Holy Moly I'm Alive!

Hey everybody!! I just wanted to pop in real quick and say hello and that I'm alive. We closed on our house last thursday, and things have been KA-razy ever since! Lol! The closing went well, painting is somewhat complete, and the unpacking has begun.

Naturally, I'm still pretty busy at work. I ran out of my stockpile of template freebies and haven't been able to work on any new ones. But don't worry, I have a whole little notebook full of ideas. It's just a matter of getting them into photoshop and uploaded for you to use, lol.

I hope to have things somewhat set up by the end of this week. Our parents are meeting for the first time on saturday, and my parents are coming to see the house for the first time (Jordan's helped us move on thursday). So I want to get lots done so show an almost finished product.

While I'm gone and working my butt off, you should definitely stop by KimB's blog. Her hubby's birthday is thursday and we're doing the celebrating for him! Lol! Template freebies all week I believe! Whoohoo!! PLUS, she has an amazing new designers grab bag kit in stores at an INCREDIBLE price. You'd be FOOLISH not to go snag it up right now before it all hits the shop at regular price. GO GO GO!!

I'm hoping to have something done with some of the stuff on thursday to post. The kit really is an amazing deal, as well as commercially licensed.

So don't forget. Stop by Kim's blog for freebies all week, and head on over to the DSO store to pick up her Designer's Grab Bag.

OH! And the new challenges have started for August! SO MUCH FUN! I highly recommend them :o)

For now.
*Hugs* n Love

~Col

Sharin the loooooooove

Ok so first off, I need to thank you all. Your support during this whole Michael Vick thing made me realize that I'm not insane, and it's ok to get worked up about stuff like this. I don't rant all THAT often, so it was a little weird of me. Thankfully, almost all of his sponsors have dropped him, and the Falcon's are pressuring him to take a leave of absense which could potentially last ALL SEASON! YES!
I know a lot of people are upset that the NFL hasn't stepped in and flat out suspended him, but I'm ok with waiting for further investigation to be done into the matter. If he actually is innocent (which I know my heart he is NOT) I'd hate to see harsh penalties for misconduct disappear completely from the NFL and other professional sports, on a mistake. If harsh penalties further down the line are going to be enforced, I think the commissioner needs to take his time with the discipline. Who knows, maybe the wait will be worth it and he'll be banned from the NFL all together. :o)
We had a good weekend, did everyone else? We had our company picnic on saturday. Free MD crabs, free beer, outside on the bay. Awesome. We had a great time. We decided to bring Tiger along and she was a HUGE hit! Everyone loved her, and she loved all the attention, lol. She ate sooooo much people food it's not even funny. The CFO brought her food everytime he came over, which was A LOT! LOL!! I forgot to snap any pics, but it was a really nice day.

3 days. 3 days. 3 days. Holy crap 3 days!! (Can ya tell I'm excited?!)

So I've got a BUNCH of LO's to share with everyone before the freebie template :o)
First off, is a LO by Julie using my rectangle template #3:

GREAT job Julie! Thanks so much for sharing, your kitty is just too cute!!

Next up from KimB! She used my template #6 and her new "Pretty Twisted" kit. Great job Kim and thanks for the shout out! :o)



Next up are 2 of my own creations. The first I made for a friend who is down, using my rect temp #3:


Credits: Overlay by KimB "Inflight Overlays - #5, everything else from Robin Carlton and Christy Lyle's "Girl Next Door - It Girl" kit from the Sweet Shoppe

And this one is my template #5 using all KimB's "Pretty Twisted".


Kim's stuff just speaks to me, I loooove playing with it!!
While I'm posting all these LO's, here's a paper version of my template #6, and where I got the inspiration from (it was a posted sketch in a group somewhere, so I figured I'd make it a template since I loved it so much!):

Phew, this is a long one! LOL!
I also want to say oh my goodness! Because the response to my scalloped paper templates was amazing! I'm so so so happy that so many of you enjoyed them AND left me comments! It's such a nice stroke of the ego ;o) Keep your eyes peeled for another set coming in a few weeks perhaps.
Ok ok, here's what you really want. Rectangle Template #4!

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to the week :o)
*Hugs*
~Col

Template Thursday

Oops! I'm late today! I got distracted by all this media on the Vick case. Apparently several high profile people have contacted the Falcon's as well as the NFL demanding discipline for Vick. So I'm very hopefull he'll get convicted. The feds don't usually get involved unless you're screwed, so that also gives me some confidence.

In other news. ONE WEEK LEFT UNTIL WE CLOSE!!!!!!!!!! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! I am "pee my pants excited"! I'm sure packing everything this weekend will lessen that excitement some, but probably not ;o)

So I've got 2 freebies today. A new 12x12 template, and a set of scalloped paper templates! This is only the first set, I've got one more I'm working on and a third in my head to do, so stay tuned :o)

Rectangle Template #3 isn't gettin too much love, so I'm working on a LO for it that will hopefully inspire some of you :o) I should be able to post it tonight *fingers crossed* I used another one of Kim's overlays, those things are so much fun!!




That's all for me for now. Back to the grind!
Have a good night!

*Hugs*
~Col

LO for KimB

Here's a new LO for KimB using her "Inflight Overlays". So much fun. As soon as I saw them I had the perfect inspiration for this LO!




Tomorrow you'll get 2 freebies! I'm putting up my scalloped paper templates finally. And a 12x12 template! Whoohoo!!

PS~Guess who created the Layout of the Week over at DSO??? ME!! Check it out!!

A big long rant about Vick and pit bulls

I've got to rant. Hopefully I won't scare anyone away from here. Just know that I take this very seriously, and I don't mean to offend anyone during this rant. But I will defend my dog and her kind til the death.

Michael Vick has been indicted by a grand jury on illegal dogfighting charges. While this makes me insanely happy that he might actually pay for his actions, I can't help but get riled up knowing what he's done to those dogs. The bodies of 7 dogs were dug up in the yard of the property he owns.

Tiger is an American Pit Bull Terrier/American Staffordshire Terrier mix. AmStaff's are essentially the "show dog" version of the APBT. The AKC doesn't recognize the ABPT, but does recognize the AmStaff. She's a pit bull. She looks like a pit bull, I can't pass her off as anything else. And if it wasn't for the extreme ignorance of most of this country, I wouldn't want to pass her off as something else. But too many ppl think "OMG How could you own a pit bull?? They're evil and will turn on your without wanring and eat children!" Insurance companies sometimes won't give you homeowners insurance if you have a pit bull.

Guess what people. It's a bunch of shit. Historically, any pit bull that attacked a human was culled (killed) immediately. In England, the AmStaff is known as the Nanny dog. Know why? Because these breeds are so incredibly loyal to their owners they will do anything to please them. They often slept in bed with children to protect them from harm. Sounds real vicious.

It wasn't until the past hundred years or so, that people started screwing things up. People who buy a dog, but don't want them to live in the house. So they chain them to a tree in the backyard and throw food at it every so often. Ever seen those Animal Cops shows on Animal Planet? Where dogs are so skinny they can barely stand? Where they have no food or shelter or clean water? THAT is the reason the pit bull has gotten a bad name. If you're never exposed to good people, and are only around people who mistreat you for youe entire life, would you be very friendly? Especially if you add in that you'd be starving and emaciated. You know what breaks my heart even more? Sometimes on those shows, the dogs are so wonderful, just stuck in a bad situation, that their whole body wiggles back and forth and they smile at the cops who are there to rescue them. Even though they've been mistreated their whole lives, and should be bitter and tough to handle, they just want some love and attention. I mean, does this face look like a killer?? :o)
Pit bulls are inherently dog aggressive. It's in their genes. I can not deny that. But they are NOT, I repeat NOT, inherently people aggressive. Are there documented cases of pit bull attacks? Yes. Are there documented cases of other breeds of dogs attacking? ABSOLUTELY! Remember a year or two ago when a woman was attacked by her pet dog and had to have the first ever face transplant surgery? Guess what breed that was? LABRADOR. Yup, you heard me. Labrador. The dog that every family wants.

Half of the problem is breed identification. People see a thick dog with a blocky head and automatically say "pit bull". If that's true, then try this game. If you can pick out the pit bull within 5 tries I appluad you.
Find the Pit Bull

Not all pit bulls are dog aggressive. Just like not all labs attack people. It's all in how the dog was raised by it's owners. If given a loving home, lots of attention (AND DISCIPLINE), it can do wonderfully. Just look at Tiger! She's the biggest mush you've ever met in your life. She's never met a stranger she didn't like, and she's fantastic with little babies. Just lays beneath them as if she knows she's there to protect them and love them.

Ok, this rant got a little long and off track. But I can only hope that I got through to someone somewhere reading this. That maybe the next time they see a pretty "pit bull" walking proudly down the street with their owner, that they'll ask if they can pet them. I can almost guarantee that they'll be rewarded with big sloppy kisses. :o)

If you're interested in learning more about pit bulls and the wonderful pets they can be, check out these sites.

Understand-a-bull
PBRC.net
The Unexpected Pit Bull

These are just cute videos of just how gentle pit bulls can be.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m2OC5Z1Fii8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=7_PvlZVKLyE
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FDk3FPZLzA4
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3naWRGz5OQU

And this one I just like cuz it's a photomontage of pits doing fun things.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FDk3FPZLzA4

If you have no idea what I'm talking about with Michael Vick and the dog fighting, here are some links to new articles. Read some of them and the details within, and tell me if you wouldn't get riled up by his actions too.

NFL.com

SI.com story

Yahoo News Story

Ugly Details of Vick's Indictment

Monday

Hi everyone! Did you all have good weekends? I did again :o) I broke my promise to Kim about trying not to havetoooooo much fun (aka getting too drunk) but she broke it too from the sounds of it, lol. So we're even!

We went down to our friends in VA again, so that means pics of Tiger in the pool! She must be getting more comfortable with this whole swimming thing. Apparently her butt floats, so she felt no need to climb all the way onto the little seat like she did last time!Lol!
"Look Ma! My butt floats!"

We decided to see if the dogs would play nice. Poor Dexter is a grumpy old man and couldn't care less, lol. Here she was jumping around him while he just stood there (as if praying for her to leave him alone).


My friend Angela is new to digiscrappin and tried her hand at my template #5. She did awesome!!


I can't get Jordan's wireless mouse and keyboard to work, so unfortunately for me, I won't be getting any designing done. :o( Not until maybe tonight, if he stops playing his video game. I was excited to get a whole bunch done this afternoon so I'm a little disappointed, but such is life.

Monday seems to be rectangle template day. So here's #3!


I'm off to paper scrap since I get on the other computer (this lappy here doesn't run fast enough to handle CS2). I've got a baby album project I need to finish this week.
Have a good night everyone!!
*Hugs*

~Col

Ramble and a freebie

Happy Thursday all!
Not too much going on today. I haven't had time to play, I've been busting my butt on this report. Who new you had to do a preliminary design on this stuff before suggesting you use it! LOL At least I don't get too bored here. That's a plus.

I also want to take a second and say thanks to everyone who reads and comments in here and on the 4shared links. I really appreciate it and your comments always make me smile! So keep em comin!! :o)

Today is officially 2 weeks until the move. I really really need to read our HOA documents and get moving on the deck plans if we're gonna get the built this fall. Note to self...... :o)

Today is really dragging. It feels like it should be so late, but it's not even 3pm! Crazy. I hate slow days. At least tomorrow is a half day and I get to go get my hair done. No more roots please thank you. Plus everyone always better about life with a fresh hair cut ;o) I have to stop by the LSS and snag some gifts for a birthday exchange swap in one of my groups, so that should be a lot of fun.

On the subject of paper scrapping, CHA is right around the corner and I'm going a little insane. I've just barely gotten all the stuff I wanted from the winter CHA! And Basic Grey (my FAVORITE company) has 5 new lines out! Naturally I want 4 of them! LOL! And it'll all come out AFTER the big move when I'll be forced into a budget and penny pinching. No fair!!

So here's a new 12x12 template for ya. I didn't get a chance to play with it and make a LO, but I might try and do it tonight. I'll post tomorrow if I can. Jordan got the full and glorious version of CS2 on his computer the other night so I'm all set to play! I've been unzipping files onto the external HD the past few nights. I need to make 2 more cd's of stuff on the work comp to take home tomorrow. Don't tell Jordan but I have around 10GB of digiscrappin stuff on the work server! EEK! I started going through and deleting kits that I don't use. Now that I'm really into it I'm much pickier about what I DL and buy, so that's good. I cleared out around 4 GB the other day, so I figured that's a good start.

Right, the freebie. :o) Enjoy! I'd love to see what you come up with!!


Have glorious days and nights my friends!
*Hugs*

~Col

Lot's of LO's!

Well yesterday was awesome. I got a whole bunch of stuff done that I've been meaning to do. I got a few more LO's done for DSO challenges. Those things are a lot of fun and keep the creative juices flowing! If you haven't checked it out, GO NOW! Lol!

So here's the LO I did for the Quote Challenge. I used my own rectangle template #2.

Everything is from Sweet Shoppe Designs Girl Next Door collection. The ribbon was created using those papers and Dorothy's Freebie Ribbons which are awesome and I can't wait to use again.

This I made for the "Scrappin on my Desktop" Challenge. It's fun and I LOVE the way Tiger's picture came out in the frame.

Paper, frame, ribbon, and blue star by Shandy Vogt from her "Spangled Glory" kit. Red brad by Jannidee from the Liberty Mega freebie. Calendar by Thao Cosgrove for Scrapgirls A Year to Remember brush set.

This pretty lil number I made using a friends picture for the Ad Challenge.
All papers and elements slightly altered from Danielle Engebretson's "Verona" kit (no idea where I got it though, sorry).

And finally, a funny picture of me from a few months ago. I was trying to figure out a friends camera problem and my loving boyfriend snapped this crazy pic, lol. Don't mind the double chin! (Talk about motivation to work out! LOL)

I cheated and used a QP. Also from teh Sweet Shoppe's Girl Next Door collection (album collection that is). You'll be seeing a lot more QP's from me, they were too cute to pass up! Now I just have to find pictures to put in them......

I'm working on a paper template set to give. I haven't decided if it's done or not yet though, so you won't see it til next week probably.
I've also gotten a wonderful response from my rectangle templates, so I'll definitely continue to make those.
And don't forget! If you create something with my template shoot me and email and lemme see!!!

*Hugs* n love

~Col

Phew, what a weekend!

Hi all! Did everyone have a good weekend? I know I did :o) And I've got the sunburns to prove it! (Lesson learned, always wear at least SOME sunblock when going to the lake all afternoon, lol). We went out to western MD for the weekend and had a great time. Jordan's family is great and a lot of fun. His mom let me use her golf clubs on friday and I actually didn't do half bad! I hit a whole mess of balls pretty well. So I took comfort in that and blame my poor first performance on the mens clubs, lol. Jordan's a good golf teacher. There's still room for LOTS of improvement, but I'm excited about getting better at this sport!

Saturday we got to go to the lake for the afternoon and relax. We went out on the pontoon boat and Tiger had no problems! I was curious to see her reaction but I got none, lol. She was as happy on the boat as she was on the dock. AND we got her to actually jump off the dock! I was so excited! But naturally she did it when I was in the water and thus didn't have my camera ready. Son of a b! There were 2 other dogs, the owner of the dock's 2 year old unneutered males. A yellow lab and a chocolate lab, both from teh same litter? Weird. Patton was the yellow lab and was obsessed with Tiger. He wanted to hump her, but was also really cute and licked her face, and when he had her toy and she came over he's drop it to her like a present. SO CUTE! I was so excited and happy to see Tiger having fun with other dogs. As long as she could bark at Patton and run away she had a grand old time. We got her thoroughly exhausted, which is always our mission, lol! I got some good pics of her too:




I'm going to work up a LO for my new rectangle template. Hopefully I can bust that out quickly and use it for the quote challenge as DSO, lol. I'm all about killing 2 birds with 1 stone! For the time being though, here's the freebie for today. Rectangle Template #2.



I hope you're all having good days! And if it's not stiffling hot like it is here, I hope you're enjoying the summer. :o)

*Hugs* n love

~Col

Quick LO

Here's a LO I did using Kim's "All That Jazz" for the lyric challenge over at DSO.

Enjoy!

Crazy Day

Hey everybody! Today has been a little crazy. We tried to go to the urgent care center to get my face checked out yesterday but they were closed. I woke up this morning and my face was still all swollen. We drove past on the way to work but naturally it wasn't open yet. So we went back an hour or so later. $50 later, there's nothing wrong, lol. The Dr. said that basically several things were working against me, but it was nothing to be too concerned about. The forehead can only swell so much since there isn't much up there other than bone. Gravity basically brought the venom down to my nose and eye area, and there's much more there to swell. So it was just a delayed reaction, and yesterday was probably the worst of it. It's still a little uncomfortable today, but my misery should be over soon.

I have to try and finish writing this ridiculous report today. I just have no idea how to finish this last part and naturally BOTH of my bosses are out today. Super.

3 weeks!!!! Only 3 weeks left til our closing date. Come oooon father time! Let's speed things up a bit!!

Since there were approximately a billion 4th of July celebration kits posted tuesday and wednesday, I don't feel so bad about not getting one out. Maybe my design skills will be honed enough to do something for Labor Day. I might just start right now! LOL

Here's a picture of my cutie I took yesterday. She was so cute and crawled up on the couch to lay with me in my misery in the morning.

I know it's not a great pic, but she's still cute ;o)

This is a LO I did today. The picture is from Mark's email (which I posted yesterday). He was re-enlisting one of his soldiers for another 5 years of service. The quote just seemed appropriate.


Credit to: Shandy Vogt for the papers from her "Spangled Glory Addon" (and if you head over there and make a LO with it and send it to her she's offering her whole Spangled Glory kit for free!), the brad and tags are from Jannidee from her portion of the Liberty Mega Freebie Kit, the easy paperclip is from Kim B's "Born in the USA" freebie, and the journal paper is from Journals2 by Tracy Drane aka Dranet.

I haven't had a chance to zip up some of my rectangle template freebies. We're going away for the weekend tonight so I won't be on til sunday, but I'll post a template then for sure!!

Have great days and nights and weekends everyone!!

*HugS* n love,

~Col

A Letter from Iraq I wanted to share

I'm warning you now, this is a LONG entry and there's no freebie. My swollen face just isn't cooperating with my design wishes today. I'll put up a 4th of July freebie tomorrow I hope.

My hometown is a small town in lower NY in an area called the Hudson Valley. I live about 20 minutes from teh West Point Military Academy. When I was younger, we were unofficial sponsor families for several cadets. They've known me since I was 8 years old I think, and the "originals" (as we like to call them occassionally) are like big brothers. Back in 2002 one of the originals brought a current cadet to the house, Lane. My mom naturally gave him our phone number and told him to call if ever he needed a break from "the Point". Well boy did he start calling! Lol! He brought friends, who all got our number. They brought friends, who all got our number. 5 years later we still have several boys who routinely call and stop by. We've put together several graduation parties, had families stay with us when hotels got booked, trips to airports, driven to and from the Point more times than we could probably count. But we would never change a thing. Knowing all that, it's not hard to figure out where my patriotism comes from. We currently have at least half a dozen boys overseas, and other preparing to go soon. I don't "do" politics, but the war is never far from my mind. I don't care what your political stance is, the troops deserve to be supported.

And on that note, I want to share this email. The author graduated from West Point in either 2004 or 2005 (I think, so many have come through!) and it's a wonderful reminder of what we too often take for granted here in the good ole US of A. If you have the time, please read it and take the message to heart. I know I have on this 4th of July.

Happy 4^th of July. I hope you all are enjoying the great American holiday with family and friends and of course, some good fireworks. As I sit here in Baghdad memories from 4^th of Julys past occupy my mind. Great family barbeques in Syracuse, fun at Otisco Lake, rounds of golf and camp fires in the Adirondacks, fireworks overlooking the banks of the Hudson River at West Point- all of these memories are vivid in my mind. I can see the American flags flying proudly, hear the National Anthem playing and feel the pride of the American people. I am physically 7,000 miles from the States but a large part of me feels like I am home this 4^th of July.

My favorite thing about the Fourth is the collective patriotism that encompasses the nation. Day to day, people in America take our freedom and way of life for granted. They don’t realize that we live under the best system in the history of the world. In America, we don’t fear an oppressive government. We can walk the streets and not worry about our safety. We can express our opinions openly and participate in our political process. We can practice religion freely. Most importantly, we have the ability and freedom to pursue our dreams. Americans are so used to having security and freedom that we sometimes fail to step back and see how good we have it. It is nice that at least once a year the nation pauses and acknowledges how fortunate we are.

My parents have always taught me to be appreciative of the blessings in my life. Through my experiences, I’ve found that you appreciate things more when you are separated from them. Being in Iraq is a daily reminder of how good we have it back home. As I patrol the streets of Iraq, I can’t help but think how much better life is in America compared to Iraq or any other country for that matter… For countless years, the people of Iraq lived in fear and were denied the basic freedoms that we enjoy so much in America. U.S. presence in Iraq has given Iraqis something they were vastly unfamiliar with- hope. The “new Iraq” is full of possibilities and in time Iraq will be a peaceful, prosperous nation.

Fredrick Douglas, a prominent figure in American history, once said “Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are people who want crops without ploughing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle.” America, the defender of freedom, is currently engaged in a long, enduring struggle against terrorism. Every day in Iraq is exhausting and dangerous. Thousands of brave American soldiers patrol the streets of Iraq and fight terrorist here instead of in our homeland. For those who don’t believe the war in Iraq is related to the war on terrorism all they need to do is read the morning headlines. Every day there are terrorist and insurgents who show their dislike of America and her ideals by carrying out lethal attacks against American soldiers. Every attack validates their hatred of America as well as their determination to defeat us. America’s cause is just. And this battle against those who oppose freedom is one that we cannot lose.

I am thankful that I am an American and I am honored to be on the frontlines defending the freedoms and values that our nation cherishes so dearly. Whether you are in Syracuse, Boston, Columbia, Nashville, DC or abroad, I hope you enjoy our nation’s birthday. And this 4^th of July I urge you to look around and soak in the freedom that permeates the air, freedom that not everyone gets to experience.

God Bless America,

Mark

Happy 4th!!

Well I woke up this morning, and my face is all swollen around the eyes. I don't know wtf is going on with bee sting, but I'm pretty uncomfortable right now. Benedryl seems to making it worse, so I'm not taking any more of that. I'm going to keep icing it and take some acetaminophen and see if that helps. If not, we might be going to a clinic or something later on today.

I hope to be able to work up a special 4th of July freebie today. If I can't, I may post it later in the week anyway.

For now, thanks for all your well wishes on my addition to Kim's CT!

I hope everyone takes some time today to remember what this day is about, and express your patriotism. And please please please remember those overseas fighting for what this country stands for.

Thanks.
*Hugs* n love

~Col

Holy Moly!!!

Holy Moly is right!! I blurted out yesterday on Kim B's comments about how much I love her designs and could only hope to be a part of her creative team one day. And she emailed me, and now I AM!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY ME!!!!!

I'm still a little bit in shock, lol! But I can't wait to get started making a few LO's with her amazing "All That Jazz" kit! I swear I'll stop using exclamation points soon! LOL

Ok, I'll post some more later, I was just bursting with excitement and had to share! And check out my blinky over there!! Hooray!!

PS~Cuz I forgot

We're going to the insurance place today to hand over a boatload of cash and get everything settled for the new house. :o) SO EXCITING! Only 24 days to go! Whoohoo!!

Bees, golf, and a Freebie!

Did you all have a glorious weekend? I know I did! We had some really great weather here. Not too hot, not too humid, juuuuuuust right. Perfect summer time weather. Saturday we were lazy, then ran some errands, then were lazy again. :o) I love that J-man and I can just hang out in the living room together (not even on the same couch, lol) and enjoy each other's company and be happy. It's really nice.

Sunday dawned a glorious morning! We snuggled for a while and watched tv, and let Tiger up on the bed for some TLC. She's such a mush. I got some cute shots of her using blankets and my pj's for a pillow, lol. I'll get it uploaded tonight and post tomorrow hopefully. It's always good to have a few more pictures of her to scrap, as if I didn't have a zillion already, lol. So after snuggling and some baking (I made muffins like I seem to do every weekend) we decided to go to the driving range and teach me how to golf!

Here's where the bee comes into play. Since it was such a nice day out, we were driving with all the windows open instead of using the AC in the car. All of a sudden I felt something smack into my forehead. I jerked to the side, when I felt something crawling on my head! So I swiped at it with my hand. Turns out, a bee flew in (or got sucked in) through the window and stung me! Thank goodness I'm not allergic. I think swiping it away also stopped the stinger from getting me too bad. I still have a big bump on my forehead, but it's pretty small (big as in size, not height, small as in height) so it's not very noticeable, thank goodness, lol. It still hurts though!

So we continued up to the driving range. I had a hole in my forehead that itched, but I didn't do TOO horribly. I'll tell you what though, golf is hard! There are about a zillion things you have to try to remember. I know that the more I practice the better I'll get, and then I won't have to think as much. But for now, yowzas! I kept practicing bringing the club up the right way, but then I'd bring it down totally wrong, lol. And several times when I used the woods, my swing ended up in front of the ball and it shot between my legs, lol. OOPS!! We're going to go back on wednesday since we have off for the 4th of July (stay tuned for a possible 4th of July special!). J-man's mom has clubs that I might be able to use when we go back there this weekend, so we'll play 9 holes or so I think. I doubt I'll be able to take much more than that, lol. I'll just get drunk and drive the cart :o)

Ok ok, you've been patiently waiting I know! First, here's the LO that Amy made with my template #2! It's gorgeous!! Thanks for sharing Amy!


And now for my freebie and a LO share. I made this LO for a friend using my template #4.

All papers and elements from Tao Cosgrove's Art journal Collection Biggie available at Scrapgirls.com, photo overlay is "Tickle" by Kirsty Wiseman.


And here's the template!


I'm going to play wtih some more rectangle templates today I think. And possibly some simple elements too. Something easy to start off my designing adventures.

Have glorious days and nights!
*Hugs*
~Col