2 Years Ago Today.....

.....my oldest sister Karen & brother-in-law Jimmy went to Heaven. 2 years ago today was the absolute worse day of my life! While I know that Karen & Jimmy are with the Lord, I still can't help but wish they were back here with us :( Today, Dad, Linda, Barb, Donna, Jim & I went to visit the grave in Montrose, PA. It rained the whole way there & back, but we didn't let the rain stop us from visiting Karen & Jimmy. I had a flag banner made at Kinko's before I came to PA to put on the grave that has a photo of Karen & Jimmy on their motorcycle. We also got to see Donny (Karen's oldest son) while we were there. I took some photos, but I'm too tired to load them onto my laptop right now, so I'll post them in a few days.

Give your sister/brother/family a hug for me today because you truly never know when it may be the last time you see them again.

Benita

1 Down, Only 100 More To Go!

Okay, so maybe 100 is exaggerating a little :) But I could honestly alter 100 of these things! I found these TV Remote Caddies at Hobby Lobby last Saturday & just knew I had to do something with them. So here is the first one of many more to do. I made this one for our family room using Thomas Kinkade pattern paper, mod podge & lots of embellishments. And of course, I had to do it in plum to match our family room walls :) I sanded the edges of the paper plus added a touch of gold paint on top of the plum paint to each edge, which is hard to see in the picture.

Here is the other side were I used big purple rick-rack, Primas, rhinestones and a bookplate with the word Believe. On the end, I used Heidi Swapp Chipboard for the word Family which I painted, a Bazzill flower, ribbon, fiber, circle tag with a flower & rhinestone & some epoxy stickers that I've had in my stash forever.

On this side, I used ribbon, more Primas, a fancy button & the metal memories from JoAnn's. On the end are more flowers, mesh, buttons, ribbon, a metal charm & a vellum quote for the word Cherish.

I will be making several more of these for Christmas gifts for my family & friends. For my Dad, I'm thinking about doing one with his 2 favorite Nascar drivers, Kasey Kahne on one side & Ryan Newman on the other. For my sisters, I'll do one with angels on it for Linda, one with bears for Barb & one with wolves for Donna (hoping they aren't reading my blog right now, lol). And even though my Mom is living in a nursing home, I'll make her one, too with either dogs or horses on it. And I'm sure I'll end up making some more for myself as well :) I can think of SO many uses for these. The first one I made is being used for it's intended purpose, tv remotes. But I could see one of these in my scraproom for tools, etc., one in my kitchen with grapes on it, one in our master bedroom for hand creams, etc.. The uses are endless.

Carrie posted a 10 for Tuesday challenge on The Scrapbook Zone website for us to list 10 things we think we're good at, so here are my answers in no particular order:

1. Scrapbooking. I doubt I'll ever be a famous name in the scrapbooking world, but I'm happy with my layouts & that's what really matters :)
2. Decorating. I love painting, hanging arrangements, working with accessories, etc. Another reason why it's my dream to become an Interior Designer.
3. Organizing. I love finding new ways to organize my scraproom & home.
4. Baking. Notice I said baking & not cooking, lol.
5. Typing. Taking 4 years of typing in high school has paid off.
6. Collecting :) Anything from scrapbook supplies to Primas to Beanie Babies to clothes.
7. Photography, although this is something I still need to improve on & I will be taking classes for this fall.
8. Keeping track of bills & our budget, which is why I handle the checkbook :)
9. Shopping ;)
10. Being a perfectionist. Sometimes this is a good thing & sometimes, it's bad. But it's part of being a Virgo :)

Tomorrow morning, Jim & I leave for our trip to Niagara Falls, Canada where we'll be spending the night in a spa suite ;) & then we head to Pennsylvania to visit my family & Karen & Jimmy's grave. Not the vacation that we were originally planning, but plans changed due to my Mom's health going downhill fast :( We'll have our laptop with us so I'll still be able to check my mail & of course, the scrapbooking boards :)

Have a wonderful weekend,

Benita

More Altering & Shopping

I guess you could say I've been pretty busy this weekend. I just finished up the picture frame above to give to my Mom when I go see her. I really hope she likes it! I found this picture of her together with Karen & Jimmy taken back in 2000, so I wanted to make a special frame for it. I used Basic Grey Oh Baby! Boy pattern paper which I sanded along the edges, ribbons, Primas, rhinestones & my Sizzlits Azure font for the word Memories. She's either going to absolutely love it or completely hate it.....it's so hard to tell with my Mom anymore.

Here is another frame I made for myself a few weeks ago. The frame is from Maple Lane Press by EK Success & I found them on clearance at The Scrapbook Zone a few months ago. I covered it with ribbons, lace & lots of Primas & rhinestones & used the Karen Foster In Memoriam stickers for the title. This photo of Karen & Jimmy sits on our mantle above our tv.

After dropping Cassie off on Saturday, Jim & I went to Hobby Lobby & I found these really cool ribbons & rick-rack. Best part, they were 50% off so they were only $1.00 each. Can't beat that! I also bought some wooden lazy Susan caddies that I am going to alter for Christmas gifts & I'm also making one for myself to go in our family room. As soon as it's done, I'll post some pictures of it. All of the paper at Hobby Lobby was also 50% off & I just happened to stumple upon a Basic Grey Oh Baby! Girl pack, so I couldn't pass that up for $9.00, even though I already have it. You can never have too much paper, right? :)

Last week, I found these gorgeous flowers at Walmart for 97 cents each. Aren't they beautiful? Okay, maybe not as pretty as Primas, but you can't beat the price :)

Tomorrow is QVC Craft Day, so I planned on being glued to my tv most of the day. I'm hoping that they'll have some new products this time, but even if they don't, I like to watch just to get some ideas.

Off to alter some more,

Benita

Scrapbooking & Shopping

I've been trying to finish up some projects before we leave for our vacation & this is just one of the things I've done that I am very proud of. These drawer units are from Ikea & they work perfect for storing chipboard alphabets along with the bigger alphabets by Heidi Swapp, etc. I painted the outsides black & then applied Junkitz pattern paper to the front of the drawers. I then used my Round-A-Bout Sizzlits to cut out the alphabets in pink Bazzill cardstock. I may add some more embellishments to them down the road.....still undecided about that.

Here's a close-up view of them. I was originally only going to do a capital alphabet per drawer, but then I decided to do both upper & lowercase & I like the way they turned out. You can see more pictures of my drawer units by clicking here: Ikea Altered Drawers.

Last week, I did this layout of my granddaughter wearing my Crocs. She thought they were just the coolest thing when she saw them & walked all over the house with them on. I wonder if they make them in her size? :) I wanted to pull the color of the Crocs out in this layout. I think I did a pretty good job with it, don't you? I used Prima pattern paper, Bazzill cardstock, Heidi Swapp Chipboard Alphabets, Sizzlits Round-A-Bout Alphabet, Making Memories Tiny Alphabet Stickers, Prima Tissue Flowers, Rhinestones & an arrow which I inked with blue & black ink.

Here is another layout I just did this week using a picture of 3 of my sisters & I. I've scrapped this picture before, but when I got these Kaleidoscope papers & diecuts, I just knew I had to scrap it again. I also used some of the Prima Tissue flowers on this layout, too. Love those Primas :)

The other day, I went to Michaels since I had a 40% off coupon & purchased this....the Rob & Bob Slab. I just LOVE these papers & it also comes with some stickers & diecuts.

I'm also in the process of making a picture frame for my Mom.....when I get it finished, I'll post a picture of it. I just hope she likes it. I'm putting a photo of her, Karen & Jimmy in it that was taken back in 2000, so I'm honestly not sure how she is going to feel about it.

Tomorrow, Cassie leaves for Traverse City again for 2 weeks. She'll also be going to Chicago & she's really excited about that. Then when she returns, school starts back up on September 5th, my birthday of all days.....YAY! :)

Time to go finish laundry so Cassie has clean clothes to take with her tomorrow.

Have a great weekend,
Benita

My Favorite Photo(s)

First things first, I'd like to send out a special thank-you to Jen who helped me with my blog banner & as you can see, it's finally back. YAY! Thank-you SO much, Jen! You're a sweetheart! And I'll be mailing out your RAK this week :)

Melissa posted a blog challenge the other day on 2 Peas for us to post our favorite photo & the story behind it. Well, you should know that I can't pick just one photo, so here are just a few of my favorites. You've probably seen most of these at one time or another on my blog or in my scrapbook layouts, though.

Above is my absolute favorite picture of my dh, Jim. I took this picture the night before he left for the Nationals Bowling Tournament in Texas (which he won $54.44 in) & I just love the look in his eyes without his glasses on. He was coming up the stairs & I caught him looking up at me as I snapped this photo :)
Next is my favorite picture of my Mom & I. This picture was taken on Thanksgiving in 2004 at my Mom's house, our first holiday without Karen & Jimmy. Back in January of this year, my Mom had to have her leg amputated & now she resides in a nursing home & will probably never be able to go back to her home. I love my Mom so much & truly miss being able to talk to her everyday like I used to. I can't wait until I go home this month to see her again! Love you, Mom!
This is my favorite picture of Cassie & Jim together & also my all- time favorite scrapbook layout (so far). It's not very often that Cassie lets me take her picture, so when she agreed to this one, I was so pleased with the way it turned out! And isn't her hat cool? Although she doesn't wear it anymore.
Next is my granddaughter. I just love this picture of her & the way she's looking up at her Daddy & has her thumb in her mouth. She looks just like an angel! Unfortunately, I don't get to see her very often, so whenever I do, I'm always snapping picture after picture of her.
Here is a picture I took of a double rainbow from my front porch. There is a very special meaning behind this rainbow as the day I took this picture, I was very depressed thinking about Karen & Jimmy. Right after we got a thunderstorm, I went outside to stand on my front porch & this is what I saw. Absolute beauty! And I definitely believe it was a sign from God that Karen & Jimmy are in Heaven!
This sunset picture is one that Jim actually took. I was sitting in my scrapbook room one day & just happened to look out my window when I saw the most amazing orange sky. I ran downstairs to snap a picture, but just as I went to grab my camera, Jim told me that he had already taken some pictures of the sunset for me. And what a wonderful job he did, too!

There you have it......just a few of my favorite photos. Hope you've enjoyed looking at them.

Now onto another challenge that Carrie posted over on The Scrapbook Zone. We're supposed to list 10 stupid things we did as a kid and/or teenager, so here goes nothing :)

1. Egging people's houses on Halloween & also waxed car windows (not soap, wax, which is much harder to remove!).
2. Got caught shoplifting with my older sisters when I was in 7th grade. I didn't even know what my sisters were doing at the time, but when one of them saw the security guard coming, she handed me her purse, so of course, I got blamed for it, too :( Our Mom grounded us all for a month & I never stole another thing in my life!
3. Threw up in the bed in the middle of the night. Imagine 5 girls in 2 double beds with me stuck in the middle. Needless to say, 2 of my sisters weren't very happy with me when I did that ;)
4. Go-go danced for one night. Not something that I'm overly proud of, but I was a stupid teenager at the time & wanted to make some money.
5. Got engaged when I was 15, stayed engaged my whole junior year & then we broke up during my senior year. Not something I would recommend doing!

Hmmm.....this list is harder than I thought it would be. Mainly, because I honestly don't remember much about my childhood, so I've only come up with 5 things so far. If I happen to think of more, I'll update this post & add them.

Happy Hump Day,

Benita

Blame It On The Moon

(click on image to enlarge)

As you can see, I'm still having some problems with my blog. I did finally get the columns back, but now I can't get my banner to work :( If anyone can help me & tell me where to put my banner code in my template, I would be forever grateful! Right now, I have my banner downloaded on photobucket, but I'm wondering if I should download it to a different site? I love my banner & don't want to lose it :(

The other night, Jim & I were sitting outside on our front porch & some people were walking through the neighborhood commenting about how big the moon was. So, being the scrapbooker that I am, I ran inside to get my camera & went in search of the moon. Wow, they were right.....the moon was gorgeous! I love the way this picture turned out & you can even see some clouds around the moon.

I've been in a really weird mood lately. Somewhat depressed because the anniversary of the day we lost Karen & Jimmy is fast approaching. Hard to believe that it will be 2 years on the 29th of this month :( Then at other times, I'm trying to have fun & be more active. Jim & I have been going golfing, shopping, going to movies & just enjoying time together. But sometimes, I still feel guilty for enjoying life. Weird, I know, but I don't know how else to explain it. I know in my heart that Karen would want me to continue to live & have fun because that's just the type of person she was. But at the same time, I still cry everyday when I think of her!

One thing I have been doing for the past 2 weeks is exercising on my treadmill & boy, does that feel good! I've noticed that I even have more energy now, which is something I really need! I'm determined to stick with it this time. I know I can! And I will!

This week, Jim, Cassie & I went to see the movie Talladega Nights. Hilarious movie! Being the Nascar fans that Jim & I are, we both just loved it! But I would NOT recommend this movie for kids under the age of, say, 14 as there is some strong language in it. Would you believe that Jeff Gordon turned down an offer to be in this movie? Personally, I'm glad he wasn't in it, lol, but then again, I didn't care for Dale Jr. being in it, either. Kasey would have done a much better job ;)

I read Lorrie's blog today & noticed that she tagged whoever read it, so here's my responses:

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? Either somewhere in Tennessee or Asheville, North Carolina.....gorgeous areas!

2.What's your favorite article of clothing? If I'm just at home, one of my gowns with no bra or undies. Otherwise, jeans & a nice, comfy shirt.

3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? My DH's eyes.....they change color from blue to green & I just love them!

4. What's the last CD that you bought? Godsmack's newest CD

5. Where's your favorite place to be? Anywhere with my husband & family; Niagara Falls, Canada.

6. Where's your least favorite place to be? In a basement.

7. What's your favorite place to be massaged? My feet......my dh gives the BEST foot rubs :)

8. Strong in mind or strong in body? Ummm, probably neither, but I'm working on both.

9. What time do you wake in the morning? In the summer, whenever I wake up; during the school year, 6:00am.

10. What's your favorite kitchen appliance? My KitchenAid mixer & my newest gadget, a Food Saver.

11. What makes you really angry? Liars, drunks, people that don't pay attention when they're driving!

12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? A violin.....I took some lessons when I was younger & wish I would have stuck with it!

13. Favorite color? Blue, Purple & Pink.

14. Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV? I currently have an SUV (Dodge Durango), but when the new Dodge Challenger comes out, that will be parked in my garage ;)

15. Do you believe in afterlife? Yep!

16. Favorite children's book? Dr. Seuss books.

17. What is your favorite season? Spring for all the new life & Fall for the colors, crispness & smells. I hate the thunderstorms in Summer & can live without the snow in the Winter!

18. What's your least favorite household chore? Cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming the stairs, emptying the dishwasher & putting away laundry.

19. If you could have one super power, what would it be? To bring peace to the world!

20. If you have a tattoo, what is it? A heart & flower on my right ankle that I got done while I was in Athens, Greece.

21. Can you juggle? I can juggle bills, does that count? LOL

22. The one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to? My oldest sister Karen & brother-in-law Jimmy. I was planning on calling her the day they were killed & never did :( I want to know exactly how everything happened that day!

23. What's your favorite day? Everyday that I spend with my DH :)

24. What's in the trunk of your car? Nothing, I don't have a trunk!

25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Neither, I'm a very picky eater!

NOW, if you're reading this, consider yourself TAGGED. Copy & paste the questions into your blog and tag three friends! :)

I was going to post some more pictures of my cool scrapbooking finds, but of course, blogger isn't cooperating & I'm too tired to keep trying to get them to load, so they'll have to wait until next time.

Until then,
Benita

Plea For Blogger Help

Can anyone help me figure out what the heck I did to my blogger? I changed some settings tonight so that my banner wouldn't be in the title area & now, everything is centered & my profile information & links are clear down at the bottom :( I don't know if I should cry or just give up on blogging all together! HELP! I'll RAK the person that can help me figure this thing out with some wonderful scrapbooking supplies :)

Back From A Break

In case anyone was wondering where I've been, I decided about a week & a half ago to take a much-needed break. I've drastically cut back on my computer time, which feels really good, and started concentrating on me for a change! A lot of changes have been taking place in my life, one of which is trying to find myself. I guess what they say about getting old is true......you really do start looking at each & every day & start cherishing the time you have instead of wasting it, so to speak.

When Cassie turned 16 on the 18th of July (see birthday cookie above), it really made me 'think', not to mention made me feel even older! It made me take a deep, hard look into my life & where I'm at right now. It made me realize just how much I want to capture my dream of becoming an Interior Designer & now, I need to take those steps to make that dream come true. I'm currently looking into going back to school, which is going to be a MAJOR step for me considering I used to hate school & everything that went with it! But if I'm going to make my dream a reality, this is the only way to do it. Wish me luck!

Jim & I also found out recently that our bowling partners for Friday nights decided not to bowl this fall :( I was pretty upset about it at first, but now, I've decided to just take a year off from bowling as well. I need a break! It's going to be hard, especially when winter rolls around because there's not much else to do in Michigan in the winter.....unless you like snow, which I can live without. Jim's still going to bowl on his men's leagues, but it's going to feel really strange not bowling together since we've been doing it for 12 years now.

Since I took a break, I also got behind on the Ten For Tuesday challenges that Carrie posts over on The Scrapbook Zone message boards, so I decided to just do this week's challenge, which is to list 10 weird things about ourselves. This one should be easy :)

1. I don't eat any meat except for Bacon & I'm also a very picky eater (you probably already knew that one, though).
2. I'm afraid of heights, but yet I want to go skydiving someday.
3. I'm constantly washing my hands, which could be why they are always so dry, but I can't stand for my hands to feel even the slightest bit dirty!
4. I wanted to be a model when I was in high school, but that's a dream that I've pretty much given up on.
5. I can't stand minty toothpaste, which is why I use Pepsodent & hope that they never stop making it.
6. I can't jump into a pool without holding my nose & closing my eyes.
7. I'm addicted to Primas, but I bet you already knew that one, too :)
8. I'm obsessed with organizing & reorganizing my scraproom over & over & over again. I get bored with my room very easily if I don't switch something around at least every 2-3 weeks (usually more often than that).
9. I have a tattoo on my right leg that I got while I was in Athens, Greece in 1983 & even though it got infected when I first got it, I refused to have it removed & now it looks awful since the color is all gone, but now I'm too chicken to have it recolored.
10. As my daughter says, I'm stuck in the 80's when it comes to my hair style. I just don't look good without some 'poof' on the top. But hey, all those 80's clothes are coming back in style, so maybe my hair style will, too :)

Okay, that was harder than I thought it would be. But yep, it proves it....I really AM weird! :)