tongue in chic journalings

Oh Snap!

Scrap In Style TV is throwing a massive celebration in honor of the grand opening of the new boutique tonight. I will post a link to the new boutique at midnight so you can go see all the fab stuff in there. The whole month of October is going to be full of challenges and specials and prizes, but tonight there is totally secret sales going on in the new boutique.

If you click on the digital boutique, you'll see some of my digital elements and some awesome digital products by some super talented girls. We've also got a couple freebies in there!

Here is my latest digital page (be sure to drag your mouse over it and see the fun things it does!) using all products designed by me and available in the SIStv boutique (minus the ripped notebook paper by Shabby Miss Jenn)

k.la

Today I went to Atlantic Station with Shawnie and look what we found:

This is cool because in high school I signed all my notes k*la.
This is cooler because Shawnie asked them for a label and instead they gave me all this:

Blackberry Merlot makes it's Thursday return

"Honey, I called to Jeff as I left the house this morning, don't forget I'm having friends over tonight!"

"Who's coming over?" He mumbled groggily

"Meredith. And Izzie. And George. And Alex. And..."

"Babe. Please tell me that you met some real life people with those names and this is not your sick way of telling me that Grey's Anatomy is coming on tonight."

"This is not my way of telling you that Grey's Anatomy is coming on tonight. By the way, Grey's Anatomy is coming on tonight. I'm going to need two full hours of silence."

"Two hours?" He asked"

One to watch the show and one to sit and think about the show after I watch it."

"You get an hour, he said, and then I get dinner for putting up with you."

"There are leftovers in the fridge. Could you possibly pick me up some Blackberry Merlot on your way home?"

And thus begins my Thursday nights.

this one time at the mall

Last week Shawn and I went on our weekly Wednesday trip to the mall. While we are sitting at Ruby Tuesdays enjoying our ridiculously overpriced drinks in front of the big glass mall windows, we see a big white van pull up and about 25 police officers tumble out and rush into the mall. It was like one of those clown cars where 7 million clowns get out of one teeny little VW Bug. Then we notice that these vans are pulling up to every entrance. The cops were invading the mall. We decided to follow them to see what was going down. It occured to me later that this could have been potentially dangerous, but they were heading towards the side of the mall that had Dip N Dots and obviously that was a sign from the Lord that we should follow them. Alas, we were distracted by the fact that I happened to find a dress that fit me perfectly that was on sale and therefore had to be bought. And then we had to stop by the jewelry store to have our rings cleaned. And, of course, we needed some Dip N Dots.

It wasn't til we were headed out of the mall at three minutes until closing (because we when we go malling, we go malling) that we ran into the cops again and remembered that we were totally intrigued with the mall sting. All the cops piled back into their vans, and then the vans pulled up and sat outside each of the mall entrances. We would have stayed to see what happened, but I really had to pee. Amen.

We're having a baby

Oh no, not us. That was what my mother in law told a total stranger on the phone this weekend. She thought she was calling Jeff. Only instead of calling Jeff, she called some guy that said "What the EXPLETIVE are you talking about!?!"

Poor guy. That was probably the worst 5 seconds of his life.

But we are officially Aunt KA and Uncle Jeff. Which is what Christie Michelle's little girl calls us and what my second cousin Bella calls us and what Pregnant Tiffani's baby calls us. But this baby will actually be our babies cousin, when we have babies. Here is baby Hayley Kaitlyn Terrell, about an hour after she was born on Sunday. At 12:15am. Why do babies like to decide to be born in the middle of the night? Are they in the womb thinking to their little baby selves "Baby selves, let's shake things up today. Let's start the contractions around 2pm and then chill out, take a little nap, and then make an appearance right around the time when the aunts and uncles can no longer feel their legs from sitting in the waiting room for hours."

Even so, they are pretty darn cute. The baby I mean, not the two exhausted people in the picture.

Get to know me

This site is so cool, and SO dead on. I am absolutely loving it, you must try it.

My personality:

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

Read my VisualDNA™     Get your own VisualDNA™

sharing

It's been a while since I posted some layouts. As always, these can all be seen at Scrap In Style TV . I had to wait to post some of them because they were in last week's webisode.
I am super thrilled because Scrapbook Trends picked up three of my wedding layouts. And since I adore anything to do with my wedding, this makes me super happy.

This is definitely the best way to get to know your neighbors

In the last 48 hours, totally weird things have happened in my life. I went like, a month with no real weirdness, and yet the last 48 horus have been so weird it will take up at least 4 blog posts. Last night was one of the weirdest nights of my life.

Weirdness Part One:

I finish cleaning up after dinner, and by cleaning up I mean I put all the dishes in the sink to deal with later, put Grover on the balcony, and get in the bathtub. Jeff is playing a video game when I get out. I walk over to the balcony to let Grover back in.

"Honey, where is Grover?" I ask
"On the balcony" He says without looking up.
"No. Grover is not on the balcony. Did you let her back in and then forget, like that time you called me and then in the time it took you to dial my number you forgot that you called me and just sat on the phone breathng softly like a weirdo?"
"No Kay. I swear I just saw her on the balcony. She must have jumped off. I'm so sorry, I should have let her back in."

So I slip on some flip flops and spend the next half hour walking around the apartment complex making meowing noises. And I'm getting increasingly upset because Grover doesn't have any claws at all and there are a lot of cars in our complex and it is a big jump from our balcony and what if she is hurt?

By the time I get back to the apartment, I'm crying hysterically because the cat? I LOVE HER.

And Jeff greets me at the door with a totally content and not at all hurt Grover, who apparently he had let inside and then promptly forgot.

Weirdness Part Two:

For the first time in my life, I sleepwalked. Because of my frantic distress at Grover's disappearance, the lucky thing got to sleep in the bed with us last night. At some point in the middle of the night, I woke up standing in the middle of the entryway, holding Grover and shutting our front door. I was totally startled because I didn't recall getting out of bed at all. And then I was even more startled to discover that I was wearing only my undies. As I walked back to bed I noticed my pajamas were strewn across the hall. Apparently, at some point in the night I picked up the cat and proceeded to strip off all my clothing while walking into our entryway and opening the front door. I asked Jeff this morning if he saw any of this and he only remembers me getting in and out of bed. He said he thought I was putting the cat out. The thing that disturbs me most about that is that he didn't notice that I got out of bed in my cute owl print Victoria's Secret pj's and returned to bed clad in nothing but my undies. I mean, we've only been married 9 months dude.

Things That Irk Me Part Two: Security Cameras

Why are security cameras black and white and grainy? I was reading a story on CNN about how an attempted abduction was caught on a security camera, but was too grainy for police to make out the suspect. It seems to me that this is always the case. I'm forever seeing news stories where they show the clip of the security camera and it looks like the tv did back in the day when we had a big antenna and a storm would make that black and white fuzziness that we liked to refer to as snow. What in the heckfire are the security cameras even for? It's freakin 2007. I can take a better video on my cameraphone. There are 5802 channels on my television that I can watch in High Def. If I want to, I can turn on Wheel of Fortune and see every bead and sequin on Vanna White's dress. But if I spent a batrillion dollars on a security camera for my gas station (if I had a gas station), and then my gas station was held up at gunpoint, I would think to my self "Self, thank goodness I have that security camera!" And I would be WRONG. Because when I turned the tape over to the cops all they would see would be fuzzy outlines of something resemembling people holding up something resembling guns.

You know what else is a problem with these so called security systems? They always get the BACK of people. It's not like in Ocean's Eleven where the guys smile charmingly into the security cameras, which by the way are not at all fuzzy and hard to see because movies lie to us. It's even more annoying to me when news people show a clip from a security camera and not only is it black and white and fuzzy, it is of someone's backside. Because as soon as I see that clip, I'm going to be like "Oh my gosh, Kellie Jo just robbed that bank! I'd know the fuzzy outline of her shoulders and the back of her ballcap anywhere!" Do people not test these cameras? When they installed it, did they not walk back and forth in front of it a few times and then think to themselves, "Selves, maybe we should point the camera the other way, so that we could possibly see the front side of people, the side that has a face."

Only the security camera installer guy was probably like 'Nah, don't bother. You can't see their faces anyhow.If you get robbed, just whip out your cameraphone. It'll take a way better picture."

SERIOUSLY.

And can't no other lady put it down like me.

At some point this weekend Jeff and Jeanette were talking about half dollars. I don't know what prompted that conversation because I can't recall a single time in my life in which I was sitting around thinking ot myself "Self, let's talk about half dollars." Probably because I don't even know what a half dollar looks like. Jeff is saying something about something about collecting them to give to his dad. So I ask Jeff how much a half dollar is worth.

Apparently they are worth half a dollar.

In my defense, I thought they really rare and valuable because why else would someone collect them?

I thought I'd try to redeem myself by filling them in on my vast knowledge of Canadian monies. Like how a $1 coin is called a Loonie and a $2 coin is called a Toonie. And about how Canada doesn't have Dollar Stores, they have Loonie Stores. And also, it's a lot easier to spend a dollar when it's in the shape of a coin and isn't even called a dollar.

When you have really great hair

that is really, really, really long and thick

you can donate it

for two wigs.

And it gives you an excuse for a fab new cut and color.

So fab that when the guy waiting behind you in the salon asks how old you are (sigh) and you say 24 and then he tells you he thought you were in middle school (seriously people! middle school?!) you don't even feel like kicking him in the groin because you are just that happy about your new hair.

Also, see how much Grover loves me?

In Remembrance

I pulled out of the apartment this morning and flipped my lights on. As I pulled onto the highway, I was one in a sea of cars driving our morning commute with our lights on. It is astounding to me, the way this links us all. The way we all remember that moment. The way we all have different political backgrounds, different morals, different standards of living. But we all turn our lights on. Because each of us, no matter what we believe or how different we are, feels the need to do something. To contribute in some way. Even if it is just a small token of remembrance.

Today I am going to drive out to Kennesaw Mountain. It's not really a mountain. It's more like a glorified hill. But they do an amazing display every year. they put up a flag for each person who lost their life on 9/11. And throughout the day someone reads the names of each person over the loudspeaker. It is an awesome tribute.

"semlly cat smelly cat"

Jeff is adament that we can not keep the kitten.

Please note that I have witnessed the following in the past 24 hours:

• Jeff arriving home and immediately letting the cat in
• Jeff playing in the floor with the cat
• Jeff referring to the cat as "our cat"
• Jeff arriving home and calling out "Grover! Come see me!"
• Jeff with the cat on his lap watching football
• Jeff talking baby talk to the cat
• Jeff sneaking the cat into the bed-which was forbidden not by Jeff but by me!

But seriously, who wouldn't love tihs little face?

so bad the kitten wouldn't eat it

There are several things I am not good at. I'm not a good housekeeper. I'm not good at remembering to take the towels out of the wash. I'm not good at remembering to email people back. I am not good at backing out of the driveway without hitting a mailbox. Or my then-fiance's trash cans.

And last night I learned that I am not good at frying chicken. No, really.

I am also good at being a fabulous daughter. See, sometimes I make extra food and put it in little containers and drop it off in my dad's fridge on my way to work. Athough I forgot to drop off the tacos and the chicken this week. This was gonna be my dad's piece of fried chicken. Sorry dad.

In an effort to make myself feel better about this fiasco, I'm going to post pictures of something I am good at. I am dang good at scrapbooking. I may not can cook, but darn it I can scrapbook.

video killed the radio star

I have a new mini webisode up at SIStv. It's after the Scrapworks portion of episode 34. I made Jeff miss part of the Saints vs Colts game to watch it with me because I was totally nervous. Mostly because I always think that on recordings, my voice sounds like a 5 year old girl. And maybe in real life too, because sometimes when the telemarketers call us and I answer they say "Is your mommy home?" (to which I sweetly reply "I have no mother!" while faking a slight sob and evoking an immediate hang up from said telemarketer). I am happy with this episode because I think I sound maybe 12, and less country than in real life. I do not think I used the word "Y'all" at all in this one. Snaps to me.

Here is a picture of me "on tv." (click to see larger)

What I especially like about this freeze frame is the way Jeanette's face is frozen in a look of utter shock and horror. What I pictured in my head was Jeanette looking like "Oh KA, what a beautiful scrapbook page! You are the most talented scrapbooker in all the land. And also you have really great hair" Instead, it's more like "Cripes! I find this to be shocking! And horrific!"

Here is the behind the scenes details, KA style:
I walk in to do this and some random man, well okay the sound guy, proceeds to feel me up. He looks at me and says "I'm going to clip this to your shirt, run the wire down the front of your shirt, and then clip the other part to the back of your jeans." And then he does it as quickly as he says it, leaving me in a 1.5 second moment of pure panic as I frantically try to recall if I'm wearing any sort of undies that I might not like this sound guy to catch a glimpse of as he fastens the little box to the back of my jeans. That was a really long run on sentence. I mean, he was a really nice guy, and obviously very talented as I don't sound five years old in this clip, but it's just not every day people going around clipping random microphones to the back of my jeans. Wait a minute. Yes it is. That happens to me every time I go to Publix.

Then Jeanette and I started giggling. Then the camera man said I was talking too fast. Then the makeup lady said my nose was too shiny and attacked me with her powder brush.

So then I had a martini.

And sang Hit Me Baby One More Time

And all was well with the world.

Here is a picture from the other episode we filmed, note the makeup lady behind me, preparing to once again attack me with her powder:

the one whereI admit I was wrong

On Friday night Jeff was playing a video game before we went to hang out with Jon and Pregnant Tiffani. He is trying to tell me that he thinks there is a cat on our balcony because he is hearing cat noises.

"Jeff, I said, it's probably one of those idiots on that game you play making cat noises. How in the world would a cat get onto our balcony?"

"Yeah, you're right. It'd have to be a supercat."

Saturday night Jeff was doing something in  the living room and was sort of singing under his breath.

"Jeff, I called from the kitchen, stop making those weird noises! You sound like a dying cat."

Last night Jeff came in the bedroom.

'Honey, I think there is a cat on our balcony."

"Jeff, we've talked about this. We live on the second floor. There are no trees near our balcony. There is no balcony above us, or next to us. There is no way any cat could get on our balcony."

"Okay. But I think I just saw a cat on our balcony."

So I pull on my robe and fling open the door to prove to him that there is indeed, not a cat on our balcony.

Meet Grover.

The kitten who has been living on our balcony since Lord knows when. At least since Friday night.

HOW this cat got onto our balcony, we can not figure out. We stood in the street and gazed up at our apartment, listening to his little meows and marveling at the fact that he must have teleported himself onto our balcony. Because there is no other explanation people. He is trapped up there, there is no way off the balcony just like there is no way on the balcony. Which I suppose is good because at least I can feed him and look for his owners.

I am calling him Grover because he's a furry little monster, but I haven't checked to see if it's a boy or girl yet.

It has already eaten two chicken breasts, because we didn't know what else to give it and I could see the poor things ribs. I'm trying to figure out how to tell my husband that we are eating hamburger helper for dinner due to the fact that I cooked up the chicken we were going to have tonight to feed the super cat on our balcony. I don't see that going over very well.

I asked everyone in our building and at the front office but no one claimed him today. I'll put up signs tomorrow.

I hope someone claims him soon because my husband says we can't keep him.

I bought some food and a litter box and a little catnip toy today. Not because I'm attached already or anything. But to maybe make up for insisting that he didn't exist all weekend. And also because maybe Jeff will let me keep him.