Kinda Krafty {tropical}

This is my NEW Paper Pack, Kinda Krafty {tropical} that will be coming to the Divine Digital store THIS WEEK! Contains: 8 Pattern Papers & 5 solids. Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!! ox

Want to be a Guest Creative Team Member?

Starting in June, I will be hosting a little layout contest and the winner will be awarded the Guest Creative Team Member spot for the month of July! "What does that mean?"...that means for the month of July, you will be part of the team and you'll get my new designs for free, create los with them, & get to chat it up w/ the rest of the CT! Sound like fun? Then stay tuned for the contest announcement!

YOU Design It Contest!!!!! {DEADLINE}

There are only 3 days left in the YOU Design It Contest!!! Don't miss out on having your very own custom kit created! I've recieved lots of great ideas...it will definately be hard choosing just 1 winner!

Here are the details if you missed them...

The winner will be announced June 1st!!!

Welcome my Creative Team!

A huge thanks to all who applied to be on my Creative Team! It was very hard having to turn anyone down since you are all amazing scrappers with wonderful stories to tell. If you applied, please keep an eye on your inbox for a little gift from me :)
In addition to my 5 Team Members, I have also created a "Guest Team Member" spot which will change monthly...stay tuned for how to apply for that spot!
And here are the lovely ladies on my Creative Team...
Drum roll please (oh come on!).....

Amy Lee Weeks
Audrey Neal
Denise Gibb
Leah Riordan
Tara Hagan
And Guest CT Member....
Petra King

I can't wait to get the team rolling...lots of great kit and layouts will be coming...stay tuned! :)

Off I go...

Tonight I am off to CKC-Manchester for the weekend! Woohoo! I'm SO looking forward to the little getaway with my friends! I will probably come back to a trashed house, but who really cares?!

I realized that my CT call deadline is tomorrow as well....hmmm...so I won't be able to review all of the applications until I get back on Sunday. Then I will hopefully be posting the new team on my blog in the next few days! Yeah!

Have a GREAT weekend!!!
ox

Mom by day, Cheesesteak stealer by night!

Yes, it's true...I "technically" stole a cheesesteak tonight.
Not intentionally mind you.
See, this is what happens when I hang out with my little brother!
It was innocent enough...
I took him to get his hair cut, so he'd be all pretty for Christina tomorrow night when they go to the Senior Ball (she's graduating from Undergrad!). Then we decided to grab some late dinner.
We placed our orders, then sat down to chat it up like a couple of chicks! (hee hee)
They call out some number, "YADDA YADDA" (that's pretty much what we heard)
So Joey snags the food and we start eating.
That's when I realize THEY got MY order wrong!
"I didn't order a cheesesteak!", but I figure, hey whatever...it's late...I'm not gonna bother them about making me a new sandwich....I guess they're just really proud of their cheesesteaks!
WRONG!
Later on a man comes in TO PICK UP his order.....
YUP, the order WE took! Ugh! I felt SOOOO badly! But we couldn't stop laughing at the whole thing! (oh, and we aren't THAT bad...we did tell them about the mixed up order before that guy showed up).
Sorry Mr. Cheesesteak Man, it was an accident, I swear!

the Partiest - New Kit!

Here is the latest kit in the store.... the Partiest!
Contains:
12 papers * 3 doodles * 6 epoxy dots * 1 quote * 5 punch label words * 6 tabs * 1 punch label strip * 1 word art * 8 balloon rubons * 2 full alphas

A HUGE success!!!

Thank you to all who attended the Charity Crop this past Saturday...it was a HUGE success and a TON of fun! I seriously could not ask for a more wonderful community of scrapbookers! Your generosity and fun spirit is contagious! Thank you for speding the day with me and helping me raise money for such a great cause! I will post again with the exact figures, but I think we raised somewhere near $3000!!!! Agh!!! :) I will also post pics soon!

Tomorrow's Charity Crop Day!

I can't believe it's almost time! It just seemed like I had SO much time til the event and now all of the sudden...it's TOMORROW! haha How did that happen!? I'm SO excited, but SO tired from packing raffles and goodie bags all week. I'm not use to going to bed at midnight anymore! Fingers crossed we raise LOTS of money for the CCFA...for those of you JUST tuning in... I'm doing this crop (IRL) to raise money for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America. My son, Josh was diagnosed w/ Colitis on his 3rd bday, so now I do all that I can to raise money for research and hopefully to find a cure. It's going to be a fun day of scrappin', FOOD, massage, and LOTS of laughter! I can NOT wait! :)
PS....the Creative Team call is still on...about a week left til decision time! Lots of wonderful scrappers....it's going to be SO difficult deciding on just a few!
PPS...have you entered my YOU Design It Contest yet?!!?!? There are some good entries already, don't miss your chance to have your dream kit designed!!! :)
...Commercial over.... hee hee
Oh, one more PS....my DH loved his anniversary present! And I MUST say, that it look unbelieveably super perfect all matted and framed up!!! :) xoox

Happy Anniversary Honey! xo

Day 1 (aka Day 15)

I'm back on Rhonna's 21 Day Challenge! I thought I could do it on my own, but boy was it easy to skip a day here and there w/o anyone watching over me! This time around, my goal is to work out, in some form, EVERY day. Let's see how it goes. Yesterday was my first day and I met my goal for the day! This entry is about how I make a million excuses on why I don't stick to things....It's too hard....I don't have time...I can't do it.....It's ALL in my head!!!! :)
Products used: All created by me, Lauren Reid...Paper & flower stamp: from my Mahalo Kit, Doodle stitches: coming soon to the Divine Digital Store, box around "all": from my Scratchy Doodles {Boxes} set.

It's a Call!

PLEASE NOTE: Some people were having probs w/ my email so here is an alternate just in case... 3peaspress@gmail.com THANKS! xo

Layout Share & Happy NSD!

Here's a quick layout share! I used my new Down Cape II kit to scrap this pic of Jessica from last year. I LOVE the expression on her face!!! SO PRICELESS! :)

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!!!

New Kits & Spring has finally arrived!

Okay, seriously, it's May and yesterday was the FIRST warm day we've felt yet! I guess that's what you get for livining in New England! The boys were happy beyond words to be able to run around barefoot outside and eat dinner on the deck again! Jessica is still adjusting to the "terrain" of our yard...flat areas are few and far between! ahah She just had that look on her face like, what the heck is up with this floor?! hee hee

In design news, Down Cape II is up in the Divine Digital Boutique and these Scratchy Doodle -Sentiments should be up today!
In other Design News...I think I might put out a Creative Team call. I just don't have a ton of time to create layouts with my designs and would love to see them "in action". I'll update on that when I figure out the details.

Today, we are off to a playdate....picture it: 3 sets of twins (that's SIX 4 1/2 year olds!), 2 babies and 3 scrappy moms! What a site! These kids are just the cutest...they have literally grown up together...and are more like a bunch of siblings than friends! ahah

Circa 1978

Layout share time! I lov this pic of my husband and his family! SO 70's isn't it?! hee hee

Created with my new Mahalo kit at the Divine Digital Store.

New Kit, Double Ear Infections & a Marker

Lovely title, right?! :) It's been an eventful TWO days!
COMING SOON to the Digital Divine Store...

Onto the poor baby w/ the ear infections...
I'm seriously NOT winning any awards for best mom these days! Jessica had double ear infections 3 weeks ago and then I thought was better, but the past few days was still slightly "off", but not so much that I thought she was sick. So I took her in for a sick visit and...
DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS again! So she's juiced up on medicine to fix those up. She was already super perky tonight, so I think we'll be able to cure it this time around. Phew!

The marker.
Oh my sweet little Josh. Hmm...I tell the short version of this story..basically he was in a tear w/ Justin and ended up in time out to "take a break" as we say. He ends up storming upstairs and says, "I'm going to my room!" "Fine", I thought......then all of the sudden, my sweet little angel comes over to me and tugs on my hands and says, "Come on Mom, come look!" With a HUGE smile on his face! I said, "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"...."GOOD!" (more big smiles)...
He wrote ALL over the wall going up our staircase from the basement to the first floor!!! ORANGE MARKER!
...yeah......
Fingers crossed I can get it off the walls! Grrr!

Tagged by Michelle!

Thanks Michelle! Here are the questions I was tagged with...
5 things in my fridge:
1. organic whole milk for jessica
2. josh's 6-mp (medicine)
3. leftover pizza from dinner
5. american cheese (josh's staple food! haha)
6. salsa (justin's staple!)

5 things in my closet:
1. lots o' shoes
2. size 7 jeans that I refuse to get rid of since EVENTUALLY I'll lose the baby weight, right?! RIGHT?! hee hee
3. easter basket stuff
4. yellow pipe cleaners....why?.....
5. a stool

5 things in my purse:
1. cell phone
2. random snacks for the kiddies
3. curiously sour altoids
4. random notes on bits of paper
5. stickers(SWEET purse, right?!)

5 things in my car:
1. 3 car seats
2. sippy cups
3. NEW carpeting!
4. 1/2 eaten lunches from the boys eating on the way to swimming (LAST WEEK! EEEWE!)
5. CK Magazine

5 things on my tivo:
Hmm....is this a trick question? Am I SO out of the loop for not having one?!
I'll replace this with...
"5 things on my scrap table"
1. Michael buble cd
2. my sketch book loaded w/ random design ideas
3. jessica's album4. foaming body wash.....why?....
5. pile of scrap magazines

5 people I'm tagging:
1. Royanna
2. Estee
3. Jessica
4. Alisha
5. Corina

A little freebie...

While I was designing the Mahalo kit, this was the first paper I made. The kit ended up taking a different turn and this sheet never really fit in.
So enjoy! (This link only lasts 3 days.)
If you snag the paper, leave me a little comment lovin' and if you USE the paper, send me a link, I'd love to see what you did w/ it! :)

DOWNLOAD HERE

Mahalo & Taffy Girl {Shabby} are the store!

Yeah! My first kit is in the Divine Digital store!!! WooHoo! :)

Here's the link to Mahalo, which is sold as a full kit or just the papers.

I love these colors so much! If you have a chance to play with the kit, shoot me an email and I'll post your lo here! :)

EDIT: Taffy Girl {Shabby} Paper Pack is in store now too! :)

Wait til you see the Mega kit DD will be putting out for National Scrapbook Day....!!!!
Have a GREAT weekend!
oxox

Design Team News!

I have moved over from the Creative Team to the DESIGN Team at Divine Digital! So pretty soon you'll be able to find my designs in their shop! I'll be back with some sneak peeks! :)

Taffy Girl Freebie

Did you make it to the crop last night and snag the goodies given out?! I was having "technical difficulties" getting into the crop, but heard that there were 80 people there! If you weren't able to make it, but would like to pick up my Taffy Girl freebie, head over to the Divine Digital forum and look under Sundae Surprise Crop Recap and you'll find the link!

If you pick it up, please email me w/ a link to your los...I'd LOVE to see them! :)

Monday To Do:
- put away clean clothes
- pilates (done)
- call Big East - pay for next sessions gymnastics
- call SCS - pay for next session swim lessons
- call SSMC - mk appt for Jess to have ears rechecked
- organize raffles for Charity Crop
- call christine, marilyn, teri re: Crop
- mk appt to get boys hair cut

Come Crop Tonight!

Tonight at 10pm is the Sundae Surprise Crop with Royanna Fritschmann at Divine Digital. She'll be continuing her Design USA series and talking about photography & photo manipulation in PS.

What do you think about this???

You might just be seeing my new design, Taffy Girl, soon! [hint: GO TO THE CROP!]

The Exercise Gods

Apparently, the Exercise Gods are not with me on my new journey. I tried to start my new 21 Day Challenge yesterday with a goal of adding an exercise program to each day. Yesteray, 1 of my Pilates DVDs had vanished, the 2nd wouldn't work because it was all scratched (darn DVD pixies!). Then the baby woke up so I quit for the day.

Today, bright eyed and ready to go, I popped in my last Pilates DVD and....................it won't work either! Ugh! And my natural replacement would be my Yoga Booty Ballet DVD, but I loaned that to a friend (*mental note* get that back from her!) So....guess I'll hit the gym tonight if DH doesn't get home too late or I'll throw on a FIRM DVD after the kids go to sleep.

Any new workout tape recommendations????

For You....Wishing you strength...

I'll Be Here

Daddy please don't look so sad, Mommy please don't cry
'Cause I am in the arms of Jesus and He sings me lullabies
Please, try not to question God, don't think he is unkind.
Don't think He sent me to you, and then He changed His mind.
You See, I am a Special child, and I'm needed up above.
I'm the Special gift you gave Him, the product of your love.
I'll always be there with you, and watch the sky at night
Find the brightest star that's gleaming, That's my halo's brilliant light.
You'll see me in the morning frost, that mists your window pane.
That's me in the summer showers, I'll be dancing in the rain.
When you feel a little breeze, from a gentle wind that blows.
That's me, I'll be there, planting a kiss on you nose.
When you see a child playing, and your heart feels a little tug,
That's me, I'll be there giving you heart a hug.
So daddy, please don't look so sad, mommy don't you cry.
I'm in the arms of Jesus, and He sings me lullabies.

Easter LO Share

Here is a cute lo I made of my brother and DD from this Easter.

Supplies: Easter Egg Kit by Alisha Hess, scalloped edge by me, fonts: Antique Type, Greer, Thinking of you, ck cursive

Probably The Best Lauren In The World.

OMG! Clearly, I have too much time on my hands... or I just get sucked into mindless things easily... either way.... I just found this site on Kim Christensen's blog: Slogan Generator it's so funny! Here are my top slogans:

Think Lauren. (is this a slogan or a suggestion?!)
Naughty, but Lauren. (oooh!)
Stop. Go. Lauren.
Nothing Acts Faster Than Lauren.
Lauren Really Satisfies. (oooh, naughty!)
I liked the Lauren so much, I bought the company! (I think I recall Tom saying this...)
Wouldn't You Like to be a Lauren Too? (who wouldn't?! ahah)
Please don't squeeze the Lauren.
Lauren Is Job 1. (now, THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!)
A Lauren Is Forever. (yes...I'm like a disease...)
Break Me Off a Piece of That Lauren.
This is not your Father's Lauren. (oh my!)
Where do you want Lauren to go today? (this sounds like a computer program my husband set up!)

My boys :)

All my boys wrestling...Josh & Justin were smiling ear to ear! 

"Gross" follows me

Not only are my kids gross, my brother now falls right into that category too! Okay, to be fair, it really isn't his fault [THIS TIME]. During our Easter Egg hunt, a bird decided his shoulder looked like the perfect litter box! Yup, he was pooped on by a bird! hahaha Good thing I had my camera! :)  

21 Day wrap up!

I must confess that by the last week of the challenge, I had totally fallen off the sugar free boat! But, the good habits I had been working on are still present...and definately ingrained positive change. My plan is to keep working on that goal and start a new 21 Day Challenge on my own. This time my goal is to add exercise to my daily routine! Looking forward to starting that! :)
Here are Rhonna's quotes for the last days of the challenge...

Day 20

Day 19

Day 18

The ULTIMATE digi-scrapper 2006!

Digiscrappin.biz is hosting a brand new contest! Geared to reveal the Ultimate Digi-Scrapper, this contest offers an exciting prize package of $300.00 in cash and many generous prizes from their sponsors, including downloadable products, books, merchandise and tons of other great stuff! Eveyone will walk away with something!! Enter by April 28th!!!
Contest begins May 1st!

My kid is grosser than yours (PART 2)

As if the pickle juice incident wasn't gross enough... Jessica went and topped it today! I changed her diaper and let her roam around "free" for a few minutes. Then while I was putting socks on the boys she comes over to me w/ "stuff" in her hands!!! She apparently pooped and then picked up her 2 prizes! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK! The boys thought it was VERY funny! I washed her hands a million times and then hunted around to see if she had left any other presents around! .....yeah, I think 3 children is plenty.... :)

My kid's grosser than yours!

hahhah okay, so maybe not, but I DO have a gross story to share!

Yesterday morning, I was getting everyone ready to walk out the door so we could bring the boys to Preschool. I was downstairs with Josh and Jessica and Justin was upstairs in the kitchen. I go up and what do I find? Justin sitting at the table drinking juice... I was relieved he wasn't up to anything mischevious! I figured I would have found all the sprinkles out or something! Then I hear Josh say, "You don't eat pickle juice!"...YES, he had poured himself a cup full of PICKLE JUICE!!! Isn't that gross?!?!!?

To top the story off, when I told Tom what he'd done he said, "What's gross with that? Pickle juice is good!" ICK! Okay, so I apparently have TWO pickle juice drinkers!! ahahah

ox

Day 16 & 17

Day 17 Day 16

The important stuff

Your Mood Ring is Yellow

Imaginative Wondering Thoughts Peaceful

Mood Ring Generator

Your Superhero Profile

Your Superhero Name is The Azure Dusk Your Superpower is Divine intervention Your Weakness is Glitter Your Weapon is Your Invisible Rocket Your Mode of Transportation is Skis

What's your Superhero Name?

Top 10 Worst Habits

Keely's "Top 10" blog is up and running, and today's kick off Top 10 is Worst Habits:

1. too self critical
2. mismanaging my time
3. worrying too much (what if someone breaks into the house RIGHT now, what would i do? what if i get possessed like Emily Rose? What if the kids get really sick? worry worry worry....)
4. procrastination
5. short changing myself or feeling guilty when I have to charge people for work I do for them
6. taking on TOO many projects
7. eating too much sugar
8. working out too little
9. collecting clutter
10. forgetting to return phone calls (sorry joey!)

LO Share

Here is an oh-so-lovely portrait of a tired mom! haha This is a scraplift of Dani Mogstad's cutie lo, Cheese!

Supplies: taupe bkground - Tia Bennett, pink- kim christensen, hand pointing stamp - unknown, ric rac (recolored): steph730, corner: lori barnhurst, to do list: sarah batdorf, zoey overlay-cwallace, font: dreamed about you, butterbrotpapier, clear alphas: michelle coleman, staples: Shabby Princess

Day 15 & Jessica's Dr. visit

I had to laugh when I read today's quote because it made me think of the magnet on my fridge that says, "I can resist anything but temptation" ahahaha Onto the sugar...I had a profound moment over the weekend... okay, not so PROFOUND, but it was a moment for sure! I kinda jumped ship from the challenge (did i say that already in yesterday's post?!) and boy did I end up feeling lousy! So I'm ALL HERE again and ready to finish the challenge with a bang! (I'll just blame the weekend on PMS! Fair?!)

DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS... since I am having bloggers amnesia, I can't remember if I've written this yet, but.... Jessica had her 15 mo Dr. appt. on Friday and she is doing perfectly, BUT has DOUBLE EAR INFECTIONS! We had NO clue that she was even sick! She's getting in 3 molars, so she had be slightly "off", but nothing extreme. I was completely shocked and then felt SO terribly that I hadn't taken her to the Dr. sooner! :(

Day 14

I am posting todays quote prompt from Rhonna, but am too aggrivated by a thoughtless comment to journal on it.

Day 13

Here is Rhonna's quote prompt today... I SO needed this today after a day full of indulgence! I am going to bed with a headache and a slightly sick belly. This comes after too many treats at the Easter party this afternoon and then a night of cropping w/ the girls w/ too many more treats! Ugh! But, I will take this quote and regroup for tomorrow! Tomorrow is a new day! :)

PS...if you AREN"T on a sugar free quest.. I have a great little recipe for Eastery Rice Krispie Treats that I make. I made them for the Easter Party today...
3 1/2c Rice Krispies
2 1/2c Froot loops (or any other colorful cereal)
1/2 stick butter
1 bag mini marshmallows

You know what to do, right?! They come out so colorful and Springy looking! :) Enjoy!

Day 12

More than half way through the challenge! And in the words of Rhonna, I'm still RAWKIN'! :) (at least the majority of the time!) I'm looking forward to hopping on the scale today...hopefully things are still on a downward movement.

I even worked on my secondary goal last night and hit the gym for an hour of cardio. If they could only incorporate laptops into those machines, I'd be good to go! (If anyone ever invents that, they will be a huge hit in the digi scrappin world, am I right?!)

Inspiration from Day 10 & 11

Here are the amazing quote prompts Rhonna has posted on her blog for the Challenge! She has such a gift for picking out those super meaningful quotes, right?! Everyday I think, WOW! They always hit home....always kick me in the tush too! :) Thanks again Rhonna!

Day 11

Day 10

Day 10+

Still a day behind (I sound like a broken record!) so day 10 is not done or posted. But things are still going well. You most likely won't be seeing anymore of my pages because I am taking the challenge "offline" and into a small journal. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and support! Feel free to stop back here to see what else is going on! xo

Day 9

Again, I'm a day behind in posting! BUT, another day of triumph to report! The day came and went yesterday and I stuck to my goal...even while foodshopping...past eisles of sugary delights! But I came out the winner! :)

Someone asked me this week about the sugar thing..."are you eating bread?" So, I figured I'd address that mumbo jumbo. I am not being a fanatic about the sugar thing....I know that there is a book called Sugar Busters (or something like that) as well as other diets that outline what "sugar" is and where it can be found. BUT, my issue is with the more obvious sugar. So, although sugar can be found in fruit, bread, etc. I'm still eating that. I'm not eating sweet treats (chocolate, ice cream, etc.), or sugary cereal, etc. So, I hope that clears that part up. Also, my intention is not to NEVER have sugar again...but {{{I}}} want to be in control of when I have it, rather than it controlling me. My goal is that day to day, I won't have much, but then when I want something, I will be able to have a small bit and that will be it. I won't CRAVE it, I won't binge on it, I won't "need" it. So far, so good! :) THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT! xoxo

Day 8

I'm a day behind in my entries, but I am still sticking to my goal. Although, I must admit that I did have a wee bit of sugar yesterday on day 8. Chocolate fudge was calling my name! ahaha But, here's the crazy thing. 1. I took 2 bites and threw the rest away! It didn't taste as good as I thought it was going too, so to me it just was SO not worth breaking the strides I've been making. 2. I didn't really feel guilty about it nor did I feel "crazed" by it meaning I felt like I was going to go on some crazy sugar bender or something! ahahha ...I had it, it's over, no big deal. TODAY IS A NEW DAY! :)
(quote and images by Rhonna Farrer)

Day 7

One week down for Rhonna's challenge. Love the quote today, so true! Since I've started this challenge I've lost 3 or 4 lbs, just sticking to my no sugar goal. That is definately motivating me to stick to it! Woohoo! Hope that everyone else is having positive results as well! :)

Day 6 of 21 Day Challenge

This week seems like it is flying by...how did we already get to day 6?! I'm still hanging in there and doing well. Nothing too earth shatteringly important to report other than that I'm sticking to the challenge and feeling so positive about it! :)

TAGGED!

I was tagged by Christine!

4 job you have had in your life:
Kindergarten Teacher
1 on 1 Aide for a student w/ Cerebral Palsy (the most wonderful job in the world)
The Body Shop
Office Assistant in Career Planning Office (Ithaca College)

4 movies you could watch over and over:
Pretty in Pink
Groundhog Day
Old School
Sleepless in Seattle

4 places you have lived:
Byram, NJ
Ithaca, NY
Cambrige,MA
Plymouth, MA

4 TV shows you love to watch:
(I don't get to spend much time watching for myself, but I do tend to get sucked into "reality" shows)
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
The Bachelor (this past season was the 1st time i got sucked in!)
ReDesign w/ Kenneth (on HGTV)
Foodtv (love those contests and challenge shows!)

4 places you have been on vacation:
Rome, Italy
Long Beach Island, NJ
Myrtle Beach, NC
Camden, ME

4 websites you visit daily:
Rhonna Farrer
Alisha Hess
Ali Edwards
Scrapbook.com

4 favorite foods:
Salad (I LOVE LOVE LOVE salad)
my dad's lasagna
smoothies
these everything apple muffin things from my Dad's Bakery

4 places you would rather be right now:
in bed
getting a massage
on vacation w/ DH and the kiddos
a big ol' crop! :) 4 people you wish were still in your life:
My grandmother
Jacob
My parents (they are still alive, but live far away now)
Christine (still alive, thank goodness, just don't see her much anymore :(

4 goals in life:
live long enough to see my children's children have families
finish Rhonna's challenge....I'm kicking sugar!
lose the baby weight I've adopted from having the 3 kiddies
find a cure for IBD
4 people you are tagging:
not sure yet... hmmm....