They Closed the Schools For This???

Both the school district that I work for and the one that my foster son attends school in have cancelled school for the day. Apparently the snow is more severe in higher elevations, but it is pretty pitiful at our house…of course being the slacker that I am, any excused day off from work is totally welcome!!! Of course you people around the world who get "real" snow are probably laughing at us pitiful Oregonians!!!

A Different Hobby this week…

Last Tuesday night I taught a bead class to some young girls at my old boss’s house, including 2 of my students from last year. (My former boss’s daughters) I was really sick but I ended up just doing the hard part of starting and finishing the necklaces while the girls just beaded. It was pretty satisfying, actually.

Then last night I wanted to be crafty but I really didn’t have any pics to scrap, so I made this necklace that I’ve had in my head for a couple years, inspired by this pic I saw in a beading magazine.

I love the way it turned out!!!

It is very funky, and yet still has my lovely ocean colors!!!

Another Tag Game!!!

I was tagged by Debbie over at Debbie’s Bits and Pieces with the following tag game:

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name).
3. After you are tagged, you need to update your blog with your middle name and your answers.
4. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and that they need to read your blog for details).

R-eading addict
A-rtist
C-heerful
H-elpful
E-nergetic
L-oving
L-oves chocolate and cheese, especially processed cheese
E-ffervescent

Ok I tag KJ, Laura, Marfa, Tana, Samantha, Joscie, Michelle (Scraphappy08), Toni

Another LO

Here's one of dh with the sprouts!

Ordinary Things

I’m sick with a cold, again! Drat! I must stop nibbling my nails, I know they are full of infectious germs…I did scrapbook 2 pages though, again starring one of my beloved nieces…I’m also reading up a storm, my books on hold all came in at the same time from the library. I’ve just finished a Karen Kingsbury selection, "Redemption", and I’m just starting a new Joanne Harris (the author of "Chocolat") book, "The Lollipop Shoes".

The new job is great, the people are very nice, although I’m so envious of the teachers in the school I could just spit, since I so dearly want to be doing what they are doing, and I hope someday that I will be able to get a teaching position of my own, since I am qualified to do so…but for now I know I am where God has placed me and I’m going to make the most of it.

Our foster “child” is actually a 19-year-old Native American boy. It’s going pretty well, so far, so good!

DH picked me up a great storage container set at Costco to surprise me, and I used 2 Joann’s 50% off coupons to purchase 2 new KI Memories kits, so I had quite the scrappy little weekend! I love these kits, they come with 80 pieces of paper, a chipboard alpha set, 3 sheets of alpha stickers, 3 sheets of regular stickers, 1 epoxy alpha sheet, and 1 epoxy sticker sheet, all coordinating! I think I've purchased 10 of them, if my count is correct. Last weekend I also got 2 new sizzix dies, the large hearts and the large squares. I just want to get the large stars, all of the large flowers, and the large tags dies, and then I think I will have all the ones that I will use. It seems to me that the sizzix dies are more reasonably priced than the cuttlebug dies. And somehow I just like them better. They seem more classic and less trendy, or something...

Another One

Here is a layout of one of my other nieces, her name has also been smudged out to protect her identity. I love this paper, it's DCWV "All Dressed Up".

Bits and Pieces

I did this layout of my niece yesterday. I had to smudge out her name to protect her identity, you know you always have to be careful! Anyway, her middle name is “Rose”, so there are a lot of rose-related things on the layout. I just like the way it turned out.

I’m laid off currently, although I begin my new job on Thursday, as an educational assistant in applied academics at a local middle school. Hopefully it will lead to me becoming a special ed teacher within a few years. By the way, this is a super family friendly schedule hours-wise and workdays-wise. Praise God!!!!!!! I can really see His hand in all that is happening in our lives right now...

...Since Jesse and I are getting another foster child, tonight apparently! So God is doing strange and mysterious things in the Witkowski household currently.

We went out on a big group date with some other couples from church on Saturday night. It was super fun. We ate dinner at a couple’s house, and then we went to Comedy Sportz in downtown Portland for a good, clean comedy night. I’ve been wanting to go for over 10 years, so I was so glad to finally go. I volunteered my husband for one of the skits and I thought I would die laughing seeing him up there. It was a great moment!

Anyway, that’s what’s going on with us!!!

Tagging...

I’ve been tagged by my South African Blog pal, Kim, with the following 12 questions. Then I’m supposed to tag 2 other people and add a question (#13) of my own. So here's my answers, and I tag Tana and Samantha!

What are:
1. My 2 favorite scrapbook topics: My husband & family.

2. The 2 best places I've been to: Victoria, Canada, and Alaska.

3. 2 things I do everyday: Read the Bible and check my email.

4. The 2 things everyone knows about me: I have to drink coffee every morning and that I am crazy about music, I have to have it on all the time.

5. The 2 places I wish to visit: Every country in Europe, and every province in Canada.

6. 2 things you may not know about me: I am painfully shy when I first meet people (especially job interviews-the horror!) and I read voraciously-easily 2-3 novels per week.

7. My two favorite foods: Vietnamese and Thai.

8. My two favorite musical artists: currently Colbie Caillat and Chris Tomlin. Old standbys are Leigh Nash, Third Day, Jars of Clay, and U2.

9. The last thing you watched on television: I don’t watch TV, but if I ever turn it on I do like the Food Network. I love movies and I just watched “Eastern Promises”. Kind of boring, but ok, I guess.

10. The one thing you can always count on to make you feel better: Shopping for scrapbooking supplies with my husband’s blessing.

11. My two favorite outside activities: Fishing and Hiking, well and camping. (sorry-that’s 3!)

12. If you had the time, what would you do to keep fit: Dance classes.

13. How you would spend a perfect day: I would go to the beach on a slightly warm summer day, and just sit on the sand and write, or draw, comb the beach for shells, look in tidepools, play fetch with Emit, relax with my DH and watch the sun set. Just enjoy the peace and stillness.

Barren

I'm having a horrible, difficult time at work. I'm trying to transfer to another job within the company, which may or may not pan out, and I'm being given this insane guilt trip by my bosses about it. It's really upsetting...and Jesse and I have also decided against adoption for the time being. So, I made a layout with some journalling about how I'm feeling about my life and purpose (or lack of it) at this moment in time.

And Two More...

2 More Christmas '07 LO's

Scrappin' the Night Away

So DH is playing Bingo with grandma today, and I'm having a "Pirates of the Caribbean" marathon, since DH bought me "Pirates of the Caribbean 3" at Costco yesterday when he was picking up my christmas photos. He is soooooooooooo sweet! Anyway, I have made 32 cards for this card swap I'm doing on the CKMB, plus I'm sending out a few extra, and I just finished a pretty cute LO, using some product I've been dying to use. Namely some figgy pudding paper, some velvet ribbon, and some velvet thickers, in my favorite shade of robin's egg blue. Also some Autumn Leaves flourish stamps, as well as MM "Noteworthy" paper. These are my only 2 photos of people from Christmas day, since I was sick and all...The only bummer is that darn "Daisy D's transfer stitch tape". It scratched my photo. That stuff is really hard to adhere...

Adventures in Scrapbooking...

I got some fun things for Christmas...

First of all, it actually snowed on Christmas!!! For the first time in my life it was a “White Christmas”!!! So I got snow…

...although since I was sick on Christmas I actually got my other gifts after Christmas.

First I got a gift card to Fred Meyer, so I bought adhesive, and the Cosmo Cricket Wanted paper line. (Very Cute)

DH gave me his blessing to go crop Saturday with my CKMB buddies, and gave me $30 to spend...so I hit the target $1 spot and got some ribbon, I got a refill for my xyron 150, and then found the Crayola Cutter for $14.88 on clearance. The Crayola Cutter is pretty cool! I like it a lot, although it cuts kind of a soft, raggedy edge instead of a crisp, perfect line. It actually works pretty well. I'm probably a total dork, but I can't afford a silhouette, so it's kind of like my "ghetto silhouette"...lol!!!

Then at my LSS, I got magenta stickles and 4 Inque Boutique stamps. (they were on sale for .80 cents apiece)

On Sunday my SIL and brother gave me a $20 Michaels gift card, as well as a 50% off 1 item coupon. I went today and got the cuttlebug 6x2 die with the 8 different flowers, and the cashier let me use the coupon twice, so I got a sizzix die of circles. Plus one little set of Mike's $1 stamps.
I also handed out the boxes I made and they were a big hit!!!

I also got my rak from Jingle (CKMB) this weekend, so I am really swimming in new, fun stuff. I am very excited!!! Can't wait to start playing...this weekend!!! The stamps are super cute!!!!!!!!!!!! They are the Autumn Leaves 2 stamp set, heart and flower.

I had my nieces over for the past 2 nights, and whew am I beat...is this how moms feel? They are 4, 7, and 9. I love them dearly, but they are like 3 little whirling dervishes when they get together...am I ready to be a mom?

Jesse and I are still debating adoption, so we'll see...