Thanx to all of you...

...who were so concerned about our well-being due to the marsh fires!  Even though it's rained consistently for two days, we're still keeping a low profile because the smell is still pretty bad.  My husband said he heard it's actually remnants from the BP oil spill burning and it DOES kinda ring true; if you could SMELL this crap you'd understand what I mean!  The great thing was that we got to just laze around yesterday...talking, laughing, NAPPING!  John couldn't get the grill cranked up in the rain so he made an assortment of chicken wings for us in the oven.  Ahmad is a chicken FANATIC...remember the page I did as an ode to his seasoned fowl obsession???  Well, one of his favorite ways to eat it is swimming in hot sauce.  A lot of places call them Buffalo Wings...we just call 'em HOT WINGS!!!  We normally buy him a large bag from Wal-Mart for about $11.  In the last month, that price has risen to almost $15!  That, coupled with the fact that Wal-Mart had packs of chicken wings on sale last week prompted our experiment today.  I mean, the sauce is WAAAY too easy to make for us to keep throwing money at the millionaire Waltons when Mahd is craving them! And did I mention that the teenaged disposal dude can eat an entire bag in TWO sittings????  YEAAAAAAH!  So the hubbs did a large batch of wings (like close to forty) and left some unembellished (HOW YOU LIKE THAT, my scrappin' sisters???).  He put BBQ sauce on some and made hot wings with the others.  The guys had fries with their wings but I ate mine with a spinach leaf salad.  They were DEFINITELY yummy for my tummy!  Have you ever been in a situation where you KNOW one more bite will make your belly POP all over the furniture but your mouth is still watering from the yumminess you've just experienced????  YEAH...that's how I felt last night! I'm proud to say that I resisted...there's always today,right??? ;)


I still can't access my beloved Kreatorville (SIGH) but I'll survive!  I've been busy playing with the September kit.   I actually have three pages that I've finished...I just have to print the pictures to put on them and do the journaling.  Is that weird...sometimes I design the page first and THEN stick pix, a few more  embellishments and journaling on them.  There's some GORGEOUS Fake Bake Shimmerz Enamelz in the September kit!  I haven't used embossing powder in YEARS!  My issue is this: I love when an artist has used it and it's all thick and LUSCIOUS looking!  And I didn't know how to achieve that effect...so I moved on to the next technique.  Well, out of the blue my girl
sends me a package with one of her beautiful handmade cards with a HUGE jar of this

included!!  The card said that she noticed that I gushed about commented on her using this on one of her cards so she decided to send me some.  Yeah...that's the kind of heart she has!  So I HAD to up my embossing game then!  Through trial and error I've realized that, if I add more powder to the embellishment while it's still warm and reheat (and repeat...and repeat...and repeat!) I can achieve that thick look I love SOOO much!  I can't wait to share how I used the embossing powder on my September projects!

I see that the September Page Maps newsletter has gone live!  'Member I was telling you that I'm one of the featured artists this month? I was TOO excited to see my double 8.5x11 layout on this page!

Didn't like that my name is misspelled at the top. I've been called "Kendra" soo many times in my life...don't like it, though!  It IS right further down

 

I laughed when I looked at the actually layouts next to the sketches. I think I had the ONLY project that isn't identifiable as having been inspired by the sketch!

I PROMISE you that I DID use the sketch to kreate it...even though you may not be able to see it!  OH WELL!!!  Becky told me to make the sketch my own...and ya KNOW I did! I'm obsessed with origami hearts right now so I thought the center of the life preserver we were photographed with was the perfect spot to stick one!

I've had this piece of Hambly transparency

for about FOUR years...glad I finally got to USE IT!!  Here you can see the cluster of STUFF I threw loving placed on the left side

along with my VERY SCIENTIFIC tear at the top of the page and the cluster of stuff on the right side

 

 

I don't know WHAT was on my mind when I put the collage of these two pages together because I actually cropped the ENTIRE right side OFF!  Here's the right page and a closeup

in case you want to read ALL of the journaling


OH!  I actually found the picture that was missing from THIS page...here's the revised version:

(To me, it's just 100% better with those beautiful eyes staring back at you!!!)

I HAVE to get some rest...I've gotten maybe 12 hours in the last three nights!  I have layouts to finish today and a little painting to do...IF my husband can stand it!  And of course...some chicken to eat!!!!

Just AWFUL.

It's bad enough that we're thinking about Katrina right now.  Yeah...I KNOW it's been SIX years and other places have experienced weather disasters since then.  BUT...when you don't have a hospital, WalMart, movie theater near your house...you can't HELP but think about the cause of these things not being around any more!  I THOUGHT my focus would be on praying for those affected by Irene this week.  But here we are...dealing with crap again.

When I awakened Monday morning, our house was filled with the smell of smoke.  I went around smelling all the outlets but I couldn't figure out where it was coming from.  This was about 7AM and I don't normally turn the TV on when it's just me and Kea (he watches TV in the back).   I was SOO scared that I called my husband at work to tell him he might have to come home because something was on fire.  That's when he told me about the marsh fires.  When the little and I went out Tuesday I realized that the ENTIRE city looks like this

There's no escaping it.  I could smell it in Wal-Mart; everyone in the Social Security office was coughing Tuesday because it was coming in through the vents.  To make matters worse, we live about a mile and a half from where the fires are actually burning.  Thank God John and Ahmad have awesome immune systems and haven't really been affected.  The littlest has been plagued by congestion, coughing, vomiting and fever all week.  There's no where that I can even take him to get him into clean air except almost 100 miles away!  I've been coughing and looking at so much vomit all week has my belly feeling wonky. John saw somewhere that a vinegar and lemon mixture helps to dissipate the smoke smell.  I placed a bowl of it in almost every room.  Don't get it twisted...THAT crap doesn't smell like roses either.  It helps though so I guess it's more like the lesser of two evils!!!  It did rain today and should rain for the next few days so prayerfully we can get back to normal next week!  The teen's second football game is tomorrow.  I doubt that the littlest and I will be able to go if the smoke is still thick...SUX!!!!

THEN I try to view Kreatorville's blog (kreativity.kreatorvillekraft.com) and I kept getting a "Server Not Found" error message...wha????  After several hours of back and forth I was told that the confusion should be cleared up in about five days...{{{SIGH}}}

On a positive note, I had a card

posted on the Platinum Scraps blog.  This is the card I made for Ahmad for his birthday.  His favorite color is red...a boy after my own heart!!!  And my last project as Guest Designer for Color Combos Galore

has been posted.  These are pix from my sister friend's 40th birthday celebration.  I really loved being challenged by the combos...I'm sure I'll play along again soon!!!


Well, gotta make the donuts!  NAH...but I DO need to sleep so I can get up early.  I have a list of 73 items to finish before next month!

In the last twenty days I've...

...enjoying talking to/spending time with the teen.  He just got an Iphone from his father so I've heard a LOT of "C'mon Ma!"  in the last few weeks

(You KNOW I'm lovin' that!!!!)  

*been playing around with party decor 

My sister is getting married in October and we're celebrating my 40th in November.  I was soo excited when Ray told me that she wants a vintage feel for her reception decor!  Add to that the fact that our celebration colors are almost the same!  I'm decorating Mason jars for her party and with a few changes, I'll use them the next month...can you say WINNING???

*Speaking of winning...this sweetie peetie has given me this

If you've never met Cindy...go on over!  She is the CUTEST lil lady I've ever seen!!!  To answer the twelve questions:

Favorite color: Red
Favorite song: I love SOO many songs!  One of my faves right now is I Give Myself Away by William McDowell
Favorite dessert: Oreo cookies WITH Lay's Original chips!  Yep...TOGEEEEETHER!!!!
What wizzes you off at the moment?People who make promises which they don't keep!  Just tell me "I MAY be able to"  DON'T say you promise...TICKS ME OFF  
My favorite pet: Somebody else's
Black or white? Both,please!!!
Biggest fear: Not using up every ounce of my kreativity!
Best feature: My kreativity!
Everyday attitude: Don't ever look back and regret that you didn't live each day to the fullest
What is perfection? Good food and good times with good folks
Guilty pleasure? Pinterest, scrapbooking
When you're upset. . . it shows all over my face!

So, I have to give this award to six peeps who interest me and {{GASP}} they're not all scrapbookers!!!

Charity who has a beautiful blog design with beautiful pages displayed there!

Amy who works like a ROCKET LAUNCHER to churn out beautiful kreations!

kidtropolis.  They continuously inspire my desire to give my boys rooms like movie stars' kids!

Pinterest.  I'm continuously caught up and forget to feed my family inspired by this site!

Miche who amazes me EVERY.TIME. with the versatility of her art!

Milla and Kahli. I don't know these ladies...I just ran across  their blog yesterday.  But I love their blog design and the CONTENT...these ladies can wring a thrift store DRY!!!  Plus, I think they're beautiful (IDENTICAL TWINS!) and sweet as 7up cake!!!  I've been so inspired by their decorating already!I guess they ACTUALLY count as two people, bringing my count to 7!  Oh well...this IS my blog! 

If you can, check out these blogs and let me know if YOU think these ladies rock as much as I do!  And thanx for the award, Cinds...love you, lil lady!!!!

*I FINALLY finished stenciling the walls in our bedroom and bathroom.  The teen was soo amazed he asked me to do his walls too!  I'm not sure I like ANYBODY enough to do more stenciling right now!!!

*We've been celebrating a few birthdays.  My niece

turned 20 a few weeks ago and we celebrated my sister's 40th with a dinner last night.

*Of COURSE I've been kreating!!! You can GO HERE to see some of the projects I made with the August Kreatorville kit.  But I also made this page

for the vintage sketch challenge.  I love that I was able to incorporate one of the handmade titles 

from the July kit!  Remember you still have two days to crank out a page to participate in the challenge and be in the running for a scrapbook.com gift card!  C'MON...you can DO IT!!!

*I've had a few pages and cards showcased over at Platinum Scraps; my last page (as August Guest Designer) was revealed this past week at Color Combos Galore; I finished the two page spread 

 which will be featured in the September Page Maps newsletter.  I'm also preparing some pages because in October, I'll once again be MASTERFUL!!!!

Today I'll be twisting the teen's hair...his dreds have to be FRESH for school tomorrow (ahhh...the life of a high school football player!!!) Afterwards, I'll do a little cleaning before turning in early. After my sister gets married in October, she and her husband will stay with us for a week.  My goal for the next few weeks is to completely clean/decorate/organize before that time.  I have a party and the holidays to prepare for at the end of the year and I want that to be my sole focus...pray for me PLEASE!!!!

My teen is back...

...in the place to be!  We're off early in the morning to get a few more things for school (he'll be starting his sophomore year on the 15th).  And even though I COULD focus on some SERIOUS negativity right now (like blah blah BLAH...it's the same ole SAME OLE!!!)  I won't even go there.  Too many blessings right now to let the same foolishness stress me...ya feel me???  This first page was the first I completed as part of my guest designer stint at Color Combos Galore and was actually posted a few days ago

The combo this week really lent itself to a boy page.  And the inspiration picture just BEGGED me to scrap a beach picture!!!  This shot was taken on a beach in Biloxi (Mississippi...I just LOVE spelling that really quickly!!!)about three years ago.  Those stars?  The envelope that the stamps are in when you leave the post office!  You should REALLY go and visit the site!  There are some VERY talented kreators over there...check 'em out!!!

I have two new projects posted over at Platinum Scraps too:

This page was inspired by the sketch last week.  Even though I normally do 12x12's for my and my husband's scrapbooks...I love the idea of switching it up and having different sizes all thrown in there together!  And EVEN THOUGH my chin makes me look like Jay Leno's love child here, I love this picture SOO much because of my husband's amazing smile.  This was taken early on in our relationship when he was still trying to impress me. Now I just get the "men don't smile"  look most of the time!  I also took advantage of the card sketch this week to kreate a card 

for one of my classmates who just turned 40 a few weeks ago.  That piece of patterned paper is actually one of my all times faves from SEI...I may cry when I use the last sheet!  It has this AMAZING texture and beautiful shimmer to it...what were we talking about again?  Seriously...go check out the challenges at Platinum Scraps; they're sure to get your mojo rolling...get cha motor runnin'...head out on the highway...lookin' for adven...it's like 1:30 in the morning...I can be crazy if I want to!!!

My Chary threw down the gauntlet over at Kreatorville...she challenged us to scrap vintage pix this month.  I...ummm...stole borrowed a few from my mom...one when I was 1 1/2...one of me at seven and the third with my sisters (I was ten).  You have to go over to Kreatorville and check that one out...our expressions have always made me laugh!  If you decide to take Char's challenge and/or work with the sketch this month, there's a linky tool at the end of this post...share a peeky to your projects there and you could win a scrapbook.com gift card!!!

I was JUST telling Mahd that we would go to the thrift store tomorrow after we go to Wal-Mart.  When the baby boy and I stopped in last week, I was able to get a Dean Koontz hardcover that I never owned for $3.  I have a literary crush on him but most of my books were lost...so I'm LOVIN' being able to rebuild my collection with some $3 finds!  I also got a few baroque frames that I'll spray for the living room wall once we decide on the color.  The boys get soo excited about visiting thrift stores because they know they're about to score new books!  I have no problem checking out the books and home goods...it's the clothes that I just DON'T have the patience to go through!!!  I'm not a secondhand snob...I feel the same way in Dillard's...Macy's...I don't have the patience!  My Mom looks at me like I was switched at birth because I will online shop...just no in-store visits for me, thank you very much!  She can stay in one store for HOURS...who does that???  Well, when I visited the SEI blog a few minutes ago, guess what I found?  Sarah Larsen is guest blogging for them this week and she hasn't talked about paper crafting yet...just thrifting!!!  Click on the SEI link to see the cuteness her and her kids have scored from thrift and secondhand stores.  Will I woosah and check those racks tomo...umm...later today?  {{{I GUESS!!!!}}}

Do you ever get that feeling...

...that when it rains it pours?  I don't mean in a Katrina-sweeping-away-lives rain.  I mean a warm, gentle "wanna-put-on-my-rain-boots-and-play-in-a-puddle rain.  So, I logged into Facebook the other day and saw the following poem on my son's wall:

One day when I get to your kingdom
and finally understand the true meaning of freedom,
I will only have one question to ask
Please allow me to look at my childhood past
to finally and truly see
that the truth will set you free
and that evil is only within the mind
that we must leave the faulty errors behind
for when we see Your rod
we know it is You, 
our only hero,
God.

I like it.  So I asked who wrote it and he responded, "me".  I am SOO proud of my kreative kids!!!  I love that he said it "just came to me and I had to write it down!"  and I was INSTANTLY inspired to scrap document this!  The current challenge at Color Combos Galore was the perfect palette for me to quickly complete this layout:

This is the one I made for Mahd to keep...I'm still working on ours.  He smiled when he saw it today...I don't know if that really means anything since he smiles when you LOOK at him!  I also happened to visit Sassafras' blog and saw that the July challenge is to mix and match different Sass lines.  RIGHT UP MY ALLEY!!!  Those letters on the page above?  They're Sassafras circa 1914!!!  I exaggerate but they ARE at least five years old!  I've been doing really well with using my stash this year and letter stickers for journaling helps me out quite a bit!  My goal is to attend summer CHA next year with a clean slate!  I mean, I have some papers and embellies that I'm just stocked up on (like Scenic Route graph papers and alphabet stickers!)  But I wanna do away with the stuff I'm HOARDING!  Someone else can use them and I can use the SPACE!  I'll get off my soapbox now and show you the page I made:

This picture was taken during one of Mahd's football practices.  I almost always take the camera because I never know what memories I might capture!  This particular day, Kea had tried several times to run out on the field and join the practice and I kept reeling him back!  I guess he wore himself out (it WAS about 95 degrees!) and sat down on my lap in submission and I pounced with the cam!  I LOVE messy pages so this really makes me happy!  I just saw that Sass has a few challenges going on this week while they're away at CHA so maybe I'll get to play some more with them...IF I get two minutes to rub together!!!


The July kit has been revealed over at Kreatorville (go SEE!!!)and two of the pages I completed were featured in the post.  But, this kit inspired me so much that I actually did about TWENTY pages, some cards AND some home decor items!  I know having a trillion pix from the Man's birthday party  inspired me and I did a few 8x8's for his book:

But I just also loved the papers and colors SOO much!  Crate Paper ALWAYS makes me swoon and the Campy Trails line by American Crafts...ahh, the MASCULINITY of it...LOVE! Coupled with the AWESOME handmade Aptly Kreative embellishment for the July kit they're PERFECT for this Mahd page:

My son LOVES chicken!  It's kinda like Bubba from Forrest Gump with fowl instead of shrimp.  He'll eat it any way; he'll eat it any day.  He'll eat it on bread or standing on his head.  It's late...the Dr. Seuss comes out in me!  I actually took these pix one day to time him and he finished EVERYTHING on his plate in THIRTY ONE MINUTES!  DAAAYYYYNG!!!!  Dude is serious about his chicken!  I'm glad I was able to use those corrugated Rusty Pickle numbers too.  I love them...a lot...but since I scrap mostly 8.5x11, they tend to overwhelm most pages I do!  I also got to use bits and pieces from vintage Kreatorville kits so this page makes me REALLY happy!!!


I'm soo excited but NERVOUS about tonight!  Remember when I told you that I was asked to participate in Masterful Scrapbook Design's July webinars?  Well, my show is scheduled for tonight (Tuesday, 19 July) at 9:30 EST...which is 8:30 my (Central Standard) time.  You can go HERE to subscribe to the webinar.  It's really an awesome deal: for $12.50 you have access to my webinar as well as the other three teachers for July (Celeste Smith, Vee Jennings and Lynnette Penacho) as WELL AS a free 12 lesson e-class!!!  I mean, I'm excited about dissecting my work with like minded individuals but what if I choke...literally.  What if all I can remember is "Hi my name is Kean".  Debbie will ask, "so on this page, what inspired you to tear the paper in that manner?"  and I'll be like giggle, giggle "did I tell you my name is Kean?"  It's just that I kinda have stage fright around peeps I don't know.  Here's my confession: when I was a little girl, I had an EXTREMELY raspy voice.  The doctor told my parents that when I was learning to speak, I obviously got a cold and started speaking with my false folds instead of the true vocal cords.  (Did you know you have false folds?  I didn't either.  And this has been your medical lesson for the day...you're welcome!)  So I was teased a lot when I was younger. My Daddy would call me Whispers which would have been cute if my classmates and the dude I had a crush on when I was six weren't telling me I sounded like a man.  Don't worry...I'm TOO cute to still be bothered by what some idiots said to me in 1865!  I'm not that little girl...dude, if God allows...I'll be forty in a few months!  It's just that I always get that twinge when I have to talk to people for the first time like, what will they think???  I'm sure it'll be fine because this lady (who makes me cry real tears when I laugh and this chica (who I happen to think is sweet as honey) will be there for support so I should be FINE...riiight????  I'll be back tomorrow to share some of the pages I kreated especially for Masterful Scrapbook Design!

I can't BELIEVE...

...that I forgot to share this with you!!!  I got this

in the mail last week and I MUST admit...I squealed like a girl!!!  I submitted pages for this book over a year ago and it just felt soo good to know that I finally get to see my work in print!  Not that I've been published hundreds of times or anything but I just NEVER see me getting tired of it!  Wanna see?

Oh...you wanna see a closer view of each?  Pleased to oblige!!!

BARBERSHOP DUET: These are pictures that John and I took after the first time I visited the barbershop to have my 'fro shaped up

LAKE LOVERS: Just pix of the hubbs, me and the littlest hanging out at the lakefront one day

 

SOLEMN FAMILY FOURTH: These pix were taken a few years ago at my parents' house.  Even though it was the 4th of July, I was soo sad because my grandfather passed away that morning.

hello DOGGIE.  This is one of my parents' in Florida's dogs.  They were protection and company for my mom after my Daddy passed away.  Stripe got really sick but he didn't leave this earth until his son was old enough to look after "Mom"...that's dedication!!

This being published thang is soo addictive...I'm really gonna make some time soon to submit more of my work!

SOOO the man

had a birthday at the beginning of the month and I had the BEST time pulling together a celebration for him...because he said not to!  There are people who do soo much for everyone else and never expect anything for themselves.  My husband is that kinda dude...and I appreciate his selfless spirit.  So, every opportunity I get to celebrate him I do.  We had a small party at my parents' house and I made mustache props for the pix...here's the littlest boy trying them out for me:

One of his godmothers took Kea to a kids' party for a couple of hours to give me some time to set up

We had some yummies

and I even made my husband's birthday cake and muffins!

I decorated the top with a chocolate 45 and I think it took about two HOURS for my family to figure out why...GENIUSES!!!!  It was really awesome before the heat melted the wording but Blogger's being a butt right now and I can't upload the picture...I'll show you once I've finished scrapping the pix!  I'm not Betty Crocker yet but it was pretty tasty!!!  I'll be on the BALL once I get a decorating class under my belt!!!

My husband had friends drive in from out of town to celebrate with him and a few of my friends and family joined us.  

My brother and law 

and sister were there celebrating their future little one!  I'm pretty sure she's having a girl the way Kea was hovering around her all day!

They started playing cards which always ends up loud and long...I can't really play spades so I just laughed as they talked trash and drank (thanx to the Lindseys for the Amaretto daiquiri and Diletia for the Heinnies!!!).

The best part was that everybody had fun with the 'staches:

but my Granny just TOOK THE PRIZE:

(sometimes she's hilarious without even knowing it!!!)

I think the man really enjoyed himself because he's already talking about NEXT YEAR'S party!

  UHHHN!!!!

OK...now we're off to celebrate Mahd's day!!!