Flip Flop Family

Last night when I got home and told Scott about my shitty day, he asked me what he could do to make it better, I didnt have an answer, so nothing. Well This morning I woke up to Breakfast, Coffee and He had emptied the dishwasher... I dont know if that was what he was doing to try to make things better for me, But it was a good way to start my day.
I finally got together with my sisters around 6 ish tonight, Shelly's DH Norm, took us to dinner, It was nice, Kelli wasnt very talkative, Shelly was thinking of all the many things she had to do before they leave tomorrow on their trip, But I just enjoyed being out . After that we went back to her house where Norm the bartender made me a couple of cosmos... We then took this fabulous picture , ( story on the picture, I have been looking at this Jolee's thing in my store for a couple of months, It is this adorable title, with flip flops, saying Flip flop Family.. I have been dying to use it, but I dont have a " flip flop family " in my house, so I got my sisters, Shelly, Kelli, Carrie and Myslef to take this picture, Kelli and Shelly thought it was crazy, ( although one of them did admit it was cute) and Carrie of course enjoyed it... So here is the picture that I had to have.














on to what my night has been like alone... well it has been quiet that is for sure... I took Shellys Dog tonight with me cause I needed some company ( he is staying with me while she is gone ) . I must say, I am not an alone person, I like being alone.. but not in this big house . Nope, Not a fan.

Ok, For the past 5 years, I have had two last names, I have Been Tami Jones with the IRS ( actually I have been Tami Jones with the IRS since 1987, minor detail) And Tami Shumate with everything else, ( checking account, DMV, things like that). So today I go to deposit my check with my bank, The VERY SAME bank that I have had for 10 years, And Oh, excuse me, They wont take my Check cause its made out to TAMI JONES.... I went OFF on them Asking them where the hell are their Higher standards of Banking that they speak so loudly of( bank of America, that is there logo) the Bitch told me , THIS WAS their higher standard of banking, She then told me she didnt like my tone of voice, and I then Asked her if anyone has ever told her she was a bitch? ( Not cool, I know, But I was livid) I then left and told the bitch that I would go to another branch that would happily take my money, she told me she didnt think so.. But I did...and the other bank took it, No problem. But now I am pretty sure there is a flag on my account ( I am sure the bitch wrote it down) to not take Any checks with Tami Jones... So its time to change my name BACK to Tami Jones. Why , you ask? Because, I have been her since 1987, and I like it, its easy, I dont have to spell it for anyone, and I have three sons with that name. Scott on the other hand doesnt think its so cool.. I said I would make it JONES-SHUMATE.... to make him happy to cover ALL of my sons, Scott doesnt like it. I just about dont care... I will be heading to the DMV this week for a New licsence with the name JONES-Shumate...
That was just the start of my not so great day... I love my sisters, but it seems that we cant all just hang out, See, whenever Kelli comes here, She stays with Shelly, Never with me.. so there I always am, going to Shellys , and hanging out with them.. but I always feel left out, like I am missing out on the good stuff when I am not around, and when I am there, Well I feel ignorned really. I asked Kelli to stay here Sat night since I am going to have the house to myself, and Shelly didnt think that she needed to... Whatever I said to that, no biggie, But I took half of SAT off to hang out with them and then today I was told that they may be in Seattle ..... ok, So why did I take half the day off ? Why did I bother? cause when I said I didnt get off till 6 , I was told that was late... ok, so Now I am to call in the AM and find out if they will be home, and not go to seattle ( in shellys defense, she doesnt want to go, they got some free tickets to a movie for the kids and the kids want to go, ) I am so upset by this all that all I want to do is go home at 2 ( early) and be alone.... I hate when I feel like I am on the outside looking in when it comes to this sister realationship that we all have.... I am fine, one on one, as I think they are too.. and maybe I am the only one feeling this way, In fact, I know I am the only feeling this way. ok, I am done bitching....

What's a Girl to do?

Ok, so, can I tell you how excited I am about Saturday? I will be home alone.. ALONE, for the entire night, Till Sunday noonish! Can you believe it? I am not sure WHAT I will do , But I am thinking about Scrapping, ( of course) and cleaning my scrap room... sleeping sounds good too, I am just not sure. My sis Kelli arrived today from Vegas, so I will be going over to Shellys to hang out with them, but I figure by 8 pm, here I will be, in this big house all alone.... whats a girl to do?

So Sam has been such a crack up lately.. tonight I was told that he was caught " getting rid of the dead roses", But the bad thing was, He cut all the Good roses ... yup, just snipped them off.. Scott found him with the prunners in hand.... Sam's reaction?? " Dad, I am really really sorry" ..... They were my peach roses too, he could have at least cut the red ones.

Sam also was yelling at his brothers yesterday.. it seems they were sitting on his friends.. Goodness, They should have seem them before they sat down.

On another note, I love Big and Carrie... the couple on Sex and the City... their relationship is so ..... real, so me.

Sam's 4th Birthday Party!

This was During the Pinata, and after , they boys with all their goodies. It was a pull apart pinata, so they all just had to pull Hard, and all at once, They thought it was very cool. Sam had a good day, Played baseball with his Friends, It got a bit on the warm side in the sun, so we found shade under the big tree in the front, once we were there, we didnt go back, lol. I have to admit it, I am not a fan of parties at my house, The pressure of doing it right, making sure it all goes well, cleaning the darn place, ( that is my most hated part), I dont like it, period. But I better, cause in 10 months ( not like I am counting) I will be having Alecs Graduation party in the Same yard... I am already stressing over that!

I have my first offical TEACHERS Meeting at the Store tomorrow, I am so excited! I cant wait to get this going and start teaching, One of the gals there that teaches( and I know this happens with them all) Has a following, the same people always take her classes, with a few new ones thrown into the mix. I am hoping that happens to me, and that they are not Just all my friends! LOL, Several ladies, ( customers) are interested in my classes, ask all the time when they can sign up, so I am hoping that I have been there long enough, that the gals know me, and want to take my classes, Right now its Three a month, The first three tuesdays of the month. if the dont fill, then you cancel, so I am hoping for TWO a month in reality....

Ok, Off for the night, Lynette, remind me to send you pictures of your boys from the party!!

I have neglected my blog since WED, I have neglected much in my life since WED. My sister called me late that night to tell me that my nephew, Scottys Check- up revealed that he is Diabetic. Her intial thoughts were shock, and had no clue what was coming next, Scotty had a baseball game that night, They figured they could go play , and then meet with the Doctors the next day, Yeah, Not so much, He was sent to Childrens Hospital in Seattle, where he then spent the next three days learning how to deal with his new life.( you should have seen all the books that they were sent home with, not to mention the needles, test strips, medicine, ect) He will be insulin Dependent for the rest of his life. But I must say , he is doing well with it all, for now. I was there last night at the house for his homecoming, and he handled the whole thing well, Checking his levels before he ate, Then giving himself the insulin after the fact, His friends wanted to watch, and Shelly and I both thought that was important that they did, that they knew Scotty was the Same Scotty that they always knew , ( these kids are 12, so common sense doesnt come naturally to them)they all went out to play after he did it, and they thought it was pretty cool too. We are going over today, Sam wants to give Scotty a band-aid, thinking that will make him feel better. ( how sweet is that?)
So today I will also be cleaning the house, Sam is having his Birthday Party tomorrow, with 5 little friends, How fun , I will take lots of pictures of course.

Home From Camping, And its Sam's birthday!

Sam is FOUR!!! how insane is that ?? here is a pic of today..

the best reaction that he did was when he opened a baseball pitching machine thing, and he said , and I quote " Now THATS A PRESENT!" LOL, we all got a good laugh from that one.

So Camping.... we went camping, and all went well, the boys had a good time, the older boys floated down the river a couple of times, Alec found a stick almost the second we got there, And he carved it the whole time, Kept him busy for sure, But he did wish his knive had a comfort grip on it, lol. Sam threw rocks in to the river the whole time, and two ladies next to us wanted to keep him, thought he was the cuteset thing ever... and I must agree. We played games, and had fun... Family togetherness, it was nice to see them away from the PS2 for a few days! Here are some pictures of that:

so as it was nice to be together, I am so glad its over... there is only so much togetherness I can take...

Bagel Dave has died...

for those of you who dont know, its Sam's imaginary friend, And it seems he is Dead. Here is the way the conversation went:

Me : Sam, where is Bagel Dave?
Sam: HE's dead, I sat on him.
Me: Why did you do that?
Sam: Cause my brothers are home, so I just did.
then he walked away...


A few minutes later, I called Sam over and said:
Sam, Bagel dave doesnt have to go away just cause your brothers are home, he can still be your friend.
Sam: I just dont need him anymore, I am done with him, I have my brothers.

This Kid is FOUR ( well, will be on WED) and he is so stinkin Smart!! He made up his friend just cause his brothers were in Vegas , and he was loney. Which is sad.. but he was thinking smart, I'll just make up someone till my brothers come home and then I will sit on him and make him go away!! LOL...
I did ask about the tiny men having a war under my couch, and he informed me that they are ALL OVER the place, not just under the couch.. Lovely.. I hope they dont make too much of a mess.

Ohh I gotta bitch here, My poor red Sox, Just one injury after another, they need heathly pitchers so badly, They just cant win with all these rookies they got pitching for them, .. its making me sad.

Ok, we are off to camping for a couple of nights, Dont miss me too much!!

All boys safe and sound

but the fighting UGH.. I DIDNT miss that one AT ALL! Even Sam is whinning and complaining more.. Its amazing what a difference it all is when you throw a few more brothers into the mix.

Sam still has his Friends , it was nice to see that he didnt dump them since his brothers came home, And yes, There is still a war going on under my couch, they are now using a fire truck and fighting on that.. god only knows what else Sam has put under there to "help them fight the war"...

Brett has been in a mood since he has been home, I sense it has something to do with the fact that he never went to sleep while he was there , before 3 am!! hello?? we dont do that in our house, I may do that, But the boys may not!! So he is now going to bed no later than 11:30 and will wake up around 8 am, considering in less than one month he will have to wake up at 5 AM for the Rifle team for ROTC. .....

Jake had his first day of conditioning for Football this am, I hate this.. I have to get up at 7:30 and drive him to school, and then pick him up, that is just way to very early for me! But its all worth it... I just keep telling myself that....

We are getting ready for our camping trip coming up on Sunday, two nights of togetherness, do you think I can handle it?? I hope so!

Had to blog this

Sam has made up a friend, A few of them really, since his brothers have been gone. He has been playing ball with his "friends" in the hall for a couple of weeks now, When I ask him what their names are, he has just said, :" My Friends, My Brothers" The other day he was yelling at his Friend.. I said Sam, who are you yelling at? He told me he was yelling at his Friend " BAGEL DAVE" , Why are you yelling at Bagel Dave? " Cause he is not catching that ball! " LOL... I tried very hard NOT to laugh out loud at that one. .... he and Bagel Dave played for a while, then he was done.. later I asked him where he was and he didnt know, but another friend was sitting on the floor next to him and he was so tiny ( Sam told me this by holding his thumb and Finger tip together) Oh, so VERY tiny..... Sam said the tiny friend was hanging out with him cause there were a bunch of them fighting under the couch , and his friend wanted to watch TV.....
Today Sam was back in the Hall, Playing Baseball with, Get this " JAKE JONES of THE BOSTON RED SOX" ..... That one cracked me up, he is so cute, and So missing his brothers, THANK GOD they come home tomorrow!!

congratulations To Kent Little League Majors Advance To Regionals!!

They won STATE today and will advance to Regional play in CA next weekend! This is very exciting news for the Team, ( they are a year younger than what Jake Plays). This is the first year in the 20 year history of Kent LL that any of our teams has advanced to Regional! Here is a picture of the Team, taken at one Of the Local Naval Stations , One of the boys on the team's Dad's is in command there. I know two of the boys on the team, and their familys, Taylor , And AJ, Both are very good friends of my Nephew Scotty, and the mom's are very good friends with my sister, Shelly. Good luck to them all in CA!! to read more about them go to: http://KentLL.ORG

I caved...

Quickutz was having a sale at the store, And everywhere else for that matter. I dont own a Quickutz, but I just may soon, I did however buy 1 die, I figured My Neighbor Lynette has one, I can run over there and cut out things.. Doesnt sound to resonable? Well the one Die I got was the "pennent" I figured I would use it alot with all my sports pages that I do, Also, I pretty much know what color I am going to use through out the book, depending on the Team colors, so I can Cut out a bunch and last me all season! I also got the Icing Rubons, Now, those are awesome, And to top it off Same neighbor has the dies that go to the rubons that I got! My only thing I should have gotten, was the Varsity #'s, I think they are the perfect size, and I would use them alot... Is the sale still on somewhere?

Scott has spent so much time in the yard lately, I keep telling him that Sam's Birthday party is in two weeks, and we will party outside, so do what you can to get it ready.... last night I came home to pretty new bark along the pathway under the roses, and solar lights along same walkway.. very nice.

We are planning a trip to the zoo today, but I am not sure if we will make it, I need to check the weather forcast, it looks like rain... And what a difference in temp, its only 60 degrees right now!

It seems my mom fell down her stairs the other day, she is ok, she just has a really bad swollen Butt.... She cant even really sit, So Alec has been driving her all around town... Which is Funny, cause the boy never wanted to drive here, still just has his permit, even though he went thru drivers ED over a year ago... Could it be that she has a mercedes to Drive, and I only have a Jeep?

Today Brett is 15!

15 years old... how can I have children that are 17,15,13 years old? This is crazy! Happy birthday to My Son, the boy with the big blue eyes that will win over some ladies heart one day... He had a good day , from what I could tell , from the pictures that My Sister sent me. HE had a pool party at my moms, with his brothers, Cousins, and Friends, And tonight they are all at game works playing games till midnight, is that heaven for a bunch of teenagers , or what?

Onto other news, The car had a Tire on it tonight when I drove by! Doing the happy dance here! LOL. Scott said that he noticed the guy called someone out to help him, and I did see the guy leaving when I drove by.. maybe now it will go into the garage, or at the very least, its now fixed and we dont look like we live in Mexico anymore, ( or Spokane, lol ) .

Sam wouldnt say happy birthday to Brett today, he just didnt want to talk to him... I am so glad I am not four, lol....

The Car now has a Ticket on it!

I got three messages from My Neighbor Lynette this am, one on my phone, one instant messaging, and one email, To let me know that the police were putting a ticket on the Broken down car! Whoo hoo!! I never thought I would be so happy to tell on someone, but Yes, I am. Now tonight when I get home from work, that Car have better been moved!

UPDATE on CAR in NEIGHBORHOOD

I called the police on it today, I know, That may be bad, But I am so stinkin sick of looking at that damn car! I will give it till Friday to see if it has been moved, and ticketed, or better yet, TOWED.... If nothing, I will call again, And call again, till its gone. Yes, I am a Bitch, But, that is just part of my witty charm!

I am such a baby

Alec left this morning, and Sam and I have been in a poopey mood all morning... Sam wanted to go wake him up. I told him he wasnt here, that he was already at Grandma's.. so then he started to cry , saying ,"Alec needs to be home with me". How sad is that? After he cried for a while, he then said Alec had cookies in his room and we should go get them, lol. I told him no, But that Alec left him some downstairs, so he was then happy again. We will see what happens, I hope it just quickly and Before we know it, they are all home.

I got two more Baseball layouts finished last night, Only one left and then the Album is finished! YEAH!!then I will move on to Alec and Sam's and in between all that, Finish what I am working on for my classes.

We have a problem with one of our neighbors, He has left his Car without a tire ( up on Blocks) for the past two weeks, in front of his house. Not in his Driveway, Not in his GARAGE ( which is empty, by the way) but on the street, in front of his house. We have a small neighborhood, ( 13 houses) and this is really an eye sore. The Man next door, Steve, Asked Scott if he knew anything about it over the weekend, and Steve is getting sick of it , as well as Lynette , who is right across from him. I have thought about calling the police and telling them about it, it is , afterall on the street, and it is not a working car, so they can ticket it or something like that... I think that may be the only option , and the only way this man will do something about it. What would you do?

What a nice weekend!

Take away the disgusting heat that we had here, and it was a nice weekend. Started Friday night with the Red Sox game, ( as stated below) Great game, The Sox had 5 home runs, and won ( they better have won with 5 home runs!) I got an autograph and enjoyed the game with Alec ( even though we were melting into puddles) . Sat AM, We dropped Sam off at Scotts mom, where he spent the night and Enjoyed the beach, ( See pictures) and entertained his Grandma... Scott and I went the the day game of the Red Sox, and even though they lost, it was a very good time. We had fabulous seats, and I had Red Sox fans everywhere I looked , it was a good time, And Scott didnt say too much about the fact that the Sox lost, He was happy, but he didnt rub it in, and I didnt pout, lol. Best of All, the whole weekend went by without, ( are you ready for this) not one single fight between Scott and I ! thats all I will say about that.
Alec leaves for Moms WED AM, I can say, he will be missed by myself and Sam.... Alec and I have a special mother/ Son Bond, and I will really miss our late night talks.. ..

OMG its HOT!

when we left Kent last night for the RED SOX game at 4:30 it was 106!! That is insane for us! The game was HOT , very HOT, but oh so good! The Red Sox had 5 Home runs! We were happy to see them all. Here is just one Many picutres that I took. My oldest and My youngest Sons... a picture says a thousand words, right?

I also got an autograph! The rookie pitcher, Lester, ( with a 5-0 record) was kind enough to sign my ticket, so that will go into the shrine that I have, ( yes, you read that right, a Red Sox Shrine) . I ran into Jakes friend and Family Craig, So that was fun, his mom, Kelly, said " of course I would see you at a RED SOX game"! LOL, of course she would.....
I have a great picture of Sam that needs some fixing with the lighting, and Another one that needs some red eye taken out, I will post them later, I need to get ready for the game today !

Four Teenage boys had a Choice

My Mom gave Brett, Jake, And two of my Nephews a choice on where to go for a couple of days ( they are in Las Vegas at her house now, and she wanted to take them away for a couple of days) The Choice : The Grand Canyon, OR Laughlin. The boys Picked :














LAUGHLIN!!! Are you kidding me?? My sister and I could not believe that our sons picked a gambling town, over THE GRAND CANYON! We had wished that mom drove right to the Grand canyon and ignored what they boys wanted, knowing that once they were there, they would have loved it. But no, she did what they wanted . I think it may have had something to do with the drive, 1.5 hours, instead of 5 hours.. That I can understand.


Sam is really wanting to talk to his brothers these days, he doesnt say too much, but he is indeed enjoying the talks. This is a big weekend for him He has a few firsts happening :

Tomorrow is his First RED SOX GAME!!!!!! Scott calls it a "mariners game" I am calling it , and documenting it as : His first Red Sox Game. Where he will be wearing his David Ortiz Tshirt, an early birthday present. I cant wait to take pictures, and see him enjoy this game. Then on Saturday, Before Scott and I go to the SAT Red sox Game, We are dropping Sam off at Scotts mom, for his first sleepover at her house. She is taking him on a Ferry ride, and then to some local beaches. I do think he will love that day with her, and I think he will be fine to sleep over. How odd to be home and not have Sam home with us , what are we going to do Saturday night?

When you go to get your hair cut...

ok, When you go to get your haircut, and you bring a picture, the point is to style the hair as in the picture. She got the Cut right, but didnt do the style thing AT ALL, it would have taken her about 5 mins to run the straightening iron though it , and then she would have been finished, Instead, she styled it the way SHE wanted to, and that annoys me just a tad. And speaking of hair, I dislike very much having to try new products on said hair. Trying to find just the right combo that works just right for your hair/style is a complete pain in the ass, if I may be so blunt ( of course I may, its my blog, I can say what I want) . I dont think I have found just the right mixture of products, but I do feel as if I am getting closer to finding it.

Onto the big news of the day SAM TALKED TO HIS BROTHERS today on the phone! its about stinkin time! I asked him this am if he wanted to talk to them and he said sure, just so matter of fact like... " sure" . Well I called them , and wouldnt you know it, they were out! I then called a total of four different #'s trying to find them, but no such luck. Later we did get them at the house, and Sam did indeed talk to them. yeah... so glad we got that out of the way. I asked a friend today how can a 4 year old hold a grudge? the friend said " well it must be a son of yours" I guess that was a comment about me holding a grudge?, I dont think I do that, I must REALLY dislike you for me to do that...

I got all 12 cards done for the class! That was great to get them finished, I really didnt like having that hanging over my head, now I have two classes down ( Oct, And Nov) still have to do Decembers class, and then the second class for all the months is the same one, and we are only doing a couple of projects in that one... Now I am going to go so I can scrap for ME....

Sam at a birthday party

We went to a Birthday party today for my neighbor's Little one , Trevor. Sam had a blast, they rented a bouncy house thing, and at first sam didnt want to go in it, but the first moment it was empty , there he was, climbing in, he had a great time too, ( see picture), They had a pinata, and the boys squirted one another with water guns, a good time was had by all, and the best part was, he wasnt upset when we left, even though he could still see the bouncy thing from our yard, he is such a great kid . On another note, He still isnt talking to his brothers, I think he just forgets why he isnt talking to them at this point, really, how can a 4 year old still be mad after 10 days?
Other than that, not alot went on today, I worked on my cards a bit more, I have 6 finished, 6 more to go , so far I am very happy with how they are turning out, which is great, cause it would suck if I didnt like them!

NO FEATURED LO OF THE WEEK!

So its friday, and still no Featured LO of the week from me... My whole point in featuring a Layout was to also feature the Artist, and I seem to like all the same peoples Layouts week after week! I also tried to Feature friends, Or people I know, Cause lets face it, what is the point of Featuring an Artist if they never know that they were featured? I think All Scrappers like to know that their work is admired by others, Isnt that why we post our layouts on Message boards and Tell our friends " Posted a new LO, come see"? I know that is why we do it!

I have been busy Scrapping, Working on Jakes Baseball album for 2006, and I want to finish that before I start Alec's or Even Sam's , Well Sams will be more like a Page or two, Since I didnt get to too many of Sam's games, And Alecs wont be quite an album either, I only have about 60 pictures from Alec,... yes, that may sound like alot to some, But I usually have over 300 to choose from for an ALBUM for Jake... I just got to more of Jake's games than Alecs. Jakes season was also from FEB to June, Alec's was May to July......

I have to have all my projects for my fall classes to Sharee ( the owner of the LSS) By the end of August. This is for all classes THRU December... I better get a move on with those !

Have a great day everyone!

PS, Sam still wont talk to his brothers, And We miss them lots!

A choice you make

Did you ever have a time in your life that you had to make a choice, that you knew it was a life altering choice, and no mater what choice you made , you felt like you would always wonder if you made the right choice? Or do you look back on a choice that you made, and it was life altering, but you just didnt know it at the time? I have been thinking about a choice that I made years ago, and wonder what would have happened if I took the right, instead of the left? How different would my life be right now, had I gone right? I think about what that life would have been like, and I wonder if I will ever be able to get back to it. Do you ever get the choice again? I can only hope so, and I try to look at it this way, I am only three lefts away from that right.

Random thoughts for Tuesday

Well, Sam is still not talking to his brothers, He asks for them, wanting to know if they are almost home, so they can play outside with him. but still no talking. again, how sad, he is just a sad sad little boy.


I have a friend who is having a tough time right now, now more than normal. She lost her son two years ago this Thursday, he was two years , three months old when he died. She is having a hard week and I hope knows that she is loved by many, and is in everyones thoughts. I have only known her 3 months but she is an amazingly strong woman, who has gone through something that no-one in their lifetime should have to go through, but has survived. Pleae keep her in your thoughts....

Ok, I will leave you with a thought , something that I have thought about alot lately....

We only have so much energy... so much to give. That is how I feel lately, and I wonder why we waste time and energy on things that dont need it, and why dont we know this at the time. why is it only AFTER we have wasted all this time and energy on things that dont matter , do we know it? This is really something that WE SHOULD KNOW that we are doing it, at the time that we are doing it... if that makes sense.... just a thought.

Conversation with Sam

Me: 'Sam your brothers are on the phone,they want to talk to you'

Sam: ' I just dont want to talk to my brothers'

Me: ' how come Sam? They want to talk to you'

Sam: ' I am just mad at them, I dont want to talk'

Me:' Why are you mad at them?'

Sam:' Cause they are not home, and I miss them'


AWWWW, how stinkin sad was that?? that was last night when I called the boys so Sam could talk to them, he wont talk to them cause he misses them! LOL.. ok, silly boy. I feel bad, he is a bit sader around here, kind of moves a bit slower since they have been gone... What is going to happen for that last week when Alec goes too??

I had a great time shopping with Cari on Friday! WE picked out 7 different Girly themes for her party, each girl is going to pick what they want to use to make their albums, Then when we got back to her house, Shelly thought it would be nice to get another set of things, just so the last girl doesnt feel like she got "stuck with" the last choice, which makes sense. But while I was at work that night, I got two more , instead of one more, but that was cause there was one that I really wanted them to do, but when Cari and I were shopping I couldnt find the paper, but I did find it later. I also enjoyed spending Shelly's money.

Here is a thank you card that I made for Jason from the Mariners, For when he took us all on the tour, He is such a nice guy, I thought he deserved a Mariners card!

Left on a jet plane

not me, Brett and Jake did early Thursday morning... Scott brought them to the Airport since it was on his way to work and it was so very early ( they left the house at 4:30 AM). I was up with them and we said our good byes, I always cry after they leave, I always think the worst and I cant sleep till they are safe on the ground with my mom. Once that happened, I slept Great!
I am taking My niece Cari shopping today for her birthday party, I am hosting a Scrapbook party for her and 6 of her friends on Monday! they will be making paper bag albums, so we are shopping for all the goodies today, I think I am as excited as Cari is!

So far so good, Sam that is, with his brothers leaving him. I made him a calendar and each night Sam puts a sticker on that day, and it says when they come home, so he knows he is one more day closer to seeing them again, he likes that alot!

Ok, Off to shop, I will post a LO of the week later, I took last week off, but I am starting it again today!

OMG, ITS WED already?

where has the week gone,? Work one day , off, work one day, off, that has been my pattern since SAT...And to be honest, My off days have sucked. I have been fighting with Scott, on and off for days, and it hasnt been good. The bright side of all of the days was the fireworks, that Sam and I went to see with My neighbor Lynette and her family ( kids, Mom, DH) We went over to the School across the street where you can see PERFECTLY the Fireworks from Lake Meridian... Sam kept looking back at the ones his brothers were lighting off, but when the Lake ones started , there was no looking back for that kid! And he was so good too! No crying, not scared at all, He even looked at me at one point, held my hand, and said " Mommy, are you scared'? I told him no, and I asked him if he was, and he said no, But held my hand a little harder. He was so good! I have one picture of him and the boys watching some fireworks, and here that is.

So on the fighting front, lets see what we fought over the last few days, the Air conditioner, and his ability to fix it, ( must say, he did fix it) Sams playset, and how he wanted nothing to do with it, Getting it from my sisters, Putting it together , renting the truck to get it ( He again pulled thru and shocked me, put it together without a complaint, But MY GOD, getting it here and in the right spot in the yard cause A FEW fights right there,) And then he had Ice Cream One night, And if any of you remember , I dont do well when people eat ice cream around me, the noise of the spoon hitting the bowl makes me ill, I can feel it in my stomache, that is the only way to explain it,. But if I could, I would have thrown it across the room and felt MUCH BETTER. And then the fact that I went to watch the Fireworks across the street instead of in the driveway.. I am sorry, but watching My three sons and Scott blow up fireworks is not my idea of fun, may be theirs, but NOT MINE!

A girl I work with mentioned tonight that we seem to fight alot, I thought about that , and you know what, She doesnt even know the half of it.....

Catching up

Sam is a little white, Dont ya think?


ITs been a few days, Today was so nice out, slightly on the warm side, ( 80's) but its been nice inside. We had a slight problem with the AC , ( sparks flying out, wires burning, ect) But Even though I didnt think he could do it, Scott seems to have fixed it. YES, I underestimated him on this one, but that is only cause the Sparks flying and wires burning, WAS indeed caused by his actions of 'fixing it'.

There are FOUR RED SOX going to the All star game! I was very happy to see that, But Sad that Jason Varitek didnt make it as catcher, I just love that man! Happy with the four this wonderful team has going! And their Four game lead in 1st place.

We are getting Sams play structure from my sisters in the AM. I cant wait for Sam to have it , and his little friends down the street can come play on it.

I scrubbed our deck today, simple green is great stuff! I had to do it in two different stages cause honestly, it was too hot to finish it earlier today. But it looks so much better, and now its ready for Scott to stain it again....

I took some pictures of Sam playing in his sprinkler today, and driving around in his car, I bought him a flag for the back of his car for the 4th, he liked it. See pictures .

The concert I didnt go to, Here are a couple of pics

as you know, I passed on the Kenny Chesney concert, it wasnt working for me, and the $$ was too much to spend when It was going to be Alec and I going, But A girl from work went, And here are a couple of pictures she took, ( She gave me a disk with 77 pics on it, but I wont bore you with them all, here are just a few) .. I so Wish I went!!!

SAFECO Field private Tour Today!

I took the boys , my sister, and Niece and Nephew today to Safeco for The tour I mentioned below, and it was Great! I got some great pictures, We saw the Club house, ( no pictures allowed) the boys (and girl) sat in the Dug out, in the Bull pen, in the Press box, Took pictures in the PRESS ROOM, in the Training room, in the owners Suite, ( that was nice) ... Here are a few pictures .

It was Very cool seeing all the things behind the scenes. This picture of the field is from the Owners Suite, What a view for all those games! I will post more pictures later.

ITs HOT HOT HOT!

We have been breaking records all over WA STATE the past few days, its has been so damn stinkin hot!! today it was 90+ and you could tell! we have tried to stay cool in the house, we do have central air, but something is wrong with it, ( I think it just needs the coils cleaned, I know you are impressed that I know this, But Its true) so Scott can do that this weekend.
Tonight I came home from work and had one of those great late night chats with Alec, And Jake joined us too..( Brett was at his friends) We were laughing at silly stuff, and they were making fun of one another, in a good way.. We talked Baseball, and about when they were little and the things they remember ( some of it just amazes me). As I was sitting there talking with them I thought about how much I love times like this....
I havent blogged to much lately, but I have been busy with Scrap stuff, as you can see from the below layouts.. I am going to start on a new page of the week for the store tomorrow, I could do those at the store while I am working, but I just hate that I cant focus on it ....
I am taking the boys on WED to SAFECO field to tour the stadium, I have a friend that introduced me to the head of sercurity for the Mariners last year, and he is giving us a tour WED. I hear its very cool to get a look at it all, and I of course cant wait to take some pictures!
Here are some pictures from Sunday AM, We went over to Shellys to take her playset apart, she is giving it to Sam, we just have to transport it.. I took Alec and two of his friends over to help me out.. Pictures are above.

Challenge Layout

In real life its not as bright, But When I first scanned it, it was too light.. this was the best I could do. For you scrappers , I did the Following on this LO:
Challenge was to use these 3 products:
Basic Grey Paper Oh Baby Girl
Making Memories Stamp Set
1 Yard of White Sheer Ribbon

Prima Flowers Blue and Green
Silver Brads Painted WHITE with Making Memories White Paint from Challenge
Making Memories WHITE Heidi Rub ons
Bazzill cardstock ( forget exact color)

After turning Cari's picture into Black and white , I printed it out on White bazzill cardstock, to give it more of a canvas effect.
I framed her picture with With Prima flowers in Blue and Green in the letter "C" for her name.

One more Baseball Layout

2 New Layouts from ME!

Thought I would show you what I have been up to today!

I love the one above, Title BASEBALL , ITs WHAT YOU DO....

New Featured Layout of the week From DarlaLULU !

This LO is from Darla, ( A retired member of the CKMB) and a member of our wonderful Monkey Board. She is famous for her her HOP ( Hour of powers) meaning you clean like crazy during that one hour, and nothing else... I dont think I have ever done one of those, lol. But She does them all the time! She is a wonderful scrapper and Friend, And I always look forward to seeing her Layouts! Thanks for a great one Darla!

its Been a few days .....

So its been a few days since I posted. I have been sitting here with nothing to say, Shocking , I know, But true.
So first off, How do you like my new Banner? My BFF ( Come on ladies, you remember BFF from when you were a teenager , lol) Maegan, Made it. We found the photo, And she made the banner, and her Wonderful DH helped her insert it. I was trying for a while, but it just wasnt working for me, coming out way to small... blah blah.. Maegan was able to get it right, so YEAH MAEGAN!

And how about the 'Bitchy Buttons? ' those I just love, I stole them off of Cindys Blog , I just loved them, Cause honestly , they are me, I even have one of them on my Fridge, have for years..

Today is the last day of School. I should be more happy about that, but there is just one slight problem, I hate the never ending question coming out of the boys " what can we do today"?? Mostly it comes from Brett and Jake, Who seem to think I am the source of their entertainment all summer. Lets not forget that they go to Vegas for about 4 weeks in the summer, they still act this way before AND after they come back from Vegas. I am hoping this year will be different, I have planned a few days at the ocean when they come back, so hoping they will enjoy that , then its time to get ready for school... I feel for Sam though, He will not be a happy camper that Brett and Jake will be gone for so long, ( Alec just goes a week) .

Tomorrow AM I will be going to my Scrapbook Store and Scrapping from 10-3 then work from 3-9.. I am planning to get a big jump on Jakes baseball album, I got all the pictures printed over the weekend ( I am on top of it!) . Ok Have a great day everyone!

New Layout

Just did this LO of Alec at 17, It took me a bit to be sure I could get how I feel about him, out in just 17 thoughts , so to speak. He is a wonderful Son, and I am so proud of him and I love the relationship that we have . I am one proud mom, ( As if you couldnt tell)

Click picture for a better view and to be able to read the list.

The Championship game... They Lost ..

First picture is after the game, ( They lost) but the got the medals for playing in the Championship game. ( Click on the pictures to get a better view) Second picture is of right before the Game, when the boys got the Trophies for Coming in First Place for the Season.

So they lost, (and it was a heartbreaker to lose), that they should have won ( they were winning going into the last inning, Just needed 3 outs, and instead gave up 4 runs.. we got one back in the bottom of the 7th, only to give up 3 more, ( could have been 4 by then I wasnt looking) and we got just one run... it was tough, but everyone could had done something different and it would have ended with a win... Jake had a great hit, with two on, ( one on first and Second) and the coach held the runner up at third, that would have been the winning run at the end of the 7th... The runner could have made it too. IT was just a tough game. But Jake was ok, he was happy with what the team did do, and it was a good year, he was the youngest boy on the team this year, and he handled himself very well. I am very proud of him and what a great kid he is.

Championship Game is Scheduled for SAT

at 10:00 AM. I have to be at work at 1pm, so lets hope everything is over with by then, ( I am thinking it should be) .
And Jake will have lots of people cheering him on, All his brothers are coming, Scott is coming, even Jeff and his wife( My ex) will be there! This will be a first for that.

Wish the team luck!
Tami

Featured Layout of the Week From SHAR Scrapendipity

Shar's Layout is her First Heritage LO. I believe it is a lo of her grandmother. She did a fabulous Job, as she always does, On this LO.
Shar is a very talented Scrapper, and a wonderful Friend. She is always there for you, and Always the first to comment on a LO, or answer a question for you ( on our MB) . We first met 3 years ago , and use to spend hours chatting into the early morning hours online ( Shar, Remember the deer in the headlights look?) LOL. IF you can call Shar your friend, you are a lucky person.

GAME WAS POSTPONED

due to field conditions, Crap! We think it will be FRIDAY, Dont know yet, still waiting to here.....

Championship Game is tonight!

Lets pray for no rain! Although, unless its pouring buckets , I am sure they will still be playing. Game Time : 6pm, I will post late tonight with all the details! Send good vibes to Kent WA , ( But only to the REDS, not the other team, lol)

And A HAPPY BIRTHDAY to My sister, Kelli!! Happy 38th!! ( man, we are getting old)

From Baseball players to A Concert in less than 45 mins!

Right before they left the Game for the
Band Concert .

After the Concert..

So tonight was the Playoff game , and the Band concert. The boys ( Jake and Craig) played two innings, and both had two at bats before having to leave a few minutes before 7 pm to go home and change for the concert, which started at 7:45. when I got home ( and Craig's mom too) I had to iron Jakes shirt, it was very wrinkled , so I did that while he was getting cleaned up and changed. We got to the concert in time, and found out the boys were winning 8-2 at that point, ( when we left the team was winning 5-1) . A third boy showed up from the team right around 8 pm, he was an 8th grader and played later than Jake and Craig, But he looked happy so we guessed ( Correctly) that they had won! They will play in the championship game on WED, the team they are playing is a tough one, They split four games with them over the season, so its anyone's game, it should be a good one.

Happy Sunday!

Today is Sunday, should be a day of rest.... Ok, well I did rest till 11 am ( shh, I didnt go to sleep till 3 am, working on a project) But now till Scott's Family gets here, it will be running running.... Right now I am drinking my coffee, and Doing this. I have already made one batch of Cupcakes, and will be making another batch in a minute. We are having Scotts Mom and Brother nephews over for a BBQ for Scotts Birthday( It was yesterday). Last night I took him to dinner, it was nice to get out, I guess Sam threw a fit and said he wanted to come have big people Food with us, Scott told him they dont have Yellow and White cheese on the menu, so he should just stay home with his brothers and eat pizza. ( Sam is on a Cheese Kick, but he needs to have one slice of Yellow, and one slice of White at the same time).

I got My new tires on Friday, and my car feels so much better! I really enjoy it now, I never knew what a difference they would make. I also went to Jo-anns and got some stuff.... Then over to Bath & Body Works to get body splashes, and wall flowers.. Also couldnt get out the door without picking up my favorite room sprays. All in all it was a good day.

Sat AM Jake and I left the house at 8:30 for his baseball game in Tacoma,... HE played first and hasnt done that pretty much all season, I love it though cause I can get better shots. So I of course, took a few pictures! Had to leave the game at 11 so I could get to work in time by 12. then work was good, kind of slow, With the graduations going on over the next two weekends, I am sure it will be slow, Next weekend even more so, All the local High schools Graduate on SAT.

I am gonna finish up the cupcakes, then vaccum.. I am hoping for some time to work on my project more! Have a great day!

This Week's Featured Layout is from: BABYBECKY from CKMB

I saw this LO in the gallery and just loved it, I loved the picture, I loved how she left "open space " something not all of us do , and I think we should, it gives us something to focus on and something to rest our eyes on. And Finally I loved that she used DOODLEBUG products! I love them, But Dont get to use them very often cause of the way I scrap ( I think they are very bright, and With the boys, I really dont use bright) .

One thing I remember about BABY BECKY is she and I were in LEGACY magazine in Fall 2004 together, and her LO and mine were just a page apart, so when ever I look at it, I always see hers too! I am not sure if she is still an active member at CKMB, I know that she moved from CA and lives in WA somewhere. Thanks Jennifer For a Great LO!

Jakes Team Clinched First Place Tonight!

I wasnt there to see it, But they had a double header tonight, Had to win both to clinch and they did it! I am so bummed I missed the celebration, But I will still see the playoffs and the awards ceramony when they receive their first place trophies! He was so excited when he came home, I was even home from work before he was home, and I was dying for him to come home. Very exciting night here in this house.

I was on my way to the game, ( Well , getting ready) when I got a phone call from the Scrapbook Store, wondering where I was?? Well I was getting ready for a baseball game, lol. I had read the schedule totally wrong, and didnt notice that I was working today at 3! I never work on WED, it was my one day off, but since I am not longer at Walmart, and they knew I wasnt there, they scheduled me and I just totally didnt even notice. I got there within 20 mins of the call, ( good thing I am so close) and I felt bad, But whatever, I didnt feel so bad when I heard that one of the TEACHERS missed her class last night!! OPPS!! at least I didnt have paying customers mad at me!

so thats about it, I will be heading over to get my new tires on FRIDAY , and also head to the Bath & Body works sale. I did have a friend pick me up some shower gels, but that was cause that SALE ended today ( At $3.00 a pop how could I miss out?) I will be looking for body splash and Wall flowers .....

I messed up !

OK, I will be the first to admit I screwed up, I was playing around with the options on the comments part of the BLOG and I must have done some things that I didnt mean to, ONE was a friend of mine was getting all comments sent to them! LOL, and the other was I made it so only certain people could leave a comment, And I didnt mean to do that. So hopefully all can leave comments if they wish :)

Moving on, Baseball last night was Great ( That is, if we're not talking about the RED SOX, cause they sucked big time to the Damn Yankees) Jakes game at 6pm started at 6:20, do to the game being played before. They started 6 runs down in the first two innings, ( this pitcher keeps doing this to us) So in the hole big time, and a battle back the whole game. Which they DID, they won, 14-6! Only have to win WED game and they clinch first place! I left Jake's game early so I could get to Alec's Game at 8pm down the hill. First time seeing Alec's team play this year, And they too had to battle back from being down, but they did it too, and they won 12-7, And Alec had a good solid hit too, so all were Happy, here is a picture of Alec and a few friend at the game.


These boys have no problem with me taking pictures, as you can tell. ok, No baseball tonight! just the Red Sox playing the Damn Yankees.....

Sunday's Post

So today was my first normal Sunday at home, No work, is what I mean. And it was very nice. I slept till 10:30 and woke up to Coffee ( Scott made it for me) and A sick Sam, He isnt too bad, he has a cold, but I just feel so bad hearing him sniffle and sneeze all day long. I asked him if he wasnt feeling good, and he said his Nose wasnt feeling good, But his body was fine, lol. I laid around and did not a whole lot for the first few hours, Then I worked on some Layouts for myself, And one for the Store for a PAGE OF THE WEEK, for July. I have had the idea in my head for a while, and it was nice to get it out on paper. I also practiced to "Doodle", Its the newest hottest thing in Scrapbooking ,and I may never fall in love with my handwritting, ( much to Heidi Swapps dismay) But I may start to like my doodles. Here is a sample :

I still have a long way to go, But I am enjoying my progress and I will continue to play with my doodling. ( that sounds obscene)

Anyway, I also made a Birthday Card for My Sister , Kelli, who will be 35+ on June 14th. And she in fact, will be getting a card that has been doodled on.

I cleaned up my scrap room today too, It seems to always be in need of cleaning, but it gets used alot too, so there ya go.

I shopped online for new tires for my car, And I think I found what I am looking for, so I will be taking my car this week for some new tires. I could think of a bunch of other things that I would love to spend that money on, but As my mother reminds me, I am driving her grandchildren around , therefore, I should have new tires... And Thank you mom, I will.

A busy week of Baseball, Two games tomorrow night, Jake at 6 , Alec at 8, Jake on WED ( a double header)and Jake on Friday, Then Jake Again on SAT, Along with Sam. Playoffs are next week starting the 12th for Jake, Which as much as we both hate it,Jake and two other boys from his team will have to leave the game after playing two innings to go to their Band Concert ( Jake plays the SAX) . IT will be tough on them all not to be there to see how the end of the game goes, But We will be in touch via Text messages, so We will know whats going on, That will be a site to see as well, Going from Baseball gear to all dressed up with A tie, in just a few short minutes, Yes, I will take pictures of the boys. lol

NEW LAYOUT

Journaling reads:


The quest for the perfect bat. Did you know there were hundreds of different styles of Bats? They come in Different lengths and ounces. And the perfect combination is what every little leaguer needs. Jake found his perfect combination, ( 32 -3) now just had to find the perfect bat. So for his 13th Birthday the perfect bat was going to be his, We started looking for this bat a few weeks before said birthday, went to Big 5, GI Joes, and Score Sports, where he held, felt and swung many different bats, ranging in price from $149.00-$329.00. He thought he had settled in on the perfect bat, so we went home, where I told him to checkout online ( a great cheap place that I know of). So Jake did, and wouldn’t ya know it, he found what he absolutely wanted online! It is an EASTON BST3 CNT regular flex, Stealth Baseball bat. Or a STEALTH for short. This bat is normally $320.00 and it was on sale for the fabulously low price of $219.95. So this is the bat, the one that should last for a few years, ( until the next must have model comes around) The one that Jake should hit homeruns with! Time will tell if that is the case, But for now, he is one happy 13 year old, with a fabulous new baseball bat.

Featured Layout of the Week From Jules!!

This layout picture was printed on Canson's portrait paper and treated to set the ink. The gilding was done with Lyra watercolor crayons and Kryon pens.


This week's LO is from A good friend of Mine, Jules. She and I met a couple of years ago on the CKMB ( Before the Change) , then we had a chance to meet in person a couple of times, And I even helped her in one of her classes at the convention. She is a wonderful teacher, a talented Scrapper, and A great Friend. To learn more about her, Click on her Blog off to the right, she has a Creation Blog linked from there, As well as links to the stores she teaches at. I have the pleasure of being a part of a smaller MB with Jules, And other fabulous ladies , They are all the best!

So I never did make it to Alec's game last night, Believe it or not, even though Jake is younger , His games last longer. And it rained... Jakes team was down 6-1 in the 3rd ( Jake had an RBI single, he's always good for those, lol) and came back to win 11-9, it was very exciting and This win put his team into first place, still have four games before the playoffs, so anything can happen, BUT it put the kids spirits high again. Speaking of kids and their attitudes while playing, Jake has one boy on his team that has the worst attitude I have seen in all my years in LL. I think mainly because, he is 14 years old, and acts like he is 4. When something doesnt go his way, he pouts. He was pulled from the game last week as pitcher ( he had given up several runs and was walking them in) and when the coach came out, he kicked the dirt and yelled out NO, and stood there telling the coach he wasnt going. last night, he threw his batting helmet cause his hit ball was caught, and he THREW it. And nothing gets done about it, and why?? Cause he is the coach's son. Gotta love the politics of Little League! I was glad I stayed for Jake's, even though it was raining the last hour of it, AND I got hit in the leg by a ball that some kids on the side were playing with, Now these boys had been missing the balls for some time, and almost hit a little dog, ( little dog was too stupid to move out of the way) so when The ball hit me, I just yelled at the kid " OK, You need to stop playing over here right now, First you almost hit the stupid little dog, and now you hit me" the boys said they were sorry and went away, My friend that I was standing with was cracking up, so of course I started laughing too... I think a few too many people heard me, But I was pissed. and these kids were not from our teams familys so I really didnt care.
After the game we all were home and Sam was even still up, so we watched DEAL OR NO DEAL, it was entertaining cause the contestant was very very animated , shall we say, and he gave us all a good laugh, And he came away with a good amount of money, so good for the guy with the Pink shirt! Alec enjoyed watching the girls, I had made a comment about how when one of the girls jumped up and down, her boobs didnt move, ( I was making the comment towards Scott, seeing if he noticed) he said he didnt, But Alec, Said " Yeah, I made note of that " with a big smile on his face... LOL. Gotta love Teenage Boys !