May 2008 Roundup

I don't know what's going on here but I can't add any pictures today. I don't know if my computer is acting up because I've filled up my hard drive with all the downloads I've been doing for the past couple of days. So need to back up again and remove stuff. Anyway, it's time for the monthly roundup. Where did May go?

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Books:
Well, I'm the slowest of slowest when it comes to reading. I have taken out from the library a book called Goodnight nobody / Weiner, Jennifer for the MOMS Club book club. What was I thinking? I'd have time to read? I have renewed the book 2 times already and have only read 100 pages. I think the problem is that this book jumps around a lot and I can't seem to follow it and it could be the lack of time in the day.

Magazines:
I received a free edition of "Every Day" by Rachel Ray. I actually read this magazine in one sitting sitting in the yard and getting sunburned. There were quite a few recipes in it that I tore out. I don't know if I will get a subscription because money is still tight.

I also finished a Family Fun Magazine. I had this in my bathroom so would read it while there. I know too much information! Well, it's the only time I really have free time to read it. Unfortunately, I'm I think 3 months behind! I did tear out some fun things to do with the kids and some really cool ads that I thought would be great as a scrapbook page. This is where I got the idea of starting a journal for each child. See my purchases this month entry.

I started to read my Organize Magazine. I actually got this magazine and flipped through it from cover to cover. I love looking at the photos. Then I actually sit down and read it from cover to cover when I have time that is. I'm only about 1/2 way through it. This is only my 2nd issue and I say I love this magazine.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

My husband and I are watching the reruns of Samantha Who and the Big Bang Theory
and of course, LOST.

We rented Dan in Real Life. It was a good I enjoyed it. My husband said it was an average movie.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

My youngest daughter, Naomi did her dance recital. She did a tap dance to a song from Elvis Presley called Hound Dog. She looked adorable in her pink and orange dress. I didn't think she would dance on stage but she did and I got it on video which I need to edit.

We celebrated Memorial Day at my mother-in-laws.

A couple days before Mother's day we went out to dinner (Chinese) to Crown Palace. On mother's day my husband just cooked me dinner and gave me a card. Nothing really special.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

I have been decluttering the kids rooms and I donated 10 bags of stuff that included clothing and toys to Vietnam Veterans.

My in-laws gave me a green shirt for mother's day.

I received a beautiful tag and button from my friend Bonnie from South Africa.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

My grandmother had surgery and found out that she has stage 3 cancer which went into her lymph nodes. She is undergoing Chemo and Radiology treatments. We are praying that by Thanksgiving she will be in remission.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We went to Great Adventure safari and theme park by ourselves. That's right I went alone. I bought season passes. I had passes last year too but this year I had to pay for the kids. I guess it was well worth it too since last year they didn't go on any rides and this year they want to go on everything.

We went to Animal Kingdom with the MOMS Club.

We went to Grounds for Sculpture and Sayen Gardens to walk around.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

I didn't do so well with the meal planning this month. I kind of got stressed out and it fell on the back burner. In conclusion we did a lot of take out because of this.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I took the plunge and bought a Zutter Bind it All. I wanted to start making my own scrapbooks and recipe books. So far I have only made one book which I'm sending to my grandmother as a cheer me up package in the mail this week. I will post pictures of it sometime this week.

While shopping yesterday I picked up 3 beautiful spiral bound journals. All are different. I plan on using these journals for each child noting anything special that happens in their lives or things that they have said or done. Now, if only I can remember to write in them on a daily basis.

What were this month's disappointments?

I didn't get to my son's closet or even the play room as much as I wanted to. Luckily, it's my goal for next month to tackle the play room.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I sold 20 photo tickets for the MOMS Club photo fund raiser which entitles me to many photos for free. The event was sold out. We sold over 120 tickets total as a group which raised $1,200 for Sandra's family who passed away from breast cancer at age 42.

I completed 49 scrapbook pages and didn't even include the last couple of days in that total.

I started to convert my laundry from folding to hanging. I managed to get my husband to add a new shelf in the girls closet. I got rid of a ton of toys and some clothing that they out grew.

Anything else noteworthy to record?


For more roundups go to Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Blog.

Grandma - Get Well Soon

My grandmother is home from the hospital. She's very weak and feeling nauseous from all the medicines. She can't see the children for a while because of her immune system being weak.

I'm Worried

My grandmother was rushed to the hospital this afternoon. She was diagnosed with cancer this month and started chemo therapy on Tuesday. Was released from the hospital on Wednesday. I tried calling her on Thurs for the phone to just ring and ring. Never got to talk to her. Today I called to let my kids talk to her as they love doing that and when they called my grandfather said that there was an emergency and that he couldn't talk. That was at 4 pm. I called my sister around 5 pm and she had no idea what was going on. My sister lives only 5 minutes away from my grandparents where I live an hour away. I call my parents. My dad tells me that they called 911 because my grandmother fainted. He said that her heart rate was low when the ambulance came. My mom went in the ambulance with my grandmother. When she got to the hospital her heart rate went back to normal. However, at 7 pm she was still waiting to see the doctor. At 10 pm I called my moms cell phone and got voice mail. She must still be at the hospital then. It's 11:30 and I'm so worried not hearing anything is awful. For those of you who pray please pray that my grandmother is okay.

Big Digital Sale

No I don't work for this designer. Just wanted to pass along a good sale. I just purchased 9 of her kits for $7.

Royanna says GOOD BYE...
to over 3 1/2 years of Digi Design products!!!!

Take advantage of her SPRING CLEANING MADNESS -
as she retires over 100 of her 485 products FOREVER
- to make room for several NEW & FRESH product lines!

All products priced from .25 to $2.00! Including New Releases
All commercial products priced under $1.50 each!
"Can you say GOOD BUY?"

SALE through Monday, June 2nd!

Check out my boutique here:
http://www.divinedigital.com/boutique/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=37

A Tisket, A Tasket...It's a Carnival of Baskets!

Laura over at Organized Junkie is hosting a Basket Carnival today.

Here is my closet in my master bathroom. I started to purchase the dollar baskets to hold all my CVS and shopping purchases. Okay, I think I don't need any more toothpaste, shampoos or razors for a long time. Each basket holds a different item and they are all literally full.

Child's Play Room

Okay, I am sick and tired of picking up after them. Why is it that they just don't see the mess? They can make it in like 2 minutes flat but then refuse to clean it up. My husband and I got so fed up with all their crap that we took all their toys and chairs and placed them in their toy room and locked the door. Now, they have to earn each toy back when they are good. I started to clean out their room. I already threw about 2 bags of trash out and have 2 bags of toys ready to be donated.

Here's a great blog entry about making a "Lost and Found" basket. I think I may try this method.

Kit I made - Hope

With my grandmother on my mind I made this kit for SNL38 called HOPE. To read more about what SNL38 is go here.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Michaele.

Here is what I have to do once tagged..

1. Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Let's see.....here are my 7 facts...

1. I love cats even though I am allergic to them. I used to have 2 cats but now only have one cat.

2. I pig out on twizzlers. No I don't like the regular kind. I crave the Pull-n-Peel kind. I purchase a bag once a week.

3. I've lived in New Jersey since 1996.

4. Other than digital scrapbooking.....blogging and reading blogs takes up most of my free time.

5. I so want to go on a cruise! I've been on many cruises and they are the best type of vacation. The last one I went on was back in 2005 for my 10 year anniversary. Yes, the kids were only about 6 months old. My in-laws and mom took turns watching them while I was away. That was the last vacation I had taken and so look forward to getting away again.

6. I so hate thongs even though my husband loves them. I wear high riser undies which my husband calls "Diapers". Ever since my c-section I haven't felt comfortable wearing bikini undies.

7. Finally...........most who frequent my blog know this already...but of course I have to mention it again - I watch Days of Our Lives faithfully every day. Been watching this show since I was in high school or maybe even earlier. I am such a fan I even entered the Sweep Away the Everyday contest that Libman is hosting. The contest is a trip to Hollywood plus a tour of the studio for 2 people. So if I won who would I take? I think I would take my best friend Debbie since she also has watched the show. She doesn't watch it as much now but she knows all the actresses and actors. We would have a blast. Here's wishful thinking.

...let's see, who can I tag now ->
Bonnie, Karla, Margie, Paris, Katie, Laura and Bonnie.

Now off I go to let them all know

Deco Pages CT Challenges

Here is a sneak peek of what you will receive if you participate in the June 08 Gallery Hunt Challenge located at Deco-Pages. There are 2 other challenges lyric and journaling that is also new that will continue in June.


It's not too late to participate in May's Challenges as they are going until the end of the month. You can find the journaling challenge here, the lyrics challenge here and the gallery hunt challenge here. Hope to see you there!

May 21 - Girls Closet

Credits

CT Grunged Up

Bonnie Van Esch has a new paper pack called "Grunged Up" You can purchase it here.

Here is the page I made using the backgrounds. You can see the other credits here.

Menu Plan Monday

I haven't been menu planning. Bad Girl! Yes, my life has been hectic when no meals have been planned so this week I finally sat down and made a plan for the week. Hopefully it will relieve some stress. I got my Kraft Magazine so many of the recipes below are from this month's magazine.

Sunday - Kathy's Delicious Whole Slow Cooker Chicken

Mon - Beef Stir Fry. A very simple recipe. The recipe calls for chicken but I had beef on hand so I just made that.

Tues - Mozzarella Beef Burgers with french fries and corn on the cob

Wed - Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs and zucchini

Thurs - Fiesta Chicken Enchiladas

Fri - Grilled steak and vegetable salad

Sat - The simple stir fry (chicken) I actually marinated the chicken and put it in the freezer. Probably will bake it since I don't know how to use our grill

For more meals visit I'm an Organizing Junkie's Blog.

The Girls Closet

The month of May we are decluttering and organizing the children's rooms. I'm an Organizing Junkie is running a monthly decluttering where each month is a different room we focus on. I didn't do much so far but I did tackle the girls closet. They share it. This is the before photo.

I had my husband install another rack so now they can reach their clothes easily. I put their jackets on top. Their dresses, matching outfits, pants and tops are on the bottom. He removed the bookshelf that we had on the right and moved it into their toy room which still needs to be cleaned out. I moved the iris cart to where the book shelf was and added a laundry basket so now they can toss their dirty cloths into the basket. I need to get another basket for empty hangers.

Come join us this month in organizing our children's rooms here at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Which TV Mom Are You?

Which TV Mom Are You?

My Result: Lois

You are Lois from Malcolm in the Middle. From coming up with punishments to putting together interesting combinations of leftovers for dinner, there's never any doubt who's running the show at home: It's you. You're pragmatic and proficient, but keeping your kids in line, keeping them fed, and keeping within your budget probably leaves you feeling harried. Sometimes after shouting out orders or admonishments, you might feel more like a monster than a mother.
But there's never any doubt that you love your kids and are a mama bear when it comes to protecting them: just ask anyone who's ever tried to criticize them. You've got an extra sense for sniffing out trouble and are a genius when it comes to coming up with tricks for nipping it in the bud.

What are you?
http://web.tickle.com/jumpto?test=tvmomogt&c=50652

Family

Difficult Time

I have been dealing with some difficult times so haven't had a chance to post. Please say some prayers for me and my family.

Linen Closet Layout

Credits

Fortune Cookie Quote

There appear to be many clouds; but they quickly pass.

I received this quote in my fortune cookie this week when we went out for dinner. I'm dealing with some difficult times right now both financially and emotionally.

Tonight I found out that my grandmother has cancer. I've been having a difficult time dealing with this news. I so do not want to lose my grandma now. So for those who read my blog can you please say a prayer for my grandmother and me to help deal with this illness.

If I don't blog as much now this is the reason why.