Ok - so I'm no painter !!

And I'm so thankful I don't have to rely on that skill for a living!  Boy, I was so frustrated today trying to finally finish my craft room - then my sweet son, Jaime, stopped by and just at the right time!!  I was irritated and had paint from head to toe and just decided to forget it all.  I would just keep my beautiful 'Sweet Blush'  painted walls (Don had done that for me a couple months ago) with the terribly ugly, yucky beige yellow door trim, base boards and window sills that were on there when we bought our house!!!  That was going to have to do - - that is, until Jaime took over!! 

The problem was that I was painting over that ugly color that wasn't accepting my new color, white, which is a semi-gloss interior paint.  I'm thinking now that I probably should have brushed on a primer or something prior to attempting to cover the ugly beige-yellow with my clean white paint!!  Oh well,  Jaime - full of patience and wanting to rescue mom - did a great job!  He says we'll actually apply one more coat tomorrow and it should be good-to-go!  Then I can finally finish setting up my craft space.  AND just in the nick of time because I have some sewing projects and papercrafts to complete before Christmas!  Don will be ever so grateful to have our dining room table back!! 

Hopefully pictures will follow tomorrow night or Wednesday!!  I'm so excited!  It's a small room but accommodates my crafting just fine!

Jenn

Kameron's telling stories . . . .

Kameron loves books! And I'm so glad because I'm a book-worm! None of my 4 children ever liked to read and still don't. So I'm thrilled that Kameron has taken to books. He was hanging out on my kitchen floor 'reading' a Diego book while I was cooking supper one night. He would look at a few pages then say "Hey Mammy, Diego" and point to something on a page.

Well now, Allie said his other grandma has been telling him stories so he's repeating them and really talking well ! He's only 2 this past Friday, Dec 4th. Allie and Kam have been visiting her parents in Tennessee and I miss them so much! But they'll be home for Christmas and I can hardly wait! Kam has the best sugar!! Jaime will leave the rig on Dec 23rd, I believe and head to Dyersburg, TN to pick them up and bring them home!!

Lord willing, we'll all be together once again to celebrate the birth of our Savior and enjoy the fellowship surrounding the Christmas season. We're so blessed!

Jenn

Brothers / Buddies !!

It was so funny to watch my little guys fall asleep chatting! They had just been fussing over their Monster trucks and Little Cooper likes to reach up and slap Nick on his back. He's becoming a little 2-yr old bully and it drives 5-yr old Nicholas crazy! Nick is such a sweet big brother and doesn't want to hit Coop back so he tries to 'talk' him down!! It's so funny ~ but it's really a challenge to keep Cooper from striking out when he doesn't get his way.

But all is well when they're settling in for the night. They just chat like little girls!! Nicholas says his complete 'Night Prayers' at least 4 times before he drifts off to sleep!! It's precious ~ if he happens to wake up for a bathroom run or when Madalyn wakes up for a bottle, he says his prayers all over again before going back to sleep. I love it and I'm so proud of him and the fact that he's already believing in the power of prayer, even at his young age. He's quick to say he's going to pray for you when he hears you're going to the doctor or if you have to travel! Oh, it does a Mammy's heart good!

Just felt like sharing!

Jenn

How about a Peek into our New Spring 2010 Catalog??

Introducing Topstitch!!

This will be our January 'Kit of the Month' that we'll create a couple of layouts from as well as a few cards. Then we'll have enough supplies left over for other craft projects you can create at home after the workshop.

As with all of our Workshop Kits, you have two purchase options, Basic and Best, based on your preference, personal style, and budget.

The Basic Kit includes the Topstitch Level 2 Paper Packet, My Acrylix Stamp Set 'Love is in the Air', Mini-Medley Accents Colonial White Collection and the Workshop Guide that provides pictures, cutting diagrams and measurements! You pay only $29.95 plus shipping and tax!

The Best Option is the Basic Kit + Accessories and your cost is $39.40 plus shipping and tax!

The added accessories are our Dimensional Elements Hearts, Clear Sparkles, and Embroidery Floss Neutral Assortment. You'll have 4 beautiful 12 x 12 layouts, several gorgeous hand-made cards plus supplies left over for another project!

I'm so looking forward to this workshop! The pages and cards are beautiful and I already have my pictures selected for these layouts.

Jenn

'Notice the Details' December Stamp of the Month!

'Notice the Details' is a great set of 41 stamps that is the December Stamp of the Month!! It's item #D1378 and retails for $22.95 BUT you can receive it absolutely FREE with your $100 or more purchase!! Just take a look at the samples above of what you can create with this set! Available Dec 1-31, 2009. SHOP HERE!

$100 Grab Bag for ONLY $30 !! 50-80% Off Clearance Sale While Supplies Last !!!

Check out the list of items for AMAZING deals and to see what you can get for 50-80% off!!!

My Acrylix Stamp Sets

Scrapbook Kits

Paper Packs

Card Kits

My Stickease

Grab Bag

Coloring Pencils

Ribbon Rounds

Sassy Strands

My Accents Plus so much MORE!!

Only while supplies last!! So don't wait - shop online at http://jenniferlee.myctmh.com/

to take advantage of this great sale before December 17th - these items won't last long at these very low prices!

Happy Shopping,

Jenn

Charms and Fat Quarters!!

I've discovered Charms and Fat Quarters!! And I'm so excited to get started on a couple of small projects for Christmas! I used to sew quite often, years ago, but haven't in quite some time. Sewing would always relax me and Jaime and Jessica would play with their toys on the floor in my sewing room until they fell asleep near my feet!! Sweet memories!


Well, Jessica began sewing a few months ago, using my old Singer, and is doing a great job! It sparked a seamstess fire in me, so I got my machine back out and am about to get some sewing done. And lucky ole' Jess got an early Christmas present from her sweet mother-in-law - her very first Singer Sewing Machine!! She's thrilled and I'm happy for her! She said to me, "Now we can have a sewing party, mama". Well, that just tickled me to death!


And to top it all off, we have a brand new JoAnn's! I had never been to one and of course, once I stepped thru the doors, I didn't leave until about 2 hours later!! Don thinks that's so ridiculous! But I loved it - that's where I found the Charms and Fat Quarters! I'm so excited! They will work great for a couple of gifts I have in mind for my mama. I had made several Biscuit Pillows back in the day when I was sewing regularly and she mentioned last week how she thought those were so nice, so she's getting her own special one for Christmas along with a little semi-quilted lap throw! The fabrics in the charms pack and the quarters pack are so like my mother - dainty, soft, old fashioned and pretty! Her favorite color is yellow and she loves flowers so I know she'll like it.

I plan to start tomorrow afternoon and possibly have it complete this weekend so I'll be sure to post some pictures! I'm so excited!

Jenn

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

My Little Halloween Sweethearts!!

Kameron was a little monkey! Getting a Halloween costume for Kam was an quite an experience, says his mom, Allie!! He DID NOT like the costume store at all. Kam made a precious little monkey!

Mr. Scaredy Cat Nicholas dressed as a Skeleton! He got mad at Mammy because I didn't tell him who my secret treat-giver was going to be! And he was all dressed up in a 'scarey man's' costume!! Nick finally calmed down and sat next to 'cousin Colby' (my surprise treat-giver!) and helped him hand out candy the rest of the evening!! He had more fun doing that than going 'Trick or Treating' himself!

Cooper dressed as a skeleton as well and he didn't like Mammy's treat-giver either! But once his daddy picked him up, he was fine with the 'scarey-man'! Trick or treating didn't really appeal to him - he actually fell asleep!


And little Miss Madalyn was a pretty fairy!! She actually had a cute head piece also and did fine wearing it, but it came off when everyone was passing her around! She was so busy crawling around, that I kept missing getting a shot of her sweet little face!

Such precious Grandchildren! They bring so much joy to me and Papa!

It's Stampaganza Time - November 3rd - 30th

Stamp lovers rejoice! Whether you're a long- time fan of stamps or are just venturing into this fun hobby, now is the perfect time to grab some My Acrylix decorative stamp sets. From November 3rd-30th, 2009, when you make a purchase of any two stamps sets (sizes A, B, C, D, or E) at full retail price, you will receive a third stamp set of your choice for FREE! (equal or lesser value- a savings up to $22.95). Choose from any stamp set offered in any of the 2009 Idea Books or current product review!


Take advantage of this month's great offer and add to your assortment of these innovate stamps!

Jenn

Christmas CD Packaging!

These quick and easy gifts were a big hit last year at Christmas! I used all Close to my Heart products plus the Music Makeover template designed by Lauren Meador that I purchased from PaperTrey Inc. It's the ideal creative packaging for giving special gifts from custom made picture CDs, favorite music CDs, hot chocolate packets, etc! I made the packaging for custom Christmas Music CDs for our PR staff to give to nurses in our referring clinics as little Christmas 'Happies'. They were well received!

I actually did all the cutting of the templates that I had printed onto our awesome cardstock, the stamping, the embossing and assembling them in my daughter's hospital room the night she delivered Little Madalyn Claire on December 22nd! I had already printed the templates out and gathered my stamps, ribbons and tools to finish them up for delivery on Christmas Eve Day BUT Madalyn decided to make her entrance! I've been blessed to get to spend that first night in the hospital with Jessica after she delivered both the boys so she said we couldn't break tradition - So I worked from the little rolling dinner tray in her hospital room and finished them up!! Of course, this caught the attention of all the nurses that came in through the night! I had done the first bach (20 of them) at home already and finished the other 20 there at the hospital! Definitely won't wait until the last minute again!

I hope you enjoy my photos - it was actually pretty dark in here tonight when I took the snapshots of them so they're not very good pics - the boys had fallen asleep on their blanket pallets here in the den so I only had the lamp on!

Let me know what you think!!

Jenn

Cards made from the Twitterpated Paper Pack!

* I'm not creative at all and that's why I'm so appreciative of our 'How To' program books at Close To My Heart! They are jam packed with beautiful artwork as well as blueprints and detailed instructions to have you creating extraordinary cards you'll be proud to give away!

* BUT this time, I decided to wing it on my own, just to see if I could do it!! I took out my Twitterpated paper pack that I received at Leadership Conference this past summer and decided to take the advice of a sister consultant, Nichole by taking 1-2 pieces of cardstock, 1-2 pieces different B&T paper, coordinating inks, 1-2 stamp sets and a couple embellishments and give myself 30 minutes to create and assemble 2-3 original cards!! And I did it!! They're nothing extravagant, rather simple but I'm sure the recipients will enjoy just as well! I actually wanted to incorporate the Crystal Blue into the color scheme but I'm away from home on a business trip and that's the ONE ink pad I didn't have with me! YES, I brought along my AWESOME new rolling tote from CTMH !! It's a beautiful organizational piece and I take it with me on any trip I go on!! Keep it pretty packed too.

* Well, I hope you enjoy the cards! Hop on over to my CTMH web-site to view this Twitterpated Paper Pack and see the other gorgeous papers included in it. It's great for Fall pictures and just as soon as I can sit my family down outside in this beautiful weather we're having, I'll be able to finish the 2 page layout created with the Twitterpated Paper pack and a few embellishments - then I'll post those as well. You'll love the layouts! The guide with the blueprints and instructions is included in the Kit of the Month Kit along with embellishments and a B-size stamp set!

Jenn

Look at my Little Scrappin' Angel !!

I just had to share these photos of my sweet little grand-daughter, Madalyn, who is officially my newest scrapbooking partner!! Look at her drooling over the 'Magic Moments' paper pack from Close to my Heart!! She has great taste! Madalyn glanced up at me to see if it was ok to play with it because it looked so appetizing. Then when she saw what she thought was my approval, I get a big smile, and she grabs for it!! So precious!!

Jenn

Loving' the new Jingle Paperpack

I so enjoyed working with this Jingle Paperpack last night!! I like the traditional Christmas colors but this variation is so nice especially with the addition of Hollyhock and Blush, two of my favorite CTMH exclusive colors!!

With my Christmas music playing on my IPhone and a few of my PartyLite French Vanilla candles burning, I was inspired to get these sketches out of my head and into some artwork! I like how they came together and hope you enjoy them!

Supplies include:

Jingle Paperpack

Tulip, Creme Brulee, Juniper and Black inks

Clear Sparkles

Juniper Grosgrain Ribbon and
Embossing ink and white embossing powder

Very simple!!

Off to my day-job!!

Jenn

Getting the Holiday Spirit!!!

It's so nice to re-live precious moments thru my children being parents, that I experienced as a mother when they were little ones!! Jessica just called me after she took Nicholas to school and said "Isn't it a beautiful sight when they turn around to wave at you as they walk into the school?" I told her it definitely was! She said Nick had not been doing that but she of course waits until he gets in the building before driving away. Now he's turning and waving!! I loved her excitement. Of course, Kindergarten is a big thing for a 5 year old!! He'll go thru a couple different stages even this year but each are moments to treasure and capture in our hearts!! It's two-fold for me because Nick's my precious first grandchild and Jessica's still my sweet 'baby-girl'!!!

THEN, Jessica asked had I been outside yet this morning!! "It's the beginning of our favorite time of the year." The sun's peeking out, the air is light and crisp, cool even and it feels great! We so love this time of the year! Homecoming at school, hunting season begins, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years!!! All times shared with family! We're so blessed!! Thank you God, for family, for nature, the beautiful seasons that you orchestrate so wonderfully, and for the privilege of experiencing them!

Jenn

A Peek at my old art work!!

Since I haven't been able to squeeze in any craft-time as of late, I thought I would share a few pics of some of my ancient art work! I came across them as I was going through my scrapbooking supplies to hand down some to my daughter-in-law who has begun to scrapbook!

It was actually fun seeing these cards and remembering the inspiration I received from our monthly publication, back when it was called 'On the Dotted Line', as well as from past Idea Books.

These first two cards were my very first swap submissions back in 2001. That was so much fun but I was so nervous because I felt really intimidated by all the talented consultants!

Hope you enjoy!

Jenn

I'm so proud of Jessica! She was nominated and elected as PTO President at the K-2 Elementary School where Nicholas is in Kindergarten!! It was a total surprise and she felt so honored. She'll be great because she is so creative and loves working on projects for children. She's not much on speaking in front of a crowd so that was her first question, "Will I have to stand up in front of everyone at the meetings and speak??" !! The current president assured her that she wouldn't have to do that very much. So she accepted and brought home a box FULL of stuff related to her new role!!

This is goofy but Jessica and I both have a passion for notebooks (what I always called "tablets"!) and pens! We sometimes pick one up for each other whether we need a new one or not!! So of course, this occasion of being elected PTO President calls for a new notebook!! But I suggested to her that she get a View Binder this time so she can use her Close to My Heart scrapbooking supplies to create a nice cover and she thought it a great idea! This way, she can also advertise her new business since she will be having so many new contacts. How exciting for her! And Nicholas is excited to have mama doing some work at his school. She and my son Jaime actually built the homecoming float for the Pre-K last year when Nick was elected Homecoming King of the Kindergarten!! It turned out great and they were super-stars for a while!! So this will be fun for all of us as we love to be active in school related activities.

All of my girls are blessed to be stay-at-home moms. I pray they never take it for granted and I've told them to remember to thank God and thank their husbands for this privilege!

Well, I plan to get some paper crafting done today. I sketched out a few cards for Christmas and I'm going to incorporate our new Jingle paper packet and my new Christmas stamp sets that will be available in our new Autumn/Fall 2009 Idea Book! This new IB is absolutely awesome and I can hardly wait for it to go live so you too can have a chance to own some of the new stamp sets, paper packets and other new products!!

Home from California!!

Wow!! That’s all I can say!! Leadership Conference 2009 was simply incredible!

I’ve been home since last Monday night but went straight back to a very busy week at my day-job; that’s why I’m just now back to my blog!
Leadership was held in sunny Long Beach, California. I actually flew into San Diego a day prior and my gracious upline, Bren Yule, hosted me in her home the evening I arrived. Of course, I was in awe of her craft room!! It is fabulous! Bren challenged me to try something new every day so that first night, she treated me to an awesome dinner at her daughter and son-in-law’s restaurant, Harney Sushi!! That was definitely something new for me, actually incredible. I enjoyed several dishes I had never eaten before and the ambience was wonderful. We walked through some of the historic part of San Diego and I really enjoyed that! The weather was just right and Bren’s a great tour-guide! Then we went to a precious little scrapbook store on Thursday morning before we got on the road to Long Beach for the conference. The store was beautifully decorated and had tons of scrapbook and paper-crafting supplies. Of course, I’m pretty loyal to Close to My Heart products and supplies, but I DID purchase a cute little brown (chocolate) and pink (blush) organizer!! Lunch was on the deck of a quaint little place called Cody’s at La Jolla, CA where I enjoyed another new entrée while looking out at the Pacific Ocean !! It was a beautiful sight – actually breath-taking to me.

Thursday evening began this year’s Leadership Conference with a focus on artwork! We got a sneak peak at a new Workshops on the Go™ project along with new products from the Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book. You’re going to love it!! Our new products were introduced via a runway show featuring our founder & CEO, Jeanette Lynton, along with two fashion divas, VPs Kristine Widtfeldt and Monica Wihongi!! CTMH models walked the catwalk holding covers of each of the past Idea Books up through the NEWEST and the AWESOME Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book!! Included on the runway was a sampling of the hottest new products for fall !! New products were given away to many in attendance and each consultant received a newly redesigned Shoulder Tote!

The highly anticipated Autumn/Winter 2009 Idea Book was the show-stopping finale! The Idea Book, which had an ‘extreme makeover’ with a newly designed look and layout, was handed out to each Consultant in attendance!! The business classes taught at this year’s event were fun and informative and filled with other exciting announcements. Not to mention the fabulous fellowship and networking with fellow CTMH’ers!! It was an awesome week and I can hardly wait to get my hands on all my new products! My package actually came on Wednesday, filled with the bundles I purchased on Saturday of Leadership!! Attendees are able to purchase the new products in bundles while at conference and then they’re practically waiting on your doorsteps when you arrive home!! I’m telling you, you will love all the new stamp sets and paper packs!! I’ll be getting a display board prepared with some of the new products this week and plan to post pics toward the end of the week.

Although I had a wonderful time at Leadership Conference and spending time with Bren, it was also great to get home!! My little welcoming party included 3 little munchkins who were proud to see their Mammy!! I was feeling the love!! Little Madalyn learned to crawl while I was away so she was crawling up my legs a little, Cooper hunkered down on my left leg and Nick positioned himself under my right arm!! We sat like that for about an hour – they even sat through looking at some of my pictures and loved the videos I took of the take-off and landing of my plane! California was terrific and I had a great time, but it was even more wonderful to be back home and with my family!

So another week begins in less than 12 hours but things shouldn't be too hectic this week now that we’ve completed our Month-End Process; hence, the plan to get some artwork created with my new stuff!!! Did I tell you how much you’re going to love, love, love the new Idea Book and all the new products??!! Well, they’ll be available September 1st !! So stay tuned !!!

I’m sorry this was so long!! Just felt like I needed to catch up! I’ve missed blogging!

Jenn

Off to Leadership Conference in less than 12 hours !!!!!

Oh my gosh!! In less than 12 hours from now, I'll be boarding my flight for Leadership!! I've been counting down the days and it's finally here!! Can you tell I'm a little excited??!!

I'm all packed except for 2 clothing items and at the moment, I'm attempting to clean out my purse!! What a chore! I don't know why or how my purse gets so filled with so much STUFF but it drives me crazy. I don't know how all of this was even in there to begin with - don't think I could cram it back in now if I tried ! Crazy ~

I just finished gathering my supplies from the list Corp sent us of products to bring that we'll use for Crop Night and our Fall Create and Takes!! I had everything on the list except for 2 sizes of the Acrylic Blocks and I'm surprised because I really thought I had them all! Of course they could have gotten picked up by mistake after a workshop or something. I'm sure I can check them out from Corp or borrow from my terrific upline Bren who is graciously picking me up from the airport and hosting me in her home my first night in California as well as the night before I fly back home!! Thanks, Bren for your hospitality!!

I plan to take lots of pictures and will be posting daily (THAT'S the plan!). So stay tuned . . . .

Jenn

Quick & Easy Baby Shower Gift package

This was a simple last minute gift I whipped up using one of Lauren Meador's templates! I didn't do a lot of extra stamping or embellishments due to time constraint but it turned out alright and was well-received!

I used our Colonial White Textured cardstock for the base, Blush CS for the front and side panels, white ric-rac and a sticker strip from the Emporium - My Stickease pack that has the Sweet Leaf color in it (one of my very favorites!) that matches the green in the little sleeper.

Nothing fancy at all - actually only took about 30 minutes and that's from printing the template, cutting it out, ink-sponging the edges, adding the ric-rac and stick-ease and the flower with the Hollyhock brad. Quick and Easy!

Counting Down the Days 'til Leadership Conference!!

I just read where my fellow Close to my Heart Consultant, Melissa Laverty (fancyMelissa), had blogged her excitement about our upcoming Leadership Conference next week AND I had to SECOND that excitement!!!

I literally have butterflies in my stomach and feel just like a child at Christmas!! I've been counting down the days for about a month now! I leave one week from today (July 29th) and get to spend 3 fabulous days with hundreds of CTMH consultant friends ~ some I've met, more I'll meet next week for the first time! We'll be attending a great line-up of classes that are geared toward helping us take our businesses to the next level. We'll be hearing about all the awesome new things that await us through-out the coming months as well as spending time creating with our new Product line being introduced in the Fall/Winter Idea Book. Oh! My! Goodness! I can hardly wait!

I was a hobbyist/semi-consultant for so long (until I attended my first CTMH Conference last year - see my previous post about my history with CTMH here ) - but through a wonderful program that CTMH began last year called Journey to Director, I've already brought my business up a level and am now a Supervisor, having 2 new members on my team! This program was created to help consultants reach the upper management levels in the company that, actually, I never thought would happen for me. But through the awesome training we receive, the literature and networking available and very importantly, our Journey to Director Bulletin Board, it is SO achievable! I'm reaching higher!!

And by all means, if YOU would like to be a part of this awesome company, please contact me at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com .

Did I mention how excited I am !!!!! And the great news is that you can share in this excitement too!! Close to My Heart is open to Business Builders as well as Personal-use Consultants, which is where I began. July is a great month to begin your own business as a CTMH Consultant - when you sign up during July, you get to choose five fabulous products from our Favorite Five list for FREE - with no additional shipping or tax. What this means for you is that you'll be getting product worth up to $100 for no charge, just for signing up in July!! How awesome it that?!! For your sign-up fee of only $99 you'll receive about $400 total retail in product! It's an incredible deal that will really jumpstart your business and your artwork!

Again, you can contact me via e-mail at Rather.Be.Scrappin@GMail.com or phone at 601-479-3053. Hope to hear from you soon!

Jenn

Sweet Baby Girl with new Pink Ice Earrings!!

Ok - we're here at the Mall just sitting in this chair surrounded by sparkly things. I really don't know why - I just know my Mammy has her camera out so I'll give her my smile she loves so much . . . .

Wait a minute ~ what in the world is this lady doing and why is mommy holding my arms down AND PRESSING ON MY FOREHEAD - Mammy, HELPPPPPPPP.

Goodness, all that fussing really wore me out! But my mammy said I was such a big girl and looked beautiful with my new Pink Ice earrings!!

Boy, what an experience! Madalyn has a good pair of lungs!! She startles easily anyway so I think it was more the click of the piercer that actually upset her more than pain, as well as being held down. But she was a trooper and looks precious with her new earrings. And she's done quite well not messing with them last night or today. Her mom (my sweet Jessica) was 6 months old too, when we got her ears pierced - that would be almost 21 years ago!!! Oh my!!!

Just thought I would share our little adventure we had yesterday!

Jenn

Memory Keeper using Animal Cookies

(Remember you can click on the images to get a larger, closer view!)

I finally got a Memory Keeper made using Animal Cookies following Chris Green's instructions she posted on our CTMH Bulletin Board back in May! I love it!! I plan to use it for Nicholas' various school papers this year and other memorabilia he'll make or collect in Kindergarten. I'm also planning to make a 6 x 6 album using the My Display Album to use for pictures we'll take through out the school year to go along with the Memory Keeper.

This was fun to make and really easy as Chris provided very specific instructions and great pictures! Thanks Chris !

Look what I received today . . . . .

(Remember, you can click on the image to get a larger, closer view!)

I’m so excited!! Look what I received today:
A beautiful charm from Close To My Heart that features the signature “heart key”! It’s a Congratulatory gift for reaching a milestone in my Close to My Heart business – my 5 year Anniversary! The letter included states, “At this special time, we want you to know how deeply we value your loyalty, energy, and creativity. We’re honored to have you as a member of our family.” And a family it is!! It’s amazing the bonds you create, over so many miles, with people (most of whom you’ve never met) who share your love of preserving memories through the art of scrapbooking and paper crafts! AND with a company as awesome as Close To My Heart, wonderful friendships are formed, memories are created thru meetings and Corporate Events, and business goals are met uniquely for each Consultant. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Close To My Heart family! Thanks to our founder and CEO, Jeanette Lynton and everyone at Corporate! And thanks to all my sister- and brother-consultants for all the inspiration and encouragement! Here’s to many more years with Close To My Heart!!

Happy 4th of July ~ Happy Birthday Jaime!!

I wish everyone a wonderful 4th of July weekend!! We’ll be on a day-trip to Reform, Alabama to my mother-in-law’s to celebrate her birthday (it’s on Monday, the 6th) as well as fellowship for the 4th! We’re taking 3 of our little munchkins with us, Nicholas, Cooper and Madalyn and they travel well so we’ll have a great time!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY PRECIOUS JAIME!! My oldest, Jaime, is 24 yrs old on the 4th but he’s off-shore so I’m hoping he’ll get to call at some point so I can sing “Happy Birthday” to him! It’s okay – he lets me!!! I know this is SUCH an old saying, but it REALLY DOES seem just like YESTERDAY that he was my ‘little man’, toddling around. Jaime was a very calm, laid-back little boy and then young man. But he’s always had a great sense of humor and loves to make me laugh. He’s lifted my spirits through many hard times with his precious sense of humor as well as his sensitivity. Jaime has such a big heart and loves his family and friends deeply with it. I’m so thankful to God for giving me the honor and privilege of being Jaime’s mom. I’ve cherished every moment since the pregnancy test read Positive!!
Well, I’m off to finish our church bulletin. I normally prepare it on Saturday afternoons but since we’ll be gone all day, I’d better get it done tonight. All 3 babies are asleep now so here’s my chance!!
Jenn

Been on Overload!

No, I haven't been working on my new Scraproom ALL this time!! If ONLY it was THAT big!! Don did get it painted the 'Sweet Blush' color I wanted but we haven't had a chance to do the white trim. The trim is still the ugly cream yellow that was here when we bought the house. So needless to say, I didn't want to take any pictures of what I DO have ready because of the ugly trim!! Crazy, huh?! I'm still sorting through a lot of my supplies and doing some organizing as time permits.

My day JOB has been wild the past few weeks and I haven't even had much time for any kind of crafting OR completing my new room. PLUS, I forgot to mention that the air is not working in there. Of all the rooms in this house that don't get used much, MY NEW SCRAPROOM is the one that has issues with the air ducts!! Don had our son-in-law come out and climb in the attic to check things out and he found nothing electrically wrong and the damper was open so we've yet to know why that room is so uncomfortable. But I've been running a box fan from down the hall and that's the only way I've been able to hang out in there!

But I AM planning to work on a project for my Mother-in-law at some point today since her birthday is July 6th. I need to get it in the mail by Monday, so I'll post some pics of it tonight.

Don and Josh are playing golf today so I'm going to get some housework done (Saturdays are the only time I can really get any of that accomplished!) Then we have our Annual Church Picnic this afternoon at 5pm and I'll be preparing for that! SO, to unwind this evening - I WILL spend some time crafting!! (hint: I'm psyching myself up!!)

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Jenn

New Scraproom!

I've been busy moving and re-arranging things from our spare room that will now be my new scraproom! I'm so excited! I decided on Sweet Blush for the walls, with white trim! It's all cleaned out now (I have phoned the children to come and get all the things they've left over here in the past year that got stuffed into the spare room!) Don's going to roller paint it for me tomorrow and then we'll hang my white shelves tomorrow evening! I can hardly wait. I'll be sure to post some pics once it's complete (hopefully in the next couple of days). I'm ready to get back to scrapping!

Jenn

ABCs of Me!

ABC’s of Me!
I found this on Karen Pederson’s blog -http://karenpedersen.blogspot.com/2009/05/abcs-of-me.html while surfing my favorites tonight and had to join in on the fun!
You can participate too - just copy and paste this list of questions and change to your answers and post it on your blog with a link to mine – http://sharingmysweetlife.blogspot.com. Then leave a comment here so I’ll know you’ve done it, including your blog address and I’ll visit and learn more about you!!
ABC’s of Jenn ~
Age: 43
Bed size: Queen
Chore you hate: folding laundry
Dad's Name: James
Essential start your day item: E-mail
Favorite actor(s): Kevin Costner, Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Aniston, Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
Gold or Silver: Silver
Height: 5’7"
Instruments you play(ed): Piano (I’m the pianist at my church, my mom’s the organist, and my dad is the assistant Music Leader!!!)
Job title: Close to My Heart Supervisor (fun JOB!), Information Systems Coordinator / Application Support (Home Health agency) – my day JOB!Kid(s): Jaime, Alison (daughter-in-law), Jessica, Alex (son-in-law), Amber, Mike (son-in-law), and Josh
Living arrangements: own a home in Quitman, Mississippi and live with my husband, Don and our one remaining child at home (who graduated Friday night from High School and will be commuting to Junior College in the fall !!)
Mom's name: Patricia (mama, Mrs Pat, Granny, Aunt Pat, Shug (to my daddy!)
Nicknames: Red (wonder why??) But mostly I’m called Jenn.
Overnight hospital stay other than birth: tonsillectomy at 18, near fatal DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) after major blood transfusion following still-birth of my last baby in 1997 (story for a later time).
Pet peeves: Loudness/Obnoxiousness
Quotes you like: If you don’t stand up for something, you’ll fall for anything.
Rightie or Leftie: Rightie
Siblings: one sister, Theresa
Time you wake up: 6:30 am (clock is actually set for 6:00 but I have to snooze a couple of times!! – my husband HATES this!)
Umbrella: yes
Vegetable you dislike: tomatoes
Ways you run late: too much time spent on the CTMH Bulletin Boards as well as surfing blogs! Plus I’m OCD about some things so before I leave the house, I have to check all the bathrooms and the kitchen to make sure nothing's left plugged in – I check at least 3 times before I leave and have sometimes gotten in my truck and cranked up, only to unlock the door and go BACK in to check again!! WEIRDO!!
X-rays you've had: left foot and left hand after tripping over the baby’s stroller in my office
Yummy food you make: All my Pampered Chef recipes!! My family’s favorite is the Taco Ring and Chicken Broccoli Braid. We also have a great recipe for Chicken Roll-ups that are their absolute favorite. Plus they say I make a ‘mean’ home-made Spaghetti!
Zodiac: Aquarius

Jenn

It's a Guy Thing Layout - 9x9

Look at these sweet boys!! They had a play-date at our favorite park, Clarkco State Park, and I just had to use the pictures in a layout for my 'GRANDchildren' album. It's a 9x9 album so I used 2 patterns from Reflections Scrapbook Program and reduced the measurements to accomodate. These are the only 2 pages I got done today but I'm planning to use several more photos of their fun that day to another layout this week.

Supplies used:

from Reflections Scrapbook Program book:

Sidebar - Quartet (used the 3rd alternate layout) for the left side

Title Topper - Photos (used the master layout) for the right side

It's a Guy Thing Paper Pack

Headline Alphabet Large

Field Trip Alphabet

Barn Red Ink Pad

Cocoa Ink Pad

Cocoa Grosgrain Ribbon

Photo Hangers

Foam Texture Tool

My Legacy Writer Pen (.08)

There are several more fun pics of their activities that day and I plan to add a couple more pages to incorporate them in.

I'm actually off work tomorrow and am taking 2 vacation days this week (have to use them or lose them since my anniversary date is coming up and I still have 4 days left!) and I plan to scrap, scrap, scrap!!! I'm so excited!

Jenn

My Partner in Life!

I'm so blessed to be sharing my life with my soul mate, my husband, Don! He's a Christian, a hard-working provider, a loving dad and a great husband. He's a big cuddly bear that everyone loves to get hugs from!! Besides my Lord, Don is my rock. He loves me as Jesus does, unconditionally, and I'm so grateful. We've seen lots of bad times but even MORE good times! We're a blended family and along with that ARE some hard bumps in the road - but because we kept God at the center of our marriage and family, we've made it through.

* I was a single mom, raising my two children, Jaime and Jessica, whom you've already met in previous posts, and he was a single dad, wanting and needing to obtain custody of his 2 small children. God had such wonderful plans for us and in 1997 we became one big happy family! Amber was 8 and Josh was 6. We were granted custody of them in January 1998 and I became 'mama' to 2 additional children!! Their mom was going through some stuff and felt she could not take care of them at that point so she asked me if I would take her children and raise them along with their daddy and of course I said "YES!!". She made that decision because she loved them very much but was in no position to care for them at that time.

* Amber and Josh are now 17 and 19 and have always been just as much my children as are Jaime and Jessy - I just didn't give birth to them. This is Josh a couple of months ago - he hates for me to take his picture!! He is so handsome and such a fine young man! He graduates High School this Friday night! He will be attending Junior College in the fall, pitching on the baseball team!! We're so excited - he's been playing baseball since T-Ball and is a fantastic pitcher.

Amber is here on the left in this picture - she and Jessica shared 2 pregnancies!! Her two baby girls, Raley and Autumn, and Jessica's last 2, Cooper and Madalyn were born within a couple week of each other's. It was a blast!! Amber is a beautiful young lady and has an awesome voice! She also played 5 instruments while in the band in High School. She's a great young mom to her 2 precious girls and I'm so proud of her.

So you've briefly met my immediate family and now know the inspiration behind my passion for photography and scrapbooking!

Now I'll begin posting more artwork!!

Jenn

A more current picture of me!!

** Several people have commented that I look young to have grown children plus grandchildren!! But as I stated in a reply to one of the comments, the picture I chose for my profile pic was the only one I was not too embarrassed to post and I needed something quick for my blog. That picture was actually several years ago and at a very happy time in my life. I've sinced gained alot of weight due to some health issues and I've lost alot of hair as well (and of course, I've grayed some too!!! What do you do for natural red hair that's graying??) So I don't let anyone take pictures of me very much and if they do, I pretty much try to hide them.

** But I didn't want to seem dishonest because that's not my intention - I actually DO still look exactly the same EXCEPT for the weight gain and thinner hair!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I'm posting a more current picture of me - actually last year. That day, I had tried straightening my 'naturally kinky' hair with the big fat curling iron and you see how it turned out. I kind of liked it but once I stepped outside in the humid Mississippi air, it frizzed right up!!! So I don't straighten it much - just let it be natural and curly. And I guess I couldn't conjure up a smile for anything!!

** I want to lose weight so badly and actually started Nutri-system last year. It was wonderful, I enjoyed the food and I honestly stuck to it. I didn't cheat AT ALL. The first month, I lost 15 pounds, the second month, I lost 12 pounds. Then it got to be too expensive with me still having to buy groceries and cook for my hungry family!! I had to make the hard choice to cut out spending somewhere and it had to be there. I was so disappointed because it was the only thing I had every tried that actually worked for me. I was doing it with a buddy and that made it even better.

** It is SO HARD to lose weight the old way - limit your portions, stay away from sweets, fried foods, processed foods and sodas, increase water and walk 100 miles every day!! I've even tried to sweet talk my hematologist into some popular weight loss pills, and he let me know real quick that due to my health issues, I was crazy for even asking or considering!! Then he proceeded to break down a meal plan for me and showed me some exercises to do and just thought that I would whip out a magic stick and cast a spell on myself!!! At that point, that's what I thought it would take to get me to stick to it and lose weight that way. I know it takes will power and determination and I haven't had that. The 'want to' is there but no 'get up and go' about it. So it's my fault.

** But it's been 'weighing' (no pun intended!!) heavily on my mind for a couple of weeks that I really do need to suck it up and get on a good diet and exercise plan and get this weight off of me. For my health and for me. I want to feel better physically and feel better about myself. I want to be IN PICTURES with my family, not just always TAKING them.

** Ok, well that's off my chest and you can see what I look like now!!! I think I'll leave my profile pic up for encouragement to myself. Don't get me wrong, I'm still 'happy'. I have a wonderful life and a precious family whom I adore - I just don't smile as much BECAUSE of how I feel about MYSELF. But that's all about to change!! Time to stop being so negative about jennifer and do something to change what I CAN change. The age doesn't bother me at all. I'm proud to be 43 - don't even mind the gray hair (just want to KEEP it all!!) I just NEED to lose weight and get healthy again. And I'm GOING to do it! Whisper a prayer for me??!!

I plan to post some artwork tomorrow night if I make it in from work at a decent time. I got inspired by some beautiful pictures in a 'Southern Accents' magazine that I saw at my Doctor's Appointment today and even sketched out how I wanted to do it!! Remember, I don't go anywhere without my Idea Book and a notebook/pen!!

** Well, if you stuck with me through to the end here, thanks for listening!!! Just got started and didn't know when to quit, I guess!!

** Until tomorrow,

Jenn

Thank You Card Set - 3x3s

I'm posting my artwork for the first time! I began this little project last month when I wanted to have some smaller 'Thank You' cards to hand deliver to someone instead of mailing the bigger size. I had seen a picture in the SplitCoastStampers Gallery of something similar - it was made using a clear 6x6 memory protector but it was for Christmas and had Christmas 'To' / 'From' tags in it. I took that idea and made the little holder for my 3x3s!! Colors used are: Sorbet, Creme Brulee, Tulip and Colonial White. Embellishments include the Designer Brads - Pewter, Sparkles and Colonial White Grosgrain ribbon. I'm really thinking the flap on the holder needs something else but I was at a loss. Someone help!! Give me some ideas on what else I could do to the flap ~

(This was fun ~ I've been so nervous about posting my project but it wasn't so bad!!)

Jenn

Meet my oldest daughter and her sweet family!

Meet Jessica, Cooper, Nicholas and Little Madalyn

Of course we couldn't get all 3 of the babies to look at the camera at the same time!! Her husband, Alex was at work on the rig so they spent the night with me and we had a 'photo-shoot' ~ with not much cooperation!!

Nick is 4 yrs old and about to graduate from Pre-K! We went to his award program yesterday and he received a 'Super Student' award for excellent behavior. He has also been the "Student of the Month" 2 months this school year AND was the Kindergarten Homecoming King and rode on the float during the Homecoming Parade!! Cooper is 20 months and 'all boy' ~~ he's into EVERYTHING - keeps us on our toes! He wakes up smiling and smiles all day!! And of course, you've already met Madalyn Claire! She's 4 1/2 months now and just coo-ing and singing and squealing away!! I can hardly even get dressed for work in the mornings when she stays the night with me, for stopping to snap pictures or video that precious voice!!

Jessica and I are very close and I get to spend a lot of time with her children, which is such a blessing! My children have always been close to my mom and dad as well, and still are. We're a very close-knit family and I'm so grateful for that.

Jessica is fortunate to be able, at this point, to be a Stay-at-Home-Mom. Alex works in the oil field so she has the child-rearing by herself for 2 weeks at a time every month. She's an awesome mother (she's only 20 yrs old) and I'm so very proud of her! AND, she's my new down-line who's getting prepared to have her first workshop at this end of this month.

I just wanted to introduce my family, one part at a time, so that when I get to posting my artwork, (hopefully very soon!!), there's a little background!! I'm so loving my new blogging hobby!! I just don't get to post as often as I had hoped right now due to big projects at my day-job. But I've met all my dead-lines for the annual projects so now maybe I'll have more free time to create and post!! I still relax in my recliner every evening for about an hour 'following' blogs of fellow stampers/scrapbookers!! I'm addicted to say the least. There are SO MANY talented women out there and I love seeing their artwork and reading about their lives!

Jenn

Happy Mother's Day to all Moms!!

This is my oldest son, Jaime and his wife Allison.

** Being a mother is my greatest joy!! I'm blessed with 4 children and 6 grandchildren!! We're so fortunate that we all live within 20 minutes of each other, now that my oldest son Jaime is home from the Marines. They were stationed at Camp LeJeune, NC. He served 4 years, with 2 Tours of Duty to Iraq. When they became pregnant with Kameron and the initial 4 years were up, they made the decision to make their home here in Mississippi. Ally is from Tennessee and travels there often to visit her family. This is the most current picture I have of Jaime and Ally and it was in March this year.

** And their precious son is Kameron who is definitely a daddy's boy!! I have to brag a little - Jaime is an awesome father, but I always knew he would be. He's blessed ~ Ally is a great mom as well and I'm so very proud of both of them. Here's little Kameron ~ taken the same day. He's 17 months old and I'm sure he will be a talker like his mom and his mammy (me!) because he jibber-jabbers all the time!! Kameron has the BEST kisses!! He's beginning to get a little stingy with them though!

** So, you've met my 'first-born' and his little family ~ tomorrow I'll transfer some more pictures to my laptop and introduce you to my second gift from God', Jessica and her family.

** Oh yeah, I actually DID get creative tonight with a home-made gift for my mama. Not only am I blessed to BE a mother, I'm so blessed to have been born to a wonderful, loving, Christian mother. She's raised not only my sister and me, but helped us with our children and has even opened their home to other children not as fortunate as we are. She's 'Shug' (short for sugar) to my daddy, 'Mama' to my sister and me, and 'Granny' to our children and ALL of their friends. I wasn't totally happy with how my creation turned out but I plan to give it to her tomorrow after church then take it back to re-do!! I'll post a picture of it then and share it and the story behind it. My husband and my daddy thought it looked great and daddy said mama would love it but I want to re-vamp!!

** Well, I guess I've rambled on and on once again!! As I said before, I'm a talker!!

Until next time,

Jenn