Stand Up & Care Blog Party

*Dude! I typed this all up yesterday afternoon… was waiting for the file to upload and then I was going to post the entry. Well, I forgot. So here it is…

I apologize for the delay in getting this posted. I went back to work this week… well not back to where I was laid off from, but back to some familiar ground. John and I did alot of talking last week and I’m now working part of his shifts at Pizza Hut… well I guess they aren’t his shifts anymore, they are mine. Hoping this keeps him from getting too stressed to focus at school… and also gives him a chance to spend some time with the boys. Corgen always tells me he wants to see Daddy more, so now he gets to do that. Maybe we’ll be able to clock a few more hours than John had been able to on his own. But I haven’t really been home to work on the computer for 2 days so I’m a bit behind schedule on my plans for this week. Anyway… I’m going to put the freebies here before I finish my post as there’s some things i will probably say that most people don’t want to read so i’ll go ahead and give most of you what you came here for.

Download HERE

I’ve had 2 people comment to Divine Digital that they thought my “Operation: Save Christmas” promos are tacky… since so many other people are in the same boat I am with the current state of the economy. If I have offended anyone, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean or think I was doing something that would offend people, I’m just really desperate right now. And it’s not like i’m asking for a handout, I’m offering my products at an incredible discount to try and generate enough sales to pay a few bills (like rent) and put a few presents under the tree. Now I find myself wanting to type things here on my blog that are running through my head and wondering if since I am a designer, If i just need to keep all of my personal life to myself and out of the public eye since it might been seen as tacky or underhanded to just boost my sales… Why can’t I just talk? Well, I’m going to talk anyway cause this is my blog and if you don’t like me, then don’t read my blog. I did go ahead and pick up a few presents to put under the tree. Corgen is in kindergarten this year and they’ve all been talking about Santa & Christmas at school… and he wasn’t a bad kid, so I couldn’t imagine having to try and explain why Santa didn’t bring him anything. He knows we’re broke right now, so i don’t think it will be too disapointing for him not to get alot from me & daddy. I’m constantly amazed at how much he’s grown up in the las few months. School was definately a good thing for him & he was ready for it.

Well, It’s time for me to go pick Corgen up from school. Hope everyone is having a great day!

Operation: Save Christmas {part 2}

Times like these are the ones that really make you remember how much certain people in your life mean to you, and also to remember how blessed you are to have them in your life.  I’ve been reading the comments people have left on orders placed to out my “Operation: Save Christmas” and i’m just blown away by the well wishes for me & my family.

My dear friend, Cyndi Wetmiller {Wetfish Designs} has put up a grab bag of Commercial Vintage products at Divine Digital. She is graciously donating the proceeds from the sale of this bag to help me pay my bills this month and be able to give my kids a few presents for Christmas. If you want to read more about my “Operation: Save Christmas”, click HERE to go to the original blog post.

You can grab Santa’s Vintage Sack in the Divine Digital Boutique for $6, check it out HERE.

John went to Orientation for his HVAC school last night. Classes start Saturday morning. He goes Sat & Sun from 8am to 6pm. Two weeks of class and then 2 weeks off for Christmas & New Year’s. It’s a bit of a bummer because Christmas @ John’s Mimi’s house is the Sunday before Christmas, so John will be at school. He’s going to drive up after class, but it’s a good hour+ drive to get there. So I have to make sure to take tons & tons of photos (like that will be hard! LOL!). I’m so excited he’s really doing this. He deserves to have an opportunity to get out of Fast food. He’s been working off & on as a cook at one Pizza Hut for almost 8 years now… WOW! He did have a few breaks from the Hut, working at a family restraunt in Arkansas, then as a stocker @ Petsmart, and Front Desk Night shift @ 24 hour fitness… but all of those are jobs, not careers. It’s hard to support a family of 5 on fast food wages. Hopefully by this time next year, John will be starting his career as a HVAC technician.To help him get through school without going completely insane… I am going to be working one of his shifts at Pizza Hut. We won’t get any extra hours (or income), but it takes a little stress off of John. But that means I have to go back to work atPizza Hut… I thought i had escaped for good when Damek was born, but nope. Too bad I had to get laid off or we’d be in much better shape financially. Stupid housing market & economy… LOL!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Chirstmas around my house. Two nights ago I hung up the stockings from last year, including hanging the dogs’ stockings in the kitchen. I also put up the inside wreath and the reindeer that Corgen & Damek made… I still need to finish Merrick’s and hang it up. Yesterday Damek & I brought in & put together the Christmas tree. He’s having a blast turning the lights on & off. Damek also got to make chocolate covered pretzels for John to take up to Pizza Hut. (A few people bought presents for our kids, so I wanted to send a little thank you treat). Corgen & Damek helped me find a stocking for Merrick that matched the other stockings… it’s not quite the same, but close enough. Tonight we’ll make some cookies and maybe some more pretzels.

New products in my store…

“Traditions” paper pack – $1.50

“Operation: Save Christmas – Frame Bundle” – $3.00

Frames are normally $2.50 each, so it’s a savings of 76%

And cause i’m still in the Christmas Spirit…

Notebook Expressions {two}

you can pick up this “Notebook Expressions” set for free with coupon code… MerryDelight

The code is good through Christmas. Enjoy! If you use it, please leave me a link to view your layout.

Operation: Save Christmas

Operation: Save Christmas

A Buy My Store {plus} promo from Princess Lala Designs
Just $27

http://divinedigital.com/boutique/product.php?productid=8859&cat=0&page=1

The last 3 months have been EXTREMELY hard on my family, financially.
Between losing the job I had held for 3.5 years, welcoming Merrick to our family,
finding out my husband’s raise has been frozen indefinitely,
finally seeing John enroll in HVAC school (so we have some hope of this situation getting better),
numerous repairs to the family truck so John can get to and from work & school,
and let’s not forget DHS losing 3 applications for medicaid & food stamps
(which means no insurance for the 2 older boys, and paying out of pocket for infant Dr. appointments)…
We don’t have enough money to pay our rent,
let alone buy a few little presents for our boys to open on Christmas morning.

Pay a little… Get a lot… Help me give my kids a warm home and a few presents for Christmas.

This $27 purchase includes the following:
- immediate access (upon payment processing) to all 73 products in my boutique as of Dec 4th
- a custom coupon (sent within 48 hours) to be able to pick up any products before February 1, 2009

This is only for products by Laura White- Princess Lala Designs
Only products found at this link will be included…
http://divinedigital.com/boutique/manufacturers.php?manufacturerid=38

All products are approved for Scrap 4 Hire and Professional Photographer use.
Products approved for Commercial Use and meant as a Designer’s Tool are clearly labeled in the top right corner of the preview.

Please read TOUs before purchasing.
If you have any questions, e-mail me at princesslaladesigns@gmail.com

Customers on slow or limited connections:
I am willing to reset your links as needed to make sure you can download everything included with this purchase.
Just send an e-mail to customercare@divinedigital.com as needed.

To be notified of all new releases from
Princess Lala Designs (Laura White), Studio Ra (Royanna Fritschmann),
and our Digital Reality Bytes collaborations…
Please sign up for the new “Digital Reality Bytes eNews” under modify profile in the boutique.

To anyone who is able to help in my family’s time of need, I thank you from the very bottom of my heart!

And now for a little freebie… since i’m trying to get into the Christmas spirit.

Sorry, link has been removed… but you can pick it up in my store HERE

Time Flies

Why is it that there never seems to be enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you want or need to do? I guess my time is limited a little bit with the fact that i spend a nice chunk of time cuddling with Merrick while he nurses. Today i managed to…

• Get Corgen up, fed & off to school
• Get John up, fed & off to work
• at breakfast & lunch with Damek
• play about 1 hour of video games with Damek (he wanted to play Oblivion)
• create 12 alphas
• load my 3 “4 the Dogz” products to Divine Digital
• shop for a few CU products for the kits i’m working on
• take a few pictures & download to computer
• update my Daily Mugshot (which i forgot about for a few days)
• Unzip & file about 35 things that were just sitting in my downloads folder
• pick Corgen up from school
• Go grocery shopping
• Get groceries put away & organize pantry
• Schedule payments for Sprint & Best Buy
• Call my mother in law about picking Corgen up from school tommorrow

And now it’s time for Dishes, laundry & dinner… Man, it never ends does it?? Oh well… hope to be back later to post a few picks of Merrick. I created a blog for the boys, but haven’t had time to get it all set up yet.

Hope everyone had a fabulous Tuesday!

Oh, for those of you here looking for the freebies, they are in my store now, each for just $1…

4 the Dogz {alpha one}

4 the Dogz {one}

4 the Dogz {two}

ASPCA blog party

I’m so sorry everyone. I was supposed to have freebies up for the ASPCA blog party @ Divine Digital for the last few days… but i’ve been sick and barely doing anything. Everyone in my house was sick this weekend, even little Merrick.

Good news is I do have those freebies everyone was here looking for… and now you can grab them in one stop. Hope they are worth the wait to you.

Animal rescue groups are dear to me… two of my dogs became members of my family due to a local rescue group, both of my mom’s dogs (Nugget & Elmo) came from the same group, and my 3rd dog came home with me on vacation. I’m not real big on trying to find a pet in a pet store… there are too many dogs & cats that don’t stand a chance at having a decent life for people to be breeding dogs in little cages on a puppy farm to supply those pet stores. So, would you like to meet the fur-babies in my life????

Diesel

We adopted Diesel in May of 2005 after our dog died. His mom was a Rottie, dad’s breed is a mystery… but the vet’s best guest is an Australian Shepard. He’s a big baby, super sweet, and very protective of the kids. Corgen likes it when Diesel sleeps in bed with him to keep him safe from anything that may be lurking in the dark.

Mina

Mina is my baby. She was my Christmas present in 2005 when we moved out of an apartment and into our duplex. We figured since we now had a yard, Diesel might need a playmate… and I was all for having another female in the house to keep me company. Her mom was a Boxer mix, and best guess on her dad is Chow. She’s so my dog… John says she has my attitude & stubborness too. During my pregnancy, Mina spent all day following me around and sleeping on the couch with me. She was even the first one besides me to feel Merrick kick.

Onyx

Onyx came home with us from vacation in 2006. We went to Arkansas to visit our friends and their Dobbie had just had a litter of puppies. After spending a week playing with the puppies, we couldn’t make the trip back without one of them. Onyx is the baby of the house (even with Merrick here now). She’s very sensitive and loves to cuddle up in a pile of blankets.

Ok, time for the goodies right??? All of these will be up in my store if you happen to miss the free download links. And keep an eye out for more doggie inspired items over the next few months.

This first set was previously released in my “Doggie Bags” at My Digital Muse. For two months I donated half my grab bag sales to Safe Haven Animal Rescue (the group that helped us find our furry friends). So if you remember me being at MDM, check your stash to see if you have this already. Even if you do have it, you may want to download this copy & delete the old one… I re-created the button paw for this release.

LINK has been removed

LINK has been removed

LINK has been removed

Ok, off to tend to the 2 sick boys still at home with me today… and to try and figure out how to play Viva Pinata for Damek. wish me luck! LOL! Hope everyone had a great turkey day!

another freebie

Treat or Treating was a lot of fun. None of our friends made it over… somehow I knew that was going to happen. The boys remembered to say “Trick or Treat” and “Thank You” and even “Happy Halloween”. We just walked around the neighboorhood and never got more than 6 blocks away from the house. We maybe hit 10 houses… but somehow we ended up with 2 full buckets ande both of John’s cargo pant pockets full. I found out Corgen’s school Librarian lives just 2 blocks from my mom (and I remember going trick or treating to her house YEARS ago). Merrick slept thru the entire outing… even slept thru a diaper change & getting dressed in his monster costume before we left. LOL!
After we got home and finished sorting the candy, we continued a Halloween tradition we started last year… Watching Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas”. After the movie, Corgen decided he needed to go to bed, and I fell asleep with Merrick.
Here’s a little picture of the Big Boys from last night…

I’ll have to post a photo of little monster Merrick after I get the photos from my mom. This photo was taken yesterday morning before all the craziness started.

Today Corgen is at the birthday party for his best friend, Greg. He should be bouncing off the walls right about now, literally because it’s at Pump It Up.

Here’s the Passionately Pink freebie that should have been posted last night. It is a set of 10 randomly patterned & textured PINK papers… plus one dotted kraft paper. I’ll leave the freebies up for a few more days… it’s my fault they didn’t get posted, not anyone else right?

LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED

Rebecca Labbe (Kiden) is running a promo for Merrick right now. She created 2 Quickpage albums using my kits. Buy one & receive a coupon for 50% off an order from my store, buy both & receive the 50% off coupon, plus a second coupon to pick up “Mini Merrick” (a little mini kit I put together). More details on her blog… http://kiden.blogspot.com/

I’ve got a big project coming up in a few days. It all starts November 3rd (one month after Merrick was born). I’m calling it the Princess Project… my journey to being the person I want to be. I’m challenging myself to get myself my life in order, both for my sake & my family’s sake. I want to be healthier, more organized, not so stressed, on top of my household duties (instead of playing catch-up), on the path to being debt free, etc… So i’ll be doing some daily missions and journaling, and some scrapping along the way too. I’m sure i’ll have some digi goodies coordinating with this soon, as I’m designing part of what i’m using on my pages.

Well, I haven’t eaten anything today, Damek’s getting hungry… and Merrick will be up soon. So I better run. Talk to you tomorrow (i hope).

More Pink

Sorry for the delay. I started writing this blog post yesterday morning… then Merrick needed to be fed, and the dogs needed some attention… and then my dear hubby woke up & hijacked the computer that is currently hooked up to the net. Days when John is off are always a bit crazy. The plans I had usually don’t happen, and things get a little crazy, but eventually it ends up with all my boys (well, except Merrick) helping out with some cleaning around the house. So i’ll go update wht i wrote yesterday so it’s in the past tense, then post this blog w/ the freebie for yesterday. I’ll be back a little later with another post & freebie.

*

Today was pumpkin carving with Dad at Corgen’s school. John went, they had a blast… but Daddy left the camera in the car. So Mommy has to wait for Mrs Hale to post the pictures on her class website (gotta love the net!). They carved the pumpkins in groups at the tables to help things go a bit faster. We’ve still got 3 pumpkins here at the house to carve…. maybe tonight or this weekend. I see nothing wrong with caring AFTER Halloween this year.

Today is Halloween (aka Samhain)… my FAVORITE holiday of the year! We went an bought costumes Wednesday night. Damek is Prince Caspian and Corgen is going to be Batman again. Merrick has an adorable “Little Monster” costume courtesy of Auntie RaRa. I think some of our friends are bringing their kids over to trick-or-treat with us… but nothing is set in stone. Corgen wore his costume to school this morning for the parade.

PINK TIME!!

So what am I passionate about that I can share with you today? I know… I’m passionate about always having a creative outlet. I go absolutely NUTS if I can’t scrap, or doodle, or paint, or even play with Play-doh. And it’s not just that I get bummed that I didn’t get to do what I wanted… my Creative Time helps keeps me balanced mentally & emotionally.

Here’s a few pairs of Pink Shoes on my wish list…

Pink Converse (to match Royanna’s)

Pink Adidas Running Shoes (to help me train for my 5K goal)

And finally something for the girly-girl in me… 4inch Chunky Heel Mary Jane Platform Pumps

I stumbled into like 50 other pairs of pink shoes I just loved while I was looking for these pics, but I don’t want to tease myself TOO bad. LOL!

So here’s my Passionately PINK freebie #2. If you like it, leave me a comment so I know… Positive feedback puts me in the mood to make more freebies. Link will be up for about 2 days, then it will be on sale in my store @ Divine Digital for $1.

LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED

Be back later with more goodies… gotta get John off to work now.

3 weeks & 5 days

Yep… 3 weeks & 5 days is how old my little prince is.

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged since he was born… well, ok, maybe i can. I’m a BAD blooger! LOL! So here’s the scoop to get everyone all caught up. Merrick Edward Arnold White was born October 3rd, at 11:16 am. He weighed 8lbs 13oz and measured 21 inches long.

Merrick- Oct 4th (1 day old)

I went in @ 6:45 to be induced. Got pictocin around 8, epidural around 9… could have started pushing @ 10:30, but was waiting for my OB to show up (he was finishing up an appointment). Started pushing @ 11am. Merrick had the umbillical cord around his neck 3 times, and they had to turn his shoulders because they were too wide (yes that hurt!). His heart rate had been a little low during labor (probably due to the cord), and his blood sugar was pretty low as well (big baby plus stress from labor). I was very surprised at how big he was… one ounce shy of being a pound bigger than Corgen had been.

Royanna flew in from Cali and spen a week with me (Oct 7-14th). It was absolutley FABULOUS to have her here to help take care of the bigger boys… who are feeling a little left out since Mommy has to spend so much time taking care of the baby. I so wish she didn’t live so very very far away! ROyanna took HUNDREDS of photos while she was here, and most of them are up on her Facebook page now. CLICK HERE to go visit the list of albums.

Anyway, the real reason I remembered to Blog today is because of the Divine Digital “Passionately PINK” Blog Party. Please take a minute to check out the “PASSIONATELY PINK!” Mega Kit in the boutique @ Divine Digital… all proceeds from the kit are being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The Kit is on sale right now for $5. If you love pink, want to support Breast Cancer Research, and love to scrap… you HAVE to check out this incredibly HUGE kit. There’s a peek at my Pink alpha below. :0

So first I’m supposed to tell you all something that I am Passionate about… Hmmm….I’m Passionate about being home to take care of my family (aka being a STAY AT HOME MOM!) Now don’t get me wrong, there’s absolutely NOTHING wrong with working when you have to… but i struggled for almost 4 years working the opposite shft as my hubby, not being around to see Damek take his first steps (along with missing plenty of other firsts), being too tired and stressed in the evenings to really want to play with my kids, etc… I got laid off at thebeginning of September, and while it sucks big time financially, I am so incredibly happy that I finally got what i’ve been wishing for for 3 years- to be home again. I didn’t want to have to leave Merrick for 8-11 hours a day to work a job that i didn’t really get any fulfillment from. John’s super happy because he finally gets to work the day shift instead of nights- which means he can spend time with Corgen who is at school all day. Now if I could just get Damek used to waking up in the mornings, it would be much better! LOL! At this point I don’t care what I have to give up to be able to stay home with my kiddos.

Living in a house with all boys, it’s hard to really have a lot of pink stuff. I don’t spend that much money on myself (everything is for the kids), but I do manage to sneak a little pink into my Blue & Green world.

(this is the alpha from the Passionately Pink kit)

Pink M&M’s…

the cookie bars I made with the pink m&m’s…

Crystal Light- Pink Lemonade (my fav alternative to water & DP)…

the Pink Roses John gave to me at the Hospital after Merrick was born…

My pink phone (that John bought me years ago)…

The pink wallet I HAD to buy on my last trip to Target before Merrick was born…

My Doodle pens- yep I have a pink one of those too…

Ok, that’s enough for now. On to the Goodies! Today I have a set of “Passionately PINK!” Starburst papers that coordinate with the Charity Mega Kit. Please do not share this file directly, refer your friends to my blog to pick them up. Link will be active for approx 2 days & then will be on sale in my boutique @ Divine Digital for $1. ENJOY!

LINK HAS BEEN REMOVED

Off to spend some time with Damek while Merrick takes a little nap.

Have a FABULOUS day everyone… and remember to THINK PINK!

Commercial Use, by request

I got a wonderful e-mail from a designer last night. She had seen my Halloween Brown Bag Special and asked if I was planning on releasing any Commercial Use Halloween Products. Well, ask and you shall receive… LOL! It was already on my to-do list, but i bumpedit up a few notches and got 3 CU products in my store before heading to bed last night.

Halloween Fantasy #1

Halloween Fantasy #2

Halloween Fantasy #3

I’ll be working on some more sets over the next few days.

But it’s time to get ready for the Cowboy’s game now. After the game we are heading to my Mom’s to celebrate Corgen’s birthday (which is tomorrow!).

New goods! :)

3 projects down.. how many more to go? Not sure, I know i lost count along time ago.

Here’s a sneak Peek at my pieces of the October Download-a-Day kit @ Divine Digital. Be sure to stop by the forums everyday to grab the next piece. Cyndi Wetmiller of Wetfish Designs & Donna Phillips of Pixel Princess Designs are the tow other designers I worked with on this project. As soon as Cyndi finishes upthe BIG animated preview, I’ll post it here too.

Now for some goodies you can grab now…

Brown Bag Special #4- Halloween Edition

Halloween is my FAVORITE holiday of the whole year, so I couldn’t let it pass without putting together a special little treat.
Inside this Brown Bag, you’ll find 2 of my favorites from last year (Spookalicious Swirls & Spookalicious Frame), along with 5 brand new products.
All this for just $5, that’s less than $.75 per product!

Brown Bag Special #5

Full of doodle & paper-y goodness… Inside this Brown Bag, you’ll find 7 brand new products for just $4, that’s less than $.60 per product!

Ok, back to designing… My boys are over at my mom’s house for a while, leaving me in a cartoon-free zone to design to my hearts content. Just 2 more days till Corgen turns 6, and I don’t want to have to work on his birthday.