Help I need a new audiobook!

Ok so I finished the Red Tent and now I need a new book to listen to while I drive to work on Mondays... so if you can please recommend a good one. I'm looking for something not too heavy (dont' want to be bummed out at work) and something that will keep my interest from the very beginning. So let me know what you think and I'll go search for them at the local library.

It's kind of cool because I really am not a huge reader.. never have been. But I really like listening to them. Probably because I can't fall asleep, for some reason reading knocks me out. I'm actually reading "Angels and Demons" right now too, so don't recommend that one :)

I'm starting to feel like I"m back into the swing of things again.. slowly but surely. I still haven't had time to scrap though and I feel like I'm falling behind. I started my new Photo Inspiration challenge at Rakscraps! Go check it out HERE! I got the pics from Tiffany and are from Knott's Berry Farm.. very colorful.

Ok off to sleep! I'm finally catching up on that too!!

Warning.. LONG but fun!!!

So I don't even know where to possibly begin on my blog tonight... SO much has happened in the past week!! First of all I'll begin with Valentine's Day. I'm sitting feeding Ellie dinner, when Jeff walks in and says, "How was your day??" I said, "it was ok, nothing eventful" (or something to that effect) then he said to Ellie, "Well maybe this will make Mommy's day better" and handed me some papers folded 3 fold. I opened it up and it was a picture of a house with a note typed on it that said, "Finally something comes our way on Valentine's Day" Love, Jeff! I almost fell out of my chair... A NEW HOUSE!!! To preface this, we have been looking at these houses and we were waiting for a certain lot to open up and it did. They contacted Jeff and he went and got all the paperwork and voila' our new house is going to be built! I can't wait. It's in a cul-de-sac and will be a gated community and right near a new Elementary School. So awesome!! Plus here's the icing on the cake.. it has a basement, which is almost unheard of in AZ. I should also point out that the past 2 Valentine's days have been miserable for Jeff and I. First, 2 years ago we had to put our kitten to sleep and then last year, My dad had a bleed in his brain and had brain surgery to remove it. So we needed a good Valentine's day, but this was way beyond what I had even imagined!!

So then on Friday we headed to Las Vegas!! I haven't been there in years and we had so much fun! We met some friends there from the bay area and all just had a blast! Not to mention I got some major shopping in at the forum shops! Jeff bought me a new Coach purse and wallet.. did I mention I love my husband. He is so good to me!!! I played Craps for the first time and loved it, not sure why I haven't done it before. It was crazy seeing all the dice fly and the bets being played.. some major high rollers love craps I've decided.. I'm not a high roller LOL

On Saturday, after the shopping experience, I had a 50 minute massage.....*sigh* it was awesome. I was so relaxed! I swear it's the best massage I've ever had. Though the next day my neck was sooooo sore. I must have had some major knots!!

Then last night in Vegas my friend Rochelle and I went to see the show Mamma Mia at the Mandalay Bay hotel. It was so cute. I didn't really know what to expect, but I loved it. I was a huge ABBA fan as a kid, so it was great to hear the music... now Dancing Queen is stuck in my head!!! I bought the soundtrack and have been listening to it a little today.

Our drive to Vegas was uneventful, though I did listen to "The Red Tent" Even Jeff enjoyed it. We finished it on our way home today and now I need to get another audio book... I'm thinking something lighthearted might be good for me this time. I did manage to squeeze in one scrapbook page before I left for Vegas... here it is:

(Credits: "Mechanical Things" Kit by Heather Roselli of the DigiChick)

My mother watched Ellie while we were in Vegas. I missed her greatly, but it was nice to get away for a bit... sleeping in was wonderful!! When we walked in this afternoon Ellie flashed us the hugest smile and it made me melt. She is so stinking cute (I know I'm biased). So that is my week in a nutshell..crazy huh!!!

Blog Challenge

Ok here are the questions, with my answers for RAKscraps blog challenge #2:

1. What colors do you use the most when you scrap? Definately Pinks.. having a baby girl will do that :)

2. What is your favorite kit theme? girls, baby girls, fun bright colors

3. What are your favorite elements to use when you scrap? I'm a huge ribbon and flower girl. If there's ribbon and a flower you can bet it will be on my page. I'm a sucker for tied ribbons too.

4. Describe your style (even if you don't think you have one!) Clean & simple and sometimes blocky (is that a word?)

5. If you could have one kit made especially for you, what would it be for? Wedding. I need cream and sage green colors with pretty flowers. I need to do my album and haven't found the kit I'm looking for yet.

What's your font?

So have you ever notice that you get stuck on a font?? Ok maybe you don't, but I certainly do. Seems like last week every one of my pages had Susie's font, and then this week they all have Euphorigenic... seems like when I like a font, I have to use it to death. I really need to find a good handwriting font. I love my own handwriting and just need to figure out how to make it into a font. So if you could recommend a great loopy, swirly handwriting font let me know.. or let me know what font you are stuck on this week :)

I love Grey's!!!

Ok I just love the show Grey's Anatomy, I know I've said that before, but I really do. Tonight's show was great. I won't spoil it for people who haven't seen it yet, but can I just say I love Dr. McDreamy. And Sandra O, she is hillarious. Ok got that off my chest.

For some reason February just seems really hectic. Seems like I blink my eyes and another day has flown by. I feel like I have so much to do and no time to do it.

This week is RAKabration over at rakscraps..so much fun!! I'm bummed because I will miss the big bash for it next weekend. Not too bummed though, because I'll be drinking cape cods, playing blackjack and having a blast in Vegas!!! We leave on Friday and come back Monday. I've never been away from Ellie for more than a night, so it should be pretty interesting. Somehow I think I'll manage *wink*.

Olympics.. I feel like a bad American. I watched part of the opening ceremonies and haven't watched anything since then. Though I did see that Michelle Kwan dropped out. Probably the right thing to do. You have to give someone credit who actually can admit when enough is enough.

I'm still listening to my book "The Red Tent".. so far so good. I just finished cd 4 out of 12. Even Jeff has been listening with me at night, he says the reader's voice helps him go to sleep. Her voice actually is very soothing.

Ok I"m of.. have a great week ladies!

What the heck???

So I created this huge update for my blog, went to upload it and I got a message that the site was down for maintence... so I pushed the back button to save what I wrote... and it was gone *sigh* I'm too tired to write it all out again, so I'll try again tomorrow. I have a dentist appointment at 10 a.m. Wish me luck! I hate going to the dentist and unfortunately I've put it off way too long :)

One of those weeks

Well this week has been crazy!! Ellie has been so sick that I feel like I haven't had a chance to do anything. Poor thing, I hate it because I really can't do anything about it. I even elevated her crib mattress at 3 am the other night in hopes it would help her sleep....nope. I've been up a few times nightly and i'm exhausted. Boy I feel like a huge complainer.

Today was the superbowl.. I really didn't have a favorite, but it was great to see the commercials. I loved the disney one where the football players were all practicing "I'm going to Disneyworld!" Plus the Fed-ex one was hillarious. I'm a sucker for comedy.

We had friends over last night to play games. We played spaids and then Baulderdash. Oh I love that game so much! I always laugh so hard... I usually can pick out Jeff's right off the bat, so crazy sometimes.

Tomorrow it's back to work.. not looking forward to it at all, but I did go to the library and checked out The Red Tent. Two of my friend's said it was an awesome book so we'll see. I usually need to be captured within the first chapter or I'm gone. If anyone has read it, let me know what you think.

This could take awhile...

Wow I feel as if I have neglected my poor blog and now I have way too much to catch up on!
I've been home most of the week because poor Ellie is sick now. She has her very first ear infection :( As a speech pathologist this totally freaks me out.. I know it's crazy but it does. She has this horrible cough and sounds so pathetic.

I went to a funeral yesterday and that was a complete bummer. My friend Cassie's husband died last week. He was the nicest guy and only 31. He has been fighting cancer for approximately 16 years and he lost the battle. It was so sad and he will truly be missed by everyone who knew him. My friend Cassie is 4 months pregnant too, which makes the whole situation even worse. I swear he was one of those people who never had a bad thing to say about anyone... I know they'll never be able to say that about me :) But seriously there must have been over 200 people at his service.

On a bright note! I am now an official member of the events team at Rakscraps!! How exciting! I get to help plan events and all sorts of fun. Tania is going to be doing mini albums and I think that is such an awesome idea!! Her first idea for an album is things your mother used to say...LOL do I have plenty. So here are 3 things that come to my mind right off the bat:

1. It's just as easy to fall in love with a poor man as it is a rich man.
2. Make sure you're wearing clean underwear, what if you got in a car accident.
3. Pretty is as pretty does.

Here is my latest LO, I used Laura's new Sweet Elise Kit from the DigiChick (could it be more perfect for my Elyse!!) I love the little tag that has her birth info on it.

Ok Elyse is still napping and I need to get some stuff done around my poor house that I have also neglected this week. Have a great day!

Tagged

I was tagged by Amy K so here it goes:

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 10 YEARS AGO? I was 24, working as a speech assistant in a school district in the day time and bartending at night.. having way to much fun with no sleep. Looking back I don't know how my body kept up :) I also used to play golf every weekend.

WHAT WERE YOU DOING 1 YEAR AGO? A year ago I was about 7 months pregnant with huge swollen ankles. I was working for a school district 3 days a week and working for a clinic 2 days a wee, and working at the hospital one weekend a month.. yes I was nuts and a workaholic.

5 FAVORITE SNACKS: Chips & Salsa, Chips & Salsa, Chips & Salsa, Chips & Salsa, oh and icecream (I could eat chips & salsa daily)

5 SONGS TO WHICH YOU KNOW ALL THE LYRICS: Faith Hill- This Kiss, Tim McGraw - Live like you were Dieing, hmmmm not too sure on the rest.. i'm sure I know some pretty sappy songs too


5 BAD HABITS: I eat out constantly, I drink way too much caffeine, I leave all the lights on, I'm not tidy, I am a huge procrastinator.

5 THINGS YOU LIKE DOING: Drinking lots of wine, playing video games, watching TV, reading blogs, scrapbooking

5 THINGS YOU WOULD NEVER BUY, WEAR OR GET AGAIN:
Blue eyeshadow, veggie burgers, slim fast (yuck!), spiked bangs, perms

5 FAVORITE TOYS: My computer, my printer, my ipod, my ps2, my dvds

5 TAGS:
Heather
Tiffany
Mrs. S.
Ginger T.
And anyone else who hasn't done it yet

Look who has....

Style!!! How cute is this??? I used Amy Knepper's new kit Style found at Scrapdish. Love the "bling" photo corners too :) Doesn't everyone take a pic of their kids in sunglasses???

I'm feeling much better, but I did stay home again today with no baby. I actually slept for over 3 hours this afternoon... it was so needed. But as I predicted, Ellie is now coughing and I can tell she feels miserable. It might be a LONG night.

Oh and I also got caught up on my Chick's Life stuff. I'm officially done with January! So poking around on the internet today and reading tons of blogs, I came across this one called "Are you Eggy with it?" Their challenge is to list things that bring you joy. So here is my joy list:

1. Ellie's little smile she gives herself in the mirror.
2. Joking around with Jeff about stupid little stuff, like faking accents (so silly)
3. Shopping
4. A nice latte from starbucks on the way to work
5. Swedish Fish
6. Singing on the top of my lungs in my car when no one is looking
7. Trips to Disneyland every summer with my family (cousins, aunts, mother, etc....)
8. A glass of red wine while sitting outside at night
9. Spending time with good friends just talking about whatever.
10. Running Errands with my mom and aunt
11. Sitting at my computer either playing games or digiscrapping or reading blogs

It's official...

I have bronchitis...ugh. But the good news is that I have antibiotics now, so life should be good again in no time LOL. While I was home today I did manage to finish my Intentions page..looky see:

I used Robin's Comfy kit... which I absolutely LOVE! I played around with the flower paper and made some little elements out of it (the flowers) I thought they turned out pretty nice. Anyway, don't be surprised if you see these papers being used again by me. Now I need to get my January in review page done. Maybe I should just post a pic of robitussin because I feel like Ellie and I have been sick the whole month..*sigh* But that's ok, February is looking up already! DH booked us a room at the Flamingo in Vegas for President's weekend!! Woo hoo. Grandma is going to watch Ellie and I'm going to live the life for a weekend!! LOL We are meeting some friends there so it should be a good time. I might even check to see if spa services are available.. listen to me.. I act like I'm a millionaire. Hardly. But I might add that I do deserve a little something :) Now if I could get Jeff to think that also.

Sick!!

I am so miserably sick. You know you're sick when you really don't want to do anything.. scrap, eat or watch t.v. All I really want to do is sleep. (Pity Party is now starting) I already called in for tomorrow at work, and in the morning I need to call the doctor so that I can get in asap. I'm in need of some serious antibiotics... I swear when I breathe I sound like Darth Vader. Poor Ellie, she is sure to catch it next.

I love the Sunday night owl chats at Rakscraps and I really have a feeling I'm not going to make it tonight :( Jeff just ordered pizza though, so maybe that will get me feeling better! Ok off to veg some more

Woot & Cough & Me

So I'm so excited.. I got an email today from Amy Knepper asking me to be on her creative team! I didn't even hesitate and emailed her right back and said yes!! She has some great stuff at Scrapdish and I can't wait to get started!

I can't stop coughing. I actually sound like a sick smoker and my chest is killing me. I swear my ribs hurt so bad just from coughing and every now and then I get in such a coughing fit that I have to run to the bathroom just so I don't pee on myself! (I know a complete overshare) Seriously, that's how bad it is! Jeff went to a lacrosse game tonight and I was so excited to sit at home and get some serious scrapbooking done, but noooooo I can't stop coughing.... *gasp* I did just instant message him and told him to stop and get me so cough syrup on his way home. If any of you know how to stop it short of drugging myself with robitussin please let me know, I'm desperate.

Speaking of me, here is the LO I did manage to finish earlier for the "Chick's Life". It's so weird scrapping myself. I'm sure I could have gone on and on talking about myself, but I narrowed it down to a few sentences :) (I'm really not that vain)

(credits: Christy Lyle's Shabby Dreams Kit)

I still have to finish my intentions page.. kind of dragging my feet on that one... because I really don't know what they are. I'm not doing well with my resolutions.... the Carl's Jr. six dollar burger last night says it all. On that note, I'm off to go cough some more and maybe even get a page done!

Getting caught up on A chick's Life!

(credits: The Good Life Kit by Marsha Zepeda)

Ok I finally sat down and got some stuff done for the Chick's Life challenge at the Digi Chick... My cover is above. So here is my 2005 in review... the LO is below on another post, but I finally got the journaling done. Here it is:

(Credits: Just the icing on the cake by Sara Carling)
The journaling reads: When I reflect back on 2005 the one word that comes to mind is "Bitter Sweet". This was a year of the most amazing highs and the lowest of lows. I started the year pregnant and we had just found out we were expecting a little girl. We easily decided on a name and I started getting ready for baby "Elyse". On Valentine’s Day I got a call at 6:00 am from my stepmother telling me my father had a bleed in his brain and he was getting ready to go to surgery. We then learned that the lung cancer my dad thought he had beaten had spread to his brain. I spent most of February and March at the hospital and thought for sure he would never make it to see his first grandchild born. But miraculously he did survive and the bleed in the brain did not completely take away my father. He was sent home with approximately 6 months to live. During this time, we also learned that my brother and his wife were separating. It was a blow on top of everything else.
In April, life was almost back to normal. I was "huge" and pregnant with the most swollen feet I have ever seen. Jeff and I worked to get the baby's room ready. I was showered with gifts from friends and families at my 3 baby showers. I was so excited that I would actually meet my daughter. My due date was May 3rd and my doctor was going out of town so she wanted to make sure I had the baby before she left. Jeff and I argued over the date of May 3rd (my choice) or May 5th (his choice). He thought having a birthday on Cinco de Mayo would be the great thing.. I caved in and agreed to the date, even though the thought of being pregnant even a day longer than I needed to be was not my ideal situation. To our surprise on Friday April 29th my water broke and settled the argument. She was coming on her own time and terms. At 4:35 pm our beautiful daughter Elyse Michelle Little was born via C-section. She amazed both Jeff and I. I suddenly felt feelings I have never had before in my life. My family was ecstatic, including my father who came to the hospital to meet her.
We took our baby girl home and we quickly learned what it were like to be"new" parents. No sleep, exhaustion, and bliss. Although it was hard, it was also wonderful to see this child getting bigger right before our very eyes. On August 5th I was rocking Elyse to sleep when I had the most amazing sense of calm come over me. I thought to myself that things would be ok if my dad died and that I could handle it. About 15 minutes later I got a phone call that my Dad had passed away. The funeral was beautiful and well done. I miss my father greatly.
I left the job at the elementary school and went back to work part time in August. Life again returned to normal. September through October gave me a chance to watch Ellie get even bigger.. rolling over, cutting teeth, scooting, crawling, etc.. Life began to be consistent. I discovered an amazing new hobby of digital scrapbooking and have been completely hooked. In November, life gave us another wonderful turn, Jeff's company sold which took a huge weight off of his shoulders. We ended the year surrounded by friends and family. I can honestly say I will never forget 2005 and I look forward to 2006.

Kind of long and a bit sappy.. sorry if you read through it all. So now I just need to do my intentions page and the me page. I swear I"m trying to get sick again. I have this horrible cough and my chest hurts. I took some Airborn for the first time, so lets see if it works. Tomorrow is Ellie's 9 month check up.. I hate holding her down so that they can give her shots. Jeff is supposed to go with me this time.. he can do it :)

Scrapbooking Item??

You are STICKERS!

You like brightening things up in life and

decorating your living space with your own

personal style. You are versatile and able to

get things done with a stick-to-it attitude.

People love your colorful personality and

personal flair! You like exploring new things

and are willing to try anything once. But

Stickers beware - sometimes you like to stick

to someone that you like a little too much

and take them into your confidence a little

too easily. Your personality tends to make

you a steadfast friend, but make sure the

friends you choose are worth your efforts!


What scrapbooking item are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Back to working on Mondays!

So after I had Elyse, Jeff and I decided that I would only work 3 days a week at the clinic.. the money is good and it pays more than if I worked 5 days in the school district doing therapy (i'm a speech pathologist for those of you who didn't know). So life is great, and I really enjoy only working 3 days.. amazing how the week flies by. Anyway, my very good friend Stephanie got this amazing offer to work in Wickenburg School District.. only catch is she was 9 months pregnant... so she referred me to cover her maternity leave. I figured it was only for 3 months so I would do it. Now mind you it's 45 minutes away. So I do my time and I actually learned to really like it. The people there are great.. but I was also a little relieved when it was over because working 4/ 10 hour days and taking care of baby is no easy task.. (I can't even imagine 5... for those of you that day my hat is off to you!) Well I was done December 12 and then in the beginning of January I got a call and lo' and behold they want to keep me on every Monday. I said yes. I figure another 3 1/2 months won't kill me and to be honest the money is great. So today I went back. I'm ok once i'm there, but I dread the drive and the time away from Ellie. I figure maybe I'll get a book on CD to help with the ride :) But really I just have to make sure I don't get swamped and focus and what I need to do... for family, me and work. Ok enough about me bitching about working.

I watched Grey's last night.. man I LOVE that show. Don't know why, but I do. Ok I do know why... Dr. McDreamy. He is soooo cute and he needs to get rid of his wife. She is not very nice! LOL I sound like I know them on a first name basis!

Poor DH Jeff.. they are launching a new look on their site (it should be up later tonight) and I guess things didn't go as planned so he worked yesterday from 9 am until today at 5 am!! Then he went back in around 10 am and is still there!! (It's 7 pm now) Poor guy I can only imagine how exhausted he is. See and I"m bitching about working 3 days.. Shame on me!!!!!

Crabby!

Ok here is a LO I did with Ginger's new kit! It's called Love you this much and it's at SOTB Doesn't she look so crabby!!!

She is at Grandma's house for the night! Jeff and I are supposed to have date night tonight and go see a movie! I'm wanted to see Chronicles of Narnia, but who knows what we will see until we are there.

I went to my friend's babyshower today. My friend, Kelli is having a baby girl! It's her second, but they are still so much fun to buy for.

The new sketch for Rakscraps came out and I love it. I can't wait to use it. I never got around to doing last months sketch.. I need to get my act together, but to be honest, I've actually finished quite a few pages this month. I still need to get my Chick's Life stuff done as well as my vacation to Disneyworld... hmm maybe this week. I start working on Mondays again this week. I'm not too thrilled about it, but the money is good and I couldn't pass it up. It's only until the end of May and that I can handle... just mean less "me" time which is a bummer.

Phew!!!!!

Ok so this past week (Sunday night) I found a bump or cyst on Ellie's head! And let me just tell you that I was freaking out! Mainly because we had just found a cyst on her eyebrow earlier in the week so I was concerned it was all related.. you can only imagine the thoughts that ran through my head.. seriously, I was going nuts! But today I went to the doctor and I can say that my worries have been put to rest! She has a lipoma ( I thing that is what it is called) anyway, it's a little mass made up of fat, they come, stay awhile and leave. I guess they are pretty common and can happen anywhere.. so she is OK! I almost cried right there in the doctor's office. It's amazing to me how I came to care for this little human being so much! I am also amazed at the amount of worrying I did over a little bump.. not that I shouldn't have been, but wow, I can only imagine what people with truly serious issues go through. The most amazing thing is that this will not be the last time I worry or cry or panic about my child. I have a lifetime of that ahead of me... ok i'm getting a little sappy.

On a brighter note, Heather released a new kit today at the digichick and here is my LO with it! I love this page, probably because this is one of my favorite pics of Ellie. It just makes me smile every time I look at it!

Tania (see link on the right) is joining the team at Scrapdish and I am soo excited for her! I can't wait to see the wonderful goodies she comes up with! I just love being on these creative teams.. it really makes me get my act together and scrap.

Oh and I still need to do my journaling for the It's a Chick's Life challenge.. maybe now that I'm not so worried I can get some stuff done!

Pictures!

On Saturday one of my mom's from the clinic (Cami) came over to practice her photography skills on us.. Now I have to preface this with Ellie went to a b-day party, then came home started to take a nap and then I woke her up 25 mins later so we could get these done.... And on top of it she still wasn't feeling 100%. So Cami came to therapy today and brought my pics in and some of them turn out really cute, but Ellie looks so serious.. not to mention she cried for most of them... My favorite is this one: (in B&W and then in color)


And then there's my absolute favorite one:

Isn't that the best!!! That is how she was for most of it! Which really is a bummer, because the pictures did turn out well. No smiles though :)

I was Tagged!

Ok Ginger tagged me so here it goes:

Four jobs you’ve had in your life: (All before my grownup job right??!!)
1. Waitress
2. Bartender (loved it!!)
3. Sales clerk at Pottery Barn
4. Montessori School Aide

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. Pride & Prejudice
2. Sleepless in Seattle
3. Plains, Trains & Automobiles
4. Bridget's Diary

Four places you have lived:
1. Lakewood, CO
2. Shawnee Mission, KS
3. Flagstaff, AZ
4. Phoenix, AZ

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. House
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Days of our Lives ( I admit it.. I'm a soap junkie!)

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Orlando, Florida
2. All over California
3. Seattle, WA
4. Edmonton, Alberta Canada

Four websites you visit daily:
1. Rakscraps
2. The Digi Chick
3. Blogger
4. MSN

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Chips & Salsa
2. Tacos
3. Spaghetti with meat sauce
4. Chicken Pineapple curry

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. Definately Sleeping
2. playing video games
3. Curled up in my jammies on the couch watching TV
4. Do the Bahamas count?

Four bloggers you are tagging:
1. Tania
2. Tiffany
3. Mrs. S.
4. Amy K.

There you go! Have fun!!!