BLOG HOP TIME AGAIN!!!!!!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! Our blog hops
take place on the last Saturday of
every month. Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't
want to miss all the ispiration from our members....... or the prizes

This time around I wanted to share with you a recipe I got from my Aunt Mayme, it is a lovely, light dessert perfect after any big meal. We used to try to go to Thunder Bay to visit her every year on March break and she always made this one for me.
This isn't the greatest picture of it, but trust me when I say you will love it!
This is basically an upside down lemon meringue pie, the meringue is your bottom crust...how fun is that!


Beat 5 egg whites stiff and add while beating
1 1/2 tsp vinegar
1 1/2 tsp water
2 tsp vanilla
1 2/3 cup white sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
Pour into large WELL greased cake pan. Bake at 275 for 1 hour. Turn heat down to 230 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Turn oven off and leave the pan in the oven overnight.

Next morning
mix 1 tin Eagle Brand Milk
1/2 -3/4 cup lemon juice (I like to use more as it doesn't end up with a strong lemony taste otherwise)
1 egg yolk
*Whip 1/2 pint whipping cream and fold into the above mixture. Spread on top of meringue and chill atleast 3 hours.

Your meringue might be puffed up and uneven - just poke it lightly down and then add topping.

Another thing I like to do is to grate a little zest of lemon onto the top of the dessert for a little more zing.

Now how about leaving some comments for me and share one of your favorite recipes with me? If you do, I'll put your name in a draw for a RAK from me. And please come back and tell me how you enjoyed this recipe when you try it yourself.

This blog hop will run from today, February 27th until March 2nd. We will
be drawing for winners on March 3rd.

Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is Carla's Cooking Blog so you are definitely in for a treat!

Busy, busy, blah, blah, blah

Well the last few weeks have been busy and blah at the same time.
First the blah, still no job prospects in sight and some days I'm okay with that, others it cuts me to the bone and I am struggling with feelings of disappointment, sadness, uselessness etc etc. No worries folks, it isn't like I'm despondent or suicidal just a little blue. I keep reminding myself that things will turn out as they are meant to and that I have to hold on to my faith, but you all know sometimes that is easier said than done. But I will survive, I just might not be enjoying the ride right now is all.
Now for the busy. Logan made the Junior Boys 4 Steps to Stardom Bowling team again this year for our lanes and the tournament was this past weekend. They won GOLD!!!
Woohoo boys, well done.
They will be heading to Timmins on March 6 & 7 for the Provincials and I hope they do well. We won't be travelling with him this time. He will go on the bus with all the other bowlers and coaches and will be billeted out while he is in Timmins. He is a little nervous as of course he is a pretty shy kid, but he is also a really polite and wonderful kid and I know he will be fine. That being said of course my nerves are frazzled at the mere thought of one of my kids being that far away from me on his own. Thank God my godson/nephew Tim is one of the coaches and he will be there too so I take comfort in knowing that Logan isn't completely without family.
Here are some pics of the boys and their amazingly sweet coach.
This is the team BEFORE the winners were announced (of course that is my amazingly handsome son in the back row beside the coach)

And this is the team AFTER they got their gold medals, atleast some of them changed expressions...geesh Lord save us from moody teen and pre-teen boys LOL (oh how love when I see my boy smiling and happy, he's the first on the left don't you know LOL)


And on another note, don't forget there is another fun blog hop starting on Saturday, it all starts on the Lovebug Blog

Survivor Pool and Today

We have a new Survivor pool started at Lovebug, even if you dont' watch the show you can play, it is going to have a fun twist that we are sure you will love, come and check it out in the Survivor Forum

Logan is feeling better and off to school today, he missed their overnight field trip though. I think he has mixed emotions about it, he was looking forward to the dogsledding etc, but wasn't so keen on sleeping in an arena overnight so I guess it depends on how you look at it. I guess I will have to contact the school to see about getting my $50 back that I paid, but atleast Logan is feeling better and back to his old self again.

So much going on, so many things I am thinking about that I don't even know where to start. Let's just say the main debate for me right now is still about going back to work. So many pros and cons for both sides, staying home or going back to the workforce. Unfortunately the choice isn't wholly mine as the job situation here isn't exactly great. Time will tell I guess.

So to fill some place let's play "today"...

Outside my window... it is bright, sunny and cold.... - 26C
I am thankful... for health and my family
I am thinking... to go back to work or be a stay at home mom and that I am going to try to call my girl Nicky this afternoon, it's been a year since she was here and I miss her
I am celebrating... the freedom to make the above choice LOL...sort of...okay, extra money would be really really helpful..
From the kitchen... I think tonight will be shepherd's pie, haven't had it in a long time and I love it
I am wearing... my comfy Jockey Person to Person navy roll top pants and my blue and black hoodie
I am reading... Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
I am hoping... that I can find a way to take the kids away for a mini vacation during March break
I am hearing... the glorious silence in my house, kids are all at school and DH is at work
I am working on....the final details for the Lovebug Survivor Pool and a nice litte reward challenge for our players
Around the house... laundry, dishes, vacuuming, laundry, dishes, vacuuming...never ending vicious cycle
One of my favorite things... my cup of coffee that right now tastes like a little bit of heaven right here on Earth
A few plans for the rest of the week... grocery store this morning then to the Red Cross to fill out some paper work that I need to do when I am volunteering there, helping them update their computer files etc, should be fun and it will be nice to be around grown ups too LOL

Lovebug Blog Hop Time...Woohoo!!!!!!!

Welcome to Lovebug Scrapbooking's "INSPIRE US!" blog hop!! This is the first
of 12 months of inspiration, each to take place on the last Saturday of
every month. Thanks so much for joining us!

If you just happened by this blog and didn't realize a blog hop was taking
place, please go back to Lovebug Scrapbooking and start the Hop. You won't want to miss all the ispiration from our members.......or the prizes

Our theme for January is "Love is In The Air".

Now let me premise this by saying that I have known about this for weeks and it totally slipped my mind to do a project, and so I did what any resourceful mother who has 3 kids home today as it was a PD day for them...I put them to work.
Carly spent the afternoon downstairs in my scraproom with me and helped create these adorable little cards from my scraps. She did most of the work herself, with me doing the cutting for her and helping her out a bit along the way. I think she did a great job.


Her second project was this little coupon book she put together, not sure who she is giving it to. We simply cut the patterned paper down to size, punch a few holes and threaded ribbon through to hold them together. The coupons were created at DLTK's site, which is full of great little crafts and printables for the whole family, and they are free, so be sure to check them out.


So leave me a comment and I'll enter your name in a draw for a lovely rak, and don't forget to send your friends along too. If your friend leaves me a comment and tells me you sent them, I'll enter both of you in the draw twice. How cool is that, huh?


This blog hop will run from today, January 30th until February 6th. There will be a prize drawing on February 7th. Check the Lovebug Blog for more details!

> Follow along in our blog hop! Your next stop is to one of my favourite gals in the world, the most talented Margo. So head on over and prepare to be amazed.

New Year and Fresh Start

Okay, I knew it had been awhile since I posted, but August? Really??????

I won't even attempt to catch everyone up then, suffice to say that life goes on and it's been the same general lunacy as usual.

How about some scrappy news? We are blasting off into the New Year at Lovebug with an online crop January 22 - 24th, come and check it out. 2010: A Lovebug Odyssey There are going to be challenges, games and of course prizes, bring a friend along, the more the merrier.

Also the Lovebug 60 Page Club is starting again, bigger and better than ever, so be sure to check that out too.

On the home front, I am heavily in denial that I will be the mother of teenager in another week. I have decided that Logan is NOT going to be thirteen. He will forever more be referred to as One Three, or my personal favorite "not twelve". I am totally not prepared to be the mother of teen..where did the time go???

And many of my dear friends are going through tough times right now and without giving too much detail, if everyone could send out some extra positive thoughts and prayers on behalf of Heidi and on behalf of Jeff and Nancy and family I would be eternally grateful.

That's all for now I think, but I will promise to try to be back. (There you go Jillian *wink*)

Wedding of the Year...and You Are Invited!

I've got a personal invitation for all you scrappers out there to the wedding of the year, and you can bring as many guests as you like, our venue has no limits!
Dress is casual, so even jammies are acceptable. Hope to see you all there!
(click on invitation if you need a larger view).

Sweets & Treats Online Crop

I can't believe I forgot to tell you all.

Friday March 13th is the start of the Lovebug Sweets & Treats Online Crop, 7 pm CST.

We are going to have a ton of SWEET challenges for you all and you just know that Denise is going to have some SWEET prizes too!

Check out the suggested supply list HERE and be sure to join us in the forum next Friday evening for a ton of fun!

WHY???

Okay so most of you know that I am working part-time casual right now, generally only 2 shifts/week from 9:30 am - 1 pm.
So tell me why it is that those 2 days/week seem to be the only days of the week that my kids get sick and need to stay home from school?
Thankfully the boss is a Mom and knows too well what's it like with sick kids and the deal when I hired on was that if the buses got cancelled, it was a PD day or the kids got sick I didn't come in to work, but geesh....I have had to bow out of 3 of my last 6 shifts between ice storms and flus....
Okay, vent over...
I am scheduled to work tomorrow morning, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that there is no storm and no vomiting in my future.........


And on an unrelated note (or two)..

Some big stuff coming up on Lovebug, so stay tuned

And, I miss Courtney LOL She is away with the family in Florida (where I am sure it is MUCH MUCH warmer than it is here) and I can't wait for her to get home so we can chat and play.

Oh My! It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas???

Okay I knew it had been a bit since I posted, just didn't realize it had been this long.
You all know how it is when the holiday season starts, right?
So, between shopping...ughhhh...Christmas get togethers and events at the schools etc, I have been scrapping,surprised? Yeah, me too!
Yesterday I went and volunteered at the Royal Canadian Legion, they put on a Christmas lunch for all of New Prospect School. Both Evan and Carly went and really enjoyed it. They had the whole shebang, turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, ham, dessert, hot chocolate. A good time was had by all.
Tomorrow Logan will have his turkey dinner at Pinewood School and I'm sure he will enjoy that as well, but I'm not volunteering for that one, tomorrow is my scrapping day with Courtney...yeah!
So, here's a few layouts that I have done in the last little bit. Hope you enjoy, and remember you can click them to make them larger.
The first bunch was all made with the November Lovebug Kit, I loved this kit!





This is one of My Girls, Amanda and Courtney, these gals just make me smile!

Those of you who read my blog on a more regular basis than that with which I post to it, will remember the dreaded Webkinz incident, right?

And just a few randoms, one of my current "make me smile" layouts is the "Have Her Cake and Eat Her Too", just makes me happy.

APPRENTICE IS A HIT!

Holy canoli, once again I am floored by the overwhelming response to a Lovebug event.
My Lovebug Apprentice kicked off on Monday, November 10th and I was expecting a nice little showing of about 20 players...we are now at 47 and the talent and fun are overflowing the site.
I am so totally thrilled with this turnout, and my "favorites" file in the gallery is overflowing with layouts that I fully intend to scraplift.
Sign ups for the event are now closed, but please pop in and play along just for fun if you like, or just browse around and enjoy all the lovely eye candy the players are turning out.
Hope to see you there!

LOVEBUG APPRENTICE STARTS TOMORROW!

Who loves The Apprentice?
Ever wonder how it would play out on a scrapbooking forum?
Well, now is your chance!

Join us starting Monday November 10th (sign ups will remain open until the 14th) on the Lovebug forum to play along. The game will run through the New Year so lots of time for fun, inspiration and competition.

Watch the forum for the official sign up thread.

This event will encompass a variety of things, including challenges, posting, shopping, games etc etc...maybe even some blogging if you choose.

All current, past and new members are welcome to join in the game and as always, no judging will take place. Everyone has an equal opportunity of becoming "THE APPRENTICE"

How will this be like "The Apprentice"?
* it will have tasks that you can complete or choose not to complete
* it will have prizes
* it will be challenging and fun

How will it be different from "The Apprentice"?
* absolutely no one will be fired
* there won't be any cut-throat antics, (but there will cutting of paper and there will be silly antics, of that I am sure!)
* I have way better hair than the Donald

So, who is up for it? Can't wait to get started!

And the Lovebug is BACK! YEAH!!!!!!

My beloved Lovebug is back online, the forum is back up and running and so is the store, the gallery is on it's way to being back.
Thanks to everyone for their patience and understanding
Huge thanks to Allan for working his butt off to get us back up quickly and easily (well easily for us, not so much for him LOL), but we sure do appreciate it.

Lovebug Update

For those who may not have received it, the following is an email that Denise has sent out. Also please note everyone that with the server being gone, I can not access my events email so if you need to contact me, you can either through this blog or at my personal email address.
Let's all send good vibes out to Denise and Allan who are working so hard to get us all "back home"

We're still here .........................

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But it appears that our host server is not! We woke up Sunday morning to no site and after trying to get a response from our host server with no luck we decided it was time to change hosting companies.

Allan is diligently working on getting the site transferred to the new host and will hopefully have it up and running some time tomorrow.

We can't access any of our Lovebug Scrapbooking emails at this time or our admin panel to process orders. As soon as the site is back up and running we will get the orders shipped out out ASAP.

We apologize for the inconvenience and we thank everyone for their patience.

LOVEBUG site is down

For all those who have emailed me since yesterday and those who haven't but read my blog, yes indeed the Lovebug site is down, there are issues with the server.
Denise and Allan are aware of the problem and have put in a support ticket so hopefully it will be resolved soon.
Personally I am going through withdrawal, I feel like I am completely disconnected from my peeps...sighhhhh
Guess I have no choice but to actually do some housework, that bites LOL

UNbelievable fUN at the UNcrop!

Further to my last post about so many of my Lovebug pals attending the Crop for Kids this weekend, I am feeling very Alice in Wonderland and am having an UNofficial, UNsanctioned, UNscheduled, UNline crop at Lovebug.

Come on over and join in the fun, I'll be posting challenges in honor of all my Lovebug friends at the CFK throughout the weekend, so pop in often and see what is going on and play along with us.

The more the merrier..

UNcrop You are UNvited!!!!!!

Instead of Pouting..

Well since so many of my BC online friends are lucky enough to be attending the BC Crop for Kids this coming weekend, and I am not, I have decided to do something productive instead of pouting. My girls Denise and Margo will both be teaching at the event, so if you are lucky enough to be attending, be sure to stop in and tell the girls that Kat says "hello". Several other online friend will also be there teaching and scrapping so say "hello" to them too for me.

While all my girls will be cropping away (and no doubt crying in their glitter at the sad fact that I am not there with them *wink*) I am going to do a little impromptu online crop for the rest of the Lovebugs who aren't going.
So, if you want to come and play with us Friday Sept 26th sometime in the evening and throughout that weekend, pop by the forum, the more the merrier.

Myself and the rest of the Team will also be having an official online crop on the weekend of October 3 - 5, lots of challenges and fun, so hope to see you there.
Back tomorrow (she says hopefully) with some fun photos and maybe even a little video from my Evan's birthday party yesterday.

BUGZEE BEGINS (Yahtzee - Lovebug Style) *edited for correct entry date* thanks Rachel LOL

So excited that our next big event at Lovebug is starting today. If you haven't already joined in, you have until this Sunday, June 22th to enter the fun.
We have some great prizes and you are guaranteed to have a blast and get lots of pages done ( I believe there was some mention of Glitz *wink*).
Keep in mind that at Lovebug, we never do judged contests or events, all levels of scrappers are welcome and encouraged to come and play along.
If you join now and mention you heard it on my blog, I have a wonderful rak for you.
So come on out and play some "dice" with me at Lovebug, you won't be sorry!

Buggy Lovebugs and Endangered Zebras...Oh My!

Okay, so a few weeks ago a bunch of the Lovebug gals were going on and on and on and on and on and on...(getting the idea here?) about their new addiction....Webkinz...yep, grown women going gaga over these weird little things. Me of course, being me as only me can...felt a need to point out that Webkinz were a mere communist plot to take over the world, that they were evil and dark, tools of the devil...etc..
Anyhooooooo, it ended up being a whole big thing with me teasing them, them teasing me etc etc...then that sneaky Allan ("Mr Lovebug"...not to be confused with "Mr Universe" atleast not in this dimension) decided to alter my avatar photo with a sad, deranged and disturbing chicken...
and then today......this happened..


Now Allan (hereafter to be referred to as "Zebra") has declared that I even messed up the picture as the weird little chicken (who I refer to as Allan the Dumb Cluck) is supposed to be affixed to the hat with the string which is not visible in the photo...oy vey....... LOL

CRAZY busy....

Starting to figure out the winners of our Lovebug online crop for NSBD, so too busy to type today.

How about some eye candy? Here are the 4 layouts that I completed out of the 26....not such a hot average, is it? LOL but in my defense, I was a tad busy making sure everyone else got lots done

You can click on the image to enlarge them and hopefully make out the journalling if you are so inclined

Have a great day everyone!

Shout Out to my girl Kirsten!!!!! And Happy NSBD!!!

The internet is an amazing thing!
Through an online scrapping community I met a girl, and this girl is a sister that God forgot to give me(of course not to lessen my love for my real sister...see how I save myself there? *wink*).
She is my soul sister, so much like me it is almost frightening...or atleast it would be if it wasn't so darned awesome
Kirsten, my dear, sweet friend. I miss you to death and can't wait until we find time to get together again. Know that I think of you all the time and you are the BEST baby!!!!!! I was so happy to get your email today, gave me the biggest smile I have had for a long time.

Oh and a reminder tomorrow is National Scrapbooking Day. Come and celebrate with me and the rest of the Lovebugs. Our online crop starts tonight at 7 pm CST and will run until midnight with new challenges each hour. Challenge posting will begin again Saturday morning at 9 am CST and run until midnight again. We've got lots of challenges, make and takes, games, surprises, prizes and fun going on. On and an amazing sale in the STORE too! (Did I mention that with the sale you can earn goodie bags AND get guilt-free shopping in June?)**And if this is your first time shopping at Lovebug, be sure to tell Denise in the comments section of your order that I sent you. Nice to let the boss know you are doing a good job, kwim?