Time for a visit!

My parents are driving up to visit us from North Carolina this week! Yay! They arrive tomorrow and will be here until next Sunday. I know, kinda weird for them to miss the weekend since they're retired and the kids will be in school during the week. But they have this idea that 80% of the country seems to share, that all of New York is Manhattan. And they didn't want to drive in on a weekday. Whatever. :P They've only been to our house once before, August of 2005 when we moved in. I think they'll be happy with all the improvements we've made (and surprised with how much HASN'T been done yet, lol). But the house is all tidy thanks to the encouragement of the OCD girls (Organized, Creative Designers) at DigiShopTalk. Thanks ladies!! My mom is pretty much a neat freak, opposite of me, and I've been through book after book and analysis after analysis trying to figure out why I'm so NOT a neat freak. And I want her to be proud of me as well as comfortable while they visit, so I did my best to make everything nice. I WANT to be a good housekeeper, but I just hate housework! What's wrong with that? LOL! Anyway, you may not see my perfectly coiffed head around as much this week, unless they start to drive me bonkers in which case I may need to escape them. (Sadly, the office is also the guest room.) So have a great week and I'll see you soon!

Last day for Sept digi dare!!

Don't forget, today is the last day to post your layouts for the final September dare at We Digi Dare Ya! Layout links MUST be posted by midnight Eastern US time to qualify for points. Tomorrow we will post the first October dare, along with instructions on how to tally your points and communicate them to us. Remember, the first prize winner gets $45 in digital scrapping supplies from the September dare sponsors! Second prize is $30, and third is $15. And you will NOT be judged: all the top points scorers' names will go in a hat for a random drawing. If you missed out on some of the dares and feel sad that you won't be in the running this month, just remember that tomorrow everyone starts from zero again. I hope you'll join us for a fun month in October of challenges, meaningful layouts, and prizes! I DARE you to! :)

Apple Festival!

This weekend there was an apple festival in a nearby town. My mother in law was visiting, so we all went together. While we were there we got to sample lots of colonial-style cooking done over an open fire, including curry apple soup (it was really good!), apple crisp, and apple fritters. They had lots of apples to try and some I had never heard of. We went on a hayride, played games, and voted in the apple pie contest (we got to help decide which one was the best looking, but we didn't get to taste). The kids even got to do potato sack races! It was really so much fun, very old fashioned. Here's a layout I created with the photos of Ben from the event. I'll probably do Rebecca's exactly the same only sub out some of the photos. This gorgeous kit is called Autumn Solstice by Jennifer Layden of Jennilyn Designs, and it's on sale for a short time! Find it at the Digi Shoppe! I'm also working hard around the house to prepare for my parents to visit starting Sunday. I can't wait for them to see how much we've done around the house since they were here over a year ago! Have a wonderful day and go scrap something!

Never did like playing tag...

I'm such a Scrooge. I've been tagged THREE--count 'em--THREE times in the past couple of days and I'm so hateful I don't even want to do it. But I guess I'll suck it up and play along. :wink: For Pam Bumbaca and Jen Caputo, who both sent me the same tag, the top seven songs that will NOT stop running around in my head these days include: All This Time by Sting (I think it must be my dream accompaniment because I wake up singing it) Ode to Joy because my daughter is teaching herself the tune on the piano--painful Life is a Highway from the movie Cars--my son knows one line of this song and sings it over and over. And over. The theme from the Amazing Race--as I race through my busy day Waitin' on the World to Change--no idea who sings it but it's so true Two more? Oy. Hotel California--and I thought they overplayed this song in San Diego The Clean Up Song (everybody do your share!) because I seem to be doing everyone else's share lately Okay, there's two down. Now I have to do the one from Anita Stergiou. * List 5 weird things about yourself or your pets. * Tag 5 friends and list them. * Those people need to write on their blogs about 5 weird things, and state the rules, and tag 5 more people. * Don't forget to let the people you tag know by posting a comment on their blog! Five weird things about myself or my PETS? How bout my spouse? Or my kids? They're way weirder than the fish. Okay, I'll stick with me then. I hold M&Ms under my tongue until they "pop," suck out the melted chocolate, then crunch the shell. I do this either one, two, or four at a time, never three. When the kids were tiny, I always turned off the car before lowering the garage door when parking. This was so that if I had a brain aneurism in the split second between hitting the garage door button and turning off the key, the children wouldn't be trapped in the car and die of asphyxiation. THESE are the kinds of things I worry about. (Now they can unhook their own seat belts so they're on their own.) I hate melon. Really. I hate the texture, the watery taste, the smell, everything. I've read every organization book out there and my house is still messy. Improving, but messy. When I was a year old we left the town where I was born and I've never been back since. I don't remember a thing about it. Okay, done! Whew! The pressure. And now...who gets tagged? Ah, forget it. I'll let the tag die with me. ;) What a party pooper.

A new CT for me!

I'm very excited to announce that I have been chosen to help promote the designs of Jennifer Layden! You'll see her blinkie in my forum sigs, and I'm adding it here as well. Please be sure to stop by her stores at Simply Clean Digi Scraps and The Digi Shoppe, as well as her blog. Here is the All About Me layout she asked me to create with her beautiful Delilah kit. In other news, the Natural Designs weekly newsletter just came out announcing all the new products in the store. I'm very pleased at the number of people who have come to download my Gently Falling sampler pack! Please be sure to notice ALL the files in the download, because one of them contains a coupon code for you to use if you decide you'd like to purchase either or both of the full sized packs. (It's not hidden, you'll see it right away, lol.) Also, please be sure to check out the new challenge at We Digi Dare Ya! this week. Not much designing going on around here. I've volunteered to be a "publishing parent" for each of my kids' classrooms, which means I laminate covers and comb-bind booklets for the classroom (their sketch books, writing journals, etc). It's fun but the teachers are keeping me very busy! Plus soccer has started, and library activities, so I'm just a busy little bee. I thought once the kids were in school I'd be able to eat bon bons and watch soaps! (Just joking! I don't even like soaps, lol.) I hope to have something new around the beginning of October. Would a set of gold page bracelets appeal to anyone? I hope you have a wonderful weekend, and please post a comment if you feel like it. :)

Good news...Bad news...

The good news: Happy Birthday to my sweetie, my best friend, my protector, the love of my life, my husband. I'm lucky to be your wife babe. The bad news: Turns out, I can only send the gift subscription within the US, so the person I chose below isn't eligible. I don't think she saw it anyway, because I never heard from her, but I deleted the name just so there won't be any hurt feelings (I hope). The new winner is: CAROL!!!! Carol, be sure I have your address because I have to get this sent in right away (it's a short time offer).

Happy Saturday!

I had my kids help me draw a winner for the BHG Scrapbooks Etc subscription, and the lucky winner is: :::DELETED:::: Congratulations xxxxxx, and I wish I could give a sub to all of you. :) Please send me an email at csimon01 at gmail dot com with your address so I can send your name in with my renewal. I hope you've all gotten your subscription to NDISB's D*Ezine newsletter. It's more like a magazine than a newsletter, and this month's issue looks fantastic. Go to the [NDISB Homepage to find it if you didn't subscribe...why on earth haven't you subscribed yet?!? Inside the 'zine are instructions on how so you never miss an issue. And be sure to get the coupon code for the new NDISB Collaborative kit called "Play! Play! Play All Day!" so you can receive it FREE with a $3 purchase in the store. (Tania has her newest kit on sale for just over three bucks, lots of Keely's templates are $1.50 each, and my Attention Please! brushes and stamps are only $3 as well.) Here's a preview of this cute little kit:

A few new things

First, I'm going to end the subscription contest tomorrow night, so if you want a free year of BHG Scrapbooks Etc, just leave me a comment in the entry below this one to be in the drawing. :) Next, please tune in tonight at midnight EST for the next Digi Dare challenge. This one is my creation, so I hope some of you will be able to play along. See the Digi Dare blog for details on what that's all about, if you haven't been there before. And last, I created a new set this week and I'm happy to show it to you now. It's called "Gently Falling" because it captures a softer version of many of fall's traditional colors. There is a paper pack and an element pack. Click the previews to go to my store where you can see detailed closeups. You can try out the free sampler pack before you purchase, if you like: And of course, my blog readers get a shot at a coupon, good for the Paper Pack and/or the Element Pack. DTCS-fallingsample_823 I really enjoyed making this one; I truly hope you enjoy using it.

A little contest

I just got my renewal notice for Scrapbooks Etc, and in it was an offer to give a free gift subscription to anyone I would like. So if you'd like a free year of this mag (my favorite besides Simple Scrapbooks) just drop a note in this post. Yes, CT members are eligible! I'll have a random drawing on Friday evening of all the entries and give the sub to whoever is drawn. Good luck!

We Dare Ya AGAIN!

Take a peek at the Digi Dares Blog this week for another inspiring digital scrapbooking challenge. Remember, high scorers for the month will be entered in the drawing for TRULY FABULOUS PRIZES!!! Here's my take on this week's challenge: Credits: Song lyrics from the Patty Duke Show theme. Kit is Katie 2.0 by Robin Carlton of Sweet Shoppe Designs. Grungy Stamped Alpha by Miss Mint of Peppermint Creative. Fonts are Authentic Evonne by Becky Clawson of Natural Designs in Scrapbooking and Avante, downloaded from the Internet.

Summer's Last Gasp, and Back to School

It's been a busy couple of days around here. First let me show you this fun photo I took of dh and the kids at the beach on Fire Island on Labor Day. We got there early enough that there was plenty of parking and places to put your beach blanket, but by the time we left it was packed! Yesterday was back to school. Both kids were SO excited; I've never seen them like this. I teased them for weeks saying that I would miss them too much so I decided to homeschool them. You could hear them shouting, "NO!" all the way in Manhattan. I had to get the traditional "hand on the doorknob" shot, along with a few face shots and a silly one. (Actually, there are a lot more silly ones but I decided to spare you.) And finally, here are all the kids at the bus stop: Colin, Ben, Rebecca, Stephanie, Jessica, and Fallon. We have all the grades K-5 represented here!

SALE TIME!!!

First off, thanks to those of you who are faithful readers and who were able to enjoy the 100% off sale on my new Page Bracelets 2 below! LOL! It was a thrill to hear from each of you. :) Now, for me it's about 11pm on Saturday so the 43% off sale will begin very soon! Don't forget, tomorrow the ENTIRE store at NDISB will be on sale. See, Theresa will be turning 43 and in honor of her mother's "Labor Day"...get it? I know, it's corny. :D But the sale isn't corny at all, it's awesome. Be sure to pick up at least $15 in merchandise, then add the Brisk Walk kit to your cart (your cart will total at least $21.50 at that point) and then at checkout use this coupon code: NDISBLaborday2006, and the Brisk Walk amount will be deducted from your total. I know, Zen Cart can be a pain. Sorry about that. Gotta make you work a little for your freebie! LOL! So anyway, I've put up two cute little doodads in the store for the big sale. One is the Page Bracelets 2 set, which you can see in the previous post below. The second is a set of brushes and stamps called Attention Please! This is what they look like: These will be perfect for your freestyle layouts, or any layouts, where you want to draw attention to one particular thing. I picture using them to put a little flower around a beloved face in a photo, or a rectangle around important words in your journaling. They're saved as png and abr, so they're extremely versatile and a whole lot of fun. They're only $3, but with the sale they'll be...oh, heck, where's that calculator...$1.71 by my math. Be sure to click the graphic above to be taken directly to them in the store. Hope you're having a great weekend! I panicked when the power went off for about an hour, but thank heaven I'm plugged back in now. Whew!

A really secret freebie

You know, sometimes I post freebies on my blog and then I go and blab all over creation that they're there. And yeah, I get a lot of traffic on those days and that's nice and all, but today I just want to give a big thank you to the people who really do come by and check my blog on a daily basis...all five of you. ;) So I'm not going to post news about this freebie anywhere. I'm giving you the chance to own my newest set of Page Bracelet elements at no charge. They'll go on sale in the store on Sunday, and they'll be 43% off then because of the big storewide sale, so your friends can get them at a great discount then. For now, you can't get better than free so here they are, just for you. It's our little secret. Shhh... SORRY, LINK EXPIRED