Thankful....

Lately, my time has been stretched to the limit.  My kids seem to need me more lately.  My job requires more of my time.  I still try to maintain my life in the crafty world.  Cortney's modeling is starting to take off a bit.  The weekends seem to be filled with family and friends.  I am certainly not complaining.  My life is full. Very full.  Just the way I like it.  Your sweet comments and e-mails make my heart happy.  I guess I'm in a good place in my life right now.  I'm going to enjoy each moment.  Because you know that life can always turn on a dime.  I have experienced that side of it before.....so I know.  

I know everyone is in a rush for Christmas. I've seen the stores, the commercials on TV.  Thanksgiving seems to be the lost holiday.  But I think it's important to slow down and be thankful for the life we have.  

I created this card with my Cricut.  I added glossy accents to the title to make it pop a bit more.  I added a rhinestone, seam binding, and a bit of glitter.......okay.... a lot of glitter. 

This weekend Kyle is hanging out with friends and going to the movies.  I am thrilled for him. I talk a lot about Cortney on this blog, but my son has had his share of struggles too.  He seems to have found his place in high school, and I am so glad. 

Cortney is modeling for a Chicago designer tomorrow.  I am nervous but very excited too!  

Brian and I are going on a double date on Saturday.  We are heading to the movies to see Argo. 

So all in all, a busy, full, happy weekend! 

The Day After.....

  Halloween is filled with fun, silliness, and imagination. It's that time of year to play dress up and act like a kid for the day.  I thought I'd share some of our Halloween photos with you. 

Kyle as the spooky fortune teller.....

Myla, the cute, furry pirate.....

The cutest Raggedy Ann ever!

And last but not least.....Wonder Woman, Robin, And Batman.  I'm the one in the middle, in case the dark hair fooled you!) ; )

So hopefully, my 5th graders aren't totally crashing from their sugar high.....and are ready to get serious and work.  (A girl can dream right?)

Happy "Day-After" Halloween!

An Unusual Coffin....

When you think of Halloween and coffins, I bet you often don't think of mice too....do you? ; ) I thought I'd shake things up a bit....be different and create a cute little box to hold those sweet Halloween treats! You guessed it....with a mouse! Why not? In this gal's crafting world, anything goes! I used Happy Hauntings and my trusty Cricut to create the box and the mouse. I used traditional Halloween colors here, with a heavy dose of glitter.  (Thankfully, the candy will be wrapped!) 

I added a satin bow, rhinestone, some fringy grass....

 ...and a cute sentiment from My Craft Spot.

You can find my box in this month's issue of Cricut Magazine....along with a few other projects I've created!

Tomorrow is Halloween and let me just say....my 5th graders are WELL aware that tomorrow is Halloween!  Holy moly are they excited!  Makes trying to teach a bit challenging, when all they can think about is their costumes, trick or treating etc....

Just wait until you see the teacher's costumes! The students have nothing on us! ; ) Ha Ha!

Have a great day my friends!

Boo!

Halloween is almost here......hard to believe that the holidays are fast approaching!  I wanted to share my last Halloween Crafty Secret's project with you. It uses the Halloween Digital CD.  I love the look on this pumpkin's face! ; )  All of the papers used were printed using the CD. I took a Tattered Angels chipboard frame and covered it in black glass glitter.  It is chunkier than regular glitter, but I love the texture it gives.  

I created another alphabet stick pin, added a bit of seam binding, and this miniature piece of candy I had in my stash.  Jolee's perhaps?  

Thank you so much for  all of your support during this journey with Cortney.  I hope you aren't tired of hearing about it just yet....because I am hoping this is just the beginning of great things to come for her.  She was so cute yesterday.  She must have watched herself in the news about 30 times.  She was so excited to go back to school and tell her teachers she was on TV.  

Chicago's Channel 7 News.....

Cortney and I have been fortunate enough to be a part of an amazing campaign called, Changing the Face of Beauty. Katie and Steve are amazing people who have given our children a voice. A chance to shine, and be viewed in a totally different light. Channel 7 news just aired this piece this morning and I wanted to share it with you. Just click on the link to be taken to Channel 7 new's website.  

Changing the Face of Beauty News Story.