Lainey's Altered Ego

{i miss my blog...and a new exciting site}

sniffle, sniffle

school has started again.  and, as usual, i have started neglecting my blog.  i sincerely hope that after a few weeks i'll get back into the swing of things and start posting on a more regular basis.

please don't give up on me! :)

on a lighter note, check out this new site that i am just uber-excited about:

lain ehmann and angie lucas have teamed up along with a slew of talented ladies to bring us the eco-friendly and super-affordable ella publishing!  idea books at your fingertips - and nothing more than $6.99!  amazing, right?  stay tuned for the scrapbook ellaments ezine too...available tomorrow!

back to planning lessons...back soon!

{xoxo}

{our new fuzzy friend}

remember this?  jake was all ready for his new hamster before we went to florida.  it is meant to be his reward for cleaning out his room and keeping it up all summer long.  

well, the day after we returned from our vacation he wanted to go and pick her up...and we did.

meet wicket.

{for those of you that do not speak starwars-ese, "wicket" is the name of one of the little fuzzy ewoks.  quite a fitting name, if you ask me.}

she really is quite a funny critter.  and jake loves her.  not a bad deal.

today marks my last official day of summer vacation.  i start new teacher orientation tomorrow morning bright and early.  

my goal for today is to get down to the studio to get one or two things done so i don't feel like this week was a total waste.

{xoxo}

{construction, part one}

okay, so we've been back for a while.  we're still recuperating from our 12-day-long vacation.  why is it that i need a vacation from my vacation???

tons of pictures to scrap...this one will definitely get its own album.  i can't wait to share it with you as i work through it!

we started off with a bang here...and i mean that literally.  major construction going on at our house right now.  we have a teeny cape cod, and are having dormers put in the upstairs along the back of the house, a 16x20' family room on one side, and a master bath on the other.  so far, one of the dormers is finished:

it's amazing how much more space jake has in his room now!

see the green?  that's where the end of his room USED to be.  

and, yes, i'm aware that the carpet color is hideous...we were waiting to replace it until the construction is done. ;)

inservice days start for me on thursday...this summer went by SO quickly.  i plan on spending some time down in my studio today to get some organizing/scrapping done.  can't wait to share!

{xoxo}

{see you in a few weeks}

back on august 10th...be good while i'm gone!  i'll hug mickey for all of you!

{xoxo}

{ready and waiting}

jake is just too excited.

we promised him a hamster.  a cute little ball of fuzziness for him to take care of.

of course, we're going to disney on thursday, so we won't actually pick up the hamster until we get back.

but he's all ready to go:

now he just needs to decide on a name...we've considered several, including rhino {of course!}, hamlet {haha}, and pickles {???}.  but i really think we need to 'meet' her first.

we are definitely quite the zoo...2 dogs, 4 cats, and now a hamster.  

how many pets do you all have?  please, someone make me feel better!

{xoxo}  

{impulse buys}

oh my word.

look and see what two peas in a bucket has in stock already!!

i'm a little ashamed to admit it, but i totally snatched up both of them right away and they're en route to my doorstep!  i just couldn't resist!  especially that 'earth love' line - LOVE it!!

they also had this one, but it's not my style:

wait...why are you still here?  go get yourself some cosmo cricket goodness!! :)

xoxo

{my baby is 13 today}

13 years ago we had no idea what we were in for.  

and now my first baby boy has surpassed our expectations - not only in height {he's 5'10" already!} but also in compassion and intellect.  i am so proud of him!

of course, we're entering the age when he would rather do this over spending time with us:

but i know that someday he will grow out of it {though probably not as quickly as he grows out of his shoes}.

for now, i'll just sit here and wonder how the heck i got old enough to be the parent of a teenager.

yikes.

{xoxo}

{eggs in a basket}

eggs in a basket are one of our favorite breakfasts.  brett got the idea from working at cracker barrel many, many years ago.  it's actually still on their menu.  super simple, and super yummy!

first, you cut a hole in the center of a slice of bread.  you can use a jar lid, a cookie cutter, a glass, or whatever you have around the house that is the right size.

then, you crack open an egg into a small bowl.

you can either keep the yolk whole, or beat it with a whisk, as i prefer to do.

isn't that whisk adorable?  it was the favor from my sister's bridal shower - i use it all the time!

place the slice of bread in a heated frying pan, and then pour the egg inside the hole you have made.  i also like to fry the cut-out.

a few minutes on each side, and you're done!

mmmm!  makes me hungry just looking at it!

what is your favorite breakfast tradition?  please share!

{xoxo}

{thank you bps!}

if you all remember, i was among the first to sign up for cathy zielske's newest class...actually i was the first!

big picture scrapbooking sent out prize packages to the first 50 registrants - and mine came the other day!

even the package was happy!

and check out this scrappy goodness:

i can't wait to try out those brownies...and the boys were very appreciative of the laffy taffys!

thanks so much, bps!

{xoxo}

{new york was filled with...}

siblings...

strawberry shortcake...

birthday celebrations...

video games...

silliness...

and cousins...

it was a great trip!

much to my diet's dismay, however - we did have some stowaways on the return trip...

yikes.

{xoxo}