Chippy Update!

I almost forgot to post an update on Chippy. That tiny little creature was very resilient. When DD2 brought him to me I thought he was a goner. But he quickly perked up during the day. That evening, he would still let me pet him. By the next morning he was ready to go. Even though he was in a small container, I couldn't even touch him let alone pet him. And he was coming VERY close to jumping over the 15" sides. So, we had to let the cute little creature go. I took him outside and tipped the container over by some bushes. He hesitantly crawled up the side of the container and sat on the edge for a few seconds before scurrying off into the brush. Good luck, Chippy! Stay away from Chester!
And thank you Dad K for the pointers on how to care for Chippy! His favorite was apple slices! We love you and wish you lived closer so you could have come helped us!
After Fluffy and Chippy I think I'm getting prepared for a newcomer to our household...Will the newcomer have 4 legs or 2?? Bigger or smaller than a breadbox? Someone asked us at church today if we were going to adopt again...Are we ready to start on another 2-3 year journey? Some days I'm ready, some days I'm not. Lord, are you ready for us to embark on another adventure? Where will You lead us this time?

Christmas Kreations

We had a card making class at our church yesterday afternoon. It was a lot of fun. It was great to see how others used the same supplies and came up with some very different designs. I made 2 1/2 Christmas cards, then came home and finished up the third one. They are all pretty simple, but think they turned out pretty cute! And now I have three more done for Christmas season - a little at a time and it will take some of the pressure off in November & December.

I have ordered a new Outlines Christmas ornament stamp. I'm hoping it will come in late this week or early the next. It is for making multi-layered designs. Not sure I'm up to the challenge, but I can't wait to give it a try! Anyone else started getting ready for Christmas??

Happy Birthday, Dear Daughter #2

Yep, three posts in one evening. Busy day! But had to save the most important for top billing. DD2 turned 11 today. It's so hard to believe she's getting so old. I love you baby girl! I remember you when you were a newborn. Our little glow worm under a special light to help your jaundice. And now you are testing us to see if you can wear makeup out in public! Where did all the days go? The good and the trying, I'm thankful for them all. You are such a special, crazy, confident, sensitive girl. I'm so proud to be your Mama. Love you, Sweetheart!

Chippy

Another four legged rescue has found its way into our home today. DD2 was relaxing in the sunroom today and saw that our cat was playing with a little chipmunk. So, of course she had to run out and save it! Next thing I know, our 1st grade/kindergarten class is interrupted with DD2 shouting excitedly through the window, "Look, Mom, he's so cute!" I could see a little furball in her hands.
I ran out to investigate and found a half-mauled baby chipmunk in her hands. I took him from her and found a shoe box and a wash cloth for him. I laid him down and thought he was surely a goner. I tried to warn the kids that he wasn't likely to make it. He just really wasn't moving any. There was only one external sign of trauma, a scratch on his face, but he was not acting well...
About 2 hours passes and all of a sudden the little thing really perked up. It looks like he might make it! We had to move him into a taller container; the big girls found a tall Tupperware container in the attic to (hopefully) keep him from escaping. We fed him acorns, apple slices, and a mushroom. The apple appears to be the favorite. Now we just have to decide how to best continue the rescue effort. If we put him back outside, the cat is sure to get another chance at him. If we leave him inside, Chiefie is gonna go nuts until he can get to it. And DH says we can't keep him....

More Anniversary Cards

Worked on a couple more anniversary cards tonight. My supply was running low. The red paper in this one was a "paper mini" from a package of papers I received recently as a PIF (pass it forward) from one of my online scrapping friends. I love the jagged precut edges in just the right size for a card front. I embossed the title block with one of my new cuttlebug folders. I think this one turned out pretty cute! I like the dark red/dark blue/cream combination.

Didn't like how this one turned out quite as well. Not sure how I could have tweaked it...The flower block was made using a Quickutz mini embossing folder. Then i ran a dark blue ink over it to highlight the embossing. Then I randomly colored in a couple of the flowers with a red accent. You can't really tell in the picture, but I also used my stardust pen to add a light glitter to the words and red flowers. Not my favorite, but glad I got a chance to play with the little embosser. I've had it a couple weeks and hadn't used it yet.

Thanks for looking!

TOGETHER at last...

Yeah! More scrapping time! Started this one yesterday, but wasn't very pleased with how it was working out. I had the title letters and the picture, and kept moving things around trying to find good balance. After many failed tries, I really like how this one turned out. Very glad I didn't proceed with one of the earlier versions, because this one worked out so much better. If only I could work on pages that are more recent - this picture is from last July, a few days after the boys & I came home. The journaling says: After spending 9 weeks in Haiti, waiting for U.S. Visas for the Boys, it was so Good to be Home and have All my Children under the same roof.

Backyard Fun

Had some time to work on this layout from last July ('08). These pictures are of the kids playing in the yard just a few days after the boys and I came home from Haiti. As you can see from the boys' faces, they were still getting relaxed! The colors on my picture of the layout didn't turn out the best, but I love these papers. They are tan, celery green, burgandy and a deep purple with safari and geometric prints. The title is something I created a while ago for cutting with my Wishblade. If you would like the file, it can be found in my Cutter's Market Gallery (see link on right).

Just ordered 187 pictures from my 9 weeks last summer in Haiti staying with the boys. Can't wait to get them in, but I'm a bit overwhelmed about the number of prints I have to scrap! That's another overwhelming project!

And now that my Wishblade is out for the first time in 2 months, I need to get a couple titles cut for a friend of mine. Thanks for your patience, Linda!

Made this cute card today while the 1st graders were doing seatwork! Found the blue print paper in my scraps. The white ribbon is a repurposed item - it was originally for hanging baby girl hair clips (I only used about 1/2 of it). The blue flowers are from a new package of petaloos I got on sale at scrappingstamping.com. Very cute. Love the shimmery flower centers that come with the flowers - less bulk than brads, so good for mailing. And of course I used my Stardust pen to add some glimmer to the sentiment. I think it dresses it up a little. Hope you like it!

Go Run

I had some time this afternoon to work on a new layout. It only took me 9 1/2 years to get it done! This is from a 5K I did in February of 2000. I found the pictures and the two die cuts one day recently when I was going thru some old papers. The die cuts were yellow and red. I painted them and the chipboard letters so that they would tie in better with the papers I chose. What do you think?

Fluffy Update

Fluffy is really Sassy! Her owner found us!! They were gone over the weekend and a neighbor was keeping her and she escaped. Apparently the dogsitter didn’t go looking for her, so when the owner came home today she was searching for her. When she was asking around someone remembered us going door-to-door and sent her to our house!
Yeah! Sassy has been reunited with her rightful owner!

Fluffy Update

1) I was hoping that by the time I drug myself out of bed at 9:00, her owners would have claimed her...The kids & Daddy are playing in the front yard where she's staked on a leash, hoping someone will come looking for her.
2) DD3 has given her a name.
Things are NOT looking good.

I always wanted a lap dog....

Two entries in one day!!! A definite record! I had two things I really wanted to post about tonight.

The background for this story is that animals somehow know that our house is safe and the apparently show up when they have nowhere else to go. Right now, with the loss of Kane, we are down to "only" five dogs, one cat, one fish, about 10 chickens, and a horse that boards here. The cat came with the house, and all of the dogs are rescues from one source or another. Several dogs and kittens have shown up mysteriously at our door over the years. So we always laugh and say there is a sign somewhere that reads "Krueger Animal Shelter" that only animals can read.

This evening, I was sitting inside working on some birthday cards and the kids were outside playing in the driveway with Daddy. The kids hollered out to me, "Come quick, Mom! There's a dog!" So, of course I run out the door to see what hound has arrived. Daddy is holding this little bundle of squirmy fuzz! I can't believe this little thing was wandering around the neighborhood. Not the kind of dog I'd leave outside, but who knows what people think. She has on a pretty pink collar but no tags. We walked around the neighborhood, but couldn't find her owner. So for tonight she's in a crate in the bathtub, crying to be let out. And DD1 and DD2 are crowded into a sleeping bag on the bathroom floor next to her. Tomorrow she gets a bath and house-training test - if we can't find her owner!! Anyone missing a frou-frou dog?? I'm hoping I will be broken from wanting a lap dog (this little thing is yippy and HYPER) by the time we find her home. We will find her home, right???

New Cards!

I had fun today playing with a new stamp set from Hero Arts! I has a bunch of cute birthday cupcakes. What do you think?

Good Scrappy Day!

What a good day! First, DH let me sleep in! I often have trouble falling asleep at night, but come morning I can barely drag myself out of bed. Sleeping in is so nice, especially on cool mornings! Ah!

This afternoon the big girls had their first JEWELs Christian homeschool girls club meeting. While they were there we had 2 hours to pass, so we went to Lowe's to get paint for the laundry room & school room - and had time to go to BOTH Hobby Lobby and Michael's. Didn't buy much, but always enjoy looking. I did get black & gold embossing powders. I am putting in an order this weekend with StampingScrapping for Outlines stamps and want to try embossing them stamped images. These stamps look so awesome! I am hoping to make some Christmas cards with their stamps. I also bought a cutting mat so that I will quit damaging my desktop every time I use the craft knife...

This evening, while the kids watched a movie, I had a chance to make a couple more Anniversary cards. I used some scraps & embellishments left over from a kit. The quilted pattern is not typically my style, but I really like the little butterfly embellishments, so I think they turned out pretty cute. I like how the word stickers worked out: "Grow Together" and "Life Promise", something different for my anniversary theme, but highly applicable!