Looking for some books?

I thought I would pass along a pretty good deal going on in the MyCraftivityShop.com right now. You can save 40% off of any order if you use code MYC10FOR. It expires on Wednesday night, so you'll have to order soon. But, they have a TON of scrapbook titles, knitting titles and even Kelly Rae Roberts' new book.

It's www.mycraftivityshop.com.

Can't really beat that kind of deal!

Welcome to reCRAFTed! My Etsy Store is Up!

Ok, so I've decided to just let all of the political stuff fall to the wayside because what's going to happen is going to happen. Plus, I have bigger fish to fry at this point. I finally - FINALLY - got my Etsy store started and have my first four things listed. I am hoping to have more, soon, but for now, these are the things I have. I really hope that you like my knitted hats and please- if you know anyone that is looking for cute things for their kids or knitted hats, please let them know about my store. I'm also going to be adding a lot of my scrapbook de-stash. That is coming SOON!

Here is one of my favorite items in the store. I LOVE this hat! I can always make more, though. Of course, Scott tells me that I don't have the head for a hat, which is why I never wear them.



I have also been contemplating a part-time job. Not sure when I can do it, but I have to make adjustments for my family budget right now. The economy is killing us. Whew...

At least Dexter is on tonight. I am also close to finishing another hat, and will hopefully be done with it tonight.

Have a good Sunday!

I couldn't watch the entire thing...

I couldn't get through it all. I started sobbing and couldn't handle it. I'll warn you - it's emotional. It's about viable fetus abortions. It's anti-Obama and I'm fine with that. Because, any man that allows this to go on, should NOT run the country that my children live in.

People think that this is ok? Then, tell this to a woman who had a baby at 26 weeks pre-mature. A baby that she wanted and prayed for and begged God for. A baby that she prays every night will see the next morning. Tell that to the woman who sits by another negative pregnancy test, crying because her body has betrayed her and all she wants to do is hold a baby in her arms. I have been that woman. And - to see this disgusts me.

You tell me that's ok. Because as I see it, it's not.

Really?

Really?

http://palestra.net/news/politics/16349

Wow...talk about unethical. Let's pick up some people who are NOT informed at all and have them vote. People who might not even be of sound mind. They don't have to have an address. Let's use the loophole in a swing state.

Personally, I can't wait for the President to do his "thug thizzle".

Well, I'm 12 again...

When I was 12, the NKOTB came to town - to Kings Island specifically. They were opening for Tiffany and "Please Don't Go Girl" was the big single, and I was a pre-teen girl dying to go to this concert. Tickets were impossible to get. I called Q102 (our local radio station) for three days trying to win tickets. No luck. I remember sitting at home, crying, because I wasn't there. I thought about all the girls that were there, getting to see them - listen to the music, dance, laugh and have fun. Me, I sat at home and cried, with my best friend, Jenny, sitting with me.

Fast forward 20 years.

Here I am again. Tonight I was going to hopefully go to Cleveland and see them, since that's as close as they'll be to Cincinnati. Well, the economy, the needs of my kids and my job have halted that one.

So, guess where I'll be. That's right. Sitting at home, watching the Behind the Music, in tears thinking about how I missed it when I was 12 and I missed it again. Sometimes, it's not fun when history repeats itself.

• VH1 TV Shows
• Music Videos
• Celebrity Photos
• News & Gossip

Look...they're doing the shuffle during The Right Stuff. Sigh...

Season 3 started...

Well, it's official. I have a new show. Typically, it would be Grey's Anatomy. But, truthfully, I think Grey's is starting to jump the shark. BAD. The first episode this week was terrible. I knew it was bad when I grabbed Maggie's DS and started playing it halfway through - mostly out of boredom. Seriously Meredith. Make up your freakin' mind. Seriously...

At least Sunday had something for me to look forward to. Since the TV bastards canceled two of my favorite shows this summer (Dirt and October Road) I needed to find something new. When I went out of town with my girls a few weeks ago, we all became hooked on Dexter. Like, 14 hours straight on a Saturday hooked. Finally - some TV worth watching.

Plus, get this. Scott and I just got Showtime for FREE for a year from Directv. It was a "loyalty gift" for being a 5 year customer. Talk about perfect timing. So, I have a year of Dexter to look forward to and this Sunday was the season premiere.

Jennifer, Jana, Nichol, Greta and I are constantly e-mailing about the show. It's great that I can chat with my girls about it and today was no different. Of course the e-mail line was a buzz...especially because there were some new twists thrown in and of course, we're all waiting to see how the plotline develops. Oh - and I guess I should mention that I enjoy watching the show because I find Dexter to be slightly attractive. OK - so he's "I need a cold shower" hot, in his weird little way, but still...eye candy=good show.

I think my favorite thing is in the intro when he pulls his t-shirt over his head. (insert knuckle bite here)



So he dismembers...some things can be overlooked. Ha!

Anyway, that's about all that's going on right now. I've been working 60+ hours/week (new job = tons to do), Maggie has cheerleading 3-5 days/week, Addie is growing like crazy and it amazes me how much she's turning into a little girl versus my baby, and Scottie 2 Hottie (gotta give props to my #1 guy) turned 33 last week. It's still hard to believe that I have been with him since he was 19. But, he's the perfect guy for me and puts up with all of my little celebrity crushes. Of course, Reese Witherspoon is the top of his laminated list. At least it's not Pam Anderson.

Oh and I'm going to miss seeing the NKOTB this Friday. I was going to go but the economy has hit us just as hard as everyone else and I can't justify the cost. No matter how I look at it, I find higher priorities for my family. Bummer, but I have their CD and I guess that's good enough. (Ok - who am I kidding - it sucks but sometimes you have to be the adult and make good choices)

Have a good week and I promise to have a new blog post soon. I'm also trying to stay away from politics. It just ends up ticking me off. Ha!

I'm obsessed...

I have not been this excited about a show since Grey's season 2. We rented Dexter this weekend and I think I watched it for about 14 hours straight. Greta and I would have watched it all night if we didn't have to get up the next morning.

Obsessed doesn't even begin to cover it. I'm trying to cut things out of my budget to sub to Showtime. Sad...

I think he's also become my #2. He hasn't quite knocked Nick out of the #1 spot, but he's like 1.4. Not quite 2, maybe.

I can't wait for September 28th.

I'm at a crafting retreat - look what I made!

I'm away this weekend after having four days without any power. Talk about culture shock of being able to flip on lights, turn on a TV, etc. LOL! Anyway, it's a good time. I'm out here with my friends Jennifer, Jana, Greta, Sandi and my newfound friend, Nichol. I've also become addicted to the TV show, Dexter, and am waiting for everyone to ok my putting the next disc of Season 1 in the DVD player.

I've been knitting a lot and planning on opening an Etsy store soon. I brought a bunch of hats that I've already finished and started embellishing them. It's a lot like scrapbooking in some way. You create the base project and then embellish it and make it pretty. Here I am in my hat. Ignore the hair. I let it dry and don't have my straightening iron. Of course, I'm at a girl's weekend away. I should still be in jammies!



Let me know what you think! :)

Some things I just do not get...

Palin's Account Hacked

Seriously? People are having a fit because she got a personal e-mail where someone was praying for her and telling her to not let "the negative press get you down." Since when did someone praying for you and sending a positive e-mail become a crime? So it's her government address. So what? How many of us get personal e-mails on our work account? I do. I have friends AT WORK that sometimes send me the same type of messages. If I'm having a bad day, they will send me something uplifting. What is WRONG with that?

I'll tell you what's wrong with this. People are looking to bash her on anything they can find. It's wrong to hack into her e-mail account. That's PRIVATE. I'm sure if it were Obama's e-mail, there would be a big stink about it. It's wrong to hack into anyone's e-mail unless it's illegal activity. As I said before, I don't believe receiving a message from a friend with a quick uplifing message is a felony.

This election as taught me a few things. I've also lost respect for quite a few people. It's sad.

Bring it On...

I thought I'd try to steer away from the political talk for a while and dwell on something else. Right now, life is pretty busy. I have a new role at work which I am adjusting to, Maggie is in cheerleading and Addie is a rambunctious 2 year old. That doesn't even begin to describe her on some days. She definitely has a mind of her own. Anyway, let's go back to the cheerleading part. That has been an adjustment for me.

I never was a cheerleader. Had friends that were, but as for me - I did the dance squad in school and then basically decided that was too girlie for my taste. Growing up with three brothers more or less destined me to be a tomboy. I wasn't all about flipping around in a small skirt. (Which, ironically, I had to do in dance - ICK!) But, more power to those who do. Anyway, now my daughter is doing the cheer thing and I am SO lost. It's almost comical.

Yesterday we had an "exhibition" which means that all of the squads in the area meet and they do their "hello" cheers as well as a dance or more cheers. It's like Bring It On for 8 year olds. Me, I go to support my daughter and her squad because that's important to me. But, what I did not realize is how IMPORTANT it is to other moms.

The girls are 8. EIGHT. Like, you know. They're only 8 years old. Basically in an ideal world, they would still be playing with Barbie's and be totally naive about everything else that us adults have to deal with. But, yesterday I realized that being 8 today is not like the 8 when I was a kid. Thank goodness our coach has a sensibility to her. She's professional and knows what's acceptable and what isn't. But, some of those coaches - WOW. There were girls out there that looked like they just stepped out of a beauty pageant. Full make-up, the "fake" hair ponytails, mama's yelling "Go baby - get those jumps" and doing the dances along with them. Reminded me of one of those bad movies about teen beauty pageants, except these girls were EIGHT. A few of the songs had gyrations in them. I mean, I'm no prude - I give Maggie honest answers when she asks me a question (REGARDLESS of the question) but if she were out there doing the pelvis thrusts to a TI song, I'd probably be fit to be tied. It's bad enough that I had to buy her skimpier underwear so that they didn't hang out of her tights. Add the rap stripper dance and I'd probably call the whole thing off.

Plus, I don't look like the other moms. I have on a t-shirt and capri pants. I forgot to wear their team shirt (trying to sneak out before the 2 year old realized I was leaving) and I also forgot my button with her in her uniform. BAD MOM. Anyway, I get there and there are moms in full-blown garb with signs and dozens of roses, etc. I was SO lost. I didn't realize I was going to a Bengal's game...Isn't that what you do at one of those?

I could hear all of the parents around me, busily gossiping and chattering. A "rival" squad's cheering section sat behind us (I tried to sit with the parents of the other girls on our squad) and all I heard was negativity about our school and the rivalry. I mean, seriously. GROW UP. I sat there sort of laughing to myself because the funny thing was, these people were from my husband's high school. (We both went to local schools then moved to the district in-between when we got married, which ironically was a "rival" to both of our high schools.) Anyway - it's just foreign and new to me. I didn't bring poms and I feel odd yelling, screaming and stomping like I'm at a pep rally. I guess it's something I have to get used to. I feel like the goth kid that's stuck at a pep assembly. Seriously - give me a pad of paper and let me create while all of this goes on. LOL!

Oh - and on the way home, we got caught in the wind storm of the century! No power. We haven't had any since 2:00 yesterday. No work today. I've got maybe 10 minutes left on my computer battery before I go over to my mom's to charge it. Fun times these past two days. Fun times.

Never Forget...

Always Remember...

God Bless America!

Giving Credit Where Credit is Due

Shortly after my post last night, I saw where both Obama and Biden asked the media to back off of Palin and her daughter. Obama mentioned that his mother was an unwed teen and Biden stated that children were off-limits. I agree. And, I give credit where credit is due. Very respectable of both.

Whitey Can Vote

Here's the deal - I grew up in a pretty racially diverse neighborhood. I can remember the neighborhood kids coming over for my birthday parties and I never paid attention to what color everyone was. We were all KIDS. Fast forward to high school when I had a "friend" from childhood condemn me for being white. I never judged her, but rather she decided that she no longer wanted to hang out because I was "a cracker". Hmmm...reverse discrimination?

Through college I talked to everyone. Black, white, gay, straight, male, female, old, young. I really didn't care. If you were nice, we were cool. Isn't that how life is supposed to be? Now, fast forward again - 10 years to a new election.

And I am mad. Yes. Why? This sums it up...



Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Everyone is entitled to vote for whomever they choose. But, I am a consenting adult, one that has a right to vote and I also have a right to speak my opinion. Do I think Obama is a good speaker. Yes - I do. Do I think that Jeremiah Wright is a racist. YES - I do. Will I vote for Obama. NO - I won't. Do I think that your mentor can affect how you feel? Yes. I do. Am I not voting for Obama because of race? NO. Am I not voting based on principles and my own morals. Yes. Would I vote for Colin Powell tomorrow. Yes - I would. Does that pretty much defeat any racism argument for my vote. Damn straight it does.

I'm watching Headline News right now and I have to say - I just heard the best quote. The correspondent said "Palin has been criticized more in the past week than Obama in 18 months by the media." Sad, but true. It's amazing how people will only see what they want to see. Everyone is up in arms because Palin's 17 year old daughter is pregnant. Well, guess what - she's not the first, she won't be the last. But, because her mom is running for VP, I guess she is now the target of media scrutiny. Admit it people - how many of us were doing the same thing that could have landed us in that position at 17. I guarantee a VAST majority.

What's the point of this blog? I don't know. I guess just to weed through some of the bullshit that I think is out there.

It's times like this that I think about Marianne Smith, a dear woman that I loved and adored and often called "grandmother". She was a black woman from the south who was a dear friend of the family and someone that I admired. She would tell me stories about growing up in the south and she was never bitter - never angry. She was always loving. She never made me feel bad for being a different color than she as well as vice versa. I lost Marianne four years ago, but I refuse to lose her faith in people. And that my friends, is one of the reasons why I'm taking this stand.

The other? My dad would have been 76 today. He fought in Korea during the conflict - served his country for four years overseas. Am I patriotic? Damn straight I am. Do I expect the same out of my President. Yes - I do.

I know...I know...

Ok - I suck. I know that. I have been TERRIBLE about blogging and I really do have all intentions of being better. Right now, so much is going on. Maggie is a cheerleader now, so four to five days per week are spent doing something related. Either tumbling class, practice, games, etc. She loves it - and quit Tae Kwon Do to do it. I got a new "title" at work which basically translates to more work - which has me quite stressed. Addie is doing good as is Scott. They're just plugging away. The end of summer is here, school is back in session and life is back to the hectic day to day. Boring, huh?

I thought I'd share some photos from the past two months. I got the new camera and then my card reader died, so I bought a new one two weeks ago and am just NOW getting around to uploading them. Hopefully, you'll enjoy! :)

Our Pups - I bought these shirts for them while on vacation and this is their favorite pastime - looking out the window and watching the cars drive by. I swear, they are the coolest dogs ever.


My girl in her uniform. The lighting stinks because we have a florescent light in our kitchen, but it just amazes me how much she is growing up!


I am still addicted to knitting. Have finished like 5 hats and plan to sell a few on Etsy, soon. (Still trying to figure out if I should...) Anyway, here is Addie modeling one that I made for her. This was my first knitted project, so go easy on me.


I STILL can't believe she is in the 3rd grade! She is loving her class (I think it's because two boys that she's had crushes on are in there!) and she is now "switching" classes, so she thinks she's a big deal. LOL! Everything is Hannah Montana. Folders, notebooks, lunch bag, t-shirts, EVERYTHING!



I guess that's all for now. I'll post more later. It's late and truthfully - I want to get to bed. I thought about watching the Republican National Convention but I'll probably fall asleep. I know I did during the DNC. (But, that might be because I'm a McCain girl) Election year is always a fun time - everyone with their stickers, etc. I have such a wide view on various issues, that it was somewhat hard to determine who I really wanted. Truthfully - none of my preferred candidates made the final cut, but that's just how it goes.

Anyway - I'm off to bed. Hopefully you'll get another post from me this week. :D

CHA CHA CHA CHANGES...

I'm back from CHA and still trying to pull myself out of numerous piles that I seem to be hidden under. Work, home, yarn, paper - there are a bunch of them. For the first time, I went to CHA as a soft crafter - not a paper crafter per se. It was very different for me. I was yearning to visit yarn booths to touch all of the yarns. Since there were really only three or four booths dedicated to the craft, my void was not completely filled but I did snag some awesome needles from the Clover people. They ROCK! Takumi velvet - like regular bamboo but with more slide. Felt good in my hands...

On the way to Chicago, I finished a hat that I had been working on. Here's the fabulous Laura modeling it for me.



Since this photo I have added a pretty little felted flower. I'll post a photo of the finished product, soon. I haven't had time to upload my own photos. (<--LOSER = ME)

I have to say, I had the best time. Being with friends makes it all worth it.







(I haven't forgot about you, Jane - photos are coming!) ;)

Jana's sister, Julie, met us out there to help celebrate Jana's 29th birthday (aren't we all 29???) and Julie and I had the best time knitting together. Ok - maybe I had the best time and Julie probably thought I was some weird girl with a yarn fetish, but it was awesome! In the evenings, the other girls are playing with Copic markers and stamps and Julie and I were in the corner, needles a clickin'. I can't wait to hang with her again! (If you read this Julie, I'm driving up to Michigan sometime with Jana!!! She just doesn't know it, yet!)

As for papers - I still have the love for them. October Afternoon by far was one of my favorites. So was Sassafrass, Scenic and some Basic Grey. Yummy stuff going on over at the BG booth. Oh - and K&Company is still working with Amy Butler which always makes me happy. Sonburn had some really cool stuff, too. Their Eco line was adorable and truthfully - I have been trying to implement some recycling/eco steps in my life. I recently learned (courtesy of Cosy Cornelius-Bates and her book!) how to recycle sweaters into yarn and am plotting a trip to our local thrift store to try it out, but for now, I have a few unloved sweaters that will soon be coming apart.

Anyway - that's it for now. Maggie is having a birthday party tonight (My baby girl is EIGHT, now) and I'll be posting photos of that for you as well. OH - and her cheerleading started. I'm officially the mom of a cheerleader and last night practiced cheers with her. Do you even know how brutal that was for me? At least she's enjoying it and that's what matters. GO DEVILS GO!

I Dream in Roving...

It's official - I am hopelessly addicted. I've started scouring the Net for a local store and have joined a knitting group. It's so hard to remember what it was like starting from ground zero when I first started scrapbooking. That was over 10 years ago. I feel like I could scrapbook in my sleep. So, whenever I screw up on a knitting project, I get frustrated with myself. It's also a lot of math. I guess scrapbooking always was, too. I just never realized it.

How do I know I converted? My Amy Butler K&Company tote now houses my needles and yarn... I can't wait for CHA to see the yarns and knitting booths... I've bought six knitting books in the past month... I now have a "yarn basket"...

See the pattern?

Things that make me happy...

I'm 13 again...



(Oh - and the slut on the beach better get off of Jon...)

Want to see something hilarious?

We rented "Strange Wilderness" this weekend and I have to tell you. One of the funniest scenes EVER in a movie is in this show. Check this out:



He drew eyeballs on his eyelids. I nearly peed myself laughing at this.

Just had to share!

I'm Baaack and turning 32 today... Blah!

I am SO SO sorry for not updating my blog as much as I used to. Or, as much as I should. I've been swamped and we were on vacation the past week and a half, so I didn't have time to get on. My apologies completely. I am thankful for those of you that have stood by me and still read my blog. Thank you - big hugs. I promise to start being better. I know - I've said it before but this time I mean it. I have a lot to say and I need to do it more frequently.

On a side note, today I turn 32. Not really sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I'm thankful to God that I get to see 32. On the other, WHERE is the time going? It was like yesterday I was 18. You know? Now, I'm in my 30's? Usually I do a "things about me" post whenever it's my birthday to correlate with how old I am. I'm not going to do 32 things today because I have other things to talk about.

We had a nice vacation - went to Orlando which I will NEVER do again. It's HOT down there. Much hotter than on the coast which is where we normally go and I'm like an old cat - I do not like to be hot or wet. So, amusement parks don't really amuse me too much because 1) It's hot 2) You sweat which means you're gross and 3) Water rides = wet = grumpy Ginger. Plus, I have realized that 2 year olds do not need to go to an amusement park.

Here are some photos for your viewing entertainment. Maggie got her face painting (which is SO overpriced!)






I also got a new baby the night before vacation. I traded in my original digital rebel and my vintage film rebel G2 for a new Rebel XSi. Oh yes...come home to mama. I love my new camera. It's pretty yummy. Has LIVE VIEW. That was AWESOME because on a lot of the rides, you're not allowed to take photos, but with live view and the flash off - they don't know. :) (Especially because they don't expect SLRs to have it!) New toy for me!!!!

When I brought it home, I took a pic of the puppies. Had to take one of my babies! (other than my other babies, which I'm always snapping photos of) Here's the pooches - aren't they so cute?!?



Penny has really warmed up and is a part of the family, now. I even bought them little t-shirts at Universal. I'll be sure to post a pic of them in the shirts soon!

That's about it. Gearing up for CHA. That should be fun because I get to be with Jane and Laura! Plus, see all of my friends and see what's new. Although - I might be spending more time in the knitting booths because I have definitely caught the knitting bug. I'm starting on a blanket for my nephew's baby (I'm going to be a great aunt again!) and some stuff for the girls.

Have a good one!

Sorry - I've been swamped!

Really, there is no excuse for me neglecting my blog the way I have been. I guess I have just been really swamped at home and of course I was out of town this weekend at a trade show. We're also gearing up to get ready to go on vacation to Universal and Orlando. We leave Friday! :)

Lots of things have been going on. Last week, we saw the Cincinnati Cyclones win the Kelly Cup. If you're looking for pics, Barb has them on her blog. I didn't bring my camera because frankly - it sucks right now. The battery will not hold charge and I refuse to buy another one right now. I'm all about "saving" money.

I'm also obsessed with making money online. So far - since the end of April, I've made about $350 in various online efforts. Not too shabby, huh? I'm pretty happy with the results. I've referred quite a few people to it - so let me know how you're doing. I just got a check in the mail on Friday for $85 and I'm waiting for a Visa gift card right now. I've been researching most of these sites and it's all good. I'm hoping to pay off some debt with the extra cash!

I've also tinkered with the notion of quitting scrapbooking altogether. I know - what am I thinking, right? But, it just does not appeal to me whatsoever right now. I am definitely enjoying the side of the business where I am moreso than the actual hobby at this point. Maybe it's a funk and I'll snap out of it.

Sorry for the drab post. I'll try to upload some photos. Scott got his blackbelt on Friday which was great to see. He's so proud of it. I'm so proud of him! Maggie had cheer camp. This is definitely a new area for me. I'm not used to being the mom of a cheerleader. LOL!

I'll post again soon - I promise!