Christmas Cards

Like I said this year, the Christmas cards were really simple. Just pp and rub-ons. But they're all done and sent out. Now I gotta go do some shopping and get the kids pic taken with Santa. The mall is gonna be chaotic. It's Tuesday, though, so hopefully it won't be so bad.

Christmas Decorations

So, as promised here's some sad little pics. I so need a new camera. I decided to go with blue and silver this year. I like it, but I think I need to add some more decorations to my tree.
I'll blog tomorrow, gotta go and get my scrap on. Peace.

Back from the dead...sort of

I've been MIA for awhile. Work has been psycho crazy. Whole lot of overtime. The holiday season in the airline business is no joke. Seriously? It's insane. I haven't had time to finish all my Chrismas shopping yet. I did manage to get the tree up and make a little centerpiece for my table. I'll post pics later. Haven't scrapped in forever except my Christmas cards, but they don't really count cause they weren't anything special this year. Just some pp and a merry christmas rub-on. Oh well. I gotta go shopping.....but I'm so tired.....I gotta clean a bit .......but I don't feel like it......I'm feeling kinda Grinchy this year. Is Grinchy a word? Oh well, it is now. I've been soo busy and tired that I haven't had time to actually get in the holiday spirit and be excited about the whole thing. If I didn't have my boys, I would've skipped the holidays this year, but for them I have to decorate and be jolly and all that mess. I sound so Scroogey, huh? Oh well, I'll work on getting into the holiday spirit today. :)

Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. As for me, not so great. Family drama as always. Will it ever end? Lol. All I can do is shake it off and move on. Try to stay focused on what the whole day was actually supposed to be about, and that's being thankful. And I am ever so thankful. I have truly been blessed in so many ways. I remember reading a poem or something somewhere and it was just so cute. It said something like, I'm thankful for a hamper full of dirty clothes because it means I have clothing. I'm thankful for a sink full of dirty dishes because it means I have food to eat. Something along those lines, anyway. lol. And it really makes me realize that I take things for granted sometimes. Yesterday, I bowed my head in prayer and thanked God for all those things that I don't thank him for on a daily basis like I should. Like being thankful for family drama because it means I have a family. And it means I'm with them on holidays unlike so many of our supposed to be about and that's being thankful. And I am ever so thankful. I have truly been blessed in so many ways. I remember reading a poem or something somewhere and it was just so cute. It said something like, I'm thankful for a hamper full of dirty clothes because it means I have clothing. I'm thankful for a sink full of dirty dishes because it means I have food to eat. Something along those lines anyway. lol. And it really makes me realize that I take things for granted sometimes. Yesterday, I bowed my head in prayer and thanked God for all those things that I don't thank him for on a daily basis like I should. Like being thankful for family drama because it means I have a family. And it means I'm with them on holidays unlike so many of our wonderful servicemen and women who can't be with their family right now. I'm thankful for them, and pray for them on a daily basis. Please show them we haven't forgotten about the sacrifices they're making every day and send them a little something for the holidays. Whether it's just a card or snacks, whatever. Just something to show them we do care and are forever grateful. Peace and love.

Sick

Finally starting to feel better. My boys were sick and the whole time I'm tending to them I'm trying to fight off my sickness. You know it's not "allowed" for Mommies to get sick. I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep, but I doubt that's gonna happen any time soon. The holidays are here and I have a ton of things to do. Right now, though, I'm gonna try to sneak off and get a 'lil shuteye.

Once Again

trying to post some pics has been uggghhh. Finally, got it to work. Yay!

Tired

I started a new job, and I've been so tired and sleepy, and mojo-less. I have tons of yummes just sitting on my desk waiting for me to come play with them, and I don't have the energy to do it. Nonetheless, I bought some new stuff today. Can't wait to get it! Maybe that'll get my creative juices flowing. Hopefully, 'cause I got tons of pics to scrap. I can barely keep my eyes open, so I'll leave you with a few things that I've made in the last couple of weeks.

EDIT: Blogger doesn't feel like uploading my pics obviously, so 'll try again tomorrow.

Bear Fight

This video is just too funny. Had to share: Bear Fight

Some layouts

I've been scrapping quite a bit, trying to release some stress, and use up my evergrowing stash of goodies. Two of these are 6x6, one that's now on my fridge and the one with my dad and my boys is on my bulletin board in my scraproom. Speaking of scraproom, I really need to get it cleaned up and organized, it's a mess. So, that's on my to do list for this week along with a milion other things, lol.

Confusion

Praying to be able to see everything clearly. 'Cause my vision and my emotions are so blurry. Another entry in my art journal. Oh, and check out this video on the evolution of a model. I've been scrapping like crazy, so I'll do some posting later this weekend. Peace.

Fall Weather

I love fall. The days are so nice, and it makes me wanna just be outside and enjoy the day. Yesterday was an awesome day. We went to Kemah, and ate some catfish, shrimp, and fries. YUMMY!! We then went to ride some paddleboats. Well, I didn't get on because Cy couldn't ride. So, Mars and James took Jace and I just couldn't stop looking at my baby having so much fun. We walked around, ate snowcones, and watched Jace run up and down the hill by the Miller Outdoor Theater. At the end of the day, my heart melted when I had this conversation with Jace: Jace: Thank you very much, Mommy.
Me: For what, baby?
Jace: I had fun today.
Me: That makes Mommy so happy.
Jace: Ok. I love you.
Me: I love you, too, baby.
And then I bit my lip to stop from crying. Everything I do is for my boys. They are my reason to keep fighting and clawing my way out of this depression that has gotten ahold of me. To keep moving forward on my journey to a new and improved me.

Breakaway

Love this song by Kelly Clarkson.

Right on track

So, things have changed since I last posted. I got a job. I've been working out on a daily basis. I've started to read again. I've read My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult and Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. I just started the Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd and hopefully I'll finish that tomorrow. I'm listening to music a lot more. I forgot how much I love music, and reading for that matter. It's been awhile since I've focused only on me and what I like to do. Feels good. It's a long road, but I think I'm finally on my way to happiness, and I haven't felt so excited in a LONG time.

It's okay

I'm not perfect. It's something I will never be. Not matter how hard I work. No matter how hard I try. I will never be perfect. And after many years of refusing to accept that statement, I've finally realized it to be true. I will never be a perfect wife. I will never be a perfect mother. And I will never be a perfect Christian. And you know what? That's okay.

Any Marine

So, I ran across this site today, Any Marine, while reading Donna's blog. You know I love all our servicemen and women, but I especially have a soft spot for Marines. Mars is a Marine, as well as my brother. Being a military wife is hard, husband always being away, moving a lot, constant stress and worries, so many things that civilians mostly take for granted. Mars missed most of my first pregnancy, and then was in Iraq for the first 6 months of our son's life. That's something you can never get back.Ever. It's a daily sacrifice that these men and women AND their families make. I keep them in my daily prayers, and it actually brings tears to my eyes everytime I hear my 3 year old pray and ask God to take care of our military. I'm so happy that he has been able to pick up on the appreciation, support, and love that we have for the members of our military. It's an AWESOME thing to pass on to our children. So....if you would like to pick a marine or any member of the military go to that website, get their addy, and send them a little something. It doesn't have to be a huge package, just something, anything to bring a smile to their faces. Some of these guys, don't have anybody that writes them and sends them packages. Mars was lucky enough to get several big packages a weekwhen he was overseas. Enough for him and some of the marines in his unit. But many aren't as lucky. So take some time out of your busy schedule, and show some love for our guys that risk their lives daily.

The Contender

Just finished watching The Contender, and I'm kinda bummed. Well, first of all, since the beginning I was going for Norberto "El Gallito" Bravo. He was my favorite of all the Contenders this year. I love boxing, but I'm such a girl, when it comes to picking my favorites. I don't look at skills or talent. I look at the type of person they are, their heart, their family. Silly, I know, but that's what wins me over. Sergio Mora won me over last season. Anyway, when Bravo lost I didn't really care who won the Finale. I actually thought it was going to be Steve "2 pound" Forbes, but he just didn't bring it tonight. It was a good fight, but "Bad Boy" Brewer was a little more active, a little more accurate that Forbes. I guess in the end it turned out for the best. Forbes isn't married, and doesn't have any kids so $500,000 are just for him basically. Brewer, on the other hand, has 4 kids and works long hours at a tire shop to support his family. So, he'd have more use for the money. Anyway, that's my little girlie point of view. Anyway, can't wait to the 14th, when Joey's fine looking looking butt gets in the ring. See?? Once again, being a girl. I love the sport, and when the fight is on, I'm all about boxing, but right before the fight, like during the weigh-in, the press conference, and the locker room interviews, I'm like, "Umm.....hold up..." Seriously, I need to stop. Oh!! Did you see the Rocky movie that's going to come out?? What the??? Okay, I'm not even going to say anything about Sylvester Stallone making a movie where he fights Antonio"Magic Man"Tarver.I'm not going to say anything. Sly you're a hottie, you know, but baby, you're too old, honey. You just look silly. Now cut the movie making crap(especially the boxing), and come sit with Momma. Come on. It's crazy, but you know I'm gonna watch it anyway. Let me get my butt off this chair, and go to sleep. See ya.

Sleep...

Lately, I've been soo tired. I don't have energy to do anything at all. I know it's because I'm just not getting enough sleep. Once the kiddoes are in bed, I read, scrap, get online, clean, instead of just going to sleep. Like now, it's 1:30 am my boys are asleep and I'm here blogging. As soon as I'm done I'll probably scrap a bit. It'll be 3 by the time I'm done and I'll be up at 6:30 when Mars gets home. I'm seriously getting 3,4 maybe 5 hours of sleep. And that's interrupted sleep, too, because Cy will wake up usually around 4 am wanting his bottle. This has got to change. But if I go to sleep when the kids are asleep, I'll miss out on my quiet time, alone, to do whatever I want. Ugghhhhh!! There has to be another way. I'll figure something out. My brother and I were just talking about James, Mars' best friend, and he was saying how young he looked for his age. Seriously, this guy looks maybe 22. After thinking about it for awhile, he doesn't have the stress and drama that marriage and kids can bring. He goes to sleep early, works out, doesn't drink, smoke or party. So, he looks GOOD!! Soooooo, I need to make some changes...BAD. I've been working out a bit, but I've been taking it pretty easy. Well, Cy's 6 months now, and my body has had more than enough time to rest. It's time to kick it into overdrive. Yep, I'm making some changes. Some people might not be too happy about some of them, but oh well, too bad, so sad. I'm off to bed. (BTW, this layout is REALLY old, but I love this pic and quote.)

9.11.06

Anniversary

Today's my 6th anniversary. 6 years, man, time flies, huh?? We've been through a lot in our marriage. Near death car accidents, deaths in family, Iraq deployment, cross country moves, hospital stays, 2 high risk pregnancies, NICU visits, too many nights alone due to military life, so much craziness, yet I'm still here lovin' this stupid stupid man.

PAIN

I love my art journal. It feels so good to just use art supplies and write. Write about me. My thoughts, hopes, desires, whatever. As you can probably tell, I'm going through some stuff right now. Really just reevaluating my life. Thinking about myself for a change. Doing what's best for me, and of course my boys, who are my strength to get up every morning and put on a smile. Here's a quote by Agatha Christie that's so dead on on what a mother's love is. Not all mothers, mind you. But this mother for sure. "A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things and crushes remorselessly all that stands in its path." So true, so true.

Drama

So,yeah, another pic of me. I've been taking pics of myself for the projects I'm working on. I always seem to put my hand like that when I'm thinking or frustrated. Today, my frustration is caused by drama. Family drama. I know that I'm blessed for having such a big family,but seriously, they drive me nuts. I sometimes just wanna stay away from them. Maybe move somewhere and not give them my number or address. Really. I'm serious. I think they drain me more than they support me. Ugghhhh!!!! I just wanna go away...far far away...with my boys...and a man that loves me. Away from it all. Just me, them, and happiness.

Awakening

Today was a really good day. We went to the zoo. Loved seeing Jace get excited about all of the animals, especially the giraffes. Went swimming for a little bit afterwards, ate pizza, and watched The Sentinel. James spent the day with us which is always good. He's great to be around. My brother came over for a bit, and loved that. Great conversation all day long. Especially love that. You know, I realized something today. Something crazy. But oh so good. So right. Just the thought makes me smile, and fills me with something I haven't felt in awhile...total and complete happiness.

Pic

Just trying to update my profile pic. Let's see if this works.

Just keep swimming...

September, already. Goodness, where has the time gone? I've been writing in my journal a lot lately, and I can already feel a few mini albums coming out of that. I've noticed that I hardly ever scrap myself, and I reaally need to start doing that so my kids can know who I am. I've been doing some, well A LOT of soul searching lately, and I need to document some of my thoughts and feelings. In the next couple weeks, that's what I'll be working on. Me. So, until then, here's a few layouts I made awhile back.

Changes

I was talking to a special person a couple nights ago about change. Changing things about yourself. Changing your lifestyle. Making different choices. Getting out of your comfort zone and doing things you normally wouldn't do. New experiences. New outlook on life. A new you. So, it got me thinking about me. What changes do I need to make? What's better for me? For my boys? What makes me happy? After much thought, I've come to the conclusion that I've let myself go. I've lost who I really am in so many ways. I've been living my life the way other people want me to. My feelings, wants, and needs are put on the back burner while I work hard to make everyone in my life happy. And in doing so, I've disappeared. I stopped existing. I'm no longer me. And that well....sucks. So....as of today, things are gonna change. I'm no longer afraid of change. I'm embracing it. I'm an intelligent, young, caring, beautiful, and damn good woman with so much to offer. I know that these changes are for the better. It's not only what I want, it's what I need.

To Do

There's a mess everywhere. I really need to get some cleaning done today. I've got lots of yummies just sitting on my desk ready to play with, but just haven't had any time to do so. So, gotta make a to do list before I lose my mind. Ummm...let's see...in no particular order......
1. clean house
2. clear desk of yummies
3. go grocery shopping
4. download wedding pics
5. transfer most of my pics to disks
6. submit some layouts and cards
7. update profile pic
8. workout
Those things should keep me busy for awhile. Off to start the day, and get some cleaning done before my babies wake up.

The Nerve

So, I'm cooking for the 4th time last night (breakfast, lunch, baked cookies, and dinner), and my dear sweet husband says,"Can't you cook any faster?" God, please remove all items that may be used as an instrument to commit murder. Seriously, Mars you better start frickin' runnin. Run for your life, 'cause you done messed up now. Can you believe him??? Oh yeah, there will be punishment. Ummmhmmmm. Serious punishment.

Kemah Boardwalk

Mars and I are homebodies. Jace on the other hand loves to go out. We're trying to get out a bit more for Jace's sake. It's really hard to drag Mars out of the house, though, so sometimes I go by myself. Anyway, I made him promise me that he'd take us out on his day off. So last week, we went to the Kemah Boardwalk. Seriously, we took longer getting ready than the time we spent there. It was soo hot!! I was able to get some good pics though. Here's some layouts I made this morning from those pics.

Rules

I can never seem to come up with a good title for my scrapbook pages. Sometimes I don't even journal a lot on my pages, just a little quote or a sentence. I've struggled with this because it's supposed to be a rule, right? Pic, journaling, title. A scrapbook page must have these three things. Ummmm, says who? I've decided that they're MY pages that are going in MY albums, so I can create however I'd like to. So, here's some pages I did today. No title, no journaling, and it's okay.

Finally done!!

WooHoo!! I'm finally done with both wedding invitations! Now I can get start scrapping for me. It feels like it's been forever since I did a layout, so today I played with my new yummy AC and Chatterbox stuff. Felt good! Oh yeah, I tried the Coke Blak and EWWWWW!!! It was gross!! I don't like coffee, though, so maybe that's it. I'll stick to the delicious and oh so refreshing Coca-Cola. Anyway, back to scrapping, guess what starts shipping tomorrow?? My favorite stamp company of all time.....FONTWERKS!! Yiippeee!! I can't wait to start seeing this in stores. Well, I gotta go, 'cause Jace is STILL up and will not leave me alone so that I can blog in peace. So, I'm off to read a story, sing "Bad Day" for the millionth time and put this little boy to bed. 'Night.

Man, I haven't blogged in about a week. Been pretty busy doing invitations for my sister's wedding that is at the end of August and my cousin's that's at the beginning of September. Jace is in both weddings, and I need to go get him a tux. Mars needs to take his Marine Corps dress blues to the cleaners, and I need to find some dresses. Agghhhhh! So much to do, so little time. Just to add a little more to that, Cy is teething and has been fussy and crying and has just been wanting to be held and cuddled all day long. But what can I say, life is good. My guys keep me busy all day, every day. Hmmmm....I think I deserve to get all the new CHA releases that are calling my name, right? Well, let me try to get some sleep before these kiddoes wake up. Here's a pic of Mars and the boys wrestling and being loud. 'Night. 

Feeling Blah

Today has been a blah day. I just wasn't feeling too well. I didn't do any housework or watch TV or play with my kids. I asked Mars to take over today. I needed to get in bed and sleep or lay down in complete silence. Mars is the best husband in the world. He encourages me take time outs and have "me" time. After all, he wants his wife to stay sane, right? I think maybe everyone's problems sort of take a toll on me. See, I'm the listener of the family. Everyone confides in me and tells me about their problems. Not necessarily needing advice, just wanting someone to listen. I love the fact that they trust me and feel comfortable confiding in me, but in listening to their problems I kinda take on some of the weight. I worry about them and am constantly thinking about what I can do to make things better for them. Well, I've just now realized (better late than never, right?) that the best thing that I can do is PRAY. Take deep breaths, IN....OUT.....IN.....OUT.... and hand over all those troubles to the Lord. Hand them ALL over. Ahhhh, I feel so much better now. He's the best, isn't he? Thank you, Father. I love you.

Team Hoyt

To love and to be loved like this is......i don't know...inspirational....amazing....a blessing. One can only hope for this kind of love. Unconditional love. Here's a little info on this amazing father son team. Team Hoyt. I'm speechless after watching that, so I'll leave you with some questions. Why not? Why not love like that? What's keeping you from it? Loving with all your strength, your soul, everything you have. Are you afraid? Selfish? What is it? Why not love like that? Why not love HARD? Hmmm.....I think I can love harder.....I will. To LOVE.

7 gypsies and Coke Blak

OMGoodness!! More and more sneak peeks have been coming out with upcoming releases from CHA-Summer, and I'm dying. I want it all, no wait, I need it all. Well, actually, I've decided that I'm not just going to hoard everything I love, because in the past I've hoarded lots of embellies and pink papers and well, actually I don't use them that much. I'm really only going to buy what I know I'm going to use. Like all the new 7 gypsies stuff! Hello? Send it to my house right now. My cc # is __________. LOL.Seriously though, I'm in love. Truly, madly, deeply in love. Not just with 7 gypsies, but with American Crafts and Heidi Swapp, too. I think I'm gonna have to buy that new Making Memories timmer also. Jace broke my cutterpede ruler. Anyway, I was browsing through my Real Simple mag and look what I saw. Hmm....wonder what that tastes like. I'm not a coffee drinker, but this looks interesting. Might just have to look out for it. Well, that's all for today. My allergies are acting up and I just wanna go lay down and close my eyes. 'Night.

Heidi Swapp.......

She is taking all my money, seriously. I saw a sneak peek of her new CHA summer releases, and it looks YUMMY!!! There's so many awesome products coming out. Can't wait! Anyway, yesterday, was a really busy day. I got my sofas delivered, my mom made my cushion covers, and my Abuelita came to visit from Mexico and got to see my baby Cy for the first time. It was pretty cool day. Here's some pics from yesterday. I'm off to scrap a bit for some upcoming calls. 'Night.

Art Journal

My layouts are simple and linear, and I love that, but I also like to play. I love paint and stamps, but its hard for me to use them on my layouts. Don't know why. So, I decided to start an art journal. Somewhere where I can write and play with paint and stamps, without worrying about it being clean or linear. Anyway, here's the cover of my art journal and the first two pages. I really need to get some sleep now. Good night.

Home Decor (cont.)

Ok, for some reason, I couldn't get the other pic to upload on that post. Maybe it was too big or something. I'll get the hang of this, don't worry. Anyway, I was trying to post a pic of the fabric that I also got so my mom can make me some cushion covers. I loved the chocolate brown. I didn't really want stripes, but it had both colors in it, and well, I decided to get it. If I find some other fabric later that I like I can always ask my mom for more cushion covers, right? Isn't that what moms are for?

American Crafts dream and Home Decor

So, I had an oh so wonderful dream last night that I received this awesome package from American Crafts. It was full of all their CHA Summer releases. YUMMY!!! I guess I was so excited about their new stuff that I was still thinking about it when I went to bed. They're one of my favorite scrapbook companies, and I just can't wait to spend all my money on all their new things. I'm lovin' the paper, the flowers, the rub-ons, the thickers, the stickers. Well, basically ALL OF IT!!! In case, you haven't seen it, there are sneak peeks in Sarah's gallery. Anyway, we sold our black leather furniture because we, well I, wanted something diferent. We'd bought that when we got married and had no kids, but now, we have two boys, and I wanted a little change. A more family look rather than a bachelor pad kinda feel. So, I ordered some new sofas, and they're going to be delivered on Tues. YAY! I can't wait. My living room was all black with some gold, but now I'm really diggin' this green, blue, chocolate, caramel color combo, so I bought a couple of stuff to redecorate the living room. Well, actually my mom bought them for me as a belated birthday present. I got this votive candle holder, 'cause you know I have to have candles. I also got this cool little vase. I just need to get some flowers to put in it. I'm lovin' it all.