Valentine RAK

One lucky reader will win a set of sparkle gel stickers by cloud9 and a great set of cardstock tab stickers also by Cloud9. Here is what you do... leave me a little comment on this post before Sunday 9:00am (PST) morning (February 3, 2007). I will randomly draw a name from all the comments. Thats it! Good luck! (oh and I am only willing to ship to USA or Canada...so for my random visitor from Malaysia, I am so sorry but I have got to keep my costs down).

Why?

Why is it whenever anyone asks you if they can talk to you for a second they really mean 15 minutes?
Why is it whenever my principal brings someone to visit my class its during my lunch 30 minutes (yeah no hour here)?
Why is it whenever my kid has to take a dump we are at Target, or in the car, or at Walmart?
Why is it whenever it is raining my kid decides that flipflops are the perfect and only shoe apparel he (or she) will wear?
Why is it no matter how often I instruct my students to listen to my instructions at least three students need to hear it four more times? (And just why is it that if I say ok you can play games, they all hear me the first time?)
Why is it on days I actually have time to read the paper it never arrives?
Why is it ants only invade the house while my husband is at work?
Why is it my kids seem to think they own my computer and I should be asking them for permission to use it?

Just some thoughts randomly passing through my head today.... Any similar thoughts going through yours?

PS. I have decided to give away some craft items this Friday (apparently I cant stop shopping, its a sickness)... a RAK... Free Friday! So check back in and feel free to spread the word.

I am not afraid!

I have this guy to protect me!

52 layouts/Photos week 4

Im slacking. I did a LO this weekend, but I used old pictures. My new pictures are trapped on my hard drive until I can print. I am having issues. So anyway here is my new LO with my old photos and also some new photos from this week. I love these pics of my kids. They were playing babies. The girl was the mom, the boy was the dad (yes I have told them brothers and sisters dont marry! lol) and they had 13 babies. Anyway they were cracking me up.

Why Arent You Laughing??

So my boy comes in the room this evening. I looked up at him but truth be told I was giving the computer the majority of my attention. The boy says, "Hey how come kids dont work in restaurants?"
My reply "Huh?"
The Boy: "Why dont kids work in restaurants?"
Me: "uuhhhhh i dunno?"
The Boy: "Because Kids dont work!!!" Boy falls down with laughter, boy continues laughing. Boy looks up. Boy speaks: "Why arent you laughing?"
Me: "huh? I'm confused"
Boy: "its funny mama, laugh!"
Husband yelling from other room: "He is telling you a joke!"
Me: wha???
Boy: Laugh mama!!
Me: makes small laughing sounds, still completely confused.
Boy: I will be back to tell you more jokes in a minute. I have to go make them up, these are my OWN jokes, mama
Me: ::Thinking::: your own? no kidding. LOL

And so I sit waiting for my humor impaired child to come back and tell me some more jokes.

I Got Nothin'....

Nothing but ants!!! All over my freaking house! Everytime I turn around I am cleaning up ants... not just a few either I am talking gazzillions (I am sure thats a number.)! They are everywhere. The more it rains (we are going on our 5th day straight) the more ants suddenly decide my casa es su casa. Its driving me nuts. Thank God its the weekend because I cant stand another day of getting up at 5:30am and then whipping out the raid and vacuum to take care of more unwanted guests. So on Saturday that crap can wait until 7am!

Things that make me curse!

That would be 3 pounds of powdered sugar on my floor. The top came off of my rubbermaid container. It was a new container... I would not recommend purchasing this brand at all. It was a huge feat to clean this mess up. I am not proud to say that I let loose with a string of very bad words in front of my little guy. I do suspect he was trying not to laugh at me. I was acting like a two year old...but omg it was such a huge mess and I was already exhausted.

More Mailboxes

These are the two I made for my kids. I tried to make the boy's a bit less girly. I think he will like it. I had a little accident with the flags. I had been popping them off because it was so much easier to cover the box. Well when I went to put them back on they wouldnt go. So I popped out the rivet and used a nice jewelled brad to hold the flag in place. Its a little loose but they still stand up fine and now they are prettier so I guess it was a happy accident. I am out of mailboxes so I guess its back to scrapbook pages.

52 week update... I have the pics, I have layout... but I am having printing issues to get the pic on the layout.... so technically I am done, I just need to print the pics and then post it...hopefully later this week.

Target Mailboxes

These are altered mailboxes from Target. There is a learning curve I believe when it comes to these things! It was much harder than I thought it would be!! There is great tutorial here. I will say I find it much easier to just pull the flag off then to try and go around it. I have had no problems reattaching the flag. I find it easier to use a liquid glue (I use tombow aqua adhesive), it makes it easier to slide the paper a bit and get it straight. These two boxes will be given to my kids' teachers for Valentine's Day. I think we will fill them with cookies or chocolate. Yum! I kind of wish I had bought a few more mailboxes (I bought six, but they are so fun to do!)

A Little Rant...

Ok, so I am still sick. Its a curse I have... I never get sick enough to stay home, just sick enough to feel and look crappy and yet be able to put in a full days work. All week I have been craving (and I mean CRAVING) oatmeal cookies (homemade no store bought crap) and yet I have been feeling too crappy to pull out the mixer and make some. So all day at work I dream of oatmeal cookies and then I get home, feed the children, read to them, play with them (ok ok we watch wheel of fortune together but HEY i am sick) put them to bed and then... its cookie time...but no cause now I am about to fall down dead... so instead of cookies I get half a bottle of nyquil then I crash out until 5 am when i get it up to do it all over again.

Side Note: Its probably a good thing I havent made cookies. I mean I have been trying to lose weight forever, I work out 4 days a week and still nada...so really I should probably try avoiding cookies instead of chasing after them.

Scrappin' Stuff

Layout I put together using Mother's Day pics from a couple of years ago. yeah... i am always behind. Its American Crafts paper...Queen and Co, brads and flowers...if ya care about such details. Its a little blurry, as I scanned it and stitched it together... i can never get that to work just right.

I am so in love with this kid!

He loves that his hands can be considered weapons! Oh and he wants you to know thats his old belt...he is a "gold" belt now!

Sick

ugh, sick,sick, sick!!! I thought I was hung over... (I may or may not have partaken in quite a bit of vodka at a very wild party over the weekend) but no its not a hang over, its some kind of horrid cold, sore throat, stuffy head, runny nose thing! My voice is going too. At least once its gone I can stay home from work. Of course it will probably just hang in there enough for me to make it to Friday. Suppose to take a cycle class tonite to. Definitely need to get the exercise in after i went on a chocolate binge yesterday. Anyway thats my Monday, hope yours is going better!

52 Layouts- Number 2

These are my babies reading on the couch yesterday. The boy loves the girl to read to them. i love how they look all cuddled on the couch.

Ok so today I was tagged by Tezra.
I was just thinking I needed something to talk about

The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven facts about myself….

1. I was kicked out of church choir at the age of 11 because "my voice was not pleasing". I have not sung in public since. In fact the only people who have heard me sing since are my kids and husband.

2. I can draw pretty well, but I need to look at a picture or the actual thing while I am drawing. I dont draw very well from memory. I am a pretty good painter too, but again I need a visual.

3. I am 34 and I feel OLD. I do not believe that crap about 40 being the new 20.

4. I teach science and I LOVE it.

5. I hate math. I still have math anxiety.

6. I love cats. I have 5 cats, 6 if you count the one the neighbor abandoned that I still feed.

7. I have never smoked a cigarette. My own brother wont believe me but its true.

I think the rest of the rules required me to tag someone....but well, I am tired so I am just gonna say...if you wanna be tagged leave me a comment and tell me your playing. I would love to come read all about you.

Winners!

Here are the winners of the RAK!
Inara
Nicole P.
Connie
Scraprageous

Please email (derbylea at mac.com) me your mailing info and I will get your stamps out right away. Congratulations!!

Last of the Christmas Shots

I just thought these were too cute not to post. Especially the boy. He loves that little guitar. He stands next to Mr.Iamderby while the Mr. is playing guitar hero. He thinks he is playing too. Too funny.

My First Ever RAK*

Welcome to my first ever RAK*. I picked up a few extra of these Mike's stamps (studio G, 1 dollar stamps...very popular over at CKMB) today on a quest for a new cricut cartridge. So here's what you do: leave me a message in the comments. You have until 11:00pm (PST) Monday (January 7) to leave me a comment. I will put all the names in a hat and draw 4 lucky internets to receive one of the stamp packs pictured. I will post winners on Tuesday. Make sure you check back, so you can send me your information if you are a winner! Good luck!

*RAK= random act of kindness

52 Layouts

So Erica (see her here) had the great idea to take one photo a week, make one LO a week and then post it. I think this is the perfect motivation to stop scrap shopping so much and get to scrapbook making. So heres my first LO. Now technically these are some old photos...but I just downloaded and edited them..so I am counting them. After this I will take a new one each week. Oh and this LO is for last week.

Are these not the cutest jars ever? I bought them for my new shelf... to store ribbon and other scrapbooking goodies. I got them at Ikea and they were a steal at 2.99 for a set of 4. I simply had to have three sets.
Speaking of Ikea... they have fabulous deals but why, for the love of G*d to they have to include the most horrible instructions ever for putting together their furniture? We bought a new desk/hutch thing for our desktop computer. It was very simple in design but the instructions...OMG the instructions! All the instructions are pictorial, there is not a single word on them. They always show an uphappy little dude in the beginning... yeah he is me. I nearly had a mental breakdown putting that thing together last night. Not to mention it took hours... as in 5 hours!! It was the most frustrating thing ever. I dont think I will be buying anymore furniture items there!

Duncan

My new cat Duncan is quite the scaredy cat. He has mostly hidden under my bed since his arrival to our family on December 9th. Finally he has decided to venture downstairs! He has such soft fur and a great purr its too bad he spends most of his time under my dusty bed. He has been coming down the past week to eat and get a drink of water. Previously he had only been sneaking down in the middle of the night. I am hoping soon he wont feel the need to run under the bed whenever we make a sudden movement.

Scrap Corner

I give you some pics of my "new" scrapping corner. "New" in that even though the corner was already there it wasn't inhabited by this table or these things on the wall. The big wall shelf (in the corner) I had already taken possession of earlier in the year. The table is a gate leg table so it folds up nicely, yet is very sturdy... it used to be behind the couch as a sofa table. The wall shelves all were in the house previously with the exception of the big white one.
That is the new making memories embellishment center. This thing retails for 80$. I did not pay 80$. If I had I would have been sorely disappointed because while I really like this shelf it is not very well put together, the painting appears to have been done by 5 year olds for one thing. The back has a few hair line cracks and the wood(? not sure if its actual wood) working is definitely subpar. I got it for 40$ so I think 40 is a reasonable amount for a shelf of this quality. It was a huge PITA to hang on the wall but I did it all by myself.
On the table is my new cricut, which I am quickly learning to love. Also on the table is my OTT lite which I am not certain how I ever lived without. That thing puts out so much light.
Overall I am pretty happy with the set up. Now I know that a decorator would probably be choking over my combo scraproom/formal living room but I dont care. And really how formal of a room can you have with two children running amuck, jumping on sofas, dancing on tables (Fun daddy lets them do these things NOTme!) and cats scratching up my clearance PB slipcovers? Anyway I am thrilled with it and have been happily scrapping there for the last few days.