OMG! I FREAKIN' LOVED IT!!!

Yes, I am 30 in less than 5 months from now, but it doesn't stop me from loving the movie, Twilight! I was really nervous to see it because I love the book so much that I didn't want to be disappointed. But I love it! When it was over, my friends and I wanted to catch the next showing right away!

Robert Pattinson is my new favorite movie star! He is also a musician, I guess. He has a song on the soundtrack called Never Think and it so happens to be my new favorite song. I do also love the other songs on the soundtrack. I was disappointed that Coldplay and Blue October were not included. But seeing the movie has made me love the soundtrack even more. I have listened to the Robert Pattinson song about 50 times already. Okay, I am exaggerating just a bit. But I do love it!

My only advise is, if you haven't seen it already, make sure you go with the expectations that the book is still better than the movie and that the movie is a very condensed version of the book. I do have to admit that I kept catching myself smiling throughout the movie for really no reason. I also was laughing at things I wouldn't have laughed at if I hadn't read the book first.

I loved it! I freakin, loved it!

Check out this Blog

Check out Cindy Petersen's blog!!! She is my Stampin' Up! Upline and she is awesome! You will love it!

http://www.craze4stamps.blogspot.com/

Happy Stampin'!

What I've Been Reading Lately

I admit after finishing Breaking Dawn, I stopped reading for a bit, and started crafting a lot. Either way, I figured it was a win/win situation. I love both things almost equally! Every time I picked up a book though, I just didn't want to read it since it wasn't the Twilight Series! Pathetic, I know, Okay! But I just couldn't help it! I am sure I am not the only one that felt that way :).

Eventually I started reading again. Not a lot (I am still mostly crafting). Here is the lowdown though:


The Client by John Grisham - I read a few of John Grisham's books back in the day but I had never read this one. The hero of the story, a young boy is pretty smart. The way he thought of how he and his family would be affected by the event that he not only witnessed but became a part of, is far beyond what I would have done at the same age. You can't help but feel for this kid and what he goes through in order to protect his family and do what he thinks is best.


The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Wow! This book is definitely eye opening. It really made me get an idea of day to day life in the Middle East and also made me understand a little more of what it must be like to be raised in a different culture. It made me even understand my own a little better. Even though my dad is Tongan, I wasn't raised so much in that culture. I grew up in a small town in Draper where everyone knew everyone else. And I just didn't feel that I had to make my choices based on my culture. But reading this, I can certainly see why their ethnicity has such an impact on who they are and the choices they make. The author has a really interesting writing style. It felt more like someone was telling me a story in person rather than I was reading it. Just a word to the wise. If you are looking for a feel good story, this is not it. If you are sensitive to difficult subjects this is not a book for you. But I urge anyone to read it. It may not change your perspectives on our current global situation but it may just open your eyes a little more to what is going on around us.


The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - OK, so I have a thing for vampires! Doesn't everyone! The good parts about the book first. I thought it was totally fascinating to view Dracula as a real person and not just as a vampire. The book gives a history of Vlad the Impaler (a.k.a Dracula) as a conqueror of Eastern Europe and explains how he may have developed his tendencies for very dark things and even torture. The story is pretty suspenseful and I liked the characters a lot. Now what I didn't like. Although it is suspenseful, it dragged on a little too much, like 300 pages too much. It could have been told with just as much suspense and been a lot shorter. At 909 pages, I just kept waiting for it to get over. And then once it does get there, I was disappointed with the ending. It spent so much time trying to get there and it just didn't live up to the hype for me. Do I recommend it? I give it a B. I was hoping for a little more for a lot less.


Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich - Have you ever read a book in a public place and keep getting stared at because you can't stop laughing? That's so what these books make me do! They are laugh out loud funny! It takes a lot I think to make that happen when it comes to reading. Just to give a basic background, Stephanie Plum is a 30 year old bounty hunter. She takes the job out of desperation. She is absolutely horrible at it though. She has no idea what she is doing but somehow she always manages to catch the crook. Janet Evanovich has a great way of taking everyday people and making them into hilarious and colorful characters. The books are filled with obscene scenarios, potty language (and humor) and off the wall things that you would just never think could happen. But the way it is written makes you believe these are real people. I can't get enough of them! Thanks Kambri and Lindsi for recommending them! Just like I did with the Sookie Stackhouse books, here is a brief part of book three, Three to Get Deadly:

"Funny how life works," Lula said. "All this came about because I ate a bad burrito. It's like God knew what he was doing when he game me the runs."
I hugged my arms tight to my chest and clenched my teeth to keep them from chattering. "The Lord moves in mysterious ways."

I am listening to these books on my ipod in my car mostly, too and from work. But also at work. And I can't stop snickering because they are too funny!

Right now I am in the middle of reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan - This is the first book of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians Series. After Harry Potter, it has been difficult to find a childrens fantasy series that I could get into. I have tried a couple and have had varied success. But I am loving this series! The characters aren't as colorful as the Harry Potter ones are, but the story seems pretty compelling and entertaining. I'm just on the first book like I said, but the overall story seems to be about Percy learning who he is and hoping to have some kind of a relationship with his father who he believed was dead but has since found out that he happens to be a Greek God. I think this will be another series that I will be excited to share with Peyton.

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson - Gina at my work let me borrow this book today. I admit it. I like disturbing movies, T.V shows and books. And from what she has told me, this is disturbing, but very entertaining. I read just a few pages of it and it has already sunk me in. So much so that I may just have to stop reading The Lightning Thief for a bit and just read this. I am warned that it is about obsessive relationships and what people do when they are in love. It has casual drug use as well. So stay weary if you are sensitive to those kinds of things. But I can't wait to see what it's about!


S0 in other news, remember me saying that HBO was turning the Sookie Stackhouse books into a T.V. series? It's been on for about 6 weeks now. I am not crazy about the changes from the book. Yes, I know it is inevitable, but why change a good thing? I just don't get that. Don't get me wrong though. Of course I will keep watching to see what has changed.


Also, I have been crafting a ton, like I mentioned. So I will be updating my blog with the projects I have been making. Stay tuned for those.

Happy Stamin' and Happy Reading!

Site Name Change

As you may have noticed, I changed the name of my site. The address of course is still the same. But I have wanted to change my site name for a long time and just never have. Yes, it's wishful thinking, but if I were to ever have my own paper craft store, this is what it would be called. Hope you like it!

Happy Stampin'!

You Are My Sunshine - Something New For Peyton's Room

I have finally finished something that can be hung on the walls for Peyton's room. For my entire pregnancy and even for the last few months, I haven't been able to get anything finished for her room. At first it was trying to make sure I had the colors right and making sure it matched her bedding. And then it was the fact that I just didn't feel so great. And I am sure you can imagine that once Peyton was born, I just didn't have the time or still the energy to make anything. Now that she is six months old, and she is becoming more and more fun each day, I get some time to craft again! It's been a lot of fun. I am starting to feel more like the old me again. Or at least as much as that is possible. :)

I finally got some of the new Stampin' Up! stuff that I ordered. I know I say this each catalog, but it really gets better and better each year. I especially loved the accessories in this new one. So much fun stuff, it was hard deciding where to start.

Hope you all like this new project. One thing I struggled with was trying to make something without using brown or black. Those colors are so automatic for me to turn to that it didn't come to easy to not use them. But I am glad I stuck to it, because I like it a lot!

"You Are My Sunshine" is a favorite song that I love to sing to Peyton. What's funny about it is that I cannot sing a note! If I ever tried out for American Idol, oh, I would end up on T.V. alright, but it would be in the reject footage! I am that bad! But Peyton's eyes light up and she gets a big smile on her face everytime I sing it. Poor girl is tone deaf just like her mother!!!

Here is the recipe:

Frame: Provo Craft

Paint: Folk Art - Winter White

Die Cuts: QuicKutz - Blossoms and Sophisticate alphabets

Glue: Mod Podge

(The remaining supplies are Stampin' Up!)

Card stock: Whisper White, Pretty In Pink, textured Old Olive

Designer Series Patterned Paper: Georgia Peach

Ink: Old Olive and Regal Rose classics

Stamps: Bella Blossoms

Punches: Photo Corner, Scallop Border

Other: Half-back white pearls (from the Pretties Kit)

Adhesives: liquid glue (no longer available), dimensionals

Ribbon: taffeta - Pretty in Pink; 5/8" Grosgrain - Regal Rose; Ribbon Originals - Fairytale and Sherbet (no longer available)

Chipboard: On Board Lots Of Letters - scallop square

Happy Stampin' Everyone and Happy Reading!!!

Is It Possible To Be In Love With A Movie!!

Today, my dear friend, Kambri, and I went to go so Mama Mia! I LOVED IT! If you haven't seen it, please go. You won't be sad. It is absolutely hilarious. I spent half the time laughing my pants off and the other half crying.

Meryl Streep of course is incredible. She has a beautiful singing voice. On the other hand Pierce Brosnan can't sing worth anything. He is in the movie for eye candy! I love you Pierce, but you really can't sing a note. And for those of you who don't know Amanda Seyfried is perfect as Sophie, Meryl Streep's daughter. I love her in Big Love on HBO. I had no idea that she could sing so well. I think she has a big career ahead of her.

The location is one of the most beautiful places. I don't know if it is filmed on location in Greece or not, but it is gorgeous. It makes me want to go to Greece more than ever.

I won't give anything away of the story, but really, go see it!!!

Something for Peyton's Room - HAPPY EVERYTHING

Hi Everyone! Hope you are all well! We are good at my house. Things have been busy but we are happy.

Don't you all just love the new Stampin' Up! catalog! I swear each one gets better. I admit I haven't got anything yet from it, but I am on the verge. But even without anything new, it is full of inspiration!! On the cover to the accessory section, there is the cutest frame with a bunch of little squares. I had to make one myself.

Here is the recipe:

Paper: Stampin' Up! - Chocolate Chip cardstock, Whisper White cardstock, Old Olive Print Pattern DS paper (retired).

Making Memories - Garden Party Dots and Flowers, Glitter Solid Aqua, Glitter Diagonal Stripe. Garden Party Dots is pink on the background and Garden Party Flowers is yellow polka dot on the back.

Accessories: Stampin' Up! - Flower Fusion felt flowers Old Olive. Soft Subtles Bashful Blue brads, Earth Elements Old Olive brad, Circle Ice Bashful blue and Circle Fire Pink Rhinestone brads, Build-A-Brad Antique Brass. Colored Buttons Soft Subtles Bashful Blue. Linen Thread. Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, Chocolate Chip 5/8" Grosgrain Ribbon, Whisper White Organdy ribbon (retired).

Making Memories - Green paper flower.

Stamps: Stampin' Up! - Happy Everything, One Of A Kind, Think Happy Thoughts, Defining Alphabet, Sprinkles.

Ink: Stampin' Up - Pretty In Pink craft pad, Chocolate Chip Craft Pad, Basic Brown classic pad, Bashful Blue classic pad, Pretty In Pink classic pad.

Tools: Stampin' Up! - Word Window punch, Small Oval punch, 5-Petal Flower punch, Boho Blossoms punch, Star punch. Embossing gun.

E.K. Success - Large Flower punch.

Other: Clear Embossing Powder.

This was a fairly simple project and pretty quick. Overall, it took me less than an hour from start to finish. I can't wait to put it in Peyton's Room. I know it is hard to believe, but I made something!! I happened to be listening to Harry Potter at the same time :).

Speaking of Harry Potter, I am sad to say that Harry Potter isn't going to be released in the theatre until next summer now. For some reason there is a delay from the studio. But the good news is, Twilight is now going to be released a whole 3 weeks earlier!!! Even Better!

Hope everyone is doing well! Happy Stampin' and Happy Reading!!!

I Finished!!!

Have you read Breaking Dawn yet? I won't give anything away in case you haven't. The story wasn't what I was expecting, but I loved it!!!! So all I will say is you have to read it!!!

I went to the midnight release party with Stephanie, Kyto's girlfriend. We went to Barnes and Noble since that is where we both reserved our copy. I had to go on my lunch break that

Friday just to get a wrist band to buy the book. It was about 20 people per group # and Steph and I were #19.

So we got to B&N about 11:45 that night. And let me just tell you, it was a mad house!!!! I couldn't believe it! There were so many people there that the store was in violation of fire code. An announcement kept getting made to tell people to back out of the center aisle so that they wouldn't get shut down by the fire department. You would think this would make people move. It sure didn't!

Luckily my friend Sarah called. She wanted to know if we had gotten our copies yet. By this time, it was 12:15 and we were still standing in the store waiting for our chance to buy our book. The store was on group #5. She said that she got her book at Smith's Grocery and no one else was even there. She also said that they had a table full of copies. So that convinced Steph and I to hurry the heck out of there! Not only was B&N crowded, but it was extremely hot by that time too!

I think that the problem that B&N had I think was the organizing. There were people that had red wristbands, like Steph and I. There were people that had pink wristbands. These were people who went to the book release party but didn't reserve a copy. And then there were people with no wristbands at all. And there wasn't anyone to available to make sure that people who didn't have a wristband or reserved copy was waiting outside the store.

Plus there was my problem too :-). I am almost 30 years old. That's right, I said it! But I certainly didn't have the patience that night for the under 20 crowd that mostly made up the customers.

So, like I said, Steph and I left and went to Smith's as soon as we could. Once we got there, there were a bunch of people there (some even dressed in "bridesmaids dresses" that were at the B&N release party earlier too.) We walked up to the table and grabbed the last copies! We finally had our books.

Definitely read it! It's really good! Let me know how you like it, or don't too.

Happy Stamping and Happy Reading also!

My Favorite Book Series

And my series obsession continues!!

If you can't tell from my other posts, I love to make lists. So I figured, what better kind of list to make than that of my favorite series of books! So here they are: (Can you tell I like children's books!)

1. The Twilight Saga - by Stephenie Meyer

• Twilight published October 2005
• New Moon published August 2006
• Eclipse published August 2007 (My favorite of the series so far)
• Breaking Dawn published August 2008

I have mentioned plenty about these books, so I will spare ya!

2. The Harry Potter Series - by J.K. Rowling **Dates are of the first American Edition published**

• The Sorcerer's Stone published October 1998
• The Chamber of Secrets published June 1999
• The Prisoner of Azkaban published September 1999
• The Goblet of Fire published July 2000
• The Order of the Phoenix published June 2003
• The Half-Blood Prince published July 2005
• The Deathly Hallows published July 2007

I love these books because I love that it is about a seemingly ordinary boy that no one appreciates until he gets involved with the people who are willing to nurture him. But just because he has finally found a place that he fits in, doesn't mean that everything is perfect. In fact it is the opposite. He has many people who are not only against him, but completely hate him just because of something that happened to him when he was a baby that he can't even remember. We get to see Harry start out as a small boy and watch him grow and learn about how life isn't fair but at the same time, he still turns into a strong young man. By the time I finished the last book, I was in tears for a good week!!

Death is the central theme for each of the books. It's a huge part of the series. So if you haven't read them, just have a box of Kleenex at the ready.

Also, for anyone out there that likes audio books, this is a must own. Jim Dale, who reads the books, (unabridged) in my opinion, makes these the best audio books I have ever listened to. He has such a great voice and tone. And he can do so many characters. I wish he could read them all!

3. The Chronicles of Narnia - by C.S. Lewis

• The Magician's Nephew (prequel) published 1955
• The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe published 1950
• Prince Caspian published 1951
• The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader published 1952
• The Silver Chair published 1953
• The Horse And His Boy published 1954
• The Last Battle published 1956

Although I am not a terribly religious person, I love these books. I think they should be required reading for everyone. The symbolism alone is incredible. It's a great way to get a glimpse into Christianity, if you are not familiar with it. And even to get a refresher if you are.

There has been a lot of controversy centering the release of the movie The Golden Compass that came out last Christmas. The author of the series, His Dark Materials, is said to be "anti C. S. Lewis". But I find that a bit ironic considering the fact that C. S. Lewis was a good friend of J. R. R. Tolkien, who as you know, was the author of the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Series. (I have read The Hobbit, but not Lord Of The Rings. I hope to get around to it someday. I did love The Hobbit though.) Tolkien though was a proclaimed atheist, as you may be able to tell from his stories. I'd like to think that if Lewis was around to hear all of the people who protested The Golden Compass, as well hear about Phillip Pullman's atheist point of view, that he would just laugh it off, or maybe even befriend Phillip Pullman. (His Dark Materials series is on my to read list as well.)

Even if you don't read this for the symbolism, it's still an incredible series. It's full of action, suspense, and tear jerking moments. It really is a great series!

4. The Sookie Stackhouse (A Southern Vampire) Series - by Charlaine Harris

• Dead Until Dark published 2001
• Living Dead In Dallas published March 2002
• Club Dead published May 2003
• Dead To The World published May 2004
• Dead As A Doornail published May 2005
• Definitely Dead published May 2006
• All Together Dead published May 2007
• From Dead To Worse published May 2008

See my post about this series that I published just today. (There are some short stories that have the character Sookie in them. Also there are a few stories that are included in the group that don't have Sookie in them at all. It may be a while before I get to read them. But it seems that they are "in between" filler books. )

So these are my favorite series as of right now. I am sure my list will grow or even change. But each one comes highly recommended!

Happy Stampin' and Happy Reading!

A Great Book Blog

Hey Everyone! Just wanted you to know...
If you love reading, you have to check out this blog!

http://blogginboutbooks.blogspot.com/

It belongs to my cousin's wife. Her name is Susan. And boy has she read pretty much anything and everything. She gives great reviews and synopsis of the books that she has read. Susan also always shows the books that she is currently reading. Check out the labels section. If there is an author in existence, you will probably find them there. It takes you to any book reviews she has read from that author.

I'm telling you, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Stampin' Everyone!

Okay, So I Am Still Reading And Not Doing Much Crafting

What can I say, I can't read enough lately! I have found that being a new mom doesn't leave a lot of time for crafting. Now I thoroughly understand why I always read about moms who can't wait for midnight to come, because that's when they finally can have some time to craft. Well, having to be to work by 7 a.m. kind of makes that difficult for me.

But I have found that I can read and take care of my daughter at the same time. (By the way, she gets cuter and cuter every day!!!) So my latest reads have been the Sookie Stackhouse (a.k.a The Southern Vampire) Series. These books are fast and funny! Each book is about 300 pages, so me being the slow reader that I am, it takes me about 4-7 days to finish a book. I am on the last book right now that just came out in May.

As I have mentioned before, I am just a little obsessed with the Twilight vampire series from Stephenie Meyer. (Check out stepheniemeyer.com to get the scoop on the series and her other works.) I am counting down the days until Breaking Dawn, book # 4, the final installment, comes out. 17 more days! I am so anxious, that I am actually going to the midnight release on August 1 to get the book. I will read it until I finish it or fall asleep. (Not too likely with my daughter though.)

Now that I have rambled on...

My point was, I have been trying to find some books to fill my time to help make the strain of waiting for Breaking Dawn come out, just a little more bearable. These books are definitely helping. Here is a little sampling from the first book and why I just had to bring it home from the store once I read it:

Dead Until Dark
















I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.

Ever since vampires came out of the coffin (as they so laughingly put it) four years ago, I'd hoped one would come to Bon Temps. We had all the other minorities in our little town - why not the newest, the legally recognized undead?

I read those first few lines of the first chapter, and I was hooked. Charlaine Harris is the author. She is hilarious. The books are full of great writing. The main character, Sookie, is a cocktail waitress and she has a "disability", at least she thinks it is. She can read minds. But when she meets Bill, the vampire, she realizes that she can't hear a single thought of his. And she loves it.

After visiting charlaineharris.com, I learned that HBO is making a series based off the books. It's called Tru Blood and comes out this fall. (Tru Blood is the name of a synthetic blood that is sold in the stores. The vampires come out to the world because the Japanese have developed synthetic blood. The vampires announce that since they are no longer a threat to humans, they can live in society with them in peace now.) I can't wait! It looks pretty good! Seriously, if you love Twilight, you will love these books. There are some similarities, although these vampires are the traditional can't go out in the sun, sleep during the day, hate garlic, have fangs vampires.

The books are a little on the dark side. And unlike the Twilight series, the characters actually do have sex. So if that isn't for you, you would want to sit this series out. But I highly, highly recommend it, if you think you are up to it. I started book #1 the middle of June, and like I said, I am on the last one that was released in May this year, book #8. So even a slow reader like me got through them pretty fast.

After this series I have a couple of books to read that are not in a series (Crazy, I know!) - House of Sand And Fog, Three Bags Full - A Sheep Murder Mystery, and The Memory Keepers
Daughter. These will probably come after Breaking Dawn though. Then I am going to start on the Stephanie Plum books. They are a series as well and are about a woman who is a bounty hunter but is terrible at it. They come recommended from more than one person and are too be really funny and fast as well. Book #14 of the series just came out last month.

But I am really working on getting my craft room clean so I can start crafting again. When we had to clean out the extra room to get ready for Peyton, the extra stuff had to go into my craft room. It was a mess though even before that. I am sure you can imagine what it must look like now. (Think worse!) I plan to get rid of a bunch of stuff and have a garage sale. So if any of you out there are close, you should keep posted and I will let you know when that is. I am also going to have an open house of Stampin' Up, Scentsy, Cookie Lee, and maybe some other things. My good friend Tina sells Scentsy. My husband's cousin, Thea, sells Cookie Lee. So we figured we would kill a few birds with one stone and get an open house together. I will let you know about the date and info on this as well.

Hope you all are well! And remember...
Happy Stamping!

What Exactly Have I Been Up To Lately???

Yes, I have been being a mom, mostly. But I have learned that just because I can't craft as much as I would like to, doesn't mean that I have to forget about myself completely. So I have picked up again on one of my all time favorite hobbies, reading!!! Not only do I read, but I am also addicted to audio books. It's great, because I can listen to them while I am at work too. So I have to mention what I have been reading lately. As I am sure many of you out there have also read, I am so addicted to the Twilight Series!!! It consists of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. Not only do I have these in hard back, but I also have the audio books too! I just finished re-reading Twilight. I think that was #4. Once I finish a couple other audio books, then I will have to also listen to New Moon and Eclipse again. So far Eclipse is my favorite of the three. But the fourth installment comes out in less than 2 months. I can hardly stand to wait!!! It is called Breaking Dawn. I have already got it pre-ordered through Barnes & Noble. I am extremely excited that it comes out August 2, which happens to be a Saturday. I know I will have it finished by that Sunday!! Here's some pictures of the covers, if you aren't familiar with them. They are a definite must!

I think the new cover for Breaking Dawn is pretty cool. I have liked all of the covers though. Stephenie Meyer, the author, has used classic literature for inspiration of her previous books in the series. She has mentioned getting inspiration from Romeo and Juliet as well as Wuthering Heights. She mentioned that Breaking Dawn is partly inspired by A Mid Summers Night's Dream. The whole basis of this Shakespearean Play is that everyone falls in love with the wrong person. Now, not to give anything away, but Bella, the main character has had to chose between 2 loves in her life, her vampire boyfriend, Edward, and her werewolf best friend, Jacob. I can tell you, if she doesn't end up with Edward, I will be extremely sad!

I am definitely on a series kick. Last summer, I read all of the Harry Potter books. I listened to them on audio books and read them to try to get through them faster. It worked great! I love all seven of them! Next to Twilight, this is my next favorite series. I hear there is talks of a prequel book!!! I hope it goes through!!

I also re-read the Chronicles of Narnia. Also one of my favorite series. This is definitely #3. All of the books are so good. I know that these are all children's and young adults books, but I can't help it. I love all of these authors!!

In the fall, I started listening to a series that I never thought I would. And I have to admit, it was due to encouragement from my friend at work, Kambri. She also loves Harry Potter, and convinced me to try it. It is called the Sword Of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. Okay, so it is science fiction/fantasy. Cheesy, I know. But I do really like them. I have just been listening to the audio books. I haven't finished the series all the way. There are 13 books and I have gotten through about half of them. I think I left off on #7. From what I understand, these are kind of a rip off of Robert Jordan's series called the Wheel of Time. I plan to get those as audio books as well to listen to. Probably won't read the books, but will listen to them at work and in my car.

Kyto's (my brother-in-law) girlfriend, Steph, has been helping me feed my reading habit. I think she loves to read more than I do! We have even talked about starting a book club! I think it would be a blast! I got her to read this series, that the same friend that got me to read the Terry Goodkind books, Kambri, got me to read. It's also a teen series. It's called Sweep. There are actually some similarities to Twilight. But instead of being about vampires, it's about witches. I know, I am a dork! Just because I will be 30 in less than a year, doesn't mean though that I can't read teen books, right?! Lame justification, I know. These aren't as good as Twilight. But they are good for in between books. And there are 15 total. All of which are less than 200 pages, so they are a fast read. The last one though is just over 300 pages. So I do recommend them if you are looking for something similar to Twilight. Not the same, but still good.

I just finished The Host today. This is also by Stephenie Meyer. It was hard to get into. It's 619 pages. I was about to give up on it when I was about 140 pages in. Unlike the Twilight series, I wasn't completely sucked in right away. But boy, am I glad I didn't give up! Once I got to about page 150, I couldn't put the book down! It is so good! And it had me in tears almost the whole rest of the book! I definitely recommend it! This also appears to have the makings of a series. I am crossing my fingers! Check it out for sure.

On my Ipod, I have Atonement (this is the current one I am listening to. It was a Christmas present from Steph and Kyto), the Harry Potter's, Wuthering Heights, The Kite Runner (I haven't finished this, but the first couple chapters of the book were really good. It's coming up on my to listen to list), A Thousand Splendid Suns, All of the Twilight books out so far as well as the Host, Great Expectations, All of the Sword of Truth Series. I think that's all of them. I am always looking for audio books though. I just love how they help pass the time, and the fact that I can do other things, like crafting of course, while I am listening.

Since I finished The Host today, I am now reading Dead Until Dark. This is also part of a series. It's also about Vampires. But unlike the Twilight series, this Sookie Stackhouse series (the main character) is actually for adults. I know, it is so unlike me to read books that aren't for children or teens. The author, Charlaine Harris, has a pretty cool writing style. The books seem light and full of humor. I will let you know how I like them. They are about 300 pages, so they should be a fast read also.

I have three whole stacks of books that are on my side table by my couches, waiting to be read. Wicked, Princess Bride, The Golden Compass, Persuasion and many, many others. I can't help it. I pick up new books every time I go to Barnes and Noble! I am just as addicted to reading as crafting. So let me know out there if you like any of the books I have mentioned, or if you have others that I haven't that you recommend too! I am always looking to discover new authors!!

Happy Stamping and Happy Reading Everyone!!

Look! I Actually Made Something!!

Yes, it is similar to another project that I did while I was still pregnant. I had left over candy bars from my baby showers and I needed to come up with a project four our Stampin' Up! meeting last week. This was one of the make and takes for everyone to do. I know it is hard to tell from the picture, but the pattern paper of the wrapper and the dog tag is stamped on. The wrapper, with the leaves and flower stamps. The dog tag with words. Here is a list of supplies used:

• Always Stamp Set
• Blue Bayou classic ink (getting discontinued)
• Soft Sky classic ink (getting discontinued)
• Chocolate Chip classic ink
• Designer Series Print Patterns - Soft Sky (getting discontinued)
• Designer Series Print Patterns - Always Artichoke
• Kraft card stock
• Very Vanilla card stock
• Very Vanilla taffeta ribbon
• Always Artichoke grosgrain ribbon
• Linen Thread
• Build-A-Brad - Antique Brass
• 1/2" Circle punch
• Dog Tag punch

So I was originally planning on using Always Artichoke ink since I used the ribbon and paper that color, but my supplies are really disorganized!!! And I couldn't find it. But I ended up liking how the colors worked anyway. Hope you all like it it too!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

First Things First

It's official! I love being a mom! So it doesn't hurt that my daughter is the sweetest, most beautiful girl ever!!! Okay, so I am a little biased! But I do truly love her! She is so happy most of the time. And she has such a big smile! After the scares in the beginning, it is good to see her get settled into herself and to start watching her discover everything and everyone around her. We took her to Kyto's (my brother-in-law) football game on Saturday, and she just loved watching all the people and seeing the people move around on the field (even though she can't see clearly that far away). She also had fun at the Bee's game we went to a couple weeks ago. She was just watching everyone then too. It's amazing how much more alert she has become in the last 3 months. She turned 3 months on 5/26. The last picture here to the right, that is what we like to call her "Daddy Face". Yes, she looks mostly like him anyway, but as you can see, she also mimics his expressions! My cousin, Kristin, took these adorable pictures. She works at Kiddie Kandids. I love the way they turned out. Hope you like the pics!!!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Weight Scare

Hey everyone! Just wanted to update you on our little monkey! I just can't believe how much I love her still! The dogs are adjusting even though they miss the attention they used to get. They are very curious about her and seem to accept her already.

Last Saturday, we had a little scare. I had noticed that she wasn't going very often and I had waited about 4 hrs to change her diaper and it was still dry. Plus she was very fussy when she was awake and was always hungry. I imagined this was all because I am nursing and my milk hadn't come in yet, but I just wasn't so sure. I had my friend, Marci over with with her husband and her 2 boys for dinner. I asked her what she thought. She didn't think it was too much to worry about, but called my pediatricians office for me, just to be on the safe side. Since it was late, they weren't there, but there was an on call doctor. We decided to call my sister, who is a nurse at the E.R. at the new IMC hospital in Murray. She said she would talk to a nurse and call back. Once she called back she said the nurse told her if it had been about 4 hours and she hadn't at least peed, then it might be something serious. She told her to look for tears when she cried.

Now I was worried. We took her temperature and it was a little high, but nothing to rush her to the hospital for. I finished nursing her. My sister called back and said she had spoken with a doctor that said it was more like if she hadn't gone in 6 hrs instead of 4, then to be worried. It had been about an hour since I checked her diaper last and when I checked it again, she had gone. Thank God! I went to bed feeling better about the situation. I was still concerned though about how she was eating though. The next morning my mom said that she was still worried and I agreed. I called the on call pediatrition and explained the situation and she said to be safe and bring her into the kids care clinic that morning. In the mean time, my milk had finally come in. Thong and I took her to the doctor. They weighed her and she had lost a whole pound from when she was born. On the day we took her home, she weighed 6 lbs 7 oz. And now she was down to 5 lbs 13 oz. Now I was scared all over again. The doctor told me to make sure to feed her whenever she was hungry and to not let it be more than 5 hrs from the last feeding. I had an appointment the next day with the normal pediatrician and she wanted me to keep it to have her weight checked again. They also took her blood that day to check on jaundice. She said she would call me with the results later that day. We went home feeling anxious but felt that Peyton would be okay. She called a few hrs later and said everything looked fine. On Monday, I took her in with my mom. She was weighed again and now weighed 5 lbs 15 oz. She gained 2 whole oz! I was so glad. The doctor said though they had to check her jaundice level again and check her electrolytes as well. She said she would call later with the jaundice but could let me know the results of the electrolytes before we left. She said that if they were low though that she would have to spend the night at Primary Childrens. Of course I started to cry and called Thong to tell him about it. I told him I would call back and let him know what the doctor said. About 10 minutes later the doctor came back and said her electrolytes were fine she she was okay to go home for the day. She said though to supplement after every feeding with formula. She also said to feed her every 3 hrs since we were trying to get her weight up. She had said that if she hadn't gained at least an oz. by the next day, then she would have to go to Primary Childrens for sure.

I called Thong and told him about it. When I got home, I made sure to feed her just like I was told and paid attention to how many times I was having to change her diapers. I worried all day and all night long and then took her in the next day for just a weigh in. I just kept thinking, please weigh more, please weigh more!!! Well sure enough she did! She weighed 6 lbs 5 oz!!! Can you believe that in just one day! The doctor told me to stop giving her the formula after ever feeding and to come in next week for the 2 week appointment. I was so relieved! What a scare! Now, for the most part, Peyton seems pretty content. I have started giving her a bottle a day though because she didn't seem to be getting full from breast milk. Wednesday was the hardest day since it was my first day on my own. My mom left on Tuesday night. Peyton misses her!!! She was fussy that day and night and I couldn't get her to settle down enough to go to sleep. Finally I gave her a bottle that she had no problem taking and she was fine. She fell asleep shortly after. That started the bottle a day, and it seems to be helping her. I will talk to the pediatrician on Tuesday about it and see what she says to do.

She's Here!!!!

Say hello to Peyton Lei. She was born on Tuesday, 2/26 at 11:35 PM. She weighed 6 lbs 13 oz and is 20 inches long. I know I am partial being her mother and all, but I can't help but brag! She's just so stinkin' cute! She really looks like her daddy as you can see from the photo below!!

I went into labor on Monday night (Feb 25) about 8:00 pm. The contractions were about 20 minutes apart and were not very strong. I didn't go to bed until 12:30 am that night. About 2:00 am I woke up with much stronger contractions. I timed them for about an hour and they were down to six minutes apart. I woke up my husband to let him know that we may have to go to the hospital in about an hour or so. I got up and went to get something to eat, and get the rest of my things ready. Once I did that though, my contractions were all over the place. They went from 20 minutes, to 8 minutes, back up to 15 minutes. When I had gotten up, I called my parents, that live in St. George, to let them know that I might be leaving for the hospital in about an hour. My dad said he would wake my mom up to start heading up. Little did I know that he had told my mom that I was actually headed to the hospital then, instead of what I had said. So I was up from about 3:30 am to 5 am. No real progress was happening with the contractions though. So I fell asleep on my couch watching the news. I woke back up at 7:30 am and called my mom. I told her I was home and that the contractions weren't steady enough. She was surprised that I wasn't at the hospital since my dad told her we were leaving 4 hrs prior. I told her to just come to my house. My husband left for work and I told him, once I was close enough with my contractactions, I could have my mom take me to the hospital. He works just across the street from the hospital but we live 25 minutes away. So he was worried about time. This helped relieve his stress. My mom got to my house just after 9 am. We hung out at home for a bit and then went to BabiesRus and got a glider. We went and picked up my sister and then headed to Cafe Rio and came back to my house to eat lunch. By now my contractions were back down to 6 minutes steady again. I didn't eat much lunch at all. I think I was too anxious. Plus my contractions were really hurting by now. I had an appointment that day with my doctor at 3:45 but I called and said I was having close enough contractions to go to the hospital. We got to the hospital at 4:00 and met Thong there. My contractions weren't 3-5 minutes apart, but I thought my doctor was still out of town and so I wanted to see how far off I was. When we got there, I was told that my doctor was in fact back in town. I was really relieved that she was back in town.

So they headed me off to a room. I answered a bunch of questions and they checked how far along I was. I was far enough that they were admitting me. I kept telling my mom all the way there, that they were sending me back. But luckily that didn't have to happen. Soon after, my water was broken and I was given the epidural and that really helped a lot. I am glad that I did the epidural. It took the focus off the pain of the contractions and helped me relax and get ready for the pushing. I think I would have been exhausted by the time I started pushing if I wouldn't have done the epidural.

While we were anxiously waiting, Thong was entertaining us all. He helped pass the time and kept us laughing the whole time.

About 10:45 PM I started to push. The nurse called my doctor at home. I pushed for about 10 minutes and then the nurse told me to stop and wait for the doctor. It took her about another 20 minutes to get there and then I started again. I only pushed for about another 10 minutes once she got there. The whole expiernce was just so overwhelming. And at the end, I had this beautiful new little baby girl in my arms. And she was worth every moment that it took to get her here!!! I never thought that I could love another person, besides my husband, so much!!!

As you can imagine, I probably won't be stamping for a little while, but I have a lot of stuff to work on for her room, so I will start posting again with projects hopefully soon.

In the meantime, Happy Stampin'!

Thank You Everyone For Such A Great Shower!!!!

Thank you everyone for such a good shower!!! We got so much helpful stuff! I am starting to feel like I am ready!

For those of you who don't know, I am on doctor ordered bed rest. I have been for about 4 weeks now and I am going crazy!!! I know it is needed but it's hard to just be home and not really be able to do much either. My doctor has given permission for minor activities but I still have to take it easy. As of tomorrow, I will be 37 weeks, so although there isn't a lot of time to go, being home makes it feel like an eternity. But at least it is for the best! The problem that put me on bed rest was high blood pressure. And since I have been home from work, it actually is a lot better. In fact, at my appointment today, it was the best it has been for probably about 6 months. So things are on the right track, even if it is a slow one. I am deffinately needing to learn some more patience :).

So here are pictures from my shower that was last Saturday. It was great that so many friends were able to make it! I got lots of pictures with friends and family.

This first one is my friends from middle school and high school. This is the first time in a long time that we have been together. From left to right: Amber, Jen, me, Carrie, Michelle. Jen and I became friends in 7th grade. I became friends with Amber and Carrie in 8th grade. And even though Michelle and I have known each other since about 1st grade, we became really good friends in 11th grade. I am lucky to know all of them!!!

I know I am a big meanie, but I made my husband come! And because he is such a good man, he did and he was even pleasant and didn't put up much of a fuss!!! And look at how cute he is!!

This is my friend Cecilia. We used to work together about 3 years ago. Even though we don't get to see each other much, she is one of my best friends and I miss hanging out with her!!!!

Here is me, Lindsi, my sister-in-law and Malia, my niece. She is really one of my best friends!!!

This is Bea and Thea. They are Thong's cousins. See Amber (Lafata), Thong really does have cousins!

Here is my very good friend Amber Lafata. Along with Jen and Marci, she threw the shower for me. This is actually at her darling house!! For those of you that don't know, she is more crafty than I am!! She has her own blog at http://shabbychickamber.blogspot.com/ . You should deffinately check it out! She is extrememly talented!!!

Here is Amber, me, Marci and Andrea. Amber and Marci both work with my husband, Thong. And they still put up with him and have room left over to be my friend :). I meat Andrea through Amber and Marci. And the funny thing is, Andrea is friends with Mary (see below). They used to work together. Marci is rubbing my budha belly for good luck!




This is me, Miriam (my sister), Mary, and my mom, Wylene. Mary is my sister's friend from middle school. She is such a sweet person and has had some hard times lately! I hope you know I love you Mary and am thinking about you!!!




Unfortunately, I didn't get pictures of everyone that came! So if you don't see yourself here, it's not because I didn't want ya!

Thank you everyone for such a great day and for all the help! Lord knows I need it!!! Can't wait to show off our little one!!!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Shower Favors

Can you all believe it! I actually made something and am posting it!!! These are for my baby showers in the next few weeks. They are Hershey bars. Yummy! Can't get enough chocolate.

Here's what I used:

1. Hershey Bars
2. Basic Grey Two Scoops patterned paper
3. Stampin' Up! stamps (flowers, merci, mon amie, background flower on dog tag)
4. Basic Grey Two Scoops stamps (on the patterned paper)
5. Stampin' Up! ink - Chocolate Chip, Close to Cocoa, Pretty In Pink, Blue Bayou
6. Stampin' Up! Scallop Circle punch
7. Stampin' Up! Dog Tag punch
8. Ribbon - Green velvet is Making Memories, Pink organdy is from my stash, Twine is Stampin' UP!
9. Basic Grey pink and yellow brads Two Scoops line
10. Stampin' Up! Very Vanilla card stock
11. Pop Dots

So I have about 60-70 of these to make. They won't all look exactly like this, but will follow this basic formula. Once I get them all finished, I will post them too. They were fast and fun to make! Hope you like them!

Happy Stamping Everyone!

Update

Hi Everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I posted last!!! I have been pretty tired between working and everything else. Although I haven't had any major complications with my pregnancy, I have noticed that I don't have the energy to do everything that I would have otherwise. I guess that is to get me ready to focus on being a mom, right! So in case you don't know, we are having a girl!! We are pretty excited. I have less than 8 weeks to go. My due date is February 28. We are working on getting the baby room ready and just getting ready for our new arival. We also have picked out a name. It's Peyton Lei. We picked the middle name Lei after my dad, Leioni. I can't believe how fast this has gone by.
To be honest, I haven't done a lot of crafts in the last 4 or 5 months. So I haven't really had anything to post.
I will be having a card class the end of this month. A project class, I think would just be too much for me right now. I will post the projects within the next week or so.
Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
I'll try to keep you updated on the arrival of our little one a lot better!

Happy Stamping Everyone!