Where did that come from?

Sammy on the Boat...

2009-04-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

Samantha was helping grandpa clean the boat for the season and he snapped a few pictures....

Got a few bucks?

2009-03-28T06:32:00.000-07:00

I am walking in the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation walk this year on May 15th. My best friend has Crohn's and I watch her struggle all the time. I want to do what I can to help out with research that could make her and many other lives better! Please help me by donating whatever you can!

Please support me by donating. Every little bit helps! Thanks!!

Follow the link below to donate:

http://online.ccfa.org/site/TRC/Walk/Chapter-SouthwestOhio?pg=peditor&fr_id=1218&px=1446829

More cards!

2009-03-01T13:35:00.000-08:00

I finally spent some quality time with my own stamping stuff this weekend! I made about 14 cards total, all variations of three different cards. I scanned in my favorite ones of all three. Two were using a Stampin Up card making set and one I made up all on my own (The frog one) :) Feel free to oooh and ahh!

From crafts - 2009

Stampin Club

2009-02-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

I've joined a Stamping club! It's great so far...we've had two meetings...we meet monthly and make a card. Plus, we make it a Stampin Up "party", where one of us gets hostess benefits each month. My month is May - and I hope everyone in the party turns out to be big spenders that month so I can get plenty of free stuff! ;)

Anyways, below are the two cards we've made so far. The techniques we've used are pretty cool and I'm having a lot of fun! Plus, I get out of the house to hang out with grown ups for a couple hours!

The card we made last month:

From crafts - 2009

Today's card:

From crafts - 2009

Also - look for another finished crocheted blanket from me - I made one to have in the living room... a pattern I got from Justine that I loved when I saw the one she made! Besides that, I plan on working on some card creations of my own soon!

Birthday Cards!!!

2009-01-24T15:36:00.001-08:00

Well, I went over to my friend Wendy's house again and it was birthday card time! We made five different birthday cards, my favorite being the monkey card with the googly eyes :) Please feel free to peruse them!

From crafts - 2009

Outside:

From crafts - 2009

Inside:

From crafts - 2009

Christmas Card making!

2008-12-13T17:14:00.000-08:00

I have begun a new annual tradition, and that is to head off to my friend Wendy's house and join her in her annual Christmas Stamping party! Wendy is a Stampin' Up demonstrator and she's the one that got me and some of my friend's hooked on stamping! Oh...and she throws a pretty good Stampin party too ;) I'm holding on to these cards until next year, so don't be surprised if you get one of these in the mail next Christmas!

Here are the cards we made at the party:

From crafts-2008

Money doesn't make happiness?

2008-12-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

I think that the people who say this either never had money or always had money.

To an extent, I agree. The things in life that matter most - your family and friends - should be the base of your happiness. But to say that money can't contribute or be a detriment to your happiness is complete hogwash. Ask anyone who went through the process of becoming debt free and how it feels to have that weight lifted off their shoulders. Or how about someone like me, who grew up in a house falling apart around them, who knows what it is like to go without electricity for a week (b/c you couldn't afford it), or knows how embarrassing it is to have your grass grow a foot high because buying food was more important than fixing the lawn mower. I was still rather happy growing up, don't get me wrong. However, I was too anxious about how we were going to afford food, electricity, clothing and running water. Money can absolutely buy a certain amount of happiness.

Which brings me back to the name of my blog. I am known for pulling random thoughts out of my head that are completely unrelated to whatever topic is at hand. I just woke up this morning realizing that I am a perfectly good example of the American dream. First, let me elaborate on the "American Dream". To me, this means that anyone, no matter their race, culture, or religion has the possibility to better themselves financially. None of us are stuck being poor or stuck being rich. There is not a line drawn in the sand that I was unable to cross. We live in a land where with enough hard work and maybe even a little suffering, we all have the potential for achievement.

I don't live today worried about if I am going to be able to afford the necessities of life. I knew from an early age that I never wanted to live that way again. We live in a country where it was completely possible for me to not just dream, but make it a reality that I will be able to provide more for my kids than my parent's where able to afford for me. There is such a sense of satisfaction in that....a weight that I (hopefully) will never have to burden. Knowing that my financial security is sound absolutely makes me happy!

Test!

2008-12-05T14:19:00.001-08:00

This is a test post to see if it imports into facebook.