From Watson with Love

{resolutions TBD}

2012-01-09T08:47:00.000-08:00

Since my resolutions are still TBD and my one little word for this year is on hold for a moment. I feel so frazzled with my brain lately with all the planning that I want to do, planning I need to do and school about to start again in a week. I've had so little time for me to think about me... and my resolutions and plans for this year and the years to come.

Gavin and I are about to take some big steps hopefully in the right direction. We are going to put the house on the market once again. We are having another bundle of joy in early summer, and we are going to hopefully buy another preowned home once we get our house sold. These are the goals for this year. Some may or may not happen, but God does not give obstacles that we can't overcome, and he only has 3 answers... Yes, Not Yet, and I have something better in mind. I'm taking this to heart right now.

But until then... I'll share what I have started back up again, couponing... yes. It's going to happen all year long, every week, and I'm going to be a coupon machine because well friends, when I don't use coupons I spend about $575 a month on groceries. When I do use them I spend about $250 a month. My goal is to spend about $240-260 each month on groceries which includes extra items here and there.

So today I'm going to share with you two wonderful blogs that I follow. They help me to stay on track and these are the pharmacy savings for this week that they've shared!!

Please enjoy these savings from Money Saving Mom:

http://moneysavingmom.com/2012/01/cvs-deals-for-the-week-of-january-8-14-2012.html

Please enjoy these savings from Moms By Heart:

http://momsbyheart.net/walgreens-deals-18-114/

Good luck to you with your resolutions and resolve to a little thrifty this year with these tools!!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{back to the grind}

2012-01-02T14:24:00.000-08:00

After some time off for winter break. I'm back in business.

Just a picture of what happened over the last week and half:

- Making dinner for Grandpa every few nights or so...
- Catching the flu and spreading it to several people
- Opening presents the Eve of Christmas Eve with my extended family
- Opening more presents on Christmas Eve with my family
- Opening even more presents on Christmas morning with my sweet daughter and husband, then exchanging gifts later that morning with Gavin's family
- Jetting off to San Antonio with full blown flu from Tuesday through Friday ( I thought I had a bad cold, sinus infection and laryngitis, little did I know...)
- Returned home late Friday evening to my sweet hubby who missed me while I was away
- Finally having a relaxing weekend with naps, ice cream and going out to eat for dinner, such a nice end to my week off from work
- Now when's my next holiday, I want to enjoy this one without being sick as a dog :)

How did you spend your winter break? What goodies did you loved ones or Santa leave for you under the tree?

This year I was spoiled with a 3lb bag of gummie bears, Uggs, movies, and other small trinkets including gift cards to buy my new double stroller for Harper and her little brother/sister. Then I was spoiled all week by my mom in San Antonio, it was so nice to travel and see family even if I was dying :)

Harper got lots of lovely gifts this Christmas. She was definitely spoiled, so we made a pile of giveaway gifts to donate. Santa brought a train table, dress up clothes and a soft Rapunzel. Mom and Dad got her some clothes, Disney Princess barbies, toddler Pocahontas, baby accessories, a role playing cleaning set, and some games. We put together several bags of gently used toys to donate including baby dolls, baby strollers, and other small things. We reorganized her room, and now we are going to go through her drawers and reorganize those and sell her gently worn stuff to Once Upon a Child to buy some Spring and Summer clothes when it comes time. Right now she is still in her 2T clothes even though she is approaching 3; she's just a petite thing.

I hope that everyone's holidays plans went well, and that you were blessed this year. Happy New Year to everyone!!!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{recipe share}

2011-12-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

I have a WONDERFUL, EASY, PEASY recipe to share with all of you. This is my favorite recipe that I have collected over the years from my family members, and I love to make this when people are unwell or in need of something quick and easy to make for themselves like after bringing home a new baby or loss of a loved one, etc.

Aunt Karina's EASY PEASY Chicken Pot Pie (makes 2 pies = 1 to cook now, 1 to freeze for later)

You'll need:
1 can of Cream of Brocoli soup
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 can of Cream of Potato soup
1 can of Mixed Vegetables
2 Deep Dish Pie crusts (2 comes in package)
2 Unroll Pie Crust (2 comes in package)
1 lb of Cubed Chicken Breast
1 can of Chicken Broth
3 cups of Water

This meal is very easy to put together, the prep time is very short anywhere from 10-20 minutes total. Total cooking time is 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Thaw/Defrost chicken breast and cube. Add chicken broth to 3 cups of water and boil. Add cubed chicken breast to boiling water, cook for 10-15 minutes until done. Chicken will be white, no pink.

While boiling the chicken, drain the can of mixed vegetables. Add mixed vegetables and soups to medium sized mixing bowl and stir.

Drain chicken in colander or just scoop out the chicken with a slotted spoon and add to the pot pie mixture. Stir until chicken is spread evenly among mixture.

Take out frozen deep pie crusts and scoop pot pie mixture into pans evenly.

Unroll 1 refrigerated pie crust, lay on top of pie and fold up the sides, crimping/pinching with fingers until pie is sealed. Make 2-4 cuts on the top to let out steam. Repeat for the next pie.

At this point, you can choose to make both the pies if you have a large family. Freeze both of the pies for someone special or for another day, or you could cook one pie and freeze one for later. It's really that simple!!

Cook on 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Yay, so I'm so happy to share this recipe with you, and I hope that you will love it. I'm very particular about my pot pies, and not a big fan of them overall, but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe!! It is the absolute best, EASY pie around to bake!!

Enjoy this recipe!!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{creative team call - scrapFREAK}

2011-12-13T11:08:00.000-08:00

Hey you scrappers out there,

This just in... Scrap FREAK is hosting a creative team call. I just wanted to give all of you lovelies a heads up if you are interested in trying out. I think I might; you never know, eh, and I love the challenge of being a part of a design team. It keeps me so motivated!! Here is what they posted:

"Scrapfreak is looking for a team of enthusiastic scrappers to kick off 2012. We’re looking for approximately 6 (could be more, could be less) fun, motivational, responsible peeps to join our Creative Team and help encourage others in this incredible hobby. Scrapfreak is a scrapbooking community dedicated to motivating and inspiring you to tell your stories. Whether that be about you, your family, your history, etc., the goal is the same…document those moments. TELL YOUR STORY.

SUBMISSIONS DUE: December 26, 2011

Term: January - April 2012

Creative Team Requirements:

A MUST-HAVE passion for scrapbooking and the ability to inspire and motivate others
Approximately 2 layouts per month by the set deadlines (as assigned as part of our Freaky Friday challenge rotation)
Assistance with planning, online crops, classes, etc. as well as any additional layouts/projects as needed for said events
Participation in forum discussions
Promote all Scrapfreak related events on your personal blog and/or Facebook/Twitter account
Promote and encourage scrappers of all levels to join and participate at Scrapfreak
Comment on all projects uploaded to the Scrapfreak gallery

How to Apply:

Please email monica@scrapfreak.com with the following information:

Full name, city/state/country, and email address
Small paragraph with background on yourself, how much of your time is dedicated to scrapbooking, and why you feel you would be a good fit for Scrapfreak
2-3 recent layouts that are most like you and your style of scrapping (links or attachments are acceptable)
Link to your blog as well as Facebook/Twitter pages that would be used to promote Scrapfreak (not all are required but should have at least one or the other)
List of any other online communities you’re involved in and any design team history
Link(s) to any online galleries

Presently there is no monetary or product compensation for your design team commitment. However, there are few things we can offer you:

Experience – If you haven’t been on a design team before, this is an excellent opportunity to add to your scrappy resume.
Challenge – Nothing is more motivational than participating in challenges and being on a team with a commitment.
Community – The freaks are a great group of people that are active and supportive of each other. It is truly a very welcoming site.
Links to Scrapfreak’s weekly Freaky Friday challenge threads (including your layouts) on our Facebook and Twitter pages
Recognition through Scrapfreak's Facebook and Twitter pages

A few other things to note:

You do not have to be a member of the forum to submit…although you should join anyway because the freak is the coolest place to be online!
Both US and International submissions accepted.
Previous design team experience not required.
Our plans are to notify new design team members before January 6, 2012.
Creative Team term will begin immediately following the announcement.

We encourage each and every one of you to apply! We look forward to seeing your submissions."

Good luck to all of you who try out for this fun design team. I'm not involved in this in any way shape or form, I'm just supporting this WICKED online community of scrappers, and I hope that you will join me there!!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{any recommendations}

2011-12-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Now that I have 2 finals down, and 1 to go... I'm seriously looking into picking up a book to read in my spare time.

I want to read at least a couple books in the month between classes. I usually find time to read right before bed when I don't have piles of homework to do.

What do you recommend?

I've heard The Hunger Games are amazing, and the Game of Thrones books are good, but I'm thinking of reading a classic or a non-series type of book...

Some of the books on my list include:

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Let me know what you think and what you recommend... I desperately want to find a good book to read, at least one if not two!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{top 5 embellishments}

2011-12-09T13:40:00.000-08:00

Today has been a good day at work, despite my lethargy. I’m tired all the time. Tonight I have plans with my study guides, textbooks, and notes to make sure that I’m fully prepared for the two exams that I have on Monday. Following those two exams, I plan to study for my final in Psychology, fun stuff…

My sister was gracious enough to agree to watch my sweet girl tonight for GG and I, so that we can really focus on studying, and Harper can have a fun time with her sweet Aunt May-May. I'm going to pick up my sister from my parent's house, then I'm going to pick up some pizzas for easy dinner tonight, and they will have fun watching holiday movies and playing after bath time.

But who cares about finals, when you have scrapbooking on the brain, eh? I was trying to think of my favorite embellishments to work with, and I have come up with a list of my top 5 embellishment types that I work with each time I craft!!

1. Ribbon and Trim – Oh how I can’t get enough of this Dear Lizzy Rose Ribbon by American Crafts. I’m a huge fan of ribbon and trim on layouts, I’m sure you could tell from all the previous posts of scrapbook layouts with ribbon/trim.

2. Buttons – Button, button who’s got the button? Me that’s who. I have my buttons divided by color in a bead organizer for easy on the go storage. It was super cheap, and it is super easy for find what I am looking for. Some of my FAVORITE buttons include Jenni Bowlin’s Vintage Buttons and Webster’s Pages Vintage Sparklers!

3. Stickers – From cardstock to chipboard, I love sticky embellishments. My go to sticky embellishments are hands down Thickers by American Crafts and Mini Market Stickers by October Afternoon. Also, I can’t leave out my love of Crate Paper and Basic Grey chipboard.

4. Flowers and Details – This is a weird category because it includes anything that slightly resembles a flower to me or something that is stacked, layered, or felt. I really love Bloomers from Basic Grey, Flowers from Prima Marketing, and Details from American Crafts; don’t get me started on paper flowers either!

5. Other Funky Stuff – This stuff doesn’t really belong in any particular category, but I love to use these and see these in other people’s paper crafts! I love these Doilies by Maya Road, Mini-Envelopes, and trinket pins like these Cameos from Webster’s Pages.

Well that’s all she wrote for today, and I certainly hope that you enjoy this little list of fun and creative that I put together!! This is a nice way for me to be a little fun and creative today without actually making anything! Haha. I have to study tonight, so I hope that all of you get to be creative tonight and think of me while you’re doing it!

With Love,

Gabrielle Watson

{this truly is}

2011-12-07T14:03:00.000-08:00

The most wonderful time of the year! Finals are almost here, and I am so glad to be finishing out this semester with a bang. I'm completing a few extra credit articles on the side, and Gavin is working a lot of overtime to help fill up the bank since we spent a lot for Christmas all in a short amount of time. Yes, I have a wonderful husband!!

Now that this grueling time of the year (finishing up the semester) is coming to a close, I am looking forward to spending time with my friends and family. I am also looking forward to staying up a bit later at night (if PJ allows it) and getting some real scrapbooking done at home.

As most of you know, I designate 1 Saturday a month for cropping, and I love doing that. I pretty much have bag packed always to go, and during the school year sometimes this is the only time that I get to scrap! It's SUCH a travesty; now that I'm going to have SEVERAL weeks off, and I'm ONLY taking 2 classes next semester, I know that I will have GOBS of time to spend doing this hobby that I love so much! Now if only I could sell my house, pay off my student loans, and convince my hubby to let me stay at home then I would HAVE even more time to scrap in my OH so LOVELY scrapbook room.... my mind wanders.

Well I tried to keep this short since I'm at work, but I always get carried away. I'm such a yapper!

Right now I'd love to share with you my very favorite basic scrapbook supplies. I told a young lady who is a bit new to scrapbooking about the tools that you need to start, but I'll share with you the tools that I use each at every time I'm scrapping...

1. Paper Trimmer - Mine is by Fiskars. I like this size because it is portable, and it has a great handle that swings to help cut those 12x12 sheets of patterned paper and cardstock. The replaceable blades are VERY cheap too.

2. Adhesive - I use the Pink Advanced Tape Glider Gun because although it is a splurge at first the tape is very CHEAP (I typically spend $2 a roll), and there is much more adhesive per roll than with other adhesive guns.3. Great Writing Tools - I adore the White Signo Uniball and the Black Ranger Ink Pen. They are both relatively inexpensive, and they each last a long time. Such great pens!

4. Scissors - I have some Fiskars that are big and some little precision point, but my favorites are the Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors. Amazing, and worth every penny with a coupon!5. Paper - Patterned Paper and Solid Cardstock is definitely a necessity when you get into paper crafting. I have some stellar favorite brands, but I always look for a heavy pattern paper and a good textured cardstock. I prefer to keep the neutrals on hand at all times kraft, black, and white. I delve into colored cardstock from time to time. I prefer mine to be textured with a canvas feel or tiny swiss dots. I love me some embossed cardstock.

But that is my swell top 5 basics list! I hope this helps all you future scrappers to know what the must haves are when you start scrapbooking. My next list will be top 5 embellishments you can't design without :)

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{geepers batman}

2011-12-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

I know silly title, right? Wrong! Harper is in love with Batman. She is such a silly girl, a lot like her Daddy. Last night when I finally laid down after a rough night in class, back aches, head aches, and the like... I noticed my sweet angel was snuggled up next to not one, but three Batman figurines all from her Daddy's childhood collection. The other day she even attempted to put the Batman car in the bathtub, but luckily Daddy caught it in time.

More news.... I am 10 weeks pregnant. We got to see pictures of our little one for the first time at our first sonogram. We are super excited, and it's beginning to finally set in. I'm quickly growing out of my pants and in the last few weeks I've jumped from a size 2 to a size 6 from bloating amongst other things... so I invested in a couple pairs of new jeans and some khakis that I can actually button until it's time for maternity pants. I'm trying to avoid maternity as much as I can at this point because I really love form fitting clothing while I'm expecting. I'm very proud of the growing bump that I have. I feel that I'm showing much sooner with this pregnancy than I did with Harper, but I attribute that to the fact that my body has gone through this all once before.

School is wrapping up nicely. I'm done with the two big projects of the semester that I've been dreading; now I am praying each night for a grade of A on each of these assignments so I can lock in yet another 4.0 this semester. I checked my degree plan the other day, and I'm at a 3.504 GPA, so if all goes well I will graduate with honors in the Spring. If my dreams go bust, then I will be pretty depressed for the next semester though. I'm such a perfectionist when it comes to school, and I only wish that I had tried a little harder when I was doing my first 30 hours at UNT. But whatever, you live your learn, right?

I haven't had too much time to scrapbook as of late because of my HUGE Research Proposal which ended up being 11 pages long (it was supposed to be 5-7), and because of family activities, but now that this semester is finishing up I'm going to give myself more time to just enjoy my crafting. I wanted to post a couple of layouts that I look at and well.... I just love them for their simplicity and all the lovely white space. That is definitely my style... a lot of white space and almost minimalistic at times, but it's so me.

{i am so blessed}

2011-11-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

I thank God for all I've been given at the end of everyday.

Enough with music lyrics today. We've been mostly listening to holiday music at my house for the last couple of weeks. We put up our Grinch tree. I just love cherishing Thanksgiving and Christmas all at once. I just feel that this season is so wonderful, and I have much to be thankful for everyday.

I've been overwhelmed at school as of late, but I feel quite caught up at this moment. It feels better now that I have a couple of exams out of the way. I need to finish a big project in my Disasters class, and I need to write a research proposal, so that requires real research on my part, eek.

Tomorrow I visit the doctor to get my check up; if I'm lucky maybe I'll get my first sonogram. Looking forward to seeing my little peanut. I'm pretty caught up at work right now, so there isn't much going on really.

This weekend I attended a Slop Crop and I was able to use my Silhouette Cameo for the first time. It was amazing!! I love it. Very cool, and it was a lot easier to use that I thought it would be. I was surprised. I'm looking forward to making many wonderful things with it and getting a little bit crafty.

This weekend Harper did so great. She rode on her tricycle around the park; she went potty in the big potty, and she shaved her face and legs with her new Spiderman Shaving Kit :) That's the life if you ask me!

{they who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing}

2011-11-06T06:04:00.000-08:00

I stepped away from blogging for a couple of weeks due to some tragic and happy news that I feel ready to share with my readers and friends. Many of you already know from Facebook that my grandmother recently and very tragically passed away. We had her funeral on Friday, and I am finally feeling a sense of closure and hope now that she is at rest. Many tears were shed for this beautiful woman. She will be missed, but we find comfort that she is all around us now, and she has a beautiful room made up in Heaven just for her.

Friday October 28th, my family and I celebrated my grandfather's retirement. It was a beautiful breezy day, and it was an emotional roller coaster as my grandfather and mother begin this journey in their life together.

Saturday morning I got a call that my grandmother had a heart attack in the wee hours of the morning, and that she was at DRMC. I got up immediately showered and headed down to the hospital. When I got there, they had found bleeding on her brain, so she had also had a cerebral aneurysm. We had her care flighted to Baylor in Dallas where my family sans Gavin and me stayed the night in the waiting room outside of the ICU.

Sunday morning we headed back to the ICU. The neurosurgeon told our family that she woke up that morning probably with a bad headache, then walked to the restroom and passed out into an irreversible coma. The doctor explained to us that she was instantly brain dead which led to her cardiac arrest upon my Aunt and cousin finding her. She was not in any pain, which gives us much comfort, and the passed quickly once we turned off the machines. We were all present at that moment on that very sad Sunday afternoon. My grandmother was 65 years old and in wonderful health. There was nothing that she nor any of us could've done to prevent this from happening or save her once it occurred. It could happen to any of us.

Her visitation on Thursday evening was full of much sadness, heartache, but it was really wonderful to see all of her friends and our family come from long distances to pay their respects to such a wonderful lady. Her celebration of life was Friday morning at Cross Timbers Church of Denton, and it was a very beautiful service. I sang Ave Maria because my grandfather had requested it to be sung at her service, and I know that my grandmother was watching from Heaven, excited that I was singing at her celebration. She always asked me to sing at family gatherings and events, and I was always too shy to do so, so I felt honored that I could bless my grandmother with this final gift.

I will always treasure and remember you dear Patricia Strickland. You were a wonderful daughter, mother, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, and you will be missed dearly in all the remaining days of our lives. I hope to see you again in the great hereafter when God calls me home.

Love your granddaughter,

Gabrielle Kronenberger Watson

PS. My heart has been heavy for the last week, but full of joy too. It's so hard feeling conflicted between joy and sadness at such a moment of loss, but as the Lord takes one life from us, he blesses our whole family with another. Gavin and I expecting our second child. I'm 7 weeks, so still very new and in my first trimester. I leave this in God's hands. If this child is meant to be, it will be. I think that he is giving us this life to help us to overcome the sorrow that he knew that we'd be feeling with the loss of the matriarch of our family. We found out the week before my grandmother passed away, and I told her while she was in a coma at the hospital. I know she heard me. I know that my family has been suffering, but I also think this news is helping to alleviate some of their suffering; God has found a way to ease our sorrows and is helping us to come together to usher new life into this world and our family.

Psalm 126:5

They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing.

It came

2011-10-21T17:14:00.001-07:00

My silhouette cameo arrived today, yay!

{new blog}

2011-10-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

Well it certainly took me HOURS to do, but I've updated my blog after many, many, many moons. I hope that you all love it! It was a free template that I found online; there are a couple other free ones out there that were mega cute :)

{creative weekend}

2011-10-18T14:15:00.000-07:00

Although I'm having a busy and restless kind of week; I did have a wonderfully creative Saturday. I made just a few layouts, so here they are for your enjoyment!!

{scrap room photos - image heavy post)

2011-10-16T19:20:00.000-07:00

This has been such a fabulous weekend. I didn't work on any of my homework (I'm ashamed), but I did get a bit scrappy at my monthly Slop Crop (feel free to join me anytime, really) on Saturday. Friday night I helped my mom purge a lot of OLD, OLD, OLD scrap stuff and reorganize some things and ate a delicious dinner cooked mostly by her (I helped a little). Saturday was an all day affair (that's usually how Slop Crops go). Today (Sunday), we slept in late (till 9), then I studied for a little bit, took a cat nap (I NEVER get to do this), showered, took visited the Big Orange Pumpkin Patch for a few hours, then came home slipped into PJs, made a delicious dinner (baked chicken, garlic butter rice, and steamed veggies), and got Harper into bed ON time after watching The Hutchback of Notre Dame and reading 4 books before finally putting her into bed.

It has been a swell weekend. Gavin is now taking a test online. I aced my online quiz, and I going to complete my reading assignments until Gavin is done with this exam, then we will watch either Boardwalk Empire, Dexter, Homeland, Hung or the Walking Dead. We NEVER get to watch television, thank goodness for DVR!

So finally after weeks of anticipation.... I've uploaded images of my scrap room just for you! Enjoy, relish, and roll in it; I love my crafty space. It is still a work in progress. I would absolutely love to replace the Mickey Mouse TV with a flat screen, but HECK it was free, and it works amazingly! I would also love to replace the TV stand that it sits on with another black wire rack like the one in the photos. Those are usually inexpensive (go on sale often at Target), and they are just plain handy dandy. I love the industrial look. I would LOVE, love, love to pain my hutch but not sure what color, and it would be fabulous to brighten up the scrap room with better lighting and a different wall color. This is the color of all the walls in my house except the bedrooms, bathrooms, and office. EVERY room and ceiling in the house though :) - AND I would love to hand some stuff on the walls. I plan to make a 'brag rack' with clips from IKEA, but I just don't have the time or money to invest in little wants like that. The holidays are coming up so I have to start thinking about that!

{weekend wrap up}

2011-10-03T10:09:00.000-07:00

Let me sum up this weekend for you in a complex sentence. Gavin and I watched Transformers Dark Side of the Moon; then we studied the rest of the weekend, but I did take a time out from studying to get my hair cut and to scrapbook a little, and I even took photos of my *new* scrapbook room.

Haha, that's the longest sentence really.... :)

Well I mentioned that I took pictures of my *new* scrap room, and I did. It was the formal dining room, but then I told Gavin that it was pointless and a waste of GREAT space and light, and that it MUST be my scraproom, so it is yay!

It's been my scapbook room officially since August, but who cares? I'm just glad to have such a large space. I haven't uploaded the pictures online, but I will this evening after I'm done taking my test before I pick up Harper girl from her Lita's house.

Despite all the hours spent studying for my 3 (yes, 3) upcoming exams; we still managed to have some fun fitting in a couple of flicks with Harper a two hour trip to Stonebriar mall in Frisco, and last nights episode of Boardwalk Empire. I love that show *squeel*.

We also produced a short film (it's 24 seconds long) of the Birthday Song to my very good friend Robin!!

And I'll share that with you now!
Enjoy the rest of today and enjoy this short clip of Harper and her mommy ;)

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{whee!}

2011-09-30T19:58:00.001-07:00

One of my most favorite scrappy spots on the web is BACK, and I had no clue!! Please join in the chatter over at ScrapFREAK. It's a scrappy forum with the occasional challenge, fun crops, and pinsperational gallery! Thanks a million Monica for bringing the freak back to the web!

www.scrapfreak.com - Get your freak on :)

{tis the season}

2011-09-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Tis the season to be shopping, fa, la, la, la, la-a, la, la, la, la-a :)

I've begun my Christmas shopping this year, and I've taken some steps to make this year's Christmas experience hearty and full, but on a beer budget. Money Saving Mom blogged about the 7 Ways to Save Money and Stay Organized When Shopping for Holiday Gifts; it's a great article. It helped me to make a list of everyone who I'm buying for, or gifts that I'll be making, like for my student employees at my job. Now that I'm a supervisor, I feel obligated to get them a little something. I figure I'll bake them some cookies and give them a gift card to Starbucks or Einstein Bros here on campus, just $5.

Here is my list:
Harper, Shara, Jenna, Brayden, Avery, Kayla, Jack, Adler, Megan, Hannah, Kevin Jr, my parents, Gavin's parents, Stephanie, Chad, Darbi, Wes, donation gifts, 3 student workers, and secret santa for my dad's side of the family.

I've taken down my budget for all the nieces and nephews to $15 each instead of $20 each that we were spending the last few years. Regardless of bringing down my budget, I've been able to save a ton of money, AND still get the same kind of gifts that I got them before.

I've already purchased gifts for Shara, Jenna, Avery, Hannah, and Megan, and I know they will love them. I won't spoil it here though until Xmas, but I hate hold back! I've spent a total of $63 on the 5 of them; that's an average of $12.30 each, and they've got some great gifts (not just one, but multiple gifts, and I'm a little jealous). I love being spend-thrifty!!

Well that's it for now, but in the name of all things holiday since this blurb is about the holidays, I'll share a few Pins that I've found recently that are a bit... spooky, creepy, joyful, and lovely.

1. Halloween is coming up, great free subway art.

Source: eighteen25.blogspot.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

2. Ghoulish dancing dresses for the front yard, perfect for the ultimate spooky Halloween

Source: ww3.gardenpicture.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

3. Crafty decor or gift idea for Christmas

Source: redheadscraftmorefun.blogspot.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

4. The most perfect holiday dress, picture this with a skinny black belt, black tights, black shoes, and chandelier earings, lovely

Source: shopruche.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

5. Same goes for this outfit, black belt, tights, shoes with chandelier earrings. Parfait :)

Source: shopruche.com via Gabrielle on Pinterest

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{humdrum monday}

2011-09-19T06:54:00.000-07:00

Today is just a humdrum Monday for sure. On our ride into work/school this morning, Harper and I met a train that was quite literally a mile long and going 20mph. We sat at the crossing for a good 7 minutes; it was quite long.

Yesterday I purchased a few things from CVS, spent some money, saved some money...

(2) Goldfish, B1G1 free store deal
(2) 5 Gum, B1G1 free CVS coupon (at kiosk)
(2) Pampers Easy Ups 2/$18.00 - 1.50 manu coupon
(1) Huggies Pull Ups 9.00 - $1.50 manu coupon
(2) Tide 5.94 ea - 3.00 (2 x 1.50 manu coupon
(1) Johnson Shampoo $3.00 - .50 manu coupon
(1) Schick Hydro 5 refill $8.79 - 2.00 manu coupon
(1) Cetaphil 8.29 - $1.00 manu coupon
(1) Candy Corn $.99

Out of pocket: 59.71 (including tax)
ECB: 15.99

I admit this wasn't my best, and then I spent $141 at Walmart right after, but I'm stocked up on food for about 3-4 weeks, so hopefully I won't have to buy anymore groceries for a few weeks.

Not much really happened this week. I purchased Photoshop Elements 9, and I'm slowing trying to figure it out. It's much harder than I expected for some reason, so I'm not having loads of fun with it yet. I've downloaded some free actions from TheCoffeeShopBlog, and I got some other free actions from Paint The Moon, both of these sets of free actions work with Creative Suite and PSE9. So for all you budding photogs like me take advantage of these freebies. After I've use these freebies and see how I feel about the actions, I'm thinking about investing in Wonderland 2 Action Pack from Paint the Moon.

Well that's all for now folks, not much else going on these days. I'm waiting on my grade from my Psychology exam. I have a paper to write this week for that class, and I need to read the next chapter for our quiz on Wednesday. I need to start on this week's module in Dash's class.

There was a couple who looked at our home 3 times last week, but they neglected to make us an offer. Our house is in their top 3 though, which is awesome. It's a buyers market, what can we say?

Gavin and I are looking at cars for us. We have our heart set on one of these babies...
2010 Mazda 5, less than 20K miles
Yes it is a mini-mini van, yes it has 6 seats, and yes it all 6 cup holders ;)

Have a great Monday!

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{forgive me}

2011-09-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hey folks,

I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. I've just been busy with trying to enjoy life, study hard, working at a new job, and being a tiny bit overwhelmed with everything.

I am here to update everyone on what has been happening in my life in 10 bullet points:

- I started a new job with the College of Education, and I love it. - The house is still on the market. Someone looked at it yesterday, but we've basically given up hope that the house will sell, oh well. - I am informally shopping around for new cars for Gavin. Just looking at overall cost, highway mileage, and we are looking at pre-owned cars, bigger bang for a our buck. - School began at the end of August. I'm in 9 hours, so far I'm now drowning, but I am tired of school. - I'm researching the GRE and graduate programs. I'm leaning towards Educational Psychology. - I finally visited with a dermatologist in my area about my ever-growing acne problem. - I know I've mentioned this a month ago, but I am being published in the January 2012 copy of Scrapbook Trends magazine. I'm really excited! - Harper is getting over a sore throat virus this week. - I need to purchase more photo editing software to finish my good friend's baby baptismal photos. I've been displeased with the edits that I did, and I want photoshop, but I need the the time to train myself in the new software before just jumping in. - A very good friend of mine is adopting a sweet little girl from Austin, and I couldn't be more proud of their family. We are pulling items out of our attic for them to borrow with their little girl when they bring her home. She is currently finishing up a stint in the NICU; I am making them a little something special. I'm sure your can guess what it is. I'll post pictures later once I give them their gifts.

And now that I'm done giving updates.... I'll share a couple of lovely pictures that I took and edited of my sweet Harper. She is growing up so quick. Her hair is really long in this photo, but we just lopped it all off at Sharkey's Cuts for Kids in Frisco. It is such a great place for children's haircuts. I HIGHLY recommend it.

{getting published}

2011-08-07T16:22:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to submit a layout for Scrapbook Trends magazine. This is my first stab at trying to get published, so I am really excited for this opportunity. Look for a layout by me in the January 2012 issue of Scrapbook Trends magazine!

With Love,

Watson

{buying a silhouette, selling my cricut gear}

2011-07-30T18:21:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I am going to sell all of my Cricut gear. I am selling my Cricut Original Machine with George & Basic Shapes Cartridge (SOLD) that I've had for less than two years for $60 (free shipping), and I am selling all of these linked cartridges:

$18 each (free shipping)

Plantin' Schoolbook

Designer's Calendar

Opposite's Attract

Stretch Your Imagination (Pending)

(these ones have the original boxes)

$15 each (free shipping)

Accent Essentials

Serenade (Pending)

Home Decor

Stamping

Blackletter

Home Accents

(none of these have boxes, just the cartridge/overlay/booklet)

If you are interested in buying one of these lovelies, email me at tinyscrapper at yahoo dot com or leave a comment with your email, and I will send you a paypal request. I am selling these goodies so that I can invest in a Silhouette SD machine. I've really wanted one of these for a while; I've been weighing my decision since 2009, and now I am ready to purchase.

With love,

Gabs

**I've updated yet again stuff that is sold has been removed. What is left is still on the list :)

{halloween mini-album}

2011-07-30T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Saturday, and in a few minutes I will be taking Harper to her Lita's house where I will be helping my mom paint her new scrapbook room and get organized! I'm really excited about this; we've been planning her room since we discovered Pinterest. I have over 700 pins, and I've only been pinning for a couple of weeks; I am addicted!!

Since I'll be leaving shortly, I wanted to quickly share with you a project that I started working on last night. I was inspired by the most recent copy of the Create series from Scrapbook Trends, Mini-Albums. I started on a little chipboard mini-album celebrating Harper's 2010 Halloween, where she dressed up as Madeline, and I dressed up as Miss Clavel. Enjoy!

Supplies list

Chipboard: Maya Road, Cosmo Cricket

Stickers: The Paper Studio, October Afternoon

Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket

Embellishment: Jenni Bowlin

{summer CHA must haves and a big update}

2011-07-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Oh my word it has been a LONG time since I last blogged, and I am so sorry to all of my loyal friends and followers out there!! I have been out of touch for many months, but I am back, and I mean business!

For those of you interested to know, I finished my very, overwhelming Spring semester with a bang; I made 4 A’s, and that means I received a 4.0. My Summer classes started that following Monday, and I completed both classes with an A, so another 4.0, now I am out of school for about 4 more weeks. I am living it up at home, in the evenings just spending time watching movies with my family, scrapbooking, swimming, and going to bed early/on-time.

Our house is still on the market. It is still in great condition, but we are getting a brand new roof due to hail and wind damage. Also, we extended our listing contract, so it will be on the market until October of 2011; at that point, we will take it off the market for the holidays.

I’ve gone through several hair transitions this summer. In the Spring, I went caramel blonde, it was very golden and gorgeous. When my roots started coming in, I drove down to San Antonio, spent time with my dear sister Megan. I went platinum blonde. It looked fantastic, and I loved it, but it was short lived. My roots came back in less than 3 weeks, so now I am a light shade of red, and I am in LOVE with it. I get tons of compliments on it, so I know it was a good move on my part.

I recently got back from my annual Summer Scrapbook Retreat at Memory Lane Inn in McKinney, TX. I had so much fun seeing my family and good friends. I didn’t get as many pages done as I did last year, but I still got a lot completed. I also reorganized all of my papers by manufacturer, created some kits out of my stash that include everything I need to travel with to crops, purchased a new trimmer from Michael’s, and I finally spent my gift card reward from Scrappin’ Bunnies on loads of new paper and accessories. I purged a ton of patterned papers, an entire Iris Container full of solid cardstock, and several stickers and accessories that I know I wouldn't use, and it FELT SO GOOD. I love to PURGE.

Now that I am back from my brief vacation from life, I am reorganizing my scrapbook room, and I am getting ready to start a new job on August 1^st. I applied to and was offered a job in the College of Education at UNT, so I am transitioning so to speak. During my free time, I am reading over the office manual, and I am getting great design ideas for my very own office. This will be the first time that I am not working in a cubicle, what fun! I am so pleased, grateful, and ready for this new challenge in my life. I look forward to my future at UNT and making new friends and colleagues. Thank the Lord; He knew just what I needed after this tough year.

And onto something a bit scrappy…

I will be posting a few layouts later on this week; I need to take pictures of my most recent works; I have several that I am very proud of. And since I don’t have super layouts to share with you today, I would love to share with you my top faves for the Summer CHA which is going on right now in Chicago; wish I was there!!!

Summer 2011 CHA Favorites:

1. Basic Grey – Nordic Holiday

2. Crate Paper – Farmhouse, Random, and Peppermint

3. Cosmo Cricket – Assorted Sized Glubers

4. Studio Calico – Memoir

5. Webster Pages – Trim, Pins, Flowers, Trinkets

6. My Mind’s Eye – Lost & Found Two Rosy

And I have several honorable mentions as well, so I've included those:

1. Pebbles – Fresh Goods

2. American Crafts – Amy Tangerine Papers & Coordinates

3. Pink Paislee - Nantucket

I am following all the CHA Summer releases at The Scrap Review, and I am definitely giving my opinions on what is hot and not this CHA, and I hope that you check them out and do the same!

{just a taste}

2011-04-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

Hello friends,

I am giving everyone a taste of what's to come this summer. More SCRAPPIN that is!!!! There are 4 weeks left this Spring semester that has been extremely difficult, stressful, overhwhelming and time consuming. I can't wait till it's over, and I get a bit of a 'break.' I'm only taking 2 class during the summer, and it's only for 8 weeks, woot!!

So... like I mentioned earlier, here is a taste of all the lovely creations that I will be making this summer:
I made these pretties using Emma's Shoppe from Crate Paper and other goodies from Studio Calico, Maya Road, and Sassafras Lass.

Enjoy!! I also wanted to share that I tied for first place in a Layout Design Contest for the shop Scrappin Bunnies in McKinney, TX, so I am REALLY excited about it. I tried posting my layout on blogger, but it keeps coming out the wrong direction, so I will try again later!!!

Thanks for reading and ta-ta for now!!

{ah HUGE sale and mumblings}

2011-04-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

So I've been busy, busy, busy, just trying to keep up with school. My computer has been incredibly dodgey at work, so it's been in and out for repair, so that is one reason why I haven't been blogging as much. Can't blog without my main puter! Anyhoo... I wanted and needed to share this with you!! Catch the Moments Kits is having ONE HUMONGOUS sale, and I just wanted to clue all my fave people in on it!!! Lots of stuff from this past CHA is one sale for uber cheap, so stock up before it's all gone!! And I'm off now... I've done barely any scrapping lately, but I got some cute projects done that, well, I just love. I used the new stuff from Catch the Moments Kits - including goodies from American Crafts, Studio Calico, and Crate Paper. I'm spending most of my 'free' time just with my sweet family and studying for the most part. Just this month alone I've already completed my observation paper for Child Development and 2 A&P exams, plus 2 A&P quizzes, and I'm working on a class project, and I have another A&P exam to study for coming up this week. And I am finally taking a break for myself and my family, and we are going out of town for the weekend. I can't wait till this semester is over, and I can get back to my family, the happy-go-lucky me again, and I don't have as much homework keeping me tied down from my normal life of fun :)

{cute new kits}

2011-03-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to fill everyone in that our house is on the market for real now! And if you dearly want to live in Savannah, then we will sell it to you :) -- here is one of our listings. Although it has been on the market for only 2 days now, we've already had 1 showing with great feedback. The only reason they are not putting an offer on the house is... they have to sell their house first. Stupid! Why do people bother at looking at house if they are not already in contract on their home? Doesn't that seem like a waste of time for the people actually selling their house? That's my beef for today; next up are two kits from Catch the Moments Kits! These are both lines from Basic Grey, and they are just so, so, so cute!! I love Hello Luscious!! I can totally see me using that paper for summer time pictures, spring, birthdays, and anything that's just plain yummy to scrap about! The kit alone is $16 or you can get the kit and add-ons (whole set) for $21, yay! Life of the Party is not only great for party pictures, but playground photos, summertime pictures, water fun, boys, cards, girls and really anything in general. One thing I love about Basic Grey is that their prints are not really THEMEY! I love that about them! You can get the whole set of this kit for $17.50; what a steal!

So check out Catch the Moments Kits for the cheapest and cutest kits on the block :)

{still alive}

2011-03-09T10:28:00.001-08:00

Haha well you guys... I'm still alive. Just barely making it through this semester with all my marbles intact.

I wanted to just update all my dear friends and followers since nothing much scrappy has been going on lately.

We officially put the house on the market on Friday; we sign papers tomorrow. Then we will see what happens over our 4 month period. Please pray that we find a buyer; we will be so thankful!

I am doing well in my classes thus far. I am currently averaging an A in A&P II, Sociological Theory, and Entrepreneurship. I am making a B in my child development class because I missed 2 discussions, ugh!! I posted them on the wrong day of the week; it was my fault because I misinterpreted an email sent from a student. I thought the teacher sent it. I'm to blame, blegh!! But I still have a midterm on Friday to take, and I will be doing my research paper very soon, plus a discussion tomorrow and a quiz that's due after Spring Break, and she is offering optional extra credit, so I will be doing that!

I'm very sleepy nowadays, just all of my stress from selling the house and school. I'm looking forward to summer because I'll be taking 2 classes during 8 Week, and I will have some time off from schoolwork for a few weeks after Spring and before Fall.

I got some yummy scrappy goodies in the mail, and I am waiting on some more scrappiness, and after I clean house on Saturday morning I am going SCRAPPIN!!!! Yay, I just need this time to just relax my brain. I'm so overworked with school, work and being supermom, that well I need to let go with some beautiful patterned paper, good friends and my trusty Pink ATG. Yay!

You can find these lovelies over at Catch the Moments Kits - there are a ton of cute and VERY inexpensive kits there, and well I own practically one of each, so I know how yummy these all are!

Well that's all for now folks... I was being a little creative today while I had some free time between students at work, so I made this little bit of inspiration for my dream bedroom at our new place (after we sell the house)

Ta ta for now!

With love,
Gabi Watson

{allergies}

2011-02-21T11:17:00.000-08:00

Well I just got my results back from my blood work last week.... drum roll please...

I don't have a thyroid problem, but I do have SEVERAL allergies, and on top of that, I am allergic to some stuff that I EAT ALL THE TIME!!! Sad :(

Allergies:
Dust Mites
Cats
Kentucky Bluegrass
Johnson Grass
Mountain Cedar
Rough Pigweed
Egg White
Wheat

Clearly, I have to change my diet substantially. I mean--I eat noodles all the time, macaroni and cheese all the time, sandwiches all the time, biscuits, rolls, grilled cheese, brownies, cake, cookie dough, pizza, fried foods, everything. Practically everything that I eat on a daily basis is slowly killing me... that's great to know, lol. Oh well.

Just thought I would share my results with everyone! If you have any pointers about changing my diet, let me know. Looks like I'll be eating lots of meats, hardly any carbs and lots of salads and fruit :)

{just some updates for ya'll}

2011-02-21T06:25:00.000-08:00

It's been a while and a lot of things are going on; here is just a list to keep everyone in the know:

--Gavin and I are talking with a realtor this week about putting our house on the market. We know where we want to move to, and we hope that we can sell the house by the summer time.
--I turned 25 last Tuesday. On Saturday the 12th, I had such a fun time celebrating with my family. There was great dinner, and it was truly a surprise to see almost all of my extended family there. My actual birthday (day) was pretty awful though. I was sick with bronchitis (for a 3rd time this year), and I had 2 exams that week, yuck. It was just a hard week. This weekend was awesome though; my husband threw me the biggest and bestest surprise birthday party and bought me some adorable outfits, so I feel truly blessed, and I officially FEEL a quarter of a century old! Yay!
--A lot is going on with school, which is what is keeping me from my crafting and from my blogging, sadly. I still have several more weeks of school left, and then I am only taking 2 classes over the summer. That will be such a BREAK for me!!! In the Fall I will return to my full time schedule, and in the Spring I'll only take a few classes and graduate!! Then ... well I don't know what I'll be doing, but we'll figure it out.
--I need to file my taxes. I keep putting it off because I need to add up all of our medical expenses from last year and see if they are over 3% of our total combined income for 2010. I have an inkling that it is because both Gavin and I had surgeries in 2010, and well those don't come cheap.
--My coworker has moved on to another position within UNT, so I have taken on some more responsibility at work, but I feel that I am handling things well. Everyone is being so much more productive now, and things are running more efficiently even if there are random quarrels between our SWs.
--And today I meet with the doctor again (3rd time in a week). I am getting results for allergy and thyroid testing. The last appointment I had was with this other NP that I don't normally see. I went in to talk about my allergies and she ended up quizzing me on anxiety and depression. I was really flustered by the whole situation and deeply upset that she would even diagnose me with anxiety, when I don't suffer from it very often at all. Sometimes I get anxiety about tests and sometimes I get anxiety about paying bills, but that is totally NORMAL. I only have sleepless nights once per 3 month period, and well that's just if I drink too much caffeine before going to bed or can't shut my brain off! I just really resent her for giving me anxiety by telling me that I have anxiety, gah! What a waste. Anyway my doctor came into the room, and she palpitated my thyroid and suggested that it was enlarged and noticed a nodule. She thinks that I could have hyperthyroidism which causes my rapid, clicking heart beat/anxiety/sleeplessness/fatigue/weight loss, etc. Anyway... I'm happy to be thin, no complaints here, and I sleep well enough at night, and I am tired during the day because I work full time, go to school full time, take care of my husband and daughter in my free time, and I am a control freak. I know that I have my faults, but I am the main cause of my own anxieties and stress, and it is only temporary really (just until we sell this house and until I'm finished with ALL of my schooling).
--I am just so happy and blessed with my life. I know that my life could've taken a different path, and I am just so thankful everyday that I have a chance to live this life that I've been given, even if there is a day more difficult that another. That is why I don't carry my stresses and my anxieties. I just let them roll off me; I refuse to feel badly because everything is really temporary and this time of adjustment will pass, and one day I may be missing these days when things were a bit chaotic and we made a lot of sacrifices. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is something pretty to share with you folks today; have a happy Monday, and have a wonderful week. I hope it stays gorgeous and warm here in North Texas!

Do You Remember?
All these times they come and go, and alone don't seem so long; over 5 years have gone by. We can't rewind, we're locked in time, but you're still mine.
Products:
Patterned Paper, Flowers, Ribbon - American Crafts
Stickers - American Crafts, October Afternoon
Tag & Doily - American Crafts, Elle's Studio, Maya Road

{i'm back}

2011-02-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

Well after much deliberation.... I'm back :) just kidding. I've been super busy with school and work lately. I had my first exam in Anatomy & Physiology, and let me tell you... it was one hard test. I am just praying that I passed!

It snowed, and they closed the school again! It was amazing. Harper and I stayed home; we watched Anne of Avonlea, colored and I was able to get some much needed reading time in for school.

Today I'm going to share some projects that I made recently at the crop that I attended a couple weekends ago. That weekend I got a ton of projects done, and these are just a couple of cute ones that I love!!

Products:
Cardstock - Coredinations, Kraft
Patterned Paper - Echo Park
Embellishments - American Crafts, Jenni Bowlin, Echo Park

So for all of you who are curious to know.... Gavin and I have decided that we are going to put our house on the market so that we can move back to Denton and be closer to our family and friends. It was a journey buying a our first home and living so far from our jobs, school, friends and family. We thought that it was exciting to be on our own, but we realize that we are even more dependent on our family because we have a little one. Our neighborhood is nice, but it doesn't feel like home. Our house is lovely, if we could, we would just transplant the house in Denton, but seeing as we cannot do that, we are excited about this new journey in our life, selling our house, finding a little home in town to live for a few years, and growing our tiny family by one more one day. Gavin and I see this as taking a step back from home ownership responsibilities until we are finished with school, and we are really excited about it!! With this transition, we will be able to put money into savings, start a 529 savings plan for Harper's college, and we will be able to pay off our consolidated debt and buy Gavin a reliable (new to us) car!!

I hope that all of you support this dream for us, and pray that we sell our house quickly so that we can move by the summer to our new place!!! We would really appreciate any of the support and prayers that we can get right now while we make this life transition!

With Love,
Gabrielle

{festive february}

2011-02-02T10:49:00.000-08:00

Well I shared yesterday that I completed several layouts at my retreat this weekend, and yes I did. So I am going to share a few of them with you today. All of these layouts were created with the Basic Grey Jovial line, which is on clearance right now for $8.50 over at Catch the Moments Kits find the that deal here: Festive Kit. These layouts feature my Christmas photos for 2010, and if you're curious about what size photos I used they are 2x3, 4x6, and 1 5x7 (Harper with Santa). I got all of the 2x3 photos from ScrapbookPictures.com; I love getting my photos from them, best quality out there! So I hope that you enjoy them. I will post just a little something about each layout and the products I used. Also, I hope that everyone is staying warm this wintery week!! It's 12 degrees outside in North TEXAS!! Yes, Texas, one of the hottest states in of the South!! We've had ice for two days straight, and UNT (my place of employment and where I go to school) has closed for yet another day!! That is unheard of; they are closed for 3 days straight!!! Plus there are state-mandated rolling 'brownouts' all over the state to conserve energy. Some folks are out of power for 5+ hours. Luckily we only lost power for a total of 40 minutes today, not bad at all.

"Trim up the Tree"

Trim up the tree with bingle balls and whofoo fluff. Every first

week in November we trim up the tree. This year Harper helped too.

Our Grinch tree looked even better this year in the living room.

Supplies:

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Cardstock - Kraft

Embellishments - Basic Grey

Stickers - Basic Grey

Die Cut - Cricut

"Joy"

Joy is a little people nativity.

Supplies:

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Stickers - Basic Grey, American Crafts

Brads - Scrap Freak Embellishment Kit

Paint - Tim Holtz Crackle

"Santa"

Sometimes Harper just doesn't want to get her picture taken.

This is a prime example. Picture with Santa, 2010.

Supplies:

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Chipboard & Stickers - Basic Grey, American Crafts

Flower , Pins, Brad - Maya Road

Ribbon - American Crafts, Pink Paislee, vintage

"So Gifted"

We have a tradition of opening one present on

Christmas Eve. This year Harper opened the Fischer Price

Medical Kit. Merry Christmas Eve Baby Girl

Supplies:

Patterned Paper - Basic Grey

Flower, Pins & Doily - Basic Grey, Maya Road

Stickers - Basic Grey, American Crafts

"On the Eve"

Now she wants to be a doctor when she grows up. Merry Christmas Eve '10.

Supplies:

Cardstock - Coredinations

Patterned Paper & Chipboard - Basic Grey

Doilies - Maya Road

Die Cut - Cricut

"St. Nick"

St. Nick arrived and brought Harper a kitchen. He ate our

homemade cookies and drank all of his milk. Even Mama and Daddy

got a few goodies.

Supplies:

Cardstock - Bazill Basics, Coredinations

Patterned Paper, Chipboard, Stickers - Basic Grey

Buttons & Brands - Basic Grey

Ribbon - American Crafts

Well that's all for this blog for today folks. I hope that you enjoyed my projects and they inspire you to scrap your 2010 Christmas photos!! Please check out my Catch the Moments Kits post from today to see other projects that I created over the weekend. Tata for now!

With Love,

Gabi Watson

{snowy day, new layout}

2011-02-01T15:59:00.000-08:00

I honestly didn't expect a snow/ice storm to blow through North Texas and shut down over 400 schools and businesses, but I am glad that it did. I've been able to spend the day with my sweet family, all of them including my husband. This morning at 5:30 AM he got on the road and just turned right back around and came back to bed. Truth is, he works over 50 miles from our house, and it would've taken him at least 2 hours to get to work, and that's if he actually got there. Then there was the possibility that they may be shut down when he got there because they don't have an alert system for employees like a lot of companies do. Big mess, but he was able to take the day and spend it with Harper, Josie and me. What a treat!!!

I was able to read for my class and start on some homework, and I just found out that UNT (my job and school) is shut down for another day! Praise the Lord!!!

Well I just got back from a well-deserved vacation weekend with the girls from Oh Crop (a meet up cropping group for North Texas). We spent the weekend at Elm Street Crafter's Retreat in Denton, TX. It was the cutest house with all the details. I scrapbooked Thursday through Sunday. It was just a grand ol' time. Our host Penni Abbott, who owns the Elm Street Craft Retreat, was so generous. The bedrooms were mega cute, and the cropping area was a great size (the chairs were a big hit, definitely very cushy). It easily fit all 10 of us very comfortably. The dining room is situated with 2 bar height tables. The kitchen is very large, and Penni thought of almost every detail with her new inn. Of course we had just a couple of suggestions for her new place, but overall all of the gals including myself had a fabulous weekend, and I know that I CAN'T wait to go back. It really was the best crop weekend ever, and I am looking forward to my next stay there in the future. Hopefully I'll get to stay there at least once per year with my friends, but that depends on my pocketbook :) Oh I forgot to mention that she has a masseuse Natalie, and well I got a deep tissue massage; I was sore when it was done, but it was worth every moment of pain, believe me! I had such an amazing time!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a few creations on the Catch the Moments Kits blog!! Check it out tomorrow for new layouts and one very cute Valentine's Day project!! And tonight I leave you with a layout I created over the weekend!!

Have a lovely evening, and I hope that you are all staying warm wherever you are!

{weiner, wiener}

2011-01-25T07:13:00.000-08:00

Teehee... well I have a winner for some lovely scrappiness today!!! I don't have any new projects as I still haven't taken pictures of some of the stuff that I've created lately. People, I know I'm getting lazy, but I am totally overwhelmed by school this semester (and it's only just begun, eep!) Oh well...

On to the good stuff!!!

According to Random.org... Marcie is the winner!!!!

" Marcie said...

Good luck Gabi!

January 19, 2011 3:42 PM"

Congratulations Marcie!!! You get your pick a homemade gift for your home or a custom scrapbook kit built by me!! Just email me what you would like to receive and your mailing address at tinyscrapper at yahoo dot com

{don't forget}

2011-01-20T14:08:00.000-08:00

I am doing an RAK this week!!! Check out this blog post for the details!! Whee!!

I hope that everyone is having a lovely week. This is the first week of school, and well I was a bit overwhelmed by my load at first, so I made some changes, and now I am taking:

Anatomy & Physiology II
Entrepreneurship
Child Development
Sociological Theory

I'm getting really excited about my retreat that starts a week from today over at Elm Street Crafter's Retreat in Denton, TX, and thankfully my pictures that I ordered from ScrapbookPictures.com finally came in, yay!! I just love ordering from them. They do great work and the prices are pretty fair! I will finally have the time to create some beautiful LOs that I'm creating based on challenges and sketches that I've gotten from all over the place including All About Me, Scrap That Baby!, and Scrap Chicks!

Yay, yay, yay!

{nominations and RAK this week}

2011-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

Okay well I'm out of sorts today because I'm am uber sick. I've been sick since Thursday, and well it just kept getting worse from there.... fever, chillls, coughing, runny nose, runny eyes, runny ears, ear aches, headaches, body aches, stiff neck, stiff back, sinus pressure, stuffiness, congestion, sore throat and more!! I was and still am miserable, and the doctor was finally open on Monday, so I went, and I have a sinus infection and bronchitis. She prescribed some antibiotics, mucinex, aleve, alahist, rest and plenty of fluids since I haven't been eating or drinking much. I am just plain worn out over being sick, and I refuse to be sick anymore for the rest of the year!!! lol

Well so I am here pleading for your help!! It would be an absolute dream come true if I could make the Cosmo Cricket design team, and well they are taking nominations!!! I think this is only for a guest design team gig, but I would be plenty happy and grateful to be given the opportunity to show off my creative skills with their ingenius paper lines!!! I don't know if you have seen what they've come out with for this CHA, but it's AMAZING, and I demand to own every paper, every button, every alpha and every little bit of all of these lines!! They are to die for!!! Quite literally!!! So because I would love for everyone's help and participation in this...I will be hosting an RAK from my stash to yours this week!!! I will be creating a lovely kit for you including embellishments and paper, but in order to win, you must do two things for me, pretty please!!!!

Please leave a comment on this blog nominating me: Gabrielle Watson for the Cosmo Cricket design team :) this will also put you in the drawing to win some stuff over at Cosmo Cricket!! And please leave a comment on this blog letting me know that you nominated me, and I will have a drawing at the end of this week for the winner!!!

I know that you are going out of your way for me, so I am happy to host this RAK for one of my readers!!! Please nominate me at Cosmo Cricket, and leave a comment on this blog for your chance to win!!! Yay!!! And for my non-scrappy readers, if you win, and don't want a lovely scrappy kit.... I will make you something sweet for your home and send it your way!! Your choice: a custom kit from my stash or a button heart frame for your home!

Thanks my fellow readers and friends for helping me to succeed in my scrapbooking dreams!! Here are some LOs that I've made with past Cosmo Cricket lines:

{friday deal and jibber-jabber}

2011-01-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

CTM Kits is having a HUGE sale for this Friday's Deal of the Weekend!! Basically everything in the Etsy store is on sale, and you can visit the Flickr account to buy individual items. All the details are listed on the CTM Kits blog, so check it out TODAY!!! I think there are a few things that I am going to get... like that Sugar kit, yum!

Tonight a girlfriend of mine is coming over, and we are going to scrap to our heart's content. She is new to scrapbooking, so I am going to let her borrow my supplies to make some lovely pages of her own, so that she can get a taste for the craft and well get an idea of what she likes and dislikes, so she can purchase some of her own products to SCRAP with :)

I am still feeling a bit under the weather. I took someone's advice yesterday and drank 4 tablespoons of Jack Daniels mixed with 4 tablespoons of honey, warmed. First I gargled and then I swallowed, and it wasn't the tastiest concoction, and it made me drunk (because I don't drink but 1-2 times a year), but it did soothe my sore throat. But the my throat felt... swollen, and like I could barely swallow. It was odd, but I slept well and that's all that matters there. I woke up with a sore throat again today, so I am just drinking water, and I might... just maybe drink some tea. Blegh! The thought of it makes me kind of want to vomit.

Well in other news. Harper seems to be feeling better, so she went back to school today. That girl. I sure do love her. She really is so sweet, and she impresses me with her intelligence and empathy. She is amazing, and I love her more than words can say! Last night she was crawling on me because she wanted to snuggle while we relaxed and watched a movie after our bath (yes we bathed together, I think it's ok for mommies and their babies to share a bath on occasion) and she smushed my right boob, and if you've been reading this blog for a while you'll know that I have a large painful lymph node in that one that hurts quite a bit, and only recently found out it was a lymph node and not a benign tumor like we all thought it was (my doctor included), praise Him. Anyhow she smushed my very tender breast, and I yelped. I didn't mean to scare Harper but she began hugging me and telling me how sorry she was. I felt awful, but she is so caring, and I told her that it was ok and only hurt for a minute, and that her hugs really helped. I just love her. Here is the most recent picture of her from last week. When Harper and daddy were joking around :)

With love,
Gabi Watson

{oh heaven's and a project}

2011-01-13T09:53:00.000-08:00

So I've been MIA again lately, but for good reason. My sweet daughter has been so sick lately. Yucky cough, ear infections and just overall crankiness. I haven't had the time to get on the computer much with such a sick girl, and work has been brutal. Our heater went out at our house too, so we had that fixed. It's really been one awful thing after another.

This week I am gearing up for school that starts on Tuesday; another full load (yes I am crazy, I know), and I am purchasing textbooks so that they will be here in time for school. Luckily this weekend is a 3 day weekend with MLK day. I am tired, overwhelmed, and READY for the WEEKEND with a capital W!

I ordered some pictures to get ready for my scrapbook retreat at the end of the month. It will be the first retreat weekend hosted by Elm Street Crafter's Retreat, and I am excited to be a guinea pig with my girls from the Oh Crop! meet up group!

Today I would love to share with you something that I created as a holiday gift for my parents and my in-loves. I each made them one. I gave my parents the black frame, and I gave my in-loves the white frame.

Products: Pink Paislee pp, Sew Easy floss, Pink Paislee alpha, BG button, Jenni Bowlin button, Tim Holtz key, Making Memories metal decal, Prima flower, Maya Arts ribbon, AC lace

Thanks ya'll, and have a lovely Thursday!!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{cold monday}

2011-01-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

Cold Monday, that sounds like the name for a band, doesn't it? Well I am done putting together my year 2010 in review. I hope that you like it. I just made a collage of all of the pictures because I am going to make a LO for these pictures for the the Jan. 7th - Hen Party Friday, challenge Reflections over at Scrap Chicks!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their weekend!! I know that mine was snowy white and beautiful!! It really was great even though I stepped on my glasses and broke them. We had some significant events occur at the Watson household. You all know how much I love lists so here's my weekend:

Friday = In bed by 9; I was EXHAUSTED!
Saturday = Car inspection, IHOP for brunch, visited some shops on the square, napped at home, and set up Harper's toddler bed. She loved it and even slept through the whole night in it. She is my BIG girl now! Then I shopped at Walmart 10 PM at night, and THAT was a HUGE mistake. The lady checking me out was rude, so I was flustered and didn't give her my coupons that could've saved me $12, but at least she priced matched everything I needed her to. ARghh.. I was so mad I cried.
Sunday = Lazy morning, got ready for a movie, movie date fell through due to weather, Harper napped for 2 hours in her big girl bed, and then we ventured out to Target for a couple of things and ended up with SOME great STEALS! I got 2 mirrors for $20 when they were normally priced $40 for one. I know... queen of a good deal here! Also, HP Everyday photo paper was on sale for $8.24 for a 100 ct paper pack. Really awesome deal, cheapest amount I've ever paid for photo paper.

Okay. Well that was my weekend in a nutshell, no scrapping. I was just too pooped, but I vow to scrapbook this coming weekend since my friend is coming over!! I have some stuff I need to get scrapped and some challenge deadlines I would like to meet!

{deal of the weekend}

2011-01-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

So Catch the Moments Kits is doing their first deal of the weekend, which will be posted every Friday on their blog!! Today their first steal applies to all sale kits and matching add-ons!! That includes: Festive, Jolly, Joyful, Spooky, Retro, and Wonderland. Please check out the CTM blog and the Etsy shop for more details and prices!

Sale Kits: $12.99
Matching Add-Ons: $4.99
or
TWO Sale Kits: $25.00
(just leave a comment when ordering about which 2 sale kits you want)

{framed button heart}

2011-01-06T08:32:00.001-08:00

Today I would love to share with you, my friends and dear followers some beautiful gifts I made for my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and my grandparents for Christmas. Last year Monica Coffman and Shannon Bogan both created stunning framed hearts, and I felt so inspired by their creations, so I tried to make one of my own. Well I failed miserably at a couple attempts last year, so I figured that I would put it off till later. And I did...

My scrapping skills just were not up to snuff, and now that I've been scrapping for almost 2 years now... I felt like taking on this beautiful challenge!!! And well I made three of them for for my family members for the holidays.

Products: Cosmo Cricket pp, October Afternoon pp, Sew Easy floss, Bazill Swiss Dot cardstock, Kraft cardstock, White cardstock, corrugated cardboard, Basic Grey bloomer, Basic Grey buttons, American Crafts buttons, Martha Stewart baker's twine, Hemp twine

So here is my take on the button heart... I used a heart template that I found on google. Traced it lightly in pencil, and then I used my Sew Easy tool to create the holes for the floss. I erased the pencil lines, and I sewed for the first time on paper. I know, pretty good for my first time, eh? LOL, just kidding. Well then because I don't own any circular punches, I cut out 2 inch squares of Cosmo Cricket and October Afternoon, and put them through my Cricut cutting, two different sizes of circles. Then after inking the edges, I adhered them, added buttons, and well voila!!! I had 3 8x10 masterpieces. Instead of putting family names on the project. I put family inspired quotes...

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge."
"Other things may change us but we start and end with family."

I hope that this project inspires you as much as the originals did for me!! I would love to see your versions if you decide to make one for yourself, please email me your projects, and I will be happy to share them on my blog if you like! tinyscrapper at yahoo dot com

With love,
Gabi Watson

{something sweet}

2011-01-05T14:29:00.000-08:00

Catch the Moments Kits just got a bunch of new goodies in shop!!! This stuff is wicked adorable, and although it is product that was released earlier this year, I believe that it will be great paired with some really cute stuff coming out this CHA; I can see me mixing the Sweetness papers with the Paper Crush line from Sassafras Lass! Well I hope that you dive into this delicious new product at Catch the Moments Kits, and also check out some of the other new things we have in store, like the Sugar Card Kit,Sugar Mini Album Kit, and the Old School Collection, enjoy ya'll!!! Mmm yummy!!

{beautiful dreamer}

2011-01-04T08:52:00.001-08:00

My very good friends the Fields family finally welcome their sweet daughter into the world just last month. I was able to meet this precious angel for the first time a few weeks ago, and I took some yummy pictures for her proud Mama and Papa. Here is just a small dose of her cuteness, enjoy!

{sharing is caring}

2011-01-04T08:44:00.001-08:00

I posted 2 layouts over at Catch the Moments Kits today! Please check it out and leave me some love!! I do appreciate it. Here are the layouts I share, cute stuff if you ask me :)

{unwritten}

2011-01-03T07:53:00.000-08:00

Well Happy New Years to all of my friends and followers out there!! I am back from my 2 week break from work, the internet, school, and well almost everything. I came back a couple times throughout my time off to let you know that I was still alive, and here I am today, still alive, but definitely more like the walking dead :)

Let's just say that coming back to work gave me more anxiety than I anticipated, and well I didn't sleep a wink last night. Not even 10 minutes worth. No dreams, just thoughts all night in the darkness next to my snoring husband, sleeping dog and listening to the whirring of my sleeping girl on the baby monitor.

Oh well. At least I'm alive, and I can be thankful for that today!!

Since this new year is still unwritten, I am going to share with you a few resolutions that I AM going to keep this year and maintain for hopefully the rest of my life :) We'll see how that goes.

I resolve to:
1. Give more of myself and my time to charity
2. Make time to scrap at least 1 LO a week, and keep my scrap room organized
3. Inject my style into my home
4. Help my hubby around the house more
5. Maintain a well-balanced check book, put more in savings and spend less on WANTS
6. Spend more time with my family
7. Do my homework the day I receive it; turn in papers early and study vigorously for upcoming exams (Pull all A's again this year)
8. Put ALL of my tax refund into savings
9. Be more fashion forward
10. Keep the weight off this year and tone my midsection
11. Nurture my current relationships and develop new ones with people I meet
12. Sleep at least 8 hours a night
13. Drink more water and less coke
14. Be more spiritual and communicate more with Him, less talking more listening
15. Post at least 1 project per week whether it be new or old, just something inspiring

Well friends, I hope that you will follow me again this year through the ups and the downs. Through all the projects that I create and share with you, my community of school mates, scrap mates and people I call friends... I am thankful for you this year and next, and I vow to bring more to the table this year than last!!!

Tomorrow I will be sharing a couple projects over at Catch the Moments Kits!! Make sure that you check them out. We have a new forum that is going to be great; please participate!! And all sales will be on a much easier system now through Etsy. Here are all the links:

Catch the Moments Kits - The Blog
Catch the Moments Kits - The Forum
Catch the Moments Kits - The Store

With Love,
Gabi

{oh heck}

2010-12-29T13:21:00.000-08:00

I'm out of the loop recently because well with all of my time off from work I haven't really been following up too much with the internet. Life is so easy without internet, phones and other stuff! It's amazing and almost prehistoric not checking the computer 100 times a day :)

Well anyway I would like to share a YEAR END sale that is going on over at CTM Kits. Yay, there is a lot of stuff there and cheap, cheap, cheap!!! I am really looking forward to some of the new stuff that Devon will be adding to the store. I can't wait until my LOVE kit and other goodies come in the mail either!!! I am patiently waiting :)

Well I hope that everyone had a super wonderful holiday!! I know that my family had the BEST Christmas ever!!! And we are going to have a swinging new year, can't wait to visit the Gaylord ICE exhibit on New Year's Eve, yay!!!

Well have a super week ya'll and be sure to stock up on some loot over at CTM Kits blog :)

{my big break}

2010-12-23T08:58:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll. I'm still alive :) Just spending some much needed quality time with my girl, my man and my scrapbook room :) I've reorganized everything from my scrap desk to organizing my papers (card stock and patterned) by color. Amazing I know. With the help of my very good friend Nancy, I was able to complete two Christmas projects (that are gifts) for my brother and sister in law's families. I hope they will like them because well... I want to keep them both and put them in my house! LOL Today while Daddy takes Harper out on an excursion, mommy is going to buy some ink for the printer, and I am going to start on two big projects (that are also gifts) for my parents and my parent in loves :)

I will share pictures of the finished projects after Xmas is all said and done and look forward to a post on CTM from me on January 3rd, whoopie!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{mia for a few days}

2010-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry I've been MIA for a few days, but well...I didn't have anything fun or exciting to post about :P

Now that my classes are finished with; there isn't much else going on in my life! I made an A in all of my classes this semester! I really knew I could do it, and I am so glad that I did. I'm signed up for another 4 classes for next semester, and after the Spring I'll only lack 16 hours to graduate, which I could very easily do over the summer and fall and graduate in December, but I think I'm going to take my time and graduate in the spring because I'll get more financial aid grants if I take my time :) Yay!

I have some projects that I put together over last weekend, but I have yet to upload them. I need to get some more color ink for my printer so I can start creating some lovely projects for my family this holiday season! I have a lot of things that I want to do and only a few days to throw it all together :) I love the new Sketchy Thursdays LO too, so I plan to make a LO about our trip to the Texas State Fair using that guide :) whee!

This Friday I'll be scrapping in my room late into the night while Harper sleeps and Gavin hangs out with his friends, and I will be just peachy!!! I can't wait really!! I love these little dates with myself!

I am working on some gorgeous projects for my relatives; I hope that they love them. I will share pictures and links to make your own when I'm done with those. Currently they are a surprise, and I don't want any of my family readers to see or spoil the fun :)

I am down to only a handful of gifts I need to get: a pinapple slicer and pinapple, something for Papa Jim, my Dad and my brother, and well I think that's it! Yay!!!!

Anyhow I will share an Christmas LO from last year since I haven't uploaded anything very recent, enjoy!!

This is a LO about our tree. We have a Grinch tree. It is curved at the top and the start hangs down. This tree was our big first investment when Gavin and I got married, and we've been able to celebrate for 4 Xmas's with it. We LOVE our tree, and we will be extremely sad when the tree finally breaks (it's on it's last leg right now) :) We still love our cool, curvy, grinchy tree! I hope you love it!

{dining room design}

2010-12-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is my dining room idea swatch. My dining room is currently cocoa brown with a restored antique oak table with black chairs. I have a silver pendant with linen shades, and two armchairs that are faded sage.

Well in my new dining room. I will keep the table and chairs the same. I am going to paint the light fixture matte white and keep the linen shades and just paint a black number on them. I am going to purchase these window panels (they are my splurge, $100 for a pair), paint the walls quarried stone, paint one wall with chalkboard paint, and hang some old wooden shelves on brackets and display B&W pictures in vintage white frames and white-ish plates like these ones from Anthropologie. I love Anthropologie because they have such good style. They are great for inspiring creativity, and personally I don't buy much of anything there because it's WAYYYY over priced, but when there is something that I absolutely cannot live without I will buy it!!! Like these curtains: they are normally $228 for one, and I am buying a pair for $100; awesome deal if you ask me, and they are the most expensive thing in the whole room. The paint will be $20 a gallon; I will eventually get white slipcovers for my chairs, those will be $40 a piece, and hopefully free if I time it right and use my Target gift cards I get :) and then the spray paint for the chandelier ($5) and black acrylic paint for the pillows and shades ($5).

Tell me what you think of my new design :) Do you love it or hate it?

{new kit to share}

2010-12-11T21:38:00.001-08:00

This just in, and it's on sale for only $12.50!!! Awesome deal if you ask me, and I will be getting my hands on this little baby for sure!
Check out the Catch the Moments Kits blog post for details.

{update about Olga}

2010-12-10T06:55:00.000-08:00

Olga is searching for a family, and there is blog dedicated to her right now that is helping to raise money for her to find a home. She is a sweet little baby with downs syndrome, and you can help her find a home this Christmas. Please donate if you can by clicking the donation link found on Patti's blog; it is VERY important (life or death) that this dear child finds a home and soon. Every little bit counts, so $5 here and there really adds up! Her fund has gone from $78 to over $5,000 in just a matter of 3 days, so we want to see it get to $20,000 so a warm and loving family can bring this sweet child home!

Who will help her if we don't?

{big, bigger, biggest sale}

2010-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

My friends and followers Catch the Moments Kits is having LITERALLY the biggest sale ever! Paper is $.45 a sheet; Thickers are $3.00-3.75!!! This sale is amazing and perfect to stock up on stocking stuffers for YOURSELF!! Just thought I would share this with all of my friends.

Also, today Catch the Moments Kits is being featured on the Sketchy Thursdays blog, so check them out, play along to win the Jolly Kit from CTM :)

Yay, yay, yay, well I will think of some more stuff to share later today. I am just eager to leave work and be with my family tonight and study for my exam that's this Saturday, eek!

With Love,
Gabi

{the gift of life and family}

2010-12-08T11:56:00.000-08:00

I am inspired today and everyday by the giving of others. For all the bad that there is in this world, there is so much more good. I found this blog today about the gift of a family for special needs children who live across the ocean. This is a very touching story, and I made a small donation, and I will keep giving to find this little girl a home. There is a giveaway on this blog, but I don't personally care about that. I just want all the children of the world to know of love and compassion; to have a family to give them love. Please help this little girl out if you can.

The Most Important Post I've Ever Written - a Perfect Lily

{amateur night or day}

2010-12-08T08:20:00.001-08:00

Well most of you know that I am a die-hard scrapbooker, but I am also a very amateur photographer. I just love looking at other photog's work and trying to emulate it :)

A couple of weekends ago I took my friends maternity pictures, and well I think that they turned out alright. I edited them using a vintage style called cross processing on Picnik, and this is a collage that I put together of some of my favorites that we took that day. There are tons of great shots, and I hope that these pictures warm their heart, and help them to remember this special time in their lives waiting for their bundle to arrive. Here is a glimpse of what I did for my friends the Fields family.

{free Santa tags}

2010-12-08T06:38:00.000-08:00

Hello my friends... I am a follower of Smitten Blog Designs, and they have a few awesome freebies to give away this week. Some of them are just lovely and really perfect for us scrapbookers! I was going to make some handmade tags for Harper's Santa gifts this year, but they have provided cute digi tags that you can cut and print and tie onto those Santa gifts this year, and now you don't have to disguise your handwriting on those tags!! Thank Heaven's for computer software! Visit their blog for this tag sheet, other freebies and blog designs. This is where I purchased my blog design for only $5; I know that's cheap right!

{fashion}

2010-12-07T11:06:00.001-08:00

Hey Ya'll!!

Well I haven't posted anything today really, but I did share 2 layouts over at Catch the Moments this morning, so check me out over there today!! This is a picture of my fab fashion from the night of Gavin's party this past Friday evening. I felt very sexy and fashion forward, which is great because most days I feel like a frumpy mama, if you know what I mean ;P

{feeling good}

2010-12-06T06:50:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling really good today despite a few minor let-downs this morning. I'll start with the bad news and end with the good:
--Today Gavin's car didn't start :( I'm glad though that my father in law was generous enough to come and get Harper and me, and let us borrow his car for the day so I was not late to work
--Anatomy final is tonight, and I will be glad to have it over with

Good news:
--I found my new favorite mall to shop at over the weekend: Willowbend in Plano
--Harper got her pictures with Santa this weekend even if she was screaming in the photo, oh well... She'll look back and laugh at those pictures
--I'm feeling fashionably fab today with my booties, leg warmers, herringbone tights, floral tunic and (p)leather jacket :)if the camera on my phone worked I'd post a picture
--Gavin's holiday party was fun even if it wasn't too eventful. Had fun playing 3 card poker (I'm a champ at this game), Black Jack is cool too; I looked awesome in my skirt and top (I will be sharing pictures of this), and well it was just a nice adult evening, while Harper stayed with her Granny and Papa :)
--Spent a portion of Sunday sleeping in then visiting Target, where we spent entirely too much as usual, then we just watched Xmas movies all day together, Harper napped over two hours, so I was able to finish wrapping presents; studied a lot for my final that's today; and then watched the season finale of Boardwalk Empire, and last night's Dexter... OMG I can't wait for the Dexter season finale :) (is it sad that I'm glad that Rita was killed off, she was making Dexter too domesticated...)
--And last but not least, I will be posting some LOs and projects over at CTM blog tomorrow morning, and I am very EXCITED about this. As most of you know this is my first ever design team opportunity, so I am working my hardest to be the BEST designer I can be. With the kits that I've received from Devon I've make 3 one page LOs, 1 two page LO, and 1 Home Decor project (12 Days of Christmas)... teehee!! I have more in the works today. I'm working on something for Scrap That Baby and I used this week's Sketchy Thursday Sketch for one of my LOs, and I LOVE how it turned out. Check out the sketch:

Well that's it for today... Ta, ta for now!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{holiday spirit}

2010-12-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year when the holiday spirit fills the air. I love seeing the wonderment of Christmas and joy that the holiday brings in the eyes of the ones who are dear to me in this life. I wanted to share with you a special LO that I created for last years Xmas (created over the summer). It may seem kind of ordinary, but I chronicled our first Xmas cards that we sent out to our family and friends. This was the first time that Gavin and I did holiday greetings to families, and it was special because we are a full family here: Gavin, Harper and me. It was just very special for us, and this year I'd like to create even cuter cards with a beautiful greeting... I need to you all to help me think of something sweet to say this holiday season. Sometime I'm just terrible with words :P

I took my lab final last night, and I'm worried about the organ slides (clearly I didn't study the right ones), and I am worried about the labeling of the cat cadaver (yes I said feline). It smelled gross yes, but it was still pretty cool. I love A&P. Good thing I'm taking A&P 2 next semester, whee! Now I can cross that off my list, super!

Tonight is Gavin's holiday party. Harper is staying the night over at her Granny and Papa Jim's house. She is going to have a blast. I packed her some warm jammies and a Barney DVD. She is currently obsessed with everything Barney, so I will need to find some Barney books, and maybe a small Barney doll. I'm sure I can find one at a thrift store I can wash in HOT water :)

Ta-ta for now my peeps. I will be dancing the night away and gorging myself on food until my skirt buttons pop off, and then I will be singing carols in the morning with my daughter at her gospel brunch. Then pictures with Santa Saturday night and studying for my final all weekend in between!! Thanks Heaven's for weekends or I would get nothing done!

PS - Well I guess that doesn't matter because this is not a letter, but anyways I plan to host a small RAK on my blog next week. I will need to find some cute stuff to giveaway! I will let you know the details, when to enter and who will win a lovely prize!!

Happy Weekend to All!!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{rumblings from CTM Kits}

2010-12-02T07:53:00.000-08:00

In honor of this lovely holiday season CTM Kits is hosting a very sweet RAK! Visit this website to get all the details: Catch the Moments Kits, but here is just a tidbit:

1. Follow all of the design team member's blogs (including mine) and show some love.
2. Follow the CTM Blog
3. Leave a comment here

Devon will choose one lucky person to win the Jolly Kit :) That is one SWEET deal!

Also Catch the Moments kits will be sponsoring Sketchy Thursdays and Scrap That Baby coming up very soon, yay!

In other news, when we reach 150 followers at CTM Kits (54 more to go)!! Devon will host the BIGGEST SALE EVER! So if you aren't a follower, become one, so everyone can score some great deals! Post on your blog, tell your friends, let's get to 150!!!

I'm out for today. I've turned in my Mentor-ship assignment, and now I am studying for my Anatomy Lab Final Exam that's night, eek, while working ;P

Ta-ta for now!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{tis the season for giving}

2010-12-01T11:22:00.000-08:00

This cause is very close to my heart not just because of the season but also because I want to do what I can for all the children of the world. My husband and I donate our clothes to support children with disabilities; we choose a few angels (children and elderly) from the Salvation Army Angel tree every year, and this year I wanted to do a bit more. I just didn’t know what I could do with very little “free” time on my hands. Monica brought up a lovely idea of a ‘fundraiser’ event that she did last year that raised hundreds of dollars for the needy children and elderly folks in this great community, and I felt like I was being called to raise money for others through a Mary Kay party of my own. After trying to plan and put this party into motion, I kept running into obstacles, like test dates, holiday parties, and family events. As the holidays grow nearer to us, so does my desire to help those who need helping the most. Please give with me this year, think of the children who may not receive a gift from Santa this year, so while you’re doing a little shopping do what you can… if you are at Walmart please pick up an inexpensive toy and drop it off with Toys for Tots, or if you need that perfect moisturizer from Mary Kay, feel free to buy for yourself because you’ll be donating 20% of that order to families in need (while getting a 10% discount for you).

Monica Broadhurst is a very good friend of our family, and she has generously devised a plan with her Mary Kay business for you to get 10% off your orders of makeup, skin care, and fragrances, and she will donate 20% of the proceeds to Cumberland Children’s Home in Denton, TX to help provide nourishment, shelter and gifts for children and families in need in Denton! This fundraiser will start Friday, December 3rd and end Saturday, December 4th. It is two full days of giving while receiving.

If you would like to participate in this fundraiser event to help the less fortunate of this community, please purchase from her website www.marykay.com/monicabroadhurst, and in the comment box please put my name: Gabrielle Watson or mention the Cumberland Children's Home, so that she knows to send the ‘host’ benefits to the right establishment. I am not benefiting in any form or fashion from this fundraiser event because I would rather see my good fortune paid forward to others especially during this lovely Christmastime.

Please give what you can this year and God bless us, everyone.

I wanted to leave you with a beautiful music video and song that always touches my heart and reminds me of what this season is all about: good will towards men

With Love,
Gabrielle Watson

{i'm back with awards to give}

2010-12-01T07:24:00.001-08:00

Alright ya'll!!!

I'm finally back and in action. It's been kind of crazy at work, so I have very little time for anything personal (like I should be doing anything personal at work, but whatever!). I'm studying for my finals late into the evening every night of the week, during my lunch. I am living, breathing Anatomy 1 right now. First I need to make myself a little list of what I need to accomplish or have to do this week, sadly this will keep me on track because I check out the blog alot!

~~1. Study for Lab Final, Mentor-ship assignment due 12/2~~
~~2. Lab Final tomorrow evening 12/2~~
~~3. Marriage & Family quiz due Thursday 12/2~~
~~4. Study for Anatomy Final 12/2-12/5~~
~~5. Gavin's holiday party Friday night 12/3~~
~~6. Harper's holiday recital Saturday morning 12/4~~
~~7. Taking pictures with Santa Saturday evening at Willow Bend 12/4~~
~~8. Scrapping/Studying Saturday night 12/4~~
~~9. Church on Sunday, then studying the rest of the day while taking care of Harper 12/5~~
10. Monday night Anatomy Final 12/6
11. Read for finals 12/6-12/10
12. Breast sonogram 8 AM on Tuesday 12/7
13. Complete career assignment by Thursday 12/9
14. Final quiz for Marriage & Family 12/9
15. Slop Crop and Final Exam for Intro due 12/11
16. Final Exam for Marriage & Family due 12/13

And the award goes to:
1. Shannon Bogan - Chicken Scratch
2. Elizabeth Kartchner - Dear Lizzy
3. Monica Coffman - Yep, I'm a ScrapFREAK
4. Stephanie Howell - Just Me, My Soldier and 4 Little Chicks
5. KariAnn Sweeney - It's a Wonderful Life
6. Diana - Designs by Diana
7. April Foster - Goodbye City Life
8. Kandis Smith - My Creative Treasury

Congrats to you all, and thank you Mary for my nomination!!

{stylish blogger award}

2010-11-29T08:24:00.000-08:00

This may seem kind of silly, but I was given this wonderful award by Mary Pat Seihl. She is one of my lovely followers, and I follow her blog as well :) I feel so grateful and excited to receive this award. It really means a lot to me especially since I'm still pretty new to blogging in general.

Here are the rules for receiving and accepting this special award:

1). Thank and link back to the person who awarded you
2). Share 8 things about yourself
3). Pay it forward to 8 bloggers that you've recently discovered
4). Contact those bloggers and tell them about their awards

Eight things about me:
1. I was born in Landstuhl, Germany. It was still considered West Germany when I was born.
2. I currently use the Pink ATG, and I love it.
3. I survived Thanksgiving night at ToyRus last week. It was hell-acious, and I will NEVER do it again. Try 30 minutes in line in the bitter freezing cold, then finding the items in a very crowded store, and then waiting in the check out line for over an hour!!
4. I want to have another baby girl and soon, but it won't be happening until the time is right. I need to finish my schooling first.
5. I've been from a size 00 to a size 12, and all the sizes in between. I am currently a size 2 and very thankful that I finally fit back into my skinny jeans.
6. I want to dye my hair blond, but I just don't have the gumption to do it.
7. I love, love, love these movies - Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Marie Antoinette, the Duchess, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, Vanity Fair... do you see a trend?
8. I love helping others. I love being a teacher, and I love caring for other people. It brings me to tears most nights while I pray for the less fortunate. I am so richly blessed that I rarely pray for myself but always for the welfare of others especially my family and people I know who are struggling. I always, always pray for the children of the world, that they may find love, adoration, warmth, nutrition, shelter and gifts throughout their upbringing. I hope that their lives may not be riddled with abuse and neglect, and that they may overcome oppression in their young lives.

So that's it for now. I will update with another blog today about who I am divvying out my awards to :)

{giving thanks}

2010-11-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

Before I rest my head, I wanted to wish everyone a very merry and happy Thanksgiving! I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life. I am so grateful for a wonderful family, good health, a good job, good friends, and well everything, everyday. I am very richly blessed in this life, and I would have it no other way.

So goodnight to my friends and followers, I am thankful to you as well for taking a moment to check out my blog, for inspiring my creativity, and for your generous support. Thanks Catch the Moments for all the great Thickers too :) Oh, and if I don't blog again before Monday it's because I'm too buy catching up on sleep after staying up all night in honor of Black Friday, yipee!!

Merci et bon soir!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{new favorite store}

2010-11-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Elizabeth Kartchner (my scrappy idol) -- I have a new favorite store. It is definitely right up there with Forever 21. I love this online shop because it has hints of Anthropologie's vintage boutique style but without the SUPER high price tag. I love the look book because I can really see how they used the clothing, layering, etc. Because of this website I have found 2 pairs of boots that I can't live without and I simply can't spend another day in my life without this sweater dress. I have the perfect long sleeved shirt to wear underneath, and I will have the perfect boots and tights after Xmas, and I know I could pair a cute scarf with it when I find one at a thrift store or something. I love VINTAGE BOUTIQUE anything. They have uber great deals on shoes, jewelry, purses, and other accessories :)
Autumn%20Belle%20Lookbook

{good eats}

2010-11-22T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well last week I was raving about this two-page LO that I did, and then I never posted it for all to see. I know epic fail. Well, here is it. I hope you like it. The PP and journaling cards came from Catch the Moments. Everything else came from various resources. I really love this LO because these pictures came from 3 separate messy eating occasions. I am glad that I was able to incorporate all of them into a LO because all o the pictures were so lovely. They began as 4x6 pictures, but then I cropped some to be 3x4, and I kept a few of them 4x6. I rarely do two-pagers, so this was a challenge for me, but it turned out rather swell :) Enjoy and leave me some love!

Used: Echo Park pp, Bazzill Swiss Dot cardstock, Fiskars Apron Lace punch, AC journaling cards, AC ribbon, Zig writer black, White cardstock

{baby shower, party, and Sunday funday}

2010-11-21T07:46:00.001-08:00

Okay, so I've been away from the computer since Friday night pretty much. Here is a quick update of what I've been up to...

Friday - Work was work as usual, but after I got off I went to my coworker and very good friend's baby shower. I gave her an 8x8 scrapbook that I started for her so that she can pick up her crafting tools after her little one arrives in a month.
Saturday - Gavin worked in the morning, then we went to Target picked up some wrapping paper and few other treats. When we returned home I began makingdinner for my friends and family, and the Super Secret Sushi group came to my place for a lovely meal, friendly conversation, games and just a good old time. It was great to have everyone over. Tanya, Laura and Laura's husband were missed, but everyone else came and it was a mega blast.
Sunday - Right now I am updating my Cricut Gypsy now that Mac users can update and get free cartridges. I am so excited! And we are planning to visit our family in Denton today and just hang out just browsing shops and other stuff. Right now my little girl is dancing around the living room in a tutu that her Lita gave to her. She thinks she is a fairy princess, and she truly is.

Here are photos of the baby album that I gave to my friend for her baby shower.

Used: Paper Studio Little One PP, DCWV Baby Girl PP, Karen Foster stickers, AC Thickers, Michael's alpha stickers, Making Memories alpha stickers, Cosmo Cricket ribbon, AC Ribbon, rubons, buttons, twine

Forgive the randomness of this post... The pictures are out of order, and this is driving me crazy!!!! Aargh.

Well the pages go in order like this:
Hello Little One
It's a Girl
Baby - Life Changing, information tag
Mama and Me
Daddy's Girl
Sweet Dreams, Sleep Tight, We Love You, Goodnight

{dear little st. nick}

2010-11-19T09:43:00.001-08:00

Dear Sandy Claws,

I would like to come upon the Fujifilm Instax Mini 7S under the Xmas tree all wrapped up with a pretty bow. I would also love this Short Swing Sweater Coat from Old Navy, and I want/need the Soft Black Jegging and the Boyfriend Jean in Vintage from American Eagle. And if you have enough time and money on hand... please bring me these boots from Payless or these from Forever 21. I know that I've been a good girl all year.

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{lazy last night & this week's winner}

2010-11-19T07:13:00.000-08:00

So I have been a bit lazy. I took pictures of my LO, but I have yet to upload and edit them. I'm lazy I know. Well it is more busy that I am I guess. I really needed to finish my homework assignment, discussion and reading last night after class, so I was dreadfully tired after my long day. I watched Morgan Freeman's "Through the Wormhole" for about 15 minutes, then I slunked to bed and dozed right off. So today's Random.org blog winner is, comment #4:

Sue, a.k.a. midwestgirl said...

Now how cute is this? Great idea and I love the look of all your cards.
p.s. the only way I can post photos in the right order is to organize them in iPhoto before exporting. Don't know if this will help you, just my 2 cents. :)

November 15, 2010 7:50 PM

Sue, send your mailing address to me: tinyscrapper at yahoo dot com

You won the 12 Days of Christmas Envelopes, Thankful Card, and I will be sending you some scrappy Thickers and paper to enjoy with them :P

Happy Creating to every one today!! Now I'm back to paperwork at work this morning :)

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{the sale is on}

2010-11-19T07:05:00.000-08:00

CTM Kits is having their BIG sale today. Be sure to check out the blog throughout the day to see what is on special. Right now we are selling kits for $13 and kit add-ons for $5. What a STEAL!!??

The sale includes all these kits and more :)

{through the wormhole}

2010-11-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

Morgan Freeman... I love you when I am tired and done with homework. Are we all alone? Is our universe deceiving? There are more stars in the universe than their are grains of sand on the beaches of the world, and there are planets that revolve around these stars.

How fascinating?!

Don't forget to check out the Catch the Moments Kits blog before going to bed tonight, and then all through the day tomorrow. I know I will ;)

And can I say that Elizabeth Kartchner is my scrapbook idol. I wish she and I were best friends and cropped together while our girls played, teehee. I can dream right?

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{friday before black friday sale}

2010-11-18T06:35:00.000-08:00

Catch the Moments Kits is having a Friday Before Black Friday Sale Extravaganza!! For more details please visit the CTM Blog, but here is a brief rundown of what to expect:

"Sale starts at midnight Friday morning! Throughout the day Friday, I will be posting 10 different sale posts. Each post will include different items that are on sale. The sale is only good until I make the next post."
"For example, when sale post #1 goes up on the blog, that sale is good until I post sale post #2. And post #2 is good until I post #3 and so on. So only one group of items is on sale at a time."
"You can order throughout the day as many times as you like, I will just add them all together over the weekend and send you a total; feel free to email me as many times as you want!"

You definitely will want to check the CTM Blog a lot to see what is on sale at any given moment during the day. Devon is going to update her Flickr account to keep up with the inventory that she has in stock. Per Devon, there will be partial packs of embellishments (brads, buttons, flowers, etc) and other scrappy goodies for, at or near wholesale prices!! What a steal!! Don't forget your scrappy friends and family this Christmas. You could probably build them a beautiful kit with all the stuff that you buy this Friday during the sale. What a lovely gift idea (a Catch the Moments Kit)!! Wink-wink, nudge-nudge!

Check the CTM Blog starting at Midnight, I know I will be :)

{shh... big news}

2010-11-17T11:40:00.000-08:00

Okay because I am privy to some stuff... I will only share a tidbit. YOU must check out my blog tomorrow for details of something BIG that will START on Friday over at Catch the Moments Kits. Seriously... this is going to be BIG!! Like HUGE and CHEAP!

Ack!! I said too much! - Just check back tomorrow for ALL the details!

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{meet the CTM Kits designers}

2010-11-17T06:58:00.001-08:00

Today Catch the Moments Kits has put up bios of its newest designers. I am really ecstatic that I was chosen to be apart of such a lovely team of gals!! Thanks Devon, I am beyond honored!

Today I won't be posting much else; I just wanted to give you a quick update of what is going on over at Catch the Moments Kits ; also DON'T forget the sale that is going on!!! $15 Kits, $6 Add-Ons and a $1 for some other goodies!! I think I might purchase an extra Kit as an inexpensive Xmas gift for someone scrappy that I know!! So since I don't have anything else for you today, here is a beautiful music video and song that well... I just adore. It makes me cry everytime I hear it! I'd love to sing this for my church during the Christmas season, but I just don't have the time to get all the kinks worked out.

{my sweet flower child}

2010-11-16T12:46:00.000-08:00

Harper is my sweet flower child. She is independent, curious, smarter-than-the-average-bearcub, funny, and a think-outside-of-the-box kind of gal. She is MY sweet baby (or big girl now). I wanted to share a LO that I did a few weeks ago at my last crop (the one before this past weekend). I really love this LO with the DeLovely papers.

Used: Cosmo Cricket - DeLovely PP, Prima bling, Core'dinations cardstock, AC Thickers, Alpha glitter stickers from Michael's, and black trim

I hope that you love this LO as much as I do. I submitted it to Cosmo Cricket to see if they want to post as a Fan Creation on their FB page. I hope they like it. It's really one of my favorites; I have it framed in my house :P

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{12 days of Christmas & my first giveaway}

2010-11-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

"On the First day of Christmas my true love gave to me... a partridge in a pear tree"

I know that all of you are familiar with this song, but have you ever tried this? Giving your spouse, boyfriend, fiancee, partner, soulmate or maybe even roomie gifts over the 12 days leading up to Christmas. Probably not right? Well I lifted this idea from November 2009 - Project Freak - 12 Days of Christmas and none other than Shannon Bogan (she may not know about my blog, but I religiously follow hers).

Well last year I was still a pretty new scrapper, and I did this project. The envelopes I made last year turned out lovely, but they just aren't my cup of tea anymore, so I decided to scrap up some more using the Festive kit that I got from Catch the Moment Kits plus some extra BG papers and the Jovial chipboard purchased from PaperAddict. And well I am so very pleased. I think they turned out stunning, and I am very happy that I went with the 5.5x7.5 envelopes this year. More room to fit those goodies in :)

Basically if you are familiar with the song, then you know how it goes. You set the envelopes out and you or your lover/friend open the gifts starting on December 13th. Last year I did it for my hubby, so this year he is going to fill these envelopes for me. Whee I can't wait to see what little surprises he gives to me :)

Well let's see how it looks this year shall we? Ugh, sorry for the random order, I'm still figuring out how to attach darn pictures!

Used: BG Jovial PP, BG Jovial Die Cuts, BG Jovial Chipboard, BG button, AC Thickers, Core'dinations cardstock, and MS Baker's Twine (gotta love that stuff) and on the card all of the above plus Jenni Bowlin button -- you can get the JB buttons, AC Thickers and Jovial Kit from Catch the Moments Kits

And for my very first giveaway I am going to regift my first set of 12 Days of Christmas envelopes and a handmade card (made with scraps from my new Jovial kit) to a blog follower that leaves a comment on this post. Because I don't have a ton of blog followers right now I will wait a few days before selecting a winner at random. I will also throw in little something scrappy that you can use on your LO and/or cards :) - so become a blog follower and post a comment by Wednesday, and I will post the winner on Thursday; now how does that sound?

Alright, I'm out for the evening blog followers!! I will be back later this week to post a winner and present a double LO made with Echo Park from Catch the Moments Kits.

With Love,
Gabi Watson

{sale, sale, sale}

2010-11-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

Catch the Moments Kits are having a great sale this week!! All kits are $15... Add-ons are $6, plus Devon added a $1 (or less) group under her Flickr account so you might find some really inexpensive paper, brads and other embellies that you just CAN'T LIVE without!

I will be posting my double LO and Envelopes tomorrow, and I will have a giveaway as well sometime this week, so be sure to keep checking this blog for something special this week!!

Here is the Joyful Kit from Catch the Moments Kits; I love Crate Paper. Their paper is thick, good quality, and their designs are delightful, perfect for those snow bunnies, babies and angels in your life :) -- I like to think outside of the box as well with this line. I can see a number of those papers used for Non-Winter LOs, such as birthdays, Easter, and other fun and quirky pictures you may have...

{cropped and ready for bed}

2010-11-14T18:11:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I cropped from noon until 11 pm. It was great to be with others who love being creative with paper. I didn't get everything that I wanted done, but I did finish my 12 days of Christmas project, and I was able to churn out a 'Thanksgiving' card, and a 2 page LO (I never do those)... I just felt like challenging myself a bit, and I really wanted to use as many pictures at one time that I could while still creating a beautiful and simple scrap page.

I have taken pictures, but Gavin is on the laptop right now, so I can't load and edit them yet. I need to sign up for my paid account at Picnik since I have decided that I prefer their site, and I like using them more than Picasa. I like it because I don't have to download it to my computer, and people can view my pictures like they do on the picasa web albums. So I will actually be paying for photo editing stuff, but it will be MUCHO cheaper than photoshop (which I would love, but it's not in the budget). I've much rather have a good fitting new pair of jeans and pants for work.

So I am gearing up for Black Friday. Ads are being released early online so if you are into the hustle and bustle of the biggest shopping day of the year, you may check out this website: www.blackfriday.info -- I follow this site religiously every holiday season.

So.... I'm going to have a date with the television now and then I am off to bed because Gavin and I are exhausted from this weekend. I have the most wonderful husband in the world. While I was away at cropping... he was cleaning the carpets, picking up the dog from the groomer, and taking care of our sweet (and becoming destructive) angel baby girl.k -- He's the best man ever, and I am so blessed to be his wife. Today we picked up Harper a new winter coat from Old Navy, taking advantage of their 30% off coupon. Then we ate at the Cajun Big Easy at the mall and picked up some rolls of wrapping paper at Hallmark and Harper's Xmas ornament for this year. I love their $5 off coupons :) -- I got 2 rolls of Peanuts paper, Xmas plaid, and one with a Merry message on it. Harper's ornament is the Orange See and Say they have. It's fun. Harper was a handful today though, so we are both pooped to say the least.

Goodnight and I hope everyone has a lovely and hopefully creative week without any tests, unlike me :(

With love,

Gabi from Savannah, TX

{done}

2010-11-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Alright so I finished my project that was due at midnight, and I've already turned it in. I completely my discussion for the night too. I still need to finish reading my chapter on parenting and take my quiz by 6 pm tomorrow for my marriage and family course, but I will take that tomorrow morning before I go to my crop. I need to rearrange and pack up my room for tomorrow, but I just don't have the energy right now, so I may just do that in the morning. We'll see, right now I'm going to snuggle up with my honey and maybe watch a lovely Xmas flick by the fire.

I have such a beautiful life.

With love,

Gabi from Savannah, TX

{finally friday}

2010-11-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

I am so glad Friday is here. It it is pretty much my favorite day of the week. I like it because it is the start of the weekend. I get to wear jeans to work, and every other Friday it is payday. Fridays are wonderful.

Tomorrow I have a crop, and I am just thrilled to finally be getting some scrapping done. During the semester, it is terribly hard for me to put aside time for my hobby when I have more pressing things to take care of: family time, homework, groceries, cooking, cleaning .... scrapping always comes last when I have a quiz and discussion due every week :) -- so I crop once per month with my gals in Frisco. It is my healing creative time when I can just shoot the poop with other girls and make fabulously creative stuff :)

Tomorrow I'll be working on my 12 Days of Christmas envelopes for this year, and I will be working on some LOs for Catch the Moments Kits.

I've been planning with my husband our Black Friday excursion right now we are going to visit ToysRus at 10PM on Thanksgiving night, and then early the next morning we will be at Target picking up a few things, then on to the other stores... I'm going to get me some freebies at Walgreens and CVS. Visit this Website for the most up to date Black Friday ads...

I am so looking forward to the holidays that are right upon us!! I just can't believe it's been a whole year since last Thanksgiving and last Christmas! My how the time has flown by. I am almost done with my classes. Today (while I'm at work) I will be quickly putting together a one page essay and response about the film that I watched last night. (Literally gave me nightmares) and I will be working on a power point that is due tonight by midnight. Usually I get these power points done at least a day early, but I needed to watch that movie last night before it was unavailable. Eek... busy night. Then I will be tidying up the scrappin' room and pack up my scrap junk!!

I am leaving you with a LO that I did for my Xmas album last year... This is Harper paying a visit to Santa at his Mall workshop :)

{going to sleep}

2010-11-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

I'm exhausted right now. I had my lab this evening, which was fun. We talked about the 5 senses; we did a neat experiment. Harper and Daddy got home late, and Harper climbed on top of my chest, and she laughed and would put her face in my chest and scream (muffled) .... then she was just burst into giggly. Gosh I just love my little girl. She is the LIGHT of my life.

I watched a documentary called "Are the Children Alright?" which was about children's mental healthcare system in the State of Texas. It was appalling that there is not enough help out there for children who are mentally ill. There are half a million mentally ill children in the U.S. and only 2/3 of them get the help they need. The documentary brought me to tears when I heard a young boy's earliest memory about being raped when he was 3 years old. It just brings me to tears now just thinking about his life.

Nobody ever thinks about children in these situations. We think about out kids daily. How they are and how we can provide for them. I've never really given much thought to children who have mental illness, and I like to think that children are not abused, but I am seeing children, childhood and babies who live in poverty with rose colored glasses. I feel like I am just a pawn and I can't really do anything alone, but I WANT to HELP these children. What can I do Lord to help these sweet children? I pray every NIGHT for the children who are living in poverty, who are abused/neglected/unloved, the ones who are ill and need help, need to see a doctor, need therapy. Oh Lord, please I beg to you...watch over these children and make them known to people so that they can be saved.

I want to save these babies. I want to see their smiling faces and take them away from the nightmare that I can't even fathom their life is. I was sexually abused for a brief time when I was young, but I can't even wrap my head about a child being raped at 3 years old. It has been a sad and depressing night. It has been an eye opening night.

Today I chose 2 children from the angel tree, and I am going to pick and elderly person tomorrow. I hope that these small gifts that I give them provide them with enough hope to make them feel whole in a very empty life that they may live. Sweet angel babies....peace be with you, this season and all the seasons of every year. I don't know you, but I LOVE you as if you were my own, and I want you to be blessed, be nourished and well taken care of.

May no child of the Lord be lost.

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.
(Matthew 18:12-14 ESV)

{Vintage from Catch the Moments Kits}

2010-11-11T06:43:00.000-08:00

Hey ya'll!!

Well Devon at Catch the Moments Kits has some new goodies posted on the blog. Today I have photos of the newest kit aptly named Vintage! Isn't it gorgeous? This kit includes patterned paper from Basic Grey Curio and American Crafts Classics; embellishments included are Fabric Print Thickers and Basic Grey Curio Brads & Bloomers. This is beautifully VINTAGE and so AFFORDABLE; that is what I love MOST about Catch the Moments Kits. I know a good deal when I see it, and I can't wait to start playing with some paper, whee!!! If you would like to order the Vintage Kit or any other scrappy goodness in Devon's Flickr Account just send her an email (email is on the blog).

Here are some pics...
I have a crop this weekend, so I will be playing with paper and posting pictures by Monday of all the lovely LOs and projects that I've made.

Today is my Hubby's 27th birthday too, so I would like to give a quick SHOUT to him. Happy Birthday my Sweet Hubby and Father of my baby girl!! You are such a wonderful man, and life would be nothing without you in it!!

Oh ONE more thing before I drift off into '...angry student territory...' Catch the Moments will be starting a REAL website where you can put orders in a cart, etc... I will give you all the details as I get them :)

With Love,
Gabi from Savannah, TX

{you know it's wednesday}

2010-11-10T08:44:00.000-08:00

Happy hump day folks...

I don't have much to say today, so I am just going to make a list of things. Lists make me very happy!

1. Crop on Saturday, and I can't wait!
2. Talk about the Black Friday deals with Gavin tonight after dinner.
3. Pick up Harper today after work (I don't normally do this, but Gavin works late tonight).
4. Pick up a little something, something for my sweet hubster. His 27th b-day is tomorrow! I'm going to get him some sweats to wear around the house. He needs sweats!
5. Read Chapter 4 and 9 readings for Intro.
6. Look at the video discussion tonight for my Marriage and Family course.
7. Think about what project to work on for my Personal Development class, due this Friday.
8. Read Ch. 11 - Parenting and take quiz on Thursday or Friday.
9. Watch a least 1 Christmas film this weekend.
10. Start studying for my Anatomy final this weekend, putting together note cards and reading over important stuff.
11. Picnic today with my cousin Candice.
12. Did I mention that I have a Crop on Saturday? Yay!

{is there something wrong}

2010-11-09T19:39:00.000-08:00

With my blog right now? Hm. I'm having trouble accessing it, so I'm sure my readers are too ...

{is is lunch yet}

2010-11-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so my two fave parts of the day are 1) lunch and 2) end of the workday

Haha, who knew?

Nothing much too exciting is going on today. I am just working on stuff at work. During lunch I'll be studying form my exam in Sociology of Marriage and Family. Tonight after Harper goes sleepy-bye then I will will take one last glance over my notes and take my exam. After my exam I will start working on my studies for my Anatomy Exam in a few weeks. I need to reread the chapter over Neural Tissue, and I need to read about the gross anatomy of the Spinal Cord, the Reflex Arc, the gross anatomy of the Brain, the lobes/sections of the brain & what they control, and tons of other junk about the brain and disorders/diseases Disconnection Syndrome, etc.

Fun stuff. But it really interests me... Anatomy & Physiology interests me just as much as Scrapbooking!! Haha, then I need to read for my Intro class, and I am meeting my cousin Candice for lunch tomorrow! I am very excited about this. It's odd to think that we are both grown ups now. When we were kids we used to play together for a few hours, and then we would get totally tired of each other and nit-pick and fight about little things. I think all kids are that way though.

I love her, and I am so happy to share lunch with her!

My Slop Crop (monthly crop) is this Saturday! I SOOOO can't wait!! I am going to play with my Catch the Moments kits and make something fabulous that I think you will all like and maybe incorporate during this holiday season!!

{dallas world aquarium and perfect weekend}

2010-11-08T08:01:00.000-08:00

Gavin's 27th birthday is this Thursday, and we celebrated this weekend by taking the family to the Dallas World Aquarium. To those of you who've never been to this place, it is a wonderful rain forest like habitat. Some of the animals and birds are domesticated and run free, and the whole bottom floor is a pretty good sized aquarium and it is just neat-o!! Harper had way too much fun!! Well we all had a blast. Our favorite animals were definitely the Sloth, Giant River Otters, Anteater, this little Monkey that was crawling around and the Tree Kangaroo. The Shark & Ray tunnel was REALLY cool too! Enjoy the pics!

Also this weekend was extra special because we spent time as a family decorating the house for Christmas!! It was really a magical weekend despite the fact that I didn't study at all (like I should've) and Gavin wrote a paper :( - We always make time for fun family stuff and getting in the holiday spirit was just what we needed :) There are some pics above of us getting the living room ready for the tree! Yipee! I love Christmastime!!

{twenty-four favorites at 24}

2010-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

For the "About Me" challenge at Scrap the Moments (sister challenge blog to Catch the Moments Kits) I did a scraplift from a LO by Shannon Bogan. I really love her LOs, but she is a digi scrapper for the most part. I would love to go digital, but I have too much fun playing with paper :)

So here it is my first LO using Catch the Moments kits. I used papers and tag from the Wonderland kit and add on, and I used a paper and brad from the Jolly kit. Almost everything from this LO came from Devon from Catch the Moments kits including the all the papers, tags, button and brad. Here is the Etsy store to see what's for sale right now!

Well I hope you love it. This is the first LO I've ever done that is just about me. Most of the time all of my LOs focus around my daughter or our whole family, but definitely not me :) -- It felt challenging and good to finally step outside of the scrappy box and do something for me :) - I love how it turned out too! Thanks Shannon Bogan for all the inspiration!

Journal:
1. My family - Harper & Gavin
2. Christmastime
3. Being with friends
4. Coca-Cola 5. Eating
6. Wearing shorts with long sleeves
7. Sleeping
8. Scrapbooking, especially at crops & retreats
9. Shopping
10. Disney everything
11. Easy music
12. Surfing the web when I should be working
13. Embellies
14. Movies
15. Dresses from Forever 21
16. Singing
17. A Few TV shows
18. Taking & Editing pictures
19. The Weekend
20. Reading
21. Black Magic Skinny pants from the Gap
22. Date nights with Daddy
23. Vintage anything really
24. My whole life - my house, my family & all the fixins'

{new everything}

2010-11-05T21:23:00.000-07:00

Friends and followers (you're probably my friends or we will be) -- I hope you love the new design!! I was recently chosen to be part of the Catch the Moments Kits Design Team for 2010-2011, and I am so proud and honored!! I decided to change things up a bit and add a bit of sophistication to my sloppy, messy blog that was (gag) and now is (sigh) lovely, modern and matches my personality to a T (well almost, as custom as $5 goes)!

Haha, well I am so pleased to tell everyone about this super opportunity for me!! I will be sharing lovely layouts and projects each month that I've designed with the lovely kits a la Devon from Catch the Moments Kits!! Visit the Etsy site here... Plus she is starting a website soon with message boards and other insanity! I can't wait to be a part of all the action!

She's a swell gal, and I can't wait to show off all the wonderful creations I'll be making and of course give you the insiders info on all upcoming kits, products and dare-I-say SALES to come!!! You just never know on this blog ladies!

Anyhow it's late, and I have a parenting workshop in the morning (ah! who cares?) I am going to scrap a bit and start on the "About Me" challenge on Devon's sister blog Scrap the Moments Challenges! Now who doesn't like a challenge now and then?

Let me know what you think of the design, and feel free to give me tips on my bog because you know I need them!! I want to be a big star, and I need your help, support, love and encouragement to get me on my way :) just kidding, but really I do!

Love and nighty-nighty!

Gabi from Savannah, TX

So happy!

2010-11-05T07:21:00.000-07:00

I am just ecstatic that the weekend is finally here!!

Today I am not taking a lunch and leaving work early to take my daughter to the doctor for her well baby :)

I'm going to have them look at her ears to because she grabs them at nights, but she hasn't seemed sick, so I haven't worried about it.

Tonight I need to do my quiz for Marriage and Family. Tomorrow I have a Parenting Workshop in the morning (it's for my parenting scholarship at school). No I am not a bad parent; it is just part of my requirements to keeping up with my scholarship, gpa and taking full time hours. Just part of the package deal. Tomorrow they are doing to discuss couponing, which is kind of funny because I'm a HUGE coupon-er! I mean I get the BEST deals, like FREE (or close to free) stuff all the time! So maybe I could teach my classmate a little bit about saving money, who knows?

After my session tomorrow I am taking my hubby and sweet little girl the aquarium!! That is my hubster's birthday presetn, he requested that we go as a family to the aquarium or the zoo. Too cold for the zoo, so the aquarium it is!!! I can't wait. Look forward to some awesome pictures ya'll!!

This weekend I will read for all of my classes, and I am going to study for an exam that I have on Monday, and get caught up with all of my reading :)

And of course... play with my sweet Harper, read stories and share sweet moments!!

Happy Weekend Ya'll!!!

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

Pumpkin Patch, Halloween and Other Stuff

2010-11-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

This is my family at the Pumpkin Patch in Flower Mound last weekend! Enjoy the pic!

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

1 day till the Weekend

2010-11-04T06:14:00.000-07:00

It's busy this time of year at work, and on top of that my mind is busy, busy, busy!!

Today at work I am going to finish all of my tracking, and I am going to finish the newsletter for Dr. Beck's allied health students.

At lunch today I will be speaking to a class of my peers about juggling parenthood, my studies, my job and my personal life outside of school. My good friend and coworker is a Teaching Fellow. She teaches a Child Development course every semester, and she has ask ME to speak to her class. Wow! This will be the first time I talk to a group of folks (especially my own age). I hope that I don't mess up or say a curse word or something out of character! :)

This weekend I am going to do my About Me LO for the challenge blog Scrap The Moments. I found a LO onlne, and I am going to scraplift her idea. Here is the LO that I plan to scraplift .... Thirty-Two Favorites at 32 by Shannon Bowman.

I will post my LO when I am done. I think you guys will like it. Mine won't be exactly like hers, but it will be very close :) I can't wait!!

Also tonight after lab, I need to do my power point for my Personal Development class, and I need to read for all of my other classes!! I have an exam next week, so I need to print off my quizzes to study! Yipe!!

I'm out for now. Moving my computer around at work today. This is should be fun!

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

Personal Quote & Wednesday Rumblings

2010-11-03T06:36:00.000-07:00

"I don't eat anything that lives in a shell"
-Gabi Watson

Okay so that is my personal quote for today. Last night I could not bring myself to work on any homework. I had to make a copy of my test, so that I could fill in the right answers, and I finished with the essay and fill in the blank part yesterday at lunch, but after we laid Harper down (took us a while), I was just kaput! I really needed to catch up on some Zzzz's since the night before I was up late (til 1 AM) finishing my paper for my anatomy class.

I'm usually in bed no later than 10 or 11 (on nights when I have tons of homework). Today is hump day, thank goodness!! I've been ready for the weekend since Monday. My agenda this week:

--Finish my test corrections
--Finish reading about Neural Tissue
--Read about the Central Nervous System and Peripheral Nervous System
--Read and do power point for Personal Development course
--Read Chapter 3 for Intro and Read Topics 10 & 11
--Read Chapter 9 & 10 in Marriage class and take quiz over Chapter 10

That is it for this week. Not so bad, just a TON of reading and getting caught up.

This Saturday I have a mandatory class for my scholarship. It will be over Couponing and Bargain Hunting for families with children. Then Gavin will get off of work right after that, and we will drive to the Dallas World Aquarium with Harper in tow to celebrate Daddy's 27th birthday!! I can't believe that Gavin and I have been together for 5 years already! It is quite amazing. We got married when he was 22, and I was 20. It is just really bizarre! Doesn't really seem like it's been that long.

Next weekend is my SLOP CROP, and I REALLY can't wait for this!! I need the mental beak from all of my school anguish, and my stress over what this lump in my breast could be!! I'm trying to put on a happy face really, but I am getting myself psyched out. I don't get it checked out till January because the oncologist is REALLY booked! I'm just scared, and I am most scared for my family. I could care less what I have really, but I am just scared that there is a day when I may not be able to take care of my family, and it just brings me to tears. Lately I've cried at least a little every morning, usually in the shower, when I am feeling the lump to make sure that it hasn't grown or developed any spicules. Yikes!

I am happy for the stress from school because if it weren't for that taking my mind off things and my LOVELY scrapbooking hobby and sweet family keeping my spirits up I would be all MUSH all the time!

I just have such a wonderful life. I'm not going to let this little thing get me down.

On another note... I registered for my Spring classes, and I am currently enrolled for:
-- Anatomy & Physiology II (2 nights/wk)
-- Elementary Statistics (T/R lunch)
-- Child Development (online)
-- Quantitative Data Collection (M/W/F lunch)

You may be wondering when I am going to eat since I have class during my lunch everyday... well I will get over that hurdle when I get there. I guess I just have to bring a lunch to work and just eat before I leave or after I get out of class; we'll see ;) It's not like I need any food anyway.

I really LOVE my family...

2010-11-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that I took time to edit this morning of our Fall Festival at our church. We go to Frisco First United Methodist Church, and we love it there!

Getting ready...

2010-10-31T15:41:00.000-07:00

At my house right now we are getting ready for tricks and treats! Harper is dressed up as Madeline, and I am dressing up at Miss Clavel. I finally took pictures of my most recent scrapbook pages, and I am posting those online tonight before I FINALLY start writing my paper that is due tomorrow! OMG.. I am going to cry; this is going to be a long night after our little trick or treater goes nigh-nigh :)

I love my weekends (even if they are too short). I love my family. Everyday I am thankful.

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

Costume is On

2010-10-29T11:47:00.002-07:00

Okay, so finally I have a free moment at work. Here is a picture of me as Jeanette from Alvin and the Chipmunks! Enjoy!

Halloween is Coming!

2010-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

It's time for Tricks and Treats this weekend!!

I don't know if I have mentioned it before, but this is Harper's second Halloween, and she turns 18 months old today!! Halfway to 2 years!! I can't believe that my baby is growing up to fast and so beautifully every day!! I feel so blessed to have such a wonderfully, fantastic kid in my life. This Halloween Harper is Madeline! She is literally obsessed with that film and books, so any time you mention Madeline in our house, Harper finds her Madeline in London book, and she goes straight to the TV to turn on her movie! She watches this movie (or rather bits of it) at least 1 time per week; it is her guilty pleasure!

Today is Harper's Halloween party at her school, so I made some yummy cookies last night for the toddler classroom, and Gavin burnt a BUNCH of them (sadly, they had to be thrown out), but it was sweet that he was even trying to help me at all. I was working on a project for school last night, wrapping up a discussion, and studying for a quiz that I am taking Saturday morning. I think tonight after Harper goes to sleep I am going to catch up on ALL of the TV that I haven't watched this week (because I've been busy studying for EVERYTHING) -- I am going to watch, Sister Wives, Dexter, Boardwalk Empire, The Big C, Weeds and ... well I don't think there is anything else! I pretty much stick to the movie channels, can ya tell?

Any how...

Today I am dressed up for our Halloween party for Charity!! Every year we decorate the office and dress up to raise money for local charities, and this year we decided to do Cartoon >advising< Network. We are a student advising office, so every year we make something related to advising!!

This year we have employees dressed up as Olive Oyl, Space Ghost, Rainbow Brite, 2 Lilo's (from Lilo & Stitch), Sylvester (from Looney Tunes), Daphne (from Scooby-Do), Elmer Fudd, Popeye, and I am Jeanette (a chipette from Alvin and the Chipmunks)!

Here is my Madeline Girl:

Happy Halloween, and I will update more pictures later!!

My Designs!

2010-10-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

Okay ya'll, so I really don't do this enough (update my blog with my creative junk) :), so I am going to post a whole slew of stuff that I've made this year.

I will be taking pictures this weekend for sure of some new stuff because I know that I'll have a bit of free time to take/edit some pictures for all my lovely blog followers!!!

Here is just a little bit of what I can do! Enjoy!

October is busy.

2010-10-27T06:12:00.000-07:00

It is the month of October, and it is Breast Cancer Awareness month. I feel my boobies all the time. I love them, and I feel them not because I want them to be healthy, but because I generally just like them. A good friend of mine calls them my fat bags, but I love them and look at them more like fun bags or milk bags (for 9 months at least)!

Well anyway, it is just coincidental that the month that I realize that I have a lump in my breast just happens to be Breast Cancer Awareness month. Odd it seems. That out of 12 months in the year, I would find a lump in my boob, the same month that is Cancer Awareness. IT is really just MY luck! Most things like this happen to me this way.

So about 4 weeks ago I had a normal woman's health check up. Everything was normal, felt normal and test came out normal. Well later that week I started getting pain in my breasts, and particularly in my Right Girl. Well I figured it was due to menstruation, and the pain was due to me starting very soon. After I started my period though my Right breast was still pretty tender and the large lump was still there. I figured well maybe my hormones just haven't adjusted yet, so I watched it for a few more days. Well I'm not having the 'bleeds' anymore, and I still have a lump in my Right Breast. At least half an inch long if not longer and about 3 centimeters wide. It is not too painful, but it is tender to the touch and physical manipulation of the boob. Well it just aches afterwards (you know poking and prodding). At this point, I don't really think too much of it, but my husband is worried and wants me to get checked, so I set up an appointment and met with my Nurse Practitioner yesterday afternoon.

She says that because of my age (24) that it is probably a Breast Fibroadenoma. It is more or less a fibrous benign tumor. So I get to see a Breast Specialist to get my mammary examined in a couple of months, and then if it is this Fibroadenoma, then I will watch it to make sure that it doesn't grow any larger, and when or if it does, discuss having it removed in a few years.

Lovely. So I am not upset nor worried about this whole thing, but I wanted to let others know about this, and I want women to FEEL their boobies! I love mine, and it kind of makes me sad to think that I have a mass in there that I might need removed one day and how that is going to make my breasts look. Superficial I know, but I am pretty happy with my body overall and don't want it to change, but at the same time I want to take precautions for the future of my Girls, and I don't want to 'look' any lumpier that I already do :)

Anyways just heed my warning gals. I am 24, in great health and great shape; I am a full time student and work full time. I have tons of homework and don't have time to even think about myself because I'm constantly thinking about other people, and I don't give myself a ton of attention, but I know my breasts, and I had a lumpy scare! So please FEEL your girls, all the time. I know I do mine! Give them the love and attention they need, and they will give you love and attention back :) and they will be healthier for it in the long run.

If you feel something different, don't be afraid to talk to your practitioner about it, especially if:

* You have a lump and it changes
* You feel a new breast lump
* You have changes in the breast that are not affected by the menstrual cycle

Crazy, Hectic Kind of Week

2010-10-25T08:11:00.001-07:00

Today is only Monday, and I am seriously dreading this week. Not only is it busy at work with students finally being able to sign up for classes, but it is mid-semester, and I am overloaded with TONS of school work.

I have an exam this evening.
I have to put together a power point this week.
I have to do 2 discussions this week.
I have to write a paper this week.
I have to take an exam on Wednesday.
I have a Quiz due by Saturday morning.
I have to READ gobs of stuff! I mean gobs!!
And I want to find time to take pictures of my scrappy stuff and email it to Devon for the Catch the Moments Design Team Contest that ends on Monday.
Saturday I AM taking Harper to a pumpkin patch too!

Plus other stuff at work is going on... Halloween Bake Sale Thursday and Friday and my daughter's Halloween Party at her school! This week I AM one BUSY Mama!!!!

Hey Ya'll -- New Kit Club

2010-10-21T12:49:00.000-07:00

Catch the Moments Kits, is a new kit club out there for us scrapbookers on a budget!! Devon (the kit club owner) is offering a SWEET giveaway on her blog today, so you should definitely check out her blog, but also check out her shop on Etsy!

Now CHECK them OUT!!! I've already ordered the Festive kit from her, and I expect it any day now for my 2010 Christmas album!!

Here are a couple of kits she is offering on Etsy, so you have an idea of some of the brands she carries!

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

Right Now!

2010-10-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

Right now I am counting down the minutes till I can go home and study!!

I have 3 exams this week, yikes! I have a quiz due on Thursday. Coworkers (my friends) are coming over for dinner on Saturday, Sunday I have an exam. Monday I have an exam, and Wednesday I have another exam. Not to mention, I am applying for a Design Team spot for Catch the Moments Kit Club, and I have a paper to write before Nov. 1st. Eek!! Also... I am dissecting a cat and studying its muscles tomorrow evening. Don't you love Anatomy and Physiology? I do!

Well catch ya later folks. I'm leaving in exactly 3 minutes!!!

-Gabi from Savannah, TX

Got a New Do!

2010-10-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who know me... I never get my hair cut. I get it cut maybe 1 time per year, and that's usually when I go to San Antonio to visit my Uncle Jeff, who does beautiful work with hair?!

Anyhow. Yesterday I decided on a whim that I was going to chop off my hair a la Kiera Knightley, see pic...

Well went with that hair style, but I had some modifications... it's just a tad bit longer, past the chin but not quite shoulder lenghth. I probably cut off 5 inches of hair or so. However I love it, and I think it looks amazing. I also got a dye job and some highlights! This was a BIG treat for me because I haven't dyed my hair in a REALLY long time! It's great to have silky soft hair again!! Thank you Christie at Salon LaPage you did such a great job on my coiff! I just adore it!