Suggestions for items to send to Chayce

I spents hours today surfing the internet and came up with a pretty extensive list of things to send to Chayce while he is stationed in Aphganistan if anyone is interested. His address is: PFC Chayce Eberhart, 802nd Ordinance Company Ammo, KAF APO AE 09355. Thanks so much for all your support. Even a Christmas card would be awesome!!

Here is the list:

Energy drinks
Sodas
Bottled water
Gaming magazines
Newspapers
Sunflower seeds
Gillette Fuzion razor blades
Shaving cream
Small bottles of lotion
Chocolate covered cherries
Gum, chewing and bubble
Lifesavers
Baby Wipes - packets are better than tubs.
Atomic Fireballs / Jolly Rancher hard candy
Smarties or SweetTart candies
Avon Skin So Soft - great for removing face paint and also reputed to be an effective bug repellant
Batteries
Eye Wash / Drops (Visine, etc.)
Zip-Lock style Plastic Storage Bags - assorted sizes, heavier freezer style are better
Pre-paid Phone Card so service member can call home
Pert shampoo
Ivory soap or shower gel
Crest toothpaste
Dental floss
Stationary
Stamped envelopes
Pens
Army movie DVDs
Drink mixes to add to water bottles
Pop tarts
Recorded TV shows-Family Guy, Simpsons, Scrubs
Lip balm
Wipes for cleaning his glasses
Handwarmers
Cereal
Cookies
Lotion
Axe deodorant
Microwave popcorn
itunes card
Beanie babies to give to kids
Spaghetti-Os, pop-top can
Ravioli, pop-top can
Instant Oatmeal
Peanut Butter
Grape jelly
Pringles chips
Hot chocolate
Crackers
Cheese spread
Bug repellant
Hand sanitizer
Antibiotic cream
Hydrocortisone cream
Baby powder
Advil
Antihistamine
Nasal Decongestant
Menthol rub
Pepto-Bismol tablets
Mini first aid kit
Q-tips
Kleenex
Ear plugs
Nerf Balls
Football
Baseball
Silly String
Bath towels
Twin sheets
Blankets
Playstation games
Computer games
Gel innersoles
Foot powder
Heated socks
Antifungal cream
Fingernail and toenail clippers
Tweezers
Small mirror
Tobacco (for bartering-Copenhagen and Marlboro Lights most popular)
Lunchables
Small handheld games
Clorox wipes
Packets of laundry soap
Toilet paper
Mini flashlight/book light
Playing cards, dice
Puzzle books
Travel games-magnet chess or checkers
Dart board or basketball hoop for back of door
Pencils, sharpeners other school/drawing supplies for kids
Air Fresheners
Thermal care patches
Ben-gay or other muscle rub
Fruit snacks
Silly Putty
Metal dental picks for cleaning guns
Packets of ketchup, mustard, mayo, sugar
Vienna sausage
Duct tape
Fruit and pudding cups
Plastic spoons
Downy dryer sheets
Easy Bake oven with mixes
Baseball gloves and baseballs
Can/bottle Koozies
Inflatable pillow
Boxers-size 36
sewing kit
shoelaces
vitamins
Little Debbie snacks
flip flops
alarm clock
thermos
lollipops
magnets to put pictures on his locker
strands of funny lights for decorating
Chia pet

It's a Boy!

Alyssa had her ultrasound on Tuesday and found out the they are having a boy! We are having a grandson! I am so excited!

FaithSisters Challenge

As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!!

Wouldn't you to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge!

We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book.

http://faithsisters.com/forum/index.php?topic=11486.msg111171#msg111171

Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life!

The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current.

Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God!

Begin thinking about what size album you would like to use for your My Lifetime Story challenge. started hers in an 8x8 but now has decided that she needs more space so is moving up to a 12x12. is doing hers 12x12 also because she knew she had a lot she wanted to fit into this album. What size do you prefer? Start gathering your supplies now so you will be ready to start when we kick off the first challenge January 6th!

Next week we will post a Photo List so you can start gathering photos that you will need for this challenge.

Four Generations

On Grandparents Day Alyssa made me realize we had four generations of women all at one place so we took this picture. I can see so many similarities between the four of us!

Get SCAL free!!

Want to get SCAL free?? Just go to http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3769 and follow the directions to enter. It's just that easy!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

I got a little creative today!! I saw a post on one of the boards where someone was looking for Yo Gabba Gabba cuts and, since my granddaughter loves them, I thought I would give it a try and make some. Now, you have to know me and know that I have made exactly three things in inkscape and that's about it!

I found some clip art of their faces (not an easy task) and went into Inkscape and made svgs of them all (except for Toodee which I haven't gotten to yet). Mind you, I am not the greatest when it comes to inkscape so this took some time for me.

Anyway, here is the link if anyone wants to try the cuts-I haven't yet so I am not even sure if they work!! :) http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=afe4b4d7c22d6c61e62ea590dc5e5dbbc5a97e56d0c9f89761390143435ec59c

Please be sure to come back and leave me a comment and let me know how they work for you!!

First Bath

Noah did NOT like his first bath!! You would have thought I was pulling his leg off to hear him when I first put him in the water, but after a couple of minutes he decided it was actually quite nice and he seemed to really enjoy it. I was lucky Rachel had the camera and was able to snap both of his reactions!

Baby Boy

I love this layout. He has so many cute expressions and I have tried to catch as many of them as I can on film. He loves to sit outside with me and "talk". It looks like you can almost hear him with these pics. Don't you just want to pinch his chubby little cheeks?!

Monnie's Page

I did this page as a tribut to my sister-in-law, Monnie. She passed away from cancer in April of this year and we all miss her so much.

Busy, busy, busy!!

So much has happened since my last post! Three of the kids have been involved in football so it's been hard for me to get on the computer-especially since the two girls want to be online all the time, too. LOL. We're fostering two babies full-time now as well so my time is very well-spent.

I don't get much time to scrap or work on any other crafts lately, but try to squeeze in a few minutes here and there whenever the babies are asleep or late at night (if I can keep my eyes open).

I'm still working on Chayce's wedding album-I've done a lot, but have to wait until I order some more pictures from Smugmug to finish the rest. I was hoping to get it finished before he shipped out, but he is leaving in November for Aphganistan and I don't think I will be able to get it done. It's a goal, though.

I'll start putting up some of the pages I have finished and as always comments are welcome!!

Happy Fall ya'll!!

Chayce's Wedding Scrapbook

I started working on Chayce's wedding scrapbook.i don't know if I will ever get through all these pictures!!! These are a few of the pages I have done already. Nicole and Chayce looked so wonderful and we are so proud!

Decorating Easter Eggs 2009

I finally remembered to take pictures of the kids when they decorated the eggs. Every year we decorate the eggs and I forget to take pictures. This year I didn't forget! We even got Brandon involved-he said it was his first year to decorate eggs. Hard to believe, we have done it every year since the kids were born. They did a great job, some of the eggs were very creative and they had a great time! I got some great pics, too!

This is one of the Easter layouts of the kids. We had an Easter Egg hunt at the house and the older kids really got into it-after it was mentioned that the prize egg contained money :). We fooled them into looking all around one tree by calling out "hotter", "hotter" every time they got near it. it was a hoot for us!

Haley wasn't too interested in hunting for eggs this year. Guess we need to wait one more year for her to get old enough to understand what it's all about. She did like the gigantic egg I put in the yard for decoration, but other than that she wasn't interested.

Seems like Frank and I have a hard time getting our picture made together. Alyssa took this pic of us on Easter Sunday at the house. I thought it turned out pretty good.

I did this layout of Rachel and her boyfriend, Brandon. The picture was taken on Easter Sunday when we all went to church for early services and it was one of those rare times Rachel actually dressed up. It's Rachel's first "real" boyfriend and they have gotten very close. He's really a great guy and we like him a lot. The two of them make a nice couple.

These are the layouts I did for Becca's 13th birthday. She is crazy about Tinkerbell so we ordered her a Tink birthday cake that was simply adorable! Plus, I made cake for the family dinner we had at home for Becca and Alyssa combined. It's not nearly as pretty as the Tink cake, but tasted good nonetheless! She didn't have a big party this year, just some friends over for cake and ice cream then they went to the skating rink. My little girl is a teenager-hard to believe.

This is one of those rare times I actually got a picture of Kimberly smiling. She smiles all the time, but if you get the camera out she seems to know it and won't smile no matter what you do or she will smile until you get ready to take the picture. It's like she psychic or something and knows exactly what you want to do. And she has such a pretty smile. I wish the "baby" part of the layout showed up better. The letters were stickers i had that looked great on the sheet, but not so much when I put them on the page. Still, I'm pretty pleased with the way the layout turned out.

Alyssa and Seth came over to the house last night to give Frank his Father's Day card early since they are going to Gatlinburg to celebrate their anniversary. I wasn't home-Rachel and I were still in the mountains delivering Malachi to camp. After we got home Alyssa called me and told me she had sent me an email and wanted me to read it. i pulled it up and it was a picture of Haley. Alyssa told me to read her shirt...............they're pregnant again!!

The new baby is due March 1st. I am so excited! This will be grandbaby number 2! I'm not sure when we will find out what it is, but it won't be long.

It's so cool that she told us near Father's Day. We found out about Haley on Mother's Day two years ago.

Congrats Alyssa and Seth!! Our prayers are with you for a safe and healthy pregnancy!

Monnie's Page

This is a memorial page I made for my sister-in-law, Monnie, who passed away from cancer in April. She was such a dear, and so young. It was heart-breaking to lose her so early. I used a lot of embellies and stickles on her page because I was trying to make it as sparkly as I could without being too overwhelming. I think it turned out really nice and is a fitting tribute to her.

Swingin'

This is a pic of one of the last days of Kimberly's swinging days-one of the first days she started coming to us. She does'nt fit in the swing anymore but she really loved it when she did. She grew out of it pretty fast, too! We have a swing at church that she can still ride in and she loves to sit in and and swing-it swings sideways, which is pretty cool, and I think she actually looks forward to getting in it.

Kimberly's smile

It is SO HARD to catch Kimberly's smile on film!! She will smile the prettiest smile but by the time you get the camera out it's gone! It's almost like she knows you are trying to capture it and she hides it on purpose. Barb took her to a photographer who must have been part magician because he managed to get the most beautiful smile of hers I have seen on film. I had to scrap it, of course! I kept the embellies to a minimum because I wanted to picture to really stand out. That smile is so bright!

Haley Love

I just cannot believe how big Haley is getting. It's like she has suddenly sprouted before my eyes. Why do they do that!!?? I so wish they could stay little longer. It wasn't that long ago that she was just learning how to stand on her own and now she can take off and run, and run, and run!! Alyssa managed to catch her standing still to get these pics and her expression is so adorable. She never says anything when I see her, but from the picture you would think she is talking up a storm. Wonder what she is thinking........................?

Bows and Butterflies

I LOVE these pictures of Haley!! She looks so happy and she's such a girly-girl i thought the bows and butterflies would make the perfect embellies for the page. You can't tell from the pic, but the paper has glitter dots on it and really sparkles. I outlined the bow and butterfly in stickles so they sparkle too. I think the page turned out really cute!

Free Files

I've been playing around with Inkscape and have made a few files that i have posted here http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=afe4b4d7c22d6c61e62ea590dc5e5dbbe04e75f6e8ebb871 to share. They are pretty simple, but I am proud of myself for being able to make them. I would love to see what others do with them. if you use any of them please leave me a comment and a link to your blog so I can see what you have done.

Haley and Kimberly Layouts

I took some time and finally got some pictures of Haley and Kimberly scrapped. It was definitely a challenge to make each layout different.

More Kimberly Pages

Haley Pages

Becca's Smile

I found this photo while I was working with some of Chayce's pics and it just cried out to be scrapped. I think Becca was about 4 when it was taken.

The rest of the Snow Day LOs

Finally Caught Up!...sorta

I spent most of the weekend working on my scrapbook layouts and was able to finally get (sort of) caught up with the pics I wanted to scrap. These are the los I did from the snow pictures we took at the first of the month. We measured 10.5" of snow in our driveway after it all stopped falling. Rachel took most of the pics since I was too cold to go outside-we didn't have power for a day and half so it would have taken me way to long to warm back up. I preferred to stay inside huddled by the fire. Enjoy!