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.

Bake Much?

My kids love to make cookies. Here is our gingerbread extravaganza from last week. I think I have made at least 500 cookies in the last month. So I am done for awhile. I dont plan on baking another cookie until Valentines day. On V day I might make some heart shaped sugar cookies. I did try a new recipe this past christmas, it was a chocolate cookie with an andes mint melted on the top. Oh it was so good! Anybody else out there like to bake? Whats your favorite cookie?

Scrappin' Stuff

Finally busted through the scrappers block and made some new pages. These hi light our year (2007). It actually took 4 pages but I am too lazy to wait for blogger to upload all four.

I made myself a scrapbook corner in our living room, I am sure some interior decorator would call it atrocious but I am happy I have a spot to work that is not the dining room table. I have so many supplies now, I truely need a room but unless one of these kids decides to skip jr high, highschool and most of elementary school and head straight to college, I am stuck with the corner for at least a few more years. Someday we will be able to buy a bigger house but today I am thankful for what I do have.

December Review

If I were a better blogger I would have blogged these seperately, on different days, taking care to relate the humorous story that went with each one, but lets face it, I am a much better blog reader than I am blog writer. So here are some pictures from our december.

Some decorations on our mantle... I scaled back to two barbies this year, I have dozens.

My kids opening presents from their aunty. My son did not get that you cant complain if its something you didnt really want. He told his nana, " I did not want this! I want action figures!" It was damn funny but we had to punish him because seriously that kind of stuff reflects badly on ME! LOL

Baby girl decorating our tree from Longs Drugstore... only 20 dollars. It was completely crooked and had big holes all over it but thats what I get for taking the easy way out and letting the hubs pick the tree out all by himself.

Baby boy at his singing program for preschool. Isnt he adorable? (He is the one in the red sweater vest.)

Just another way we celebrate the holidays...

Thats my hubby's head. I did the artwork. It was totally his idea! Then of course the kids needed reindeer too. They got them on their legs and tummies (since they both have a full head of hair)

Burning the Candle at both ends

Yup, thats what I am doing. I am totally exhausted and my list is still a mile long. The shoppings done, but not the groceries, pies to be made, relatives coming in from out of town, gifts to be wrapped. Sigh sigh sigh... I will deal with it tommorrow! If I dont get back on here before the big day, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!!

Funny Old Photos

Too bad TKW doesnt play WBW anymore because I finally have some material. I scanned these old pictures in the other day. I found them in a tattered old envelope at my mom's . She wouldnt give me the originals.

This is me and my dad. I must say I look pretty cute. My dad? Well it was the 70's. Check out our couch? Did people really think that was attractive? My mom still has that crocheted blanket! Who would of thought of that color combo? My grandma actually...lol. She did beautiful work but really the colors leave much to be desired. In the way back on the shelf you can see the plastic statue of Michaelangelos David. That naked guy caused much laughing among me and my grade school friends as the years went by. I think my mother still has it in her bedroom.

Here we are at Disneyland circa 1980 or so. Dont you just love my dad's and brother's athletic socks??? Crazy! Those shorts I am wearing were hideous. You remember the ones with the little stripe down the side? Yeah, thats them.

Anywho I hope you enjoyed the little flash from the past. I just love looking at old snapshots.

New Kitty Update

Duncan decided to exit the bed at 12:30 last night! He hopped up on top of the bed and began purring loudly next to my ear. He would not go away and until I pet him for like 20 minutes in the middle of the night! Like having a toddler, I swear. Anyway he seems to be settling in. I am keeping him in my bedroom for another day or two because he is such a scaredy cat. My other cat Tiger is not amused with all the attention we have been bestowing on Duncan. Hoping those two will be able to come to terms soon. I promise pictures soon.... i have been lazy.

New Kitty

So I adopted a new kitty today. He is fat and gray. He goes by the name of Duncan and currently he wont come out from under my bed. I sure hope he gets over this crap soon. I wanted a cat to pet and love not sweep my floor clean of dust bunnies. Its only day one, so there is hope.... Pictures to come (as soon as I get him out from the bed! lol)

I should know better...

I let my husband buy the tree without me present. Oh it is a sad little tree, pathetic almost. Huge hole on one side. Where did he find such a sad little thing I thought to myself. Turns out Longs Drug store. Did you know they sold trees? Cheap too. Only 20 bucks. Well the kids are happy. The tree is about to fall over under the weight of the zillion ornaments the children put on. I will have to post a pic. Maybe tommorrow... tonite I need sleep.

Christmas Decorations

Well I have finally got the outdoor lights up. I did it myself. If I had waited for Mr. Iamderby I would have been waiting on Dec. 24th. So I got out the ladder and hoisted those things up myself. And then because babygirl was begging I went and bought one of those deer and stuck that out there too. Next I hauled out all the Christmas boxes from the garage and shed. And with two very eager children I started to unpack them. So lots of decorations are out, just not up properly. Maybe some pics once they look good.

Cookies...cookies...cookies!!!

OMG I am so tired. I ended up making 20 dozen cookies. Three varieties. Non stop baking from saturday to Sunday. CRAZY! Heres some pictures: