Happy Birthday Little "Big" Brother

His birthday was actually yesterday. He turned 27. I call him my little big brother because he is younger, however much taller than I am. He is 6'4" and has been living in Italy for the past 4 years. He is in the Air Force and is actually due to come home anytime now. He has completed his term and is now going into the reserves. His apartment is packed; he is living out of his suitcase; and sleeping on his mattress on the floor.........just waiting for his orders to leave. We are so excited and thrilled and ready for him to be home. We haven't seen him much over the past 5 years since he joined the AF, so I'll say it again - we are very ready for him to be home. This picture was taken on his last trip (yes, he's been more than once) to Paris this past August. I am totally jealous of his travels while living in Italy.

Stamp Camp and Weight Loss

First for stamp camp, which I will be attending at Jennifer's this coming Saturday. Jennifer is a fairly new Stamin' Up! demonstator and I think is doing really well. She has the cutest projects and ideas. I can't wait to see what we will be making this weekend. All of the ladies in attendance seemed to have a great time at her first stamp camp this past June. It is so rewarding to go home with projects you have made yourself. If you have never been or never heard of it, check out her blog. I can't wait. Thanks, Jennifer!

And lastly, weight loss - such a dreaded topic. I love food! I love to eat! I love to cook! I love to bake! I love to eat out! Can you see a pattern here? Losing weight is so difficult for me; and probably for many of you out there as well. It is amazing how quickly it goes on and how slowly it comes off. I was married in August 2005. At that time, I was very happy with my size, I had cute clothes and felt very good about myself. Then 6 months would go by and I would have to buy some clothes in the next size up. I didn't think about it too much at the time, until I was in the 4th size higher. Whoah! I set a goal I would lose some weight for my sis' wedding this past May - and I did losing 18 pounds from Jan-May just by walking 5 days a week anywhere from 2-4 miles. What happened after May? Well, I didn't have my next goal planned so I quit walking...gaining back 8 pounds of the 18 lost. Now here we are in September. I'm feeling fat, I hate my clothes, nothing looks cute and I'm not happy with myself for letting this happen. I decided 2 weeks ago today that enough was enough! I am back to walking 5 days a week and have added dieting to my plan. I chose WW because I did so well when I used it the first time years ago. In the past 2 weeks (I am proud of myself) I have lost 6.8 pounds, YaY! I know you might be thinking .8 and not round to the nearest number...well in WW, those points count.

Well, that's enough boring blogging for today! Have a good one.

September Card Club

This month, Emily was hostess for our card club. We are meeting every other month until May I believe. Each hostess prepares 2 cards for each member to make and provides all the supplies. We get together one evening and make the cards and chit chat/gossip. Jennie and Jennifer are also in the group. I'm not sure if they will post...we all did the same projects. Be sure to check out their blogs though, because they are great. I had so much fun and am looking forward to next time!

SU! Decor Elements & Master Bathroom

So, I installed the rest of these SU! decor elements after I made sure the ones I installed the other day were going to stay. I have to run my hand over them from time to time to re-adhere them to the wall and in some places they don't stick at all to the texture, but for the most part they are still there and I think they look great. My husband even noticed them. He's not very observant when it comes to home decor. These elements are around the door that leads into the area of our master bathroom that contains the toilet and tub/shower. The vanity is actually in our bedroom, typical in alot of 80's houses. Speaking of vanities, check out the pics below of my new one --- I love it!!!
My absolute favorite slab of granite - Venetian Gold! Not cheap, but well worth it. It ties in great with my gold wall colors, the oak vanity and my brushed nickel fixtures and hardware.
And check this out...and undermount sink. I never thought I would want one of these; thought it was extra money that could be spend elsewhere. Whoah! What a difference it made. It looks sleeker and cleaner, doesn't require caulking and is easier to clean! Now, I wish I had it in both bathrooms...but at least it's in my master :) I would really love to redo our kitchen too, but we aren't millionaires.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by MommaJen. I met her through Jennifer who used to office next door to me. They introduced me to blogging back in May. I've been friends with Jennifer for years, however am just now really getting to know MommaJen. I joined their bunco group this year which has been a blast. I met Emily, who is another blogger, and last night we had our first Card Club gathering. It was lots of fun...just another way to get to know these ladies better.

So, the rules are:
1) Link back to the person who tagged you
2) List 5 ways blogging has affected you
3) Tag 5 others

So...5 ways blogging has affected me:

1) I've have learned alot about people I don't know by reading their wonderful life stories/posts, several of which make you put everything into perspective.

2) I'm getting to showcase card/craft projects I've made for other bloggers' challenges and projects I've made just for the fun of it.

3) I'm writing about my life and family...how they've been effected by things in their life, great things that they have done, etc. so others can learn more about me and them.

4) I'm excited about getting other friends of mine into blogging because I'm not big on myspace. I only have a few, so I don't have the 5 recommended to tag; and the 3 I am tagging have already been tagged by MommaJen.

5) I'm addicted to blogging. I find myself checking everyones sites daily hoping they have posted something new.

I tag:
MommaJen
Emily
Jennifer

Stationary Cards & Hurricane Ike

First, Hurricane Ike - I took this picture from weatherchannel.com and I'm sure it is some sort of copyright infringement (sp?). Our town is going nuts at the moment! Store shelves are bare; gase prices jumped, yet people are still waiting in long lines to fill their tanks; traffic is getting crazy and we have evacuees here from other parts of the state that don't know where they are going, I saw 2 traffic accidents yesterday alone within 5 miles of each other; businesses have shut down early. I agree that we will see some inclement weather from this storm and that precautionary measures should be taken, but it seems the town has gone bonkers! The main objective is to STAY SAFE --- which is easier when there is not MASS PANIC. I am an insurance agent...believe me, we are well aware of what is going on. Insurance companies refer to these types of losses as Catastrophic, meaning widespread destruction. We insurance agents pray that these claims never happen, but mother nature is unexplainable and can't be prevented. If this storm hits us as projected, we agents will be working overtime next week and our adjusters will be on overtime for a couple of months. I'll cut my babbling blog short by saying, I pray for your safety and for that of your family and anyone traveling during this time - Please Be Safe!!!

Lastly, the Stationary Cards - I made these for my friend J who is a high school teacher in West Texas. Her birthday is next week and I wanted to make something for her she could use daily if she wanted to send notes home to parents or anything else of the sort. The school colors are blue and white. She loves stamping and card making, so I think she'll love them.

Unemployed at the Moment!

Jokingly, here at the office we are calling ourselves unemployed. We aren't really unemployed, but when you work in the Insurance Industry and a Hurricane is approaching, Insurance Companies along with people go into panic mode. So here we sit at our desks surfing the internet, checking email and watching the weather...because that is about all we can do for the next couple of days. Our ability to do business has been ceased by the companies we work with - preventing us from doing any updating, upgrading or new business. We will be bored for 2 days and very busy for a week after. Thanks Hurricane Ike!

KWernerDesign Color Inspiration #22

I used the above colors in my card adding Brocade Blue as well (used for outline of leaves).

I love this SU! Bud Basics Stamp Set. It's a two step stampin' set that is alot of fun to play with. So here's the breakdown...Brocade Blue and Soft Sky for the leaves; Bravo Burgandy for the large flower outline; Rose Red for the small flowers and Regal Rose for the inside of the large flowers. It is similar to a card Emily made several months ago. Hope you like it!

SU! Decor Elements

I ordered these SU! Decor Elements from my friend, Jennifer. I couldn't wait to get them applied to the wall. I actually love them, but wish they worked better on my walls. This pic is the master closet door. The instructions that come with the Elements say they are not recommended for use on textured walls, however I have seen them used therefore I gave them a go. My walls are more textured than I thought and I had a difficult time getting them on and they are not sticking very well. They haven't fallen off yet, I'm just checking on them and smoothing my hand over them from time to time to re-stick. I love them and really want to install the rest, so I'm going to give them a few days to see what happens - just to make sure it's worth the effort. If you don't have severely textured walls like I do, I highly recommend these quick and simple decorating elements.

My Future Niece

I'm so excited about my brother's happiness and that he found it in such a unique way. My brother will be coming home for good in October after serving our country for the past 4 1/2 years in the Air Force - being deployed to Iraq twice, the first time on the day I got married :(.

He has had alot of experiences, both good and bad, while serving. The above pic of the little cutie I call my future niece is one of those bittersweet experiences. This story is really one of those tragic love stories. This little girl is actually my brother's God Daughter and the daughter of his best friend. His best friend was killed last year after the helicoptor he was riding in crashed just shortly after takeoff from an Air Base in Italy, where they were both stationed. My brother instantly started helping his friend's widow and daughter which was all he knew to do at the time. Long story made short, he and K spent alot of time together mourning and being each other's friend, which has over time turned into much more. They haven't yet discussed marriage, but I know that is in their future since she has already planned to move here when he comes back. I'm so excited to spend more time with both of them and little E. I bought her the cute A&M onesie she is wearing in the pic. I can't wait to spoil her!