Change is something I love...

This is one of my recent layouts I have done-totally different from what I normally do, but I think I am addicted! I love the distressed, shabby look! I did it for a challenge my best friend and I do thru email, and now am convinced I need to use these techniques more often!

Also, in the short time since I posted those photos, I have given my room a new look already-so I will post new pics soon. See, lately I have been in a "vintage" mood-for quite a while I have had this desire to shop for antiques-I love antiques! So, I decided to limit my antique shopping to my scrapbook room. I found some cool vintage fabric, and some amazing antique storage pieces. I painted my white furniture brown and distressed them. The house is still a bit stinky as a matter of fact...8 )

I think part of the fun of scrapbooking for me is organizing all of my supplies (okay...and purchasing them, ha ha!). I am an organization guru and it seems like I am finally getting to the point to where I like how I have things organized-finally!!! When I first started, I had everything neatly tucked away and labeled, but over the years have figured out that I like to have things out so that I don't forget that I have them. So, I have changed my storage to reflect that need. There are also choices like organizing by color or type, and I have chose by type-and that works great for me! So, it has been a process, but I think I finally got it down!

I also am currently addicted to taking online scrapbooking classes. I have been taking them for quite some time from Big Picture Scrapbooking-I love trying new things, meeting challenges, etc and many of them help me use of my stash. 8 ) I also just discoverd debbiehodge.com which has more classes-I am taking an Art Journaling class, which will be a totally new thing for me! I am excited to play with gesso and paint and all of that yummy stuff!!! I also discoverd jessicasprague.com, which has digitial photography and editing classes. I am really trying to learn more about my camera and Photoshop Elements. Tired of using the "manual" or"auto" options...I love to learn new things and expand this hobby as much as I can!

So that is what I have been up to scrapbooking wise. Of course, I am also working on some projects for my business-some cute acrylic sports mini albums and some 12x12 pages for a local gal who is keeping me busy! I hope to dedicate this weekend to getting more of those projects done!

My Scrapbook Room

This is a closet my brother custom made for me!

I painted my walls using designs from a popular scrapbook paper line. It was challenging, but fun!

It is a bit messy, but I like to have everything "out" or I forget what I have. 8 ) It is "organized clutter."

Here are some photos of my scrapbook room, thought I'd share!

Passions

I just wanted to write a quick note about some of my passions-a little of "me" stuff. I know...it is kind of weird to talk about myself, but one thing I have learned in my favorite hobby is that I need to be documented too---imagine that, who would have thought??? 8 )

You have probably noticed that I am a bit addicted to politics-something I used to absolutely NEVER care about-until a couple of things-first, 9/11-in general just got me more interested in watching the news, watching what is going on in the world around us. Second, I have a couple friends that years back would Bush bash constantly around me-even though I didn't know a lot, I did know that I liked what he stood for and the values he held. However, I couldn't make an argument with that, so I started to pay more attention to educate myself enuf to be able to make an argument in defense of what I knew I believed in (which if you haven't noticed by now is conservatism). So, with that, and with being able to stay at home, I became addicted to the "everyday" news stuff.

So, I am using this blog to get out a lot of my venting about politics-probably not so friendly for those who want to read and just catch up with my family...but this is my "journal" of sorts and writing it out works for me. So, for those of you not interested or do not have the same view as me, I apologize!!! 8 ) I also always welcome a debate, I am more than willing to listen to opposing points of view!

My newest addiction is to Facebook-I have reconnected with soooo many friends and family members. I log on throughout the day to see what people are up to, and for a stay at home mom, that is kind of refreshing...8 ) I would recommend it for anyone, but be cautious-it is a bit addicting!!!

I also am addicted to-you guessed it...SCRAPBOOKING! Scrapbooking has been a hobby of mine since I was in grade school-but I started the "acid free" kind in high school. Then, the hobby really exploded for me about 6 years ago. Now-I am hopeless. I have my own room (I will post pics soon), TONS of supplies and products, a semi-professional camera...the whole deal. I could tell you names of Scrapbook "celebrities" (yep, they exist) and could probably tell you the name of the company who made any given product...I go to all weekend crops (crops are basically where a bunch of people-ie-women-get together to scrapbook) and hold them at my home as well. I occasionally teach a class, sell products thru a company called Memory Works (memory-works.com) and this summer started my own scrapbooking business called Memories~To~Cherish where I make custom scrapbooks. LOVE this hobby-it is my creative outlet, my way to document memories, and besides preservation of memories, it has also taught me new ways to capture memories, like the everyday things---the quotes the kids say that are super funny, but you still tend to forget, those kind of things...

Of course I couldn't talk about passions without mentioning chocolate and Diet Dr. Pepper. Ha ha.

These are all besides the obvious passions of mine-God, my husband and my precious girls. Of course, they, along with friends and other family, top my list way above the things mentioned above. I probably could go without saying that...but still wanted to mention them!

I am very blessed-my hobbies and passions are all icing on cake compared to the great things God has blessed me with-great family, friends, a home, etc. Jut thought I'd document some of my faves right now...

Stimulus

Okay, this is another political rant, so brace yourself.

I was willing to give President Obama a chance, but I have to say I am extremely disappointed already:

The stimulus-I think it is absolutely horrific that the Republicans were not even given a chance to read the bill (1000+pages) after all of the changes were made! Didn't Obama promise transparency? (In fact, he repeatedly bashed Pres. Bush for being "too secretive.") Not just for Congress but also for the American People? Are you kidding me? Not even getting the chance to sit in the meetings or get a final copy before being forced to vote? And even the final bill had scratch marks, etc. written on it. Seriously? And we are giving these people control of a trillion dollars of our money and our children's money?

I have no doubt that the stimulus will create some jobs, but I still think it is wrong on so many levels. A trillion dollars-do you know how much power we just gave the government? That money needs to be in the hands of the people! And while they will argue all day there is no pork in the package, it is there, just hidden in the "congressional language." I guarantee that billions in the package will not provide jobs, but were on the agenda of the Democrats for years and they finally got a chance to sneak it thru...because really, how many of our leaders actually read the entire bill, or understood all of it? Nancy Pelosi even pretty much said it herself (that she never thought she's see the day where we could get so much accomplished...meaning she never thought she'd ever get to get some of her agenda thru). And for Reid to say that the Republicans were not being bipartisan about this? Who didn't give them the chance to read the bill?

Gittmo-it may not be the best thing, but closing it right away I think will be dangerous-where will these prisoners go? Do we send them back to their home countries where they will be let go and will be at an Al Queda camp as soon as they get out? Obama's decision to halt all judicial proceedings led to the person in charge of the bombing of the USS Kohl to have his charges dropped. And no harsh treatment, no making them uncomfortable? I am not saying we should torture, but water boarding, while I am sure it sucks, is nothing compared to what the terrorist do to us-beheading, unbelievable torture, etc. I really think we are in trouble. Obama is undoing a bunch of the things Bush put into place-things that have kept us SAFE since 9/11. I truly think the terrorist are rejoicing more and more each day.

A lot of people missed this-but in his first week, Obama resigned a deal that money we send to other countries could be used for "planned parenthood" ie abortions overseas. Both Bush's had stopped this from happening, but lo and behold, it is one of the first things on his agenda?

Hypocricy-he said he will not hire lobbyists in the white house and he did. Three of his cabinet appointments had tax problems (in that they did not pay them). They can't pay their taxes, but they sure want us to pay ours so they can spend it!

While I am frustrated, good can come out of this. Watching the Republicans make arguments against this bill made me realize that they are getting rejuvenated, which we really needed!!!They are finally passionate, finally fighting for conservative values.

So right now I am a little skeptical, I probably pay too much attention to this stuff, but I think it is really important-we are heading towards socialism and I think we need to watch out for what is happening, not just for us, but also for our kids.

Craziness!!!

Yeah, so it has been quite the crazy last few days. This last weekend we woke up with an inkling that someone had been in our basement-our egress (sp?) window in the basement was slightly ajar and there were some items moved around-that would need to be moved to get inside-and a bunch of leaves, sticks etc. that had come in thru the window (which makes me realize we really need to do a better job cleaning that out!!!) Anyway, nothing had been taken, so we kind of blew it off, but then the next day as Dan was checking around the house for footprints, etc. he came across a bag of flour right up next to our house. Not only odd, but as we looked inside, there was a large rock inside that when broke apart, was brown on the inside...so just to be safe we called the authorities to check it out and just let them know about the feelings we had about someone getting in our house. (We are still awaiting the results for that).

Well, on Monday evening, Dan, my sweet sweet hubby, offered to take both girls with him to Hastings to take Keaton to ballet/tap class to give me some time to myself. So, just minutes after I started scrapbooking (of course, what else would I do with free time!), I heard noises outside that basement window-as I peered into the room (just next to the room I was in), I saw a person and that person was trying with all their might to get that window open (of course, we had locked it!). Kick in adrenaline!!! I proceeded to run really quickly upstairs, called 911 and waited for the authorities to arrive. And did they arrive-4 cars, lights a goin' and guns a packin'...it was quite the show, especially for a town like Blue Hill, where this kind of stuff, well...never occurs. Of course, I was shaking like a leaf, and did for the rest of the night...anyway, without giving out too much info, we are all pretty sure that we have an idea of who it was-and hopefully it will never happen again after having lots of men with guns parading around the house...if it is this person, we don't THINK that we have anything to worry about as far as future safety, but regardless, I still did not sleep last night...there is something just so incredibly violating about knowing someone was breaking into your home.
So now I am having fun listening to all the rumors-some heard that the person actually got in the house-I'm okay with that as long as the story ends with me wrestling them to the ground and holding them down with my might strength until the authorities got there...ha ha. 8 ) First and foremost, I want to mention how amazing the 911 dispatcher and all of the sherriff/state patrol officers that came were!!!
So now, I have on my shopping list to get some mace, maybe a baseball bat-if my dad were here, he'd be getting me a gun (or giving me one of his so he'd have an excuse to buy a new one 8 ), we'll see...

News Media

I just came across these numbers and they astounded me:

FOXNEWS OREILLY 3,891,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 3,034,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,306,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 2,299,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 2,155,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,581,000
CNN COOPER 1,559,000CNN KING 1,420,000
CNN BLITZER 1,490,000
CNNHN GRACE 1,435,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,398,000

I have heard soo many people on the left argue that Fox News is sooo bad because they sway to the right, and while they do a tad (although not nearly as much as the others sway to the left, they are waaaay more objective), these numbers show me that the majority of Americans apparently agree with the values and reporting of Fox News. I LOVE O'Reilly, Hannity and Glenn. Shep and Greta are both great too (I am a news junkie, in case you haven't noticed). The reason I love them-they ask the tough questions, no matter who they are interviewing. They call people in power out, they show compassion...I was just watching Glenn Beck, where (again 8 ) he cried on his show (I love that he shows so much passion). He had become aware of massive killings happening on our Mexican border (all part of the drug war) and had come into contact with a father whose daughter was killed. He made a promise to the father that he would follow up on the story and do what he could-but CNN would not allow it or do anything with the story (he just moved from CNN to Fox News). He said Fox News is all over it and is doing what they can to help this father and to find out what is going on-why there are massive killings (including beheadings) being covered up...anyway, that is why I watch Fox News. O'Reilly calls out judges who let child molesters and killers off with probation, he calls out people in government who make decision harmful to Americans. While a little gruff, his causes are noble. That is why I watch Fox News. Hannity is a true American, and while very partisan, is doing what he can to get the conservative cause out (which is constantly trampled on by those on the far left).

And President Obama is not a fan of Fox News, he rips on them whenever he gets a chance-because they were the only ones that asked him tough questions-they were the only one that asked him real questions, besides "how long did you work out today?" and questions like that. Journalism is very questionable these days and I think it is important for everyone to be cautious in what they are reading and watching...

God Bless America

Before I start my blogging, I want to say a quick thank you to all of you for your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. We will miss Dan's mom greatly and are heartbroken that she is no longer with us. However, we know she is in a better place now, and that gives us comfort. Again, thank you.

I titled this God Bless America for pretty obvious reasons. I watched the inauguration yesterday, and just felt overwhelmed and blessed that I live in such a great country where we can elect our leaders freely. What a historic moment it was to watch the transition of power, to see an African American as President, where just decades ago they lacked the basic civil rights. Our country does not get enough credit--look how far we have come in such little time. Of course, the country is not perfect, we have a lot of problems and challenges, but truly-would you want to live anywhere else in the world??? Everyone around me knows I was a huge McCain supporter, but I will pray for and support President Obama as he is our President and as an American, that is what we should do. I REFUSE to be a hater (like the many Bush haters our there).

I also am moved to say thank you to President Bush. Thank you for keeping us safe since 9/11. Thank you for giving us a good economy for 7 of the 8 years (after being handed a recession and 9/11). Thank you for being such a staunch supporter of Africa and her people (you have done more for Africa than anyone on earth). Thank you for freeing millions from evil dictatorship in Iraq and Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Thank you for holding to your principles and values, for not making decisions based on political expediency, but based on principle. Thank you for being faithful and prayerful to God-and for being outspoken about it.

God Bless America!

Happy New Years!!!

Well it is the Monday after the holidays and things are getting back to normal-of course, except sleeping hours...we are all on a really late schedule and are sleeping late in the morning, and that is going to hit us hard when preschool starts back up on Wednesday!!! Anyway, although I love the holidays, I am glad to have the Christmas stuff put away, the toys reorganized and put away, and everything a bit back to normal! (Not to mention, I finally broke down and threw away all of the leftover candies and sweets left from Christmas-no more temptation!!!)

We had a great Christmas and New Years. For Christmas we got to spend time with family, friends (Angie and Rich were in town, they got to help us break our new Wii in!!!), and of course we were all very spoiled by Santa and others. I got Dan the Wii (and subtly myself the Wii Fit-it was a packaged deal, I promise!!! I love ebay...). Dan got me a new laptop (yeah!!!) and the girls got a ton of great things-movies, barbies, clothes and countless other toys and girlie things. 8 )

On Christmas Eve we have a family tradition that while we are at church, Santa comes to Grandma and Grandpa Mackins and brings the grandkids pajamas. They are sooo cute! Mallory loves hers so much that this morning, she got hers out and (with her whine since she can't talk yet) begged me to put them on her. So, for most of the morning, she had 2 pairs of pajamas on at the same time. 8 ) Too funny.

For New Years, we went to a party at the Cox's, ate too much food, played some games, and barely made it to midnight. It was a fun time had by all!

Saturday was Keaton's 5th birthday-can you believe it!!! We had her party at the YMCA this year, and her and a bunch of her little friends had a blast in the maze and arcade area. Grammons came back for the party, which was great! It is always nice to see them, even if just for a short time! We got to end the day at a game night with our Adult Couple Bible Study group. Again, ate too much food, and played a mean game of Pictionary and a game of 10 point pitch, where (in pitch) the girls beat the boys! (I wasn't so lucky at Pictionary) 8 )

So, now that life is back to normal, I have 2 goals-one to get us all back to a somewhat normal sleep schedule and two, to keep using the Wii fit (and even the other games-I love that they are interactive and require movement!)-maybe this will be my tool to actually lose those last 5 baby pounds and get in better shape!!!

I hope that you all had a blessed holiday season, and while (like the rest of the year) I missed my dad greatly I remember that he is actually in the presence of the man we are celebrating-Jesus. Even Keaton reminds me that "grandpa is with Jesus" and while my smart little 5 year old most likely does not comprehend all of that yet, I am glad I have her to remind me of that. So, I hope you all had a chance to count your blessings this holiday season. We are not guaranteed anything, and I too often catch myself taking my blessings for granted. God be with you all this new year.

'Tis the Season

Christmas is in full swing at our house, I think I am more excited than the girls! The last couple weeks have been full of great holiday activities-Disney on Ice, The Singing Christmas Tree, the annual dinner and Christmas show with my mom, grandma and sister-in-law, decorating Gingerbread houses, looking at Christmas lights, Christmas shopping, decorating the house, wrapping presents, listening to Christmas music, watching Christmas movies on TV...I LOVE it all! Keaton is really into it this year-she actually doesn't mind turning the TV off if she gets to play Christmas music at full volume. 8 ) She did a great job decorating the tree, and is super excited to make cookies for Santa and prepare carrots for the reindeer (can't believe she remembers all of this from last year!).

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and remembers the true reason for the season-Jesus Christ. God be with you all this holiday season!!!

The View

Okay, so I know that I shouldn't even watch the show The View. But for some reason, I can not help myself. (I told you there might be some political stuff in here...8 ) Some mornings I have to keep myself from throwing something at the TV, I get so frustrated with the ignorance and liberal leaning tone of the conversations. It drives me crazy that they claim to represent both sides-Elizabeth is by herself as the only conservative-Whoopi, Sherrie, Barbara, and Joy are all obviously on the left. And while I shouldn't care, I know that some people to get their news and information from this show, and that is why I get so frustrated.

The reason I am writing about this show is because this morning Whoopi and Joy said some outrageous things-that there is no such thing as a Victory in Iraq and that we messed up more things there than we helped. Are you kidding??? Yes, mistakes were made, our intelligence was initially "wrong" (I put that in quotes, because essentially, they weren't wrong-the UN just gave Sadaam enuf time to get rid of the WMD's during the 17 resolutions he ignored over many years...not to mention our intelligence community was weakened greatly under Clinton's administration, but these are different topics...). Anyway-yes, mistakes have been made-but to say we are only fixing problems we created-what??? Under Sadaam, people did not have freedom of speech, women had no freedoms, people were tortured and executed for speaking out and for disobeying Sadaams laws...NOW-stores and shops are open and thriving, schools are educating children AND women, millions of people have been liberated-people aren't being killed in mass killings, violence is down greatly...I think victory is imminent! Iraq is the closest its been to being a democratic nation. Yes, we will probably have to keep a presence there to help with peace keeping (just like in Germany, Bosnia, etc), but is that not worth a free nation in the Middle East? And to say that US has done more harm than good-yes, we have lost blood and treasure, but for a noble cause-to free millions of people. If Joy lived in Iraq and talked about Sadaam like she talks about Bush, she would have been tortured and executed. It kills me that people can't see that and see the great things we have done there! (Of course, I can kind of understand, because the media chooses not to report the good things, just the numbers of soldiers killed).

A lot of this goes back to the Bush bashing that occurs all of the time on this show, esp. from Joy. For once, I would like someone to question her on exactly what is so bad about him. He is not perfect, no president has been-but she has NOOO idea what decisions he has to make on a daily basis. She has no idea, and chooses not to be educated on both sides of issues. (Not to mention, he has kept us safe since 9/11). She hates Bush and that is that. Whoopi said something a couple weeks ago that just cracked me up-that the terrorists have gotten "crazier" since Bush has been in office. Seriously? Does she need to be reminded that 9/11 was being planned during the Clinton administration?

I am just so sick and tired of the unfairness-get rid of Sherri and get another strong conservative on the show-make it fair. Right now it is more like Bill Maher's show-he is famous for stacking 2-3 liberals plus himself against one conservative. Then when the conservative makes a good point, he cracks a joke belittling him/her and goes to commercial. Besides these shows, TV news programs (cable and network) and many of the big newspapers and magazines are left leaning. (yet if you mention to liberals the unfairness in the press, they mention Fox News 8 ). I tell you this-Fox does lean to the right-although still more balanced than any of the other shows and independent studies have shown that-but thank goodness!!! We don't have a voice anywhere else... So, it is not hard to see why so many people are embracing the liberal, progressive agenda and to be honest, it scares me.