Sympathy Card

This card is totally lifted from the CTMH artwork boards. Isn't that little birdy just the cutest? I am really enjoying the new "Boutique Borders" stamp set (center)
and the "Intrinsic Backgrounds" (top) stamp set that were just released in the last idea book. The bird is from the "Bird Basics" set.
I will be busy today with Megan's birthday party..
Have a great weekend!

If The Shirt Fits............

I am over the moon to post that I am "wearing it" After a LOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooong and very stubborn plateau, the scales have started moving again! I have now gotten to the weight I said I would be before I wore this shirt, sorta as an incentive to myself! It was so hard to see it hanging there everyday in all of its pink glory, but oh so worth the wait!
Just in case you missed the original post: http://lisaosterlind.blogspot.com/2009/01/awesomeness-of-my-new-shirt.html
Have a great day!

Megan's Cute Cake

Since Megan is a "die hard" John Deere addict, no other cake would
have been appropriate for her birthday!


Enjoy the day ahead!

Happy Birthday Megan! Sweet Sixteen!

Today is my baby's birthday. Megan is sixteen today. This is one of my favorite baby pics of her, isnt her hair just so cute? We are having her real party on Saturday, when her friends can come over, but I surprised her this morning with a little "baby" cake to take to school and share with her friends. Megan is the "quiet" one. Never asks for anything, always so sensitive, not afraid to cry, and most of all such a loving heart. I continue to drive her crazy telling her she is my last baby, trying to talk her out of doing all the things that means she is growing up, like getting her drivers license and going on dates, as if that is going to stop the process of her getting older! Happy Birthday My Little Buckaroo! I love you!
PS Don't tell Brittany, but you've always been my favorite!

Anniversary Card

I found the idea for this card on Karen Werner's blog and wanted to make my own using CTMH products.. I used the March SOM (Butterfly Wings) and a new set called
Intrinsic Backgrounds.

I used the newest CTMH colors, Juniper & Tulip

The inside & the matching envelope

Happy Birthday Rachel

Most of the Birthdays in our family come towards the beginning of the year. My stepdaughter Rachel's is next on the list. Richard asked me to make a card for her, and this is what I came up with. The little "people" are new stamps from CTMH called "family ties" and they are adorable! Kinda resembles Richard, dont'cha think?

March Workshop

I have been hard at work getting upcoming workshops ready. In addition to my regular monthly scrapbooking workshops, I am also in the process of preparing a greeting card workshop as well. That one is not quite ready yet, but here are the pics of my scrapbooking pages for the March workshop. I really, really love them! Please let me know if you would like to attend, or if you are not local and would like to purchase a kit. Keep in mind that the kit includes EVERYTHING you need to complete these pages, including precut paper, stamped images, and all accessories. You will receive the rest of the Level 2 paper pack, stickers, and brads to take home. If you cannot quite see the pictures, you can click on them and view them bigger. I am posting quite a few pics because I want you to see all the details that make this layout so pretty.

Here is the left side

And, the right


Close up of the new Designer Pewter Brads and the new stamp set "Connections"

Another close up with the Pewter Brads and the Colonial White ric-rac.

I have a very busy Friday ahead of me, so I will say so long!!

Valentines Day Layout

Here is the beautiful card Richard gave me for Valentines Day.

Isn't that little key just about the cutest thing ever? I normally just throw my cards away, but I had to have that cute little key! So, I carefully removed it from the card, and incorporated it into this layout.

You can click on the pics to view them bigger. Here is a close up of the key.

Have a great day,

Update On My Diet

As some of you know, I have been doing the First Place 4 Health diet program thru my Church. We have a weigh in and meeting every Monday night. Last night, again, I stayed the same weight as last week. My weight has been in the same neighborhood (up or down by a pound) for 2 weeks now, and is basically refusing to budge. It is very discouraging. I write down every calorie, I drink lots of water, I exercise generally every night, I do all the right things, and my weight stays the same.
I have to admit that last night, it got the best of me and I broke down and cried at the meeting. Anyone who has ever been on a diet can relate, I just know you can!
Anyway, to get to the point of all of this.. I got up this morning and found the following email from Crosswalk, where you can sign up for daily devotionals, and it seemed appropriate so I am sharing it here.
John 16:33
'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
When I think of everything the Father has done for me, I feel bad for sulking over my weight.. He has overcome the world! Surely I can overcome extra pounds No?
Here is the devotion part, also awesome!
Sometimes we just get tired of dieting. It takes a lot of energy to diet, and without the foods we love, we're sometimes too weak to fight any longer. Our diets become bigger and bigger burdens. If we're not careful, we can lose sight of the fact that our diet won't last forever. All things come to an end if we will only be patient enough to wait. It helps to remember the temptations of Christ; how He triumphed over them, and then, before long, how they ended. Dieting is not punishment, but discipline. Though it can be a tribulation, losing weight carries with it a special joy.
Today's thought: As the fat fades, so does the tribulation!
So, I resolve to press on and have patience so that I can feel that "special joy!"
Hugs to all of you!

Kadence and Her Tea Pah-ty

Kadence was so excited with her new tea set! She picked it out, and paid with her own money and held it all the way home! She kept saying "NaNa, you wanna come my pah-ty?" Of course she was adorable, even though I had to keep mopping up the "tea" (water)
Have a great Monday!

Scenes From Valentines Day

Good Sunday Morning To You!
Hope you all had a great Valentines Day with the ones you love. We had a very simple, but very fun day. We spent hours this morning trying to think of something all "romantic" and "lovey" to do. First on the list was to drive up to Shaker Village and stuff ourselves on the luscious Prime Rib and Shrimp Valentines Dinner by candlelight that they always have and then get a room in the inn and spend the night. OH YES! But alas, while they had a room, there were no more reservations for dinner. OH NO! OK so that was out. Then we moped around some more trying to think of something to do when it finally hit us! It is Valentines Day, we should do things that we truly love with the people we truly love! WOO HOO! Revelation right? So here is how the rest of the day unfolded! We broke out the camera to get shots of our Valentines.

Megan in her cool Valentines Day shirt

The littlest Valentine in her special Valentines Day outfit!

Me and my one true Valentine!
Richard and I love to eat pizza and watch movies, so we decided to head out to the local pizza joint, eat pizza and then head to the video store to get some movies.
Right before we headed home, we decided ice cream would really top off the day! We went over to "Howards Place" local home of the bestest ice cream cakes in the world.
The employees kept going on about how sweet it was that Richard was buying his sweetheart (ME!) an ice cream cake. They asked him if he wanted a ring to give me and he said "Of course!" So they gave him this beauty of a ring and he suddenly dropped to his knees and slipped it on my finger! I shall treasure it always!

After we got back home Brittany showed up with Valentines for each of us.

We ended the day watching a movie while snuggling under a big cozy quilt!
Yes, it was a no frills, no fuss Valentines Day, but one that we will all treasure forever. Enjoy your Sunday with your family and make every moment count!

Handmade Cards For My Valentines

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!
Here are the cards I made for hubby and the girls. I got the idea for my husbands cupcake card from Vicki Wizniuk, a fellow CTMH sister. She has awesome and inspiring artwork that she always shares. The small gift cards are made with Close to my Heart's new booking set "True Treasures." It is a mini stamp set that is just adorable. If you click on the pics, you will be able to see them much bigger. I will be back with pics from Valentins Day later. Have a great day with the ones you love!

I have been busy!

After taking a break so that I could deal with my sister's death and the Christmas holidays I am finally getting back to holding my monthly scrapbooking workshops. The Evensong workshop was supposed to be done in December, but I had to cancel after I had all the supplies ordered because I had family coming in to visit. Well, better late than never, right? This is the 2 page layout we will be doing on Feb. 20.
It always amazes me how much cuter they are when they are done and laying in front of you as opposed to just looking at them in the brochure! This workshop is sold out so I am sure we will have a blast. My friend Denise likes to do cards more than scrapbook pages, so I am working on putting an all occasion card workshop together.
Have a great Friday!

Visiting Brittany

On Saturday morning we decided to hit the road and visit Brittany and Kadence at their house in Ohio. We had a great visit! I was so impressed by how cute Brittany had her place decorated. Kadence kept us all entertained by putting on her ruby slippers and using her toy microphone to inform us all that "there's no place like home!"

Here She Is!

After a snow cancellation last week, the Homecoming Dance finally went on last night.
After hair by Nicole & makeup by yours truly, Megan was ready for her first "real" date. You may notice there are no pictures of she and I: thats because I had cried so much that my eyes were black, and there was no way I was getting in a photo so that Megan and Brittany could laugh at Mom the "crybaby" later.
Enjoy your weekend!

Happy Birthday Abraham!

Today, please join me in wishing my bestest little buddy April, otherwise known as Abraham, Grape Ape, & Punk Rock, a Very Happy Birthday! April and I have been friends since Mrs. Bean (I know that is not how you spell it, I still hold a grudge, OK?) in the first grade! We have had many, many, fun times--throwing bread in the grocery store, seeing how much popcorn we could get in our mouths before we swallowed, oh and this one time, we were goofing off in my room, and she slammed her leg into the chest of drawers and, oh.. well nevermind, she probably would not want that shared with the world! Of course we have also been thru the hard times as well.
We can go for months without talking on the phone, but you let something happen to one of our family members and we are right there for each other just like we never were apart! Here we are at my daughter's wedding in '07.. I am the hot one in the black dress (LOL--could not resist!) and April Dawn is in the pink dress.
Happy Birthday April! I love you forever!

Winter Layout

As most of the nation knows, Kentucky really got hammered with snow and ice last week. I finished this layout yesterday. It is an old retired CTMH Dickens Village kit that I have been holding in my stash waiting for the perfect pics. When I saw Megan's "Snow Babe" hat, I thought the colors of the kit were a perfect match.
This has been one of my favorite kits, and it is a bit hard to know that it is not in my stash anymore! (spoken like a true hoarder! LOL ) Don't forget, you can always click on the pictures to see them larger.
Kinda makes me chilly to look at the layout!
Enjoy the day,

Update On Life & Such

Good Morning Blog Readers,
Just a brief update on things. Last week I asked Brittany to bring Kadence to me so that I could keep her and do the "grand-ma-ma" thing for a couple days.. As most of you know we ended up with lots of snow and ice, so I kept my little buddy all week!
Things were sailing along fine, lots of singing, lots of playin in the snow, lots & lots & lots of watching "Poppins" (Kadence's way of saying Mary Poppins) and then, she got sick with some kind of wretched stomach bug, and the fun was over.
She was pretty much sick all week. Here she is being sick, watching Poppins, and looking oh so cute in NaNa's bed...

Brittany was finally able to make it thru the ice and snow to pick her up Friday afternoon. Then, on Saturday morning, I started posting my extra scrapbooking items for sale, and wow! I was overwhelmed with the interest, and have had little time until now to update..
Last night I had my First Place for Health meeting, and lost another 7 pds. so I was beyong happy about that. Only 3.2 more pds. to go before I am wearing that new shirt that I posted about earlier.
I think that is about all for now. We are supposed to get more snow this morning, so I will be staying in and cleaning house and hopefully scrapbooking a bit.