New Layouts & Ten For Tuesday

I did these layouts for a challenge on The Scrapbook Zone's website. The first one (above, click on photo to enlarge) was to do a layout using a blurry or bad photo. I took this photo of Jim the morning he left for Texas for the bowling tournament & I was so nervous that I couldn't even hold the camera still! This was the last photo I took of him that morning before he walked out the door. It'd be a great photo if it wasn't so blurry :(
The above layout I actually did a few weeks ago for another challenge to use more than 5 photos on a layout. I saw this kit on QVC with these Kasey Kahne papers & just had to buy it :) I'm so glad I did, too because it's now sold out. These are pictures from when Jim & I met Kasey in Bristol, Tennessee last August. He's such a sweetie.....very cute & short, too!

I also did another layout for a challenge to use circles & here's the link to that one: Golf = Fun

Carrie posted a blog challenge over at The Scrapbook Zone's website to list 10 things that we would save if our house was on fire. This challenge really touched home with me since I did lose everything I owned back in 1987 when the apartment below mine was set on fire. So here's my list:

1. First & foremost, I'd make sure all my family members were out!
2. Next would be my 2 mutts.
3. My photos, something I lost last time :(
4. My scrapbook albums.
5. All the items that belonged to my sister Karen.
6. My Thomas Kinkade painting.
7. The clown statue that my Dad gave to me years ago.
8. Silverware from Jim's Mom.
9. My purse, which I also lost last time.
10. Whatever scrapbook supplies I could grab, especially my Primas :)

That's all for now.....taking Cassie & Emma to go see the movie Click tonight. Have a great one!
Benita

And The Winner Is.....

KASEY KAHNE :) Jim & I had SO much fun at the Nascar race on Sunday, even with the rain cutting the race short. I don't really like it when they have to call the race because of the weather, but Kasey's car was really strong all day. He even went a lap down at one point due to his car almost overheating from having some trash blocking his radiator & he managed to get his lap back & get back in the lead before they called it. I loved the paint scheme that Kasey had for this race (see photo above). He had it done to promote the upcoming Adam Sandler movie called Click & speaking of Adam Sandler, he was even at the race! He was the MC for the "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines" & he was hilarious when he did it!

We left for the race around 5:30am & picked up 2 of our friends that wanted to ride with us to the race....what a blast that was, there & back! We all laughed the whole time! We arrived at the track around 7:45am, just in time for the gates to open at 8:00am. The first thing we did was shop. Of course I had to go to Kasey's trailer & I bought a polo shirt, a jersey that was marked down because it was last year's design, Kasey's diecast car from last year (now I have his car for all 3 years), a sweatshirt, also marked down & a hat for my Dad. Then we headed to Kevin Harvick's trailer (Jim's favorite driver, for some unknown reason, lol) & Jim got a polo shirt & Kevin's diecast from last year as well. After we were done shopping, we decided to go up & check out our suite seats. We got some free gifts (a small cooler, a hat & a race program) & then we grabbed some seats in the first row. The coolest part was, we were almost directly above the start/finish line & the suite was air conditioned :) About the only thing I didn't like about being in the suites is that you don't get to hear the roar of the cars on the track as well. But at least we stayed dry :)

Next, we went down into the pits, which was included in the price of the tickets. That's where we took most of our pictures at. I was also able to get a Kasey Kahne lug nut for me & a Ryan Newman lug nut for my Dad ;) Plus I got some of Kasey's Pit Crew to autograph my ticket holder & my Dad's hat.

I've been trying to upload these photos since Monday, but for some reason, blogger wasn't cooperating with me. It would let me load 2 & then wouldn't let me add anymore, but I was finally able to get them uploaded this morning. This is just a very small sampling of the photos we took (click on each image to view it larger):

Here are Jim & I standing next to the trophy, Jim in his Kevin Harvick shirt & me in my Kasey Kahne Dodge shirt :) I thought it was so neat that they were letting people get next to the trophy & take their pictures with it!

I saw these 2 Nextel Cup Officials & decided to stop & ask them if I could take their picture. I figured they probably don't ever get asked to have their picture taken & I just love their uniforms. I think I made their day :)

Here is Kasey's jack man getting the jack ready for the race. Man, talk about some muscles! :)

And here is a picture of me standing on the start/finish line :)

Now for another challenge......Sophia posted this one on her blog & it looks like a lot of fun. I may have even done it before, but who knows. Anyway, here it is.....feel free to do it on your blog as well.

1. FIRST NAME? Benita
2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My Mom heard the name on the radio for someone famous, but I have no idea who.
3. WHEN DID YOU LAST CRY? Today & whenever when I think about Karen & Jimmy :(
4. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Nope
5. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Bacon :)
6. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep, 2.....why? Do you want them??
7. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Once I got to know me :)
8. DO YOU HAVE A JOURNAL? Just my blog
9. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Yep, but sometimes it gets me in trouble :)
10. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
11. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Heck NO!
12. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? Nope, but I'm usually wearing my Crocs & they don't have strings.
13. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Strong willed.....Yes. Physically strong? Sometimes
14. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR? Brown Cow, although I haven't had any in months!
15. SHOE SIZE? 11 M
16. RED OR PINK? Pink!
17. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My weight :(
18. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Karen & Jimmy :(
19. WHEN AND WHERE WERE YOU BORN? September 5, 1962 in Royal Oak, Michigan.
20. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Blue jeans & no shoes, but usually it's one of my 8 pairs of Crocs :)
21. WHAT IS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Breakfast
22. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The thunder & rain outside.
23. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Purple
24. FAVORITE SMELL? Vanilla candles, Cucumber Melon body wash & the Lilacs in my yard.
25. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED WITH ON THE PHONE? My hubby Jim :)
26. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE YOU MEET? Their eyes
27. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I have an eye for detail.....whenever I'm shopping, I will check an item over until I find the best one :)
28. FAVORITE DRINK? Ice Water & an occassional Strawberry Daiquiri
29. FAVORITE SPORT? To do: Bowling & Golf. To watch: Nascar :)
30. HAIR COLOR? Medium Brown
31. EYE COLOR? Deep, dark Brown
32. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope, I can't.
33. FAVORITE FOOD? Pizza :)
34. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING? Happy, of course
35. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? City Of Angels on HBO...love that movie!
36. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Navy Blue
37. SUMMER OR WINTER? Definitely Summer....I'm in Michigan, remember?
38. HUGS OR KISSES? Both :)
39. FAVORITE DESSERT? Those Strawberry Sundaes that Big Boy has right now......YUMMY!!!
40. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING? Nothing right now, but will be reading The Total Body Makeover as soon as it arrives.
41. WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Don't have one.
42. FAVORITE SOUNDS? My hubby's voice & the water at Niagara Falls.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Neither! Give me U2, Godsmack & Linkin Park :)
44. THE FURTHEST YOU'VE BEEN FROM HOME? Athens, Greece back in 1983.
45. IF YOU COULD PICK ANY TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE DINNER WITH, WHO WOULD THEY BE? Rusty Wallace & Kasey Kahne ;)

Now onto the Ten for Tuesday that Carrie posted on The Scrapbook Zone. We're to list 10 of our Favorite Dishes to eat. This one is going to be hard for me since I'm such a picky eater, but here it goes:

1. Pizza (you should have known that would be the first one! Hehe :)
2. Homemade Macaroni & Cheese topped with Parmesan & Bread Crumbs
3. Cheesy Potato Bites from the Bowling Center.
4. Belguim Waffles from Big Boy.
5. French Toast anytime of the day....it's not just for breakfast anymore :)
6. Steak & Shake Grilled Cheese with Bacon.
7. Steak & Shake Cheese Fries.
8. Jim's baked potatoes on the grill loaded with....you guessed it....shredded cheese & bacon bits :)
9. Cheese & Bacon covered chips at Applebee's.
10. Pierogies.

Dang, it's no wonder I'm overweight! :( But once I start reading the Total Body Makeover book, some of these things (okay, make that most!) will be removed from my diet!

That's all for now......I'll try to add some more pics from the race once blogger lets me.

Have a great day!
Benita

The Boys Are Back In Town!

On Thursday, Jim's work hosted a Nascar driver event where the employees were able to meet several Nascar drivers, including 2 of my favorites, Rusty Wallace & Kasey Kahne. Jim took in 3 diecast cars, a framed picture that he bought me of Rusty for Christmas & a Kasey Kahne scrapbook layout that I'm currently working on from when we met him in Bristol last year. The photo above shows 2 of the diecast cars that he got autographed (Rusty's & Kasey's) along with the framed picture. He also got autographs from Scott Riggs on a diecast car, Casey Mears & Richard Petty! He said that Richard is such a friendly man & was smiling the whole time he was there. Unfortunately, we don't have any diecast for Richard Petty, so he could only get his autograph on a cardboard photo of him that they were passing out there.

I asked Jim to see if Rusty would sign the picture to me, but I wasn't sure if he would because they usually move you through the autograph lines so fast that all you can get is their signature, but looky......he did :) Of course, Jim had to spell my name for him, hehe, but that's okay. If you know me & know how BIG of a fan I am of Rusty's, you'll know how much this means to me ;)

Here's a closer view of the diecast cars. Rusty signed his on the windshield & I really like it much better that way.....stands out a lot nicer. But Jim said he didn't have time to ask Kasey to sign his on the windshield until it was too late, so he signed it on the hood (you can see it better in person). We ordered this color chrome version of Kasey's car from QVC & had to have it shipped express so we could get it in time for this event. The Miller Lite car for Rusty was for his final race, also done in color chrome. I'm still sad that he retired last year :( And this will be the final Miller Lite car that ever comes into our home because I REFUSE to own anything with Kurt Busch on it! Blech! I do NOT like that man!

Jim was also able to get Kasey to autograph the scrapbook layout I'm doing to me :) Kasey writes really tiny, unfortunately, so the name part is hard to read, but that's okay, I know what it says, hehe :) If I ever get the layout completely finished, I'll post a picture of it. But once again, I'm stumped!

Jim said that when they introduced the drivers, most of them came out with sticks & started hitting 3 Pinatas that were hanging up made to look like other drivers.....Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson & Tony Stewart :) I would have loved to have seen that! LOL There's a photo in yesterday's Detroit Free Press of Jeremy Mayfield hitting Jeff Gordon's Pinata.....you can see it here: 3M Performance Hit or MIS. Jim is also in that photo along the first railing above the white banner, 3rd guy in from the left. My hubby is now famous ;)

Tomorrow, Jim & I will be heading to MIS for the race & Kasey has the pole :) Our partners from bowling got us tickets through their work & since neither of them like Nascar, they gave them to us.....WOO-HOO!!! And the best part....they're suite tickets, so if it rains (which the chance of rain has now increased to 60% for tomorrow), we'll stay dry :)

Okay, now for another challenge.....I just can't pass up challenges :) Carrie posted this one on The Scrapbook Zone message board. We're to list 10 things that we'd tell other people to try. Here's my list:

1. Bowling on a league! I never thought I would enjoy bowling, but now I've been bowling for about 12 years & I absolutely love it! It's something that Jim & I truly enjoy doing together & I think it's important for a couple to share a hobby.

2. Nascar. If you knew me 15 years ago, I hated ALL sports! But when Jim took me to my first Nascar race back in 1991, I was immediately hooked :)

3. Scrapbooking. I used to just stick my photos into a regular photo album, but now, I'm telling the stories behind my photos while I'm preserving my memories. And to know that I'll have these albums to pass down for generations to come just means so much to me.

4. Crocs shoes :) Yeah, I thought they were ugly, too when I first saw them, but I now own 8 pairs, hehe. They are SOOOO comfortable! Trust me, you'll fall in love with them, too!

5. Traveling to different states. There are so many neat things to see right here in the U.S. & I'm hoping that someday, Jim & I can see them all!

6. Photography. I got hooked on photography back in high school & although I still have a LOT to learn, I love taking photographs, even if they're just of everyday things.

7. Getting a tattoo, but not in Athens, Greece like I did :) Yeah, they hurt, but they also become a part of who you are.

8. Pizza with bacon :)

9. Becoming a grandparent. Even though I don't get to see my granddaughter very often, I wouldn't change the feeling of being a grandma for anything!

10. Find your soulmate! Yeah, I know that some people don't believe in soulmates, but I do!

There you have it.....another great challenge. If you're reading this, feel free to do your own list & let me know if you do as I love reading other people's challenges :)

Have a fabulous Father's Day weekend & say a prayer for no rain tomorrow for me :)
Benita

Scents Of Spring & Other Things

One of my absolute favorite spring flowers are Lilacs. I just love the smell of Lilacs & would plant them all over my yard if my hubby would let me :) We have one Lilac bush behind our garage & when we open our family room windows, the scent just fills the room! I also have 2 more near our deck & 7 others in our backyard. I'm trying to talk Jim into letting me plant them down both sides of our yard since we're not allowed to put up fences in our subdivision.....I think they'd make a beautiful fence themselves.

These are pictures of just 2 of my Lilacs when they were in full bloom. About the only thing I don't like about Lilacs is that their blooms don't last long enough. I wish they bloomed all summer long.....how cool that would be!

Here is another challenge that Carrie posted on The Scrapbook Zone website.....we're to list 10 ways we like to relax. Here's mine:

1. Scrapbooking.....even though sometimes I can get frustrated if I can't bring a layout together, scrapbooking has been a wonderful way for me to relax & enjoy some 'me' time :)

2. Sleeping, of course :) Only 4 more days until Cassie is out of school & I'll be able to sleep in everyday :)

3. Bowling. I know, it doesn't really sound relaxing, but it is for me.

4. Golfing. While golfing can be exhausting & somewhat frustrating, it's also a pretty relaxing sport.

5. Watching tv while snuggling with Jim :)

6. Going to our favorite restaurant & just enjoying each other's company.

7. Being online, especially now that I'm wireless & can relax downstairs in our nice, comfy couch.

8. Going for walks with our mutts.

9. Having, ummm, fun in the bedroom ;) Yep, that definitely relaxes me & I find that I sleep so much better afterwards :)

10. Shopping, especially when it's for scrapbook supplies :)

Melissa posted a challenge on 2 Peas asking us if we've ever met anyone famous. Well, I don't know how famous you would consider them, but I have met 3 Nascar Drivers before.....Rusty Wallace, Kasey Kahne & Tony Stewart. Rusty is completely awesome! So friendly & down-to-earth! Kasey is adorable.....cute & tiny & very friendly as well with the most adorable smile :) Tony, on the other hand, was a complete jerk! Sorry if you're a Tony fan, but when we met him a couple of years ago, he was a jerk! I've heard he's changed since then & I hope he has for his own sake & for his fans. I also met Linkin Park during a meet & greet at a concert a few years ago :) And we ran into Ben Wallace & Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons at a movie theater one night. Who would I still love to meet? Hmmm......probably Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Willis, Charlie Sheen & Nicholas Cage :)

Wednesday night at bowling, I popped a muscle in my left calf during the 2nd frame of the first game, so I ended up sitting out the rest of the night. I've been babying it with Absorbine Jr. & also taking some muscle relaxers, but I'm still limping :( I'll probably end up going to my doctor on Monday if it's not better by then. I just hope it's nothing too serious & it's better by next weekend as Jim & I might be going to the Nascar race at MIS.

I don't know how I forgot to post Jim's bowling scores from Nationals, but I did. Jewls reminded me that I didn't post them, so here they are:

Team: 165, 173 & 216 for a 554 series
Doubles: 130, 178 & 159 for a 467 series :(
Singles: 180, 143 & 191 for a 514 series

He wasn't too happy with the way he bowled, but this was also his first time bowling in Nationals, so I don't think he did too bad. As of right now, they should still cash for the team event, but it won't be much. And speaking of bowling, Jim & I called about the doubles tournament we bowled in a few weeks ago & we dropped to 2nd place, but that's okay.....hopefully that'll hold & we'll get a nice payout from that tourney :)

Off to clean my scraproom & work on a layout. Have a great weekend!
Benita

Golfing & Good Times

Friday afternoon, Jim & I went to a driving range with our friends from bowling just to see if golfing would even interest me at all. BIG mistake! I'm HOOKED!!! I had SO much fun that I even surprised myself! Plus I did pretty good & hit the ball more than I missed it :) I was so excited afterwards that Jim took me out on Saturday to buy my own set of golf clubs since I can't use his because he's left-handed. I ended up buying a man's set since I'm almost 5'10" & the women's were too short for me. I even got my own bag & bright pink golf balls :) Plus while we were there, I surprised him & told him to find a new set for himself as well since his clubs are over 15 years old. I figured I'd give them to him for an early Father's Day present, which he really liked.

Here I am on Sunday in the golf cart. Heck, driving around the course in the cart is just as much fun, if not more, than golfing :) I didn't have Jim take any pics of me actually golfing yet because I was afraid of what I would look like, lol. But now I'm regretting not having him take any because I would have loved to scrapbook them. Ah well, there's always next time, which I have a feeling will be very soon! I did end up shooting a 127....not too shabby for my very first time. Somehow, I lost 6 golf balls which surprised me with them being bright pink, but Jim said that the pink ones are even harder to see than white ones. We also had to shoot over 2 ponds & well, guess where my balls ended up......yep, kerplunk! Right in the pond :)

It was such a beautiful day on Sunday.....perfect golfing weather! The temps were only in the 70's with a nice breeze, but I still managed to get a little sunburnt. Here's some pics of Jim while he was golfing:
Jim said he's really happy that I decided to give golfing a try. Now we're both looking forward to having another hobby that we can do together for many years to come :)

I saw this challenge on another blog today, so I thought it would be a good one to do. Feel free to use it on your blog & let me know if you do. Here's my answers:

I AM: Happily married, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, a daughter, an aunt, a perfectionist, a Virgo, a scrapbooker, a bowler, a fan of Nascar & now, a golfer :)
I WANT: more time to spend with my hubby, a happy life, a Dodge Challenger when they come out :)
I HAVE: a wonderful husband, 2 great (most of the time) kids, a nice home & more blessings that I often realize!
I WISH: I could bring my sister & brother-in-law back, I was skinnier.
I HATE: doing laundry, dusting, vacuuming, washing dishes, heat & humidity, bitter cold winter days.
I MISS: Karen & Jimmy :(
I HEAR: my husband's voice, the tv, the radio, the birds chirping, cars going down the street, church bells playing beautiful songs!
I WONDER: What Heaven is like, how long I'll live, what God has planned for me.
I REGRET: not calling Karen the weekend she was killed :(
I AM NOT: a very good cook, a very good golfer (yet).
I DANCE: whenever I hear a good song play on the radio.
I SING: in the car while I'm driving & at home while I'm scrapbooking.
I CRY: when I think about Karen & Jimmy, when my feelings are hurt, when I watch a sad or romantic movie.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: motivated, happy (but I'm working on changing that :).
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: scrapbook layouts, food, words with my typing, massages for my hubby :)
I WRITE: in my blog, in my checkbook, in emails.
I CONFUSE: what day it is when my daughter's out of school or when it's a holiday week/weekend.
I NEED: to lose weight, stop procrastinating so much.
I SHOULD: Lose weight, go back to school for Interior Decorating classes, visit my family in Pennsylvania more often, learn to enjoy life more (which I'm really working on!).
I START: scrapbook layouts, laundry, dinner.
I FINISH: everything I start......eventually :)

I guess that's all for now.....off to make dinner. Have a gorgeous week!
Benita

No Longer A Teenager

Today is my son Shawn's 20th birthday......wow, I'm getting OLD! I know that this picture isn't the best.....it came out way too dark & when I tried to lighten it, it ended up blurring. But that's my boy.....all 6'3" of him! Last night, Jim & I went to Sam's Club to get some groceries along with a birthday cake & an IPod for him & we totally surprised him. He said he just wanted the IPod Nano, but we decided to get him the video one. He was so happy :) That's all he got, though, lol.

Found this challenge on The Scrapbook Zone website where you're to list 5 things that not many people know about you.....really cool challenge, but one I need to be careful with, too...hehehe! Feel free to do it on your blog as well & let me know if you do. Here's my list (I actually came up with 10 things):

1. Im a VERY picky eater. The only meat I eat is bacon. I don't eat any veggies except for potatoes & not many fruits, either.....just bananas, strawberries & watermelon. And I also don't drink white milk, only chocolate.

2. I'm afraid of the dark & thunderstorms! I have to use a night light to sleep at night & I will panic during a storm, especially if I hear the tornado sirens going off! I'm almost immediately in the basement!

3. I've had my picture published a couple of times in magazines, but I'll only tell you one of them which was Mary Beth's Bean Bag World. The other one I'll let you try to figure out for yourself ;)

4. I'm scared to death of bugs, spiders, bees, wasps, snakes & bats! Just ask my dh how many times I've had him come kill a spider or bug for me :)

5. I'm afraid of heights, yet I dream about skydiving someday.

6. It took me 3 divorces to finally find my soulmate & I've now been married to him longer than what all 3 of my previous marriages combined lasted!

7. I've had many jobs in my lifetime (cashier, supervisor, typist, counter clerk at a bowling center, waitress) but my favorite job was when I worked for PennDOT during the summer doing road construction.

8. I'm usually pretty shy until I get to know a person. My dh, on the other hand, can carry on a conversation with a complete stranger!

9. I have a tattoo on my ankle from when I went to Athens, Greece in 1983 & it got infected. The US Navy doctors wanted to cut it out of my leg, but I wouldn't let them. Now, it's just very faded.

10. When I used to collect Beanie Babies, I had an obsession with Peace Bears. Somewhere in my basement, I have over 200 Peace Beanie Babies & several Peace Buddies because they were all so pretty. Hey, maybe that's why I have so many bottles of Primas now, too ;)

Tonight, Jim & I are going out with Rich & Jeanette to practice hitting golf balls.....that should be fun as I've never golfed before (except for putt-putt). Afterwards, we're going out to dinner together & then on Sunday, we may attempt to actually go golfing for real.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend,
Benita