Stamping Queen's Sketch Challenge #4

It's time for another Stampin' Queens Sketch Challenge.  Again, I have done my card using My Digital Studio.  It is so great to have this program so when I don't have the supplies, etc. to do a real card, I can just create one using MDS!!

Here is the sketch for this week:

Lots of layers this week.  Here is my take on it:

Make sure you visit the Stampin' Queens Sketch Blog to check out what the other Queens did for the sketch.  There are some great cards there this week!! 

Why not make your own card using this sketch and send it in.  You might be a winner!!

Still in Texas

I was going to share a few more of my swap cards with you today but for some reason, they won't download onto my blog,.  I keep getting a "server rejected" error so don't know what the problem is.  Guess I'll have to wait until I'm back home.

We are still in Texas.  But the good news is we have air conditioning!  Although truthfully, Ashley and I both agreed that we were cooler when we just had the fans blowing on us at night.  Her bedroom is pretty big and it only has one A/C vent.  The bathroom and walk in closet were add-ons to the house and they do not have vents.  So the A/C is really working hard to cover that whole area with just one vent.  Sonny is still sleeping on the couch!  He said it is comfortable and cool so he is staying there!!  Ashley left today to go back to work at Ft. Hood so we said our good-byes.  There were a few things Sonny still wanted to do around the house, so we are staying tonight (and having one more Mexican meal) and headed out in the morning.  I am hoping that we will spend a day in New Orleans along the way!!

Yesterday was the first day we had that we didn't have to do anything!!  It was so nice to just sit around and not have anywhere to go or anything I had to do.  Sonny and Ashley worked in the yard and supervised (!) the A/C guy while I read my book and sat in the pool all day!  Last night we went to dinner at my favorite San Antonio restaurant, Josephines .... yumm - delicious T-bone steak, onion rings,and  potatoes at a very reasonable price!!

I am ready to leave though and start making preparations at home for Stamp Club and Quarterly which will be here before I know it!  I will miss Ashley though but I am happy knowing she is in the US & I can call her whenever I want to or get on a plane and come for a visit when I want to.  We'll see her again when she comes for a visit Thanksgiving.

Mini Swaps

I actually have a few cards to share with you today!  I participated in a Mini Catalog Swap and had the cards mailed to me here in San Antonio.  They arrived Saturday and I have taken pictures so I could share!  I haven't ordered any goodies from the mini catalog yet and after seeing all these great ideas, I am ready to order, order, order!

This one uses Christmas Lodge stamp set (pg 29) in Pear Pizazz.  There is also a bit of  the new Dazzling Details on the roof of the lodge.  The bottom portion uses the new Snow Burst embossing folder.

I can't wait to order these stockings!  This stamp is the Stitched Stocking punched out with the new Builder Punch (pg 34).  The colors are Lucky Limeade, Cherry Cobbler and Silver.  There is a cute little jingle bell hanging off the stocking.  You can purchase then from the mini too (pg 30).

This fall card uses the Gently Falling set (pg 16-17) with Concord Crush, Cajun Craze, and Garden Green.  Love the ribbon!!

Another card using Gently Falling - this is a very popular stamp set!  The colors used on this one are Cajun Craze, Very Vanilla, More Mustard and Early Espresso.  She also used the Houdstooth embossing folder (inking it).

This card uses Festive & Fun, a very versatile holiday set as well as Every Little Bit stamp set.  The colors on this one are Tangerine Tango, So Saffron, Concorde Crush and the In Patterns DSP.  Such an easy card to make but a great one!

Now I have to make my list!

Where Were You?

Who doesn’t remember where they were when they heard America was under attack? Or when they first saw the footage of the planes flying into the twin towers? We were shocked, confused, vulnerable, and eventually angry. No longer isolated to other parts of the world, terrorism brought itself to our front door. As a nation, we were changed. In the face of such an atrocious act of violence our core beliefs are challenged in ways we perhaps never imagined.

I was living in Grapevine, Texas at the time of the attacks.  I don't usually turn on the TV in the morning when I am getting ready to go somewhere but for some reason I had turned it on that morning as I was getting dressed.  I didn't realize at the time how horrific an attack it was.  I was headed out to meet friends for coffee.  What a somber time as we all watched the news on TV at the coffee shop and were all calling our family and friends around the world.  I immediately got on the phone to call my family.  Ashley was in medical school in San Antonio and Jeff was in Georgia at an Army base.  He had just graduated from West Point in May.  They were both safe but oh how I wished I could hold them at that moment.  I ended up going back home to be with Sonny and could not stop watching the news reports for weeks. 

How has 9/11 changed you?  Think of all the things in our lives that have changed since the attack - for me, both my children had to go to Iraq and be a part of a war that it seems will never end.  Also, think of the hassel we all have to deal with now when we want to travel.  I found this video andthought it was really good.  I hope you will enjoy it as well.

I also made a card in remembrance of that day using My Digital Studio.

Remember Me?

Well, hope my faithful readers have not given up on me and my blog.  I promise I haven't forgotten you or given up on blogging.  We had a wonderful reunion with Ashley on Thursday which I posted about.  Friday we hung out at my neice's house and met some of Ashley's friends and more of our family at a Mexican restaurant in Austin.  We spent the night at a friend's house in Austin (she and her DH were gone for the weekend) and hit the road for San Antonio on Saturday morning.  Ashley had rented her house out while she was in Iraq and it was neat as a pin when she arrived.  You would never have known anyone had been here!  Unfortunately, it was really hot in her house!  The air conditioner was not working in the back of the house where the bedrooms are.  Luckily, she has 2 units and the other unit was working.  With it being a holiday weekend, we were not able to get in touch with anyone until Tuesday.  Sonny had brought his tools and gauges but he has been out of the business too long and did not have any contacts here in San Antonio.  We got someone to come out late Tuesday to check it out.  It needs to be replaced we found out today and he can not get to it until next Monday!!  In the meantime, Sonny has been sleeping on the couch, Ashley on the air mattress on the floor and me on the pull out sofa bed.  Mom was able to sleep in the back bedroom with the ceiling fan going and a couple of oscillating fans.  My back started bothering me from sleeping on the pull out bed so I have moved to Ashley's room.  If I keep the ceiling fan on high, it's not too bad. 

We have stayed busy doing little things around the house that needed fixing and doing after a year.  Her wine refrigerator was not running so Sonny had to order a part.  He installed it yesterday and now it is running.  He also has been working with her pool cleaner to get it going right.  We've all done a lot of yard work - trimming trees and plants and her yard is getting in good shape.  I've actually done more yard work here than I do at my own house!!

We're enjoying a lot of good Mexican food while we are here!  Some of our good friends from the Dallas area drove down on Tuesday and we met them last night at a good Mexican restaurant.  Tonight we all went over to the Riverwalk and sat outside at one of the restaurants.  I put Mom on the plane for Charlotte today.  She really enjoyed her visit with Ashley and of course, cried when she had to leave.

We have not had internet service or cable TV until today either!  I felt like I was in the stone age!  How did we ever survive without all the amenities we have today?  Every night we would all just sit in the den reading.  Mom almost finished reading The Help and I only have a few pages left in my Jodi Picault book.  I think Ashley has read at least 4 books this week and Sonny a couple!  It was nice but I was sure glad to get the internet hooked up today as well as the TV!

Ashley had to go to Ft Hood on Wednesday for some briefings.  She drove there on Tuesday night so I got her to post my Stampin' Queen's challenge card for me on the internet at the hotel.  I did the whole card with My Digital Studio since I just haven't had the chance to make a card while I was here.  I brought a bunch of projects to work on while I was here, but it just hasn't happened!  We've been lucky - Ashley has only had to go to work one day so far.  She will have to report back to Ft. Hood next Tuesday and start working more so we will probably start our trip for home Tuesday or Wednesday.  Hopefully, Sonny will take it as slow going back as we did coming here but I sincerely doubt it!!  I'm pretty sure when his foot hits the pedal, we'll be back in NC in a day or two!!  He's a basic home body and does not like to venture away from his home turf for too long!

Here are a few pictures from out trip:

Ashley (on right) with her best friend and college roomie, Lisa who had twins while Ashley was in Iraq!

Me and my brother, Jim

My neice, Melinda and my nephew's wife, Katrina

Sonny & I on the Riverwalk

Sonny & his best bud!

Sharon & Sharon!

Ashley and her Grandma!

Sonny & Ashley on Riverwalk

Stampin' Queen Sketch Week #3

It's Ashley, posting for Sharon...she is stuck at my house with no TV, no internet, and no A/C (in half of the house anyway) while I am back at Ft. Hood taking care of post-deployment stuff.  I am posting her Stampin' Queen Sketch made on My Digital Studio -- she will outline more of the details once she is back online!  

Reunion

Had a great reunion today here in Texas with Ashley.  She landed about 3 pm and they advised us to be at the parade field by 3:30.  So, we were .... we sat outside in the 100+ heat for a little over 2 hours.  Luckily, they had a covered area for the bleachers but by the time the ceremony started at 5:30, we were all dripping!!  My mom actually looked like she had wet her pants!  The buses - all 7 of them - rolled up and the soldiers got off behind the buses where we couldn't see them.  The Honor Guard was there as well as two calvary soldiers on horseback to welcome them.  We all yelled "move the buses" and the buses drove away and we were able to see our soldiers!  What a sight!  They marched onto the field.  Ashley was on the front row - second from the left end so we were able to get a good view of her.  Only a handful of the soldiers had kept their Stetson hat out and hadn't packed them - Ashley was one of them - so they put them on the front row!  After a brief address to the crowd, they announced that you could all rush onto the parade ground to greet your soldier!!  Two of the guards helped my mom make her way onto the field while Sonny & I ran ahead to hug her.  We were all crying but it was a happy cry!  She looked so good and we were all so happy!

Tonight we are staying in a hotel on base.  We will drive to Austin - a little over an hour south to see her cousins.  She is going to surprise her cousin, Melinda's son at school at lunch.  He is in the 2nd grade and last year, he sent her his Flat Stanley so his class should be impressed!  We are having a little party for her tomorrow at an Ausin Mexican restaurant.  Saturday, we are on the road to San Antonio.

It has been a long day.  Ashley & Grandma are sleeping in the bed beside me so all is right with my world!

Stampin' Queen's Sketch Challenge 2

It's that time of the week - Wednesday Sketch Challenge for Stampin' Queens.

My card this week is a grungy look.  I just love the stamp set, Daring Adventure and decided to use it with the DSP Well Worn.  This DSP is great for masculine cards and may help me get over losing the nautical DSP from the past mini catalog.

Here is our sketch for this week:

 Here is the link to the other Queen's cards.

You can also do a card following the sketch and post it!  I would love to see what you come up with.

On the Road Again .....

Well, I'm on the road again - this time headed to Texas.  We started out Sunday - picked Mom up after church and got to Nashville Sunday night.  After a restful night, we went to the Ryman Auditorium today.  Wow!  There is a lot of history in that place.  The Ryman was the original home of the Grand Ole Opry but it started out as the Union Gospel Tabernacle in 1892.  From a church, it became a performing auditorium.  Such greats as Teddy Roosevelt, Sarah Bernhardt, Helen Hayes, and Katherine Hepburn performed at the Ryman.  In 1943, the Grand Ole Opry moved to the Ryman and became the stomping ground for Minnie :Pearl, Earl Scruggs, Red Foley, Hank Sr., Johnny Cash and even Elvis Presley!  I actually got goose bumps imagining all the greats that performed at the Ryman Auditorium.  It is still used today for concerts and performances.  After our self-guided tour, we had hoped to have lunch at the Wildhorse Saloon, a 66,000 sq. foot restaurant, saloon, dance hall, recording studio ...  Ashley actually performed at the Wildhorse with her college dance troupe and it was televised on the Nashville Network.  Unfortunately, the Wildhorse was closed for a private party so we weren't able to go inside.  We settled for an Irish bar down the street that was just ok ,,,, typical Irish fare but the beer was good and what we drank while in Ireland.

From Nashville, we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas and are spending the night here.  Tomorrow our plan is to head on down to Dallas and spend the night.  I hope to do a little shopping while Sonny meets with our financial advisor.

We were able to Skype with Ashley this morning and got some good news.  She will be returning a day earlier than we had originally thought!!  That will give her time to rest up before her welcome home party. 

Well, mom is really snoring so I better try to get some sleep too!

CKC this weekend

Whew!  I am wiped out!  Marianne and I went to Charlotte on Thursday afternoon for CKC.  We spent the evening in the lobby of the hotel watching the Panthers on tv and working on some scrappin' kits.  Then we were up bright and early Friday morning to go to our first class at 8:30.  We had a small break after our first class and went down to the vendor faire to do a little shopping.  We ended up stopping at the SEI booth and doing their make & take.  We made 4 really nice cards but it was a pretty messy and time consuming make & take - probably taking close to 45 minutes.  That cut seriously into our shopping time!  But we made up for it after our classes were done around 4 pm.  That gave us a couple of hours to hit the floor running!   While working on our make & takes, we ran into some Mooresville friends.

Andrea & Karen

Karen & Vicki



Marianne & I

Here are a few of the nice things we oohed and aahed over:

Marianne wants to make this!



I like this acrylic album



This is from Keller Creations

Heartfelt Creations - dies to make this gorgeous card

I am leaving in the morning to drive to Texas.  Just a few more days and I'll be seeing my girl!!  Can't wait! 

My postings may be sporadic while I'm on the road the next week.