MIA

A photoless, quick entry.

Been pretty sick all week. Tonsilitis strikes again. Today was the first day I could eat and drink without cringing in pain.

Took the kids to a "Volksfest" and enjoyed the 80 degree weather with a cool breeze. The food was excellent and it was overall a good day. Actually, it's the first day in a couple of weeks we didn't need a sweater. That still blows this Texas girl's mind.

Still trying to get things set up for teaching. Going to speak to the legal office to see if I need a license. Not sure how it will work on the base.

Have a pile of scrap stuff to share, but when I'm not busy, I'm busy being lazy. :) Tomorrow, I promise I'll have stuff to share.

xoxo

ps- this conversation with sebastian (which happens alot b/c he repeats the SAME question 10 times, even when he either knows the answer or has been told the answer).

Sebastian: Mommy. Mommy?
Me: *Blank stare
Sebastian: Mommy. Talk Mommy.
Me: *staring continues
Sebastian: Mommy, are you a statue?

Oh and half of the time, he's a cat nowadays. If you call him "Sebastian" he gets angry and insists that you call him "Kitty." He gets into full character too, with the meowing and rubbing his head on your cheek. Anberlin is obsessed with "Green Eggs and Ham." She mimicks the story with her play food. Pretty darn cute.

Oh To Be A Kid (photo heavy)

I want to start off my post with a little plug to my friend Heather's store. I designed a little kit for her that I think you'd like! For $15 you get:


Love, Elsie Forrest Ranger double sided
Love, Elsie Forrest Outdoors double sided
Love Elsie Bonfire double sided
Love Elsie Leaflet embossed cardstock
Flower Child lace paper

1 Grandma's wallpaper Antique White Overlay
1 yd brown floral ribbon
2 Gel Blossoms Flowers and some leaves. A mixture of the sky and kiwi (NOT the whole packet)
10 queen & co. brads 5 of each shade of green
15 Old Fashioned Buttons 5 ea of Small, Medium, & Large
6 flowers from the Petalo Daisy Box Blend 3 small 3 medium
2 trees from Maya Road Trees chipboard set as well as 1 bird and 1 apple

To find this kit go to Everything Scrapp'n, look under category Designed Kits. Heather also has a lot of specials constantly running, so it's worth it to check her out. Right now I believe ALL of the cardstock is 50%! That includes all the new stuff like KI Bloom and the lace cardstock.



Anberlin is out of her preschool child development school for the summer and we're back into the whole "let's find something to do" routine. Luckily we found out that she's been accepted into the regular preschool for next year! Now we need to get Sebastian a spot in a German kindergarten. We've been spending our days playing outside or staying inside (since the weather has been ugh lately) painting and reading stories.


I'm really looking into teaching scrapbooking courses at my base and the other one about 30 minutes away. I think it is something that people want to do, just don't know where to start. On Saturday I believe I'll take a drive to the nearby hobby store on a different base and talk to whoever is in charge. Wish me luck!


Monday we took the kids to this adorable place called "Playmobil Park." It's a family leisure park based on the playmobil toys. There are no rides, it's an interactive kind of place. The kids had a blast...Josh and I did too. The favorite spot was the Pirate Ship. We had to cross through a little lagoon to get to it (don't worry, the water was like a foot deep?). Once on the ship, the kids could climp up the mast, crawl under the deck, "steer," etc.

The other attractions included a medeival castle. When you sat on the throne, it lit up and a trumpet fanfare was played over the loudspeakers.
There was a farm area where the kids pretended to take care of animals. Yes, that is Anberlin "milking" a cow.
There was a giant play indoor area where they had the playmobil toys set up for the kids to enjoy. Anberlin went straight to the princess area and Sebastian found a little area filled with trains and airplanes.



Anyways, you get the point! It was a lot of fun and thankfully, not too far from our house. We've had to put a hault on our weekend excursions b/c gas is getting ridiculous.

New post coming tomorrow with scrap stuff. :) Ta ta.

xoxo
jess

*yaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn*

Wowzas.

The past few days were a whirlwind. I blinked and it was over. The trip to Holland was grand.

I left thursday afternoon and arrived within 45 minutes. Travelling is already nerve racking, but doing it by yourself in a foreign country is overwhelming. Schipol airport is huge and my meeting point was going to be in Departures. Once I got my luggage, I speed walked through the airport for maybe 15 minutes until I found my meeting area. I wore a bright yellow shirt so I could be spotted easily.

I left the airport with Heidi Heideveld, the owner of ScrapbookMate. She was so funny, but terribly busy and stressed the whole weekend. But once it was over, she was back to her normal fun self. Anyways, we made a quick pitstop at her house, which is in the middle of Amsterdam, right on a canal. I couldn't believe the thousands and thousands of bicycles I saw on the way there! Of course, my camera was in my carry on in a different vehicle so I didn't get a photo, but here's one I found online:

Apparently there is about 20,000 bikes parked outside Amsterdam's Central Station. It's amazing to see a parking garage filled with them.

Thursday evening was spent in Heidi's warehouse, finishing up kits and drooling over the vastness of her property. I cannot even begin to describe how HUGE her warehouse is. But to give you an example:

That, Dear Friends, is floor to ceiling Bazzill and it stretched from one end of the warehouse almost to the other. O_O She has evey prima imaginable, things I've never even seen! I can't wait to visit there again. After I wiped the floor clean from my drool, I helped kit the last bit of Karen Burniston's class "Wall Toy." She used the new October Afternoon papers that are so gorgeous! After an hour or so there, we made our way to the hotel in a town called "Noordwijkerhout." The hotel was lovely...definitely a place I'd stay again.

Friday started early in the morning. After grabbing a quick breakfast, I made way to the "Teacher's Lounge" a.k.a. the "VIP Room." lol. The whole weekend was spent running around, finding missing items for teachers, putting up a shop, working in the shop, teaching make and takes, and just helping out where I could. And in my spare time, I got to have really cool conversations with some of the teachers. The first one I met was Nellie Hulsman, a Dutch scrapper that everyone thinks is British because of her accent. I LOVE Nellie!! I feel like we totally bonded this weekend. Jen Starr talked to me for probably an hour about the industry. It was quite a learning experience. I had lunch with C.D. Muckosky and her husband on Sunday. Donna Downey was HILARIOUS and I got to hear Teresa Collins talk about some of her future plans. Lance Anderson got a kick out of walking up behind me and scaring me (I looked like an idiot screaming). Vicki Boutin was so cute, especially when she got self-conscience about her accent. I met a couple of ladies from a Dutch Scrapbooking magazine and we exchanged business cards. They love the Daily Inspiration blog and I've sort of formed a new business relationship with them. Totally excited about that one. Jennifer Moody had a lot of complications this weekend, the poor thing, but once it was ironed out, she rocked. Then on Monday, after finishing up her retailer demonstration, she let me have the extra kits to divide up amongst my design team. SWEET!! Then I shared a ride with Karen Burninston and her husband. Big thanks to Michelle Grant for showing me the ropes this weekend and being my chaffeur. :D She was so fab and I can't wait to see her again.

Give me a second while I sweep up all these names I just dropped.

So am I bummed I didn't have the chance to take classes? Totally! BUT, the things I learned could not have been learned in a class, so I think I made out pretty good. Speaking of making out, check out my stash:

I can't wait to play.

I have to confess, I took about 5 photos the whole time I was there. Sheesh. next time I go to an event, I am going to be animate about shooting. Here are the shots I managed to take:

This is a photo of two gals from my team, Mireille Divjak and Emma Trout. LOOOOOOVED these ladies. I mean, it's one thing forming an online friendship with some, but it's a whole new world when you get to meet them in real life!

I taught make and takes this weekend. I was under the impression that I would just be the "manager" and making sure the teachers were where they were supposed to be. Nope. But I'm not complaining because I really do want to get into teaching. I met some wonderful scrappers and seriously can't wait for the next event (which I believe will be in November).

I was sad to leave, but anxious to see my family. I arrived at the airport a little later than I wanted. When I jumped out of the van, the wheel on my carry-on broke!! So I had to run through the airport with a heavy case stuffed with scrap stuff, in some greek style sandals. Then when I went through security check, they told me to place my ticket on the top of my belongings. Well, I nearly had a heartattack when my things came out of the xray machine and my ticket was GONE. I started to shake, because at this point, I had about 20 minutes before my flight left. They found it though, stuck inside the machine. I didn't appreciate the looks of impatience that were shot by the passengers behind me, but what can you do? Once it was found, I RAN to my gate, which felt like was on the complete opposite side of the airport security check. So today, my arms and shoulders are sore and I have blisters on the bottoms of my feet from my sandals.

It's good to be home.

And last but not least, my Mojo project I did before I left.

Sorry for the long post. Off to clean and do laundry and fix dinner. No rest for the weary.

xoxo
Jess

PS- The question of the weekend was "So is it 'Jess' or 'Jessica'?" Well, FYI, it's either or. I tend to type Jess online simply b/c it's faster. I respond to both so whatever you want to call me!

**Insert Gnarls Barkley Song**

I feel like I've been MIA for awhile. I haven't chatted with my girls on yahoo in a really long time. I'll be on tonight. I miss those crazy ladies.

The next few days are going to be a whirlwind for me. I'm taking a breather from doing layouts to post an update.

I'm leaving for the Netherlands on Thursday. Wow. Thursday!! I'm not even close to being ready. Last night I pulled down my rolling scraptote and found my cropping bag that I've never used. I plan on packing light since I'm hoping to score a lot of stash while I'm there.

There's nothing like the unexpected to put a little shake in your hands. I was trying to scrap yesterday for "Scrapping the Music" and I found it extremely hard to concentrate. I did my layout THREE times before I was satisfied. My anxiety is a bit on edge but this morning my transportation from the airport to the hotel was confirmed. For a while I thought I'd have to take a train from the airport into Amsterdam. Then from there take another train to a different city, then ride two different buses before arriving to the hotel. *phew* That is one thing I DO not want to do.

Here's some work:

The newest Scrapping the Music challenge is up, "Lost in the Moment" by Big and Rich. I don't remember the details of the day when I took this photo. One thing though, Josh rarely takes naps. I don't know how he does it. My mornings start around 630-7 am, depending if Anberlin goes to school. His starts with exercise at 530 and then he works until 5 or 6 pm. Naps are wonderful and if I can get one in with the kids, I'll do it in a heartbeat!

I have another layout up at A Daily Inspiration. Actually I whipped this one out this morning. Please visit the blog for a how to.

I started making cards in hopes of selling them on my Etsy. I liked the way these came out, although Josh thinks he would like them better if I didn't age/distress the backgrounds. At any rate, I used a mix of prisma color pencils and Sakura Gelly Rolls (Glaze and Souffle) to add a bit more dimension. I plan on making 2 more designs to sell tham as a set.

Lastly, I have decided to sell my Cricut. If anyone is interested please email me at jessica.griffinsummers@gmail.com. I have the machine, instructions, one new mat, one extra cutting blade and FIVE cartridges to sell. I'd prefer to sell it as a set and I'm asking $375 for all of it (that includes S&H). Please pass an "enabler alert" if you know anyone who has been wanting one of these.

Ok. I've procrastinated and have to do my Mojo layout.

Remember.

Cricut for sale. Pass it on.

xoxo

In Memoriam

In honor of Memorial Day, I felt that making a tribute layout was necessary. In 1968, Josh's Uncle was killed in the Vietnam War. He had only served there for 6 months when he passed away from gunshot wounds. He was a part of the 9th Infantry which apparently is the oldest and most decorated active unit in the United States Army.


Here's a photo of his name on the Vietnam Memorial (photo found online via the 9th Infantry 6/31st Infantry website.)
The photos I used on the layout (thanks to Josh's dad for getting them to me so quickly):

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday. Take a moment though to really remember what it's all about.

xoxo
Jess

We're Not Scientists, Speak English Doc!!

Quick update to wish a very Happy (and belated) Birthday to my other half.

Dinner was pretty simple but delish. I made a couple of racks of Baby Back ribs (insert Chili's rib theme song here) made with a semi-homemade sauce...sweet and garlicky with just a hint of spice since the kids ate it too. We had baked potatoes, something we haven't had probably since leaving the states. The potatoes had all the "fixins." I like to stress that word b/c Josh hates it. I guess it brings back bad memories of when we worked at a restaurant and old Texan men would ask for "all the fixin's" in their thick country accent. Anyways, back to our dinner. The veggies included sauteed baby spinch leaves and a mango salsa (given it was leftover from our Ahi dinner the other night).

The cake is something I've learned to enjoy over recent years. German Chocolate. The first time I made this cake for Josh was on his 24th birthday and it was probably the first time I was able to eat it. When I was younger I didn't care for coconut, especially on my cake. I do have to say this wasn't Josh's initial cake request. We REALLY wanted a Funfetti Cake, but unfortunately the store was out of it.

It was a small, intimate evening. The best kind.

We're getting closer to 30 babe. ;)

xoxo
jess

You Put the Lime in the Coconut

Don't you hate it when it looks all spring-like outside? You dress for what you assume is another warm day, then take a step outside and it's chilly? That's how it has been here for the past couple of days.



Today was Anberlin's second day at school and she really enjoys it. Her teacher told me that she's fitting in well. Right now I'm working at getting her to say her teacher's name instead of referring to her simply as, "teacher, teacher."



Scraps:
The new challenge at Scrap Mojo is up! For this round, dig in your closet for inspiration. Then for the second part of our challenge, use tape somewhere on your project. I turned an old shirt of mine into a mini album (that I have yet to do the inside). I loved the print on the shirt, but it just didn't fit right anymore. I've been holding onto it for over a year. I just didn't have the heart to trash it. I plan on filling this album with photos of the beautiful spring things from here in Germany. I also want to do a family photo shoot at one of the many forest hiking trails around here, but the weather has been a bit chilly. I don't know about you, but I don't think of sweaters/jackets when I look at spring photos. Go check out the blog. Our sponsor this round is Coordinates Collection!!



The new challenge is up at Scrapping the Music. We chose a the song, "breathe in, breathe out" by Matt Kearny. I did my layout using the photos from when Anberlin got Bronchitis last year. She was a trooper and did her nebulizer treatments without a complaint. The colors from the My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market matched the mood I was trying to convey.
I've been in a bit of scrap rut again. O_o I am hoping I'll snap out of it soon. Not much else to report.
Oh, this by far is the best DVD set I own:

Who needs space exploration when our own planet is filled with things you could only imagine. One of the episodes explore caves. Ok, so you're probably thinking, what's so interesting about a cave? Well, in Mexico's Cueva de Villa Luz is featured with its flowing stream of sulphuric acid and snottite formations made of living bacteria. These quite literally look like snot hanging from the ceiling of the cave. There was also another phenominon (and I do not remember the term) where salt water and fresh water meet. Because the salt water is denser than the fresh, it stays on the bottom. The fresh water that floats above it gives the appearance of an air pocket. It's quite strange and fascinating.

I haven't finished the series yet. It's a four disc set (5 if on regular DVD) and each episode is about an hour long. But now that I'm talking about it, I'm in to mood for a little TV. :)

xoxo
Jess

My Arms get Cold

Quick entry...it's just a sneak.

Man, things always seem busy around here these days. But it's not a "WOO HOO! This is great!" kind of fervor. More of a "we're getting old and have to spend the day grocery shopping and doing laundry and cleaning the car and doing the recycling, etc." Josh and I joke that we are in fact getting old because we spend our weekend nights folding laundry and watching the presidential race on CNN.

More to come. :)

xoxo

PS- Most of you know I'm not a big drinker, but I recently acquired a bottle of this:

This liquer is so yummy, especially mixed with a glass of coke.

new

i put up some new tuneage, courtesy of my playlist i snuck onto Josh's Zune.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love."

"Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers." -Maya Angelou

How many of you do this? How many of you know someone who does?

Things around here are finally getting back to normal I suppose. Monday I was sick sick sick.

Tuesday, after 2 trips to the doctor the day before, I was feeling a hundred times better. I would have felt better in my own home, but the kids and I were kicked out for the day while maintenance workers put all new windows in the place. They're nicer, safer, and screened. The whole day was spent at the park; fun for the kids, boring for me.

Somehow Anberlin picked up a sore throat and a cold, I guess from one of the kids she was playing with. Of course, I caught it and am now suffering again. Hm. I had a meeting yesterday with the pre-school teacher, speech therapist, and principal at our local school concerning Anberlin. I spent an hour with them, dissecting their findings and basically, Anberlin will begin therapy with the preschoolers on Monday. I hope this means she'll be a shoe in when they decide the preschool admittance over the summer.

With the little one going to school for a few hours three times a week, I hope to have a bit more time on my hands. And if and when she starts next year, I plan on putting Sebastian at the childcare version of preschool so I can have some time. I'm in the process of becoming Red Cross Certified and plan on volunteering at our clinic while the kids are in school.

Still no scrapping for the week. I've been cleaning up the dust caused from the new windows for the past couple of days. No matter how much I sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, it keeps popping up everywhere!

A couple of more weeks until I go to the Netherlands!!

Well, I feel weird doing a post without photos, so here's a "what I'm into right now" type of thing.
I switched out the lo-carb version out for the orange flavored Monster drink. YUUUUM.

I don't use bread anymore for sandwhiches. I use these "Kangaroo" pita pockets. If you toast them crispy, they make your sandwhich ten times better. Right now my fave sandwhich is garlic hummus, feta cheese, tomato, shredded carrot, and fresh spinach.

These are pretty good too. They're called "kartoffeltaschen." They're basically like hashbrowns, but has a filling in it. I like the one with cream cheese and chives.
Finally, the newest Panic! at the Disco is simply wonderful. If you are a fan of the Beatles, you can definitely hear the inspiration. One of my favorite cartoons growing up was "Yellow Submarine." Pretty strange for a 5 year old to like that movie, but I did and still do. I remember singing along to the Sgt. Pepper's album too. :)

xoxo