Come Visit me!

Hello!!!!  So many things have happened since I last visited! The kids are getting older and growing fast! I am no longer a Stampin Up Demonstrator. While I DO MISS it, my husband is now a coach for Fun Stampers Journey! I am still doing classes and I will continue to create for Craft shows etc.

However, I have had a number of problems with this blog, so I recently started a new one! Please come visit me at:
Ladybug Spots Cards And Gifts

Or find me on Facebook:
"Ladybug Spots Cards And Gifts"

Stop by and say hello!!!!

Cheyenne plays Belle

One of the things our new church does is have a block party and Easter Egg hunt. Cheyenne volunteered to play the character Belle and was super excited to have been chosen! She took the part very seriously and had a great time doing so! She wasn't feeling the greatest that morning (or for the past few weeks..belly issues) but she went out there and gave it her best! I was so proud of her!

Hello again

Wow it has been so long since I have posted here! It isn't because I haven't been crafting! I guess I just got lazy posting! Sometimes you just need to take a break and it is about time that my break is over!!!
So much has happened since my last post!  Pepper our dog took a while to adjust to his new home. Not that he was bad, he definitely wasn't. We aren't sure what his background was like but he is definitely untrusting of males. It took a very long time before he would tolerate either David or Cameron. But now he at least lets them touch him. He is definitely a mommy's boy though! He stays in has cage all day until I get home from work and as soon as I walk through the door I get a great big welcome from him!
I started a new job in February 2014. I was at my old school 8 years and things just had to change. It was to the point I hated going to work everyday. My boss was just a total.....shall we say witch. I LOVE my new school!  The directors are very supportive and I am so glad they gave me a Chance! I don't have a degree so I was concerned that would work against me. But being in this business for a while I realized just because someone has a degree doesn't necessarily mean they are any better and definitely not always smarter then me. No I didn't go to college.but it isn't because I am stupid!!!!
Cheyenne is still in Girl Scouts and taking Guitar lessons which she loves. Sadly she hasn't danced in a few years. Her old studio closed and the community center she goes to for guitar isn't quite at the level of instruction that she was used to. She started watching "Dance Moms" and recently told me she would like to start dancing again, so we will see for the Fall.
Cameron is now a Bear in cub scouts! We have a new Den Master (lol I always call him the wrong thing, I think that is his title.  He is the head honcho for our den) aanyway he really turned things around for the den. Cameron really enjoys scouts now. Through scouts we have met some great families. We are great friends with 3 of the families. The 4 of us go with all 9 of our combined children to church each week. It is a new church for all of us, each family wasn't really happy with their current church and we attended this church for Scouts Sunday and we have just kept going back. They have an awesome youth program there so it was perfect for all of us! Cheyenne and I are going camping for the week with some of the scouts from our den. One week in the woods with a bunch of little boys and us along with some other parents. It will be interesting!!!  Cheyenne is also going to Girl Scouts camp this summer. One week on her own away from home. She is excited and maybe a little nervous but I think she is going to love it there!!!!
David is still working at the prison. He seems to like it there. He has been there almost 12 years now but guess.
Oh in addition to selling Stampin Up! I started selling Tupperware at the end of January 2015. It has been a lot of fun! I just went to Springfest and received recognition for being #19 for consultant sales out of 300 people!!!! I was invited up onto stage and got a pin and chances for prizes. Not too exciting but it was still nice to be recognized!
Anyway I am going by to try to do better with updating my blog. I am typing all of this on my phone so hopefully it all works! I haven't quite figured out how to post a picture yet though so I will have to work on that. :-)

And we are officially a ZOO!

One day on our way home from Lancaster we stopped into a pet store to pick up some lizard supplies. When we walked in there was an animal rescue place there. They were from Alabama. Apparently the shelters there only keep animals for 7 days, and then they are put down, regardless of their temperment. Well this group adopts as many dogs as they can, put them into foster care, and then they travel to places like PA where they go to stores and attempt to adopt them out. I had been joking that I wanted a weiner dog. And guess what they had....

 

 This is "Bandit" he is half Dachshund, half chihuahua. Cheyenne fell in love with him, but at the time we didnt have the $370 to adopt him. So instead my mom adopted him with hopes that he would "settle" her Pug down. She changed his name to Pepper. After a month or so, she decided it wasnt going to work. Her pug got real aggressive towards him. So Pepper came to live with us in November. This is his favorite spot. At my feet.

He has come a long way! He was afraid of the boys and nipped Cameron a few times. He would growl at the boys, and wouldnt let anyone but me take him out. Now he does let Cheyenne take him out some times. and he will allow Cameron to pet him, if Pepper isn't sitting with me. We figure he was abused, but also wonder if the woman he was with was also abused, s he is VERY protective of me and doesn't allow anyone to come near me if I am laying on the couch. He also is coming around and has started playing with toys. All in all he is a good dog!

Here kitty kitty

Cameron's beloved Inky passed away in August 2012. He was VERY upset and cried for quite a while. He had been asking for a new kitty for quite a while, when a friend of ours cat had kittens. She had to get rid of them "or else" so we agreed to take two. When we got there (they were a week old) I fell in love with the little boy, and two became three! Here they are when we brought them home. 

Meatball was a chubby little baby when he was born, (they were calling him Fathead). He is a sweetheart and definitley the snuggliest of them all. He was supposed to be "mine" but Cameron decided he wanted the boy instead. (Even though they are the families, he wanted to have one that was "his" to try to replace Inky)

 Next is Princess. She is the "misunderstood" one of the group. Her sister likes to beat her up. :-(  (They were calling her Diva)

And this is Nala. This is the one Cheyenne chose to be "her's" She is the bully of the bunch. :-(

 They all joined Belle or 5 year old cat. Here she is watching the anoles and toads/frogs. This is her favorite past time. :-)

Lizards toads and frogs OH MY!

So here are some of our other lizards/frogs. This first one is one of two of our Green Tree frogs. (And in the lower left one of the anoles tails)

 This is Zack, he is a green Anole

 One of the two of our fire-belly toads

 This is Rocco, a brown anole. He normally looks more like Zack, only brown, but we took this picture the day after we brought him home. He had made the ridge come out his back and curled his tail. He has since never done it again.

Originally these guys were only the two anoles, but I got mad at hubby, and I was at the pet store and aquariums were on sale, so that's when we added the frogs and toads. So the enclosure had to be bigger. So then I went all out and added soil and a water feature, rocks and live plants. This is right after I put it all in, it has filled in quite a bit with the plants and they all have places to hide now. :-)

This is a close up  of the water part. We added some Lexan (which I found out is what bullet proof glass is made of) I used aquarium sealer to add that to the aquarium. Once it all dried is when I added the soil, plants etc and the water. To that I added a rock and a stick and we threw in some guppies. You can see one of the fire belly toads sitting on top of the filter in the back. It is also nice because all of these pets need a more wet/humid enclosure so the water feature helps quite a bit.

 

Cameron's "Little" buddy

Last March Cameron asked for a Bearded Dragon for his birthday.  We had gotten some Anoles, and fire belly toads and green tree frogs in February, and while they are cool to look at, they aren't really hands-on pets. He really wanted something he could hold, so we did some research and this is what we decided on. Now I have to tell you that Spyro was so awesome, that we ended up getting two more dragons, Cynder (mine) and Flame (Cheyenne's). We also got a number of Leopard Geckos and a Tokay Gecko. I felt bad for the Tokay, in a tiny little container, all alone. So we bought him and then I researched him. Turns out they LOVE to bite...just to bite, and it is VERY painful, so he is also a hands off lizard.
Anyway this is little Spyro at 5 weeks old.

Speaking of Crabs

So I guess that leads to my favorite restaurant...Joe's Crab Shack! They beat out my former favorite, Red Lobster, and they recently built one not too far away. (maybe a little over a year and a half) So I was really excited!! Santa brought Cheyenne and I gift Certificates for Christmas 2012 and 2013. So we were in our glory! These were from 2013. But Cheyenne, Mom and I went this past January for my birthday. Cheyenne couldn't wait to tell them it was my birthday, so they would make me dance!

 This is another favorite of hers, build your own sundae! It is one of the only things Cameron likes on the menu.

MMMM Crabs

Last summer My children and I went camping in New Jersey. It was a lot of fun! We used to go camping all of the time, but when my son was little we stopped going. Mostly because he was a crier, and I just didn't want to disturb others who were camping to enjoy the quiet! Anyway, it was the first time we had gone camping with Grammy (my mom) in about 5 years. We had stayed at and Adventure Bound campground. Now while the name sounds exciting, I found it to be a bit....boring. Sure they had a pool, and there were movies at night at the pool, and there were moon bounces and a giant water slide, but for an adult...there wasn't much to do. One day we did go crabbing, and we did catch a few, but being as though us three girls are crab lovers, it wasn't nearly enough! So one night we bribed Cameron with being able to play his DS while we had all-you-can eat crabs at the Crab House!

MMMM Don't they look delicious????? And they were!!!

Cheyenne ate 24 by herself, and mom and I were tied at 30. She kept a leg from each so she could keep count of how many she ate :-)

I could have eaten more if it weren't for the uncomfortable benches they had. I think that's how they get you to not stay too long!
Now I have one question.....WHEN'S SUMMER?????

Feeding the Giraffes

My daughter, who turned TEN (Sigh) last August, has an OBSESSION with giraffes! She has clothes that are giraffes, pillows, blankets, pictures, key chains and even earrings that are giraffes! So when our local zoo announced that they were bringing in giraffes for the summer, and that you could feed them she was more then just a little excited!!! This was her first visit (of many) that she was able to feed them. There was a crowd of people on the lower platform and she and her brother decided to go to the upper platform to wait to feed them. Well, the smaller of the two giraffes saw her and walked right up to her (which made the people on the lower level upset)! She was a little nervous at first, but after she realized they weren't trying to bite, she was in HEAVEN! She pet their noses, and their necks and had the best time.
And more good news...while the giraffes had to go find a warmer home for the winter, they are coming back in May! :-) Needless to say, we will be there again in the summer!

Hello again!!

2013 went by in such a flash! It had it's ups and downs of course. Work was getting stressful and going every day got worse and worse, to the point of I cried all the way there. So in February 2014 I started a NEW JOB and I LOVE it! It was scary starting over of course, and it was hard to say goodbye to ladies I have seen every day for over 8 years, but it had to be done! And I couldn't be happier! I am still working in a Day Care, but I am now officially the assistant teacher of the Leprechaun Room, which is 3 year olds. There are two other teachers in the room, one of which is my daughter's best friend's mom. She was the one who told me about the school, and in December I went for an interview. In January the position opened up and I was hired! It was a FABULOUS start to 2014!!!


And now that I am not as stressed, I can take more time crafting, and less time being upset!!

Sale-A-Bration Card Class

It's SALE-A-BRATION time!!! Come and join us for this month's Card Club being held on Friday February 15th starting at about 6 pm! During Sale-A-Bration you can earn free items through Stampin' Up for every $50 you spend (prior to taxes and shipping). Come and check out a couple of the new Sale-A-Bration stamp sets I recently got. As usual there will be different sentiments available so that you can make the cards your own! I'll provide the card ideas and the supplies! The cost is only $12 for 6 cards, 3 each of 2 designs. or $14 with envelopes. No special supplies are required, I will have everything here for you! Bring a friend who has never attended one of my Card clubs, for twice the fun, as well as free envelopes for you both! Please RSVP by Wednesday February 13th at the latest. Space is limited so this will be a first-come first-served basis. All levels of crafting are welcome! Can't make it here? Ask me about a night with you and your friends! Can't make it here at 6? That's okay, we hold Card Club open house style, so join us when you can! >>>Please note, if the weather is bad on the 15th, I will reschedule this months card club. I want everyone to be safe! If there is snow, I will email anyone who has RSVP'd as soon as possible. If there's any question as to weather we will reschedule, please contact me.

Kid's Card Class

Sunday February 17th starting at 12:30 to about 3:30. Lets get together to create 12 cards especially for kids birthdays! We will make 4 each of three different styles. The cost is $25 and includes evelopes. This class will take longer then regular card club, (end time is approximate) so please plan accordingly. No need to bring any special supplies, I will provide the designs as well as the supplies! RSVPs are a MUST due to the amount of materials which need to be prepped. Light refreshments will be served.

***I only had jimmies to put in the bubble gum card, but I will have other candy choices here on the day we make the cards.**

Today is my birthday!

Yup it's official....today is my birthday! Now if you were Cameron you'd say I was only 26 (I love that boy!) Cheyenne thinks I am 29 (love her too!) but....my birth certificate does't lie! That's right today I am 25! Okay stop laughing...it wasn't that funny! I am officially four decades old today. Whoo hoo! (insert unexcited face here). And what do you ask is planned for today?? Work first of all, and then my loving husband has something extra special planned for me....a visit to the dentist to have 4 fillings replaced. ISN'T THAT SWEET??? Yay me!

Marines of the Year 2012

I know this isnt craft related, but I had to share with you! Both my mom and her twin brother served in the United States Marine Corps when they were young. This year they were both surprised to find out that they both were awarded the Marine of the Year award at the Marine Corps ball.(that's them at the ball in the top picture) The funny thing was that I knew about it at least 2 months ahead of time. My aunt called me to ask if I was able to go to the ball. I wasn't (St Sophia's sale was that night) but I called my brother Duane, who also served in the Marine Corps. He and his wife came to the ball. The whole time my mom kept saying "I think Gene is getting the Marine of the Year award" and I was bursting not to tell her 'SO ARE YOU!' She was absolutely shocked when they called her name! I wish I was there to see her reaction! So there you have it twin Marines of the Year Valley Forge Detatchment 2012. Oh and they each were awarded with an engraved Marine Corps sword. I believe that is mom's in the photo. They also went to have their photos taken together in their Marine Corps uniforms.

Items for a craft fair - Framed Art

Visitation BVM Craft Fair November 16th and 17th 2012

Here is my set up at Visitation this year! I love this event! The folks who put it all together are fabulous, and I was happy to be invited back for my second year. They put me right in front of the stage again this year, and it was fun to have a good view of everything Tis year they had a Zep war between two local resturants. When you ordered a Zep you got two halves, one from one returant, one from the other. Each one had a color coded fork, and you chose your favorite and then deposited the correct fork into a bin marked with that color. At the end of the event they figured out the winner. Cheyenne loves this event and this year she volunteered to help out a friend's daughter at some of the game booths. Cameron also had fun riding on the carts they used to push around tables and chairs. :-) This is a friend of mine's parish, and they just love both Judy and her husband John. :-) Cheyenne also enjoyed helping set up and take down the tree that is on the stage behind my table. Santa comes to that stage on Saturday. :-)

Items for a Craft Sale - Christmas Framed Art

I got this idea from Jan Tink from her blog. It was a wonderful idea and I just switched it up and used items I had on hand. These are three of the versions I had available. I also did a green in the sparkly green snowflake paper (like the red one shown above) but I guess I didnt get a picture of that one. As an added bonus, I kept the mats in the frame so that when Christmas was over, if they wanted to, they could just flip the mat to the front, and wouldn't have to worry about storing the frames all year.

Quest Diagnostics Vendor Show November 29th, 2012

This was the first time I ever did a show at Quest. It was really cool! They invite vendors in to sell items to their employees during the day. I had met one of the gals who helps organize it all at the St Sophia's event. She got me the contact info I needed and I was able to get in! David came out to help me out (on his Birthday!) despite being sick. I was a little late getting there though as I got lost (stupid GPS..dont they know South Collegeville Road and Collegeville Road are TWO differnet roads..and clear on opposite cities!!) So I was rushing to get all set up. I think that hurt me as I was still trying to get everything together and people were already shopping. And I didnt have my usual helpers since the kids were in school, and David had to get them there while I was setting up. It wasnt that bad once it was all done, and I hope to be able to go back there again!

Items for a Craft Fair - Christmas Whisks

Cheyenne is always asking me to help with my craft fair items, so I am often looking for cute ideas which she can make on her own. We came up with these Christmas Whisks! She filled the whisk with kisses and we wrapped them up, bagged them, added a cute sentiment and I made the bows. These sold remarkably fast, and it was all I could do to get a picture of them!