Scrappin' Turtle

Worst Blogger EVER... AGAIN!

2011-09-04T10:27:00.006-05:00

So I just can't seem to keep this up! So much is happening right now in life and the time to sit and blog is very little!

Super fast update:

The official decision was made to move to Murfreesboro this summer.
I put my house on the market in March.
I resigned from Finley Elementary in May. It was one of the hardest decisions that I have ever made. I did not have a job yet in M'boro, and I was stepping out in faith and leaving a wonderful job and friends that had made my teaching career what it is today.
I packed and moved over the course of several weeks (UGH) and became an official residence of Murfreesboro, TN. :-)
I began to endure the LONGEST. SUMMER. EVER. With no news on the house or job front, I felt like a total waste of space. I felt bad being off work when I had no work to go back to.
My house sold in late June and we closed in the beginning of July. This was such a relief. The right couple came along and I knew that this was the right decision.
I had the best interview EVER on July 12th at LaVergne Lake Elementary. Mike drove me to the school because I was super nervous. My bff, Mandy, had coached me the night before on how to be interviewed so I felt confident but still nervous. When I left, I knew that was the school for me. Knew it.
One extremely, long, painful week later, I got that faithful phone call from my awesome principal. He wanted me to teach first grade. Was I interested? Uh...YEAH!!
And thus began the beginning of where we are now....

My life consists of school, eating, school, sleeping, school and more school. I've barely seen my bffs or Mike since I got my job because I've been spending 13 hours a day at school, weekends included. Changing school districts, schools, and grade levels sent me for a LOOP. I have been teaching 10 years and I felt like a newbie!! Still do!! But I have a wonderful school and the BEST team EVER behind me. They are lifesavers. :-)

So my NEW obsession is... first grade teaching blogs!!! These women are amazing! They have time to teach and share on their blog! Since it's a new curriculum, this is so helpful for me because I can see what others are doing and share with my teammates. Here are a few of my favorites:

Babbling Abby at The Inspired Apple :-)

Michelle at Fabulous in First :-)

Jennifer at First Grade Blue Skies :-)

And Cara at thefirstgradeparade.blogspot.com!

Anna at Crazy for First Grade :-)

Lynda at Curls and a Smile

Erica at E.B.'s First Grade

These ladies (and MANY MORE) are so fantastic and have helped me so much!

My second obsession at the moments is...

TEACHERS PAY TEACHERS!! This website is a dream come true for me! I love cutesy ideas and games but don't have to know-how or time to put it together. But these fabulous people DO! And they get paid for it! But because we're teachers PAYING teachers, the prices are FANTASTIC!!!

http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/

A few pics for the road...

My empty room at Finley. Yes, I cried. And yes, I left more than I meant to. LOL.

My precious niece Alaina at her dance recital this summer. One of the highlights of my summer!

My "niece" Madison Grace looking as sweet as ever! I'm loving living closer to her and the rest of my "nieces and nephews" and their sweet mommas!

Alaina and Ella in their ladybug shirts this summer! Had a great time with them while visiting D'burg!

Me, before my faithful interview. Several girls on the interview committee commented on my cute sweater! :-)

My new room!!! It's HUGE!!! More pics to come of this beautiful place!

Ok, I'll shut up now. I'm going to try and keep up with this thing. Probably going to be more school, than scrapping, but hang in there. Thanks for reading!

Only 2 weeks... Not too shabby!

2011-03-01T11:55:00.013-06:00

Well its been two weeks since I've posted... not too bad for me! But its been a whirlwind of a few weeks so lots to tell!

First, I had an AWESOME 31 party with my good friend, Megan Madden! I got lots of goodies coming for next to nothing because of all my great friends and family!!! :-)

Then, I went to Murfreesboro for the L-O-N-G week

end with my sweetheart and besties!! I drove to Cookeville on Saturday to spend time with my best friend, Mandy and her precious miracle, Madison Grace. She is such a beautiful little girl and I'm so blessed to get to be in her life! Aunt Amanda loves you sweet girl!!

Plus, spending time with her sweet momma is always f

un! Mandy and I pick up right where we left off and can talk for hours! Such a great friendship! Then I headed back to Murfreesboro, had brunch with my love and one of my besties, Lauren (aka Lala) at the good ol' Cracker Barrel. Such fun! :-) Then, I cleaned Mike's condo from top to bottom! It was so... FUN! I had such a good time and part of the fun was knowing how happy he'd be when he got home! And he was!! :-) Then, since it was President's Day weekend, I got to stay Sunday evening and Monday! We went to Kingston Springs on Monday and had lunch with Mike's dad and stepmom. We always have a good time with them! Then, I had to head back to the burg... until next time!

Next, a short afternoon trip to Memphis for my sister in law, Amy's sister in law, Anna's Premier Jewelry party! (Did you catch that?! My sil's sil. ;-) I LOVE Premier and even though I felt as if I were "cheating" on my consultant, I did have a great time!

Then, my annual scrapbook weekend with my girls, the ScrapAddicts. One of these ladies, Threase, and I created this group many moons ago and it has grown and grown. There were 20 of us there this weekend and it was so much fun! I worked on Mike and I's mini album, a few Christmas cards and a few "blog projects" that I got from blog hopping! Here's a few:

This is a page I did, trying out "doodling". Its been all the rage in scrapbooking for a while and I guess I'm just behind the times. This was a FREE card from Snapfish (www.snapfish.com) of Mike and I for Valentine's Day. I thought it turned out really cute!

This is my good friend, Kerri's Christmas card from 2009. (Yeah, I'm a little behind! But what scrapbooker isn't?) She has the cutest little boys and always the most fabulous cards! :-)

This is a banner I made for St. Patrick's Day. I originally saw this banner on someone else's blog but CANNOT find it right now! Hopefully, I'll find it when I get home and repost! I think it is super cute!!! Oh, and the letters are glittery. Don't know if you can tell...

This Valentine's Day art, originally seen at Peppermint Plum. I changed in up and little and haven't framed it yet, but it'll be so cute next year!

:-)

So this brings us up to date... I did a few other projects that aren't done yet, but they can wait. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T09:51:00.004-06:00

Valentine's Day has always been a rough day for me. I've been single most of my adult life and watching friends and loved ones showered with love, flowers, candy and cards on this day has been kind of hard. I've always tried to be happy for these people but hurting inside since I was single. Selfish, I know.

So, yesterday morning I was all prepared for a pretty yucky Valentine's Day. I had talked to Michael the night before and he had no plans to come to Dyersburg to visit. I had assumed he would since it was V-day, but he had some things to do at home. Still, I secretly hoped he was planning on surprising me. I just felt it was coming. So I texted him mid morning as I always do. Then he texted me back. Not good. He doesn't text and drive so he wasn't on his way. :-( Then I called him during PE (Like I always do) and he answered and was "driving around in Murfreesboro, running errands." And I truly believed he was. He was calling out landmarks, places he normally goes and different traffic problems occurred in M'boro. I was convinced. He wasn't coming. I was devastated.

So the last hour of school was awful. I just wanted to go home, crawl into bed and pout. Then, I went into the hallway about 2:55 to talk to a parent. I was standing there talking to her when out of the corner of my eye I saw someone coming up the ramp by my room with flowers and a balloon. Now, this had been happening ALL DAY yesterday at school. People constantly bringing stuff into school for their sweethearts and their children. I glanced that direction and had to look TWICE! It was my love. My sweetheart. My Michael. Walking up the ramp, dressed up, with flowers, a balloon, A CARD (he never buys cards) and himself! I was so excited! I immediately started crying and backing up saying "I didn't think you were c

oming!" All my parents were saying "Awww..." It was so special! I opened the door and my kids saw him. (They LOVE him!) And all of them were excited. I didn't think the day could get any better! Wrong again!

We left school and went back to my house. He also had brought me my favorite candy! So we took my flowers in, got them in water, let the doggies out and headed to town. We were going to try and have an early dinner so we could beat the crowd. But 4:00 was a little too early. So we went by and saw my parents, check with Abe's Ribeye Barn to make sure they were opened and headed to dinner about 5:00. It was SO GOOD! I haven't been to Abe's without a large group before, so it was new for both of us. They handed out roses to the ladies! We had a delicious, QUICK dinner and were heading to the movie theater. We stopped by Walgreens for a sec and the Red Box looked really good. So we decided to rent a couple of movies, head home and relax. It was so worth it! Just a quiet evening in, watching Secretariat (P.S. GREAT movie!).

I couldn't have asked for a better day or a better Valentine.

Michael truly is the love of my life and I'm so blessed to have him in my life!

I love you babe!

Looking ahead...

2011-02-11T21:07:00.003-06:00

Its human nature to look ahead. No matter what's going on, you're always looking at what's coming up. My whole life I'd say "I can't wait for..." and my momma's would say to me, "Don't wish you're life away!" But I just. can't. help. it. I have very little patience, which is humorous since I'm a teacher. You'd think I'd have a ton. But not so much.
Anyway, I can't help but look to the future. Plan for the future. Hope for the future. When there are exciting things going on, I can't help but look forward to them and hope for them to HURRY UP!
But, I'm trying my hardest to live in the moment and enjoy my time in the present. Not the future.
Oh boy, this is going to be hard.

Bad blogger.

2011-02-01T09:57:00.007-06:00

Oh, I'm so bad at this. I really want to be better but for some reason, I can't make it happen.

So much has changed since I last blogged and thus part of the reason for not blogging. No time. Because. I'm. in. love. L-O-V-E, love. And its fabulous!

In my last blog I mentioned "making new friends"...an

d that was Michael and he is the best! We've been dating about 8 months and I've never been happier. Unfortunately, he lives in Murfreesboro and I live in Dyersburg, so the long distance thing is ROUGH. But I know it'll all be worth it. I'm hoping to make a move to Middle TN this summer, pending a new job up there. I can't wait to be in the same city with the man I love!

Lots of other great things have been happening:

I have a new sister in law! Brad and Amy got married in November and it was a beautiful wedding! See below.

My (biological) nieces, Alaina and Ella are doing great! Alaina has started Kindergarten and is too smart for her own good! She told me back in September, that she was tired of the letter "M"...they'd been doing it for a week and she knew what it said, how it looked and she was ready to move on! HA! Ella is a sassy almost 3 year old and such a cutie! She has SO much personality! She loves to state the obvious too. My sister in law, Miranda, was loading her into the car, with a bunch of bags, cups, etc. and Ella said, "Mommy... you're busy, huh?" LOL! Below is me and the girls at Brad and Amy's rehearsal dinner.

My besties are doing fabulous and their children, my nieces and nephews, are getting so big! Mandy's little miracle, Madison, is just that. A miracle. Check out her story at therawlsfamily.blogspot.com. I also can't wait to be back in Middle TN to be closer to all of them! They are the best friends any girl could ask for! This is all of us at Danielle's baby shower for baby Olivia! Can't wait to meet her!

As far as scrapbooking and diet goes, they have both been at a stand still. :-( I need to FIND the track again, to get back on it!

So I'm going to try harder to keep up this blog... I need an outlet somewhere. :-)

Hope you're still reading!

Love, A

Not bad... but not good either!

2010-05-25T13:13:00.002-05:00

So a month's time frame isn't too bad for updating this blog. Not a whole lot to say I guess and even less time to say it in.

Summer is just 5 and a half days away and I can smell it!!! My students are liked caged animals right now, with chlorine and adrenaline pulsing through their veins! They are so ready to go and p.s.... so is their teacher! This time of the year is crazy with programs, field days, award ceremonies and such...its hard to make it!

I'm so looking forward to this summer! So many things are happening:

June-

Princess Madison will make her arrival!
Staying in M'boro while waiting for Madison :-)
Going to Georgia to visit my brother and his family for Alaina's ballet recital
Alaina and Ella may come home with us for a week
Camping trip with Crystal's church
St. Louis trip :-)

July-

Murfreesboro for 4th of July and ECLIPSE!!!
Cookeville to see Madison (& Mandy and Duskin) before school starts back

I really am excited about all of my trips and seeing all my friends! Plus making some new ones ;-)!!!

5 and a half days, peeps... I think I can make it!!!

Toodles!

Trying again...

2010-04-09T21:50:00.004-05:00

Here I go again...lol. I've been encourage by my bestie, Mandy, to keep my blog updated. Check her out and pray for her angel coming soon (therawlsfamily.blogspot.com)!

Busy couple of weeks coming up...

Next week: Monday thru Thursday - TCAP camp after school from 3 until 5:30... I think I'm going to be exhausted!

The next week: Monday thru Thursday - TCAP!! So stressful, for me and the kids, and I just pray that I've prepared my kids for the test.

The next week: Friday night - Relay for Life from 5 until Midnight! I'm my team's captain and we've worked really hard this year! Hoping everything comes together!!

Whew!!! I'm tired from writing all that! Not to mention having ANY fun in those three weeks! Plus losing weight and exercising...how in the WORLD do my married friends and friends with husbands and kids do all of this and take care of a family?!?! I can barely juggle my own business much less a whole family's worth!!

Thank goodness for summertime being just around the corner and the daily walks in the park to remind me of that!! Blessings!

New decade, new start...yeah right!

2010-01-07T22:25:00.005-06:00

LOL...once again, I'm trying to do better about this! And probably won't make it this time, but hey, I'll try.

Seems like everyone and their momma is out of school tomorrow for "snow" or cold but good ol' Dyer Co. is going. So I'm just praying that none of my babies that ride the bus in the morning will freeze while waiting.

Other than that, I'm getting ready for our "annual" Gatlinburg trip with some of my girls from the boro. I miss these ladies so much and cannot wait to spend time with them. They have been my sisters and friends for over 12 years now and I'm blessed to have their love and friendship...

"To the world, I promise temperence, insight and mercy. To crusade for justice, to seek the truth and defend it always. To those who my life may touch in slight measures, may I give graciously of what is mine. To my friends, understanding and appreciation. To those closer ones, love that is ever steadfast. To my mind, growth. To myself, faith, that I may walk truly in the light of the flame."

Truer words were never spoken.

Just can't do it...

2009-09-04T22:02:00.003-05:00

For some reason, I just can't keep this blog up! Seriously?! What is wrong with me?!!? LOL, just kidding...

So here again are some few updates:
The diet is going well...well kind of...As of the beginning of June, I was down 61 pounds! I was very excited! However, the summer was kind of a whirlwind and I ended up gaining about 15 pounds over the three months (June, July & August) of summer.

BUT, I'm back on track! I've been going to the gym BEFORE school as opposed to after school. After school, I was so tired and I couldn't make myself go! So I get up about 4:15, let the dogs out, get dressed and head to the gym about 4:45. I get there about 5 and workout for about an hour and then head home to get ready for school. Plus, I'm spending Sunday afternoons making salads, lunches, snacks, etc. so that I can pack lunches quickly each morning. Also, I've been making an effort to actually EAT breakfast and not just turkey bacon! :-) I'm hoping that my changes will make a difference on the scale!

I just found out today that I was accepted to grad school! We start classes Sept. 23rd and I'm so excited!!! I love school and can't wait to get started!

Looking forward to fall break...I'll be heading to Orange Beach for two weeks...hopefully! Everything was set for me to go for the whole two weeks, but now I'll have to miss two grad classes to go. I've emailed my professor and I'm hoping she'll excuse me. Fingers crossed...

I feel like every time I update this blog, I'm working on cleaning up my scrap room. Guess what? This is Labor Day weekend and...I'm working in my scraproom!!! LOL...I'm hoping for the best!

I think that's about it for now. I'll try harder to update this thing...if anyone's reading it...:-)

A long overdue update...

2009-03-06T09:35:00.002-06:00

Hello all! I'm very sorry I haven't updated in a while. My student teacher is gone and my computer at home has been DEAD, so updating hasn't been an option.

But I have a few minutes this morning to say hello and catch everyone up!

On the weight loss front, I'm down 45 pounds in 17 weeks on the South Beach diet. I'm pretty excited even though it has slowed down. I've been going to a spinning/pilates class every Monday and Wednesday and I believe that's going to help me in the long run. I'm not slowing down!

On the scrapbooking front, I made it through my absolutely fabulous weekend at Lakeshore and got a lot done. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to do it again! We're trying to get a weekend together at one of our friend's house here in town, so I'm hoping that works out!

On a non-related area of this blog, I want to take a minute and write about sportsmanship. I've always been an advocate for promoting good sportsmanship since I work with kids! This has been especially important with the recent basketball tournaments. I've been going to support our Dyer County Choctaws and have noticed the complete LACK OF good sportsmanship amoung teams in Northwest TN. I've seen GROWN ADULTS taunting TEENAGERS and egging them on to the point of breaking. Bringing up players "mommas" during a ball game is ridiculous and spiteful, especially if the child doesn't have a mom! I've seen other teenagers assault basketball players, while supposedly just "cheering for their team." And finally, I've seen groups of fans taking their hatred for a good team to a new level. This has been the saddest season for sportsmanship that I have ever witnessed and I'm NOT TALKING ABOUT THE DC FANS! Some of the NW TN fans out there should be ashamed and banned from future games if they can't conduct themselves with class. There's a difference in cheering for your team and rooting for the other team to fail. There will always be a better coach, a better team or a better night. Learn to accept the outcome of a game with class and teach your children the same!

Now, I'll step off my soapbox...Have a great weekend, friends! And...GO CHOCTAWS!

Updates!

2009-02-03T11:50:00.003-06:00

Hello all! I hope everyone has dethawed from last week. In case you don't live in this area, you don't know that we were under ice and out of school for most of last week. It has been an adventure from no school, to no power or water for some surrounding areas. Luckily, I didn't have any damage! But I did enjoy our "mini-winter break".

Update on the weight loss: As of yesterday, I've lost 41 pounds in 13 weeks on the Beach. I'm feeling like I'm hitting a plateau already because my loss has slowed down. So this week I've decided to go back on Phase 1 for a week or two. We'll see. Stay tuned.

Update on scrapbooking: NOT ENOUGH! You'd think that with being out of school for a week, that I would have gotten a lot done. BUT NO! I spent time resting, relaxing and cleaning and didn't work on my scrapbook stuff. So I'm hoping for better work time in the future.

Update on Photoshop for Emily: Emily, I'm still having the same trouble with Photoshop. I believe its just an outdated version. My mom got a new version for Christmas, so I may update mine with hers. But any pointers would be very much appreciated!

I hope everyone is having a great week!
A

No complaints yet!

2009-01-20T10:14:00.002-06:00

Here I sit again, watching my fabulous student teacher rock my kids' world. She's so good!

So I'd thought I'd update my progress on the scrapbooking front...not a whole lot! Ha ha ha. I had a busy President's Day weekend and really didn't get a lot done. I did work in my scrapbook room for an hour one day last week and made a dent, but other than that I'm not any farther.

However, I will have a relaxing weekend this weekend with no plans yet, so I can spend some time in my pjs working in the house! :-)

On the diet front, I lost another 4 pounds last week for a grand total of ....... 38 pounds! Excitement is not enough to describe what I'm feeling. My next goal is 50 pounds by President's Day. I'll be visiting my parents in Orange Beach, AL that weekend, so I'm hoping to hit that mile marker before I go!

Wish me luck!
A

P.S. By the way, did you catch that? Yeah, my parents are going to Orange Beach, AL for THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY! OMG! I'm so jealous...however, if it goes well, they may do it again in October when I can go for 2 weeks :-)!

New year full of EXCITEMENT!

2009-01-15T09:00:00.003-06:00

Well, I don't know about you, but so far 2009 has been FAB-U-LOUS!

First of all, my diet is going SUPER FAB! I began this journey in November and 10 weeks later I've lost a total of 34 pounds! I'm really excited about the results and very motivated to continue!

Next, I'm determined to get my scrapbooking in gear and try to catch up as much as possible! I'm heading to the Lakeshore Methodist Camp again for a THREE DAY WEEKEND! I actually took a personal day the Friday of this fabulous weekend so I can be there early on and get a good seat! But, before I head up there in February, I'm getting organized. I using this l-o-n-g MLK Day weekend to organize my room, pack page kits and get everything I need for this great weekend. So by February 20 I'll be so ready to go, I'll just jump out of my skin!!!

Finally, I have a FABULOUS student teacher right now, thus the reason I'm writing at 9:00 in the morning. She is a non-traditional student and believe me, she has her act TOGETHER! She's so good at what she's doing, I already trust her beyond belief! I'm very lucky to have such a wonderful helper this nine weeks!

Hope everyone is well and that 2009 will be as good for you as it has been for me...SO FAR! :-)
a

Christmas Break...

2008-12-26T22:44:00.002-06:00

I don't know about ya'll but my break is going really well! Week one is over with and I've had a restful week. Unfortunately, I haven't made it to the gym as much as I would like but I did weigh in on Monday and I'm up to 27 pounds lost in 7 weeks. I've only gotten off track yesterday for Christmas dinner and back on the wagon this morning. I'm considering going back to Phase 1 for the next two weeks just to jump start the new year. Phase 1 is a lot more work and planning but I lost 11 pounds in two weeks when I did it. Plus, I've been slacking on my food journaling... I just can't seem to remember to keep my book with me. We'll see if I can do better in the new year!
I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Happy New Year!

Snow...er...rather Ice Day!

2008-12-16T10:38:00.002-06:00

This is the view from my front door. There's not a lot of snow but the driveways, sidewalks and ROADS are covered with an inch or two of ice. This is our second day in a row out of school, however yesterday was a total waste b/c nothing started until late last night. And if things don't warm up, we'll be out again tomorrow. So I'm trying to be a busy little bee...wrapping what presents I've bought, buying online to finish shopping and catching up on some scrapbooking for people that have placed orders for Christmas.

And P.S. yesterday, I went ahead and went to the gym to weigh for my weekly weigh in. AND I lost another 6 pounds! I'm so excited!!! This diet has clicked really well with me and my new love of cooking and I actually love going to the gym, however, not in this weather since our Y is at the top of the biggest hill in Dyersburg. In fact, when my mom was little and lived on that street, kids would come from all over to slide down this hill...I don't think so...It will be DVD workouts until this stuff clears.

I hope everyone is having a great day/week and looking forward to Christmas next week!
Tootles! :-)

Whew! Its been a while...

2008-12-13T21:30:00.002-06:00

If you're still reading this, I'm sorry for the long delay. Life has been happening at record speed and blogging has been on the back burner.

Quick catch up:

Began South Beach Diet Nov. 3rd, 2008. As of Monday, December 8th, I've lost 18 pounds. Woo hoo! Pretty exciting...I weigh in every Monday at the YMCA. Also today I found an old Weight Watchers weigh in book for Jan. of this year. AND...I'm going to end this year weighing less than I began it. Not a lot less, but less! Only DOWN hill from here!

The fam all came in for Thanksgiving and we had family pictures done with Katrina from Union City. They were absolutely beautiful! Plus, we all got our Christmas cards made with her and I got a picture made with Alaina and Ella. Its so cute! Maybe you'll be one of the lucky 50 to get one...wink, wink ;-)

And last but not least, I'm SOOOOO not ready for Christmas but I AM ready for Christmas break! Ha ha ha...my kids are absolutely crazy! Plus I'm trying to prepare for a full time student teacher that is coming in January! I'm so excited to have one, but I'm worried that I won't be a good example! Oh, well stay tuned...

Hope you all have a great holiday season! Hopefully I'll repost before the holidays get here!

Illness...

2008-10-11T18:57:00.002-05:00

No, I'm not sick with some strange illness...but yes, I am ILL! Let me explain...

I have been blessed with the opportunity and priviledge of being the webmaster/computer guru at my school. Yes, this involves extra work, but this makes me a VALUABLE part of my faculty, thus harder to get rid of in crisis. I created and update the webpage as often as possible, as well as create a powerpoint presentation weekly for our local access channel. This is a role I take very seriously and have been praised for my work. Each one of us at the different schools were given Adobe Photoshop 5 to make sure our pictures were at optimal size and color to be put onto the tv/web. GREAT! I get this amazing program FOR FREE! WOW...I was soooo excited...

Now, comes the illness... I can't get this program to do JACK SHEE! No matter what I do, I can't create these amazing projects that I read about everywhere! What am I doing wrong? And when I finally get a picture edited, the program won't let me save it. It makes me so angry, that I can't see straight...thus the illness.

Does anyone have any pointers, or suggestions or should I just buck up and buy the updated version for myself?

Thanks for your input.

Well...not too bad!

2008-10-09T12:18:00.005-05:00

When I logged in this morning, I was upset to think that I had let a week (or two) go by without blogging, but then I realized it hadn't even been a week yet. I feel like its been a month! Ha ha ha...

I cleaned all day Saturday for my best friend, Mandy and her hubby, Dustin's arrival. This was the first time they had come to see my house since the concrete floor stage! Its changed ALOT! I can't even begin to explain how fabulous it was to have them here! Every time we get together, I realize why we're best friends all over again and what I have to look forward to when I find the man of my dreams!

Sunday was a lazy day and I couldn't have asked for more! We laid around, watched movies, the Titans game and took a late trip to Walmart! It was like old times...in our pjs ALL day with a quick shower to go to Walmart...hahaha :-)

Monday was one of our big days! We went to Jackson shopping and had so much fun! We ate at Cracker Barrel, Mandy's favorite, and went all around town shopping! Unfortunately, I spent the most money!! :-(

Tuesday was the day of my Pampered Chef show, but my mom wanted to take us to lunch first at Charlene's Tea Room...Dustin loved it..ha ha ha! We spent some time shopping in the colony of shops. The show later that night was a hit! Mandy is a natural at sales woman as well as a cooking instructor. I'm so excited and we had such fun. In case you wanted to order something, log onto www.pamperedchef.biz/mandyrawls and order! Don't forget to put my name in as a hostess! (Amanda Campbell).

On Wednesday, I was sad to see them leave but I know they wanted to spend some time at their house for their fall break! They have a lot to do this week! ;-)

Anyways, I'm looking forward to the rest of this week and next. I'm hoping to get some organization done as well as a visit to Georgia!

I hope you are all having a great week!

See ya later, taters!

Wild Week...

2008-10-03T08:44:00.002-05:00

This has been a W*I*L*D week...

First of all, it is the last week before Fall Break, which is always a crazy one. You're trying to get last minute papers graded, pass out report cards, clean the room for a two week break, etc. It's NUTS!!!

Next, my precious Great Aunt Frances, passed away at the age of 90 after a long illness. She was possibly the most sincere, kindest woman to ever grace this earth. She never had a ill word to say about anyone, and taught 5 children and 10 grandchildren the same principles. She was truly a Godly woman, and I only hope that I can leave a legacy, half as outstanding as hers.

Finally and most exciting, my best friend, Mandy and her fun husband, Dustin are coming to visit me this weekend! They haven't seen my house since the concrete stages and they want to get away for a few days. Believe me, there's no where better to get away from the hustle and bustle, like Dyersburg. Also, while she's here, we're going to have a Pampered Chef Party. I love those things! I feel so domestic when I have them! So if you're interested and want to come, call or text me and I'll give you directions!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'll be busy cleaning! Tootles!

ScrapAddicts Tshirt 2008

2008-10-02T10:23:00.003-05:00

Here is our 2008 Tshirt for the Fall Lakeshore Retreat. I really had a good time designing the shirt and loved how cute we all looked! As soon as my friends send me pictures of our group, I'll post them!

Lakeshore Retreat

2008-09-29T12:14:00.002-05:00

I just returned from three days in PARADISE...otherwise known as the Lakeshore Methodist Camp. It is located in the hills of Eva, TN right outside Camden. It is the most beautiful camp, with new lodges and lots of history to go around. But if you know me, you know I don't camp...so obviously I was there to SCRAPBOOK! Around 40 ladies were set up in the main meeting lodge to scrapbook the weekend away with vendors and lots of food to go around!

We, the SCRAPADDICTS, had such a good time! We got to know each other even better and had lots of laughs! We planned our next crops together as well as our next trip to Lakeshore in February.

I got 31 pages completed and made it to November in the 2007 album. I know I'm behind but I'll make it up soon!

I'll post some pictures from the weekend as soon as my friends share...my camera was dead as a door nail...Lord knows I need another one!

Tootles!

Hello, strangers...

2008-09-24T09:21:00.003-05:00

I'm not going to lie...I personally forgot all about this blog! Ha ha ha...I've been so busy with getting back to school that I've had no time to even think about scrapbooking. But that stops (well slows down) here!

I'm leaving on Friday for a weekend in crop with the lovely ladies of the ScrapAddicts! We are headed to the Lakeshore Methodist camp for the Methodist Women's Scrapbook Retreat! Food, fun and most of...scrapping! Not to mention the beautiful surroundings of the Lakeshore Camp. I absolutely can't wait. I haven't had a whole lot of time to get ready, but I'm working on it tonight and tomorrow night to be ready to leave on Friday afternoon!

Also, I created tshirts for our group! They are so cute...they say "Live, Laugh, Love, SCRAP"...I'll post a picture as soon as I can.

Finally, my school is having their annual craft fair again! Scrappin' Turtle will be set up there with plenty of goodies for Christmas presents or for yourself! Please stop by if you can! December 6th, times to be announced later!

Later, taters!

I'm so excited!

2008-05-02T20:20:00.002-05:00

I just can't tell you how excited I am! I have some great crops coming up in the next few weeks and some great things to crop! I don't know where to start! :-)

First of all my scrapaddicts are meeting up in a couple of weeks for a day long cropping event, where we get together, bring goodies, and crop all day long! Good times...plus I get to cook for my friends which is becoming one of my favorite things to do!

Next, the end of school always means more time to scrap, plus I've had a lot of orders for baby books and big books to keep me busy for the summer!

AND FINALLY-- I'm so excited about the PJ crop I'm going to in Lebanon with some of my scrapaddict friends! I'm spending the first part of the week in Murfreesboro with my girlfriends (and a cute new baby, Solomon) and then head to Lebanon to scrap the weekend away at the hotel...I absolutely CAN'T WAIT!

Any ideas for organization? LET ME KNOW!

The Craft Fair

2008-04-26T14:32:00.002-05:00

Well, the craft fair was a bust...but it wasn't anyone's fault...it just wasn't a good time for this. The things I thought would sell like hotcakes, came home with me...go figure...but the yard sale and bake sale did good for the school!

So I'm looking forward to the one in November.

The Ribbon Fiasco...

2008-04-24T23:13:00.003-05:00

Ok...so here's what happened...It was getting late, and according to Jennifer's husband there was something in the tea, and as I was trying to close my ribbon box and **POOF** the ribbon box EXPLODED!!! Ribbon went everywhere! I couldn't even look...I just put my camera behind me and took this picture! After I hollered "Sweet Nibblets" and everyone laughed, I crawled on MY HANDS AND KNEES to pick up this ribbon...NUTS! So I had to share...hope it made you laugh...

2nd Annual Mission crop...

2008-04-24T22:58:00.008-05:00

We had a blast!
Our group was there in full force (12 of us!) and we laughed entirely too much...I got 11 "one hit wonder" pages done...They were a lot of fun and I'll try to post some later. Its a whole album of pages with only one or two pictures on a page or one page per topic, since I usually scrap in twos. Here's some pics from last Saturday.
This is a picture of Carol (Memphis), myself and Cathy(Jackson). I absolutely LOVE THEM! They crack me up.

These are C & C's scrapbooking bears. Carlin on the left (which she's a girl, but Carlin is such a boy's name hahaha) and Wendy on the right... Wendy was kind of a hoochie b/c she didn't have on undies! Ha ha ha...
I'm not sure why this was so funny but we laughed for days... We each picked a sticker that reflected us and put it on our nametag.

I Stamped...ARE YOU PROUD?

2008-04-24T22:56:00.002-05:00

I finally stamped and colored something...I'm so gosh darn proud! The stamp is Close to my Heart and the little book came from the dollar spot at target a while back.

Future Volunteers?

2008-04-24T22:51:00.004-05:00

I made this in hope of some future volunteers being at the craft fair this weekend. I'm pretty excited about the "Vols" on the back, because I free handed it with some of my fabulous "LePlume" markers. Thanks for looking!

More high school frames

2008-04-24T22:48:00.002-05:00

Just some more frames I made for my booth. These are smaller and just say Class of 08. I found the frames at Dollar Tree. I loved the orange one...the black ones were harder to find!

Graduation Gifts

2008-04-24T22:31:00.003-05:00

These are frames I made for my booth this weekend. These are the local high schools so I'm hoping they'll catch someone's eye for a graduation senior or a new freshman heading to school this fall. Obviously, you can tell I used my Cricut...LOVE IT! Lots of bazzill paper and of course, ribbon...I can't scrap without it...my ribbon box is a disaster...stay tuned for a post about it!

This and that....

2008-03-07T21:48:00.003-06:00

So its been like forever since I've posted on this blog and believe me, I feel guilty! I really wanted this place to be a blog for my scrapbooking business and it still can be, but I also want it to be a place where I can record thoughts about things that are going on...and believe me, right now they are going on! Ha ha ha...

First of all, I'm SNOWED IN! Ha! I never thought it could happen, but it has. I brought all of my scrapbook stuff to my mom's house because she has food and I don't...so now I'm set up with an 8 foot table in her living room watching the snow fall and planning my scrapbook day tomorrow. I'm so excited! I've got two baby albums to work on, a who's who book for my nieces, and three 8 x 10 picture frames for a friend at work. Not to mention planning for my upcoming crops, craft booth and catching up on 2007...I'm in the mood to scrap...uh oh...:-)

Next, I have a new niece...she's beautiful...her name is Ella and she was born on Tuesday, the 4th...here's Alaina and Ella in their first picture together as sisters!

Finally, I'm beginning my spring break this week and I'm always hopeful...hopeful that I will get something miraculous done when at the end, I will have nothing to show for the two weeks but a lot of pictures... But I'm heading to Murfreesboro the middle of next week to cheer on the Dyer County Choctaws in the state tournament and then heading to Georgia to help take care of Ella and Alaina. So I'm off to a busy two weeks, if this snow ever clears!

Thanks for reading!

Pictures!

2007-12-29T17:06:00.001-06:00

This is my booth for the school's craft fair! I really worked hard on all of my goodies and really did well! I'm posting an up close of my bulletin board behind me because it was SO CUTE!

This was my Christmas card this year...I got my parents' permissions to use their children on my Christmas card. I thought it turned out really well!

This is Alaina, riding her toy horse which she named Rosie...why? We're not sure... However, she'd shout, "Ride em Cowboy" and we'd tell her, "No, you're a cow girl!" And she'd freak out...no I ride em' cowboy! Ha ha ha...

She's precious! Looking forward to meeting her baby sister!

I know, I know... its been like forever...

2007-12-29T17:01:00.000-06:00

And I'm really sorry that I haven't been able to post since early November...it has been a crazy two months!
First of all, I was apart of a craft fair at my school where I sold some of my scrapbooking creations...I did really well and had a blast! I'll post some pictures!
Secondly, we found out the my brother and sister in law are having another girl...so looks like I won't get to scrap any boys yet!
Finally Christmas came and went and we were able to spend time with my niece, Alaina. She's getting bigger by the minute and so sassy! But I love her and it was so good to spend some time with her!

I promise in the new year, I will do a better job with blogging and keeping up with my happenings...not that a lot is going on...:-)

Happy New Year to all!
Love, Amanda

Feeling very sick...

2007-11-05T19:21:00.000-06:00

Ok...so I'm going on day 4 of this horrible stomach pain with nausea...so I took a day off and went to the doctor. Now if you know me at all, you know this must be a big deal. I don't take a day off for anything! I've had perfect attendance for 7 - 9 weeks! But I was hurting very much!

So I went to see my fabulous nurse practioner, Tammy and she did some test and I've now been diagnosed with h. pylori bacterial infection in my stomach which can cause peptic ulcers (which i have some now...)YUCK!

I'm miserable, don't know what to eat to keep from hurting myself more, and sitting at home for another day tomorrow to rest and let the VERY expensive meds start to work.

New Hair Cut...

2007-10-27T20:08:00.000-05:00

I have to share...I've cut my hair off...it was time

I love it...
Hope you do too!

Mission Crop...FABULOUS!

2007-10-27T19:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry it has taken me so long to post after the fabulous crop I went to this past weekend, but I was trying to get ready for my first substitute of the year! I don't like to leave my students for one day much less two...so it is always difficult!

Anyway, I had such a great time at the Mission crop. All my friends were sitting close so we could laugh and talk all day! The prizes were great, the people were super nice and it was VERY ORGANIZED! Thank you Jennifer! & the whole mission team!

These are my girls! My cropping girls that is...they are fabulous and fun! Can't wait to see ya'll again!

Crop...Crop...Shop...& CROP!!!

2007-10-19T09:35:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited...I just can't even stand it!
Like I said before, I'm heading to my FAVORITE church in Milan, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, for a Mission Crop! Its going to be OUTSTANDING!!! My good friend, Jennifer, is putting all of this together, which she's the one that got this group started once a month at her church! She's unbelievable and I'm a better person because she is my friend. She's such a blessing! Plus, another good friend, Joanna, creativeexpressionsbyjoanna.blogspot.com , is going to have an AMAZING booth and I'm sure all of my "BLOW" money is going to her tomorrow! Ha ha ha...check out all the goodies that she's made for her booth! She's an inspiration...she is an amazing scrapper! She can run circles around me and I could just watch her work for days! Plus she's a hoot! (Can't wait to hear about the tart, Jo!)

And if that wasn't enough excitement for one day, as I was coming home from school yesterday, in my mailbox was a flyer for The Jingle Bell Crop and Shop in Union City, TN. This is put on by the Union City J'cettes and it was a blast last year! If you want information about this crop, let me know or contact Ronda directly at onestampinfool@yahoo.com . It is November 3rd!

Sooooooo....I'm so pumped I can hardly teach today! Woo Hoo! I'll post some things I got done as well as pictures next week!

See ya!

My scrapbook room...

2007-10-14T15:13:00.000-05:00

Oh what an ordeal...
So...I wanted my scrapbook room to look really great. I want it to be a place that makes me happy that I can spend a few minutes in, do some scrapping and then leave the room. Also, when getting ready for on the go crops, I can "shop" my room, put together amazing page kits and not take EVERYTHING to the crops. Now if you know me, you know I usually bring everything, but I'm really trying not to, this time!
So to begin, just as the TV shows say, I cleaned everything out of the scrapbook room and put it in my living room. WOW - I have A LOT of STUFF!!!! I really can't believe it...
Then, I rearranged my furniture, taking some out and adding some new cabinets (great two door cabinets on sale from Target, $25). It really looks great now...
Now, because I'm a obsessive compulsive freak, I wanted to paint everything white...my room is a great shade a green with white wood work, but my table (church sale buy!) was wood colored and my shelf was dark brown...So I decided to spray paint the shelf and roller paint the table...
So, I either stink at painting or it isn't as easy as the shows on TV make it out to be...I was COVERED in paint! Plus, while I was at it I thought I would paint my wicker baskets (on sale at Walmart) a beautiful pink color...oh dear Lord...the biggest mess you've ever seen!
So I decided to put a hold on painting the table until I've got some time...
But until then, I'm preparing for my crop this weekend...very excited...all day Saturday 8 am 0 12 pm and the money benefits a church mission team! I'm pumped!

My room is going to be great...when I finally get it done...I wish next week was fall break too... :)
I'll post pictures as soon as I can!

I'm so excited!

2007-10-07T22:48:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to go to Memphis for a long time...I know it is not very far but we'd rather go to Jackson shopping than Memphis...And since Archiver's (new scrapbook store) opened last week, I've been dying to get there and check it out!
Soooooo.......my mom's best friend, Ms. Margie's father passed away last night. He had been very sick and he was in a lot of stress. So, my mom and I volunteered (since I'm still out of school) to drive to Memphis to pick up her daughter, Jennifer whose flying in from Minnesota.
AND on the way...we're going to stop at ARCHIVER'S! I can't wait!
I'll post tomorrow and tell you all how fabulous it is!

good night

Why I love Michelle Hill's Scrap Studio...

2007-10-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

First of all, this girl, Michelle Hill, is awesome! She's so spunky and full of life...plus she loves TN and anyone who loves this great state, should be praised! She has inspired me to hurry up and get back to scrapping and get my studio the way I want it! So here are the top ten reasons why I love Michelle's scrap studio...

10. She actually has more stuff than me!

9. The curves on the tops of her bookshelves...it looks so cute!

8. She used space wisely and hung her tv in the corner.

7. That precious pink bubblegum machine with pink m & m's

6. Mixture of plain colored and patterned totes for storage.

5. Lots and lots of drawers...Very organized and they seem very usable.

4. Cute framed chicken wire inspiration board.

3. Lots of displayed items like mini albums, picture frames, other projects like painted cans, etc.

2. Small touches of black...just here and there to catch your eye!

1. The colors! Bright, lots of different shades of pink (my signature color)... all the colors are blending, not matchy-matchy...LOOKS AMAZING!

SO thanks Michelle for inspiring me and I hope that by sharing this blog, you'll inspire others!

Check her out...
http://michellehill.typepad.com/photos/studio/index.html

Yeah me!!!!

2007-10-07T14:28:00.002-05:00

I'm going to toot my own horn for a minute... This is day 21 of no coke...and when I mean coke I mean EVERYTHING! No Dr. Pepper, no Coke, no Pepsi, nothing carbonated! I'm so proud and excited I can't stand it! I'm ready for the results to show on the scale, but I'm giving it some more time... So Yeah ME!!!!

Changing of the blog...

2007-10-01T09:38:00.000-05:00

Ha ha ha...sounds so theatrical...
I've decided that I'm going to use this blog for not only scrapping stuff, but just for me as well...
There are times, like now, which I need to vent or just tell something...
So I hope you keep reading and checking up on me...

So....the reason for the changing of the blog...
I'm in Georgia visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and precious niece, Alaina....I love fall break...

Side bar: Who ever invented fall break needs to kiss their brain, because it is the greatest thing in the world. I don't think that I would ever get to spend much time with Alaina if it wasn't for me being a teacher and getting these fabulous breaks!

Anyways, I love coming to GA and visiting everyone...first of all, I love my family and I never get to see this branch. SO I love spending time with them. Plus, the shopping down here is incredible! There is an amazing scrapbook store in Peachtree City that rocks my face off. They are always overflowing with the greatest product, unfortunately, I never have any money...:-(. Plus, I might even get to a Hobby Lobby or a Target...it takes so little to make me happy!
But lastly, when I come down here, I always want to do so much more with myself... My sister-in-law is very smart and knows about a lot about everything...she reads all the time and is just very well rounded...so I always come down here and leave with all of these resolutions to do more... I'll fill you in on all of these later... I must head to Cow-la (Chick-fil-a), as my niece calls it, to get lunch...another FANTASTIC reason to come to Georgia...Cow-la! And then off to Publix for groceries...I feel so domestic!

I'll continue with my resolutions later, including my new epiphany on my scrap room!

Recent stuff...

2007-09-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

This is some scrapping that I've been doing...I'm a little on the broke side so I'm taking what I have, and making some items that I'm selling both at school and at my garage sale this next weekend! Thanks for looking...

Rolodex cards

2007-07-25T22:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I spent ALL DAY Saturday working on these rolodex cards for my scrapbooking group. I think they turned out cute. On the flip side, there is a label with all of my information, plus some embellishment. I hope you like them!

Haven't had time to scrap...

2007-07-12T23:03:00.000-05:00

I've been so busy with school, that I haven't had time to scrap. But I'll be going to my monthly crop in Milan next week and working on some great things, so I'll post them when I return!

GA Baby Album

2007-06-26T22:03:00.000-05:00

This is a baby album that I did for a friend of my sister in law. They are big GA fans and I wanted to do the whole thing in red, black and white. Plus she takes a lot of b&w pictures. I'm taking it to her this weekend. I really hope she likes it. On the last page, I always include a picture of myself and the receiver of the gift so they will remember me many years down the road.

Inservice Paper bag book

2007-06-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

This is a book I had to make for the inservice I was in. Of course, I can't do anything halfway...I know its a sickness.

Gift Journals

2007-06-26T21:52:00.000-05:00

These are two journals I made for our presenters at an inservice I went to for the last two days. They had come from Nashville and they were so fun, I wanted to make them a little something. And of course, the man, loved journals! This was my first attempt at covering journals!

Christmas Cards

2007-06-18T21:04:00.001-05:00

I know it's June, but I just started this blog. These are some of the cards that I made for a family in Dyersburg. I had a really good time making these and finding neat sayings to put in them. Thanks for looking!
"Tree card" Inside: "Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!"

"Santa Card" Inside: "Think of Christmas, Think of snow, Think of Santa, HO HO HO!"

"Joy card" Made with my Quikutz Reindeer from my dear friends at the Milan scrapbook store. Inside, stamped: "Wishing you a blessed holiday season"

"Celebrate Card" Inside: "Hope your holiday is extra sweet!"

New site...new blog...new business

2007-06-18T20:46:00.000-05:00

Hello friends! I'm taking an idea from my friend, Joanna and starting my own blog! I've already begun making presents for friends, Christmas cards and small albums for clients and friends. So far, it has been a lot of fun scrapping for different people! I get to do topics that I don't normally get to do, like little boy pages! I don't have any little boys in my family yet! I'm going to use this blog to not only share my creations but also share my thoughts and love of the scrapbooking craft. Please, if you have any questions or comments, SHARE! Also, if you are interested in me doing any work for you, let me know by emailing me at scrappinturtle07@aol.com. Hope to hear from you soon!