Happy First Anniversary!

Today is our anniversary. Here JJ and I are, one year ago today! Seems like yesterday and I'd do it all over again! Ok, well, I would wear the same dress except on a beach but I'd marry him all over again. I guess that's the point right?? I am the hostess this week at CardMaker. My challenge is to make a card for your favorite person. I made this card for JJ in honor of our first year of marriage. You can find the challenge here. You have until midnight CST on 7/4 to upload your creation. Come on and play!!

Did you notice my new Martha Steward border punch-- I snagged the doily punch (the one on the lighter paper) on clearance at Wal-Mart a couple of weeks ago!

Oh and, I challenged everyone to use sparkles too!!

And, I wanted to show this new "handmade" stamp. It's made my Indadinkado and pretty stinking cute, if you ask me!

I also found some challenges where my card also works:

*Practical Scrappers: Flowers

*Crafty Creations: Sparkle

*Pile it On: Do something intersting with paper (the red is dry embossed)

*Edited to include some info on the supplies used:

-Paper: My Mind's Eye "Out & About"

-Stamp- "All in a Word" from Stampin Up!

A new 'do'!

Disclaimer: Please don't think that I am arrogant or narcissistic. Well, I guess you can, just refrain from telling me about it. :)


It's so hard to get the same "cut" again so I decided, after loving this haircut, that I was going to have JJ take some pictures of me and my new do for future reference. I had to post them on here because how else am I going to show Kim?? (Note: Shiny brows = freshly waxed. yeah!!) Well, the above cheese-ball grin is because JJ was making fun of me hard core and I was just dying laughing.

After a few gut busters, he went outside and I embarked on a self-portrait shoot:

Yep, I love this hair cut.


I know, dork!

Dork, 2x big!! But it's all worth it for a stellar 'do'!

More Sweet Baby Lucy

I did mention she's a snuggler, right? If you missed my previous post, look here.

JJ snapped this of Lucy and I taking a little snooze on the couch one evening. In the last year or so, she was pretty much cold all the time. She has several sweatshirts, sweaters (which she hated... I guess they were itchy) and a Mizzou fleece... has to have a Mizzou fleece!

Above, Lucy is in "her favorite" sweat shirt according to her sweet Daddy.


Here's another nap captured on film! Lucy loved to lay across your chest (this is where her and I took Sunday naps) snuggle and nap with your or have you rock her (I know, spoiled right?? Well, we wouldn't have it any other way!) Lately, when I got home from work, JJ would be rocking Lucy and she'd be snoring. Man! For something so little and so cute, she could saw some serious logs!!

One evening, JJ and Lucy beat me to our bedroom. I walked in, the light was on (hence the hat down low) and this is what I found. My two most precious babies taking a little snooze. (I married a wonderful man! If he spoiles our real children as much as he has our 4-legged daughter, they will be simply rotten but extremely well loved.)

She was such a little weasel. Lucy usually slept closest to me because JJ is a wild sleeper. This is what I woke up to pretty much every morning... sharing my pillow and my heart with this sweet baby girl.

Last August, Lucy had to have her right eye removed. This is JJ and her around Christmas showing off their Pirate faces. I love this picture because it looks like Lucy is smiling... just how I want to remember her.

...A little wiser!

I just made this card using a stack from DCWV called "The Green Stack". It has cute little prints that are slightly hippy-ish and a bit 60-ish (there are a couple of pages that have little striped mushrooms all over them) but I like them! I apologize that the pictures aren't the greatest. It is after 10 PM here so given the pitch blackness of night, I had to use the flash... uugh! The cute little owl is from a new Stampin Up set that I got at last months Stamp Club called "It's the Thought".

Here's the inside. I felt it was too mean to put something about being 'old' on the front of this card.

I am entering this card in the following challenges:

1. CardMaker Magazine: Birthday Toon (to use a cartoon figure for a birthday card and add polka dots... I took a few liberties on the polka dot part).

2. Papertake Weekly #43: It's a sketch challenge.

3. ColourQ Challenge: The challenge was to use Riding Hood Red, Pumpkin Pie, Kiwi Kiss, Bordering Blue (all SU colors) and white. You don't have to use these exact colors, just something close... good thing because I don't have any of them... well except for white of course! **I think I am suppose to have the image of the colors from the color challenge but I don't really know how to do that short of saving it as a picture then loading... I guess I will see how this works out for me.

Sweet baby Lucy

She was the absolute sweetest puppy ever! JJ and I got her (after I begged like crazy!) in October of 2004; she wasn't in our lives for long but I think she will spend quite some time in our hearts. Christmas 2009: Lucy was pretty much blind by this time but she was so amazed with our Christmas tree. I guess she could probably notice the stark contrast between the dark room and the lights.

This was Christmas 2008: JJ and Lucy sleeping on the couch by the light of our Christmas tree. Technically, she wasn't sleeping but she would never get up, even if she was awake, if you were still sleeping. She would just hang out and wait for you to wake up... such a snuggler!

Side Note: Eventhough she was originally my dog, she certainly had both of us wrapped tightly around her little paw. We wouldn't have it any other way!

See what I mean? I am sacked out taking a nap, she's just chilling. I took my first Sunday nap without Lucy this past Sunday. It was really weird to wake up without her weight sprawled across me.

I had stripped our bed but not got the linens to the laundry room yet. When I went back to our bedroom to get the sheets, this is what I found. She had just crawled under there and was taking a nap. So stinking cute!!

Lucy was a hider. Just like a child, if you didn't hear from her it was probably best to go find her. She just wasn't very sneaky! :) Her normal spots were under our bed and under blankets. Usually, you could find her by locating her back legs like above.

Christmas 2009: Just hanging out under our Christmas tree. I love this picture!! She really liked it under there! Before Christmas, when our tree was full of presents, she'd get under there and get stuck. One of us would have to crawl under and pull her out; I am surprised that she didn't tip over the tree!

I will post more pictures of her soon. We have tons of really cute ones (of course I am biased)! We miss her so much but I know she's healthy now and able to play again and there's no doubt that after she became a Jones, she was certainly pampered! I just tell myself that she's Cooper's puppy now.

My heart goes out to all the Mommy's and Daddy's that have lost real babies; I truly can't imagine!

Underpants Fairy

Do you ever feel like you are the "Underpants Fairy"? A couple of nights ago, it occurred to me that in addition to the other titles that I hold, I am the Underpants Fairy!

(Image from Google Image Search.)

I smiled to myself as I put man-panties (better known as boxer briefs) in JJ's drawer at about midnight. I am an Underpants Fairy and:

1. I am pretty good at it (pretty easy)

2. I like it

3. And I wouldn't trade it for anything!!

I love you Monster! And I love being your wife even when all I am doing is washing underpants!

Black & White Challenge

*Edited to include: For whatever reason, I didn't publish this post. The challenge is over at Cardmaker but they have 2 per week so there's something going on!!**

This card is for a challenge over at CardMaker Magazine. You have until Sunday at midnight (CST), June 13 to complete your card using only black and white.

Anyway, this card was super fast!!!

Happy Father's Day!

I made this card for a challenge of at CardMaker The challenge was to follow a sketch. I think my Dad will like it!

Happy Father's Day Daddio!!

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"

I love this card. I totally cased it but I have no idea from where... a friend has a giant book of ideas ripped from other magazines... so much fun to look through. I made this for 2 challenges:

*Magical Melodies where you are suppose to use a song of some sorts. I used the background stamp of music (I've had this stamp for awhile and couldn't find the perfect place for it... it goes good).

*ABC Christmas "L is for Lights". The "L is for Lights" challenge had the extra of adding a tree. The pictures don't really show it but the black looking brads are actually silver... for tiny white lights. Then of course, the reds are for Christmas balls.

My Grandma's church has a Bazaar each fall for craft items. Last winter, I made her several card sets to sell. She sold them all before the event even happened! So this year, I am starting early!

Paper: from my stash

Brads: Circle/tree topper (SU), Red (Brazzil Basics Paper), Silver (Recollections)

Stamp: Stampabilities "Composer's Dream"

Bah! Humbug!: Challenge 20: Silhouettes...

Did I ever mention to you that I love CHRISTmas!?! Well, I do and I love this stamp called 'Dasher' from Stampin Up! I think he's just handsome.I made this card for a challenge over at Bah! Humbug!; you were suppose to use a silhouette. I also used Ashley's sketch challenge over at CardMaker. We will see if she throws me out for using an image instead of a sentiment. Either way, I had fun making the card!
The pictures are kind of dark and then over-exposed because it's dark and Ashley's challenge ends in 15 minutes and of course... I waited until the last darn minute.

The best thing about card making is that I feel as though I am being uber domestic because I am down in the Cavern which is in close proximity to my laundry room. I feel like I am doing double duty... except, well, that's just what I tell myself. :)