NOT jumbo or Grands)

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup margerine

Open 2 cans of bisquits and seperate them. Cut each bisquit into 4 pieces. Shake pieces in a plastic bag containing 3/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Place in greased tube pan.

Repeat with 2 remaining cans of bisquits. Layer evenly.

Melt 1 stick (or 1/2 cup) margerine and stir the 1 cup sugar (and remaining cinnamon mixture) into the margerine. Pour over biscuits in pan.

Oven 350*. Bake 45 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes. Turn it upside down, and store in a cake taker.

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Speaking of recipes, I have started a a weekly recipe thread at Digi Shopt Talk. This first week is Appetizers & Beverages, so come on over and share some of your favorites!

Happy Thursday, and Happy Best night On TV!

Birthday Photo Overload....

Happy 2nd Birthday to my darling boy! We had such a great day!! He LOVED his gifts, and he ADORED Chuck E Cheese. As soon as we walked in, some teen boy handed us over 400 tickets! LOL! He didn't want them, so it helped Seth win a nice ball at the end of the night.





I made that cake myself! Easy peasy with the cake pan and store bought icing, LOL!













Seth's Lip looks great! Suture removal earlier that day was a Piece of Cake!










Its the TMX Elmo! He loves that thing! Everything was really a big hit... he's even having fun with his Thomas set!

The bulldozer is from my parents (Nana & Abuelo) and it is from Wal-Mart. The nice thing is, is that it isn't motorized... it is a hand operated toy. It is a bit heavy for him, but we watch him when he plays with it.

I think these photos (above and below) are so stinkin' cute!

Thanks for looking!

Happy Birthday Sethro....

My Dearest Seth,

Today you are 2 years old.... 730 days old.....43,800 minutes old. These past two years have been such a joy. How could I have known that you would be my greatest gift? My greatest desire? My utmost instinct? I love you so much, and that truly boggles my mind too. I could never have imagined how deep, how pure, how terrifying this love could be.

Two years ago , September 25, 2004, I was admitted to the hospital. My labor had started and my water broken, you were on your way! Only nine hours of labor, and at 8:14 pm, all 7 lbs 7 oz. of you came squalling and mewling into this bright world. I couldn't help but exclaim, "Look at him! Just look at him!" the very first time I saw you. You were immediately so precious.


The first year of your life was such an adventure. Learning together is what we did. You learning to be a child.. and Mommy learning to be just that... a mommy. Watching you hit milestones and conquer difficulties was a wonder in itself. You were an over-achiever when it came to teeth... 6 teeth by the time you were 6 months old, 14 teeth by 12 months old. Moving around was also no problem to you... you took off crawling, like it was second nature and you'd been doing it all along, around 8 months. Yet at 7 and 8 months, was when you were sick, and dropped weight so fast, that you had everyone scared. It took you the few months to catch back up to other boy babies your size.

Your first birthday was bittersweet for your mommy. I honestly didn't want it to come... I dreaded you not being my "baby" anymore and entering toddlerhood. The day did indeed come, and it was just fine. You hadn't magically changed over night, and you were most definitely mommy's baby boy. We celebrated with a Luau, and with a big party with all of your family and friends.


If your first year was adventurous, I would describe your second year as humorous. This year your vocabulary exploded, and your independent nature really took off. "No," "ball," "car," "cycle," "Elmo," and "See" (sadie) are just some of the words that you have repeated over, and over, and over...... and over again. One of Mommy's favorite words of yours was cereal, which you pronounced "cerie-erie-al." It made her giggle everytime. However, there were also times when you would frustrate Mommy and Daddy. When you wanted to hit or headbutt, or throw food. When you disobeyed.... Yet there were times you would get mad at us, and it was actually funny! You would be angry, and Mommy or daddy would have to turn their head to keep you from seeing us giggle.

This second birthday is going to be more laid back. We are celebrating it with an Elmo theme, and I can't wait to see your face. I can't wait to watch you open your presents and have such a great time.

This coming third year is going to be great Seth. It already has so much in store... you are going to become a big brother! I am so excited to watch you in this new role. This is also the year that you will probably become independent of your diapers.. you are already doing so well going on the potty before bath time.

Seth, know that I love you. I love you so much my heart hurts. I love you so much that when I watch a TV show of missing or hurt children, I have to get up and check on you in your bed. Seth, I am forever "your goodnight kiss", and you are forever" my I love you."

I love you darling boy~

Mama

Tagged....

I saw this list over at Amber's Blog.. and kinda tagged myself, LOL!

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
On a beach in the Outer Banks.

2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
I like all of the red-colored items in my wardrobe. My Gap curvy jeans.

3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
I LOVE Nate's smile... and his broad shoulders.... and his big blue eyes.....

4. What's the last cd you bought?
Queen's Greatest Hits, and my last download: Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake.

5. Where's your favorite place to be?
I do love to be snuggled up on the couch with my family.

6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
DR's Office waiting rooms.

7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
My back.

8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Mind right now. Kinda growing a baby right now, so the body is a bit soft, LOL!

9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
Around 8:30 a.m...when I hear Seth stirring or calling.

10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My Stove!

11. What makes you really angry?
Internet Fraud. :o(

12. If you could play any instrument at all, what would it be?
Piano! I can play flute well, but have always wished I could play Piano.

13. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV?
SUV.

14. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yes. Absolutely!

15. Favorite children's book?
Where The Red Fern Grows byWilson Rawls, and the Shel Silverstein books!

16. What is your favorite season?
Definitely Summer. Followed closely by the Christmas season.

17. What is your least favorite household chore?
Dishes. Hate it.

18. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
To Fly. How cool would that be?

19. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
A have a small one on the lower right part of my back... 5 red stars with some blue swirls. Very significant.

20. Can you juggle?
NO

21. The one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to?
One of my best friends, Dave, who has since passed. He never met Seth or my hubby

22. What's your favorite day?
Saturday.

23. What's in the trunk of your car?
A stroller, sand toys for the park.

24. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
Sushi!

Then I was tagged By Christine~

List seven songs you are into right now. No matter what the genre, whether or not they have words, or even if they’re not any good, but they must be songs you’re really enjoying now. Post these instructions in your LiveJournal/blog along with your seven songs. Then tag seven other people to see what they’re listening to. (OK! I only tagged 4.....)

So here are my Top 7 songs right now......

1: Fat Bottomed Girls by Queen
2: I Want To Ride My Bicycle by Queen
3: Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake
4: Over the Rainbow by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
5: I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by The Proclaimers
6: CandyMan by Christina Aguilera
7: Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson

I Tag Gina, Jenn, Sara, and Julie. They can pick which ever tag above they want to do... or both, LOL!

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Looks like a grey day here, and I hope it holds. Its our church's annual Community Day, and there is going to be lots of fun stuff going on. Blow Up Bounce rooms for kids, food, demonstrations from the fire Dept., the police Canine unit, face painting... that kinda thing. I'm looking forward to it!

Last night we watched Take The Lead with Antonio Banderas... it was Good! I really liked it, of course, Nate didn't... LOL! I recommend it!

I spent most of yesterday washing my maternity clothes and packing up my summer stuff and closet, so that I can move the maternity stuff in. I still don't fit into them very well, but I'm not about to move closets twice within a month or so.

Happy Weekend!

TGIF....

Its been a very cool last couple of days here in NW Penn.... I think Autumn is here to stay. I am feeling a bit better about everything. Seth is already starting to heal up, and he has been asking for Sadie... so thankfully there is no fear there.

Thanks for all the support and advice for Seth and his bite. The nurses and Dr's were all amazed that it is a small bite... considering Sadie is a German Shepherd. It could have been much worse. Seth really is doing much better. What stinks, is that his appointment to get the sutures removed is at 1:30 on his Birthday! What a cruddy present!

We've already got plans to pour some concrete in Sadie's pen tomorrow. That way she can spend more time outside... and not get muddy when it rains, or it slightly damp for that matter. We've been letting her back in when Seth's napping or gone to bed, that way she gets her social time with us.

Last night our internet was acting all wonky... we could click on the icon, and it would open, but then before any page to fully load, it would shut itself down. Very frustrating. Seems to be working OK this morning. Hopefully last night was a fluke.

Last night's TV was AWESOME! I was DYING over The Office. Too stinkin' funny for words - and I'm *so* glad that Pam didn't get married. Now to get Jim back into the office!

Grey's Anatomy was awesome last night..... LOL at Crev (spell?)~ So funny how he was against Gynie the whole time, but he jumped super quick on that poor baby.

On a cruddy note... I noticed in Photoshop yesterday that for some reason I have lost all of my saved brushes and styles, minus the standard ones. POOP. Know I have to go back and re-create everything.

On a good note~ I have a new kit up at The Digi Chick! Miss Flirty Pants~

Miss Flirty Pants is a fun and flirty way to show off the fun and flirty girl in your life. Wether you show off her fancy style or her schoolish charm~ Miss Flirty Pants is the kit for you!

Included in Miss Flirty Pants are 8 textured papers, 3 tags, 3 stapled bows, 2 fuzzy flowers, 2 journaling strips, 2 fabric patches, 2 straight pins, 2 sets of stitching, and 1 floral rub on. Also included is a full chipboard alpha, numeral, and symbol set.

Miss Flirty Pants is availble HERE (Click Me).

When It Rains, It Thunderstorms....

We are just having a terrible time here. I am very tired, but there are police reports to file and such.

Not to mention that we spent 3 hours in the ER last night.

We were in the middle of cooking dinner, and Seth started playing to close to Sadie while she was eating. I have no idea, but it is very likely that Seth agitated her somehow. Sadie nipped at Seth.

All I heard was Sadie's growl, and then Seth crying. Nate and I dash over to them, and Seth is already clutching his lip, and bleeding everywhere.

I flipped out. I was screaming "Nooo!" and "I can't handle this right now..." I seriously think I was on the verge of a panic attack. While Nate punished Sadie and threw her in the basment, I cleaned him up real quick and screamed we had to go to the Hospital.

He had what looked a like a deep gouge under his nose, and a scrape on his lip.

All I can think about is disfiguring scars, and cancelling his photo shoot (crazy, huh?)

We get to the Hospital, wait in the waiting room for an hour, and then are led back to a patient room, where we wait another 45 minutes. (Why is it always faster on the TV shows like ER or Grey's Anatomy?)

There was another boy there, maybe a year older than Seth, and he was attacked by a cat, his face was all messed up too. He got seen first.

Then they came and looked at Seth, they flushed his wounds out with saline. Turns out, the gouge under his nose was just a scratch, and the scrape on his lip was the concern.

They started talking about how with dog bites, there is a 40% chance (as opposed to a cat's 80%) of infection, so they don't usually suture dog-inflicted wounds closed. BUT since the bite penetrated the lip, it was wide open, there was some concern for some scarring. It was completely up to Nate and I, wether or not we wanted the sutures.

We decided to go ahead, if there is any sign of infection, to immediately get back for them to remove the sutures.

Oh man, watching my baby get stitches was horrible. They bundled Seth real tight like a burrito, Nate held his legs, and a nurse held his head. They shot some novicaine into his lip (and made him cry), and then the Dr stitched up the 2 stitches, and closed the wound. It took her a while to get the first one, b/c she really wanted to match up the lip well (the gouge went beyond the border, into the white part of his mouth, and she was matching pink to pink, so that the lip wouldn't heal funny).

They gave us a prescrip for an antibiotic, and we were discharged.

When it rains, it thunderstorms.

And can you believe, that in the 3 pharmacies we ran too, the ONLY one that takes our insurance, doesn't stock the antibiotic prescribed?!?!?!?

I have had a terrible past 40 hours.

As for Sadie..... regardless of what we do with her, we are to keep her for the next 10 days. It is protocol to watch for sign of rabies, but I am 100% sure that she does NOT have rabies.

Right now, I am leaning towards keeping her. She is now banished to the basment and outside, and her food and water dishes hae been moved to the basement. We just don't live in the best neighborhood, and with Nate gone 3 or 4 days at a time, I don't feel safe without her.

But she is not allowed up in the house anymore.

Now I have to watch Seth close and make sure he doesn't pick at stitches, put warm compresses on his lip, and neosporin.

I am very tired, and very sad.

Sorry for the book, kudos to you for making it this far.....

From "Blue" to SCAMMED....

It all starts with my sister. She was engaged to this guy. He "supposedly" had bad credit, and couldn't open a credit card to buy her an engagement ring. So she went with him, and opened one in her name, allowing him to purchase this ring.

Well, they had some trouble, and decided to break up. This guy was a real scumbag, because he left my sister with the payments of her own engagement ring. One she couldn't take back, because they had already had it for awhile.

Well, I have a few years of Ebay experience. Mostly buying experience, but I have sold a few things. My sister asked me to try and sell the ring for her. I posted it, and the end date was September 1, 2006.

I never had a bid on it, but I noticed I had 2 watchers. Once the item ended, one of the "watchers" came out of hiding, and told me he was still interested. STUPIDLY, I told him it was available. TRAGICALLY, I didn't relist with Ebay so he could buy it outright. If I had done that, my sister and I wouldn't be in this mess today.

Now, at the time, my husband and I were preoccupied with our upcoming vacation. I didn't think to research anything. This guy started talking about "escrow" and how safe it was, how it protected both buyer and seller against fraud. I took a look at the site he was referring to... http://www.trading-security.com/. It looked real enough. It looked professional, it even has a member sign in, and account information.

This guy said he wanted a 2-day inspection period. I thought that was reasonable.. you know, take it to a jeweler and make sure the stones were real.

So I set up an account, and started the transaction. A day later, the account told me that YES, he did indeed pay the money to the company.

Supposedly, this is how Escrow works. It is supposed to be a fraud deturrant to both sellers and buyers.The buyer pays the escrow site, they hold the money. Seller ships item. If buyer likes item, Escrow company releases money.

So while I am on vacation, my sister ships the ring off. (You'll notice in my emails, that he tricked us into not insuring, nor claiming the worth. STUPID US)

I start tracking this ring like a hawk. I notice it gets stalled in Spain. The FedEx site says Incorrect Address for 3 days.

3 days. We had our chance to try and reverse the shipment, for 3 days, and now its gone.

With relief, I realize that the ring was finally delivered on Sept 14, 2006.

I should have realized what was going on, when I never heard back from my buyer after the email with his address listed.

I sent out another email on the 16th, and as you can see, it bounced back and an illegal alias email. Now, I'm really scared.

So I write a support letter to the escrow company http://www.trading-security.com/ still thining that they are legit, and will help ASAP. Two days pass. I wrote another letter. A third day passes, a third letter.

No one is helping me, no one is viewing my "open support tickets."

With a sinking feeling, I finally do my research.

Fraudulant site. Scam Artists. Professionals.

Maybe working together, maybe one same guy, I don't know.

I am literally sick to my stomach. Now my poor sister is out $3000, with nothing to show for it. I spent a whole 24 hours on the computer, researching, writing umpteen letters, collecting umpteen phone numbers. The couple hours I did sleep, I could still feel the adrenaline pumping through me.

Except, Fed Ex won't help, since the undeclared state. They stated "they are only in the business of delivering packages." Ebay won't help, because technically the guy contacted me after the sale, thus it is not an Ebay auction sale. I can't seem to call these numbers on my cell phone, because they are international phone numbers.

My sister is going today to file a report with the police in the county she mailed the package. The real kicker... my sister is a county sherrif! I have found the phone numbers to the police, both local and national, in the city the ring was delivered.

I am praying for a miracle.

The moral of the story is, do your research. Take the time. Get your money first, or go through a reputable company like https://www.escrow.com/.

Hopefully I can come back and give you a positive update.

Any and ALL help or advice you can give is MOST appreciated, and I promise to follow up.

***************

I have started a second blog, Trading-Security.com Fraud . I have created this blog, to tell my story, and to hopefully inform others before they make the same mistake. My hope is thatwhile doing a search for the fraudulant company Trading-Security.com, this blog pops up in the search engine right near the offending company.

Blue....

I find myself blue this morning. Call it hormones, call it seasonal depression disorder (winter's coming.... NOOOOOO!), call it exaustion, whatever it is, I have it.

I'm thinking maybe its a mix of them all. This weekend was so full. First was the wedding shoot on Saturday. Wow, am I rusty! Rusty, or used to working with another photog or two next to me. It is hard work to capture everything, and I felt like the whole thing was moving so fast. I think I did OK. I've uploaded from my camera to the computer, but thats about it.

Sunday, of course was church. Which was awesome by the way! We had a visiting pastor come and bring friends.... his Biker Ministry! We're in Sunday School and we hear the roar of over 20 motercyles come up the drive. It was great. It was especially fantastic to see our guest pastor wearing chaps, LOL! It was refreshing to see the change in our church, and many of the older folks eyes were opened to who God loves (EVERYONE) and that it doesn't matter what they wear.

Sunday afternoon, I kicked butt and finished a new kit. It'll be availble this Thursday at The Digi Chick, and its called Miss Flirty Pants. Fun stuff.

Last night I bombed out early, I haven't felt that tired in such a long time. Both Seth and I slept in till 9:10 am! Felt good. But I'm still tired.

There's alot for me to do today. We are officially out of milk and water (I've had to drink the bottled stuff, since I got pregnant, tap water tastes like dirt) and provisions for dinner. Today is also the first sunny day in 2 weeks (NO lie!) and I want to get out and take advantage of that. But its 11, and time is starting to slip away.

Seth has his 2 Yr pictures tomorrow, and I'm praying he can stay "bump-free" today. He does have a small bruise on his cheek (from vacation!) and I'm praying its finally gone by tomorrow. Which reminds me... Puppy needs to go in the wash, b/c I want him clean for tomorrow's pics.

Which also reminds me... I need to work on getting Seth's Autumn/ Winter clothes washed and ready, b/c I can tell that summer is deffinately over here.

(sigh)

Back to being blue.

Busy....

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and encouragement! I really do appreciate them, it means alot.

I have a wedding shoot tomorrow... and honestly, I don't want to do it. I'm just not in the mood. I really don't think I am meant to be a professional photographer. I mean... I LOVE taking photos of my family, especially my son, but when it comes to other people, its kinda wierd. I get shy, and a bit nervous. I also don't like the "scheduledness" of it... I much rather prefer moments of inspiration.

So anyways, I have a wedding tomorrow. She's a friend of Nate's family, and the couple is slightly older. I have much to prepare for today... cleaning my lenses, charging my battery, formatting my cards. I also have to pack my bag, b/c we are just driving over to Ohio to spend the night tonight with Nate's parents. (This is also where the wedding is.)

Big NEWS here in the Burns house!!! Seth finally went p.e.e on the p.o.t.t.y last night! We've been putting him on right before his bath for a couple months now, but always nothing. Last night, he just let it go! You should have seen Nate and I! We were dancing and happily screaming! It excited Seth, he was laughing, and decided to let a little more out! WooHoo! I ran down and got him a piece of chocolate to reward him. I hope this is the start of something great! Who knew a little p.e.e would be so exciting?!

OK, this is short today, must get stuff rolling around here!

PS~ any of you Philippa Gregory readers... can you help me out? I don't want to read anything out of order. Can someone list me the order pretty please?

Some Recent Layouts....

Materials Used: Breath of Beauty

Bleached Linens kit by Nancie Rowe Janitz, available at scrapartist.com, Brush With Tea brushes by Christine Smith, available at thedigichick.com. Font: Dearest Swash, available at myfonts.com.


Materials Used: Celebrate Life

Peapod papers by Rhonna Farrer, available at twopeasinabucket.com, metal rimmed buttons and blue button by Carrie Stephens, available at fishscraps.com, small brads by Gina Cabrera, available at digitaldesignessentials.com, white button by Andrea Burns, available at thedigichick.com, Brush With Tea brushes by Christine Smith, available at thedigichick.com, Painted Alpha by Rhonna Farrer, available at twopeasinabucket.com. Font: 2Peas Funky Monkey, available at twopeasinabucket.com.



LO inspired by Dani's Belly Button LO

Materials Used: It’s You

Dreams for You kit by Jen Wilson, available at jenwilsondesigns.com, blue hearts, flower, and paperclip by Amy Martin, painted frame by Gina Cabrera, available at digitaldesignessentials.com, vellum heart and print heart by Michelle Coleman, available at scrapartist.com. Fonts: Susie’s Hand, available at momscorner4kids.com/fonts, and Adler, available at fonts.com.

LO is inspired by CD's Go Bella Go LO

Journaling reads: Lucky me for having you, for the sweet kisses that come at unexpected times, for bearing with me when I am hard to deal with, for killing the millions of spiders that dare enter our house, for being my heater on cold nights, for being a wonderful father to our children, for calling me goofy nicknames and laughing heartily, for being a man of God and strong in your faith, for just being you.

Materials Used: Lucky Me

Brown paper by Christine Smith, available at thedigichick.com, patterned papers twill and ribbon by Andrea Burns, flowers, bling fasteners, and date pin by Holly McCaig, available at plaindigitalwrapper.com, patch by Michelle Coleman, available at scrapartist.com, photo frames by Traci Murphy, stitched frames by Gina Cabrera, available at digitaldesignessentials.com, stitching by Gina Miller, available at scrapbookbytes.com, paint canvas action by BriAnna Schultz, available at atomiccupcake.com. Fonts: Beyond Wonderland, available at dafont.com, Susie’s Hand, available at momscorner4kids.com/fonts, and Dearest Swash, available at myfonts.com.

Materials Used: This Boy

Brown paper by Christine Smith, available at thedigichick.com, striped paper by Jen Wilson, available at jenwilsondesigns.com, lace by by Michelle Coleman, available at scrapartist.com, cards and measuring tape by Michelle Underwood, available at scrapbookbytes.com, tape and staples by Iron Orchid Designs, available at scrapartist.com, beaded star by Gina Cabrera, available at digitaldesignessentials.com, lined paper by Gina Miller, available at scrapbookbytes.com, paint canvas action by BriAnna Schultz, available at atomiccupcake.com. Fonts: Downcome, available at dafont.com, and Adler, available at fonts.com.

Birthday Planning....

Two days ago I ordered all the supplies for Seth's Birthday! He's going to have an Elmo party, since Elmo is an obsession. He's getting the plates, invites/ thank you's, table topper, crepe paper, a huge Elmo mylar baloon... I even ordered him an Elmo Cake pan! I'm going to make him an Elmo cake, LOL!

I got everything from Birthday Express. Here's the deal... I think I get to use everything twice. His Birthday is Monday the 25th, and will be spent just at home with Mama and Daddy. He's going to have a joint party with his older cousin Lauren on Sat the 30th, with Nate's family. So... I'll have 5 plates left over for the family party, LOL! And my sister and law and I have already discussed co-decorating, LOL!

Seth is going to have a great birthday! He's getting some nice things, and I can't wait to see his face. I think he's going to be overwhelmed, and not know what to play with first, LOL! I'll talk about presents when the time gets a bit closer :)

**********

As you can see, I was reading The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I actually had it read in the 4 days we were at the beach. It was a FANTASTIC read (right Kristin ;) ) I had been looking for a new author to try and came across this, and am so tickled with the results. This book is a work of historical fiction, and it was powerrfuly written. I didn't know the history before hand of the Boleyn family, and the politics of royal court, but Oh. My. Word. Wow. I completely recommend it!

In fact I have the next book already on the way to my house!

You can click on the book to the right, and it'll take you right to Barnes and Noble.

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Golden Glory is now available at The Digi Chick, you can get it HERE (click me).

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I am making something new today! Its a total RAVE among some of my friends, but I'm a little late joing the game. I'm going to make Cake Balls! Apparently thay are to die for, and I thought I'd give them a try for the Youth Group tonight.

Cake Balls

1 package cake mix

1 can of frosting

1 package of chocolate almond bark (Can use semi-sweet baking chocolate too)

wax paper

1. Cook cake mix according to directions on the box. 2. Let cake cool. 3. Crumble cake in a bowl. 4. Mix approximately 1/3 container of frosting until smooth dough forms 5. Roll cake into balls, packing tightly 6. Melt almond bark 7. Drop balls into chocolate until coated. (I use a fork to lift balls out of chocolate so excess chocolate can drain through the tongs on the fork) 8. Place balls on wax paper to harden.

You can use any combination of frosting and cake mix. The cake should make approximately 60 balls. You can make the cake ahead of time and freeze the balls before dipping into the chocolate.

To make festive - you can put candy bits on top while chocolate is cooling. For Christmas, I am putting crushed candy cane bits. For Valentine's day you could use crushed ret hots....etc.

Burns' on the OBX....

Credits: Sara Carling's Sunwashed Hideaway. Shabby Border by Shabby Princess. Font: Susie's Hand.

Journaling reads: We three love the beach so much, we look forward to it every year. This year was no exception! Three whole days on the Outer Banks! Just Heaven! Surf, sand, seafood, and shopping, what more can you ask for?

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Our vacation was great! We had such a great time, just getting away, and being able to relax. The weather was pretty iffy the first couple days. It was grey/ rainy and very windy. But we just did all of our shopping on Wednesday! And let me tell you.... there was some shopping to be done, LOL! We literally spent all day in shops and didn't even get to them all. We also spent a little bit of time at the Currituck Lighthouse . We didn't climb it this time though... with Seth that would have been hard.

I had a fun time getting trinkets for us all.... we each got a T-Shirt, mine long sleeved. I also picked up a sand dollar charm for my travel charm bracelet and a local artist-made pottery mug. Nate found some cool goggles to snorkle in the ocean with (he's not much on suveniers, LOL!) and we got Seth a small toy plane (for the Wright Brothers).

My favorite thing I found is really rather special. I still had a bit of Birthday money left over, and I wanted to find a unique piece of jewelry. I didn't find it until the last day we were there. And it was in our favorite restaurant that we ate at during our honeymoon. We ate at the Port O Call Restaurant again Thursday night, and there it was in the jewelry case in their showcase room.

It's called a Larimar Stone and it is only found in one square kilometer in the world, in the Dominican Republic. I foiund a very pretty ring, and it is currently getting resized, b/c they didn't have the style I liked in my size 6 ring.

Anyways... we woke up Thursday to very sunny weather, and we spent most of the day on the beach......


I had been wanting some family pictures of us on the beach, so I had packed up my tripod. If you look close, you can see the remote in my hand, LOL! :)

So there you have it.... our wonderful and too-short vacation (aren't they all that way?)

Cutie Seth Milestones: Ummm... my kid loves Queen and Kiss, LOL! Seth can sing along to the That 70's Show theme song, especially the "We're All Alright, We're All Alright!" part. And his alltime favorite song is Another One Bites The Dust by Queen. It makes him dance and clap, and he sings along to all the "Hey!"'s and such.

SO FLIPPIN CUTE!

Happy Tuesday All!