Life is good.

I am feeling ick, but this stuff is all good: 

• Fresh sheets are divinity
• My iPod, U2 editon: Check it, it’s beyond groovy
• Homemade lasagna… made by me
• Hugs from your mom
• My irrational obsession with music, we are talking from Frank Sinatra to the Beastie Boys
• Kisses from Gracie
• Having Mr. LOL to LOL at
• Sweeper marks on the carpet
• having 17 nieces and nephews

Check this kid out:

My Little “Steelers” whom live in the ‘Burgh, got to go to a pretty awesome petting zoo!

I went to Random.org for the winning numbers for my blog candy winners! My winners are #28 and #6:

 Congratulations Angel and Kristina!!! Email me your addresses and I will get your candy out to you ASAP!

I was speaking with someone today, and we were talking about birthdays. He asked how old I was going to be this year and I said 27. We were joking about our 21st birthdays, and how we drank and partied and had a general all around kick butt time. I said I wouldn’t mind being 21 again. He said something that really made me think.

He said that 25 to 30 were his best years. He got married, had a baby, bought a house and “started his life”. The more I think about it, I feel the same. I got married when I was 23, but the first year was hard. Not hard as in I didn’t like being married, I loved it, but hard because we were living together finally and my life was rapidly changing. It was difficult to adjust to.
Pete and I have never gotten along better than we do right now. My marriage is beyond solid and I am smiles all the time with him. So, for this birthday, I am not going to be sad that I am getting closer to 30, I am going to embrace the fact that these have been some of the best years of my life. I have a ton to be thankful for, and if I had not been so lucky and blessed, maybe I wouldn’t even be here. I am truly the luckiest person in the world right now.

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Time for candy!!!! You want candy!!!!

To win this candy, in honor of 10,000 posts and my birthday, I give you this:

2 of you will have the opportunity to win. Enclosed in this candy are 5 different Martha Stewart note cards (only one style came with envelopes), 4 different yummy ribbons, and an assortment of MM eyelets, in brushed pewter, gold and multicolored!!

To win, just leave me a comment and I will draw for the candy Monday night!!!

Have a wonderful weekend and I will post pics from my party later this week!

I can’t believe it! 10,000 hits?? That rocks! It is so cool that I have people who are interested in what I am up to!

Check in later this week for Andee’s Candies! I will be giving away 2 things! One in honor of my 1o,ooo hits and another for my birthday on Sunday! Whoohoo!

My SU! order came finally! It’s one of my gifts from Mr. LOL for my birthday next week. It’s nice that the SU! catty comes out in July. I always spend part of my birthday gift on it! I am lucky!

So, as you can see I did pretty well! Here is all the fun stuff I got:

• Glorious Garlands
• Jumbo Chatter Wheel
• Block Party
• Merry, Merry
• All About Christmas Wheel
• Moose You
• Spotted Wheel
• Garden Whimsy
• Whimsy Wheel
• Polka Dot BG
• So Swirly Wheel
• So Sweet
• In Color Textured Card-stock and ribbon
• Winter Green DS Paper
• Cerise DS paper
• Chocolate and White Taffeta ribbon
• Sherbet Ribbon
• 9×9 Clipboard

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One Set I got was Garden Whimsy. I love it. It is so easy to work with and looks great when stamped. It inked up really nice to for being more of a solid image. That surprised me. I did get to make one card tonight with it.

This card started with a Bayou Blue base. I wasn’t sure I would like the Bayou Blue, but it really is beautiful IRL.  I also used Purely Pomegranate and Groovy Guava. I distressed the edges of each layer. I used the Whimsy Wheel stamped in Soft Sky. The butterflies are in Pomegranate and Groovy Guava. I also added Diamond Stickles to the wings. The stitched ribbon is in Groovy Guava.

 I hope to start my Chirstmas Cards this weekend. I am so excited to use my new SU! sets! I am almost all mounted!

I am not having a good day- long story. But one reason could be this:

My mom brought Tinker over to play with Gracie and she ate 1/2 of my round 1 swaps and 1/2 of my round two. I had them laid out for swapping. I don’t know how, but thank GOODNESS, she only ate one of each!

 So if you were in either round, no worries, yours are fine. Mine on the other hand… not so much. *sobs*

Anyway, on a lighter note, I joined a swap hosted by Tracy (Daven’s wife), for SCS Gallery Mods that aren’t attending convention and want to swap with those Mods that are. Great group of ladies participating. I can’t wait to see what they come up with! My design is inspired by Amy Koehler aka Propecia. She sent me an awesome swap for my A Muse 4.25 x 4.25″ swap. I hope she doesn’t mind! Her design was just beauteous!

 Here is a sneak peak:

I switched it up some, but had to use the same set and a few of the same colors. I added some red to mine and I am doing a tent card. I think it will be super cute when I have it all done. I have 23 of these puppies 1/2 done!

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I wanted to thank you all for the on going support of me during my A Muse Ambassador competition. Sadly, I did not win, but I really enjoyed it.

Congratulations to the winners, Amy, Taylor and Geeta!! Enjoy your gift certificates!!!

Michelle, my blogging friend, tagged me! 7 RANDOM things about me. Hmmm….

 1. I have known Mr. LOL since I was a todler, he played little league for my dad, with my brother and his 2 older brothers- and our parents have been friends for over 25 years

2. I just got a new car and it got hit already

3. I won’t eat really basic food that most people eat- tuna fish, pbj sandwiches, meatloaf

4. I can pop my hip bone out of it’s socket

5. I wear 2 wedding rings- one above my engagement ring and one below it

6. I won’t swim in the ocean, a lake or public pools- I only swim at my mom’s, sister’s or brother’s house

7. I have never seen Titanic, nor do I plan to. I am anti- Leonardo!

Okay, now I tag 7 too? Hmmm….

 1. Jessica

2. Amy, Propecia Louise

3. Pixie

4. Jami

5. Denier

6. Tracy

7. Joy

I am seriously sore from my workout yesterday (I talked a little about this here). That guy knows what he’s doing! I can’t lift my arms above my head and my thighs and legs are still burning some. Wow. I never thought I would still be sore tonight.

I can’t wait to go back on Tuesday. My schedule with Trainer Tim (that’s what I am calling him) will be Tuesday and Thursdays at 6am and Saturday’s at 9am. I keep saying to myself, “This is so worth it. This is soooooooo worth it!”

 I wanted to share my last A Muse creation for the Ambassador contest. This is an ATC I did with Sniffer. I *heart* him and think he is quickly becoming my favorite A Muse stamp.

I am loving my Bazzill Bling paper. This is in black. I used SU! Old Olive for the scallop and whisper white for the other. The patterned paper is by Doodlebug- so cute IRL. I stamped Sniffer in Palette Noir and the “hill” is the A Muse oval stamp, stamped several times and I added the A Muse “Grass” stamp. The white floral strips are also by Doodlebug (Paper Frills). I then added bling to Sniffers collar and a floral bling to the bottom right corner.

I hope you all enjoyed my A Muse creations over the past few weeks. I really enjoyed doing it!!!

Go over to the AMAP blog and count down the minutes until the start of A-Muse-A-Palooza, and the close of the Ambassador contest! This game is super fun, so play and register to play if you haven’t (and tell them I sent you!).

Take a look at what Aileen won for the Pre-party from yesterday!!! The Tankini and Striped Suit stamps- super cute!!! Congratulations!!

WOW! Check out this store featured at the AMAP blog!! Stampstruck in Medford, OR. It’s 15,000 square feet!! Now that is a lot of stamping and scrapping stuff!!!

For the Ambassador Contest that is! I worked on some stuff today and want to share my favorite project. I can’t believe the AMAP contest is coming to a close tomorrow. It was really fun and I was very productive over the past 10 weeks.

 My goal for joining the competition was to stretch myself as a stamper and I feel I did that. I have a ton of cards and projects to show for it too!

This project is for a friend of mine. It is mounted on a large piece of chipboard and sits on a mini easel.

The base is Whisper White. The layers are Bazzill Basics Bling cardstock in black and Doodlebug paper called Divine. I punched a black Bazill oval, accented with my paper piercer and white gel pen, and a white scalloped oval to layer on top. I then stamped the A Muse sentiment, “The road to a Friend…” in Palette Noir. I added 2 strips of white polka dot 3/8″ ribbon and 1 strip of 5/8″ white polka dot ribbon. The black flowers are Doodlebug paper frills in Beetle Black.

Only 2 days until AMAP is over, so go over to their blog for more pre-party fun and chances to win a prize!!  Leave a comment with a “pair” of A Muse stamps – like the Superhero & Superwoman for a chance to win!!

Broni (waterchild12) won yesterday’s Pre-Party game!  Congratulations!!! She won the Flower drinks stamp!!!

Michelle White is teaching A Muse classes in San Diego! I am thinking of getting a ticket and flying there myself *wink*

Check out her blog  for the change to her schedule.

I have never been skinny. EVER. But there was a point in time when I looked and felt really good. For me, looking good/feeling good is being a 10-12. Not an 8, not a 4. I won’t attain that, nor am I trying to. And I am totally okay with that I am tall and carry my weight very proportionately. If I gain weight, it’s sort of everywhere and most people don’t believe I weight as much as I do (not that I go publicly with my weight, but a few do know).

More that anything in the world, I want to have a baby. I don’t want to wake up one day and be so over weight that I think to myself, “How did this happen?” I think the problem for me is comfort. I am happy, truly happy. My life is good, my marriage is good and my family is good. Being comfortable IS a problem for me… I eat when I am happy.

 I associate happy times with food. Think about it. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, 4th of July and so on… what do we do on these days? EAT!!! Well, imagine living on what my SCS pals call “the compound”: (for those of you who don’t know, my sister lives next door to me, and my mom and dad next to her).  We get together all the time and cook out, snack, have coffee. It’s nice, but not healthy!

Well, this is what I am doing right now, I am seeing a nutritionist. She is great! She has me approaching food from a place that is comfortable for me. It’s going well, but not as well as it could be if I was exercising on a regular basis.

I met with a personal trainer. I liked him. He is all business, but defiantly understands my goals and is willing to work with that. He is also reasonable, he won’t be breaking the bank, but I think he will give me the kick I need. I had my first session today. Let me just say, I am typing this from bed. I am so sore it’s not even funny! My thighs are burning still from 9am!

3 days a week I will be going and working out with him. I signed up with him for a month. I am so excited to be doing this. I think my goals are good goals. They are realistic goal. I want to be healthy so I can have a good, normal pregnancy.

 I should have done this last year when I had my pulmonary embolism and the DVT (blood clot) in my leg. But I didn’t. But there is no time like the present and I am ready to embrace my future.

In 3 days, AMAP is over! I can’t believe it! The last 10 weeks have flown by! Well, the AMAP blog is having a pre-party contest: Leave a comment on the blog and name an A Muse stamp that has exactly THREE of something!  Check it out here!

Click here to check out some great prizes won by Erin Bassett and Rachel Benjamin! The AMAP blog pulled some more random winners!!! Whoohoo ladies!!!

Well, it’s the last challenge for AMAP… 10 whole weeks I’ve been playing! Our last challenge is to create anything but a card. What am I making? Well, I started with some ATC’s and now I am working on a frame! Do you want to play? Click here to check it out and join in the fun!

 Also, don’t forget to register at A-Muse-A-Palooza to play and tell them Andrea Bentz sent you! I need some points here for the home stretch!

Independance Day was truly about Independence for me! I did nothing yesterday except stamp. It was really nice. We usually have a picnic or family obligation in which to fulfill. I am glad that didn’t happen this year. It was weird to have a day off mid week, but never the less, nice.  

Recently, I tried my hand at ATC’s. I really like doing them. I feel less pressured when I make an ATC. Ideas seem to come more naturally to me and feel really good about what I stamp.

I love the A Muse Camping stamps. They are so cute and very versatile, IMO. This little ATC came together rather quickly.

Stamps: Grass, Camper by A Muse ; sentiment by Karen Foster Snap Stamps

Paper: Basic Black, Whisper White, Wild Wasabi and b & w paper by Doodlebug

Ink: Palette Noir, Wild Wasabi

Accessories: SU! Oval Punches, SU! gem brads, Sakua Gel Pens

This ATC evolved out of some LiL Davis scrap and a Bazzil circle I had.

Stamps: A Muse Bridge and sentiment

Paper: Bazzill bling, Lil Davis

Ink: Palette Noir

Accessories: Strano Ribbon, Doodlebug brads, SU! Markers,  Marvy scallop and circle punches.

TGIF tomorrow ladies, make it a good one!!!