Change of blog address - AGAIN

I got rid of the welcome page and the about me page - so the link below won't work anymore.  Please update your links for the blog page only:  http://web.mac.com/camibhere/beautiful_world/Blog/Blog.html

or click here:  Beautiful World

So sorry for the change again - but this will make it better to only have the one page instead of 3. 

Thanks!!

Cami

My blog is moving!

My blog is moving to the following address: http://web.mac.com/camibhere/beautiful_world/Welcome.html

I would like to say thank you to my readers. Nearly 11,800 views from all over the world (see the map at the very bottom of this page)...thanks for subscribing - thanks for sharing in my scrapbooking fun, the many, many photos of my kiddos....my passions, my life. I love sharing with you and I hope you'll follow me on over to the new blog. It is still in the works, but please let me know if you stop by to check it out by leaving me a comment. At the beginning of February I will be giving away some Rusty Pickle loot so make sure you change your bookmarks or subscribe to my new blog.

I am doing some brainstorming about some podcasts, but I must get all my ducks in a row before I dive head first into that.

Nikon School

What a day.  I went to bed last night....no...this morning, at 1:30 AM and had to get up at 6:30 AM to get ready for school.  For the last 2 years (since I got my Nikon D50), I've been trying to enroll in Nikon School but they're always sold out when they come to Orlando.   I finally got in this year.  I was really debating with myself whether I should go or not since I'm not really that new with a DSLR anymore.  There are tons of online tutorials etc. that I could've done instead, but I left there feeling glad I went.  I don't do well with just reading how to do something - so even though this is a seminar style class, it was better than just trying to read the manual or something.   I think one of the best things I learned was how to read a histogram.  I never really understood those things and now I feel so smart!  lol.   My only complaints would be those of the staff at Sea World and the Meeting Planners that did the setup.  We were CRAMMED in there shoulder to shoulder like little sardines and by the end of the day, my shoulders were on fire!  When I don't have any room to move and have to sit for 7 hours - that's just a recipe for throbbing joints and a migraine.  Also, for lunch they literally had set the exact number of seats at the tables as there were attendees.  Well, I went with a friend and we kinda wanted to sit together...but by the time we got through the buffet line, the only spots to sit were onsies.  No two seats at a table.  So we went to the corner and sat on the floor to eat.  There were a couple other ladies that sat on the floor with us since they couldn't find seats either.   To make matters worse - the staff ignored us instead of apologizing and offering to bring us silverware and a drink.  The kicker is that there was room in the banquet hall for at least 4 more rounds of 10.  I guess the fact that I have meeting planning experience magnifies these kinds of mistakes.

Then after Lindsey and I get back to her house, I get in my car and about half way home I was greeted with a torrential downpour.  Between barely being able to see the hood of my car, with tree branches flying across the 2 lane and quite narrow road (and quite unfamiliar to me I might add) - plus it was dark out....all those things combined made the drive home a little tense for me.  I hate driving in the rain to begin with - but when I'm on an unfamiliar road it just makes it like 10 times worse.  

Ok - so I still have a headache and my shoulders, back and legs are still on fire from sitting for a long period of time in a very confined manner.  Time for me to get comfy on the couch and watch a movie.  :)   Have a wonderful weekend!

Love, 

Cami

hello!

Wowzers, it has almost been a MONTH since I've blogged. I hope all of you have had wonderful holidays and have recovered from them better than I have. lol I love the holidays but they just wear me out. I am slowly (VERY slowly) getting things back to normal. hooray!

Before I move on to my big news...here is a little project I did at the iScrap cybercrop last weekend. I made it with the new Lucky line from Rusty Pickle...isn't it scrumptious paper? Unfortunately I wasn't able to be online as much as I wanted - so I'm afraid I don't have a lot to show for myself. This make and take was posted by Nancy and she had a way cute sample too!



So I guess the biggest news from Christmas is my new toy... a MacBook Pro. Tom completely surprised me - I know I have mentioned before how much I wanted a Mac for my next computer - but I didn't expect it for Christmas at ALL. And I will go ahead and say it now.... I LOVE MY MAC!!!!! There has been a slight learning curve and getting familiar with different ways of doing things, but I can tell you that this thing is amazing. I see the iPhone on TV and am amazed at how utterly cool that thing is. I don't need one - but that doesn't change the fact that it is just plain cool! Well, imagine all those nifty ways of doing things on a computer. This baby ROCKS. There are a few things that I have yet to figure out - and actually, a few that I've been told I won't be able to do. I print all my photos here at home and I like to get the most out of my photo paper so I am used to printing something then putting the paper back in to print another possibly odd sized photo on the same sheet. I am used to dragging the photo wherever I want on the paper and being able to print it. Well, I can't do that on the mac - at least not with the programs I have or am trying out (Aperture). I'm wondering if that is possible in Light Room or something. I need to do some investigating.

The girls are back in school and doing some fun projects. Jessica made butter at her pre-K yesterday. I couldn't believe it. Too funny. Sadly though, we were meeting a friend for lunch after I picked her up so her personal little baby food jar full of butter didn't get refrigerated right away. Lindsay got her report card today and slipped from Excellent to Satisfactory in Math - but hello....I can't even believe the kinds of things they expect 6-7 year olds to learn in math these days. I personally think she is doing great and she keeps saying that she loves math - and that's what I love to hear (because truthfully - I stink at it!). I bought her a couple 'chapter books' at the store the other day. These are her first and she's loving them. I'm so proud of her.

It is getting late and if don't go get dinner for the girls they are apparently going to shrivel up and waste away. You know - since I never feed them or anything. Of course I am totally kidding - don't call the authorities on me. The girls eat non-stop it seems, but when I don't jump up and make them dinner right away they put on their drama queen crowns and start workin' me. lol Ok - I PROMISE that I'll be getting back to normal here and back to blogging. I kind of needed a break from the computer for a bit. I've missed it terribly - but I have truly enjoyed the time I've had with my family.

Love,
Cami

almost time for winter break!... and new music

Gotta say, I am really looking forward to winter break. No more getting up earlier that my body wants to (ok, that might still happen when the girls come in to wake me up for breakfast!), no more packing lunches, drop-offs, pick-ups, waiting by the front window for the bus, working on homework (and having to hear the whining that goes along with that)....aaaahhhh, I close my eyes and can picture a couple weeks without all that. Can't wait! ...and in a few weeks I'll be saying, isn't it time for you girls to go back to school yet? lol. I love having them home, don't get me wrong, but they are at the age where they are loud and rowdy. I'll be looking for that 3 hours of quiet time each morning.

I am - I think - ready for Christmas. However, our tree has decided not to work. We have one of those trees that is pre-lit with like 800 lights and it turns slowly which makes the lights twinkle. We've had it for a few years - and this year, it lasted for 2 weeks after turkey day and poof. Now it won't work. This after we spent several hours and several trips to the store to buy different replacement bulbs - replacing about 40 bulbs and testing over 100. bummer. Guess I'll be at the stores early on the 26th to get in on the Christmas tree sales. Tom and I are planning to take the girls to see Santa tomorrow. I don't have any Christmas dresses for them so we may have to make do with what's hanging in the closet. Last year I did a big photo shoot in their pretty dresses and I still love those pictures. Some of my faves, for sure. We'll see, maybe I'll snap a few before we leave the house.

Oh - one more thing. My neice has turned me on to a new band. They are called Roe. Sample their music at iTunes. They probably don't want to be compared to other bands - but I'm gonna do it anyway, simply because without it, if you haven't heard them yet, what makes you want to take a listen? That's how I am anyway. I come across a ton on new stuff on iTunes but because of the sheer volume of available music on there, a lot of the new music gets skipped over. Sad but true. Anyhoo - they have a similar sound to The Fray. I happen to enjoy The Fray's music, so I was instantly intrigued. I bought the album Frame by Frame (just released Nov. 3rd) at iTunes and was not disappointed. Check them out...

Thanks to those that have left posts and emailed me about our health. :) you guys are so sweet. Lindsay is better, but Jess is still coughing a little at night. I'm better except for an annoying feeling of something stuck in my throat. I bought some Mucinex (regardless of what the dr. said) to see if that will get rid of it. It does go away at times, but it's always worse in the evening. I don't have a cough or anything so I'm not real sure what's going on, but I tell you - it is most definitely annoying!!!

alrighty - it's time for me to get some sleep.

Little golfers, weekend mania, and scrap stuff

This is a long post...you ready?

A week ago, we went to Play It Again Sports and bought the girls some golf clubs. Tom has been taking them across the street to let them swing the clubs and learn how to hold the clubs etc. So I thought I'd share a couple photos...I admit I am a bit partial, but I just think they are so cute!

Since we're talking sports here I wanted to post some more pics of Lindsay from her tennis lessons.

We had a really full weekend this past weekend. Friday night Tom and I got the VERY RARE opportunity to go out on a date. We went to Bonefish Grill and had the most delicious meal. Of course there was a 50 minute wait, but it was well worth it. The weather was beautiful and we were able to score a seat outside while we were waiting. I ordered a glass of wine and we sat and had a wonderful conversation for the duration of our wait. After we were seated, we ordered some bacon wrapped scallops topped with a mango salsa chutney- and I'm telling you...they were the best scallops I have EVER had. There are only 4 in an appetizer so I was teased with only 2 of them. But then the meal. WOW. Chilean Sea Bass topped off Oscar style. oh me oh my...to die for I tell you. We splurged on a bottle of Reserve Cabernet - don't even remember which vineyard it was but we don't typically spend that much on a bottle of wine. Again, well worth it. All in all - an amazing dinner with my wonderful hubby. :) And if we can keep the kids well (Lindsay started throwing up again this morning...7 times in about an hour) then we're going on another date this Friday. woohoo! 2 times in 8 days? What's up with that? Whatever it is, I'm loving it!

Then on Saturday we decided to go to Carmax and start looking around - since our lease is up in a week or so. I had done my homework and knew all about the cars I was interested in. It only took about 30-40 minutes to pick the vehicle I wanted and only another hour or so after that to finalize the deal. Love Carmax for that. No haggling. To top it off, the vehicle I wanted (a Ford Explorer) was basically brand new. It is a 2006, but only had 6,400 miles on it. Sweet! I'm all for letting someone else take the hit on the depreciation by taking it off the lot the first time. It's a 4x4 - which wasn't on my list, but Tom still talks of having a boat and this vehicle is equipped to handle a boat. Personally, I think boats are just big money pits - but it is something that Tom dreams of having, and who am I to keep him from his dream. He works very hard and definitely deserves it. Anyhoo - so today we had the inspection on my leased vehicle, and the guy tells me that it passed with no problems aside from normal wear and tear on the tires and a little scuff somewhere. He mentions that the headsets and remote for the DVD are missing. I'm like...WHAT? It is supposed to come with the headsets and remote? How come I never knew that? I kindly told him that the dealer never gave them to us - and how I wish I'd had them so I didn't send my back into spasms every time I tried to bend backwards to operate the thing at red lights.

On to a few scrap related items:

I wanted to congratulate the new Creative Team members at Heart In Hand Scraps.
* Raechelle Bellus

* Heather Mellstrom

* Christi Snow

* Lynda Lindley

Congrats ladies!!! Your work is amazing and inspiring!

Totally looking forward to seeing what they do with the classes! Stop by if you get the chance and check out the forums. It is an amazing place full of good people

There is a new blog challenge on the Rusty Pickle Blog. Check it out and maybe win yourself some Rusty Pickle loot!

Come check out iScrap.net If you already have a NSA membership - just use that to log in. I will be hosting a Rusty Pickle challenge there this month, and then at the beginning of the year we will be having an online crop. I would LOVE to see you there. Oh, by the way, there are current contests posted there. Wanna win PSE 5.0? or how about a digital camera? Come by and check it out.

TGIF!

I am SO glad it's Friday! For one, the dance studio that Jess goes to is hosting a movie night so I paid for both Lindsay and Jess to go, which means that Tom and I get to have a date night! I hardly even remember what that is. It is extremely rare that we go out without the kids - so I am really looking forward to that tonight. I may have to take a nap today just so, in all the peace and quiet, I don't fall asleep! That sounds awful, but I've been up all hours of the night lately with Lindsay. She hasn't had a fever, but for 2 days she went through rounds of vomiting like 7 or 8 times in an hour. Poor thing couldn't even keep down a teaspoon of water. I was really afraid she was getting too dehydrated - so I took her to the dr. and paid for a prescription and of course - after I shell out the money - she seems to be better now. lol, that's just the way it goes in my world. :) But I'm just glad she's better. Doing laundry at 3 in the morning...well, I can think of better things to do. SLEEP!

So I had been working on a bunch of stuff to post on my blog - and as it turns out they've all been requested for publication, so now I'm back to square one. I had 4 cards, a little mitten place card, and I was finally going to post my chipboard basket. I made two to submit to GiftMaker and this is the one they did not choose. But I submitted it somewhere else and they accepted it for publication. So, since those are all gone, I made 4 cards with matching envies last night for the Rusty Pickle Blog:

The layout posted at the top is a hybrid layout. It features the following supplies:
2peas Free Oct. kit - Tia Bennett, Hearts Alight
ACOT - Something Blue Sentence Strips
DCWV scallop stack (cardstock)
Ranger Adirondack paint dabber - Aqua
MAMBI Icons (rhinestone heart)
Deluxe Designs Plane Janes Decorative Chipboard accents
Misc. trim
Prima Got Flowers (neutural)
Rusty Pickle buttons
Zig black pen
I did the journaling on the scalloped oval (Something Blue Sentence Strips) in PSE 5.0

What?!

We had our hvac unit serviced the other day and was advised that the inside of the unit is covered in black mold. The guy asked if we are having any health problems - and I said in a questioning way..'yeeees' and then he proceeds to show me before he put the panel back on. He said that the mold is being blown into our house through the vents. Lovely. This explains why we are all still sick and can't seem to shake it. It's part of living in Florida unfortunately. But there are some types of mold that can be very dangerous - even deadly. Hopefully we can get this taken care of soon and we can start getting healthy again.

On another note, yesterday we had an emergency visit to the pediatric dentist. Jess had to have 2 root canals and 2 crowns. Unbelievable! The dentist agreed that part of her problems are hereditary (I grew up with the worst teeth EVER) but then she reminded me that I need to be flossing her teeth until she is able to write in cursive. I admit that I don't make it a habit to floss both of the girls teeth everyday and maybe that makes me a bad mom. But then she said that we should ONLY be drinking water. No diluted Crystal Light...no diluted Light Cran-Apple, no diluted Diet Ocean Spray. Water only. I proceeded to open my big mouth and express to her that I just really don't think that is realistic that a person only EVER have water for their whole life. Pu-leeze! I get so frustrated with statements like that. Healthy? Obviously! but totally unrealistic in my opinion.

And today, I woke up sick as a dog. I won't paint the not-so-pretty-picture for you...but the symptoms are much like food poisoning. I hope tomorrow will be a better day. I need to go grocery shopping for turkey day! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with the people you love.

Cami

Do ya feel LUCKY? huh? Do ya?

Lucky is the name of the new line by Rusty Pickle. It will be available at the beginning of December...and it ROCKS!

Scrappers Holiday Planner

The unveiling of the Scrappers Holiday Planner (digi kit) peaked a lot of interest at Dragon Flaire Studios tonight - and at a price of $3.75, I would say that you can't go wrong. You can't buy a planner for that - plus, it's WAY more fun to make one! It's a gorgeous kit designed by Jenna Nelson. I was asked to create a hybrid planner using this kit and Jenna has my pics on her blog: little bird design digitals She also has links to the gallery where other designers posted their planners for the big kick off tonight. Claudine Hellmuth was there for a chat and as chat's usually go...the posts were flying faster than I could keep up with. lol

Hope you all have had a good start to the week!
Cami

a little teaser for you

* Here is a little teaser for my class at Heart in Hand Scraps that was just added to the boutique Friday night. I LOVE the Pirate Princess line from Rusty Pickle, I LOVE chipboard, and I adore rhinestones, so I combined them into a home decor project for my class. Check it out! By the way, Heart in Hand Scraps is looking for a Creative Team unlike any other. You can check out the details here: CT Call

I did a hybrid holiday planner for Dragonflaire Studios as well - but they won't be posting it until tomorrow (Monday) night. Make sure you stop by to take a peek at the new release and what I've created with it.

Hybrid fun

Here is one of my recent hybrid layouts. The owls, toadstool and "friends" plaque were printed off from my digital embellishment files. The green paper and scalloped notebook paper are digital papers as well. These elements can be found in the super fun kit "Hoot and Annie" at Scrap Girls ...fun, huh?

the saga continues...

So Jess is responding to the 2nd round of medication now and feeling better. But when Lindsay got off the bus today she was in tears because of a headache. She came home, laid down on the couch and slept up until about 6pm. Yep, she has a low grade fever (just under 101) and it's looking like she may be home from school tomorrow. :(

On a happier note, I received my Scrapbook Dimensions Monthly Planner in the mail yesterday and so enjoyed flipping through the pages. Lots of great inspiration in there as well as challenges. I was a little anxious to flip through it and the clip binder popped open and I had pages fly. I suppose I should've been a bit gentler with it...oopsie! I got it all back together though.

And as I sit here listening to Katie Couric tonight - I hear there's another toy recall. One that affects my family again. Aqua Dots have been a big hit among younger kids and apparently, if swallowed, the dots can release a chemical that turns into the date rape drug and can cause seizures or induce a coma. Yikes! My Aqua Dots are going bye-bye.

I have 2 layouts done and just waiting to be scanned. Hope to have them posted on my blog by tomorrow afternoon! I've gotten too comfortable with my laptop here in the Family Room. So to scan them, that requires me to move myself back into my scraproom. This oversized chair is soooo much more comfy than my computer/desk chair. I think when we move next spring, I'm going to opt for a loveseat or oversized chair in my scraproom. :)

Tired

I'm so tired of having a house full of sick kids! I just got back from the pediatrician. This time we were able to wait through the weekend and see our regular doctor this morning. But the bad news is that Jessica, aside from a fever that won't go away, has a sinus and ear infection combined with a very sore throat. Poor thing. But we just started antibiotics, so here's hoping she feels well by tomorrow morning. I hope so anyway. Having sick kids for the last month has completely thrown me off my schedule. I can't get to the store and definitely do not have any time in the scrap room unless they happen to get some sleep.

So besides all the projects that are due (like yesterday!) I also have to start looking into a new vehicle. Our lease is up in a few weeks and with Thanksgiving in there, I've got to start getting an idea what I'd like to get next. In my research - I was shocked to see the lousy fuel economy statistics on all these new cars - except for the Ford Hybrid. Come to find out the government has changed how the gas mileage is posted on the sticker on the window. They want the auto industry to give consumers a more realistic view of how many miles you get to the gallon. The Ford Escape Hybrid is being advertised as having 36 hyw/31 city and is being changed to 31/29. Still much better than the mini vans which range between 16-18mpg city. I never really considered a hybrid before, but in this day and age - nearly doubling your gas mileage will save a pretty penny over the course of the next few years of owning the vehicle. Reflecting current prices, I would spend $8,400 in gas over 5 years (and I'm a stay at home mom!). In 2001, that figure would've been $2,400 because I remember the gas station by my friends house was always around 99cents a gallon. Unreal, isn't it? So if I could get that down to $4,500 or even $5,000 that would be awesome. Plus, you know gas prices will go up astronomically in the next 5 years so the savings would be even greater. That is - if I'm comparing to a vehicle with a comparable purchase price. :) Anyway - I've totally gone off on a tangent. My apologies (that is - if you actually read all my ramblings).

Lots to do and a sick little one to go check on. I am working on my next class to be offered at Heart in Hand Scraps and hopefully I can get that in on time for the next newsletter. So unfortunately I don't have any projects I can post here - but I'll be posting a couple later this week. So come back and visit! :)

Cami

Our pumpkins (both the kiddos and the vegetables!)

a day late...I know. But I didn't actually start carving my pumpkin (the cat) until last night around 5:30 or so. Tom did the skull and I think it turned out much better than my terrible photos (lol). The girls had a great time walking the neighborhood with daddy while I stayed home passing out candy. I was a little disappointed - we really didn't have that many kids this year and now I have a ton of candy laying around. I think one reason for the slow night last night was that there was a home invasion (at gun point) yesterday afternoon in our neighborhood. There was also something else going on at our Super Target because when I went to get Lindsay from school, they were right in the middle of a lockdown. When I asked them why there was a lockdown, I was told that there was an incident at Target. Instantly I'm thinking...child abduction. A parent's worst nightmare. So of course for the rest of the day I was extra cautious and protective, especially noticing all the helicopters circling the area, and the slew of police cars crawling around the area. But on my way home, I pass one of the many streets in our neighborhood to see some news crews parked in front of a house. I see on the news that there was a home invasion at gunpoint. They took a tv and some money I believe - and left. Not like we live in a bad part of town or anything - scary that this stuff happens all around us.

So anyway - there may have been some parents going to grocery stores instead for their lame halloween thing. I tell ya - I went to two different Publix stores yesterday because they had been advertising their Halloween thing for the kids. They had big banners hung on the wall outside the store advertising a big Halloween event from 4-7pm. Like my day wasn't busy enough already - I dressed the kids in their costumes and went to one Publix. There was a bowl at the front with a few candies in it, a pile of Publix crayon boxes and a stack of coloring pages. Then we walked the store and got, get this....a free cookie! Yeah! Someone needs to remind them that I can get that any ol' day - without a costume. Then the deli area gave them a little hand shaped baggie of popped popcorn. That was it! So we went to the other Publix because I had been there earlier and saw them blowing up tons of black and orange balloons. Come to find out - they were for a customer order. In fact - this Publix was even worse. They did the popcorn and cookies and that was it. I couldn't believe it. And to make matters worse, it takes about 15-20 minutes just to get out of the parking lot on any given day. This area is really busy and a total mess...but I did it for the kids. aaaaargh! I was so frustrated by the time I got home. But the girls enjoyed their evening of trick-or-treating and today I have another sick child on my hands. Jess has a fever. She's sick again for the 2nd time this month. We seem to just keep passing it around. Here are a few pics of the girls. Not the best photos - but I was in a hurry to snap a couple shots before they ran out the door. Lindsay was a cheerleader (from High School Musical) and Jess was a forest fairy. I had some fiber optic barrettes that I clipped in their hair - kinda cheesy, but they loved them and HAD to wear them out in the dark.