Veterans Day Cutter files

Sorry I've been so out of the loop. I'm just along for the ride called life! LOL As soon as I can, I'll be back to sharing here. However, I've not forgotten ya'll and here are a couple of Veterans day files.

http://belovedkeepsakes.blogspot.com
http://card-i-ology.blogspot.com/

And I do have this fabulous one listed with ThatsScrapInc.com
United States Map (Sorry, I don't have time to upload a freebie today!)

I would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every veteran. It doesn't matter if we believe in the war or if we back Obama... we should all support our vets and our soldiers.

Thank you

Halloween 2009

We had so much fun taking Skyler out this year. We planned on taking him to Zoo Boo at the Chahinkapa zoo in Wahpeton, but they got a LOT of snow last night so it was moved over to the middle school. All they did was have the kids walk down the hall getting candy. It was lame lol

Today though, they guys got all scary and we went to the mall (which was super-super packed!), then to Krolls for a bite and then out trick-or-treating the neighborhood! Skyler made a killing. Everyone just loved how creepy Skyler and Chris looked.

What great memories and I can't wait to scrap them!

Amazing Dog!

So my youngest son has this amazing dog, Bosco. It is a boxer cross and very smart. Today when Thomas got home, he saw that the dog had piddled a little in the house. He grabbed a paper towel and wiped it up. Then he saw some paper towel further over. He thought the dog had gotten into the paper towels and he had. It seems he (the dog) had also left a pile for 'Dad' and was so upset, he tried to clean it up himself! The paper towel pile was OVER the puppypoop pile!!! The dog has seen them clean up after him and he tried to do it himself!!! Just couldn't figure out the whole 'how do I pick it up now' thing!! LOLThat dog grabbed a paper towel and covered his mess!!!! Oh my gosh!! Made me laugh til I cried!!

Quiet Birthday

Sept 6... it was my birthday :) It was a very quiet day. Just another year lol

Ornament Patterns Needed

Hi everyone! Wow, can you believe how quickly this year has zoomed by? Everyone that knows me knows how much I just love the holidays! I am in an ornament exchange and desperately need hand made ornament ideas and patterns. If you have any that you love, could you please share them with me?

If you have them on your blog, website or on a website or blog I can link to, I'll add the links to my blog right in this message for everyone to enjoy!

Thanks!!!
Tammey

Dream Interpretation

I had such a vivid dream last night! So vivid that it stuck with me all day. I was in an old house with many rooms. I was standing near a table in one of the rooms when I saw something flutter down from the ceiling. It landed on the table behind my oldest daughter. I thought it was a moth and told her so. Then she turned and looked and it was a fluffy pastel yellow baby owl. My daughter said 'Get it mom!' I walked over, slid up the sleeve on my blue sweater (I don't own a blue sweater like that but I sure liked it! lol) I tapped my forearm and 'Come here baby' and it did. The fuzzy litle owl jumped up on my arm. I carried it into the kitchen where I cut up some food for it. Did I mention there was a momma own and a twin to this baby owl sitting back in the room waiting for me to bring food back to them as well. They were all soft yellow and white, but very definately owls.

I don't know much about dream interpreation, but I do find it fascinating. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to send them my way :) I would love to hear what any/all of you have to say. You can also email me privately if you'd like.

I know they say you don't dream in color, but I do. Most of my dreams are full of color. Is that odd? Thankfully, I very rarely dream. Well, I should say if I do dream, I don't remember it. I had such terrible nightmares as a child that I literally taught myself to control them and to not dream. Anyway, would love to hear what you think :)

Busy Summer

I got the fireman album finished and off to the auction. I haven't heard how it went yet, but I'll see her tomorrow and I'll know then. I also got the photos and album to the OpLove family. That is such a great program. Photographers volunteer to take family photos for soldiers before they are deployed at no cost. The soldier deploys this week. My heart and prayers are with them.

We went to the firetruck parade in Casselton over the weekend. Last I heard they thought there were 181 firetrucks that participated! I think I got pictures of every one of them too! I'll be uploading to my webshots as soon as I can. After the parade we walked around the street fair and visited the vendors. There were some very unique ones there! Casselton is such a cute little town. I enjoyed visiting there.

This has been a very busy and eventful summer. I'll be glad to see fall. I just love fall colors and the crispness in the air! Although, this summer hasn't been very summer like. Last night was downright chilly! I am very excited about getting some fall photos this year. Fall is my favorite season and yet, I don't have any fall photos! My dh says he knows of the perfect spot for us to take a day and get away to. I know it's in Minnesota, but I don't recall where he said.

Crazy North Dakota weather so I don't know when we'll be going. Hard to tell when the trees will be turning this year!

Anyway, just wanted to catch up and let ya'll know what's going on. I'll post photos of the completed donation album as soon as I can.

Take care! :)

Fireman album

Well, the fireman album is almost done and I have really enjoyed doing it. I'll upload photos this weekend. You know, it truly amazes me; this world is full of such variety. On the one hand, we have amazing, kind, brave and genuine souls willing to run into a burning building (at the risk of their own lives) to save another life. These people deserve our applause and praise :) This album is the least I can do to thank them. My sweet, amazing, gentle husband is the fireman type. He is first to offer help and he means it. He is loyal almost to a fault and he loves his family so deeply, so sincerely, it knocks the breath out of me sometimes.

On the opposite spectrum are the people that if their child ran in front of a bus, they would stand out of harms way screaming "someone save my child!" while pushing everyone else around them in front of the bus to save the child.

Once the child was out of harms way (for today) and returned, that same parent would then claim how they had saved the child and accuse everyone else of not doing enough.

Do you know people like that? They are the most difficult personality types to deal with. For me anyway. They are known as narcissists (See below). They put themselves ahead of everyone else and will destroy those around them, if needed, to get what they desire.

I love to do personality tests and I'm fascinated with people. I seriously considered going to school to be a psychologist, but instead went to be a teacher. The reason I changed fields was that the darkness in people, the negativity, is like fine dust. The more you are around it, the more that clings to you. I knew I wouldn't be able to leave the job at work. I care too much.

Sometimes I'm surprised by the results of my personality tests, but rarely. Do you ever take them? I would love to hear from my readers on this subject. Facebook is fun for this. Some of their little quizzes are just dumb, but some are amazingly insightful. So far they say I'm determined, outgoing, loving and intelligent, although stubborn lol

My children are an extension of me (as children usually are lol). They are kind, generous, intelligent, hard working and amazingly insightful. I adore them and I'm so proud of them. They have grown to be amazing adults. Some of the paths may have been rocky, as life can be hard, but in the end they are moving forward and they are young adults that I'm very proud of.

Feeling a little introspective today I guess :)

How many have read this blog post?

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From Wikepedia:

Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder defined by "a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy."^[1]

The narcissist is described as turning inward for gratification rather than depending on others and as being excessively preoccupied with issues of personal adequacy, power, and prestige.^[2] Narcissistic personality disorder is closely linked to self-centeredness. It is also colloquially referred to as "the God complex."

NOTE:

Theories on narcissistic personality disorder and shame

It has been suggested that narcissistic personality disorder may be related to defenses against shame.^[14]

Gabbard suggested NPD could be broken down into two subtypes.^[15] He saw the "oblivious" subtype as being grandiose, arrogant and thick skinned and the "hypervigilant" subtype as easily hurt, oversensitive and ashamed.

He suggested that the oblivious subtype presents a large, powerful, grandiose self to be admired, envied and appreciated. This self is the antithesis of the weakened and internalized self that hides in a generic state of shame. This is how the internalized self fends off devaluation, while the hypervigilant subtype neutralizes devaluation by seeing others as unjust abusers. This hypervigilant type does not fend off devaluation; he is obsessed with it.

Jeffrey Young, who coined the term "Schema Therapy", a technique originally developed by Aaron T. Beck (1979), also links shame to NPD. He sees the so-called Defectiveness Schema as a core schema of NPD, next to the Emotional Deprivation and Entitlement Schemas.^[16] All Schemas may incorporate maladaptive coping styles, for example, the defectiveness schema may include:

• Surrender: Chooses critical partners and significant others; puts him- or herself down.
• Avoidance: Avoids sharing "shameful" thoughts and feelings with partners and significant others due to fear of rejection.
• Overcompensation: Behaves in a critical or superior way toward others; tries to come across as perfect.

DSM IV-TR criteria

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:^[1]

1. Has a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love (megalomania)
3. Believes they are "special" and can only be understood by, or should associate with, people (or institutions) who are also "special" or of high status
4. Requires excessive admiration
5. Has a sense of entitlement
6. Is interpersonally exploitative
7. Lacks empathy
8. Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her
9. Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

To the extent that people are pathologically narcissistic, they can be controlling, blaming, self-absorbed, intolerant of others’ views, unaware of others' needs and of the effects of their behavior on others, and insistent that others see them as they wish to be seen.^[7] They may also demand certain behavior from their children because they see the children as extensions of themselves, and need the children to represent them in the world in ways that meet the parents’ emotional needs.^[11] (For example, a narcissistic father who was a lawyer demanded that his son, who had always been treated as the "favorite" in the family, enter the legal profession as well. When the son chose another career, the father rejected and disparaged him.)

These traits will lead overly narcissistic parents to be very intrusive in some ways, and entirely neglectful in others. The children are punished if they do not respond adequately to the parents’ needs. This punishment may take a variety of forms, including physical abuse, angry outbursts, blame, attempts to instill guilt, emotional withdrawal, and criticism. Whatever form it takes, the purpose of the punishment is to enforce compliance with the parents' narcissistic needs.^[11]

People who are overly narcissistic commonly feel rejected, humiliated and threatened when criticised. To protect themselves from these dangers, they often react with disdain, rage, and/or defiance to any slight criticism, real or imagined.^[12] To avoid such situations, some narcissistic people withdraw socially and may feign modesty or humility. In the case of feeling the lack of admiration, adulation, attention and affirmation the person can also manifest wishes to be feared and to be notorious (narcissistic supply).

Though individuals with NPD are often ambitious and capable, the inability to tolerate setbacks, disagreements or criticism, along with lack of empathy, make it difficult for such individuals to work cooperatively with others or to maintain long-term professional achievements.^[13] With narcissistic personality disorder, the person's perceived fantastic grandiosity, often coupled with a hypomanic mood, is typically not commensurate with his or her real accomplishments.

The exploitative, sense of entitlement, lack of empathy, disregard for others, and constant need for attention inherent in NPD adversely affect interpersonal relationships.

July 10 - Firemen

I am working on an album that I'll be donating to an auction for a friends dad that was in a serious motorcycle accident. He is a fire fighter and I want to make a fire fighter album. Through the help of the scrapbooking group I own (with my dear friend Esther), I have decided on the following?

The colors are going to be red, yellow, black and white
I want to learn more about patches and badges
I really need to learn more about our home town heroes

What do you know? What can you share? Have you ever done a fire fighter layout? I am desperately seeking inspiration!!!

If you know of a fire fighter or other home town hero that would send me a patch for my friends dad, I would appreciate it! He's done his fair share over the years and I want to honor him with an album. Two albums in three weeks.... I know I can.... I know I can.... I know I can!!! :)

Check back in about a month for photos of the albums!!!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Time for a change

So after almost 8 years at the same go no where job, life has smiled on me with a new job! I interviewed with them late on Wed and had an offer within a couple of hours! It isn't what I was looking for, but it is so much of what I wanted! I start on Monday. It will take a lot of adjusting to, but that's okay. I'm up to it :)

I knew it was time for a change well over a year ago. At first it was like a big family and everyone supported each other there. The last two years though... suffice it to say the glue that held it all together and ran it so well... he retired and took the joy of working there with him. I felt like my life had become quicksand and the job had become just a paycheck. It was time to do something about it.

I tend to be one of those people that when I make up my mind, it's made up and I follow through! My husband has been so wonderful and absolutely supported my decision. Life has gone from quicksand to sunshine and blossoms!

Makes me nervous lol

Just wanted to let my friends and followers know.

Happy Birthday ThatsScrapInc.com !

ThatsScrapInc.com is having a birthday! If you haven't signed up for the newsletter yet, I highly advise it. It's a great newsletter with store news, product reviews and the exciting news going on with the store and the designers.

To view this months newsletter, just click on the pic to the right. Many of the designers are offering a BOGO this month! I won't be able to participate due to personal commitments that will keep me to busy.

I LOVE the new product Sherri is carrying now to hold the Stickles! As any of my followers and class attendees can verify, I adore stickles!

Just wanted to let ya'll know about this fun newsletter and wish ThatsScrapInc.com a Happy Birthday!

Instructions for Recipe Album

Ok, here are the directions on how I made this album for my 6x6" recipe layouts. I had so many wonderful recipes from the last couple of years of recipe swaps and now I have a great place to store them!

This album holds the layouts perfectly :) It is in PDF format. If you can't open the file, just go to adobe.com and download the free pdf reader. To get the instructions click HERE

Another Recipe Album

I had such a great response over the first album, that I did a second class last week. This is the album I made for that class.

I used chipboard to cut out a triangle and covered it in pattern paper. Then I layered two more triangles onto that. It gave this album a wonderful 3-D embellishment!

I used the same large corner on the back cover, but I didn't include a flower there.

I wouldn't normally used these patterns on layouts, but on this album they turned out vibrant, cheerful and just plain fun!

Recipe Album

I made a recipe album in class a couple of weeks ago. It was a huge hit. I had several ask me for photos, so here they are :) The back cover matches the front one. I will be posting the instructions to make one of these on your own later today.

Pic 1 - The front cover for the album. The rings go in the holes on the left
Pic 2 - A close up of the flower I created for the album
Pic 3 - Inside the front cover. I made a little pocket to hide the ends of the ribbon


I participated in a lot of 6x6 recipe page swaps. These little albums will be perfect to hold those recipe pages.

Just too cute

Cat Vs Fan @ Yahoo! Video

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers day to all moms out there and to all of their children! Moms are special every day of the year, but this is the day for them to shine. Don't forget to let your mom know how important she is to you.

Have you scrapped a page about your mom? Whether she is here to answer the questions or not, be sure to capture as much about her as you can. Great things to include are the basics like;
where was she born and when
what are/were her favorite foods, colors, music, movies etc
what was her favorite book and why
what did she want to be when she grew up and why
what is her youngest/earliest memory

I'll try to get a layout sketch posted either tomorrow night or monday. I'll be visiting my own mom tomorrow and my daughter, but she doesn't know it yet lol I just adore those grandkids and miss them soooo much.

Take care everyone!
Tammey

PS Be sure to get a photo with mom tomorrow for your layout! Here is a free file that cuts a gorgeous frame for that photo of you and mom! My mothers day gift to you :)
http://www.cuttersmarket.com/browse.asp?mnum=044&fnum=3533

It won't be free after tomorrow night, so be sure to grab it up!