WAHOO!!!!

Yes, it's the reveal of our big news. Brian has a new job! He will be working as an Officer for the Scappoose Police Department.

This has been a long process for us. He interviewed a while ago and finally got a call from the Chief on Oct. 10, when I posted the excited but vague message here. Since then he's gone through a background interview and investigation, and medical and psychological evaluations. We have stressed over the entire process, worrying that something would go wrong along the way, but today the Chief called to let him know that he passed and was good to go.

He has a public swearing-in ceremony on Nov. 27, which we are all excited to attend. He'll work with a Field Training Officer (FTO) until he leaves for the Academy in (probably) January. He'll be gone there for 16 weeks, though he will get to come home on weekends. He'll finish work with his FTO after returning from the Academy, but by next summer he will be patroling the streets on his own.

This is such an exciting move for Brian. He gets to abandon his dirt-brown uniforms and star badge in favor of Scappoose PD's black uniformas and shield badges. Plus, his current job as a Deputy with the Sheriffs Department just wasn't cutting it. He needed more than the mundane day-to-day life of the jail. So this is his chance to be on the road and making a difference in his community. And it doesn't hurt that he knows and likes the other Officers with the Scappoose PD.

So, thank you all for your patience. And thanks to those of you who knew and offered your support along the way. We truly appreciate it!

This weeks blog challenge: Tell about handed-down talents. What specific talents or hobbies did you learn from your parents, grandparents, etc.

I can think of a few things from childhood that I learned. I remember whistling with cut-grass, how you picked just the right piece and held it just right between your thumbs before carefully blowing into it. And by carefully I mean doing it *without* cutting your lip on the grass! LOL

I remember trying to learn rock skipping from Dad. We used to go innertubing, camping and fishing along nearby rivers during the summer months and my Dad was great at skipping rocks. I remember trying and trying and finally, after a while, I was able to skip rocks a few times over the river.

My Mom taught me to sew and to cross-stitch, as were the style at the time. She used to make me school clothes and I still have a teddy bear that I sewed when I was young. I don't sew much anymore (does sewing on scrapbook pages count?) but I could probably figure it out if I ever wanted to do it again.

We also canned as children. I remember peeling peaches and pears to can. And we made applesauce and canned apricots and other things too and then ate them all year long. I'm sure it seemed like a chore then but now it just seems like a neat little thing that we used to do together.

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky

So, I decided to sneak a few of my projects from the November ScrapAddict kits. No reason why, just felt like sharing. And since I still can't share our exciting news yet (but it's in the works ... we're getting closer) I thought I'd share these layouts. Enjoy.

From the "Life's A Beach" altered kit.

From the "Out on a Limb" kit.

In response to Linda M. ...

... who wanted to know when and where I've been published/will be published recently here is a list. I've had a total of 23 published/to be published layouts but I've only listed everything from this August forward. Here's the most recent stuff:

Scrapbooks Etc. – April 2007
“Rat Responsibility”

Scrapbook Trends – December 2006
“A Cherished Tradition”

Memory Makers Idea Book “Scrapbook Idea Gallery 7” – October 2006
“The Shelter of Good Friends”

Memory Makers Magazine – August 2006
“The Cyclone of Scrapping”

Simple Scrapbooks – July/August 2006
“My Peaceful Spot”

Memory Makers Idea Book “The Amazing Page” – June 2006
“The Path” (in book and on cover)

Wahoo!

I've broken the Scrapbooks Etc. barrier! YEAH!!!

They called today and wanted a layout I'd made of Chase and his rat. Scrapbooks Etc. is one of 2 scrapbook magazines I haven't been in yet and my goal is to accomplish each magazine at least once. So watch out CK, you're next!

Sanity

This weeks blog challenge is this: Tell us what keeps you sane, what helps you relax, what relieves your stress. For me it's this:

My MP3. This tiny little thing keeps me sane. I secretly call it my Personal Sanity Device because at times that's what it is. When I'm having a bad day, when the kids get on my nerves, when I'm upset or sad, when I'm worried, I turn my music on and forget about it for a while. I drown out the kids bickering, I drown out the issues that have me stressed or the reasons that I'm sad and I just listen. And after a while listening turns into singing. And then singing turns into belting it out. And when I've reached that point I know that all is well with the world again.

Final Ride

Tuesday was Carissa's last riding lesson, at least for now. The choice came about for two reasons -- Carissa wanted to take a break and winter was upon us and her instructor doesn't have a covered arena. So this is her final ride.

I must admit that I was sort of sad about it all, especially after this lesson. It had all just kicked in for her. She had really gotten the rhythm and movements and was posting well on the lunge line. And she had just learned how to gather and ask for the trot on the wall. She was doing these things so well this last lesson and I hate for that progress to be lost.

But I respect Carissa's decision. Maybe one day, when she's a little older and more able to dedicate herself to something, she'll choose to ride again.

Descriptive Lists, Part 2

OK, here's the kids lists about themselves. Sometimes they are similar to mine, sometimes not. Now, I'm not sure that Carissa got what I was asking her to do, and Tristan had a pretty hard time with it. But they tried. Chase on the other had threw out 6 words really quickly and could have described himself in 100 words if I would have let him keep going! LOL

OK, here they are.

Carissa:
Girl
Nice
Cute
Likes Animals
Pretty

Tristan:
Reader
Cool
Handsome
Funny
Lazy (?!?)

Chase:
Fun
Intellegent
Easygoing
Friendly
Artistic
Super Speller

Descriptive Lists, Part 1

So, I decided to do another Blog Challenge on ScrapAddict. This one is to describe your children in 5 words and then to have them describe themselves in 5 words. Since the kiddos are all at school I'll do my part now and post their part later on.

Here's my descriptive lists for the kids.

Chase:
Smart
Polite
Handsome
Intense about things he loves
Rule-Follower

Tristan:
Funny
Sensitive
Mischievous (but in a fun way)
Adorable
Sweet

Carissa:
Talkative
Curious
Cuddly
Cute
Silly

New pictures

I don't know why, but I'm sort of crazy about taking pictures of myself. I don't like others taking photos of me and rarely turn the camera over to Brian. So when I need photos for my Book of Me album I find a spot in the house and do self-portraits using the remote control for my camera. Anyways, thought it was time for me to do that again so I did. Here's the only 2 good photos from yesterday.

Holy Spelling List Batman

There's no denying that Chase is one smart cookie. This kid has always enjoyed school and found it very easy. And we finally found a teacher who encourages him to try harder and who gives him things that aren't too easy for him. She talked to me last week about giving Chase harder spelling lists that were more to his ability level. Here's some of the words on the list that came home yesterday:

absorption
inoculate
deciduous
slough
simian
malleable
indigenous
proboscis (I'd never even heard this one and had to look it up to pronounce it! LOL)

Now keep in mind, Chase is in 4th grade. He's only 10 years old. These are some HARD words! But he soaked it all up like the smart little sponge that he is.

Cryptic

I know my message below was very cryptic, but I'm still not ready to share yet. I want to make sure it's a "sure thing" before I do. It's looking positive but not 100% yet so I'm going to hold off on the public announcement. Some of you already know what it's about but for those who don't rest assured I'll post it as soon as it's final.

In other news, we have no news. Our life is consumed with the discussion and worry about the item above. The kids are doing fine in school and all is going well around here.

Since I don't have much to say I think I'll post a few of my recent LO's.

My, how time has flown ...

And I'm not talking about the kids now. At least not my kids. I'm talking about these kids:

I was digging through photos today to use with the new "Cloudy with a Chance of Flurries" kit from ScrapAddict and came upon this beauty. Yes, that's me and my brother and sister back in 1979. I was 5 1/2, my sister Wendy was 8 1/2 and Jimmy had just turned 3. Weren't we cute? And check out those fashions and haircuts. Oh, and Jimmy's adorable boots. Love it! I can't believe this photo was taken 27 years ago! My, how time has flown ...

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh. Just when you think you've got life all figured out it throws you for a loop.

No details now, will share them if it all pans out.

And no, I'm not pregnant so don't even think it.

Toothless Girl

It's happened, Carissa lost her first tooth!

Only last week we noticed that she had a wiggly tooth. She had taken a bite of Cloissine's apple and complained that it hurt her tooth. We looked at it then and noticed that it was wiggly.

This week she's been wiggling it a bit and it was getting more and more loose. And this evening Brian pulled it out! He said she was very brave and didn't cry or scream.

This left me with a little quandry. I always make the kids a "tooth pillow" when they get their first wiggly. Carissa and I had been to Wal-Mart just this afternoon to buy the material but I hadn't had time to make it. Yet here she was, 8pm and a tooth out of her mouth. So I set to work on it and had it made before bedtime. It was a bit of a rush but it turned out adorable and she loves it.

She headed to bed with her tiny bottom tooth safe in the pocket of her tooth pillow. She was thrilled when she woke up to a $5 bill from the tooth fairy.

Now she sports this little toothy grin just in time for Halloween.