long weekend ahead

so looking forward to a long weekend.

It will be a busy weekend as we head to the State HorseShow in Little Rock this weekend.
this is the "big" show for Alex and she is super excited.
I am taking off work tomorrow to get everything ready and we will be leaving in the afternoon/evening.

I will have my camera charged and have lots of pictures to share upon our return.

In other news of my life. I started my class last week and had my second one tonight. I really have some great students and we have had a lot of laughs so far.

I just hope they are gleaning something from the info I'm throwing out there.

Bring on the weekend! :)

And the winner is....

Country Text or cntry txt!

I just kept coming back to that after KimM suggested "txting cntry style". I simply shortened it a little.

I also liked Nature's Text and Surprise Text from Allison was clever.

Others that were in the running:

• o my word by Caro - loved this one from the get go & I'm still wavering back and forth with this and the text name.

• Found Font by Judean, and
  

• Nature's Alphabet by Brandi.

thanks for all the awesome suggestions!
I truly appreciate it.

I hope to have something up and running in the next couple of weeks.
Meantime, I will be getting you a RAK Ms. Kim!

Now back to your regularly scheduled blogging!
I leave you dear blog with some photos from the week

My brother and his trusty steed, Whiskers

some awesome and huge toadstools
that popped up in the grass
at work last week.
They were so fun looking!

Here is what the sky looked like this evening!
Holy cow it was awesome
and everything had a pink glow outside.
God is truly the best artist!

Hope you had a blessed weekend...again I appreciate everyone who participated in my first ever blog/contest/RAK/giveaway thingamajig.

Here's to Monday!

Name Announcement Coming Tonight

I *think* I have my mind made up on a name, but still want to think on it today.

I will put up the name tonight along with the winner of the RAK.

Exciting stuff I tell ya!

Anybody who is anybody

should be ordering this sweet kit from the SIS Boutique!!!!

It is so urban yet so prep all at the same time....
They should name it Urban Prep or something.
That would be Super!
No, wait, that would be
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!!!

This kit features the following goodness:
Features
Patterned Paper/Cardstock:
"Cucumber Sandwiches" - American Crafts "Spring & Summer"
"Vogue" - American Crafts "Amplified"
"Music Video" - American Crafts "Amplified" (1/2 sheet)
"Heavy Metal" - American Crafts "Amplified" (1/2 sheet)
"Psychedelic" - American Crafts "Amplified" (1/2 Sheet)
Bazzill Cardstock: "Platinum Bling", "Diamond Bling", "Grey" and "Green Apple"
15x10 Sheet of handmade paper in "Green Charcoal"

Alphabets:
Making Memories Puffy Alpha Stickers in Green
American Crafts LAX Chipboard Glitter Stickers in Black

Other:
Tim Holtz Ideology Metal Numerals
Heidi Swapp Mask "Runway"
2 Bazzill Basics "Just the Edge" Cardstock Strips in White
Fontwerks Clear Stamp - "Ringo"
Fontwerks Chipboard Shapes - "Pieces of Home"
Fontwerks Chipboard Shapes - "Goes With Circles"
1 yard of Maya Road Sheer Ribbon "Diagonal Plaid"
1 Jenni Bowlin Mini Die Cut Label Paper in Red
3 Swatches of vintage fabric, 2 plaids and one gingham

Yeah! All that for $34.95!
But wait, there's more!

This kit is available to pre-order until August 24th...that is Sunday people....so get it while it's hot! Also, right now in the Boutique if you spend $50 you get a dang $10 Gift Card!
Is that a deal or what!!!????

So are you saying to yourself right now, "Self, I don't even scrapbook, why would I spend my hard earned money on that kit? Better yet, why am I even reading this blog post...Kim has completely gone insane!!!" Then you continue your conversation: "However, I will admit it is a rather good looking bunch of stuff and I've been wanting to start scrapbooking. I mean, Kim loves it and makes it sound really fun & relaxing, maybe this would be a good way to get started." Or your conversation may go more like..."It is a cool looking kit and I bet Kim would love it if I purchased it for her. It really looks like something she would love, and it would make her like me even more if I just bought it for her and sent it to her 'just because!'" (okay, okay, I'm getting a little carried away - Just kidding on that last part...not the last part about buying me that great kit, but the last part about it making me like your more...I like you just fine!)
;)
*snort*snort*
I crack myself up!!!


The bottom line is this -all kidding aside:
Trust me when I say that SIS Boutique has super, no wait, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious fast shipping and even more super-er customer service.

Get your own Urban Prep while supplies last!

examples .... and still taking suggestions through Saturday!

just thought I would post a couple of samples other than the "i" from the layout on my last post.

I have actually done the COWBOY in a frame for my Dad & stepmom for Christmas and as a giveaway for a fundraiser.
The NATURE is something I just put together as a sample.

I love the idea of doing last names for a family room; or maybe some of the inspirational words that are popular right now. {Think "live, laugh, love" or "Inspire", "Faith", there are so many possibilities.}

Everyone has come up with some awesome suggestions...I will have a hard time choosing. I really like the suggested names using the word "text" - it sounds modern and catchy.
Please keep leaving comments with suggestions...I'm going to leave this open until Saturday night.

Oh, I have ordered Kim's alphabet for her classroom and she is planning to take a photo of them once they are up...I cannot wait to see it!

new venture and a RAK

I'm so incredibly excited at the thought of a possible "side" venture in photography.

Several of my blog readers probably know that I have a collection of B&W letters that I have taken from nature or cowboy/country/farm items. Although I cannot take credit for originally thinking of this idea, as there are a plethora of places online that one can order these from, I have been trying to do something a little different from the ones I've seen.

For close to a year now, I have been collecting letters with my camera lens, and I have given some of these framed items as gifts and giveaways, but in the back of my mind and in my prayers I have wondered about the possibility of turning this into some kind of side business.

After making this layout for a challenge on TAIF,and posting it in my gallery over at SIStv one of my fave "SISters" over there - KimM - asked about buying a whole set of my letters to put up in her kindergarten classroom!

How cool is that????!!!!
I can answer that...it is WAY cool!

She has been so sweet and encouraging to me throughout the process back and forth over email and because of her enthusiasm - I really think I will get serious and actually set something up to sell these photos.

I really have been praying about something I could do with my photography and I truly feel like Kim has been the source of an answer...I know, I'm getting all deep, but it is so weird sometimes how God can work through others.

I must say my friends and family have been encouraging me all along and I don't want to take anything away from them, but when someone else who doesn't really have a vested interest in my life is so kind and positive to me it just grabbed my attention!

Now, I need everyone's help!

I need a clever name for my "business" - my plan right now is to set up an Etsy shop and see how that goes. So I need something about letters/alphabet/words and nature/country...etc.... something like "farm font" or another cute catchy name!

Please leave me a comment on this post with your ideas - as many as you have - and I will award a RAK (random act of kindness) if I use your idea.
You can guess what the RAK will be, right!? ;)

hello dear blog

So I have not been too faithful
with my dear old blog this week.
(sorry dear blog).

It has been somewhat hectic as we
(we meaning "at work") are preparing
for school to begin next week.
Not only is school going to begin
next week, but we (again we meaning work)
are preparing for some upcoming events.

I don't blog much about work because,
well, I have to think about work enough
without blogging about it for goodness sake!

However, I do blog about my friends/prends
alot of whom I work with.
Today though I will share some other
work stuff: (and I will do so in a bulleted
list-because I'm all about a good bulleted list sister!)

• We begin school on Monday.
• I teach my one hour college success class beginning next Thursday.
• Money Management Fairs
• Open house at Ash Flat's new building.
• Emerson Drive concert - YAY, fun one! :D
• Golf Tourney.
• AATYC conference.

see where I'm going with this?
It's just plain busy!

This list does not include my life outside of work:

• Alex back to school Monday.
  
• Arkansas State Horseshow.
• District Fair.
• Show of Champions.
• Cody & Amy's tentative move.
• Clean house. Scrapbook

So there you go...this pretty much
gets me through early October.
This summer has simply flown by...
seriously it has taken flight!

I love summer and I get a little
melancholy this time of year.
I do love Fall too, but I get a little
sad knowing winter is not far behind.

I leave you dear blog with a couple of recent photos...

Brody, aka Dumbdog with his broken leg.
This is the most accident prone animal, I tell you!

My stepdad, Randy and my Mom with
Randy's latest creation:
his grill / smoker he made.
It is actually not finished in this picture,
but it is complete IRL
and I have eaten an awesome cheeseburger grilled on it! Yum

Sunday-Sunday-Sunday

one of my most fave days!
a day of
refueling my faith.
a day of
catching up and
taking a breath
before beginning another
week.

today was no different.

I did get some work done
for my Fall Success class.
I am looking forward
to changing things up
a bit.
and looking at teaching the class
from a new perspective.

a photo I took earlier this week
zinnias + butterflies = beauty!

In other, scrappy news - I am so excited to report that I submitted some layouts to an open design team call for this blog challenge site: Scrapstars a few weeks ago. I have never, ever submitted any of my layouts for anything other than the local county fair mind you so just getting the nerve up enough to submit was huge for me!

Well, I did not get selected for the design team...which I honestly never expected anyway. However, I am really super-duper excited that I will be a guest designer for them in the near future.
How flattering is that?
I'll answer that...it is
incredibly flattering!
I just got the email this afternoon.

I'm really happy
because total rejection
just plain sucks
in my book.

over & out....

slacker

I have been a total and complete slacker on my Daily Blessings! I do have several that I have not photographed and posted, but I will admit I did not do them last week or weekend with our busy fair schedule.

I am not going to fret though. Doing these "daily" crafty projects are not meant to be stressful whatsoever, in fact my hopes are that they will destress me a little. Just because I have not done them does not mean I feel any less blessed in my life.

I will share a few photos of my Uncle Robert and Jacob - my youngest cousin. (he and Joe, his Big Bro are pictured here during the fair after Joe won the talent show for his division...he does Elvis!)

I took these one Sunday afternoon a couple of weeks ago at Mom's after church.

I love photographing this kid!

Prayers for Mom please - she has a doctor's appt in the AM for a test.
Also prayers for my HS friend Donna's little girl Riley. They discovered a tumor the size of a cantaloupe on her kidney which was thankfully contained and removed, but she is in massive pain and needs lots of prayers lifted.

County's Finest

After three years of Alex
and her friend Leighann
being in the Sharp County's Finest
or Best of Best, they finally won!
Alex was so excited.
It was a goal she had set for herself.
For those who don't know how it works, they take the winners from Senior Showmanship in cattle, goats, swine, and sheep and they pick a junior helper. They have to take the four animals (not their own, they are assigned) and prepare them to show, show them and have knowledge of each species.
This year they didn't have any senior sheep showmen, so they only showed three of the four.
The really cool part is that this is Leighann's last year as a junior so this would have been the last time they could win together as a team.

Very proud of this and Alex's other accomplishments.

a few fair pics

Still two more nights to go, but I wanted to share a few from the week so far:

more to come....