I have a friend....

I know this girl...She is a pretty nice gal and has a blog that she enjoys keeping up to date with little stuff going on in her life (mostly craft and scrapbook stuff). She wants to let her 2 or 3 followers know that she has some cool stuff to post but has to wait until after she gives them as gifts. How should she let them know that she hasn't been slacking (her words, not mine) and will post as soon as the coast is clear? And what would you suggest she do in the meantime to fill space and keep those 2 to 3 followers happy? She wishes to remain anonymous - don't tell her I told you but she is a little odd.

BoBunny Preview & GIVEAWAY

Stop by my friend Jane's blog. She is having a drawing for some pretty new BoBunny paper! All you have to do is leave her a comment to tell her which one you like The Scrapbooking Factory. Keep an eye on her website as well, she is adding new CHA products as she gets them in. Pretty stuff! Tell Jane hi for me!

I Got An Award!

Thank you Wanda! You always seem to know when I need a pick me up! Please come to Texas so I can give you a great big hug and make some cards with you!! I will do my best to pass this on to the bloggers that I really care about!


Here are the rules for this award: To pick up the Circle of Friends Blog Award cut and paste the award logo and use it on your own blog. Nominate 5 other bloggers you feel have become part of your circle of friends. Link to your nominees within your blog post. Include these instructions on how to pick up the award in your blog post. Link back to the person who gave you the award in your blog post, to show your appreciation. Comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.



1. Polly.... She is a beautiful girl that we have had the joy of watching grow up over most summers of her life. Polly's family used to own the resort we vacationed at in Colorado. Polly is all grown up and now lives in California. Her blog is hilarious. I always feel better after reading about what she is up to and the predicaments she can get herself into! Her blog is appropriately titled A day in the life . I really had no idea you were so funny, Polly!

2. Nicole.... She is the one who got me started blogging. Nicole and her husband Nathan are patiently awaiting the birth of their first child anytime now! She is a beautiful girl inside and out and is a good friend to everyone. You can catch up with her at Notes by Nicole. Remember to put me on the babysitting list, Nicole!!

3. Carrie....Is a great friend from church. We didn't get to know one another until about 3 years ago when we both started participating in the Celebrate Recovery ministry. What a great witness she is to the infinite power of God! Carrie can always be counted on for prayer or a helping hand. She also has some awesomely gorgeous curly red hair! Purple is her color so I'm Wearing Purple is the name of her blog. Isn't that cleaver??

4. Sandy....is Saved By Grace. Maybe that is why she is always so bubbly and positive about life. She is on fire for the Lord and is such an inspiration to me. Her husband Mike is equally as neat but don't tell him I said so or he will remind me of it for months. I love both of them but again, don't tell Mike.

5. Jane.... is a new friend but one I felt an instant bond with. She is the sweetest girl -I went to a crop at her home studio a while back and look forward to returning as soon as I can. I had such a fun time and laughed so much. It was the first time I had been to a crop and she really made me feel at home. She has an internet store called The Scrapbooking Factory and her blog is called The Scrapbooking Factory as well. p.s. She just got some great new product in! Stop by & say "hi"!

Thanks again Wanda, and thank you to all of you for being such great friends! I am blessed by all of you.

I'm still alive...

All is well in the Neel house. Mike is still driving trucks and being an awesomely wonderful husband. Matthew is busy saving lives in Medina County and loving it. Hayley is on her last week of summer break. She will go back to ACE and should be finished in a couple of months! Go Hayley! I have been hard at work making goodies to take to Disney & share with my room mates. I have made some really cute things but the trouble is, I can't post them! They are surprises for the girls! Not all of it is paper crafts. I got the old sewing machine out tonight and am mighty pleased with what I came up with. I will keep photos and post my creations when it is safe. 29 days and counting for Disney! I'm sure I will have a little something to post in a few days, just can't imagine what at this point! Maybe I should post a picture of my new Ottlight I got at JoAnn Fabric this weekend (50% off!) Woohoo! I'm a wild girl.

A favorite birthday card

Cheryl made this adorable digital layout for my birthday! Isn't she talented?? Pink & brown are my favorite! Thanks Cheryl!

They call me Newbie

Saturday and Sunday I spent many hours scrapbooking with some of the nicest ladies! I had never been to a crop before and Cheryl wanted me to get my feet wet before we go to Florida next month to scrapbook with 500 of her closest friends. I was so nervous but it took me about 3o seconds to feel at home. The crop was at her friend Jane's home studio. Jane has the greatest set up as well as an awesome internet store named The Scrapbooking Factory. All her product is top notch and I bought plenty while I was there. The ladies kept referring to me as the "newbie". I was in awe of all the beautiful stuff they were creating. I didn't get much accomplished the first day because I just stared at all the great stuff around me. Sunday morning, my creative juices started flowing and I made a few things. I will be more prepared next time....Gosh it was a fun weekend!!!!

I love ribbon and thought I had a lot of it but take a look at this!!! Her collection wasn't even the biggest! They all brought their supplies in these sophisticated carriers. I was like a kid in a candy shop!

I absolutely LOVE this photo of Cheryl. Look closely and you will see she is wearing 2 pair of glasses! She said she doesn't do bifocals well and this works for her. The only problem is, she sometimes forgets she has them on and gets some odd looks from strangers! I would never look at you odd Cheryl, I'll just put your picture on the internet!

Everyone was hard at work making magic with paper.

I have a thing for flowers and Jane has every flower a girl could want. I want to put them all in a big bin & jump in! Take a look at the size of these babies!

A couple of simple cards I made. Top one is a general card and the bottom is a card for Mike's birthday.

This is a money envelope/ card for a high school graduate. Simple but nice for a boy.

A make & take card.

Everyone else uses embelishments on their projects. I on the other hand, see an excellent disguise. That is Jane with me.

This is my latest mini album. I made from toilet paper rolls. I saw it on the blog PawsN2Stamp. She has a little tutorial in case you are interested. It was super easy and a ton of fun!

I titled it "Life is Good" and put some random family pictures in it. I will make some more of these cuties.


I never thought I could have so much fun scrapbooking with other people. My reply when asked who I scrap with was always "Me, Myself and I". I think those days are over..... :-)

Thanks Cheryl, you created a monster!

If you are a scrapbooker, go to The Scrapbooking Factory and check out all her goodies. The paper and flowers are oh so cool!

A long Time Coming

My close friends know of something that has hurt in my heart for a long time. Due to a lot of dysfunctional family behaviors, hurt feeling and somethings I simply can't explain, I haven't seen my father or siblings for a very long time.

We were all thrown together in 2000 when my mother became ill and subsequently passed away. The situation was an awful one for all of us, we had carried so much anger and hurt around for many years and this crisis multiplied those feelings tremendously. Once my mother finally passed on to rest peacefully in her Heavenly Father's arms, we continued with our hurtful words and actions toward each other. We were more divided than ever before. My reaction was to basically walk away from my remaining family as a protection mechanism for myself & my children. I realize there is no perfect family or relationship out there but my biggest fear had always been that my children would experience the same hurt & anger I dealt with as a child. My father, mother, sisters & oldest brother and I all had a part in the mess we were in but from my perspective, I seemed to be the only one that carried so much baggage from our dysfunctional family life. I was a mess to say the least. Turning away was the best answer I had at the time. I took no pleasure in it but I was able to spend some valuable healing time in counseling, prayer and thought. I have forgiven those that have hurt me and asked for forgivness from those that I may have hurt.

There is one innocent bystander in this mess. It is my sweet, little brother, Jody. He was born premature and mentally handicapped. He has dealt with pain and illness his whole life. He loves everyone with a pure heart and is loyal to the bone. I had told Jody I would be there for him but I gave into unrealistic fears and made pointless excuses and stayed away. I thought about him every day and felt a deeper and deeper guilt building up inside. The longer I stayed away, the harder it was to go back.

I woke up sick on Father's Day morning and had one of my frequent urges to call my dad. I immediately picked up the phone and called before I lost my nerve. The call did not go well but I didn't expect it to. I know I deserve some of the anger I got from him and I told him so. I also told him that I loved him and Happy Father's Day. I only heard silence on the other end. After I hung up I cried for a while and then decided to get my act together and go see Jody at the State School where he has lived for 25 years. I made it over there the next morning after getting lost a few times. I was very afraid but once I made it in I found Jody sitting in his wheelchair by the office shredding paper. (that is his official "job") I'm not sure if he recognized me right off but after I told him who I was he seemed to know me. I rolled him down the hall and we had a great visit. My dad came in a little later and we made a little small talk. I was shocked to see how old & frail he was. He told me he just finished up a chemo round for lung cancer and was starting another in the following week. I continued to visit with Jody for about an hour and promised him I would return soon. This time I intend to keep my promise. So much relief has come from my visit with Jody and I am looking forward to our next visit.

Recipe Box

I made this for my son Matthew for Christmas but actually just finished it. I know it's June but don't be too hard on me. He actually ended up moving back home for a while so he hasn't needed it recently. Hayley has requested one too. I liked this project!

He is always asking me how to make this or that and I realized most of my recipes are in my head and not on paper. I really had to think hard on how to make a recipe box for a guy. I wanted to make it fun and not too feminine. I also wanted it to be something that he could share with his wife someday. - I loved this paper!!!!The background looks like recipes and clippings you would find in your grandma's kitchen. There are even a few food stains thrown in for fun. I sanded & painted the $3.00 box inside and out and then added the paper to the ends, "recipes" to the front and mod podged the whole thing. I wanted it to wipe clean easily in case it gets dirty. The mod podge achieved that. I bought some chipboard dividers and had to trim them just a little and covered them with different colored papers and used my label maker for the tabs.

I used lined large index cards for the recipe cards and ran them all through my printer to personalize them a little. I added several favorite recipes and had his aunt add some as well. I think it's important to have them in our own handwriting to make them a little more special. I have one recipe that my mother hand wrote for me years ago and I have it preserved in a zip lock bag because it is beginning to deteriorate. I have a special feeling when I see it in her own hand writing. I need to give some blank cards to his great aunts so they can do the same. I printed plenty of blank cards so he can add to it as needed.

I hope you like it!