Friday, July 20, 2007

Happy Friday everyone!

This weekend is our 2nd annual Beach Weekend. We have a crew coming: Mom and Steve and his granddaughter Rebecca; Hillary, Glen and Casey; and Dad and Vicky. Plus the 5 of us! Tomorrow we'll spend all day on the beach. We're going to Key Box Road and driving on. Leaving the house at 9:30 to avoid beach traffic. Dad is making his beach pool again for the kids - digging a big hole in the sand and lining with plastic. He even makes a slide on one end. They love it. I just hope the weather is decent. Right now they are calling for 82 and party cloudy. That's a bit cool for a beach day.

Then after we'll pick up a bushel of crabs and eat in the yard. Hope they're good this year!

Sunday, Jonathan is leaving for Osh Kosh for the big airplane festival thingie. The rest of us are going to Lewes Beach for a while in the morning then getting cleaned up and heading to the boardwalk and FunLand. I think we'll swing by Moe's on the way....those guys have never been and they like Mexican food almost as much as I do.

It's going to be a great weekend. I love when we can all get together and it doesn't happen often enough. Dang geography! And I have a great opportunity for pictures. I've been slacking this summer.

Today, while they're all driving, I'll be cleaning. Saved it all for the last minute as usual. The house isn't that bad but even without major cleaning to do (luckily Belinda was here Tuesday) there's a ton I need to get done. Laundry and groceries and bed and so on. And Claire has art camp in the middle of the day. When will I learn?

Hope you have a great weekend!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007


This page has been on my desk for a week. Everything was done except the journaling. My problem was (is) that I didn't really have a good place to put the journaling. At least, not that I could see. And for once, I actually had a story to tell. Figures.

Then yesterday I got a "design team hopeful" package from 2Daisies and I need to complete the projects by Thursday. So this layout had to vacate the premises. I typed out the journaling and stuck it in the corner. It's not awful I guess. But it's not good. What would you do? Any ideas? I liked the page otherwise. Pretty simple but well designed (I think). I wish I hadn't stuck everything down so I could stick it on a tag behind or something. I dunno.

I'm hoping I can WOW them at 2Daisies with my projects. I got the Friends Word Bloom and some paper. Really fun stuff! I've always wanted to do one of the Word Blooms and now's my chance. I hope I don't freeze! And I hope they do well at CHA. I know Cathy has already ordered at least some of their products for the AllyScraps store.

Claire needs lunch...until tomorrow!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Just back from yet another horse show...

This one was a LONG one! Left on Thursday and back on Saturday. Pony Club C Evening Rally at Fair Hill in Maryland. It was long and exhausting and not very successful. But that's another story. For now, I just wanted to pop in and say hello and share a photo from the show. (Don't worry, it's just one this time ;) )



Luckily for ALL of us, yes, I'm including both of my readers, we have a month with no horse shows. Wonder if I'll find anything else to talk about.

Til tomorrow!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

We've gotten some super entries for our Design Team call so far but there's still all day today to submit! This really is a super gig. AllyScraps

And now on to my usual ramblings....

7/7/7...was it good for you? It was supposed to be a "lucky" day according to many but it had it's ups and downs for us. Well, for Jess really but as the Mom I felt her pain. She had a show at Fair Hill. Her and LuLu's biggest so far. Jessica's been there, and actually competed at a higher level on a much smaller horse, but LuLu and her had not. I walked the cross country course with her and Chase in the morning and I'm not embarrassed to admit I was really nervous for her. The jumps seemed so big and LuLu is still pretty new and not always coordinated. If she (as in the horse) jumps awkwardly in stadium and doesn't clear she knocks down a rail, in cross county....well, the jumps are SOLID. No give and take in a giant log or stone wall. So if she doesn't quite clear...?? I don't even want to know. But I was feeling the what ifs in my stomach all day.

Then our first bit of bad luck strikes.

Jess needed to get her horse off of the trailer but Chase's horse is behind. So she runs around trying to find him so she can get ready for her ride. No luck. Her plan is to unload Bucky, have me hold him, unload LuLu, we'll switch horses and she'll load Bucky back. Makes sense to me. She just about had Bucky tied back in the trailer when he spooked (or something), banged his leg and came out. Jess still had him, he didn't escape, but he was limping something fierce and wouldn't put his hind leg down. My stomach fell. We broke Chase's new prize horse. Within 10 seconds my mind figures we owe Dawn several thousand dollars and she'll probably kick us out of the barn and refuse to give Jessica lessons again. Irrational, I know. But you've never dealt with the wrath of Dawn.

I sent Jessica to get Michelle who was parked a few trailers away. She took Bucky and ran some cold water on the gash for a while and told Jess everything was ok and to get ready for her ride. HA! Jessica is a complete wreck. I'm thinking this is going to be her worst dressage score of all time. But she starts getting ready and head to the warm up field.

Meanwhile, Michelle is still working with Bucky who finally puts his leg down. I'm still worried that not only is Chase not going to be able to compete that day but that we've ruined his horse for all time. Again, pretty irrational, I know.

To make a terribly long story just a bit shorter, Michelle went to Dawn (who had just completed her dressage test) and broke the news and smoothed things over. Turns out all that worry was for nothing. Bucky had a pretty big gouge in his leg but Chase was still able to ride and Dawn's wrath didn't rain down or Jess or I. She just said next time, don't unload, get Michelle.

No worries there!

So I find Jess in the warm up field and assure her that everything is ok. Dawn's not mad, Bucky's not lame and she can relax and have a good ride. Which she does.

Later, while Jess and Chase are warming up for stadium and cross country, I check her dressage score and find out that she's in 2nd place so far. And only 1 point behind. She had a 33 (fabulous score) on her dressage test! This means if she goes clear in both jumping rounds she's got at least 2nd place for the day. And not that we wish back luck to other riders, but if the person in first has just one rail down or one refusal AND Jess goes clear, it's a BLUE RIBBON for her.

Next up is stadium. It does fast and she goes clear! Then comes cross country and I'm still nervous but excited about her chances. Her and LuLu take off and after the first jump it looks to me (from where I'm standing) that LuLu isn't heading to hte right like she's supposed to be. My fear of her not wanting to leave the pack is back with a vengeance. But they I see the top of Jessica helmet over the hill and they're heading in the right direction.

We hear them announce that "Jessica and Look at Me Now (LuLu's show name) are clear through the bank at 5. After those, we're going to be able to see the rest from where we're standing. And she has a fabulous ride! They do the whole mile long plus course completely clear with no hesitation. She even barreled through the water. It was a thrill to watch!

We had to wait forever for them to post scores. When they finally did, I checked the rider she was trying to beat first. She had lots of jumping faults and I KNEW Jess went clear. That could only mean one thing...a blue ribbon!

And then the bad luck strikes again.

I look up the sheet for Jessica's name, assuming I'm going to see a "1" and the end of her row. Instead, I find two "E"s under stadium and cross country. WHAT??!! She went clear! How on earth did she get eliminated?? And I say exactly this to the lady posting scores.

She looks it up, tell me #94 jumped the wrong jump at 6. No way. I walked that course with her. She knew what she was doing.

Well, apparently not. We checked the video (luckily I guess, we had ordered a video of her cross country ride) and it turns out she jumped the Intro jump. One level down. She said when she was approaching the 2 jumps that were side by side then both looked like the same height. I guess she didn't think to look for the right flag.

And so not only did she not get a blue ribbon, but she didn't get a ribbon at all. But she knows she had a GREAT day. And she still feels like she won.

Still with me? Wow, you're good. Thanks for that. As your reward, some photos. From this show:





See you tomorrow!

Sunday, July 08, 2007

Ally Scraps DT call - only a few days left!

This is posted on the Pub Calls blog and calendar but I don't want anyone to miss it. Cathy is THE BEST scrap boss, the message board is friendly and fun and (for the most part) you get to pick the products you want to work with every month. I've been on the design team there since March of 2006 and it's been a fantastic experience. I was completely honored when Cathy asked me stay through this call. So don't wait another minute...get those applications in. Here's the call:

Ally Scraps, an awesome online scrapbook store, is looking to add 5 new designers to our team. We are looking for designers of varied styles and experience, who have the time and interest to be an active part of our growing site.
We will begin accepting e-mail applications immediately and the design team call will continue until midnight EDT, Wednesday, July 11th. Winners will be notified on or before July 15th by e-mail and the results will be posted on the message board.

If you are interested in applying, please send a single e-mail with the following information to:
allyscraps@gmail.com . You can direct any questions you may have there as well.

* Name, address, phone number and e-mail address.

* 5 recently made layouts, that best represent your usual style. (The layouts do not have to be made specifically for this design team call.)

* A link to your blog or online gallery.

* A very short statement (a sentence or two) telling us what makes you a perfect fit for our team.

* Information about any design teams that you are currently on (Members of other online store design teams are not eligible to apply.) and any other scrapbooking commitments you have.

* We'd love to get to know you, and although it is not required, feel free to say hello on our message board.

Design Team Requirements

* The design team term will be 6 months, August 2007 through January 2008.

* You will be required to do 4 layouts each month and post them to our design team gallery in weekly increments using the supplies we send to you.

* You must be an active member of our message board, posting an average of 4 posts each day.

* You will post a scrappy or nonscrappy challenge about once a month per the design team schedule.

*Help host our occasional online crops and festivities.

Benefits

* You will receive a design team kit worth $30-$35 each month. Many months the items will be things that YOU will be able to choose, with some direction from the design team leader.

*Free shipping on all orders placed and shipped when your design team kit ships. (Must fit in the same box, of course.)

* Recognition with a photo and biography on our site.

* A 20% discount on all regularly priced purchases at our store.

Come check us out, we can't wait to see your work!

AllyScraps

Friday, July 06, 2007

Horse Show Tomorrow

Which means today was busy. And I'm tired. But it was less stressful this time around because 1) it's not Pony club and 2) I laid down the law with Jessica last time about being responsible for herself and everything involved in preparing for a show. So today I dropped her off at the barn to clean tack and wash LuLu instead of sticking around and helping. It just caused a lot of tension. It finally dawned on me that I have to let her go a bit and realize that just because she doesn't do things exactly as I would doesn't mean I need to point it out to her. Not that I always did, but if I did she was not happy. She called me when she was starting to wash LuLu, as I requested, so I headed over to braid her mane.

What a job that is!

No stress involved mind you. But it was only the 3rd time I've ever done it and it's been a while since the 2nd time. Took me close to 2 hours. (sure hope there aren't any expert mane braiders reading this). Partly because I cut the yarn too short, rookie mistake, which meant 6 braids had to be redone halfway through. And partly because I just haven't done it enough to be quick at it. I even had to go watch Cordie one time to remember the under, under, bump, over, over. And after all that, it doesn't really look that good. It's done. Well, I think one will be out by morning. But she's braided. And by the time I got to her forelock I was doing pretty well.

Now I just need to practice like I said I would so it's not such a struggle next time.

When we got home, I gently reminded Jessica of all the things she needed to have loaded in the truck. She worked on that without an argument. I made chicken salad and chopped watermelon. Brewed a pot of coffee so I could take it for iced coffee and filled water bottles. And we're ready. No tears, no yelling. No more weeks added to her punishment (she's banned from the computer right now due to problems getting ready for the last show). And we still like each other.

Maybe it will bring her good luck tomorrow. Fair Hill is a tough show and LuLu is still really new at this eventing thing. And she's got a crowd of fans coming to watch. She can use all the luck she can get!

Until Sunday...have a great weekend!

Thursday, July 05, 2007

a page to share



I've been trying to stay on a roll with my scrapping since I got back from Dana's house. I'm a firm believer that you have to work the creative muscle to keep it in shape. Sometimes it's just easier to work the "bop around on the computer" muscle.

I'm also trying to build my own Book of 10 (thanks Torm) but it's so hard NOT to post pages. I need that feedback. I've got a few pages done that I haven't posted and this is (well, was) one of them. Or does posting on my blog count? I'm not exactly sure about that.

And since I'm not posting this one anywhere else for now, I'm counting on YOU for feedback. You like?

Got my first ever box from Scrapbook Trends today. Along with receiving my page back in perfect condition, I got my 2 copies of the magazine and some yummy goodies. A couple things I don't already have too if you can believe that! I got some of the gorgeous Narratives, some fun ribbons, a package of Plain Jane's chipboard, a tiny set of Keller's Creations stamps with a small acrylic block and some SEI iron-ons that I'll probably never use. They're cute, but I tried that iron on thing on a page once and it didn't go so well.

I tried to take the kids to the movies today. I was going to drop of Jess and Claire so they could see The Rise of the Silver Surfer. It took forever to even get to the theater the traffic was so bad and then the parking lot was jam packed. When we finally got to the front of the theater, we couldn't beleive all the people in line. I think the reality of living at the beach finally hit home for the first time this year. There must have been 75 people outside waiting to buy tickets. So needless to say we turned right around and came home. We'll have to go back when the sun is shining and all the tourists are on the beach.

Til tomorrow....

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July!

Doing anything fun today? We're not. :P We had our fun last night. My friend Julie has a big boat (as in 45') and took a bunch of us across the bay to Cape May for the fireworks. We had a great time! We were only about 150 yards from the barge that was setting them off so we had a seriously good view. Ended up being a late night...got back to the dock at 11:15...but everyone slept in today so it's all good. We talked about going to the beach for a couple/few hours but the weather isn't cooperating so that's a no go. Jonathan is going to go stir crazy if we don't find something to do soon though so I'm racking my brain. He mentioned golf but both the kids (Hannah is working today) made yucky faces so I don't think that's happening. If only he scrapped, then he would see what a great opportunity we have here...

Enjoy your day. Be safe!

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

We had orientation at the Universtiy of Delaware yesterday. It was an ALL day affair....8-5! Add almost 4 hours of driving to that and you've got an exhausting day. I enjoyed most of it. There were some dry parts...think internet code of conduct...but the speakers were fantastic and we absorbed a lot of information. They gave us the count down number...it's now 52 days until Hannah moves into the dorm! It's going to go so fast.

Pretty regular day around here today. Cleaning lady comes so I have to scramble this morning to find some surfaces for her to clean. Then I'll probably take the kids to the movies while she's here. We've got chicken fried rice on the menu tonight - the kids have been after me FOREVER to make it - then Jessica's riding lesson.

Speaking of Jessica and riding...I've got a couple pics I'd like to share. A few weeks ago she had a show jumpy rally and her and LuLu had a great day. She didn't jump very high as LuLu is still learning but they went clean all 3 rounds with minimal time penalties. Have a look:





That's all for now. Have a great day everyone!

(and don't forget to check out AllyScraps for our design team call!!)

Sunday, July 01, 2007

I'm the worst blogger!

I guess I'm telling you something you already knew huh. But I'm going to try again. One last time. To make this part of my routine. We'll see how it goes.


First of July already. Summer's sure do fly by don't they?? We have a pretty calm week ahead though so we might get to enjoy some summer relaxation. And there's a whole lot of that on the schedule for today too. A bit of scrapping, a bit of reading, a bit of hanging and then steaks on the grill.


Tomorrow is "Delaworld" at the U of D. We're not exactly sure what that entails other than Hannah meets with her counselor and picks out classes. We do know that it starts at 8am (meaning we have to leave the house at 6:15) and that after a brief presentation the students go one way and the parents another. Hard to believe she is off to college in less than 2 months!


If you have a minute, stop by AllyScraps. Not only are we running a DT call but this week we're playing lots of games and having some quick challenges. All for some sweet prizes. Check it out!


Now I'll leave you with a photo. Of our graduate!


Thursday, April 05, 2007

The English Girls (and Jessica)



What an amazing experience this has been! Imy and Elsie quickly became a part of our family and we're going to all be so sad when they leave tomorrow. We got so lucky when these 2 were assigned to us and I'll be forever grateful that Jess and Hannah pestered me one morning with "we want one" (their way of saying they wanted to host an exchange student).

It's been a crazy, busy time while they were here. Our schedules are hectic as it is but add two more children to the mix and you've got CHAOS! But even though my back went out (big time drag) and Jonathan's car broke down (can you imagine worse timing?), things really went smoothly.

They rode the bus to school with Jessica each day then went on to their scheduled activites from there. They've toured Lewes (they are from Lewes, England!), been to Washington DC, shopped in our outlet malls, ridden the ferry to Cape May for a zoo trip, spent a day going to classes with Jessica and today, their last day here, they are in Philadelphia seeing Constitution hall and going to a Phillies game. It's been a whirl-wind tour!

We got to spend all day with them last Saturday and since they both love horses and ride at home, I scheduled a trail ride for them at our barn. Then, of course, we took them to the beach to run in the sand and eat Thrasher's fries. We walked on the boardwalk, played arcade games and had funnel cake. They *LOVE* American junk food!

Jessica taught them how to play on the Wii and they had a blast....laughing hysterically and goofing off. Elsie especially got into the boxing and was horribly offended when the Wii characters tried to hit her. I had to leave the room I was laughing so hard. They've been to the movies with Jessica and all her friends...the group of them took up an entire row at the theater.

I've enjoyed their visit so much that I have hopes of one or both of them coming back for a few weeks in the summer. I can just see them becoming a part of the gang at the barn with Jessica: working as assistant counselors at camp and riding every day. Then going to the beach with us and hanging out at the waterparks and boardwalk with Jess and her friends. I'd love to take them to Williamsburg and finish our junk food tour (we never did get them the corn dogs they've heard so much about). They've both said they'd come back in a heartbeat and don't want to go home. And we don't want them to!

It's going to be sad tomorrow morning when we drop them off to go home. I hope it wont be the last we see of them.

Friday, March 30, 2007

QUICK! Come sign up for Bingo!!

We're playing Bingo at AllyScraps for a gift certificate to the store! All you have to do is sign up on this thread and pay your $2.00 in the store. The winner will get a gift certificate equal to the amount of people that sign up times 2! Sounds like fun huh!

Well come play!

(fine print: you also have to be a member of our message board and have 50 posts so get going!)

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Soccer Season Begins!



There's my soccer superstar Jessica showing off her fancy footwork at yesterday's game. She didn't get a ton of playing time but she did well when she was in. They started all the 8th graders and only made a couple substitutions until the very end of the game. Jess being one of them. She played the last 10 minutes of the "A" game then started, at center forward, the "B" game. She scored a goal too! It was fun to see her participating in a team sport again. I just hope she gets more playing time in the future.

Eric had his baby. Well, Nicole actually did the giving birth part, but either way I have a new nephew! Last I heard he hasn't been given a name but he sounded wonderful when I heard him crying in the background on the phone. I hope my brother sends me a couple pictures soon. It's really bumming me out that they are SO far away and I can't run right over and see them. And hold him. And take in that yummy baby smell.

Hannah hasn't gotten anything from the U of D yet. And it's really starting to stress her out. She had a bit of a meltdown yesterday and pretty much admitted she's beyond waiting patiently and has moved on to the temper tantrum stage. Acutally, it's not "pretty much", those are her exact words. And that's fine so long as I don't have to be in the room when it happens. And so for everyone's sake, let's hope today is a good mail day!

Well, I'm out. The girls from England arrive tomorrow night and I have loads to do. LOADS! I'm excited for them to get here....I think it's going to be great fun!

Til next time!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Prom Dress Shopping!

It's time for our 2nd Annual Prom Dress Shopping Weekend at Tysons in Fairfax, VA. Last year Hannah and I (and a friend of hers) made the trek to the other side of DC for a shopping weekend. After having such a difficult time finding a Homecoming dress for her, I thought it would be fun, and easier, to shop at Tysons. I mean really, if you can't find the dress of your dreams in one of the 600 stores out there there is no such dress. And I was right, both girls found dresses they LOVED easily. So we decided then and there we would do it again next year.

And now it's next year. We couldn't get the schedules together for a friend to come with us but that's ok. It might even be easier to go just the 2 of us. So we're off this afternoon, as soon as she gets of work, to shop until we drop! Wish us luck.

Jessica is playing soccer for her school this year. She's been working hard at practice and has gotten noticed by her coaches. Looks like she's going to share the center forward position with another girl. Not at the same time mind you, but switching off. I guess until either one of them proves themselves. Her first game is Monday after school. Can't wait!

In other news, still no letter from the U of D. And still no baby though it's just due today.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Waiting

Hannah is waiting for her letter from the University of Delaware. Waiting and waiting and trying not to stress about it. Lots of her friends have already gotten theirs but they just started trickling in last week. I predicted today would be the day so we'll see when the mail comes. There isn't much doubt that she'll be accepted, she's already gotten into Goucher which is harder, it's just not *KNOWING*. Let's hope today is a good mail day.

My brother's baby is due this week. I think the official day is Friday. It's so hard because him and Nicole are 3000 miles away. I've never even met her. He's only in California for a few weeks and then he has to go back to Indonesia so this baby better not be too late. I am so excited for them. I wish I could be there to hang out with them and talk babies and childbirth. He sent me an email with a bunch of questions so I'm going to call him later. But it's not the same. Either way I'm excited to meet my new niece or nephew. At least in pictures until Nicole comes east this summer.

And right now I'm waiting for my hair cut. Nothing like a cut and color to make the day a little brighter. Wont be long now.

Ta Ta!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

I'm PUBLISHED! & Jess had a birthday

It's not the first time but it's been so long since that first page was seen in print that it's like starting over again. I just started sending some pages in again after a year off, thanks to Dana and her submitting challenges at AllyScraps, and had one picked up right away by Scrapbook Trends. Wheeeee!! Then barely a week later Making Memories asked for one for the 601 book. I'm sure both were crazy flukes but it's renewed my spirit for submitting. Too fun!



We're gearing up for our crazy-every-weekend-is-planned-to-the-hilt spring around here. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for all the organization and energy needed to get through the start of horse show season, extra dance rehearsals, birthdays, proms, picture day (on Mother's Day can you believe it?!?) and everything else that comes along. I've got my clocks sychronized and the calendars handy.


We recently added another teenager to the house. Jessica turned 13 this month! We had a big family dinner at Hibachi in Dover. I love when we are all together. I just wish my sister could have made it from NC. But that's a haul so we understand. Here's a couple pictures from the dinner:






That's Jessica with her new digital camera, the cake she wanted with a photo collage of herself! and Jess with my Mom and my Grandfather.

And here's a shot of Jess just before the "fancy" dance at her school:


She's growing up SO fast!!

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Is there anybody out there?

Just nod if you can hear me.

No this is NOT a Pink Floyd song. OK, maybe it is a little.

I'm just looking for signs of life. Here on this blog. So give me a little nod. Let me know you're here. (that means leave a comment ;) )

And maybe, just maybe, I'll make blogging part of my regular routine.

Exciting huh!