Memorial Day weekend... and 10 random facts

I've been really busy with the long holiday weekend here in the USA so no scrapbooking. It's Memorial Day, to honor those who died in military service, AND somewhat warmer than it was last week. Saturday was finally gardening day and I got so much cleaned up! Sunday was a parade in Dundee, the next town over from me (where part of "Road To Perdition" with Tom Hanks was filmed). After that we went nature hunting! I have some pictures I'm going to scrap soon of the critter we got to see.... I just have to figure out which kit to use, haha! Today is RibFest in Elgin so we'll be coming home tonight with red mouths and sticky fingers. AND tomorrow I finally get to go to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago! I've wanted to go forever and I finally talked hubby into going (he isn't very adventurous). Anyway, that's my long weekend.

I have some random facts I found about Memorial Day that I never knew before... some that I did:

1. Memorial Day began in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania on May 5, 1866.
2. The official birthplace, declared by President Johnson, is Waterloo, New York.
3. Later in 1868, The date was changed to May 30th so it wouldn't coincide with a major battle date.
4. Memorial Day originally was called "Decoration Day" because the cemeteries, grave markers and memorials were decorated with wreaths, flags, crosses and flowers.
5. It wasn't called "Memorial Day" until 1882 as an alternate name. It's official name wasn't changed until 1967.
6. In 1971, the official date became the last Monday in May... one week later than Canada's Victory Day. This was so it would create a long weekend holiday.
7. In 1911, Moina Michael decided to wear and sell red poppies to honor military veterans who had died. This began the official "Poppy Day" in the United States.
She wrote this poem entitled "In Flanders Fields":
We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.
8. The Indianapolis 500 (car racing) is on Memorial Day, every year since 1911.
9. Memorial Day is considered the unofficial beginning of summer

The photos above are from the parade on Sunday in Dundee. I hope everyone had a great weekend too!

Happy Birthday Atasi!

Last weekend, my friend Atasi had a birthday party. We celebrated at North Beach and had a blast (if you have one nearby, you gotta go)! Free food, balloons, cosmic bowling, sand volleyball, dance floor in one room and awesome band in another, a mega-huge mega-alcoholic drink for the birthday girl AND open bar for the rest of us for three hours! At the end of the night, everyone danced to work off the alcohol for almost TWO hours before I'd let anyone actually drive, haha. Anyway, I made a LO using MOSTLY a new kit Kristine (WenchdGrafix) made... AND I won it for picking the name, King's Carnival (wheeeeeeeeee... it was free!). Here it is! Happy Birthday Atasi! And thank you Kristine! Click image for larger view.

Kit Wenchd Grafix' King's Carnival
Swirlies are from Carjazi-Wenchd Collab Kit
Bows, flowers and stitching from WenchdGrafix' Plum Pudding Kit
All of the above credited to
Kristine Pocock of Wenchd Grafix
and Diane of Carjaziscraps
Letters and frame swirlies glittered using Tara Donovan-Kostyrski for Moo Two Designs – CU Glitter Metalics and recolored by me
Font is Forte

It's Monday... and I just figured that out!

Where did the weekend go? I woke up this morning looking for hubby but couldn't find him. It didn't even dawn on me that he'd be at work... I thought it was SUNDAY! Well, I finally figured it out when I turned on the TV at noon and the daily soaps (ugh) were on half the channels.

Okay, so now it's late... almost 4:30 p.m. and I NEVER blog this late. But, since I've been trying to come here at least twice a week, I thought I'd better come and at least post the next "challenge" LO that I did. These... again... are two of my grandchildren, Tayli and Emma. The picture is a couple months old but hadn't scrapped it yet... I dunno why! Anyway, I was visiting Digital Arts Cafe and found that they had opened a forum that I didn't know about... AND that they had a fabulous new welcome kit called No Milk No Sugar! Needless to say, I had to sign up! And of course there's a couple challenges... one to do a LO and the other for a Quickpage Exchange. I first did the quickpage and decided I actually liked it, haha. So I did the LO using the QP! I actually won a $5 gift card for the boutique too!!! This is SECOND thing I won today... second thing I've won EVER in scrapping!!!! The other is from Kristine but I don't have that yet, LOL... that's for another day when I can brag, wheee. (Here we go... going off subject AGAIN). Anyways, here's my LO and if you want the QP you'll have to join the DAC Forum and create a QP for the exchange, hehe. (Or wait until after June 19th when the exchange is done... maybe I'll post it here) Click image for larger view.

Credits
Kit - Digital Arts Cafe Team - No Milk No Sugar
Fonts - Calligraph421 BT, Bickham Script Pro Regular, Bradley Hand ITC

That's it for now... almost time to start dinner... CIAO!

Dandelions.... and a LO

Yes, it's that time of the year! I have them in my yard even though I used the supposedly effective Scotts Turf Builder Plus with Weed Kill, haha. Maybe the dandelions are growing heartier than in previous years, because it's always worked before. Ah well, in a month I can spray again.

Speaking of dandelions... Vicki, made a gorgeous scrap kit called Dandelion Dreams and I was playing with it last night... and came up with the LO below. Go check it out on her blog, "A work in progress", along with all the other fabulous kits she's created. Click image for larger view.

Dandelion Dreams kit by Vicki at A work in Progress
Font is Johann Sparkling ITC

Lookie... COWS QP freebies!

The first thing I thought when I saw Kopperhead's Kit called Cowlicks was that I HAD to do something with it. I live NOWHERE near a farm but I love the country look and decided to play. I just got permission from her to share these QPs I made BUT you have to go check out her totally FREE kit on her blog too at 100 Things (Maybe More) and leave her some lovin'... those are MY terms, haha. While you're there, check out all the other great kits she has! She's been releasing a kit a week, a bit at a time. This week she's sharing a beautiful kit called Beachside Bride.

Okay, here's the LOs I created... the cows pics were soooo stolen from Google's image search (I have no cows in my area). Click HERE grab the free QPs (without the cow pictures of course)!!! Click on the pics to see them larger.

If you snag, please leave some lovin'! I'd love to hear from you if you stop by. Have a great day!

Blogthing... Flipflops!

I found this interesting! My DREAM is to live in San Diego!

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You are a warm, friendly person who simply enjoys life. You don't complicate things for yourself. Life is too short! You have a super optimistic attitude, and you have figured out how to be happy. Everyone wants to know your secret... and it's a lot more simple than they might think. Your ideal warm weather place: San Diego

The Flip Flop Test

Just a couple more LOs

A couple more challenges done... not well mind you, but done! These two are for the forum at Scrap Orchard. For some reason, I have a really hard time with challenges!

The first one is the "Cherry Pickin'" Technique challenge. We were supposed to pick out something from a photo and highlight it... so I picked my darling granddaughter, Emma, to be PICKED ON! This was from the last sleepover... she found my Harry Potter stash of "stuff" and I snapped the pic, haha. I HATE that Nuk-y in her mouth, but the picture is cute nonetheless. Click pic for larger image.

Napa Valley kit by Pineapple Plantation Designs
Fonts - Harry P, Parseltongue
Template - Rose McDigitals RMcDD_STMega2_78

This next one was an Ad Challenge at Scrap Orchard and I chose some pictures of one of my "other" daughter's wedding. It's also for the color challenge at Little Dreamer Designs blog. I thought her dress was GORGEOUS... but she wore TENNIS SHOES that had the word "Bride" embroidered on it, haha. Love it! Click pic for larger image.

Pink paper by Fei - FEIstuff_rayoflight_solids
Fonts - Riesling, MsMadiROB
CU Glitter in font - THD_GP2 by Trish H Designs at Templates 'N' More
CU bow - Amy Watson, Amy W. Designs

That's it! I'm off the cry and moan about my migraine, haha. I'll be back with more challenge LOs soon.