The tags of Christmas

One of my favorite times of the year are when Tim Holtz introduces his 12 tags of Christmas.  This year was "doubly" fun because he is allowing us to show off our versions of the tags.  I have put the first 3 in a blog, why?  Because I can that's why.  I even got inspired to do one of my own.

I have done them all but tag 3.  I could not do that because I loaned out all of my Christmas stamps. So that was impossible.  I had to change a few elements on each tag because I did not have what I needed.  The largest difference was anything Tim used with his Sizzix dies (pinecones, reindeer, snowman, leaves, Noel, 25) I had to create myself.  So I had to make a pattern and then go from there.  It took more time, but everything is 100% made by me, no computer, no cricut...just Tim's wonderful designs.

These were loads of fun, and I look forward to the next 8!!

CKC and growing up

 This was an event that I had looked forward to for months and months.  I planned the classes and activities with a friend then the countdown to the event began.  Life somehow got in the way during the 3 months it took to countdown to the event.  My life began to take a drastic turn.  I began to question life and my career.  I realized I was missing out on so many things...my kids were growing up, I was never home, and had no insurance.  Plus, there was a drastic feeling of my wheels being spun over and over and over with no end result.  I had hit a wall, a burn out?  Probably, so I began to change course.  Focus, on my home life.  To learn to be at home.  Change was coming.  I went on a few interviews and almost had a couple of jobs.  I felt that maybe God was telling me to wait.  I waited.  It happened over the course of 4 days.  Four very fast paced, but very welcome days.

Then began more of a growth, of a goodbye.  A goodbye to so much.  So much I will not bore you with here.  You came to learn of my CKC event.  It is just that the backstory of a life beginning over was part of it.

CKC was to be in September and I could see that it was going to be a solo event for me.  I decided to put on my big girl britches and do it myself. I was outgoing, I was going to have fun and I would have no regrets about it.  I called my aunt to arrange for a place to stay and called a scrapbook company and asked to work the event in their booth.

It turned out to be just as wonderful as I had planned.  I proved something to myself, I CAN DO IT!  On so many levels, I proved I can do it!  I still have bridges to cross, roads to pave, mountains to climb, but with God and my family.  I CAN DO IT!!!


I am not to old to GROW!

I adore a pink scraf, especially when I make it!

So I had this great pink t-shirt.  Fit great, great color, was WELL made and in typical Michelle fashion, I washed it......WITH AN INK PEN!!!


Yes, the lovely shirt had ink on the back of it.  For a while, I wore it under a shirt because the front was fine.  Until that one day when I was sweating and I needed to take off the over the shirt.  I decided then and there that wearing it under something just was NOT going to work.  Next step?  To repurpose it.  I thought about it for a couple of weeks.  What did I want to do?  How did I want to do it?  etc...I decided that a scarf would best serve me. I wear scarves all the time (I am sort of like a Cullen in that fashion) and the pink color would be perfect to wear with a black or brown t-shirt.

I first made the shirt as flat as I could on the table and then cut off the hem.  The next step was to cut the midsection just under the armpit area.  That left me a tube and from this tube I just 1/2 (ish I don't measure) strips.

When I cut strips out of the entire tube I put all the strips together and pulled as hard as I could to stretch out the strips.   The t-shirt had two side seams so I would have to deal with them.  On one seam I made a band out of the t-shirt remnants.  I tied the strip around the seam, wrapped it and then tied again.  I tried to hide my tying inside the bulk of the strips.

On the other side, I put a flower that I made from the sleeves.  I did not come up with this design, this lady did.....it is brilliant!!!    http://gonetoearth.typepad.com/gonetoearth/2009/03/tutorial-fabric-flower-brooch.html

In the end, all that was left was this pile of scraps. I do intend to make a couple of flowers out of this stuff. 

In the end, I had very few scraps left, I made a bracelet, a flower and had 4 square left that I intend to stamp on and place on a scrapbook page.

Books of 2011

I keep a reading diary of the books that I read each year.  I have to write down each book and whether or not it was good.  I also note if it is a library book (or borrowed) or my own.  Last year was the first year I started reading digital books and this year I am reading digital almost exclusively.  This year marked a big milestone to me....I turned 39 and finished my 39th time reading Gone with the Wind.  2011 was also the 75th anniversary of the publishing of this grand book.

Actually, I sort of did  the GWTW thing all year.  I reread Rhett Butler's people (which I really like) and Scarlett (which I am indifferent about) and spent a lot of time in the wizardly world.

Listed are my top ten books of 2011

1.  Gone with the Wind ---I love spending time in the home of Miss O'Hara.  I love her little mind and trying to figure out why she does the things she does. I love Rhett Butler.  A man who is handsome, rough, tough, but has a genuine heart of gold.  He won't let you know that he does though.  I love Miss Melly, who gives and gives and gives and eventually she gives her life.  Ashley, who is stupid and caught up in a world that doesn't exist but he won't move on until it is too late.  Sue Ellen, who is selfish to the end, until Will shows up to save the day.  Gerald...who poor guy can't live without Mrs. O'Hara.  I adore Pittypat, who is an airhead if I ever saw one.  Mrs. Tarelton...who is bold, daring, chooses horses over her boys, but it a good woman deep inside.  Mammy, who I wish I could take home.  A true loving soul, who was underappreciated, who was the wisest character in the book.  Who gave all....and then some.  Scarlett did not deserve her love.  Rhett earned it!  Just bought my 3rd copy. the other 2 have fallen apart.


2.  Song of the Siren-  I read this book at least twice every year.  The magnificent Carlotta Main, spoiled, loved, adored and extremely selfish.  She was born under very strange circumstances and had a surprise when she was older...a surprise about her birth.  She runs away with a Jesuit and marries another man.  A wonderful man who did not deserve the things she did to him.  Oh, but Carlotta got hers in the end.  Thank goodness for her dear sister Darmaris who ends up saving EVERYONE!   I have been through 4 copies of this book. 

3..  The Hunger Games-April Rambo got me to read this and I am so glad that she did.  I think this was a wonderful book and I could not put it down.  2 times this year.  I do not own it.

4.  The Help-  I have only read this once, but I did just check it out from my virtual library branch and will begin reading it for the 2nd time this weekend.  I don't hate any character in the book.

5.  Deathly Hallows-  I read this book in preparation of the movie.  I read it for the first time last year...very quickly and I was sure I missed something.  I did miss a bit, but only small pieces. I will read it again this year.  I do think it is the best of the series.

6.  Travels in Alaska -I have read this every year since 2008, the first year that I went to Alaska.  I find that when I read this book, I go back to Alaska...but back with John Muir.  In a time that life was simpler and the country was pure and unchemicaled.  John paints a lovely picture of exactly what Alaska looks like. I feel I am in that canoe, on that glacier or casing Stika right along side him.  You can also feel how close John was to God.  His faith was strong and that faith flows through you while you are traveling with him.

7.  A funny thing happened on the way to the future-a very short read by Michael J Fox.  This book tends to be about education.  And his lack thereof....a very nice, very fast read (about 1 hour)

8.  Breaking Dawn-had to read this again in preparation of the movie.  I still find portions of this UGLY.  Stephanie Meyer sucks me into her vampire world and I cannot get out. I adore this series.

9.  The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe-a nice little world that begins in a closet.  I enjoyed this, but had much trouble reading the second one.  I will try again one day, just not anytime soon.

10.  The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud-I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book.  Finally saw the movie and the movie is NOWHERE as good.  Read this book.  

Year of the film

Every year I do MANY top ten lists. I am hoping in the event that I lose my mind (no comments needed here thank you very much), I shall be able to look back on my top ten lists and spark some memories.

Movies:
1.  Gone with the Wind-I simply cannot move this movie from the first place

 2.  Titanic-extraordinary movie...about the ship that made me fall in love with ships

3.  The Band Wagon-Simply the greatest musical ever made

4.  Back to the Future-why don't you make like a tree and get out

5. The Deathly Hallows part 1&2, because they can't be split apart

6.   Three Little Words-second greatest musical of all time

7.  Oklahoma-Oh what a beautiful morning

8. Robin Hood-Robin Hood and Little John running through the forest laughing back and forth at what  the other one has to say

9.   Seven Brides for Seven Brothers-Howard Keel I needn't say anything else

10.  Eclipse-JASPER!  JANE!!  love this film

May I have your card?

This week's challenge was so much fun!  What a great color combination.  Thanks to the wonderful design team for getting it done.  This is my first challenge in a few weeks because I was on vacation and then I was recovering from vacation.  Oh well, I'm back baby!

I made ATC this week because I needed more and well it just seemed like the right thing to do. I usually make these from "leftovers".  ATCs are perfect for leftovers!!!

You can see that I added more cards too, these cards are so much fun.  Once I start I cannot stop!!!

You expect me to put my clothes in there????

Generally, I think that cruise ships are BRILLIANT in taking a space/corner/nook and creating a storage place. You may see a shelf with a large angle on it but it will be perfect to hold your snorkeling gear.  You may find a drawer in a place you never thought could hold anything, but it ends up being the exact fit for your makeup bag.  As with any hotel, you will have a  closet and maybe 2 if you are lucky.  We generally end up with 2 (YAY!!!).  This last cruise on board the Carnival Dream was no exception, but I did have a HUGE problem with one of them.


A closet has a bar that goes from left to right and you use this bar to hold your hangers, correct?  I have seen many closets in my life and only ONCE did I see one that did NOT fit this description.

Here is a photo of a typical cruise ship cabin closet.....you will notice it is exactly like your home closet only smaller.  











Now for the closet, I mentioned.  This closet features a "stacked" design.  This design yields a frustrated woman because you cannot access your clothing in the manner you are used to.  Hence the woman, "gifting" this funky closet to the menfolk in her life. Hey, she that unpacks the clothes gets to choose where the clothes go.  That is the law!.

I imagine this closet would not have been such a bother to me had it been wider and not contained the life vests.  I did manage to shove the life vests on the shelf, but then we lost that space for shoe storage. 

Carnival Dream

The long and short of it:

The bad:
1.  Long hair on the balcony
2.  No lunch until 12pm (I think it should start at 11am)
3.  No cheesecake on the dinner menu
4.  Occasional sewer smell (but I have experienced this on EVERY boat I have been on)
5.  Loud Sheryl Crow concert on the big screen at the pool
6. Missing the salad course at dinner


The good:
1.  Comedy shows
2. Trivia EVERY DAY!
3.  Loud Pink Floyd concert on the big screen
4.  Excellent food
5.  Excellent service
6.  Ocean Plaza midship 5
7.  Cove balconies
8. 24-hour ice cream
9.  Cherry cokes
10.  Activities onboard
11.  Perfect Sailing!
12. Jeff the Fun Dude
13.  Kim Lemon

Day 1-

The day started with our shuttle service from the Country Inn and Suites to the pier.  Our driver was wonderful.  She was a skinny legged little southern gal…who liked to crack a couple of jokes.  She acted all excited as the ships came into view “oh there’s the Disney boat” she exclaimed.  Then she said “look at the Disney boat, there are painting…….oh it’s goofy” And really it is goofy hanging off the side of the ship.  How old is that ship? I have not cruised from Port Canaveral in 13 years and I think that was the year it came out because I remember it was new, followed our same path (Fantasy 1998) and seeing Goofy off the back end...still looks good if it is that old.

There was our ship MUCH bigger than the Magic.  She looks like a typical Carnival ship, wider, taller, but basically the same.  We enter the terminal and it is VERY smooth.  Port Canaveral has a reputation of being the fastest check-in and 13 years and many cruise terminals later, they still are the tops.  Very efficient, very fair, very fast.  We were on the ship about 20 minutes after we entered the terminal.  We were over 2 hours each, BOTH times in Seattle.  Mobile was about an hour and Miami/Ft Lauderdale seemed liked FOREVER!!! 

The embarkation photos are singles and not families and they are on a green screen…. I am anxious to see what these photos look like. I have not sailed with Carnival since 2009 and the changes are many…very many. (the green screen photos were of our head in an astronaut costume!)

Enter the atrium…..NICE…not glitzy like most Carnival ships.  A little classy but still has that “Carnival” vibe.  Very pretty….this atrium is very much similar to the Legend.  Taller and slender just like that one.  There are baubles everywhere.  I am not sure what Carnival calls them, but I call them fun.  They are on the floor, on the elevators, EVERYWHERE. 

I did not find much that I wanted for lunch.  I had a salad.  Trevor a burger, John a hot dog and Hannah had a grilled chicken breast.  I did not much enjoy lunch, but I really wanted to get into my room.  What I did was take pictures and make sure the kids were signed up for Camp Carnival.  Then we went to our muster stations.  Carnival has streamed lined this just like Princess has…NO LIFEVESTS!!!!  It took about 30 minutes and then we went back to our cabin for the sailing away.

OUR CABIN---It was long and skinny just like I expected.  A twin lower, a twin upper and a King sized bed.  TONS of storage space (these skips have done such a good job making this better---every inch is used).   And the large balcony.  I think it was larger than our last, wait I know it was.  This one is enclosed a bit and feels very private.  It is very close to the water line.  From our balcony, we were able to view manatees, turtles and loads of jellyfish.  Later in the evening, Trevor saw dolphins. 

The room is very clean, my only complaint was a VERY long the hair on the balcony that does NOT belong to me.

DINNER- We had dinner at 6 at table 235.  It was a table for 7 and that is scary because you never know if you like the people or not.  We sat down alone for a long time, and ordered our food and our table mates showed up….low and behold it was a group from home…James, Anita, and Nathan Smith.  Don’t know how we got together (Jamie did you ask for that?) but it was nice.  Trevor and Nathan are about the same age so I think those two will get along fine.  We had a good meal…my salad was WONDERFUL!  I did not like the tilapia, it was very fishy and I did not like the grill seasonings.  I did not find a dessert I wanted so I got a cappuccino.  John got a warming melting cake and crème’ Brule.   Hannah got lime sherbet and Trevor got nothing.  His pickiness really limited his dinner selection. 

After dinner- we went shopping for a bit. I found a GREAT Carnival lanyard that I will wear to work come Monday week.  Hannah found a $40 backpack that she wanted.  Trevor and Nathan went to mini golf together.  However, it was closed so Trevor came back to the room.  John hung out in the cabin and Hannah and I checked out the ship.  We had our photos made and checked out the teen scene that is until I got kicked out.  I came back to the room and got in my jammies and Hannah is still not home yet.  Guess she is having fun.  Trevor is playing football in the room, surprised???? Nope, not me. 

Day 2 at Sea-

 Our first day at sea was all about resting and playing TRIVIA! I won 2 competitions today, did some shopping, more shopping, saw a comedy show, ate some great food and had our first elegant night. 

Day 3- Cozumel

The objective was to get LOADS of vanilla and take pictures of the kids at Puerto Maya.  The environment had other plans as it was POURING!   I have never been to Cozumel and seen it rain like it did today.  Thank goodness mom packed ponchos and umbrellas.  We donned our raingear (except dad who decided to tough it out) and walked down that VERY long Cozumel pier.  I knew exactly where we needed to go: Los Cinco Soles!  We made our way as quickly as possible and got into the store.  I looked at the silver jewelry and picked up a ring for myself, then made my way to the other side of the store.  $93 later, I had many bottles of vanilla and a new ring!  We glanced around the rest of the pier where Trevor bought two wrestling masks and a shark necklace.  Then it was time to head back to the ship for lunch.  We sort of split up…Trevor went off with his friends and Hannah with hers and that left John and I time to head to Serenity.  Serenity is an adult’s only deck that happens to be very relaxing and CHILD FREE!!!  John went down the waterslides and I got some hot tub time….love me some hot tub.

FOOD---We decided to eat dinner on the lido deck which was a MISTAKE.  Carnival no longer serves the same food on lido that they do in the dining room.  Food choices are almost NIL.  I was not happy at all with the choices.   And if you want any dessert other than ice cream, forget it.  This is where I see a huge difference over the last 14 years.  The food is still yummy that is offered, just less of it, at shorter times.  While I am on the food, the sit-down dinner menus have also changed since my last sailing, last year.  No longer will you see an appetizer and then a salad.  The salads are currently listed with the starters and you choose one.  For those that don’t know about cruising, you can have 4 starters if you wish and I have (roast pumpkin soup).  You can also have two entrees ( and I have).  The entrée choices have not changed that much.  They still offer wonderful favorites and added some new ones too.  Still, have prime rib and filet mignon too.

This evening after dinner I won $58 (on $20 starting point) on the penny slots.  I have used approximately $14 of it.  I plan on playing again as it was very fun.  

Day 4 Belize City-

First of all, this is a tender port. I hate tender ports!!!!!  We were anchored about 4 miles off the coast of Belize.  We were not going to go, but this is the place for bags, so away we go.  In our first few minutes, I found many bags and scarves that I would love to own, but we pushed on to look for more.  After we made our purchases we headed back to the tender.  The tender ride was sort of fun, especially when we hit a wake from another boat J. 

Day 5 Isla of Roatan- Mahogany Bay

We got off the ship soon after we docked and headed to the beach.  It was $43 for a chair lift ride for the whole family.  I thought it was nice.  The lift carries you above the crowds and the landscape, over the ocean and down to the beach.  It took about 20 minutes (because of stops/starts), but it was a scenic trip.  The beach was fairly large.  Contained FREE beach chairs and had beachside waiters from Fat Tuesday.  The free chairs were nice and you could have sun or shade. I chose shade and read some Harry Potter while the gang swam.  I do not like to swim in the ocean.  1.  Whale poop.  2. Water makes the sand feel NASTY and I can’t stand that feeling on my toes or in my shoes.  3.  If you get wet that sand will get into everything.  I promise that. 

After we got back the kids and I ran to play trivia while daddy took a nap.  Trevor won a ship on a stick (with my help) and then we played cornhole.

Day 6 Costa Maya

We docked extremely early this morning.  I went out on the deck and read a few hundred pages of the Deathly Hallows while everyone slept.  I watched some gun toting guards and dogs board and exit our ship.  I heard looking for drugs.  Fun times huh?  Eventually John woke up and we got dressed and headed into town.  It was the longest pier that I have ever seen, but not horrible.  We went into most of the shops. I tried to buy a tiffany necklace but no one would wait on me.  Booooo.  I did buy a handpainted Beatles sign.  VERY very nice!  Then we headed back to the ship.  There was not much at this port, nothing but drunk people in the public pool and dolphins on the beach.  It was pretty, but you could tell that recently they had hurricane damage. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing trivia, lounging around, casino hopping, and SHOPPING!!!!  We did see two comedy shows.  I almost peed my pants from laughing so hard. 

Day 7 THE END!!!!

Here it is, the last day on the ship.  We get kicked off VERY early in the am.  TOO EARLY.  We will be moving through some tropical system today  and the weather is NOT good, but the seas are rough.  I love it when the last day at sea is rough. 

We put down some money on our next cruise.  No idea where yet, but when you are this close to platimum cruiser status, go for it!!!!!  See you next time!

Lauren's Christmas Gift Box

How do you usually express love? With a gift and what is a better way to give a gift than to give it in a gift box that you made yourself! I decided that it would be great if this gift box could go with the Mojo Monday theme this week (BTW, I really missed MOJO while you were on vacation).

The instructions for the box are SO simple to follow.  I found them on Splitcoasters (which happens to be a WONDERFUL site).  Here is the link to the website...  

http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/tutorials/2_5_7_10_box/   

You really need to peruse the site a bit and see all the fun things that you can learn to make. 

I used a 8.5x11 sheet of bazzil black card stock

Flourish stamp by Stampin UP! (Baroque Motifs)

Silver Embossing powder by Stampin UP!

All card stock on the front of the box  was from my scrapbin...

So was the ribbon 

Flowers are prima

This color theme goes with the CR84FN challenge.  I love the pink, black and gray combo so much I could not stand but to try and use it again.   LOVE LOVE the pink!!!  Thank you to both of you the challenge sites for tons of fun.  I love playing with you every week.  

Tickle me PINK!!!!

Pink is not one of my top 3 favorite colors, but it is exciting.  It can be pale and drab, or bold and fierceful.  It can be pastel and calming or scream at you "HEY NOTICE ME!"   Yes, there are many personas to the color pink. I actually think pink has tons of personalities, probably more than any other color because pink can be ANYTHING.  Add a little black for some classy, add some brown for some down at home, add some ornage for some sassy, add some blue for some relaxation.  Yes pink is the "IT" color. 

This week's color challenge was fun because I have actually been working on a pink and black card. 
This week's challenge made me finish it, but also because it was such a good color combo I added one more card and an album that I think turned out FABULOUS!!

It is again along the lines of THINK PINK from the movie "Funny Face" because I cannot get enough of that movie for one thing.  For two things I cannot stop singing the soundtrack in my head (or playing it in my car), and for three think it makes me happy. 

My pinwheel BE YOURSELF card

I am going to start with showing you  the card I was inspired to finish.   I made the first layer of this pinwheel in a class at CKC and made the second layer when I got home.  I stopped there.  When this challenge popped up I decided it was perfect...I just needed to do something with it.  Of course a card was the perfect choice....it's unique and people are unique so I made a self esteem card.
Going through my scrap bin I saw that I had this great peice of matboard in black.  I decided to make a THINK PINK album.  The cover features an "Audrey" like person with her balloons on the street of Paris.  Wearing pink everything including her hair.  Inside is a perfect place to document her (or your) travels to Paris or another fun destination (somthing PINK would be UBBER exciting).


Close up of my hand painted French lady



Album cover BEFORE

Finished Album cover



The bottom three photos are of a tiny little card that you could give to anyone you love.  I made a little cut out so I could put flowers all over the front and it would still close...also it left a flower on the inside of the card too. 





I love you card

I remember you

I was delivering breakfast to some toddlers in the 1-year-old room.  My cell phone rang. It was my husband. I said, "I only have a second, I have to feed these kids".  He said "something bad is happening. The World Trade Center was just bombed."  I got someone on the breakfast and ran to the tv.  No one really knew what was happening. We turned on the radio and still, no one was sure what was going on.

Feelings of what the heck is going on?  Feelings of "I can't believe this", and feelings of terror flowed through everyone. Then it happened....... we saw a PLANE fly into the second tower.  What in the world?  Is that really what happened?  Yes, it was.

Rumors began to fly, we were in the middle of an attack.  An attack on everything we knew.  I was 7 weeks pregnant and scared to death.  I grabbed my 4-year-old child from her classroom and kept her with me while I tried to help keep the children calm all the while feeling that life as I know it was ending.  Workers had to leave to get their own children, parents began flocking to be with their children.  There were tears, prayers...and then a third plane hit the Pentagon.  And a fourth crashes into a field.  A NIGHTMARE descended on our great nation! 

Panic began to take hold in Paducah, KY (not that it wasn't inside all the time), there were rumors they were coming for us (with all the uranium and TVA).  There were rumors about so many things.  Most of it fueled by our general terror and disbelief.

My how life can change in a span of 90 minutes.  NINETY MINUTES!  90 minutes that changed the life of every single American alive at that time, regardless of their age.  You may have known someone, you may have begun to look over your shoulder, you may have been scared to fly, you may have been scared of anything or anyone with different ideas than you...someway YOU were affected.

In the hours and subsequent days that followed we saw miracle upon miracle. Heroes were born over and over again. Our leaders stood together without party distinctions. We heard tales of survivors. We banded with our fellow citizens to assist those in need.  We gathered in churches and homes to pray for the lost, the survivors, the loss of life and prayed for America.  We all sported our RED, WHITE, and BLUE.  There were flags everywhere, praises of "God Bless America" graced our lips, and American united to rebuild our country.

It's so hard to comprehend that less than 20 people that morning changed ALL of our lives.  We all have our stories.  Some are stories that will send chills down your spine, some of us were there, some of us had relatives there.  Some of us lost loved ones.  Some of us had our lives destroyed by the events. The scenarios go on and on.

In the next few days, we will hear many of these stories.  Let us once again bond together for our citizens.

We are America!  We are strong!  We are powerful!  We are unbeatable!  We are the United States of America!!!!!!

God Bless the USA!!!!!