Merry Christmas!

Ok - so Christmas is three days away but I'm just now getting my Christmas cards in the mail. They need a 12 step program for procrastination since I obviously suffer from it. Why do it today when you can put it off until tomorrow? That's my motto! Anyway, for those of you wondering what the Rohlfs' Christmas Card looks like, here's the photo:



Nothing fancy. Although, I shot over 195 pictures to get the ONE where both kids are looking at the camera.

Yesterday I was reading my latest issue of Domino and the editor was talking about their Christmas card and how she was (I'm quoting here) "sick of the photos of people's kids posing like Abercrombie models on a ski slope", etc. I don't remember the entire thing but basically it boiled down to these Christmas cards where everyone is trying to outdo everyone else. I had to laugh because I sometimes feel that way when I get cards where an entire family is poised in front of some ritzy part of their $1,000,000 house and everyone is cleaned and prepped. Can anyone truly live life that way? What about carpet stains? Or, mussy hair, or a janky tree, etc?

Here's the deal. We're not fancy people. Scott and I work hard every day and we barely scrape by with what we have. Everything we DO have we have worked our butts off to get and we can't compete with the Jones'. We're not even going to try to. So, here's our two children that we love dearly and try to give everything we can to. Behind them is our ghetto Christmas tree (see prior blog post for reference) and they're sitting on stained carpet. (Never get new carpet when you have a 2 year old that likes to drink juice!) But, we're a happy family. Messy and all!

Merry Christmas!

Addie in the bath...

Do you remember that scene in Ferris Bueller where he's in the shower and he has his hair soaped up and he's singing? That always cracks me up and every night when I wash Addie's hair, I have to "mohawk it" with the shampoo like in the movie and we laugh and sing. (By the way, she prefers the kitchen sink. She SCREAMS when it's in the big tub. She likes the running water of the sink)

So, here's my girl playing in the bath. She loves to touch the running water. She's growing so much these days - saying a ton of stuff, moving all over the place, and starting to stand when holding onto the ottoman or exersaucer. (She'd much rather play OUTSIDE of the exersaucer than in it) I'm thinking she's going to walk way before Maggie ever did. She'll be nine months on Sunday and last week at the doctor she weighed in at a mere 14 lbs, 5 ounces. Where this kid came from, I'm not sure. LOL!

This is my mom...

This photo pretty much sums up my mom: Grandkids everywhere. Actually, the little one on the right is Ryan, her GREAT-grandaughter. (Yes - my mom has grandkids and great-grandkids that are roughly the same age)

People often ask me how I do it. How do I balance a career and kids? It's simple actually: MOM. She helps Scott and I all the time. She watches Addie, gets Maggie from school, keeps them overnight when I'm traveling and Scott's working, etc. The woman is a machine! I drop Addie off in the morning and Scott picks up both Addie and Maggie from her when his shift ends. She entertains two babies and a six year old almost every day. Trust me - she's a God send.

Thanks for being so awesome Mom! Love you!

(Note: Addie's hair is REALLY long - past her shoulders. So, it's brushed over on her face which looks silly in the photo. Normally it's combed back but how in the world do you hold two babies without one of them getting mussed hair?)

A Charlie Brown Christmas

Here's a photo of our tree. Believe it or not, this year I'm absolutely in LOVE with our tree. Why? Because it symbolizes us and our family. Here's the deal with our tree. It was a hand-me-down. The year that Scott and I got married (1998 if you're writing a book) we didn't have a lot of money because we had just plunked down everything we had for our first house. We were also all of 22 years old, so we were young, poor and in need of a tree. (Ironically now we're older, poor and still in need of a tree.)

Scott's aunt had a yardsale and the tree was in it. Nobody bought the poor tree because who buys a Christmas tree in August? So, she called us and told us to come over and go through the yardsale leftovers (is this sounding hillbilly yet?) and take what we could use. She knew we were young newlyweds and she had nice stuff. So, we got a microwave and the tree.

This is our 8th Christmas with the tree and I still love it. It's got gaping holes of course because it was a cheesy tree you buy at Wal-Mart (the box still has the tag on it) and it's not like any of the new styles that you can buy today. I think that's what makes me like it so much. It's like the Charlie Brown tree. It's not the prettiest one, but it has some sort of meaning.

What else excited me is that this year Scott finally let me put white lights on it. I've always wanted white lights but he always made me go with colored. I LOVE the white ones! So - here's my tree with the white lights, the gaping holes where the branches just don't meet and all of our ornaments. Maggie helped me put them on. There are ones in there from when Scott and I were kids and ones that Maggie has made and I bought a few for Addie this year.

This is what it's like to spend Christmas with the Rohlfs'.

Disappointments...

Wow...it's been a week full of disappointments. Lots of them. So, to hopefully combat it and get the disappointments to go away, I thought I'd list my blessings:

My kids...




S2H...



Good Friends...




Family...

Ever feel like you're not good enough?

It's a pity party day for me today. I now know how Derek Shepherd felt when he couldn't do the surgery to separate the twins. How he felt inadequate, etc. Hmmm... Like when he was basically told by Burke that he was a failure. It affected his ability to function as a surgeon. How applicable to life.



There's my Grey's analogy for the week. Enjoy.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So we did the Black Friday thing last week. Pure insanity at 5:00 at "The Wal-Mart" but a lot of fun, too. Scott, my cousin Lorrie, and I got up early and did the trek. My goal was to get Maggie a personal DVD player and pick up a Cabbage Patch for Addie. (Both of which were accomplished.) We headed over to Target afterwards and Scott enjoyed watching a few people fight at the door. I'm pretty ambivilent to it these days because I've done Black Friday for a while now. This was Scott's second time venturing out with me (the last time being about 9 years ago).

That evening we took the girls to the mall just to see what was going on. I wanted to stop by and say "hi" to a friend working at the Disney Store and Scott needed to pick up some cologne. The weird part was - the mall was empty. There were not a lot of shoppers and hardly anyone out with kids which meant Santa was free with NO line. This is where reality sets in - I'm attaching the photo of my two kids with Santa last Friday. They're not dressed up and they pretty much look like two poor little rugrats, but I love this photo. You can't tell but Addie has sweet potatoes on her shirt because she ate at dinner and I didn't have a bib with me. Maggie's shirt is riding up in the back because she's on a growth spurt and most of her shirts ride up these days. Both needed a comb because we'd been out all day and Maggie's hair was windblown and Addie just has crazy hair right now. It's so funny because most people dress their kids up for their photo with Santa. Nope - not me this year. Just plopped them on Santa's lap and snap the photo!



Santa was a great guy, though! He laughed with the kids, held Addie and talked to her and asked Maggie what she wanted. Of course, Maggie does like Ralphie in "A Christmas Story" and she sort of freezes and shrugs. I had to remind her that she had asked for an American Girl Doll. (Which has also arrived and is sitting at my brother's house since the box says "American Girl" on the outside! Didn't want UPS dropping that off with Maggie home!)

Scott wanted to put this photo on the Christmas cards but I told him "no". I at least need to dress them up for SOMETHING so it might as well be the Christmas card photo. My plan was to dress us all in Bengals attire and take it but I can't get the husband to go for it. Maybe I could just dress me and the girls up and then photoshop Nick Lachey in there. LOL! Just kidding Scott!

One more day until December. Geesh - where did the year go?

Scott and Maggie have new belts...

Nothing really new and interesting is going on in my life, except that Scott and Maggie got their new belts in Tae Kwon Do. So, now they're both green belts with full sparring gear and I have to sit and listen to them bicker and spar all the time. Life at the Rohlfs' is definitely insane.

Here's a photo I affectionately refer to as UFC 78. They're both in their fighting stance, and I was playing with photoshop colors. Note that Maggie is a belt level HIGHER than Scott. (Sorry honey - had to point that out - I think it's funny...) My baby girl is moving on up the TKD ladder!



Then of course I had to take a photo of the baby! Addie was such a trooper during belt ceremony. (Which normally lasts about an hour, hour and a half.) She sat and hollered "da da da da dad" as loud as she could because she could see Scott sitting there waiting for his new belt. The other people there were laughing because you could totally tell she was hollering for him. I just held out the camera and snapped a photo of her. She's so funny and adorable!



I've got my hands full with that kid!

One more day till Turkey Day! Ironically, I'm a fat girl that doesn't eat turkey or much on Thanksgiving day. If it's not macaroni and cheese or mashed potats, I'm not really eating it. Although, the best thing I've EVER had on T-Day was "White Castle Stuffing". Ah yes...Chateau Blanc. Talk about good stuff! I've been begging someone - ANYONE - to make it again for me. (Since I don't cook) If you know anyone that does, please let me know so that I can show up at their door tomorrow with two kids and a husband. Thanks! :)

People Released their Sexiest Men

And frankly, I disagree about George Clooney being the Sexiest Man Alive. (I picked a different Cincinnati boy) So, I decided to make my own list of celebrities that I think are H-O-T. First I must put in the disclaimer that my husband, Scottie 2 Hottie, is the hottest man in my life, but then after him, here is my list of the top 5 guys in entertainment that really get my blood flowing.

Number 5
Brandon Flowers - Lead singer of The Killers. Yes - I love a man in eyeliner. I think it's kind of hot. Plus, he can sing!


Number 4
Ashton Kutcher - I know. So sheepish. So fourteen-year-old girl. But, let's face it. He's hot. He's got the model look thing going on and he's funny. And he likes older women. Good boy!


Number 3
Scott Foley - No, not "Felicity" Scott Foley. We're talking "The Unit" Scott Foley. Oh Hell-to-the-yeah! The only guy I've ever seen who looks BETTER with a buzz cut. I wouldn't mind being rescued by him.


Number 2
Kyle Chandler - This man has been hot since "Homefront" in 1992 when he played Jeff Metcalf. I've followed him through Early Edition and being turned into pink mist on Grey's. Now he's the coach on Friday Night Lights. Makes me want to suit up!


Number 1 - This should come as no surprise to anyone that knows me...
NICK LACHEY - He made People's list but he's the TOP of mine. Good ol' Cincinnati boy. He eats Skyline, plays cornhole and can has a sexy voice. Plus, those eyes. I LOVE blue eyes on a dark haired guy! And, he's tattooed. I like 'em tattooed! Yea baby! Bring on Nick Lachey! He puts sexy back in the cheesy armband tattoo. He makes a wifebeater shirt hot. I'll take two of Nick please!


I did have a lot of honorable mentions, too. I mean - it's not a list without the HM's. (Tyson Beckford, Chris O'Donnell, Mario Lopez, Tiki Barber, David Carr, etc.) Men who will NEVER be on my list: Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise. We've already covered that in previous blog posts.

So - girls of the world - ban together. Post YOUR list - I wanna know your men! (Laura - that means YOU - even if you have to confess to Steve Martin!)

Ever feel uninspired?

I sort of do right now. Don't know what the funk is all about but it's like I'm absolutely inspired to do NOTHING. Absolutely zilch. Normally I'm on a creative high and designing and doing all sorts of things but right now it's like there is this huge wall and I can't even see over it. Have no idea what that's about - I'm just hoping the fog lifts soon.

I also hate posting blog entries without any photos. So, I'll post this one:



Did anyone watch Grey's Anatomy last week. (Who am I kidding? Half of America watches that show!) Anyway, the scene where Addison delivered the stillborn baby did me in. I cried. Sobbed. Sobbed for a while. Sobbed to the point that Scott was yelling at me and telling me it was a show. But to me it wasn't. At that moment it wasn't a show. It was something as real as it gets. I remember thinking about when I was pregnant with Maggie and we were doing the nursery and his parents came over to help paint the walls. They had lost their first baby - Brian - during birth. He was stillborn. I remember their hesitation in helping us prep the nursery. It wasn't hesitation in the sense that they didn't want to help us. It was more that I think they were having flashbacks about their own loss and how he had to come home and take all of the nursery stuff down. It hit me. Right then the pain that the couple in the show was having hit me. I cried for the couple there and I cried for them. I cried because God let me have a healthy baby. The next morning I was still in tears. That's me - emotional. If you know me - you know that I cry a lot.

Ok - since I don't want to have a completely depressing blog post, I thought I'd update a bit about the girls. Maggie had her belt testing on Saturday (she and Scott both tested this weekend) and I have photos but forgot my flash card so I don't have anything to upload right now. She will be a senior green belt this Saturday and Scott will be getting his green belt. We have Maggie's conference on Thursday and her last report card said she's reading above grade level so I'm happy about that.

Addie learned some new tricks. I need to videotape it for the blog but we have a vintage janky-ass video camera, so I'll just have to describe it for you. My brother sings "la la, la la" to her and she bobs her head back and forth to sing to the music. She's also saying "la la" in rhythm with it. Plus in honor of the Florida Gators this week, Scott taught her the Gator chomp. You clap your hands together up and down like a gator a few times and then go "your turn" and she'll do it right back to you. It's HILARIOUS. We were at our little local hang-out with the girls and my cousin last night showing the people who work there Addie's tricks. They were cracking up at her Gator chomp. Imagine this itty bitty little baby doing the Gator chomp. It's a riot!

I suppose that's enough blabbering for a Tuesday but at least I updated the blog!

The Orange & Blue

Scott and I had a GREAT weekend down in Nashville at the Vanderbuilt vs. Florida game. Of course we had to go down there and root for our GATORS! We left early, EARLY on Saturday morning (I don't think I was even fully awake when we left) and arrived in Nashville at about 9:00. The game started at 11:30, so we hung out at the stadium for a while. We couldn't find any tailgators (come to find out they were on the OPPOSITE end of the stadium) so we just watched the teams practice and then vegetated for a while.

Here we are in the bleachers WAY before the start of the game.




Here's the Gators coming out of the tunnel. I LOVE it when they run across the field with the flags. College football just rocks!



We had to cheer on our hometown boy, DeShawn Wynn. D went to school and played football with a few of my nephews, so it's always nice to see a hometown kid doing something good! Plus, we all know that the Gators produce great running backs. Just ask Emmitt Smith!

Finally we had dinner last night with Scott's family. It was his grandfather's 75th birthday. I need to get a photo of him with Scott because looking at Grandpa Moore, I know EXACTLY what Scott is going to look like in about 35 years. It's quite funny to tell you the truth. I've never seen someone look so much like their grandfather as he does. Even acts like him. (I'm sure Scott will be real happy when he reads this!)

Here's a photo I snapped of Addie last night. She is saying SO MUCH these days. "Mama", "dada", "baba", etc. She likes to babble, and holler. You should see her holler at Maggie some days. She wants to get her attention and so she screams as loud as she can. 7 Months is SUCH a fun age!



That's all for now! I promise to update more! Oh - and before I forget, if you live in the Ohio area, I'll be teaching at Simply Scrapbooks in Dayton on the 2nd of December! I hope to see everyone there! (More info to come!)

Trick or Treat

Yea, so I'm a few days late posting this. Aren't I always? I've decided to embrace my slacker attitude. After all, it's sort of a part of who I am.

Halloween was fun but it stunk because it was rainy pretty much most of the day and part of the evening. We did manage to do some trick or treating and Addison even went with us to a few houses of neighbors we know. (I kept telling them that a 7 month old did NOT need candy!) Maggie was wired and ready to go - that kid could have went through five neighborhoods if we let her. She also insisted on wearing these goofy antennae on top of her head. They didn't go with the M&M Costume but hey - she's a kid and I wasn't really in the mood to argue. So, I let her wear them. (They were pumpkin atennae)



Addie, on the other hand, was embracing everything about her costume. I originally wanted them to match, but when I saw this - I had to have it! Leave it to Old Navy to have EXACTLY what we were looking for! (By the way, props to Scott who found it and showed it to me)



All in all, Halloween was a good time. I had Maggie sort through her candy last night and I am bringing it in to my co-workers because I don't want a ton of the good stuff lying around. NONE of us in the Rohlfs household have ANY willpower.

Lastly, Scott and I are headed down to Vanderbuilt this weekend to watch our Gators play. Go Orange & Blue!!! I'm sure I'll post pictures of that next week!

Beware...

Of the carving knife wielding 6 year old! Ok - I'm just kidding, but this photo of Maggie absolutely cracks me up. She's ready to dig in to that pumpkin. By the way, the plastic scoops don't work. Don't waste your money on them. A big ol' metal soup spoon works MUCH better.



We had a great time doing the pumpkin thing. Maggie carved hers into a "mean face" as she called it and I made mine a skeleton face. (I'm into the skull and crossbones thing right now) Of course, did I take pictures of the finished product, yet? No... Why? Because I'm aloof and totally forgot. That's on the agenda for this evening.

Anyway, I walked Maggie into class today because we had to take in her costume, treat bags, etc. and I was so excited seeing everyone dressed up. Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. WAY more than Christmas. I just love everything about Halloween. I enjoy the time of year (fall is my favorite season) and then the pumpkins, the hayrides, the carving, the dressing up, etc.

It was my dad's favorite holiday, too. He enjoyed passing out candy to all the little kids. I remember sitting with him on the porch and handing out candy. Ironically, my dad was buried on Halloween morning. I went home that night and passed out candy because I knew that was the one thing Dad looked forward to. That was the last year that candy was passed out at their house. Kind of makes me sad to think about it but then on the other hand - Halloween always gives me those happy memories of Dad and I'm thankful for that. He used to take me trick-or-treating when I was little and dig out different little candies that he liked. He was lucky because I was the picky kid that only liked plain Hershey bars and Three Musketeers. I'm still that way. Of course, now I'm the one digging the plain little Hershey bars out of Maggie's bag. I should do a scrapbook layout about that some day. LOL!

Well...to everyone out there with little trick or treaters, be safe tonight! Eat lots of candy and brush your teeth so that they don't rot out. (At least, that's what my mom would say!)

Guess WHO is my new Co-Worker????

Oh yes.... We've been friends since 2004 and now we're co-workers. :)

I am SO EXCITED!!! It's OFFICIAL!



LOVE you Emily!

I'm a total slacker

And I admit it. If you read my blog, THANK YOU. I'm sorry that I'm such a schmutz and never post to it anymore. I just worry that I don't have anything interesting to say at this point. My life is pretty much that - just life. Nothing out of the ordinary. Although, I DID milk a goat last week. I know it's random, but that was about the most exciting thing to happen. And, it wasn't very exciting at all. It was a bit odd, and involved a lot of hand-sanitizer. I went with Maggie on her field trip to a farm where the rest of us adults were laughing at the sexual inuendos the poor tour guide seemed to have every five minutes. She was explaining farm life. We adults were laughing like Beavis and Butthead.

Anyway - I did manage to get some fun photos. Here's Maggie milking the goat. The guide had all the kids do it and most of us adults.



We had a good time, even if it was raining. When I got home, I snapped some shots of Addison. Here she is sitting up and jabbering at me. Her new favorite thing is talking.



We also did the pumpkin farm this weekend but I haven't uploaded those photos. I'll get to them. Scott always yells at me for being lazy in that department. Heck - I tell him that I'm lazy in all departments, not just that one. Ha ha! Oh well...

Back from LAS and FINALLY up and moving

If any of you ran into me at Memory Trends, you know that I was fighting a nasty cold/Vegas Throat/Goodness knows what. It started pretty much the day after we arrived and it progressively got worse until I went to the doctor literally hours after landing back in Cincinnati. The verdict: double ear infection and respiratory infection. It's been a fun few days. Nothing like lying in bed in a fetal position with the covers over your head. That was me for the past four days. So, if you haven't heard from me, now you know why!

But, I'm trying to make this a positive blog post, so I'll touch on a few things. Got some great photos from Jane Hasty (I'll link her to the side of my blog!) from the show. She's so fun! Jane and Laura were my roomies and we had a good time. They even put up with my hacking in the middle of the night. I love ya girls!



Sickies aside, we had a great time in Vegas. The team was AWESOME! Everyone got along and we all sang cumbaya at the end. Ok, so I'm being sarcastic about the last part but we all had a great time! The girls were awesome! I think the funniest thing on the planet is Dana Newsom doing this scream every time Jane did her "boo". It was either that, or Me, Greta, Sherry and Jane sharing a nickel slot machine. Talk about sad. That's 1.25 cents each. I know...pathetic. But, fun...

Here's a bunch of us at the booth. I think this is at about 8:00 in the morning, which after a night in Vegas translates into "Who the *(*& decided we needed to be here early?"



The best thing was when I returned, Addison was jabbering. She says "ma, ma, ma, ma, ma" quite a bit. That's how she gets my attention. She also does "Ba, ba, bab", which sometimes sounds like "Bad, bad, baby". LOL! She's so cute! Plus, Maggie is doing GREAT at her Tae Kwon Do. She was showing me her new form and she's really starting to pop her moves. And, she lost another tooth. The tooth fairy is going to be broke soon if she keeps it up like this.

Then, there's Grey's Anatomy. I haven't done my usual analyzation of the show so far this season. Why? Because I have a lot of thoughts about it. Most of them revolve around Derek and his new persona of being a total jerk wad. I figure one day I'll snap and have to overanalyze one of the episodes, but I haven't quite got there, yet. Thursday's episode left me with this one thought: Meredith - you are STUPID. 'Nuff said.

Back to work. Deadlines loom and I'm not in the mood to think about things today. Have a good one!

Ever had that assignment...

That really has you on edge? One that you just have to make sure is perfect? I just got that assignment two days ago and finished the project for it, and I actually feel like I accomplished what I wanted to. It wasn't for work or anything. It was for Scott. He had called me and asked me to make a card for someone he works with. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and so she's going through treatment and is trying to work, even though she's taking chemo. Scott and his co-workers really wanted to show her that they are supportive of her and thinking about her all the time. (He even talked of shaving his head to show his support since she has since lost her hair)

I wanted the card to be perfect. I knew a lot of people would be signing it and it wasn't just "a card". It needed to be special. I was talking with the girls in the office and our office manager said "Why don't you make bricks or something?". That got me to thinking and this is what I came up with:



Everyone can sign a "brick" on the card- her "Foundation of Hope" so to speak. It looks really REALLY plain (and it is) but I think it conveys the message. I used the Gin-X jumbles, turned them over, inked the edges and laid the "bricks" out. I also made little ribbons out of our cotton art tape.

I am still waiting to hear from Scott what they thought about it. I hope that it comes across as I intended. I just feel for her. I've had a lot of experience with people around me that I love battling this disease and I am so glad she has a support system. But, nobody should really ever have to deal with this.

And Now...The WINNERS!!!

Once again, thank you to EVERYONE that entered! Here is a list of the winners as promised and photos of their projects!

Best Overall - Sandy Brantley
Yes - it's an altered ship!


Most Unique - Keri Voigt
SUPER cute earring stand made of coasters!


Best Use of Patterned Paper - Angie Kovacs
The team LOVED everything about the layout!


Best Mini Album - Laura Achilles (We added this category)
This album is chock full of goodies!!!! Yummy stuff!


Downright Gorgeous - Melissa Blair
We thought this layout was just downright gorgeous!


Coasters (Technique, Unique etc.) - Michelle Van Etten
Her story behind the belt was just as intriguing. We loved the coaster altering! (I think the girls are really into glitter glue and dimensional paint)


Congratulations to all of the winners!

And now - the FOUR new DT Members for Imagination Project!

Wendy Gibson
Diane DiTullio
Celia King
Vivian Masket

Congratulations everyone and thank you SO much to those that entered! Don't forget! We may contact you to use something in the future for a newsletter or blog!

Ginger

Winners have been contacted...

Thank you to EVERYONE who entered! We had over 200 entries and they were AWESOME! I can't even believe the amount of talent all of you have! Gorgeous stuff and some pretty darn cute kids!

I'll be posting winners later on today and please - do not fear if you didn't get an e-mail. We're still sorting to see if there is anything we can use in our newsletter or blog. That gets you a fun goodie box, too!

Ginger

Winners will be announced shortly!

Ok girls - the winners will be announced shortly. We had a TON of entries and with trying to get ready for Memory Trends, we've been running around like mad in the office. I've got things fairly narrowed down and we will be contacting winners shortly. I also still have to go through some of the entries that I received this weekend.

I will say - there are AT LEAST 2-3 DT Bids going out. (Based on preliminary checks) I'm pretty excited about that!

I also want to get approval from winners to post their projects before announcing everything. As soon as everything comes through, you'll hear about it! (Might not be until tomorrow!)

Thanks!

Ginger

I'm still on a Nick high...

Cost of Gas to Taft Theatre - $5.00
Parking in private garage - Free thanks to Barb's husband
2 T-Shirts and a pair of Nick Panties - $65
4th row tickets for two - $250

Seeing Nick Lachey within INCHES - PRICELESS

Barb and I had a MAGNIFICENT time. I can't even talk about it without getting giddy and nearly freaking out like a screaming teenager. I uploaded a few things to You Tube so you can see when Nick comes DOWN to the AISLE WHERE I WAS and starts singing to the girl on the other side of the aisle. (I'm on the right - she's on the left) Made me wish I were gorgeous. But, alas I got some great photos. You can sort of hear me and Barb screaming (as well as some girls behind us) Sorry for the poor quality. I took it with my camera phone.



Here he is in full blown singing mode...



Then, I got this snapshot on my camera phone.



Finally, here's one Barb took after Nick found out that I'm happily married to Scott. (Ok - so I added that last part in - but he looks so distraught. That's what we kept telling ourselves)



It was a night well worth it!

Things I neglect:

House plants, paying bills, and obviously my blog. All things that I neglect and for the last one, I am SO sorry! It's just been a crazy week with getting ready for the show, etc.

First things first (and stay for this blog post - it's a LONG one but well worth it!) Sunday was Scott's birthday. So, happy 31 to Scottie 2 Hottie! When I first met him, he was NINETEEN! Can you believe we've been together that long? No wonder he has more grey hair now. :) Love you sweetie!

Secondly - Addie had her 6 month appointment. She's apparently tall and skinny according to the doctor. Still weighs in at a whopping 12 lbs, 8 oz. That's 5th percentile people! How this kid came from me, the Amazon Woman, is beyond anyone's imagination. But, she did. She's 25.5" long - 25th percentile. The doctor said that her body type lends to be tall and thin, even though she's below height right now. She thinks she'll catch up. It's not like she doesn't eat, either. She eats two FULL Stage 2 meals per day plus her bottles plus cereal. She's just SO cute! I'll post some new photos of her soon!

Third - Guess where I'll be in about 7 hours??? That's right!



We're taking a camera. Can we? We don't know. But by golly, we are! Barb's my date for a hot night with Nick! We'll be the two oldest people there and quite frankly - we don't care! Good times to be had by all!

Finally - Here's the part you've hopefully been waiting for. Sneak peeks!!!!

Know this movie??? I used to watch it over and OVER again in middle school. (Showing my age here!)



This one is one of those that defined the life of so many "yuppies". The name is actually a translation of the title. Would love to know if anyone has any idea which one it is! :)



I know that I've sort of done things differently for this show but I really hope that you like them!

New IP Newsletter

Just an FYI - our IP Newsletter went out. Check here to view it:

http://www.imaginationproject.com/Newsletter/IPConsumerNews0906.pdf

If you're not on our mailing list - e-mail Barb Hogan at barb@imaginationproject.com and we'll get you added immediately. Please don't send us spam for home mortgages, pharmacies, cialis, viagara, or any other products. We get enough of those. LOL!

Hi - I'm Ginger and I have a Boy Band Obsession...

Alright - so it's not an ENTIRE boy band, but it's with Nick Lachey - in case you haven't been following my blog. (Which, I wouldn't blame you because quite frankly I've been HORRIBLE about updating it) For the record, I absolutely adore and love my husband, Scott, but I have this little schoolgirl crush on Nick Lachey. (And I'm sure that he's really excited to have a fat, 30-year-old housewife wanting him.)

Guess who I get to see next week????



He's coming to Cincinnati and Barb and I have 6th row. That's right girls - I get to drool 6 rows from the stage... I told the guy that I bought the tickets off of that we'd be the two oldest people there. Probably a thousand screaming teenagers and then us. Should be interesting. Another funny thing is that I bought Addie a onesie that says "My daddy is a rock star." Wonder who it refers to... ;) Just kidding - Scott's a TOTAL rock star, but I thought it was funny.

In other Rohlfs news, Maggie and Scott passed their Tae Kwon Do tests, so Maggie is officially a green belt and Scott is a yellow belt. Maggie thinks it's a pretty good time that she outranks her dad. He has to call her m'aam at school. It's only because he started three months after her, but it's still funny. I give it two more testings before he catches up or passes her. But, for now she thinks it's a riot.

Addie turned 6 months on Sunday. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. She's getting so big. (If you want to call 12 lbs, 8 oz. big!) Seriously - just her actions, how she moves, etc. are getting more advanced and I can tell that things are making sense to her. She recognizes certain items, does certain things, and now has become a little "mommy attached". I'm enjoying it!

Lastly - I have been getting some AWESOME entries for the contest and cannot wait to make a lot of people happy! I can't say who or when but there are a few entries that we are SERIOUSLY considering for our DT. We've got some great stuff! I am still so excited about it. It's so fun to open e-mail every day and have these awesome projects from everybody. I LOVE it!

Well...I'm off to work on a class. I've added two class dates to my teaching - I'll announce both of them soon. They'll be in New Regal and Dayton, OH. Can't wait!

Just a few pics from this weekend...

This is SO Maggie...



The three of us...



Addie - she's getting so big!

Monday...September 11th

In an effort not to compound the depressing thoughts of what happened 5 years ago, I'm just simply going to make one statement: take a moment today to think about everyone involved in this horrible tragedy. I spent a few moments this morning in a moment of silence thinking about everyone involved. It's heartbreaking. Something we should all never forget.

Now - back to my regularly scheduled blog. I had a SUPER busy weekend. We taught at the MWSA in Indy and it was AWESOME. The students were great!!! I had a great time, even though I was sick and am still sick today. I also came home to a sick baby. Poor little Addie has a small cold and she's teething - BAD. Poor little thing chews on everything she can get her hands on. She got up in the middle of the night for about two hours so I'm ready to take a nap. I'm working at home and trying to finish up some stuff. I swear, it's a never-ending cycle. LOL!

I had to post this photo of Addie. She's enjoying her squash. This kid LOVES squash! How odd is that? LOL!



I also just had to mention all of the super cool layouts we've been receiving. Projects, too!!! You girls are ROCKING it! I am still SO excited!

Well, back to work and hopefull a small nap.