I Want To Believe...

Ok, so maybe I've watched one too many episodes of The X-Files, but I love this Changito in Space stamp set by Stampendous from i {heart} papers! I matched him up with one of my favorite papers of all time (you may remember me using it heavily back at Christmas) called Hickups. Back in December, I thought it looked like a snow flurry. Now I think it looks like a super cool galaxy. :o) Could it be any more versatile? hehehehe. I punched a 1/4" hole at the end of the space ship and threaded three pieces of metallic silver string through it, then adhered that to the paper using Crystal Effects in a smoke trail pattern. I also added blue and white stickles to the blue and white dots on the paper for a little more dimension and sparkle. Voila! It's very simple (again!), but I thought it would make a cute kid's card.

I hope you have a wonderful Sunday. We're still fighting the sickies here, but at least the weather is improving!

A Constant Friend

I just love this new set His Eye Is On The Sparrow from Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. I know I just posted a card using the set not too long ago, but I had this idea in my head to use the main image as a background, and I had to run with it. I pulled out my mulberry papers for the first time in I don't know how long (years!), and pulled this together. What do you think? It's very simple, but I like it. I used to love using mulberry paper on nature-y cards, because the texture in it reminds me of wood fibers (maybe it is wood fibers?).

And I love this sentiment. The words are lyrics from one of my favorite songs of all time. Not familiar with the tune? What? Have you never seen Sister Act? :o) My favorite version is by Lauryn Hill (surprise!). Check it out HERE, if you're interested.

I haven't been posting much lately because we've all been sick here. By the time the boys are in bed, all I want to do is veg in front of the tv. My mind has been mush at night from the constant running during the day. Thankfully we're all on the mend now, and I'm back in business! I would normally get another card posted at naptime tomorrow, but instead I'm leaving the boys with their Papa and going to see a local production of Jesus Christ Superstar with some friends. :o) I love that show. This is the second or third time I will have seen it.

Enjoy the day, and look for more cards from me soon!

Down Time

Jack started running a fever last Wednesday, and it continued through Monday, when he also started to develop a bad cough and was gasping for air. We took him in, and he was admitted to the hospital for a day with croup and stridorous breathing. He needed several treatments to get his breathing back under control.

The following day, Henry also developed a fever, and was diagnosed with pneumonia when we took him to the pediatrician. This pic was taken on day 1 of his sickness as he snuggled with Grandma.... on day 2, he was flat on his back on the couch for 14 hours straight, and absolutely refused to move for anything (this was the day I took him to the Dr., which he fought... "I no like my dotdor.... I not feewing so good.... I no like my dotdor"). The Dr. gave him two shots of antibiotics, and by this morning (day 3) he was up and about again, and thankfully feeling much better.

I will be so glad once the sickies are out of the house for good!

Wednesday Weigh-In #8

Well, we are about 2/3 of the way through our Pound for Pound Challenge period. Are you 2/3 of the way toward the goal you pledged at the beginning of the season? I'm happy to say that I'm on target so far, assuming I keep losing like I have been. I lost 2.2 lbs this week, which brings me up to 18 lbs so far. Not too shabby... especially since I've been sick all week! I really wanted to go back through all of the comments and tally everyone up for this post, but I've been so out of it lately with all of this congestion that I just didn't get it done. Maybe next week...

Meanwhile, check out these yummy recipe links I got in a recent email from The Biggest Loser:

Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Asparagus and Tomato Pasta Salad

Spinach Artichoke Dip

If you click on any of the recipes above you will find a link to even more low fat recipes. Some of them look pretty tasty, too!

How are you doing this week? I hope you've at least managed to stay healthy!

Contest & Closure...

First, the contest.... Did you see that Pink Cat Studio is having another contest where you can win a FREE stamp set? For all of the info and details, check out the PCS blog HERE. All you have to do is think up a name for the baby. It really couldn't be easier! Now... Don't, I repeat - DO NOT, leave your contest entry on this post! You need to comment on the post linked above on the PCS blog to be entered. So, finish reading and then head on over!

Now, the closure.... The owners of the Bellaholics Anonymous Yahoo Group have decided it is time to close the group. If you are a member of the group, you've already seen the messages, and if you're not you probably don't really care one way or another. lol. At any rate, the group will close on March 15th, and therefore I will not be hosting my final sketch challenge for the group on the 13th (I was given the option to do it or skip it, and I chose the latter). I really enjoyed working with the other Challenge Queens and doing the monthly sketches, but I TOTALLY understand where everyone is coming from and why things are coming to an end. Anyhow, I just wanted to let you know in case anyone who follows my blog, but not the group, is wondering what's up come Friday.

So, there you have it!

Earth Laughs In Flowers

Isn't this such a sweet image? It's from a newly released set called His Eye Is On The Sparrow, over at Sweet n' Sassy Stamps. Technically, in this card, his eye is on the bluebird, but whatever! hehehe. I just really felt like those birds needed to be blue today. What can I say?! The background paper is by Basic Grey.

How do you like what I did with my ribbon? I crossed the ends and secured them under the button, then I left the ends of the thread that I used on the button out too before attaching it. It's a look that Anna Wight uses on her cards quite a bit, and I just love it. I'm still perfecting the art of course, but I love it when she does it (go to her blog and scroll down... you'll see what I mean!).

This reminds me - I got a handful of comments yesterday from people saying they liked how I made that bottom DP diagonal. It totally wasn't my idea. I meant to share this link in yesterday's post but totally spaced it. I got the idea from this card that was recently posted on Jen Muraoka's blog (LOVE her blog, btw! She always does such cool layouts.).

I also want to share another book that I finished recently:

This is a true account of the world's fair that was held in Chicago in 1893, and it is absolutely fascinating. There are so many things we use and say today that came from this time period - from this particular event - it's just amazing. Here is a brief synopsis of the book:

Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake.

The Devil in the White City draws the reader into a time of magic and majesty, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. In this book the smoke, romance, and mystery of the Gilded Age come alive as never before.

If you're looking for a new book, I would highly recommend this. It's one of the best I've read in a long time!

Enjoy the day!

What do you see?

Here is a short video of Henry looking at one of his favorite picture books. For as long as we've been reading together (basically all his life), I've asked him what he sees on every page of every book. I'm trying to get him to notice the little things in the background in the hopes that he will grow up to be more observant of the things around him than some men I know (*ahem* lol!).

The theory doesn't really apply to this book since all that's there are pictures... but at least I explained my title. ;o)

You Rocket!

Here's another fun card using the Changito in Space set from i {heart} papers. It was soooo hard for me to step outside the box and not color my rocket grey! I don't know why I think all rockets should be grey, but I do. Hmph. Go figure.

The two DP's in the background are both from Basic Grey's 6x6 Cupcake Paper Pad. I think this might be my favorite BG pad EVER! I love the whimsy in these papers. They're wayy fun! The ribbon is the 1/4" Glimmer White - the same as what I used on the Changito frame last week (scroll down to see that if you haven't already). I love the shimmer (or I guess I should say "glimmer") you get with the ribbon. It's subtle, but pretty.

I colored the image with my copics, and added a few little star buttons that I picked up around Independence Day. I thought they were a nice addition.

Enjoy the day! And yes... I still need to get rid of that blasted snowflake in my signature. lol. One of these days....

Wednesday Weigh-In #7

It has been seven weeks since we started our Wednesday weigh-ins! How are you doing? Have you tried any new recipes? Had any successes (or drawbacks) that you want to share?

I lost .8 lbs this week, which brings me to 15.8 lbs total. I've been trying to follow some advice I got recently that said one should "eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and supper like a college student on a shoestring budget." LOL! I'm sure you've all heard (as have I) that breakfast should be your biggest meal of the day, but I've never really made it happen. I've been trying to make it a point to always eat breakfast, then have a good sized lunch, and a small supper meal. So far it seems to be working for me (what you don't know is that I was up almost 3 lbs by the end of last week, and have lost all of that plus the .8 on this new system). So, we'll see how long this lasts... It's hard to not snack at night, but I'm trying my best!

I really want to reach the goal I set for myself by the end of this season of The Biggest Loser, so I need to stay on top of things.

I hope you had a good week! Tell me about it... :)

No, Mama...

I didn't eat any Cheerios. I promise I.....

What?

Oh.... that.

I can explain...