what mine is your's, well sort of....

quick post and to the point today. ;) I am cleaning out my supplies again and if you would like a chance @ it, leave me a comment about whatever you like. :) I know...scary because I don't have a picture but don't worry, promise it is good stuff. I just need some space, my desk is a mess! I will post the winner tomorrow 12pm EST...
xo

right now.

I had a really nice relaxing weekend. My sister and I went down to Solomon's Island on Saturday....such a gorgeous place off of the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland. We just walked around, talked, relaxed by the water and I snapped some photos. It was really nice and looking forward to exploring more this summer.

On Friday I went to GASC in Chantilly and found some really good scrapbook deals. I will have a post of it later at the Master's blog (eta: post is here). I love finding deals especially on scrap supplies! I couldn't help but take a picture of this fabulous fabric even though I rarely use what I have in my collection so I kept it moving.... Hopefully I can scrap tonight, didn't do anything with the goodies I found at the show.



Let's see...didn't look at TrueBlood last night because the BET Awards went over but I plan to get on that tonight! The awards show, took me back....BBD, Guy, the OJays!!! I loved it, my sister and me were dancing so hard and singing to the top of our longs...good times. :) Tyrese and TreSonzs had some extra swagger, love them men and yeah Johnny too but they did a great job in tribute to the OJays.

My babies are coming back today, so excited! Also excited for a four day work week and a trip to South Carolina to see our family. Our garden is growing!! It is so cute, not sure one of the squash plants is going to make it....crossing fingers. I need to take a picture, the hot weather last week was really good for it!

Off to listen to some MJ, have a good one! xo

dareness.

We have some fun new things planned for the dares, can't wait to share but some of the new things include getting in on the awesomeness that is social networking! You can follow us here now:
twitter
facebook
flickr
and always here The Dares
We are so excited to bring back the eff in the dares, hope you will be as well, exciting new things in the works...for real! So we are taking a break this week to work on the up and coming.



It saddens my heart so with Michael Jackson's passing yesterday. I can still remember watching at the age of six perform on the 25th Anniversary of Motown, the moonwalk blew us all away. No one was badder than Michael and he knocked down the doors for so many to succeed, hello Thriller was the first African American video on MTV. I can remember like it was yesterday, everyone rocking the red leather pleather jackets he wore in the video. Kids everywhere trying to learn how to do the moonwalk and rocking the glittery glove. My sister, cousins and I used to pretend we were the Jackson 5. How excited to see his new work and video on Bad....it was sick! I was OBSESSED with the Jackson 5 cartoon and watched everything the Jacksons made appearances and performances on tv. Iconic and legend doesn't seem to explain his affect on a nation, generation or community...wow. Well I wanted to list some of my favorite songs, they are many but here are a few. I hope you will share yours as well. Just goes to show that each day is a gift, treasure it and your loved ones...
I'll Be There
Dangerous
Smooth Criminal
Never Can Say Goodbye
Bad
Thriller
PYT
The Girl is Mine
Man in the Mirror
Scream
Billie Jean
Human Nature
Dirty Diana
Break of Dawn
Whatever Happens
Invincible
Unbreakable
Remember the Time

midweek thoughts

So I have been slowly scrapping this week with my "idle" time...lol. It has been a slow process, mostly in the mornings because that is when I miss s2 the most. Thankfully my sister and I pass the evenings with workouts,vegging out in front of our shows and chatting. When I talked to s2 yesterday, I was a little bummed and my mommy was like, "Veronica what are you going to do when they grow up, they will leave you eventually..." Gasp, I know but I so don't want to think about that right now, lol. But I know they are in good hands and loving their special time with their nana!

Any hoo, this is the mini I mention earlier in the week, close up below. I lifted myself from a previous dare layout I did. It is okay to repeat things that you like in the creative process. I believe that totally, you have to inspire yourself too in all this...right?! I don't think I will ever get tired of using my Heidi Swapp stamps,all photos in this mini are of Saadiq and Synai that are just random shots I took when they were young. I am just piecing each hand made page together and I will go back and add the journaling last. The later part of the mini will have more current photos in it of them as well. Lots of Sassafras, I love their product and think it is perfect for kids' projects, Hambly, American Crafts and Jenni Bowlin.


Things have been a little out of sorts in the DMV because the fatal metro accident on Monday. My sister rides the metro daily and thank God she was not on the section of the red line that crashed. We live off of the green line, but during her daily commute she does have to transfer for a bit to the red line but it is in the city close to her destination and the accident happen in the Maryland. It is so easy to take for granted the normal daily grind of things,these people were just going along with their commute when this happened, so sad. I do believe we have a good public transportation system, one of the biggest in the nation,but hopefully this will be a learning experience for wmata to upgrade and make the system even better to keep people safe. We use it often especially during events when it is torture to park downtown. My heart hurts for the loved ones lost....

the buzz

Hey!! Good news, I picked my mac up from mac heaven on Friday and it works great! I am so happy to have it back...which means I have pictures to scrap now! I can't wait because I have lots of free time on my hands this week because s2 went to their grandparents for a week! Totally unexpected and last minute but they are having a blast with my mom! I miss them but they love being with their Nana and going to the country stores. It is so funny seeing them visiting the places I used to go when I was a child.

So this weekend was very laid back, saw The Proposal at the movies, looked at The Reader and Revolutionary Road at home and just chilled. The Proposal was super cute and funny. Also picked up a new book at Border's in the bargain section:


It looks like a very interesting read and very reflective of the times we live in with layoffs, people starting over, cutting back, etc. The city is buzzing about the Real World Cast, filming is supposed to start this week. It is funny being that we see politicians regularly but people are more excited about this show and seven strangers, lol.
happy monday, xo!

New dare is up, all about food... you can check out what we did ----> here. I made this week's dare from scrapblog. It was a quick layout, bare bones and simple layout....

We love mac and cheese, the homemade kind not the Kraft stuff from the box, ick....sorry not a fan here. I could eat this with every meal but I don't because it is not good for the hips or heart. But for holidays, family get together's it is a real treat! The corners are the best-just slightly charred..yum! I make mine in layers, with a rue so that it is cheesy throughout- macaroni. cheese. rue...repeat top it with cheese ( three types.)

I can't wait to see The Proposal this weekend...is it me or does Ryan Reynolds look extra yummy these days?! I am a huge Sandra Bullock fan, love all of her movies! Also tripping it to Richmond tomorrow, Eastern Market on tap for Sunday and not sure what else, oh yeah yard work...can you say yuck but it has to be done. There was a Paul Rudd siting in the city yesterday, so maybe we will see them out and about....crossing fingers! Have a fabulous weekend, xo!

finally a spark...

We looked thru some old photos last night. The children always get a kick out of baby pics of themselves ( I do as well when looking thru my old family photos). It is so much fun to see their reactions and all of the giggles that ensues while they are looking at them. So since I am low on photos, I pulled them all together this morning to make a mini of them. They are the random photos that I didn't "fit" into the scheme of a layout but are perfect for a mini. I will make a post of the MMM blog tomorrow with photos of the mini. ;) It will be perfect for them to get their little hands on it whenever they want and tote it around the house, which can't be done with their big ones. I can't wait to get back home tonight to finish it up!

Let's see, oh if you are coming by the GASC in Chantilly next Friday, I will be there walking around looking for some deals. It is a good show to shop at, crop and take classes! So say hi if you see me, love meeting everyone irl. :)

Weekend plans are starting to firm up, which I am happy about and makes the rest of the week bearable. xo

My take on the current jack, it will be up today or tomorrow. This is Saadiq's school picture, usually don't buy them but these were so cute. I had to get them for the grand parents, aunts and uncles.


Let's see I am a little wordless today, maybe has to do with the weather. It is chilly today and rainy. But that is good news for my garden, so that is okay. Promise to have something more exciting to post tomorrow...maybe. :) xo

what's up tuesday

1. no matter how far, 2. Eat more ramen, 3. Untitled, 4. ideally a book would have no order to it, and the reader would have to discover his own., 5. Be glad today...., 6. Bambi, 7. Untitled, 8. fairy light, 9. sunny afternoon..
this is what is up:
-spent almost an hour in Lowes yesterday, getting more and more like my mother...lol

-asked the check out lady if they had any vegetable slips on the shelf and she looked at me like I had a second head and idiot stamped across my forward, so I say" excuse me, vegetable plants, guess I was speaking country for a moment...humph." I know them as slips...they did have them and I came home with another vegetable to add to our garden: zucchini.

-researching some new grilling recipes for a cookout I am planning next month, please share your favorites that your guest always love. I love new recipes! I am thinking about grilling some pizzas, want it to be laid back and fun but with some other core dishes too.

-currently reading unaccustomed earth and really loving it. I started it while on vacation and half way finished, really makes you think about relationships, people, love and family bonds.

-these are my colors at the moment in wardrobe, creating and life: teal, yellow, white and grey

-can't wait to see Transformers 2 next week!

-have some BIG time pruning in my yard to do over the weekend, sometimes the upkeep of a home is daunting but rewarding at the same time.

-introduced an allowance to s2 this morning...see how it turns out, thinking about making a chore chart.

-s1 needs braces in December...he already knows the color he wants, lol.

-for the summer I made a pledge to myself to be home every Friday early so we can have family night and have a meal together. So far so good and this week it will be game night! :)

I will have a new jack to share tomorrow, xo.

Let's see we had a fun non-productive weekend.Those are the best kinds, don't you agree? I did more this morning than I did all weekend in the house- (lol)
mowed lawn,watered garden,washed two loads of laundry, plus folded and put away said laundry.

School is officially out for my little tribe. Hoping to plan a few fun things for us this summer to do together. I know for sure we will be spending lots of time at the movies. We want to see Transformers of course, GI Joe and a few others I can't think at the moment. We did see UP yesterday, super cute movie and very touching. I love Pixar movies. :) I also want to incorporate some craft time in the mornings, since they aren't as rushed.

I made another layout on Thursday, it was a quick one and pretty simple but I like it.
Thank you on the sweet comments on my garden,computer and for reading my blog. :) It really means a lot to me....


True Blood's season premiere was last night and it did not disappoint! I loved it and can't wait to see how the season will unfold. I won't go into details but it was good, Sookie gets on my nerves still, still love Bill and his charm, humor is still dead on and was so happy to see my boy Lafayette!
I hope you have a blessed week! ;)

mia

So this week has been a less than stellar but I am trying to hold it together -having serious computer issues, which is why there hasn't been much blogging action as of late. To think of it, not much scrapping either because I don't have photos because they are all on my computer! I did print this one out when it was working so I scrapped it earlier in the week. I am so bummed beyond words...

Okay, onward and upwards to happier thoughts shall we... I we planted our little garden yesterday. If you follow my tweets you know that I was super inspired by my mom's and uncles (her brothers) gardens in va and sc respectfully. They totally have green thumbs and have flourishing gardens. We always had a huge garden in our back yard (thanks to mommy) while growing up that would render vegetables all summer long for us. It is nothing like eating fresh organic vegetables!! I am trying to keep up some of the tradition for my family. S2 loved the idea of eating our own home grown vegetables. We planted peppers, tomatoes, squash and basil. I am hoping to add some more veggie slips later in the summer to have a fall garden as well.




Have a great weekend, really looking forward to True Blood this Sunday. Everyone could use a little more Bill and Sookie in their life, lol. xo

pretty much.

The second highlight of the weekend was hitting up two Anthropologies for the summer sale. It was a gorgeous day yesterday so my sister and I hit up Georgetown where the cupcakes at Georgetown Cupcake were less than stellar but it did not damper our day. :) I love sales and if you know me, you know that I rarely pay full price for anything recession or not, I love a good bargain. So I was so happy to see some of my favorite items on sale at anthro...like the cute number teacups and other home items I adore. Plus I finally finished up a gift card and picked up the new catolog which is sweet!!!!!!!

Also started watching RHW:New Jersey, these woman are a trip, is it bad that I like Danielle. I tihnk the others are giving her a hard time because she is an outsider.

This is the last week of school, s2 can't wait and I can't believe I will have a third grader and kindergartner come August! I scrapped a little this morning, but want to start on a new mini, not sure about what....
happy monday! xo

total lol.

This movie was totally worth the $5.00 I paid to see it, heck I would have payed full price!
Never laughed so hard in my life and the ending totally priceless and clever.
omg, the predicaments and me oh my Bradley Cooper!! He totally wears black you hear me, oh and Allen (total lunchbox)!!! lol...go see it if you not easily offended and want a good stomach hurts, can't breathe type of laughter!! Everyone in the theater was rolling!!! The soundtrack is great as well!
good times....

ps.why was a three yr. in this movie this morning, totally inappropriate! The movie really could have been rated NC-17, craziness! I don't think I would let my thirteen yr see this movie and i don't even have one yet! I don't understand....

boom shacka wow wow.

Finally a page to share, the new dare is up! You can check out my girls pages ---> here. I admit I felt a little rusty, don't think I have scrapped in almost a month but it felt good and hopefully can do a few more tonight.

This lil' butter bean graduates from pre-k in two hours! I can't seriously believe it, seems like yesterday she was a baby.



They will be going to see their grandma lois with their daddy today, so I will be without them until Sunday. My sister and I plan on going to see The Hangover tomorrow, srsly can't wait! It looks really funny, ha! Hope you have a fabulous weekend! Off to get ready for my lil' girl's big day. Oh, I have some sponsor spaces available, email me if you would like more details.
xo

.....

No scraps today, but I did pick up some photo paper this morning and will be scrapping tonight! I can't wait... really looking forward to it and will have somethings to share tomorrow. I took this photo along the roadside in North Carolina, we really enjoyed the drive this year down south to FL. s2 were so content and enjoyed their new movies (Beverly Hills Chihuahua (super cute movie) and HSM3), slept and played both ways.

Some new , well new to me, websites that are inspiring me a lot lately:
An Indian Summer
Green Wedding Shoes
Ruthi Auda

I am looking forward to the weekend and better weather, we are having really bad thunderstorms this week. The weather is supposed to be better this weekend, I hope so because I really want to get some flowers planted before it is to late to enjoy them.

So looking forward to new seasons of Burn Notice and True Blood! Now I won't miss Lost, Grey's and Supernatural so much,lol.
xo

Just a few more pics for today as I have no scrappies to share. I need photo paper, don't you hate it when it runs out, but I am off to staples to pick some up today, can't take another day without it.... I want to scrap. I've been walking around with an idea for a layout in my head for a few days and it is killing me, lol. Anywho.... nana picked up some water guns for s2 while we were in FL, it was raining cats and dogs in this picture....yeah that is Synai drinking water from the water gun, geez....

Sailboats at the marina in St. Johns, we fell in love with this island. I can't wait to go back next year!

My mom and I had a beer at an outside bar in St. Marteen... it was so good because it was a hot one that day. It was cool to put some of my elementary french to use again while talking to the locals.

Back in our room on the ship, s2 went to camp carnival when we docked in St. Thomas and St. Marteen. I was a lil' bummed because this is the first time ever they wanted to do their own thing while on the cruise and not be with us. I guess they are getting independent. Synai got her face painted, never mind my dragon eyes, woah!

Me, post vacation... :) I have one of my sis to share tomorrow, but I really didn't take that many photos, just enjoying my family and the places we visited. We had a great time with lots of laughs, met some very interesting people, lol. xo

very refreshed and recharged.

I am back!!! Vacation was fabulous, wish I was back here on this beach though, St. John is a new favorite, they have the prettiest most reclusive beaches....
trying to play catch up and to get back into the swing of things...

could sure use more days like this just on the beach. :) More updates soon!
xo