Random Me (Thanks, Trish, for the Assignment)

I loved reading Trish's post from yesterday--so fun learning all those tidbits, and then I was so happy to see her command at the end of her post for the design team to "spill it," because I cam home exhausted from some after-school training. So, I am taking her invitation to do a copy-cat post:

Food: I never met a food I didn't like (well, except for okra an organ meats). Hence my weight struggles. I don't love to cook, but I love to eat out. I love tapas because I can sample lots of things at one time. And probably my favorite place to eat is a little Vietnamese restaurant called Lucky Corner. I always get the shrimp and scallops with black pepper sauce.
Color: I always say it's a tie between pink and purple (still a kid at heart), but the walls in my house are yellow (except my scraproom--which has red walls). My previous car was a magenta Capri convertible--no lie!
Animals: I have three cats and a bearded dragon named Leo, who comes to school with me during the week.
Dessert: Creme brulee. Cheesecake. Ice cream. Brownies with nuts. Baklava. Unfortunately, I've never met a dessert I didn't love.
Artist: Oh, my playlist makes me look like I have multiple personalities. I love, love, love Black-Eyed Peas, but I listen to classic rock a lot. Love Aerosmith, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, Van Halen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin... And I'm also a top 40's girl.
Pair of shoes: Sensible Maryjane flats. But lately I've started getting more adventurous with my sandals. Love the gladiator-style sandals that started becoming popular last summer.
Outfit: Black travel knits. I wear them almost exclusively--the pants and a shell along with a jacket.
Skinny jeans: Well, if I ever get skinny, I would love to buy some!
Brand: Clothing--love Chico's and Coldwater Creek. Love Philosophy lotions and shower gels.
Perfume: Annabelle by Shelley Kyle. It smells like grapefruit.
Accessory: Sparkly necklaces from Chico's. I have almost 100.
City: I live in a small town called Poolesville in Maryland. Population 4,883. Love it. It's got a really small-town feel, but we're only 20 minutes from civilization in all directions. We often cross the Potomac River on a small historic ferry to get to Leesburg, Virginia. We're a suburb of Washington, DC, and can be downtown in 40 minutes.
Hobbies: Scrapbooking. Reading, though I don't read as much as I used to since I started scrapping. I've been in a book club for going on 17 years. I also make these little word thingies for my students (I call them "previously owned words.". Hard to explain, so maybe I'll show you a picture. I give them to my students as little gifts, instead of candy. They like to write poems off of them. I spend a lot of time making these, so I guess you could consider it a hobby! Oh, and I love to write poetry, too.

Beauty Products: Bare minerals. I love eyeshadow and I have a gazillion colors.
Holiday: Definitely Christmas. Family, presents, sparkly lights...
Snack: Hummus and crackers.
Movie: It's a tie between the Austin Powers movies and Silence of the Lambs. (Yes, I realize that makes me weird.)
Song: I could give you my top 100 but not my favorite. A couple that top my list: Boom Boom Pow by Black Eyed Peas, Back in Black by AC/DC, Sweet Emotion by Aerosmith, Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf.
Guilty Pleasure: Playing Bejeweled Bliz and Zuma.

Seven things you may or may not know about me...

1. I have a serious addiction to loose tea. I keep discovering favorite flavors. My current favorite is Marshmallow Treat Green Tea by 52teas.com

2. My husband and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary in July. I got married when I was 17.

3. I lived in Bolivia when three times I was a kid, for a total of about two and a half years.

4. I've taught fifth grade for 20 out of the 21 years I've been teaching. My favorite subject to teach is writing. I wrote the fifth grade writing curriculum for my school district.

5. I believe in ghosts. Mainly because I lived in a haunted house in Bolivia.

6. I'm on Weight Watchers and have lost 60 pounds. I still have about 50 to lose. :(

7. I'm a huge procrastinator and perfectionist.

That was fun! Maybe there's a scrapbook page hiding in this post! Thanks, Trish, for the challenge!

More than you probably wanted to know about me...

I saw this on Kristina Proffitt's blog (love her!) and lifted the idea. Tidbits about me, in case you didn't know...

Food: I LOVE brisket and beef tenderloin. Luckily, I learned how to cook both!
Color: I love red. It is scattered throughout our home everywhere. I'm also a big fan of that powder blue lately.
Animals: We have a pet turtle named Dennis who is nocturnal and sometimes keeps us up at night (rearranging the large rocks in his habitat). We also have 18 fish in our pond. Six are babies!
Dessert: I'm not a fan of pastry or bakery really. I do love ice cream, however.
Artist: I have a pretty eclectic playlist. I have always loved Sting. Lately, I can't stop listening to Adele's new CD--21. LOVE it. Enjoying the new Foo Fighters one, too. I listen to a lot of Pink, Katy Perry, and Mumford & Sons lately as well. I could go on. I blame my friend Amy for my iTunes addiction.
Pair of shoes: I prefer going barefoot! But if I had to pick, anything that slides on and off easily.
Outfit: My favorite jeans, white t-shirt, cardigan and cute shoes.
Skinny jeans: Never owned a pair and never will.
Brand: Target. I could live there. I also adore Costco.
Perfume: Happy by Clinique. I've worn it for years, and it is heavenly.
Accessory: The heart necklace my hubby bought me on my first Mother's Day. I love it.
City: I live in a western suburb of Cleveland called N. Ridgeville. It is a booming metropolis. Okay, maybe not...
Hobbies: Photography, Scrapbooking, Gardening and Landscape Design.
Beauty Products: Clinique make up and perfume
Holiday: Christmas. But Halloween is a close second.
Snack: Snyder's Ranch Pretzel Bits. My youngest son and I hoard them from the rest of the family. Is that a bad thing?
Movie: The Way We Were. Anything with a bittersweet ending brings me to my knees. I love them. The way Barbra brushes his bangs away from his face in the end, when he asks about their daughter...((sigh!))...
Song: The last one I heard on the radio.
Guilty Pleasure: Diet coke. If I could have it hooked up in an IV form, I would. I seriously need to curb my addiction. I think my family is considering an intervention at this point.

Seven things you may or may not know about me...
1. My first job was @ Ponderosa. Everyone should work in the food industry sometime in their life. Worst. Job. Ever.

2. I'm a germaphobe. I carry hand sanitizer everywhere I go and cringe when I have to use a public restroom.

3. I am not ticklish. This drives my family nuts. I'm just not! Tee hee!

4. I hate it when I hear people use the word, "retard," especially when referring to other people as slang. I usually correct people when I hear it. It is my biggest pet peeve.

5. I pray a lot and consider myself very spiritual. But I'm not a big fan of organized religion and I struggle with that a lot.

6. When I'm upset, I either clean or eat.

7. I check in on my parents every single day. They live a mile from me and are both home-bound, so they depend on me for a lot of daily living things. I am blessed beyond measure to help them out, and to work from home. So, thank YOU for enabling me to do just that.


There are SO many blogs that I read and love so I won't call just anyone out, but if you read this and want to participate in it - just fill out the above on your blog and send me a link! I'd love to learn a bit more about YOU, too! Design team--spill it! :)

Teacher Appreciation Week

Last year, I walked around our children's school and took random shots of things. I edited the pictures and added the text to them, creating posters (sized 8x10.)
They look cool in frames all around the school. Sometimes one even gets noticed and then they stop to ask, "Hey, is that our school?" Makes me laugh...

I was a special education teacher for many years (and will someday return to teaching, I imagine), so it has a special place in my heart. Please encourage your children to reach out and thank their teacher. It doesn't have to cost a lot to be thoughtful.

Skip to my Lou has put together a great list of blogs who have awesome ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week (May 2-7, 2011.) You can check them out here.

March project kit

Thought I'd share my latest creation with the March Project kit. While it is still a work in progress, I'm loving the details I am capturing in the month of April.

It all started when I somehow stumbled upon this mini book by Kelly Purkey and fell in love. I looked at the calendar with all our plans for the month of April and knew it would be a great month to document.

And so began the collecting of receipts and pieces of memorabilia throughout the month. From my gas receipts to the racing bib I'm collecting it all.

A trip to MGM Casino, two races, Lady Gaga concert and seeing

John Stewart are just a few of the highlights of my month. But there is also the high cost of gas and grocery that will be documented along with the day my husband joined the current technology and got himself a droid. (I wanted him to get an iphone, but that's another story)

It is still a work in progress as the month is not over yet, but I'm loving the process as it comes together while the month of April comes to a close.

C-Town

You may or may now know, but my family and I live in a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio--just west of C-Town about 25 miles or so. I've lived here all my life. My mom's family landed here from Ireland in 1905, and so being in the city makes me feel nostalgic... This building is the landmark of downtown. The Terminal Tower was erected in 1927. Each time I look at it, I think about my ancestors who walked these streets before that was even built.

We bring our children here from time to time to show them around. My husband works down here, and he enjoys finding all the fun places to dine...

Cleveland is a sports town. I mean--die hard, in-your-face, root for the home-team until your last breath kind of town. We take it seriously here. We hold grudges when it comes to these things, and our memory is long. And that's the way we like it.

I absolutely adore all the old artitechure. I walk around and take pictures of buildings and am in awe of the detail that has gone into these incredible works of art. They don't make them like this anymore...

I feel incredibly blessed to have roots here. To go to the West Side Market and have memories of going there in a wagon as a child with my mother. To look out toward the lake and see the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. To eat at not one, but TWO Michael Symon restaurants...

Have you ever walked around your city, and then scrapbooked your surroundings? Have you ever been a guest in your local town, and taken a tour of the place? Look with new eyes?

I plan on doing just that. I hope you're inspired to do the same real soon, too.

Enjoy your day...

Happy Easter!

(My Uncle Dan and me, taken on my first Easter--April 16, 1968.) I hope you enjoy your holiday, take pictures, and make memories. Happy Easter to you!

Your Two Cents.

So I've been busy shopping for next months kits. I've already decided these for papers above are going to be included for sure, and I have 4 more on their way. What would YOU like to see in a kit? I'd love to hear your two cents!! If you feel more comfortable emailing me, you can reach me at Turay413@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!!

I {heart} Crate & Barrel.

I don't get out much. An occasional trip to Target and Costco, and I'm content. But last week, I was a kid in a candy store when I stopped in to Crate and Barrel... My 5-year old son especially loved the "hairy" pillows...

All the yellows and greens made me feel Spring. And with the temps in the lower 50's around here, that is a welcome feeling...

Hello...these will be mine!! Cupcake tower with cool blue dots to go on top? What's not to love?

These bunny jars reminded me of my Grandma. She had something like this in her living room, and she always had candy in it.

Mini Bundt pans. A girl can dream...

And last but not least, homemade popsicle forms. My wheels are turning...

Thank you for allowing the Enabling!! Enjoy your day!!

It's Almost Easter

That means it's almost time to celebrate some little person's birthday in my family.

That also means it's time to find some adorable and colorful cakes and cupcakes she can view on the computer. Ain't nothing she'll be having gonna look this good, not as long as she has me as her mother :)

Source: google.com via Jing-Jing on Pinterest

Source: family.go.com via Pixel on Pinterest

Source: family.go.com via Pixel on Pinterest

Source: familyfun.go.com via Pixel on Pinterest

Oh my gosh, this is a Chinese mother's cupcake dream come true!  Not only does she love fried rice, noodles, ham, but she LOVES broccoli!  Can you imaging biting into it and it's a cake? LOL.

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Source: ohcupcakes.net via Jing-Jing on Pinterest

These might be actually do-able, er..., on a second thought, nah, not do-able, not for me.

Source: flickr.com via Jing-Jing on Pinterest

I'm working on...

A lot. First up, I did a full reorder of the 7Gypsies Altered Drawer Kits, AND the May Main kit, simply because the wait lists warranted a reorder. If you emailed me and requested one, I responded and sent you a Paypal invoice. If you are interested in getting either one or both of these kits but are NOT on a wait list, I've put up the leftovers here. The quantities are very limited, so if you want one, be sure to act quickly!

Next, I've been working on Easter projects for classroom parties...BUNNY TAILS!I resized the printable from eighteen 25 and used them. Here is my resized version (below), in case you want to lift it. Mine are for printing a 4x6. Right click and save as a photo, and then upload it to your favorite online printing place so as to not waste all your ink! You get 4 toppers for $.13 (Thank you, Costco.). I found the cutest flavored mid-sized marshmallows at Marc's (a local grocier) last week (lemon, orange, watermelon and lime). They're made by Campfire, so look around and maybe you can score some! Here is another cute bag topper to use with Peeps from eighteen 25. So cute!

Ingesting some of the incredible information from Becky Higgin's blog post with her brother Andrew. Really considering ditching our cable in the next year...gotta love technology!! Check out their Q&A here. Awesome information!!

Using these Easter Subway Prints as gifts for the upcoming holiday...(BTW--right click and save it and have it printed out at your local print processing center for crisper, clearer quality!) Putting this little nugget together, courtesy of the one-and-only Ali Edwards. You can purchase and download her class called "Scrapbooking on the Road" here. I'm giddy about creating this album before an upcoming trip, so I can remember to document as I go. What a concept! Think I can get this one finished?? Also dealing with an insane amount of soccer practices/games. I know many of you out there know the feeling!!

Care to share what you're working on lately?? My hope is that whatever it is, it brings you joy today...