It's been a fly-by November!

Can you believe that November is already almost over? Did you check the ticker above...we have only 16 days (from the date of this posting) until our LAS VEGAS trip! We are both SO excited! We just got tickets for the second night we'll be at the National Finals Rodeo yesterday...I've done most of my shopping for "Vegas-wear"...I've stocked up on rechargeable batteries so that I have plenty of charge time for pictures...so I think I'm about ready to go! Of course, all Steve has to do is throw his Wranglers into a suitcase & he's pretty much ready to roll! Ha!

It's just starting to get frigid up here in the North to the point where I cannot go outside in the evening without gloves and a hat (according to my computer, the current temp is 13! BRRR!) I am not looking forward to snowy weather, but I'm afraid it's coming soon.

Since I haven't posted in a little while, I thought I'd include some fun pictures of Steve, me and the dogs that were taken earlier in the month. I just received prints of these pix from Snapfish, so I'm looking forward to doing something creative with them!
OH! Speaking of being creative...this weekend my plan is to spend some time figuring out my new Adobe Creative Suite software - particularly Photoshop! I am excited to put it to work and start doing some digital scrapbooking. I'm sure I'll share my creations as I learn how to use it!

JASON ALDEAN!

Back in September, Steve, our friend Erica and I traveled up to the Clay County Fair, in Spencer, Iowa, to see my FAVORITE country artist: JASON ALDEAN!!!! (Eric Church also performed...and was really fun, but I was there for Jason!) Ha! Here are some pictures I took of him...as close as I could get!

Aren't we cute?? A pic of Steve and me as we wandered around the fair before the concert started. I tell him this would make a good Christmas card...he doesn't agree. :-)

Erica and me before the concert started. Check out my new Justin ball cap! I picked it up before the concert. It's got blingy pink & white rhinestones on the bill! PERFECT for a bad hair day in Vegas!!

Can't wait to see Jason when he's in the area again...hopefully soon!

Yearly Craft Trip with the Gals!

As many of you know, for the past several years I have made a yearly trip down to Arkansas in October to meet up with a group of females - both relatives and friends - for a weekend full of crafting and eating! Well, since Steve's Aunt Ginger, who always plays host to us crazy ladies, has moved from NW Arkansas to the Kansas City area, we changed things up a bit. Instead of traveling to Arkansas, the group met at Ginger's beautiful new home around the end of September. We still got to eat Ginger's wonderful soups & goodies and enjoyed a beautiful day in the park at an Overland Park craft show.

Following are 2 attempts at a group picture. I have a new(er) digital camera, and apparently I'm still trying to figure out the zoom feature. The first pic I took I cut out half the group...

...and in the second picture I was far off, and didn't account for the sun. Unfortunately, this was the best shot I came up with...but I have a bunch of funny trial shots that I'll share with those involved another time!

Here's a picture of me and my mom...

...and here is my mom and her friend Kathy. (They always take such good pics together!)

Mom, Kathy and I broke off from the group and made our way to a small town SE of KC called Greenwood. This little town had a couple of fabulous antique stores...and best of all, both stores had lots of WOOL!!! Here's a pic of our smaller group while waiting for our Sonic drinks in the car! Not too flattering...but fun!

And here is a shot of the beautiful wool I picked up at one of the stores in Greenwood. Can't wait to show you all my finished rug!!!

Kansas 4th of July

Hello all! It's been some time since my last posting...but we've been super busy lately! Our most recent adventure was a trip to Kansas for Independence Day and the wedding of Jim & Jodi Jackson (Steve's brother). We had fun spending the 4th with Steve's mom and his brother Darren's family. We even assisted in milking Darren's family cow! That was interesting! As always, I had my camera in hand and took way too many pics (is that really possible?). Here are some of my favorites...

Steve & Me at a rest stop on the way to Lawrence, Kansas for Jim's wedding.

Here's a picture of the immediate Jackson family. I think everyone is actually here...except Kevin kind of got chopped off on the right (oops! sorry Kevin!) This was after Jim & Jodi's wedding. There were so many cameras going off it was hard to get all eyes in one direction...but this one didn't turn out too bad!

Here Steve and our nephew D.J. are playing around in Grandma's yard on the 4th.

Steve, Me and Annabel the cow! (at Darren's on the 4th)

Steve is filling in for Darren by holding the milking machine...so I got to hold the tail! Deanna is crouched on the other side of Annabel holding on to the machine. I've never milked a cow before! (However, I've been informed that we are cheating by using a machine & not milking by hand. Ha!)

Here are a couple of pics of the cute barnyard animals at Darren's.

Overall it was an excellent weekend!

I do have some fun cards that I've made recently...I'll have to add them to my next post.

Until then...

Flood Pics June 2008

I’ve finally gotten around to posting some pictures from the recent flooding in our area. These picturess were taken last Sunday, June 8, after the terrible storms that passed through the evening before. As you can see, we have a nice-sized pond in the front yard. Steve just wishes there were some fish in there to make it worthwhile! Our neighborhood has fought with the city about installing proper drainage along our street…but unfortunately since we are far enough on the edge of the city limits, we aren’t top priority. So we live with the ponds…and the mosquitoes that follow close behind!

We are fortunate to be amongst the few on our street that do not have any water inside the house. We are thankful for that.

Enjoy the pics! I’ll have to scrapbook them & actually post some papercraft projects again soon!

View from the street:

Steve in front pond (sorry, no fish)

View from garage toward street

Kersee & Belle in back corner. (Our neighbor hasn't mowed in a while, so it doesn't look like she has as much water as we do!)

Cornfield behind our property

My poor drowned pansies! (THAT's why you poke a hole in the bottom of the container!)

View of backyard toward kennels (can you tell where we plan to put our stepping stones?)

View of backyard from deck.

Recipe Album

A few of you have asked about the Family Recipe Album that I put together as a bridal shower gift for my cousin Sara. Well...since today is the day of the shower, I think it's safe to go ahead and share some pictures.
Aunt Sheryl told me that Sara's kitchen colors are moss green and dark red, so I was excited to find this album as I perused the scrapbook section of Target.

I divided up the recipes by category, using the Stampin' Up "From the Kitchen Of" stamp set, along with the SU tab punch. I colored in the stamps using my new Sakura 3-D ink "Souffle" & "Glaze" markers. LOVE THEM!!!

After requesting recipes from family members, I re-typed all of them into a template, and then centered them on coordinating papers. I used the SU tab punch & stamp set again, along with a silver eyelet to pull the recipe card together.

Here's a close-up of a recipe submitted by one of Sara's Aunts.

In all, I think I had over 50 recipes...thanks family members!!! I think it turned out great, and hope Sara will enjoy the album for years to come!

Anyone looking for a unique shower or wedding gift?? I can't wait to make my next one.

Treat Bags!

I've finally taken the time to snap a few pictures and get them uploaded! The craft show is fast-approaching, so I've been focused on being creative!
Hope you enjoy the pics! Comments & suggestions are welcome! (Also check out my new "The Jackson's" blog I'm slowly putting together!)


I started out by making treat bags out of paper bag lunch sacks. I thought they were cute until...

...I saw this style of bag on Ashley's blog & had to find some to get creative with! I love the windows, and the bags are lined, so you can fill them with cookies or munchies & you won't have to worry about greasy spots showing through!