Stupid lunch date is going to cost me $15 grand!

I have so been looking forward to having the car paid off. We only have a few more payments and it is DONE. The blazer was paid off last fall. I was so looking forward to not having a car payment. Just living free and easy. Plus I love my car. I always say I don't know what I am going to do when I drive the wheels off of it and it falls apart. It has everything. It really is a pretty luxury car and we paid only $8 grand for it. Perk of being in the automotive business. So Gerald always haggles me about buying this and buying that. Seems like every other week it is something new with Dodge. I am the reasonable one and always say "NO!" Of course he is only half serious, because we all daydream and say I want right. Well I met him down at his place for lunch. He wasn't quite ready yet so Thomas and I went down to the show room floor because Thomas Loves looking at and playing in the Vipers. They are just really big cool hotwheels cars to him. He is prolly one of the very few kids in America actually allowed to play in them LOL. So of course all the new sales men don't know me and I get ambushed with all their sales tactics. I am like "yo, guys back off my hubby works here, I'm not here to buy a car". I still get the "on come check out our new Dodge Caliber" I'm like NOPE. So about 5 minutes later Gerald comes in. He is all like hey come check out the new 2007 Caliber. So I follow him. Big mistake. I LOVE THIS FREAKING CAR. Why because I can get the seats and dashboard color coordinated with the outside paint LOL. It is like a really big version of being addicted to interchangeable cell phone faceplate-itis. The car even has a refrigerated compartment in the glove box to keep four bottles of pop, juice whatever cold. A 6 disk in the dash CD player with Ipod/mp3 player and satellite radio capability. Also when you open the rear hatch the speakers fold down like a big old boom box. Can you say TAILGATING. So perfect for the Nascar race we are going to next month. Seriously this car has so much. The only downer is it doesn't have the power my car has. My car runs like a scalded dog on crack. It is a big v-6. And I know it every time I go to the gas station. So the trade off is the Caliber gets great gas mileage. About 33 mpg. That's nice. Hubby wants it now that I'm interested. We can get it fully loaded with everything. Heated seats, all the convenience packages etc for about $15 grand. That's with his employee Discount. Regular price for the tricked version is almost $24 grand. Evidently they can't keep these things on the lot. They have sold over 20 of them in the last 2-3 weeks. The blue one I looked at the other day has already sold. They already worked up the financing and We are all approved and such. At this point it is just paperwork. I asked hubby. "what about a test drive" he says Oh I drive them all the time". I'm all like "not for you dummy...ME" So the nearest one in stock is in Eureka CA. LOL. So they are going to special order one just for little old me to test drive. 6-8 weeks I have to make up my mind on the car. The impulsive indulgent side of me is all like "YES", and then there is the adult practical side of me that is all like... Only a few more car payments to go and you will have $300 a month more to scrapbook with!" Oh what to do what to do????? Here is a peek at the car. Then there is also actually waiting and closer to actually being 2007 getting the SRT version of the Caliber which is supposed to be a mean machine and have the power, but at about $4G more. Sometimes I wish I had never gone to lunch with him that day. Then I would be none the wiser to the cuteness of the car, despite dodge's logo "it's anything but cute" must be the reverse psychology thing at work.

WOW They are looking for more CT members.

I am posting this as a courest to my NDISB Gals. I so love it there. Here I go being mushy. But when I scrap I feel so lucky to have been chosen by Anita and Theresa to promote their designs. Thjey are such a fun group of girls. Can I even say this, but Theresa's hubby is the site admin and keeps everything technical rolling. He really is the sweetest man and so much fun to have on the forum. So anyway. Have you ever wanted to be on a Creative Team? We urgently need to fill a number of spots on the Natural Designs Creative Team, so if you are a creative scrapper we want to hear from you!!! As a member of the Natural Designs in Scrapbooking (NDISB) Creative Team you will be asked to: • Create a minimum of one layout with each product provided and post it in the NDISB Gallery as well as three other nominated major online galleries. • Help with promotions and include blinkies & links in posts (where allowed) about upcoming events, sales, new product releases, sampler packs & specials. • Participate in the NDISB community. What you will gain is: • All newly released NDISB products at no cost; • Exposure as a creative layout designer, including in the NDe*zine; • Should you have a layout or project published using any of our products where the credits are included in the print you will :: earn cool, hard cash :: * $10 per item if published in a national scrapbooking magazine * * $20 per item if published in a book * Please view our kits and collections in the NDISB Store so that you can get a feeling for the design style of the NDISB Designers prior to submitting your application. So, if you answered “Yes! I do want to be on a Creative Team,” then you need to apply NOW! :: details required in your application :: • Your name, screen name/s and ISP email address (ie no hotmail, gmail, Yahoo! or other non-ISP based email addresses please); • What software you use to create your layouts; • Tell us which digi scrapping communities you are most actively involved in; • Link to your most complete online digital scrapbooking gallery; • Details of any design teams that you are currently a member and is that designer/s ok with you being on our team as well; • If you’ve been published; and, • A short bio about yourself (ie who are your main scrapping subjects, what motivates you as a scrapper, where you get your layout and creative inspiration from, any other personal details you care to disclose). NB :: Applications that do not answer all of the above will not be considered. A .pdf copy of the NDISB Creative Team Member Agreement may be viewed here. :: email any questions and your application to us :: admin@ndisb.com. :: applications close :: Wednesday 24th May 2006 at 12 midnight USA EST :: the new team members will be announced :: Wednesday 31st May 2006 on the Designing Naturally and a new JOUR*NEY blogs.

The beginning of "Possibilities"

So last night the announcements for the second round of Ultimate Scrapper were announced. I was very disappointed to have gotten the boot. To the point of utter shock, but hey you can't win them all right. I know in my heart my LO was awesome (as so many people have told me) but I guess it wasn't what the judges were looking for. So off to bed I went to drown my sorrows in a good movie and some ice cream. It is kind of funny how the movie that arrived Saturday was about looking within, living, and not holding back. I watched Last holiday. It's about a girl who leads an average everyday life. Cooks wonderful gourmet meals while watching along with Emeril. She never eats them, due to watching her figure. But she photographs them and puts them in a scrapbook simply titled "possibilities". Her scrapbook is filled with places she dreams of going, things she dreams of doing, hopes..Everything she wants. It really kind of struck me and reminded me of how years ago I had a photoshopped "wish list" of sorts on the Fridge. I obtained most of the goals on it and as time moved as did we it was lost or misplaced in the move, and I forgot about my dreams and goal. Now back to the movie. She was told by her Dr. That she only had 3 weeks to live. So what did she do. She decided to seize the day and do everything she always wanted to do. She lived out her "possibilities" and made them a reality. Now granted in the end of the movie the Dr realized he made a mistake and she wasn't sick after all, but that Hollywood for you. I was so inspired by the movie that I decided to scrap my own "possibilities" book. Check back frequently to read more possibilities! I am am going to try and do them often..say once a week. Here is page number one: Gerald and I would really like another baby. I'd love a little girl. We even already have a name. Montanna Adellynn Jacquette. Tanna-lynn for short. The thought of fertility treatments again and going thru another extremely high risk pregnancy that causes my Auto-immune disease to go totally out of control is frightening. Very frightening. But on the other hand nothing worth while comes easy or without sacrifice right. So days filled with a sweet baby girl is possibility #1. Credit. Mo Jackson for the ribbons, bows and beads & Shabby Princess for backgrond paper and corner brushes. Papers & Foot brush by me Stock photography for the beautiful baby.

Round 2 of the scrap challenge

Well as I mentioned before I made the 1st round of cuts in the Ultimate digiscrapper challenge. This week the challenge was hard. You had to scrap a page about you. Not just you, but truely who you are and see yourself. Talk about scary. So I did it. I laid it all out there. Seeing the LO done was very liberating in a way, almost theraputic with letting go of the past so to speak. Check out my LO HERE and feel free to comment on it (here, there, or both) I could use some encouragement on it since I am scared stiff about it! Also the NDISB May newsletter will be coming out soon with a fantastic new kit in it call "heart of a mother" it is a must have. And Drum roll please I wrote a tutorial/article on how to do Photo-text cutouts for it!

We found Nemo (battered and fried) and Ultimate scrapper news

Just more proof that 2 year olds really do say the funniest things. I am so wanting to scrapbook a page called "Thomas-ism's" He truely has so much personality and I laugh much more now that he is in our lives. Ok so we were out and about today and stopped in at Skippers for lunch. Sat down and ate all was well. Thomas Kept saying "Chicken Hot" although it was fish and chips LOL. All I said was let it cool. He was happily eating until some bratty kids at another table started playing and running around the restaurant then he wanted to play. Gerald kept saying no he needed to eat. Thomas wasn't having that. Gerald said "Thomas sit down and eat your fish" in that ever so stern parental voice. TJ just looked up with tears welling up in his eyes and shock on his face. As the tears started rolling down he screamed "NOOOOO. Nemo... Nemo No" Now this must meant that I am a horrible parent because instead of trying to console him right away I laughed, and laughed hard I did. Seriously I haven't seen anything that funny in a while. I turned to Gerald and said " way to go, he was doing just fine calling it chicken"! So needless to say Thomas did not finish his lunch because evidently he thought it was Nemo. Mental note don't let Thomas watch Bambi. He he he. And for some scrapping news. The cuts for round one of the Ultimate digital scrapper contest were announced tonight. I made the cut! Whoo hoo. One step closer to $1700 in prizes :)

I think I am going to be sick!

Seriously. I just submitted my Layout for round one of the Ultimate scrap challenge (think Survivor meets scrapbooking here) except in week one 200 people get voted off the island. I am so nervous I am making myself sick. Odd thing was I was sssoooo calm cool and collected up until I hit the send button. Now I am freaking out. Is this what the Hoffer's go thru whet it is CK HOF time. If so I don't think I could ever enter. A few days of not knowing is bad enough much less a month. YIKES. So I can't post my LO here due to contest rules, But Yall can go HERE and see the week one LO I submitted. Wish me luck!