THE QUEEN OF QUIRK

turkey lurkey

Ok, I know this is a bit late, but better late than never! :)

I hope EVERYONE had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! We spent our holiday with our friends Mandy and Greg and little Sam. They are so wonderful and ,man, can they put together a feast!! Mandy went all out and we ate like kings! Here's our menu:

Roasted turkey (done to perfection, I might add)
Garlic and herb mashed potatoes (by me)
Sweet potatoes with walnuts (Mandy can make some mean yams!)
croissants
homemade cranberry sauce (by me)
stuffing (um...SO yummy!)
peas and carrots (Norah chowed down on these)
deviled eggs( Mandy, WHY did you put the plate next to me!?!? I ate like 4!)
yummy gravy
green bean casserole (me and Martha make one helluva casserole!)

And then we chowed down on coffee and pumpkin pie....everything was amazing!! Mandy even made us a pie to take home. Isn't that sweet? And then we watched 'A Christmas Story' and I got to snuggle with little Sam for over an hour. So cute!! Thanks so much, Mandy!! We had a great time!!

And in digi news, we are having an AMAZING sale at The DigiChick! 40% off everything in the store (excluding commercial items) and I have 3 new kits, too! You don't wanna miss this!!!

So hurry on over to the DigiChick boutique and grab yourself some goodies!
3 DAY MEGA SALE AT THE DIGICHICK

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, too!!! We are planning on relaxing and taking it easy! And Norah has daycare today so I am hoping to finish up my newest kit! It's so purdy! Can't wait til it's done! Ciao, all!!

yesterday

was a good day. A veritable bonanza of scrap goodness. As a mother of three, I'm sure everyone knows I have zero time...and my available time to keep up with deadlines and  commitments is pretty much nil. So I find myself running around CONSTANTLY...stressed out CONSTANTLY and trying to fit everything in.

Well, a few weeks ago, we found a daycare for Norah. We checked it out, liked it, and were pleasantly surprised by the place. Yesterday was her first day.  And yesterday was a good day.

I LOOOOVE my kids. I love them with all my heart...but they make some sorry business partners, lemme tell ya! :D I can't get anything done with them around (Of course, I don't mind reading books, playing games, and watching Barbie movies...but deadlines are pretty merciless things, ya know?)

So yesterday Norah was gone from 8-2:30 and Lara and Mia were gone from 8-12.....AND I GOT SO MUCH ACCOMPLISHED!!!!

3 new kits...THREE!! I couldn't be happier. These have all been in the works for quite a while and I am SO THRILLED to have completed them! Check them out!

All these kits will go on sale this Thursday! And of course, we will be having an AMAZING sale at the DigiChick, so you will be able to grab these goodies (and all the other DigiChick goodness) at an amazingly low price! Get ready to get your shop on!

Yes, yesterday was a VERY good day! :D Ciao!

this child

Scene:
mid-flight above Cologne, Germany

Lara: Why are the clouds under us now, Mommy?

Jan: Because we're high above them- we're on top of the clouds now.

L: Do we get to see the angels and the kitties?

J: The kitties?

L: Yeah. The kitties that died.

J: ummm...No, we're not going to see the kitties.

L: Well, I wanted to give them kisses because they died and it hurt them. The one that got hit by the train is REALLY sad.

J: I know, Baby. Maybe someday we'll kiss those kitties.

L: Tomorrow, Mommy?
   

mia in the middle

Today we are celebrating the birthday our our middlest princess.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MIA!!
Last night I made a cake for her to take to school and we all pitched in to get it mixed and ready for the oven. This morning we decorated it and everything was set. Mia got to wear a new outfit that we bought for her...in Paris no less!

She had a bit of a meltdown at school, though...she didn't want me to leave and so I stayed there til almost 10 a.m. She's never done that before...and she kept telling me she was scared. Of course, after the cake, the singing, the well-wishes and all the other birthday goodness, it was ok for me to leave.
Tonight we are taking her to the toy store so she can pick out a gift. We're going to give her the money (that she got from Grandpa Tom) and she's going to be a big girl and select and pay for her gift all by herself. Should be lots of fun! Then she'll get to pick dinner and I'm pretty sure she'll pick Chinese food...or maybe sushi. Who knows. The nutter just might pick pancakes. So, we'll see. :)

I have to get back to work, but I just wanted to update a bit and say Hi! :) Ciao!

deadlines

are rapidly approaching and I am tired, people. And this is ceasing to be fun. Yesterday, I was in Photoshop for 16 hours...SIXTEEN HOURS!!! I have been working my tail off...and I want it to be over. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities that are being presented to me...but the deadlines...the deadlines are killing me. I have to have 2 collections and TONS of work finished by the 27th....

So, what does a gal do when she's swamped? She gets some therapy. Cheap therapy. Scrap therapy.
Warning: these aren't sugar-coated. This was a release for me...my own personal release. :)

I used a ton of goodies from Meredith Fenwick...from her "Everyday Inspiration" collection and from her "Pieces of me" collection. The rest of the stuff is mine...
And as freaky as the last one is...I am really loving it. It turned out completely different than I expected, but somehow it fits me right now...on edge and freaked out.

Go HERE to see the journaling and full credits on both layouts.

But even with all this angst and edginess these days, things are good. I just need to find more balance and relaxation in my life. I need to spend more time with my kids and be more kind in general. I'm working on it.
Someday...someday. :)

long weekends

are awesome. Colin got Friday off and we hung out around the house and then celebrated our 6th anniversary (yesterday) with rented movies, breakfast for dinner, and gourmet chocolate. :) Good times!

And I've been feverishly working on a new kit...my Ct probably wants to give me a good swift kick in the butt because I'm always talking about a 'new kit'. And every week it's a different one! hahahaha. I'm a spaz!

See, inspiration strikes, I get up in the middle of the night, write down all my ideas in my little notebook, and then I get working on it while the visuals are still fresh in my head. The hard part for me?

FINISHING

It's so difficult for me to actually finish a kit...to get all the things I want to put it there...well...IN there. :) Created, done to my satisfaction...it's hard. :)

So anyway! ALL THAT was a prelude to me showing you yet another sneak peek...and boy do I love it! I simply cannot wait til I finish this kit! It's always so exciting when I have an idea, start it, and nearly finish it...in 2 days. GREAT FEELING! Ok, so here's a little peeky peek. :)

So, yeah, there are like...oh I don't know...5 kits in the works right now! hahahaa. I guess that's just the way I roll....frazzled. :)

And I realized that I haven't posted some photos of Norah in a while...so here ya go.

My morning cuppa joe's there, too...love my coffee mugs. They make me happy. And isn't Norah chubby? This little stinker is getting into everything! And she soooo wants to walk. I think we're going to do a quirky baby montage and put it on youtube.com so I can post the video here. Fun stuff!

Alright, gotta get back into PS! Have a happy Sunday!! Ciao! :)

avocado toaster!

Hey all! I still haven't finished my post on Paris...but I DO have a new kit to share today!! YAY!!! My collaboration kit went on sale this morning and I am so excited! I got to work with none other than my digi design idol, Meredith Fenwick!! How awesome! So, here's our little baby...isn't he cute? We named him Avocado Toaster. hee hee

And this groovy bad boy will be 20% off today only! At midnight (CST) it'll go back to regular price! So hurry and get it now! And here's a close-up so you can see a bit more detail!

Aren't the alphas yummy!?!?! Those are Meredith's! She rocks! Thanks again, girl, for a rockin' cool kit!!!

LINK TO PURCHASE

Ok, I have to head outta here for today...been working on 2 more kits and now I need to take a break. Plus Colin wants to play a game with me...so I gotta go! :D
Ciao, all! 

quickie!

ok...I have this HUUUGE post saved as a draft but i wanted to get to some other stuff first.
FIRST:
I wanna show off some AWESOME layouts by my CT.....they truly are amazing and I am totally blown away by these. IF you can't guess, these are using my new collab kit with my fave designer!! :D

above layout by leah riordan :)

above layout by rachael giallongo :)

above layout by michelle adams :) MY NEWEST CT MEMBER!!!

above layout by julie lopez :)

above layout by novita solihin :)

above layout by nikki beaudreau :)

above layout by jen caputo :)

Ok, can I just gush about my CT for a sec here? These girls are seriously talented...I mean, I LOOOVE this kit...but these girls make me love it even more. They have totally blown me away with these layouts!! Aren't they awesome!?!?!? Their galleries are on the right

meet me in paris

Not even an hour left til we leave for Paris. Insane! And the reason behind this trip? The FABULOUS reason? I'm meeting a woman I've known for over 2 years. She and her hubbie are coming to Paris and we're gonna meet up. How cool is that!?!?!

She's an amazing scrapper, and even more talented designer and I am so lucky to call her my friend. I am on pins and needles, people!! So, adieu! Hopefully I'll be able to post from Paris!

busy busy bee

Man, I have been going nonstop for days now! I simply cannot wait til Paris! It'll be a nice and MUCH needed breather! I'm planning on taking the girls to Versailles and the Garnier Opera House...and we'll probably go to Montmartre...I'd like to see more of that area. These are all places we missed the last time we were there. Then I'll take the girls to the Louvre to see some of the galleries we missed last time...like the decorative arts and the sculpture. Can't wait!

Ok, next on the list~ my first collaboration kit is finished...and boy is it purdy!! Well, half of it was done by my design idol, so how could I NOT love it!?!? Seriously, this has been such a wonderful experience! I'm still not spilling who it is...you'll just have to hunt around on the web a bit, I guess! ;) Altho, I WILL give ya another teensy weensy peek.

Ok, so I'm sure what's-her-name is SO sick of me gushing about her...but I just wanna say "THANK YOU!!" for letting me hang and design with you!

So right now, it's FREEZING here in Deutschland.... ugh! It's an icky, miserable, achy cold....we went out and bought new jackets and boots for the girls and I got myself a new pair of fleece-lined suede boots...YUM! They are so comfortable!

And in case you haven't been ny the DigiChick in a few days...boy do we have some exciting stuff going on! Right now, you get a FREE and totally amazing kit when you purchase $10 in the boutique!

We also have a contest going on and everyone who enters gets a free add-on!

Now I have to start packing everything for the 3 of us for 5 days in Paris! Yay!! I thought I had tons of time, but it's turning out NOT in my favor! So I need to get offline, finish up a project, and then pack! Hopefully I'll get to update tomorrow! Ciao, all! :)