New lens ...

Here's a quickie with the new lens taken at practice the other night. Still need to work on the camera settings for pictures, but I'm happy with the initial shots I'm seeing. Biggest problem was noise, but I found a fabulous noise reduction software that I'm considering buying. Only edits to this photo is the noise reduction and levels for the white balance (which hubby is working on). And LOL, not it's not Ollie... can you believe he took like 30 test shots and never got one of our own child? Silly man ....

Humpy Day Update

The new lens arrived yesterday! Woohooooo... hubby was playing around and did a few test shots around the house. We have an extra practice tonight at a rink that's not lit well and we've had problems getting good pictures. This will be a good chance to test it out. I can't wait!

Ollie has become a super busy kiddo. High school hockey team has started their dryland training for the season. He has dryland every Tuesday and Thursday from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m., then the senior players will do a run with them every Wednesday and Friday after school. Monday his travel team starts regular practices every Monday and Wednesday night. We also have 2 and sometimes 3 games a weekend from this weekend till at least mid/late November. Just means he'll have to make sure he's staying on top of all homework.

Finished my grab bag for Digitals Birthday Bash. It's full of brand new product that is a huge bargain for only $2.00. It will be available at Digitals from October 1-7, I will post more as we get closer. I have a couple of mega kit things to work on and then I want to get back to some new kits. I just finished my first set of brushes and they were a lot of fun. I'd like to do a lot more of those and maybe some template sets and stuff.

It's off to work for me. Have a great day everyone!

Pictures from Saturday's Game

We WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First game was a 5-1 win... pictures to follow later today.

Wooohoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

SO EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

hehe... do you think that title means I'm excited???

Do you???

We've been researching lenses for the camera for a very long time. We really need a really good lens for shooting hockey games. We have a Canon 20D camera and every professional we've talked to (believe me, we hit up every professional photographer we see at games, tournaments, etc.) has recommended the Canon Zoom Telephoto EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens hands down. When you go to websites and read the reviews, everyone gives this lens very high marks. Usually 5 out of 5 stars and no less than 60 reviews per site. Biggest problem is the price tag that comes with it. Sooo after much discussion in our house, I am getting the lens for hubby as part of last Christmas (for the wide angle lens I got him and he ended up returning), his birthday last week and part of this Christmas. I just ordered it and hope to have during the week next week. That means he'll only have to shoot the game this weekend with the old lens. I'm sooooo excited about the new lens. I can't wait to see the photos and will be sure to share them here.

I can't believe our first game is tomorrow. I'm the team manager again this year and I must say that I'm happy that I've gotten a really good response from the parents. I've already got a volunteer to help me with shots on goal and have had two other mothers to help out with stuff when needed. GO KODIAK MIDGET 16U!

I'm not lost...

really I'm not... LOL

I've been working super hard this week getting organized! I am busy updating my calendar in Outlook and syncing up with my Palm Pilot. I don't know when I let that get so out of control, but I think I'm back up to date again. I even started using the color coding labeling so I can print out calendars and it's easier to find things. I've also been getting things in order for Ollie's travel hockey team. I'm the team manager again this year, so I'm busy organizing the first aid bag and paperwork for the games, getting everyone's e-mail addresses entered from the roster and group e-mails set up for reminders and directions, etc. etc. I've also been working very hard on my grab bag for Digitals' 3rd Birthday Bash the first week of October. I have three products almost ready to zip up and upload. Be sure to check it out, it's a great bargain at only $2. I'll have more about that as we get closer.

I've got my list of other design deadline stuff to get done. Stop by TSG and check out the Box of Dreams challenges this month. Every Thursday I post a new one. We are doing journaling challenges this month. Each one completed earns you a piece of the School Days kit I did. I will be putting the kit in the stores after the challenges are completed this month.

Also, if you stop by the TSG store, any purchase of $10 or more this month earns you my Butterfly Dance kit for free. That will also be going into my stores after this month.

Would love to hear what my readers are up to. Back to work ........

My boys ...

Hubby and Ollie from our Hershey trip on Labor Day weekend. They were waiting in line to ride the Comet roller coaster and I got a chance to snap some pictures. I took pictures of them on the ride too, but that's a whole different layout.

Journaling Reads: You are my two favorite boys in the whole wide world! I love our little family more than anything even though we are sometimes“weird”. Who determines what “weird” is anyhow? I wouldn’t trade either one of you or our “weird” little family for anything. Good times and bad, as long as I have the two of you, life is GOOD!

Supplies Used: Background Paper is a photo I took of the Comet used as an overlay. Brad, paperclip, ribbon and monogram from my Dream Your Own Monogram for summer kit.

Leaf Into Fall Kit

Finally, I got this kit resorted and headed to the stores. It is available at Digitals here today. It will be available at TSG on Friday.

Cooler days, sun going down earlier . . . Leaves change into brilliant browns, oranges & reds as we "Leaf into Fall". As you will enjoy all the pumpkin patch visits and hay rides, take those photos and then you can scrap those precious memories.

Kit Contains:
5 Patterned Papers, 5 Textured Solid Papers, 1 Doodle Fence, 3 Doodle Pumpkins, 1 Bead Boarder, 2 Binder Clips, 1 Burlap Border, 3 Brads, 2 Copper Charms, 1 Copper Paperclip, 1 Copper Swirl Clip, 3 Frames, 1 Burlap Leaf, 1 Copper Medallion, 2 Burlap Ribbons, 1 Twisted Ribbon, 2 Tags, 1 Wheelbarrow, 1 WordArt

Sad news ...

Just received a note from my parents that my stepmom's father passed away on August 31st. It was just one month after his 91st birthday. He had so many health problems that I know he's better off, but it's going to be hard on her mom. They were both in a care facility and in different parts of the facility, but it gave her purpose to go see him every day and such. My parents were too far up into Nova Scotia to make it back for the funeral in a timely manner. Anyhow, here is a layout I did of them last year.

Just another Manic Monday ....

Should'a been a fun day..... hehehe..... singing this morning!

Weekend was good. Friday night was spent taking apart the old puter, labeling all the wires, etc., hooking up the new one. Good news is it booted right up and WOWZA it's a fast one. Love it! Got a few things installed, but it was super late before we got everything put together.

Saturday morning hubby went and got hooks, etc. and made all the wires behind the desk nice and neat. NO wires on the floor. Gotta love that. Wires on the floor are big cat attractions and even bigger cat hair tumbleweek attractions. Worked on cleaning house and really got some things accomplished including taking the sofa cover, etc. apart, washing it and putting it all back together. Took clothes up to my closet to hang up and ended up doing a major closet overhaul and clean out. I found clothes from the 80's (yes I said the 80's) in a container in the back. I've been bad about not cleaning old shoes and clothes out when either they are worn out or totally something I won't wear any more. Anyhow, ended up cleaning FIVE garbage bags full of clothes out to go to the charity bin. Also had a bag of garbage stuff and and old shoe rack sent out. Most of my dress shoes are in plastic shoe boxes and labeled. My other shoes I've decided is easier to have in baskets to rotate around the floor according to season, etc. Anyhow, it looks fabulous in there and I can actually find things! It's not a large closet and I really should be better about keeping it organized and cleaned out. Hubby always tells me I can't buy new shoes unless I throw old ones out. I usually ignore him on that statement, however I'm thinking he owes me about 7 or 8 pairs of shoes after Saturday! hehe

Saturday night Ollie started practice with his travel team for the season. Coach Rob (his coach from last year... we're super happy he moved up with us!) skated them super hard but the team looks good. I think we have a great mix of kids this year.

Sunday we had visitors. DBIL, DSIL and niece were up for a wedding and were able to drop by for a couple of hours. We hadn't seen them in 3 years so it was a nice visit. After that we dashed out for Ollie's practice. The weekend seemed to fly by and I never go back to getting the new computer completely set up.

Tonight I have to get Outlook up and going and syncing up with my Palm Pilot. Time to organize and get cracking on design stuff.

Here's the September wallpaper that I got done for hubby last week. These were pictures he took last year at Hershey experimenting with the camera the the lights. I love these pictures and want to do more layouts with them. I created the papers, etc. to go with them for this wallpaper. I'm thinking maybe a small kit called "Hershey at Night"?

Better get to work.....

TGIF!

Whew, what a week. Back from Hershey, e-mail problems at work, the start of high school and the new travel hockey season. Not to mention a crop last night (was a blast ladies!). My new desktop computer should arrive today. I can't wait to get started on setting it up, BUT I need (NEED and I do mean NEED... not want) to CLEAN my house! It's a fur-filled disaster zone!

So this weekend will be cleaning, setting up the new computer, 2 hockey practices to kick off the season and a visit from DBIL, DSIL and one of the nieces. They are stopping by on Sunday for a little bit after a wedding they are attending. Oh and we have to drop some gifts off at a birthday party on the way to hockey practice Sunday, but can't stay for the party. Good news is for once the gifts are already bought. Just need to wrap and go. Hubby's birthday next Friday!!!!.... that's a whole other story! LOL

Good news is with the new puter I'll be able to sync up my Palm Pilot again.... so maybe that means I'll update my calendar and have a clue when I'm coming and going! hehe

Here's a candid picture hubby took of Ollie and me on Monday. I hate pictures of me and I don't think it's a great one of either of us... and then again for some reason.... I like it. Go figure! Maybe it's scrapping material.

Oh yeah, and I think I mentioned that we got a fabulous gift basket at the Hershey Lodge. Here is a pix that hubby took of it.

Sending out hugs and wishes to all for a fabulous weekend!

Box of Dreams Crop - Thursday, September 6th

Please come join me and my Dream Team for our fourth crop at The Scrapping Garden. This crop is paired with weekly challenges each month.

The crop is on Thursday, September 6th at 9:00 p.m. EST in the TSG chat room.

This month we are celebrating back to school! I've been working on a fun kit full of school days goodies. You can see a glimpse of some of the kit in my in this ad. We will focus on some journal challenges this month, so bring your creative mind and join in the fun!

First Day of High School ...

Hear me crying???????

Back from Hershey

This is 10 years of an annual trip to Hershey on Labor Day weekend. Stayed at the Hershey Lodge for the first time this year and now feel totally spoiled. We'll never stay anywhere else in Hershey again! LOL

You should see the gift basket they left in our room!

You should see the chocolate we brought home with us!

Trip was wonderful and would have been perfect except for the multiple phone calls from work! Apparently our e-mail developed problems sometime Friday afternoon. Tons of phone calls with my boss and then with our tech guy trying to fix things remotely. And of course I did NOT take my laptop this time. This was supposed to be a "get away from it all and refresh" mini vacation. That SOOO did NOT happen. Tech guy was here when I got to work this morning. Good news is that he has us up and running better than ever now. Didn't do a thing for boss man's mood though. He has the nerve to be upset that it was stressful for him here all by himself yesterday. Grrrrr grumble grumble... 'nuff said about that issue! LOL