Today is a beautiful day...

Finally after several days of rain. The sun is shinning! I am so excited to share some amazing news! First I will start by saying that a negative person attempted to destroy my joy yesterday so today I just have to take a moment to brag about my son.

Yesterday we had to take him to the campus to get his placement testing done, this is something that needs to be done every year that he attends this online school because they need to see where he is and what he has learned. Well we sent him to this school because he wasn't able to have several 8th grade classes in the 7th grade at other public schools and he was testing way higher than IB classes for middle school. So the only choice was to pull him from public schools all together and homeschool him. But then the MPS Home schooling program sent papers about this new online schooling option allowing middle school students to take the grade level of work that they test at verses what grade they are currently in. So we ended up at the online school.

He loves it. And it has been challenging but one thing this did was get us (his parents) even more involved in his education. And so what we did is start to look into more information about stress and testing and ways to help our child not be so stressed when it came to taking tests. Well we noticed immediately that the methods that we selected worked very well for him. And we kept working with him so that he could learn those methods (that fit him) so that he wouldn't be so nervous or stressed. All this information was found on the internet and through self help books that I read with him during the school year!


We have seen 110% increase in his testing since then. Last year we knew that he should have tested much higher than 8th grade levels but at the same time we didn't judge or belittle that accomplishment. We just wanted to make sure that we found something for him to handle the anxiety he feels when he takes tests. And of course without medication, but just a way for him to calm himself.

Ok I'm getting to the details I promise... yesterday after testing almost for 3 hrs (with some breaks in between) we received the scores. But what was so amazing was that he came out of the testing extremely happy (without the scores) and that is an immediate change that we noticed before too. He wasn't worried about what scores he got, or how he might have gotten questions 1 or 15 wrong or anything. He was happy. He said he did his best job and that he was glad that we had found a way to make taking tests easier. We told him that we were proud of him no matter what test scores that he got.


So the scores...my 7th grade son tested at a 10th grade reading level and an 11.9th grade math level! Let's just say we were amazed! Completely amazing! So now the issue is what grade will he actual be in next year? He had a goal, he wanted to graduate highschool at 15. I didn't discourage his plans at all, but now I see that this might actually be something that he does.

So today there will be some conference calls and some planning being done per the school with us. I mean what can they do? He tests extremely high on the state tests, he gets extremely good grades, and now he is testing well beyond the grade level that he is in.

So I had to take a moment to share that little bit of good news because I rarely brag or talk about my kids' educations and where they are at with anyone. Just because honestly to me grades don't really mean as much as them doing their best! And feeling good about what they did!

A mini update....Family related

My baby is walking! Completely on her own. Slow but steady. I have ready to get her on camera for the last week but no matter when I am ready, she doesn't walk for me to get it on film. lol lol. But I am going to get that picture one way or another. And it doesn't help that every time I pull out the camera LeiLani comes and gets right in front of it.

I don't have any photos to share...oh wait...maybe one on cookies. I have a batch of these cooking right now.

My card for the SFYTT challege

This is the card that I made using the sketch from iheart2stamp, here is the link in case you want to try it out http://iheart2stamp.com/2010/05/08/sketch-for-you-to-try-38/

But the card is for LaTrele's 8th Birthday. I can't wait to give it to him. All the papers are part of my kit that I am selling on etsy. I love using this kit because it can be used for so many different things. But back to the card, the image is stamped with Memento Tuxedo black ink and then colored in with coloring pencils. I then inked the white cardstock with barn door distress ink and yellow chalk ink. I stamped the image, and then traced around it with a smoke colored marker and then cut it out. I then cut it and the robot out and then put both of them on foam pop dots.

I also added bling to the robot. The circles were cut with the old Fiskars cutting template, and also the Spellbinders label eight. I roughed up all the edges with the TH distress tool. And both the black and orange cs is embossed with CB embossing folders. The # 8 is an American Crafts fabric white thicker that I colored with the barn door distress ink. And the ribbons are Creative Cafe.

So here is the card...

Happy Mother's Day!!

I just wanted to stop in and say Happy Mother's Day to all my mom readers! I am having a great day so far! It is somewhat sunny (compared to the snow from overnight which has melted away!...yes I said snow!) I also wanted to share the cards that my kids made for me. I'm a simple kinda mom, a card, a hug, some chocolate...my day is all wonderful! LOL! I tell them all the time to make something for me instead of buying something, one because it causes them to be creative.

So here are the cards that they made...LaVele's card is one the best that he's made for me so far. Maybe it's because he's a teen and has learned some of his Dad's skills (the sweet talk it takes to get on my good side) lol lol but what he wrote made me cry. His poem included thanks for pushing him, and telling him that he does a great job, and he even thanked God for letting no other person be his mom but me...it really was awesome!

And he also helped his little sister make a card too! She of course is a little crafter and added more glitter and markers...just like mom would! Just so awesome! And LaTrele's card is just as special too! And all the kids signed each other's cards (something that I like too!)....

Also before I go, I wanted to share that I will be uploading another photo of a card that I made using the remaining papers/embellishments from the kit. It is really cute! And I used a sketch from 1heart2stamp.com. I have never submitted a card to a challenge, I might use the sketch to make cards, but never put them into the competition but I decided that I will do it this time. Mostly because I was at my local scrapbooking/paper store and the sales clerk said that I should have been submitting to magazines and all that. Well my biggest fear is rejection. So I decided not to worry about rejection, just enter a challenge and that's it. So I did...and I will share the card I made later today (maybe)??

Some quick updates and information

I just wanted to stop in really quick and answer a couple questions that I have gotten from two separate sites and also from emails.

The first question was if the family memories kit has some directions.

The answer is yes, I have typed up some basic instructions, a supply list, and also included colored print outs of the actual pages that I have created. Along with colored prints of the cards that I made using the kit remains. The information is very basic but it gives you a general idea of how the kit pages are put together. I do give directions on creating the tire tracks.

The second question was about the link to my etsy store. I have now gotten that corrected. My store is located at www.etsy.com/shop/tracyross98 I am planning to add the permanent link to my store to my blog as soon as possible, but because I want to change a few things around it might take me a little while to get it all complete.

I also have put my Mothers are the stitches...card on my etsy shop as well. And if there are any questions please feel free to email me at tracyross98@yahoo.com or leave a comment and I will respond here. Tracy

Just a few cards made with the mini album kit remains. lol

I have been busy working on making cards for this month. May is my busiest month for making cards for my family and friends. Well besides November and December. lol But May is super busy at our house mostly because my Mom’s birthday, Mother’s Day, LaTrele and then LaNya’s birthdays are all in this month. And if my Dad was still living we would be celebrating his birthday before LaTrele. And then there are also graduation cards for family members that are going to graduate. And this year that would be my nephew David. So this month is jammed packed with events that need a greeting card to go along with a nice little gift. And that means that this month will be the one that you see a lot of cards from me (well I hope).

So last night I decided that the card that I wanted to make for my mom should use the fox stamp from Imaginisce that I have been hoarding forever. And no matter what I tried to change the greeting to it just seemed to come back to what I thought my mom would like more than anything else. So this is what it ended up being…

I just hope that she likes it because it was kinda weird to call my mom a foxy moma but hey I figured that is what she would like more than a foxy lady? All the papers are from the mini album kit that I am selling at my etsy shop and these are what were left over after making the mini album. I am challenging myself to use only what I have left over from that kit so that I can show just how much extra is in the kit once you have created the mini album. I don’t have copic markers and so I used the supplies that I had to color the fox. I used both coloring pencils and markers to color him. And as I have stated before, I know nothing really about shading so I did what I thought would look right. I might not win an award for coloring but my mom will like it. Ok and since I touched the topic of not having copic markers I might as well say that I don’t think that I will not get some one day, but I just can’t justify spending money on them because I have so many other coloring tools that I don’t use. And once I have used them…then maybe one day I can get some copic markers?

And then I decided to make one for my cousin whose birthday is the first week of June. Might as well get that one done. She is my favorite cousin & best friend and so I really felt like the foxy lady fit her!

So after making the fox cards I thought I should get started on mother’s day cards. I usually make different cards for each person in my family but this year I think I will make them look the same but have different greetings (maybe). My Mom and Grandma’s cards are always the first to be made and so these are the cards that I made for them.

I finally used my QK die that I just had to get at a lss garage sale almost a year ago. It is so funny because I worked at the garage sale (somewhat) and I stalked that die and couldn't’t wait to get it but once I got it home I realized that I might have to wait a whole year to use it. I then sprayed it with perfect pearls perfect bronze mist and black soot reinker. I love how that turned out and then I wrapped knitting thread around it to make it feel more real! The greeting is handwritten. I saw it on a website and thought I can’t buy any stamps until I use the ones that I have! So I then added it to my wish list. I also used other things that I have had in my stash and never used before. The CB paisley embossing folder and the leaf pin have been in my stash for well over a year but I kept trying to add them to the “right” card…this one was it! The buttons are random ones from my stash.

Now I only have 6 more cards to make using the same design, scraps from the kit and other stamps or dies that fit Mother’s day themes…And just a day to get them done and in the mail. Well we will see what happens. Lol lol…

Mini album kit

Just as I promised...the mini album kit is all put together and listed on my etsy shop at http//www.etsy.com/listing/46047917/family-memories-mini-album-kit

I am so excited to be making kits again and plan on getting more examples of what I made with the kit on my blog. Here is the mini album that I made using the kit and I have a bunch of product left. I am planning on making Mother's Day cards and a couple of kid's birthday cards as well. I didn't even use half of the embellishments in the kit as well because I wanted to make the album not so bulky. I bound mine with the bind-it-all but your chipboard album is completely raw and has no holes at all so that you can have a choice of whatever binding you want.

There are no stamps or letter stickers included in the set but you get tons of paper so that you can diecut letters and use the supplies that you have already. The mini album I did is just an example.

Some of the papers used are WRMK- 72& Sunny Dots & Rainbow, Kaiser Craft- What a hoot, October Afternoon- Gazebo, Basic Grey- Urban Prairie Hayloft, Kioshi- Ran & Water Lily, Bo Bunny-Gypsy Henna, Kitchen Spice Sesame, 7 Gypsies- Terrassa, Fancy Pants- Sweet Spring Anni & Selby, On A Whimsy catch a wave, Cosmo Cricket- Early Bird Brunch, MME- Be loved hearts. There is actually a total of 32 patterned papers (2 of each design). That is shown below along with the embellishments from the kit which include 6 feet of paper tape (2 of three designs).