My Cup Runneth Over and Over and Over...

Greetings dear friends! Day 3 of my time off from work. I spent the weekend just trying to get organized. Turns out, I'm still nowhere near ready for Christmas. Cards will definitely be late this year! However, I'm taking breaks here and there to catch up on some stamping and blog surfing and emails, so please bear with me!

One thing I've sadly neglected are some awesome blog tags and awards I've recently received. Warning: you may be bored with all the information about me these are requiring! I won't be offended if you skip over this post! {LOL}

The first is a survey tag from my pal JoAnne Valderama. Love that girl! She is THE Jo Boogie! Definitely stop by and visit her... you will love her as much as I do!

In her post called "under my umbrella-ella-ella eh-eh-eh" (which is very appropriate since I LOVE rain) she tagged me in this survey:

1. My childhood ambition: to be a teacher or a librarian. My sister Linda recently reminded me about how I used to make her (and our sister Kim) play school with me. In Linda's words, "I remember your forcing me to play school with you when we were little. Of course, you were always the teacher with your long pointer that you loved to rap on my desk! Just so you know, that game was only fun for you!" hahahahahahaha! Memories of childhood fade over time (I hate that!), but I definitely remember this! I also remember making library cards for every book in our house. Okay, so I was a bit of a nerd.

2. My retreat: on a daily basis, it would be my craft room. On rare occasions when my friends are available, it's Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa. Bliss! Speaking of which, Lisa K when are we going????

3. The perfect day: spending the day with my family when no one is arguing and we're just having fun! We had one of those days recently at Disneyland for my birthday. (Please tell me I'm not the only one whose kids bicker about everything!)

4. My first job was: besides babysitting, having a newspaper route. I used to fling those papers from my green bicycle and was good at hitting the porch on the first try!

5. My wildest dream: Okay, you've already heard that I planned to marry Donny Osmond. That was definitely a wild dream. Now it's to spend a year in Europe when I retire (which I now need to extend to include time in Australia... look out Debbie and Carolann!). This is a dream that WILL come true!

6. If my life was a musical it would be called: Les Miserables. Okay that sounds sad, but I really have been through some tough times in my life. Who hasn't?

7. My proudest moment: finally finishing my Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Economics 31 years after graduating from high school; but also for progressing very nicely in my career without my degree (not something I recommend, of course).

8. My favorite item of clothing: I don't really have one. Right now, clothes and me aren't on very good terms. I desperately need to lose weight.

9. I feel ready for the day when I: drink coffee, take a shower and get freshly dressed.

10. I COULD live without: anymore stamps and/or other papercrafting items, but who are we kidding???

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag a few people to answer this survey: how about Debbie Pamment, Michelle Yungbauer, Kristine Breach, Patti Gilliam, Sue Kment, Peggysue Turner, Nina Brackett, Kim Yu, Claire Brennan, Irina Blount... I could go on and on, but I'm counting on you girls to pass this torch to others we have in common. Plus, I'd love to hear your answers to these questions!

The next is a blog award from a new friend Stacie aka craft_princess:

Thank you so much Stacie!!! This is one I don't have and it's lovely!

The rules (or "Da Rules," as they say on Fairly Oddparents):

•Thank the person who nominated you for this award.
•Copy the logo and place it on your blog.
•Link to the person who nominated you for this award.
•Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting:

1. I'm adopted and recently discovered that I have two half-siblings. My birth mother passed away some years ago, so I'll have to wait until I get to heaven to meet her. But I have learned more about her, seen pictures of her, and have some medical history, so I consider this a gift. It's because I found out she died of lung cancer that I finally quit smoking two years ago. In essence, she gave life to me twice.
2. My birth mother was from the Honduras (which is why I look Hispanic) and I'm told my birth father was blonde and blue-eyed (as is my husband).
3. I watch recorded episodes of The Young & The Restless, General Hospital and One Life to Live while I craft. I got my love of soaps from my mom. I hope some of you don't decide you don't want to be my friend anymore because of this fact. Ha!
   
4. I love all kinds of music, but have a special fondness for 40's music (The War Years), which I usually listen to while at work.
5. My four boys are the lights of my life... they own my heart completely. I do, however, on occasion want to box their ears...
6. I LOVE the beach and dream of living near the ocean some day.
7. I miss my mother and always will. I'm quite sure she would have LOVED paper crafting. I got my love of crafting from her, and so much more.
   

•Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers and post their links in no particular order

I think I'm going to pass this award on to my Stampin' Sisters in Christ; they are as "Kreativ" and lovely as they come!

• Candace Mitchell
• Ceal Pritchett
• Helen Phelps
• Kathy Winter
• Kristine Breach
• Laurie Gatton
• Pamela Young
• Peggysue Turner
  
• Randi Barrett

Last, but certainly not least, I received the "Your Blog is Fabulous" award from Rachael Doxsee (Queen La Rubba herself!). Thank you Rachael! Your blog is fabulous, too!

For this one, I'm supposed to name five things I'm fond of. Hmmm...let's see. Besides papercrafting, of course...

1. Chocolate
   
2. Rain
3. The beach/ocean
4. Traveling
5. Our pets
   

I'm passing this blog award along to my La-La Land Crafts Design Team sisters, because they definitely have fabulous blogs!

Irina Blount (owner)
Jane Matsumoto
Kim Yu
Maureen Wong
Kathy Page
Kristine Breach
Moon Hulsman
Elena Joldersma
Katie Tate

Okay, if you've made it this far, then you really are a friend (or incredibly bored... ha!). Just kidding. I can tell you what I'm REALLY fond of, and that is all of you... hearing from you, visiting your blogs, making friends, seeing your incredible artwork. Thank YOU for sharing your time and talents with me!

And if I didn't tag you this time, I'll get you next time!

I'll be back soon with some cards to share and (gasp) a non-card project...

My Cup Runneth Over!

Hello from the "almost relaxed" Lisa! I can't believe I'm stressing over the fact that I only have eight days until I have to go back to work. I know it's going to go too fast. I've gotta stop thinking that way and just enjoy each day as it comes.

Last night I did something I haven't done in years... went to Blockbuster and rented 7 movies (I have a coupon). I took the night off from stamping and watched Star Trek with Ian and Avery. Loved it! And so did the boys. I was always a fan of Star Trek (the original series), and thought they did a fantastic job re-creating the crew of the USS Enterprise; very believable. And a good story, too. Tonight we're going to watch Up. I can't wait!

One thing I've resolved to do over this next week is catch up with my personal life, including emails and posts and such I've neglected for far too long. One is this awesome Blog Award I received from two of my favorite stamping friends, Cat Darling and Kim Yu. Thanks girls! It truly touches my heart that you thought of passing this along to me!

The Rules are: pass this award on to five people, post on their blog to let them know you have left this award for them, and then answer a list of questions in one word.

Okay, I already know I'm going to violate the one-word rule, but I'll try!

1. Where is your mobile? Purse

2. Your hair? Dark Brown (that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!)

3. Your Mother? Heaven

4. Your Father? Mississippi

5. Your favorite food? Italian

6. Your Dream last night? Health

7. Your Favorite Drink? Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte

8. Your Dream? To retire

9. What room are you in? Home office

10. Your Hobby? Paper crafting

11. Fear? Cancer, tied with anything bad happening to my kids

12. Where do you want to be in 5 years? Beach home

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. Something that you aren't? Perfect

15. Muffins? Raspberry Sunshine (Starbucks)

16. Wish List Item? Clean House!

17. Where did you grow up? Air Force Brat, so all over the world until age 13, when we moved to Riverside, CA

18. Last thing you did? Laundry (still doing it)

19. What are you wearing? Shorts and jammie top (don't ask!)

20. Your TV? Spongebob (my son is watching TV in here while I'm on the computer)

21. Pets? 2 dogs, 2 cats

22. Friends? Lots, who mean the world to me!

23. Mood? Good

24. Life? Blessed

25. Missing someone? Mom

26. Vehicle? Camry

27. Something you're not wearing? Make-up

28. Favorite store? Target (lame, I know)

29. Favorite Color? Green

30. When was last time you laughed? Yesterday

31. Last time you cried? Don't recall

32. Best Friend? My sister Linda

33. One place that I go to over n' over? Computer

34. Facebook? Yes

35. Favorite place to eat? Out!

Okay, now to pass along this award. I choose Kristine Breach, Peggysue Turner, Jo, Michelle Yungbauer and Candace Mitchell! I would pass it to my BBFF's Debbie Pamment, Patti J and Nina Brackett, but they've already received the award... and so many others. It's hard to choose!

The day is flying away from me. Hopefully I'll see you all back here tomorrow for Stampin' Sisters in Christ. In the meantime, have a wonderful day!

A Very Special Blog Award

Since I'm on the road, I have no cards to share today, but rather something else that is very special and important to me. I received this awesome blog award from my dear friend and BBFF (Best Blogging Friend Forever) Kristine Breach. Kristine and I became friends because of our mutual love for the Lord. I saw a post on her blog in which she asked for prayers for a loved one, I replied back, and the rest, as they say, is history! She is a very special friend and blessing to me, that is for sure. So thank you Kristine for honoring me with this award. It means so much!

Without a doubt, I'd pass this award to Kristine. But now it's my turn to pass it along to others. I'm sure some of these ladies have already received this award, but I want to make sure they are all recognized... they are my sisters in Christ with whom I serve on the Design Team for Sweet 'n Sassy Stamps. I'm so blessed to be a part of this group, you have no idea. I recently sent a prayer and RAK request to them for a dear friend who is battling cancer, and they immediately jumped at the chance to lift my friend up in prayer and send her cards to encourage and strengthen her spiritually.

So, this is for you, ladies: Janette Olen, Shannon Pankow, Nancy Brown, Courtney Fowler, Jeanette Comerford, Lorie Souther, Connie Babbert, Sandy Domelle. Suzy Haghighi, Teresa Kline, Deedee Anderson, Leah Cornelius, Belinda Chang, Chris Dickenson, Ceal Pritchett, and last, but certainly not least, our own Korin Sutherland.

And can I say what a talented group this is? I'm bowled over every time I see their creations.

I would also like to pass this award to another BBFF Patti J. If you visit her blog, you'll know why!

Okay, the troops (i.e., Paul, Avery and my MIL) are anxiously waiting for me to get off the computer and get ready to go shop for a new recliner. I'm going to have to talk them into stopping at a craft store along the way...

Have a blessed Sunday!

A Very Special Blog Award

Where has the time gone? My goodness, I just realized that this awesome blog award was presented to me by my dear friend Michelle Yungbauer ten days ago. Yikes! I wish I could say I'd been taking an exotic vacation or doing something truly exciting, but no. I've just been living my ordinary life. Well, except for Copic Certification class, of course. And my Stamp Club... we started up again Wednesday night and had fun, fun, fun!

Anyhoo, I'm extra touched by this award because of its meaning, which I'm reprinting here:

"This is called The Proximity Award. These blogs believe and invest in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships! These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their awards”.

You see, to me, that is exactly what blogging is about... sharing and reaching out and making friends all over the world. Unless you're a world traveler, how else could you do that? And we all share a love for papercrafting, which makes us kindred spirits and natural friends right out the gate.

Without a doubt, I'd give this award to Michelle (my friend from Minnesota) because she is one of the most awesome, outgoing, friendly bloggers I know. But she was the one who sent this award to me (thanks again Michelle!). And I'd give one to Debbie (my friend from Australia), because she's all those things, too. But she already has this award. So, here are five others to whom I'm passing the torch:

Kristine Breach - Ink Something - Oregon
Claire Brennan - Waltzingmouse Makes - Ireland
Anna Wight - Sassy & Sweet Notes - Texas
Vicki Garrett - Summerthyme Studio - Canada
Tracy Simon - Tracy's Card Closet - Ohio

The best part of blogging to me is getting to know so many wonderful people... along with the awesome eye candy and inspiration, of course! I'm supposed to pick 8, but I checked a couple of others I had in mind and they already have this award, so I'm going to leave it as is for now. If I think of anyone else, I'll post it later.

Thanks for stopping by! There's more to come, so stay tuned.

A Fabulous Blog Award!

Another big huge thank-you to Kristine Breach, one of my cyber buddies (who happens to have a fabulous blog herself), for yet another fun blog award. This was comes with a requirement to list five of your addictions. Only five? {LOL} Okay, here are mine, in no particular order:

Paper Crafting - Hello!
Buying stuff for Paper Crafting (stamps, paper, embellishments, ribbon, gizmos and gadgets... this is definitely an addiction! I probably need an intervention.)
Blog Surfing (the number of blogs to which I subscribe in my Google Reader is evidence of this mighty addiction, and I nearly always surf on from those.)
Spa Days - the addiction is really to massages. What bliss! I wish I could feed this addiction more often.
Chocolate - I hate to admit it, but I crave a bite of chocolate every day, usually more than once!

I am passing this blog award on to these 5 Fabulous bloggers:

Michelle Yungbauer - Stamp and Smile
Debbie Pamment - Debbie P's Place
Gina K - A Day in the Life
Melissa Philips - Lilybean Paperie
Charmane Ikach - Oodabug Alley

There are so many more...

Thanks again Kristine, and to all of you other bloggers out there who I enjoy visiting every day!

P.S. I scheduled this to post at just the time that Marianne's Copic class starts. Hee hee hee

A Blog Award!

Wow! I am so excited to receive another blog award, this time passed along to me by Kristine (Ink Something)! She actually sent me two awards, but I'm going to pass them along one at a time,

I don't know that I deserve an award for being "kreativ," since I'm truly a left-brained person. But my fondest wish is to be more creative, so I soak up like a sponge all the great stuff I see out there in blogger world. Here are five who constantly blow me away with their creations and artistic talent:

1. Nichole Heady - Capture the Moment
2. Lauren Meader - My Time, My Creations, My Stampendence
3. Lisa Johnson - Poppy Paperie
4. Heather Nichols - pine is here
5. Michelle Yungbauer - Stamp and Smile

Thank you, ladies, for all the wonderful inspiration and fun projects to try. Your talent is something to which I aspire!

Yowser, My First Blog Award!

When I first got into the stampers blogger realm, I was definitely a newcomer. But it didn't take long for me to get to know many of you out there in the blogger and SCS worlds. And I'm happy to say I've made some cyber friends along the way. One that tops the list is Michelle Yungbauer. She is the sweetest person, and a relatively new blogger like me. Michelle has honored me with the Butterfly Award. Yowser! Thanks Michelle! You are the best cyber friend a girl could have!!! I am truly honored!

I am, in turn, supposed to nominate 10 more bloggers for this award. I had to sleep on it because there are so many that I enjoy and follow (don't you LOVE Google Reader... or should I say, RSS feeds?). But these are definitely some of my very favorite (in no particular order):

• Laurie Schmidlin - Just Give Me Stamps
• Michelle Wooderson - Mish Mash
• Kim Teasdale - Paper In The Works
• Amy Sheffer - Pickled Paper Designs
• Anna Wight - Sassy & Sweet
• Cambria Turnbow - Stamp a Little Love Baby
• Mary Fish - Stampin' Pretty
• Cindy Lawrence - The Creative Closet
• Debbie Olson - Thinking & Inking
• Jodi Collins - Stamping a Latte

Thank you, ladies, for the awesome inspiration and fun. I always enjoy your creations and your blog entries. They often make my day!

If you are so inclined, the idea is to pass this award along to 10 others, as follows:

1. Post the award logo on your blog
2. Add the link to the person who nominated you
3. Nominate 10 other blogs and post their links as well
4. Let those people know that they received the award

Thanks so much again, Michelle! Have a great day everyone, and thanks for visiting my humble blog.