a little something i started this weekend...

so when i was first sent home to rest (due to mono) i had so many projects to start running through my mind. of course i wrote down somethings i felt like i could accomplish and still rest. i do not want to turn out like my mother and my mother's mother and so on. it has been a personal mission of mine to simply place all of our pictures, cd's and negatives in one central location and have them in chronological order (you know that i have to be strictly organized about this) i have to say i have been able to keep this up but the one thing i kind of put to the side and forgot on purpose was all of the portraits and the extra copies. i love my child, my family and so on, but enough is enough. what do you do when you are done with the frame? i did not really scrapbook these through the years, nor can i add them to the albums i have already completed. do not get me wrong, i love having pics in frames but when you have been married for 13 years and your child is 10, this would be my new wallpaper in the living room easy. i thought i would scrapbook them. i know, another dang project. what would life be like if you are not overwhelmed??!! here is the start of my album. first let's get one thing straight, you do not make fun of my hair, clothes and wedding dress, i will not make fun of yours in 13 years... LOL!! I posted the pics over in the albums under portraits albums. (also the title has the link) --pm

dots n details

So I just came across this new website (well new to me) it has everything for sale, there is a catch..... monthly or yearly membership fee. Do not frown just yet until you check out the selection and just make a mock cart and compare the savings vs. the membership fee. You never know, this could be your fav online store..... -pm

back to the old habits...

I have to confess....I just went to HL this evening and ravaged their paper section, well mainly cardstock. The paper is on sale this week and I have made so many layouts this year, all of the "good" colors are depleated. I am still just a tad disappointed in the patterned paper stock, I only got a couple, no really just a couple or well........ok 12. I also went down a few aisles to the crafting section and got some glitter glue, those too were on sale.I also bought some other items... I need to use them and then I will post my thoughts and some pics!! good night! --pm

oh Renee.... you are too too funny!!

I have a little 7 yr old friend, her name given by mom and dad is Rylee Monk.She has a unique knack of calling or referring to someone as a different name, something other than what was given to them! Just one example.... Last summer, we were at Amy's house for a page layout class and she was referring to Macie as "Ashley". Doesn't rhyme, sound like or even start with the same letter. This is just funny. I could not resist, I had to take part in this... I told her that she too should have an alternate name, just teasing her really. Well she put her hands up and pretty much said "bring it". SO I just blurted out "Renee", she laughed and said we'll I will call you..... "Bag". Oh gees, good one I tease, I am holding a bag, you are MORE creative than this little one! About a week or so later, Renee (Rylee) and her dad Shannon come up to Mexican Inn to have lunch with Lesa and I. She is setting across from me, just starring. She is a little sunk in her chair and still is just glaring over at me! All of a sudden girl busts out with "strawberry" excuse me??? asks her mom and dad.That's her name, Strawberry. There was nothing around me that could have possibly related to such a thing, I LOVED IT. We laughed so much about this. Now, do not think you can call her Renee or do not dare call me Strawberry... this is our names for each other, like a sisterhood or something. She gets a tad defensive if someone refers to me as my Rylee given name! Oh, for Christmas, she gives me an adorable strawberry teapot which stays here in my scrapbook room. I bought us matching initial necklaces with rhinestones of course. Lucky for her, both of her names start with the same letter! Renee, if you are reading this... smooches :)

Oh this layout is dedicated to my glitter queens, Traci Thatcher and Renee's mom, Lesa Monk........ you may not be able to see all of the stickles, but it is EVERYWHERE! Also, like my cruddin'??!! hahaha

-pm

BOO... Treehouse Memories Page Kit

OK, it has been a while but I have a page kit from Treehouse Memories that I am finally using. It has never been opened before now. It is a Christmas themed kit titled "Just Believe. I intended on putting this together almost according to the directions, just a few minor adjustments. I was also excited because it has Sweetwater brand paper included. This was one of the brands I scoped out at the Las Vegas Convention (while I was at the store). Cute stuff. As I am tearing and cutting I noticed something peculiar... only one sheet is an original, the other two pieces are fraud, photocopies. WHAT??? This is scrapbook robbery... how dare you photocopy papers and pass them off as originals?? I am a "brand" inquisitive person, I flip over to see who is making extraordinarily cute paper... UGH to say the least I was disappointed in this company, making money off of photocopies to save a buck. I still made the page, of course better than their example page :) So basically take this as a warning, not just from Treehouse Memories page kits (not sure if they are still in production) but all; look at the labels and make sure that you do not have a phony page kit...

I included the link to Sweetwater so you can check out their cute papers; they are a small company. Also, you cannot detect which is a phony paper, but I know which ones are. --pm

http://www.sweetwaterscrapbook.com/goshopping.html

http://www.treehousememories.com/

"NO!.... DON"T LEAVE"

ok, on this retreat you learn people's vices. we all have them. if you screw with this vice, someone could get hurt..... let's go back to last weekend at the scrapbook retreat. we are all together in a small town at miss lillie's. not much around, just a brookshires, mcdonalds and a sonic. so you know that we are out there when these are the 3 main stores in town. anyway.... lesa, donna and i adventure to find the nearest wal-mart........ 30 miles away and then hit up the scrapbook store as well. donna is cravin' some ice tea WITH LEMON, NOT LEMONADE... obviously a vice of hers and she was shafted on a good drink the day before and the sonic idiot put lemonade in her tea when she specifically asked for extra lemons. NOT THE SAME THING!! well this got onher last nerve and today, she is going to make sure it is correct. we pull up, they order.... sweet tea, tots and an UNSWEET TEA WITH EXTRA LEMONS (she repeats this at least 3 times) also PLEASE DO NOT PUT LEMONADE IN MY DRINK LIKE YESTERDAY.... yes ma'am the sonic girl answers.... we wait and we wait, seriously for like 15 minutes, no lie. there is no one in this town and they are not at the sonic today. so donna buzzes again... "thank you for choosing sonic (blah blah blah) donna says... we are still waiting on our order to come out... oh well ma'am we had to make SWEET TEA (gees lesa) and it will be out shortly... after harassing lesa about her drink of choice taking forever and that donna will have a tainted tea yet again, the sonic girl finally comes out with the order... she spouts off what the order is and we disburse the items... donna turns around with the money still in hand and shouts... "NO ... DON'T LEAVE... I NEED TO CHECK MY TEA"... the girl waits patiently as i laugh hysterically i can hardly breathe and i am crying looking the other way, lesa in the back and is almost on the floor of the car laughing and slightly embarrassed... donna is laughing so hard she cannot even try her tea, telling us to hush...... the sonic girl speaks up and says that she cannot even try the drink due to the laughing and she has this uncomfortable giggle herself (at this point i feel like a 15 year old pulling a prank). shut up girlie, you do not know the inside joke here!! LOL! of course the tea is lacking lemon appeal and donna must ask for more... no trace of lemonade though, whew... the girl brings her back a cup of lemons, practically running to the car with them (in fear of donna i guess, LOL).... donna is a happy drinker now. moral of the story... do not mess with donna and do not mess with one's vice. we laughed about it for the rest of the night..... something this good is still funny even if you were not there, especially if you know my dear spunky friend donna, i wouldn't have her any other way !! -- pm

scrapbook convention

Tara, Rachel and I browsed the convention on Thursday morning. It was packed. I am so glad it is open a whole extra day. Tara had never been to one and enjoyed herself! I saw a lot of the same vendors, the ones you can count on always being there and some new ones. Wow, the page kits are still a big thing out there, and boy are they proud of themselves, some are just a TOUCH overpriced. UGH!! I am sure that there are plenty that stock up on that mess. Of course I pre-ordered the new Kayla cd, volume 8, she assured how fabulous it is and it is a large one at that (cannot wait for that to come in the mail... it will be like Christmas in July)!! LOL! Tara and I bought some paper we had not seen before, from quick quotes. It is double sided and nice and heavy. Great colors and patterns too! All of us bought the new page maps book, it is fantabulous!! I suggest this one, we scored it for only $15, what a steal!! Like always, stamping station will not let you down if you need a state, country or sport paper; i got some great softball and Washington D.C. papers. The other hot item (booth)... retreats. These retreat places are gorgeous and well... proud of themselves. They should be, the houses look great, the scrap rooms are loaded with supplies and lots of room. I will make a new "list" with all of the ones we saw. We also headed out to Malakoff for our retreat at Miss Lillie's. I also picked up some cards on some local (DFW) stores and eBay stores as well. I will add those to the fav stores list. As always, cannot wait until next year, you never know what you might miss out on if you do not go. --pm

Sex And The City Movie

Yes. It was amazing, real, emotional, edgy; just perfection. Just what I wanted and hoped it would be. People actually gave a standing ovation in the theater, rightly deserved. I have chatted with other SATC fans and they felt the same way.

Since I was on house arrest I decided to re-watch the ENTIRE series. I accomplished this task without any bumps in the road! Going back and watching all of them made me think more about friendships and relationships. You can at least relate to what the conflict is in each episode. I love it. We all have a little of each woman in us. I am more of a Charloette than the others. We do not have to be single New York women to understand, just a woman. I hope that you give this movie a chance even if you have not seen the series. --pm

p.s. I already bought the soundtrack!!