NOTES FROM THE HOLLER

WooHoo!!! On Mondays at Faith Sisters, they feature some layouts in their gallery that just "Made Ya Look" !  I was fortunate enough to have a layout chosen this week!!!  I used the Chai Tea Latte Page Kit by Rina Kroes. Uncle Marvin had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease even before Daddy became ill. Libby married him shortly after his diagnosis, and she took loving care of him although the disease ravaged his body. His daughter Pamela, as were his other three children were with him when he passed away in 2005 at age 78. Congratulation to Muse Sandy for she is also featured with her wonderful page using Rina's Boyhood Tales!   Make sure to check out the Faith Sisters Blog for some wonderful inspiration!!! Happy Scrappin!

I just wanted to let every one know what is going on as I have been MIA...sickness, babysitting and very sick BIL.  All the kids have been sick and we have been babysitting.  Noelle started work so between her two sick ones and Haylee, we have been busy.  Noelle took Isaac and Ava back to Dr again today.  They have started another round of antibiotics and allergy medication so hopefully they will fell well in a day or two.   Gary's oldest sister Willodean is preparing to say good bye to her life-long partner and  beloved husband.  Chester has lung disease caused by materials he worked with in the sewing factory fifty years ago.  He has been in and out of hospital for the past year.  When he went home this time, they called in Hospice and do not think he will last much longer.  It is all so sad even though we know this is a fact of the circle of life, and no matter how much you prepare, it is never easy.  I feel so s...

 I just wanted to share a little with you today about a couple of programs that I could not live without! I am a freebie addict and as such, I download tons of freebies.  It can be a real chore just to unzip all those files but ExtractNow allows you to extract more than one archived file at a time, with one click of a button. It makes extracting files quicker and easier. ExtractNow supports ZIP, RAR, ACE, IMG, IMA, IMZ, ISO, and BIN, and archives.  from CNetDownload.com  - "The program should appeal to users who handle a high volume of archives, because all it does is extract archive contents. The four buttons--Settings, History, Clear, and Extract--lay out the basics. Click Settings and a window pops up to entice you with options. From the boilerplate specials like Always on Top or Start with Windows to more detailed customizations such as delineating a default extraction directory, setting file extensions to ignore, and adjusting post-extraction behavior, Extr...

Rina has this week's scripture challenge posted at SBE continuing the theme based on "Abundance" with another wonderful piece of word art from Luke 12:15. Run over to the SBE Forum to join in the challenge and get the wonderful word art... Scripture Challenge with Rina Kroes The deadline for submitting your creation for this challenge is midnight on Saturday Nov 21st in order to get the lovely posting bonus. Rina and Kimmi have lots of NEW RELEASES in the SBE store today as well so don't forget to check them out! I found some QPs on my hard drive this week that I would like to share with you today as well using products by Rina Kroes.     The quick pages are in two separate downloads so you can get one or both if you would like. I hope you enjoy them! Happy Scrappin! ****NO LONGER AVAILABLE****

My pc is located in the living room right next to the television, and nine times out of ten, if you were to drop by to visit, the tv would be on. I may not be able to tell you what is on but I like the noise. If I actually sit down on the couch to watch tv, I fall asleep. My hubby can not understand how I can sleep through the screaming and body parts flying or blood dripping (I like horror movies) but turn that noise off and I will wake up. When I do go to bed, I will wash a load of clothes or turn the dishwasher on to provide a little noise so I can drift off to sleep. I used to have a fan on by my bed for the noise but he took that away from me...he said I was freezing him to death. Anyway, all of that rambling really has nothing to do with what I wanted to talk about tonight...I go off on tangents rather easily! I wanted to ask you if you have ever seen Twilight Zone The Movie. It is an older movie but one of my favorites. I had not seen it in quite some time and I just ...

As the year is coming to an end, the girls at Faith Sisters 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. ...

I just could not stand to wait any longer! I have started my Christmas decorating, well here on my blog any way! I hope you like the new look! I used a new release COUNTRYSIDE CHRISTMAS from Studio Rosey Posey. Isn't it just adorable?! It reminds me of Christmas past when the kids and I strung popcorn for the tree and made adorable ornaments. COUNTRYSIDE CHRISTMAS is 25% off until November 15th. Here are the layouts I have created so far... Now I just have to go grab those adorable quick pages! Happy Scrappin!

I just wanted to let you guys know that everything is fine and dandy here in the holler. I think the flu and cold bugs have circulated through every one. Isaac's did turn into pneumonia but they caught it early and his Mommy took such good care of him he made it through without hospitalization. For now, no one is sick, although DH is still suffering with some gall bladder attacks. They wanted to take his gall bladder out years ago but he is determined not "to be cut on" as he puts it. I have been ever so busy trying to get all my Christmas gifts done. Every one will receive albums or brag books of some type from Gary and I for gifts this year. With money so tight we thought this would be the cheapest route to go but even that is not cheap. What with printing and purchasing albums we have all ready been out over $200.00 and that is not even printing out the larger layouts, as I have not started that process. I guess he is right, the only cheap way out would have be...

My friend Denise sent me a message about a little boy who's in desperate need of Christmas cards. The family is celebrating next week. Here's the message: "My cousin Kelly has a friend of a friend who has a 5 year old son Noah in the last stages of a 2 1/2 year battle with Neuroblastoma Cancer. The friend’s name is Diana Biorkman and the family is celebrating Christmas next week. Her son’s name is Noah and his request is to get a lot of Christmas cards. I am running out to buy a box of them. I’m going to give one to everyone I know already addressed. Then I’m going to have my husband take some to work addressed and stamped so they can just send them from there. I would consider it a great favor if you could find it in your heart to send a card to this young boy. I would consider it an even greater favor if you would please post this on your own blog so we can get this message out to as many people as possible. I received the message last night so my guess is t...

Well it is a big week end for all of us digi-scrappers! I probably will not do a lot of shopping :( you know, how it is, money situation really tight now. We did get a bit of good news...hubby got one more extension on his unemployment so for twenty more weeks we have a little income coming in...hopefully things will pick up with work for him soon! It looks like I may have go try to find a job...ugh!!!! Well enough of that! Let me show you what is going on at SBE, and have a great weekend!!!! Join us at Scrapbook-Elements as we celebrate our mutual passion for Digital Scrapping! Friday, November 6th through Monday, November 9th (midnight central time) In addition to our 30% off sale*, be sure to check out our Doorbusters Category ! Here you can find almost 300 products at a crazy price of only $1 or $2 each during DSD 2009 Our Creative Team and Designers have planned some great challenges and exchanges for you during this event. Challenges will run for one wee...

I guess I have been married to my hubby for too long for the things that used to bug me the most about him...well, lets just say I am more clearly seeing where he comes from, lol! Take for example, birthdays. He says, birthdays are not really special, they are just another day if one is fortunate enough to be alive. Now I have never had the pleasure of throwing big elaborate parties for my loved ones but I have always tried to make birthdays special in some way. My kids always got a few gifts and family members would join us for a special birthday cake and ice cream. On my own birthday, I did not always have a birthday cake but My Mother and my children would always make the day as special as they could, and my brother Don ALWAYS got me a gift...the last few years, it was often the only gift I received, lol. I guess it is the beginning of a new era for this year, I received no present from Don, and I really did not mind..ok. Let me be completely honest. It did hurt a tiny bit...

With three sons, seven grandsons and countless nephews, I just know I am going to use Rina's newest release quite a bit! Be enchanted by the magic world of a young boy's adventure stories with Rina's "Boyhood Tales" collection. This set is full of vintage charm and perfect for boys of all ages - a bit of masculine nostalgia wrapped up in rustic colors and shabby, distressed textures. Capture his imaginary travels to distant lands through the pages of his books or much-loved tales from the nursery: pirates and soldiers, airplanes, steam ships and railroads. Antique maps and a telescope enable him to navigate the stormy seas and charter new territory (even if it is by means of his bicycle through nature's paths). Old-fashioned collectibles become his favorite ways to explore new worlds and fight imaginary battles: a vintage tin train, a toy canon and old pistol, the ubiquitous green toy soldier. Dig through his pockets to discover favorite treasures: a ball o...