New CTMH Card!

This card uses the same "Zig Zag" technique as the last card. I really liked the background--much better before I added the ribbon and the flowers. Sometimes that happens. Maybe flowers and zig zags don't exactly "match"! This time, I actually STAMPED on the grosgrain ribbon with a flower stamp. Then, I added the flowers I stamped and cut out (popping the yellow flower a bit). Not sure I'd use those colors again together with that background, but it makes a drastically different card than the blue tree card from the other day which used the same background technique. (Technique idea came from Pat Huntoon and Technique Junkies newsletter.) Papers and stamps came from CTMH. For more info on CTMH materials, shoot me a message!

Our BATTY "friend"

It's a little dark, but this is our bat! He likes to roost during the daytime under our porch roof--and yesterday climbed INSIDE the cat enclosure to "sleep" until sunset. I'm a little afraid of bats and so is my DD, so stayed inside, but I did manage to get a pic of the little guy. He's very tiny--only a little bit bigger than a golf ball when curled up!

Tadpoles, Frogs, and Metamorphosis, Oh my!

Not only have we had the good fortune to house 5 baby birds this summer (on the back porch), we have gotten to watch tadpoles metamorph into frogs!!! We realized both our pond and the pool cover had thousands (or so it seems) tadpoles in them, so we couldn't empty either until they were grown. Instead, we have created a science project and are watching the little guys. Most still had tails and no legs or arms when we "rescued" them and brought them inside to watch. We have seen back legs grow, then front arms, and yesterday, we realized that one had no tail. He looked like he was drowning, so I jumped on the internet, only to discover that he WAS indeed drowning! Once they lose their tails, they gain lungs (good-bye gills!). Well, they were in a gallon pickle jar and had no way to get out into the air, so we had to find a new way to house them. Now, they have a half pond/half above water habitat in our 10 gallon fish tank. This little guy is sitting in a teacup awaiting his new home--which he loves! He has suckers on his hand and feet and can climb the walls of the fish tank, climb up the "log" and onto the cement blocks, and he is having a ball! He's everywhere! We have to keep an eye on the rest of the little guys. For some reason, when they get their lungs, they don't always know that they have to get out of the water and will drown, even if there is a non-water place for them to go. So we have to catch them and get them out before they get to that point. Now we are going to the Petco to get "bloodworms" which is what a carniverous baby frog eats. YUCK! We are learning so much about science this summer!

Trip to SETLA 2009

This is me and my friends at the SETLA 2009 Conference in Charleston! We represented Jefferson and Berkley Counties at the Special Education Leadership Conference at the Embassy Suites in Charleston, WV. It was a week of non-stop learning! We were up and eating breakfast at 7:00 am and finished with dinner at 7:00 pm. And, basically, between those two times, except for meals, we were in classes. We learned alot about using technology in the 21st Century Learning environment and we are working on projects throughout the year. It was very tiring--I even went to bed one evening without supper because I was just too tired and in too much pain (shoulder/neck injury from carrying too much stuff a few weeks earlier). But it was WELL worth it! Can't wait to put some of what we learned into practice in the classroom!

CTMH and Technique Junkies Card

I received my Close To My Heart starter kit a few months ago, but have been so busy with college and school that I haven't had time to create, but this week, I got my Technique Junkies newsletter (by Pat Huntoon) and saw this technique and had to try it! I don't usually use striped paper because I don't usually like stripes (too busy), but I love the idea of using the stripes to make a background like this one!

I used the "Back Country" level 2 paper pack and the "Backwoods" stamp set. I also used a couple of buttons from the "Summer Buttons" set. I am always looking for cards for men and this is a great "guy" card! Contact me for more info!

7th Birthday Cake!

I got this idea from a Taste of Home magazine. I tweaked it a little bit and put my own brand of perfectionism to work, and here it is!

It's a labor of love that has lasted over 2 weeks--looking for all the candies required.

Then, the past three days, I've been baking, frosting and decorating. This is my first attempt at working with fondant. I made my own and then rolled it out (WITHOUT a ROLLING PIN!) using my hands and my 4 inch Pampered Chef Pizza Roller!!

I tried to somewhat accurate, but there are at least 4 different Candyland boards since the game first came out, so I took the best of each one--including a REAL Peanut Brittle house!

It's kind-of reminiscent of the Cake Boss, don't you think? :)

Week 4 of Debbie's Dare

This is week 4 of Debbie's Dare. I had to choose 7 Decisions that I have made that CHANGED my life. I had a hard time with this one, because I wanted just the right paper. I feel like my life has been just one WILD roller coaster ride! I've had so many ups and downs, and very little straight track. So I finally found the paper that I was looking for. This is actually a two-page spread, but because there are pictures of my students that I do not have permission to print, you'll have to settle for just this half of the page. (The other half contains my current college transcript--All A's--, a picture of George and I during our August 2001 wedding, and some cooking embellishments).