Eek!

The forecast for this weekend .... ICE. They are calling for up to 1/2" of ice tomorrow. The last big ice storm we had, we had to move in with my parents for a week. Everyone's power was out. Luckily, my parents had their generator all set up. We conserved as much power as we could during that time.

And thankfully, my dad had an extra generator to hook up his elderly neighor's house too.

I sure hope it does not get that bad this time!

Dear Santa

Kat's list to Santa keeps growing this year. Everything you can imagine is on this list. I was pleased to find some things that could be very educational too.

This year, a microscope made the wishlist. I remember how I loved scope time in the science lab at school. So we could have a lot of fun with this at home. I certainly want to make sure Santa brought a good quality microscope though.

Another item topping off the list this year is a telescope. This kid is so interested in what is going on above her, it amazes me. She has always been interested in "luna", as she calls the moon, and the stars. Which is great!

I started looking around to see if I could find some great deals on microscopes and telescopes. In my search, I found OpticsPlanet.com's gift guide. They have great prices on top quality microscopes, telescopes and so much more. You can find everything from holsters to designer sunglasses at OpticsPlanet.com. You can find something here for even the toughest person to buy for. Their best sellers list is sure to help you out if you are unsure which your recipient would like better.

I know I had to add a couple of things to my personal wishlist after looking through OpticsPlanet.com.

Woot!

I'm so excited to say... I got a couple of December Gueest CT gigs. I have the honors of creating for both Jeannie Papai and She's Full of Scrap! WOOHOO. I never thought I'd get selected by them. I am so in shock.

Soon, you will see even more layouts posted! So get prepared, lol.

Sweeney Todd

One of my all time favorite film combinations are Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. I just can not get enough of these great movies. The kind that you can take your kids to the theatre to watch.

Of course, my all time favorite has been Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. That is the first movie that comes to mind when I think of Tim Burton and/or Johnny Depp. The Chocolate Factory itself was always one of my favorite movies. I remember in high school, it was my best friends absolute favorite movie. I bet three times a year, we would go to the video store and rent it. Which was unusual for us, as we were always on the go. But this was our special thing. We would just take a night and do nothing but watch The Chocolate Factory.

So when Tim Burton's version of this came out, I could not wait to see it. As soon as it hit the theatre, we took our daughter to see it. I knew, since it was another fabulous Tim Burton production, and featured Johnny Depp, I would not be disappointed. And of course, they did not let me down. Depp was the perfect choice to play Willy Wonka.

You just know when it came out on dvd, it was immediately added to my collection!

Of course, now every time I have cereal in the morning, the line "Do you have any idea what breakfast cereal's made of? It's those little curly wood shavings you find in pencil sharpeners." instantly comes to mind. Hmm.. haha! Bet you are thinking about it now, huh? Of course the squirrel scene is also a favorite of the entire family.

Another example of the perfect Burton/Depp marriage is Edward Scissorhands. I love the line, "Eddie. The guys and I were talking, we'd like want to invite you to our card game on Friday night. Would you like that? Only thing is, you can't cut!" And when he trims the bushes. Great movie.

I am so glad to see this team has gotten together again. Sweeney Todd will be hitting theatres nationwide on December 21st. Johnny Depp protrays a demon barber, Sweeney Todd, who seeks revenge on Judge Turpin while trying to reunite with his daughter, Joanna. Sweeney Todd is based on the hit Broadway musical, which tells the infamous tale of Benjamin Barker/Sweeney Todd.



To view the trailers visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site. This is another movie that is sure to be please. Sweeney Todd sets up a barber shop in London which is the basis for a sinister partnership with his tenant, Mrs. Lovett.

Don't forget to visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace to read more about this mysterious tale.

The question now is, will Sweeney Todd replace my all time favorite Depp movie, Charlie and the Cholate Factory? Only time will tell!

In the words of Judge Turpin, "may the Lord have mercy on your soul."

Scary thought...

I was reading an interesting post on DST today. It really made me think about the scary things that go on in the world now days. You just never know who you can and can not trust anymore. Can you imagine... I mean, I have NO CLUE what the truth is to this particular site. But just in general.. if you were buying these expensive scrap kits thinking the money was going to a good cause. Only to find that good cause was to pay for someone's nice vacation or something.

...just ugh.

Free stuff!

I use business cards all the time. Such an inexpensive way to advertise, if you order from the right place. You just have to watch for those great "100 FREE business cards" and such deals.

Actually, I currently have 3 different business cards, for 3 different things. However, I am considering making some blog cards to pass out because I get asked all the time if I have a blog or journal. Cards with the information would sure make short work of getting the information to them!

New layout

I absolutely love the feeling of fall in the air. I love the smell of burning leaves. The thoughts of bombfires, roasting marshmellows and making smores. Even drinking a nice toasty cup of cocoa to warm up a little. The colors of autumn are so beautiful. The outdoors seems so peaceful and quiet. Serenity.

The ultimate relaxation

I always dreamed of having a fire place here in my house. We had fireplaces at my parents and they are so relaxing. I can just get lost in watching the flames dance for hours. Even the gas log fireplaces work! Of course, the old fashioned wood fireplaces are my favorites.

But alas, we do not have a fireplace by any means at our house.

This is why I was so excited to get the product samples in the mail yesterday from Vat 19. This place has the neatest stuff. We are not talking about ordinary items either. They have Gourmet Scented Pencils and Aromatherapy Stuffed Animals.

I received several goodies from them, including Ambient Fire The Ultimate Video Fireplace on DVD! You have the option of various fire scenes, or to randomly play them all. Plus, you also get your choice of listening to music or fire sound effects!

This will be my little escape from reality for many hours of relaxation. It is in my dvd player right now. Aren't you jealous? Here is a snapshot!

New layout

Here is my newest layout for Sara Ellis. I had a lot of fun with this one. I figured it was the perfect kit for this photo. Doesn't it just take you back to your own childhood? And playing in the leaves when you were little? I used to love to do that. *sigh* To be a kid again, lol.

Chronic pain relief

Over 25 years ago now, my uncle, who loved playing football in high school, hurt his knee. He dislocated the knee cap and tore ligaments and cartilage. I can still remember going to the ER with him when I was little. The sad thing is, as I said, he geniunely loved the sport! And after the injury, he was no longer allowed to play. He was so disappointed by this.

To this day, he still has problems with his knee. Chronic pain and discomfort. Playing with his kids at times is too painful for him.

I have seen advertisements for this Freeze It Gel advanced therapy pain relief. This is not like your typical pain relief therapy either. This is all natural with ingredients like aleo vera and vitamin e! This is great for relieving muscle strains, joint pain, even back pain and arthritis. Boy, I know several people that could benefit from this!

They are having a contest right now for a lifetime supply of Freeze It. My uncle sure could use that. Being a single income family of 4, he can not afford to buy any extras, including pain relievers. I feel so bad for him. If he could relieve the pain, he would be able to get around much easier and enjoy playing with his little ones.

His wife suffers from scolosis and therefore, she has difficulty doing certain things with the kids as well. One side of her body does work very well. In fact, she is unable to use one arm much at all. Her leg and foot on the same side are also disabled. As you can imagine, this puts a strain on the ability to function well. We tend to take simple things for granted, such as the ability to easily change a childs diaper or even bake a cake. For her, the simplest tasks for us are difficult for her.

Therefore, if my uncle could alleviate his pain with his knee, it would make things so much easier on their family.

Here is the commercial being played on television.

The School Board Meeting

DH went to the school board meeting tonight. He was very civil. Much nicer than I would have been. He thanked them for finally sending out notices of the lice outbreak after over 2 months of infestation in the school. Had I have been able to go as planned, a lot more would have been said. However, he did get the point across.

More later.

C'mon gurlies!!

Who likes challenges? Well I have a fun one for you. Are you a digiscrapper? Or have you thought about starting scrapbooking? Well this is a great way to start!

Here is a fun scraplift challenge by Designing Moments! These are always a good way to get back into the groove if you have lost your mojo... or a fun way to get started in the first place. Perhaps you are looking to improve your technique... this will help you with that too.

Go check it out gurlies and have fun!

New purchase

Would you look what I bought today? I was waiting for this one to come out. It is another fabulous creation from Hollie Haradon, aka Holliewood Studios over at Oscraps. And it is 20% off today! I was so excited to know it was going to be released today. I have seen some awesome layouts already from Hollie and her CT using this kit. AMAZING STUFF!

Temporary dental fixes

When I was a kid, my parents went snowmobiling at 'Tip Up Town'. This is a huge snowmobiling event that thousands of people attend. They went out snowmobiling at night, and my dad was always getting a little reckless and having fun. Well the whole gang was riding along and this hit this big mound which threw the sleds in the air a bit. Mom was not prepared for it when she hit it and flipped over the handle bars and windshield.

Luckily, she did not get hurt badly. However, she did bust out one of her front teeth. The dentist ended up capping it for her and she has been fine with it like that for years.

However, recently her cap came off one night while we were eating supper. We don't know why it came off. I guess it was just because she had had it for so long. Anyway, of course it was after office hours when this happened. She was so embarrassed by this, she refused to go to work without it being repaired.

Luckily, she was able to get an appointment early the next afternoon. She refused to go to the store or even leave the house before her appointment though.

I saw a commercial on television the other day about a do-it-yourself temporary dental repair. This certainly would have been handy when mom's cap fell off! Her embarrassment could have been taken care of in a quick 60 minutes. But it is still good to know for the future. And it works when you lose a filling too! Great news. We know how painful that can be.

Dentemp OS, which is fully approved by the FDA, is dental cement that is available over-the-counter. It was developed by a dentist and provides fast, temporary relief when you loose a filling or have a loose cap. It has been tested and fully complies with the FDA regulations for oral care.

Dentemp OS is a dental first aid. You can use it to temporarily cement loose crowns or to replace a lost filling. It is very strong and you can eat on it a quick as 30 minutes after setting.

This is certainly something everyone will want to keep in mind. It can save you some pain and embarrassment!

New stuff

I don't know how much I will be around tomorrow. The cable guys are supposed to be here in the morning to set up our new equipment. And with it, we will be considered VIP customers and get the upgraded high speed max speed and their home networking and wireless router. Woohoo. We have our own router however, we have been thinking we need to get one of the new super boost ones. So hopefully theirs will be something like that. We have had ours for a couple of years now, so you know that is out of date.

Anywho.. it is supposed to take 2 guys about 3 hours to install the new equipment. Yay, they will be here all day. I can't wait! Hopefully all goes well and I have internet access when they are done. Cuz I don't have a ton of faith in them :)

A new thrill...

I was checking out what new movies will be coming to the box office this month and I was so excited to see a new Stephen King movie is headed our way. The Mist by Stephen King will be released in theaters across the nation on November 21st! We will definitely be going to see this one.

Watching the internet only trailers for The Mist were enough to get me on the edge of my seat! I am sure I will be clutching on to something or someone while watching it, but it looks so good. I can't miss it!

I have watched King's movie, IT so many times already. The movie horrifies me. I just simply do not do well watching scary movies. However, IT has always been one I can not turn off. I don't know if it is simply the idea of the evil clown, or if it is the fear for the children as they look into the sewer drain. Even though, I have watched it so many times that I know exactly what is going to happen when, I still jump and hide behind a pillow. Silly, huh?

Of course, Steven King is a very powerful novelist. For me, once I start reading one of his books, I am afraid to turn the page. Yet, I can not make myself put it down either.

If you have not read The Mist yet, you definitely need to go check the trailer out. And even if you have read it, check it out anyway. You won't want to miss it. Dozens of people get trapped inside a supermarket while this mist covers the whole town. They know that the mist is full of horrible creatures that feed on humans. Running to the store will never seem the same after watching this movie!

Trick or Treat

The girls trick or treating with our dear neighbor who was recently diagnosed with cancer. Even though they believe they caught it in time, I still want to capture as many moments with her as we can. All three of them absolutely adore her. Each week we get together for dinner with her and her daughter. It's always a great time.

How about a cd cover?

One of the funnest things I have done yet... I had the opportunity to design a cd cover using Sara and Jeannie's Sweet Water Taffy collab. They will be compiling all the covers their teams create and making an album. This will be offered at OAKS soon!

Here was mine.. and I used it to create a cover for the Cheer Team picture cd!

Secret #3

Secret #3...

*revealed*

I was offered a guest CT spot on Sara Ellis' team! WOOHOOO. Her designs are awesome. Go check them out for yourself. :)

And with that..here is a layout using her collab with Jeannie Papai - Sweet Water Taffy. I simply adore this kit!



My 8 year old daughters cheer team at their October Cheer Competition.


Journaling reads:
What a fun year this has been for you. You girls have so much fun getting the crowds riled up! I am amazed at the ability such young girls have to do stunts! They took the trophy for first place in their category.

Secret #2

Secret #2...

*revealed*

I made Cindy Doerksen's creative team! I am still in so much shock. I never thought my layouts were good enough for a creative team. I am so amazed. I have applied for others too. Keep watch for further updates!

Plans for improvements

Next spring we are going to redo the garage flooring. I'm so tired of having to work and work to get oil stains cleaned up as best as I possibly can all the time.

When we did the remolding at the shop, we spent days power washing the floors to get all of the oil off them. And I am not talking about spots. The entire floor of the shop was covered in oil and leaves and garbage when we got it. It was a nightmare. I am talking, we had to use shovels first to clean the place out.

But once it was done, we covered the floor in a professional grade epoxy. That has made it so much easier to clean up the messes here and there.

I think when we do our garage though, we will use toss the flecks around to give it more appeal.

secret #1

Secret #

revealed...




Yup... can you believe it? Me! I made a creative team. Woohooo. I applied just to see. Never thought I would be picked. I was absolutely shocked! Excited. But schocked.

Another layout...

The girls had a blast trick or treating this year. The twins are now old enough to really enjoy it. It was so much fun.

Credits:
Cindy Doerksen - Boo Paper Pack
Cindy Doerksen - Boo Element Pack

Oh My Goodness ... TWIN

No my darling Twin... I am NOT pregnant! LOL

You know a couple of them. And if you will ever SIGN ON, I will tell you another one.