A Way to Debt Relief

None of us seem to be exempt from the number one concern of all families - financial worries. Money (or lack thereof!) seems to be the cause of an enormous amount of stress and strain, not only personally, but in relationships. The scope of this problem can range from small to very large. When this happens, there are companies, such as Freedom Debt Relief that offer different types of assistance.

While many of us have heard of such options as bankruptcy, debt consilidation and credit councelling, Freedom Debt Relief offers an alternative. This company uses a innovative approach by negotiating with creditors to actually decrease the amount of debt that you owe, thus decreasing your payments and leading you to financial freedom much faster! Of course, not everyone will qualify for this option; each customer is carefully screened to meet the required guidelines.

The benefits of this type of debt relief far exceed those of simply filing for bankruptcy. By using Freedom Debt Relief, you will not only have the benefit of debt relief, but you will also receive assistance in buying a home and financial planning.

Control of our finances is something we all want. Maybe it's time to take a step in the right direction. After all, isn't financial freedom worth it?

I'm Back as a Mrs!

Hi Guys! I'm back! Thanks for the very sweet notes, comments and emails of Congratulations and Good Wishes! What a pleasure to come home to!

We had an absolutely awesome time and of course wished it would never end... we got married on August 13th on a cliff overlooking Lake Tahoe in California. If you've never been there, it is definitively one of the more beautiful spots on the face of the earth.

We spent a couple of days there before flying to Alaska, where we drove to Denali National Park. After a few days there, we boarded our cruise and spent a week sailing the Inside Passage. I'm hoping, as I have time to go through my pictures, that I can tell you a little more about it all. In the meantime, I've been sick as a dog since I got back. I had the pleasure of sitting beside a woman who hacked and coughed all over me the entire flight. Gotta love it!

I'm Off to Get Married!

Just touching base to say "Good-bye!" for about 2 weeks... we leave in the morning for our Wedding and Honeymoon, and although I love you guys, I doubt I'll be checking in! LOL! Have a great time in my absence - I know I will! When I get back I will get back to the business of Scrapping! Bye!

Custom Printed Brochures

I know that a lot of the advertising work that we do as Digital Designers is online. Obviously, it is the nature of our business as Digital Scrapbookers. However, I have been trying to think of ways to take it further, to reach those outside of the already existing Digital Scrapbooking Community; to suck more and more poor souls into the great abyss of our "addiction." LOL! One of the first, and probably one of the most simple ideas is to create educational and informative Brochures that could be passed out or placed in opportunistic places. Such places could include Obstetricians' and Pediatricians' Offices, the Community Center or even Churches.

I am just playing around with ideas right now, but would be curious as to what you all think. I have been looking at VistaPrint in particular for several reasons. First of all, I have received a great recommendation from a friend who actually had some brochures made up there. They were great quality. Besides that, they are currently offering 25 Free Brochures if you use the coupon code "FreeBrochures08." The brochures can be created from available templates or they are fully customizable, allowing you to upload your own personal designs.

My Embaressing Yard

I don't know if it's like this everywhere else in the country, but down here in Texas, we are dying of the heat! It's over 100 for the umpteenth day in a row and I can't remember when it's last rained. Embaressingly, my sprinkler system decided to die so despite standing out in the heat with the hose every night, my yard looks like absolute crap! Like it's a farmer's hay field. Oh, and did I mention that the poor folks beside us are trying to see their house, so they have this beautiful lush green yard, and the people across the street are retired and apparently have nothing else to do but look after their yard. So here I am, ducking into my house every night, hoping no one sees me, because my yard looks so dreadful.

My fiance has suddenly decided to get very concerned about the yard, perhaps preferring not to recall that we are leaving to get married in less than two weeks. In the last day or two he has filled the back porch with shrubs and trees to plant... all of which I am convinced will be dead by the time we get back. The problem is, I have to smile and act encouraging - otherwise he'll drop the project like a hot potatoe! LOL!

We spend today running around doing last minute wedding and honeymoon errands. I've got the fiance all fixed up. I think the only thing I have left to do now is get my hair cut and colored, and I have to pick my wedding dress up from the seamstress this week. I am hoping it will fit perfect and I won't have to go on a last-minute, desperate search for the Best Diet Pill in America in order to fit into it! LOL!

FREE: "Tribute to the Navy"

I've finally got the kit, "Tribute to the Navy" up at MyDigitalAddiction.com. It's the second in a series of four. I know it's a pretty specific kit, but there are also plenty of pieces in there that can be used for all kinds of layouts. Just click on the image to be taken to the Download Section.

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Tribute to the Navy Alpha

So, again a big gap since I've last had the chance to write. I've been busy, busy, busy with wedding plans. I cannot believe the amount of effort it takes to put this stuff together! It's shocking! I honestly don't know how people put together these enormous weddings. Even with us just running off, it's somewhat of a production! However! It's all coming together really nicely... I got my wedding dress and it's being altered as we speak, we got the rings and they are getting appraised for insurance, I picked a florist and the flowers have been decided on, travel arrangements are done and the honeymoon is pretty much organized! I've just got a few smaller items to look after and I'm done! I can't wait to go! I think I'm more excited about getting away, and enjoying 2 carefree weeks with my new husband than anything else.

In between all of this, I have decided to dismantle my old website, NursesDesigns.com and bring all of the products to MyDigitalAddiction.com. I'm slowly doing this, so as an inside scoop, if you're a reader here, don't go spending any money at NursesDesigns! LOL! Here's something from the "Tribute to the Armed Forces" that I put up today. It's free, as always.

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There's lots more to come, so check back occasionally! I'll get it all up as soon as I can! Have a great weekend... I'll be working the "real" job.

Calculate Your Bills IQ

Money management is an area that we could all use a little help with, right? Even with a very money-savy fiance, I often find myself wishing for a little more security. Here is an interesting little quiz you can try find out how well off you are with relations to your bills, credit, debt, budget, wealth and life plan. You can actually learn a few things along the way.

I did it and got a score of 89% which is a B. Hey! At least I didn't fail! LOL! I learned a few things from the quiz, one thing being that since I have met my fiance, I have made some great changes for our future. However, as always, there is definitively room for improvement. One obvious step is to become debt-free as soon as possible. That is easier said than done, of course. Achieving this goal may be more manageable with the development of a budget and a little Debt help. I actually found it encouraging to see that I was generally on the right track. Although I'm sure we all find retirement somewhat of a scary concept, it's something that I look forward to and hope to have many years of it with my nearest and dearest!

A Visit From My Parents

Sorry Guys! I know I'm being pathetic with my blog and with My Digital Addiction, but I am so short on time with everything that is going on! Please forgive me and know that as soon as things settle down a little, I'll be much better!

I really wanted to say a couple of words to a couple of my readers. Thank-you so much, Sharon, for taking the time to write a sweet, kind comment each time you come. You have a gift of spreading smiles and I hope you know how great that is! I truly appreciate your words. Linda, I just LOVE you and I've never even met you! Your note was so awesome to read... you are one of the greatest reasons that I absolutely love Digital Scrapbooking!

I had a wonderful, wonderful time with my parents! Here they are at the Gaylord Texan Resort. What an awesome place! Has anyone ever been there? It's absolutely incredible... acres and acres of indoor gardens and walkways and water, all covered with a clear dome to make you feel like you're inside! Best part - it's 72 degrees all the time!

Best of all we were able to spend some real quality time together, which was very special. They were able to get to know my fiance a little better too - it couldn't have been better!

More Planning

I am amazed to say that my wedding and honeymoon plans are all winding down. I can't believe it's all come together so easily and nicely! The more I get things planned, the more excited I get! What's funny is, as much as I am excited to marry my incredible fiance, I am just as excited to go on this honeymoon with him! We are planning on flying to Alaska for a cruise, but first we are getting a car rental and spending a couple of days in and around Denali National Park. Just take a look and drool!

Meanwhile, I have to clean my house! My parents are coming in to town to visit and I have to pretend that I keep this place like a civilized human... It's always hard to know what to do when they visit, especially since it's so freaking hot outside! We rented a minivan - wish I knew about about the 50% off deals at Advantage at the time - so we didn't have to cram them into our small vehicles, and I've found a few fun things to do with them inside, like wine tasting etc. Wish me luck! It's the first time they will be spending a significant amount of time with my fiance!

"Tribute to the Army"

I got so wrapped up in the day yesterday that I forgot that I was going to give away a kit! I wanted to give away a kit called "Tribute to the Army" from my series of four kits called "Tribute to the Armed Forces." I thought the Fourth of July was as good a day as any, if not more. It is because of these people who fight for our freedom that we are able to have such wonderful days, enjoying our families. Here is "Tribute to the Army." You can click on the preview to be taken to the Download section of My Digital Addiction. And yes, as always, IT'S COMPLETELY FREE!

I also created a little Quick Page for anyone who wants it. You can download it below, or HERE in the Download Section. Enjoy!

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Planning

Just checking in to say Happy Fourth of July to all of my American friends! I'm so excited to have two days off in a row with my fiance. And guess what we're going to be doing??? Cleaning the house and yard. How fun is that?! Actually my parents are coming to visit next week, which is HUGE, so I have to make it look like we keep a somewhat orderly existance. LOL!

I've been feverishly working on wedding and honeymoon planning. The more I get into it, the more I get excited about our Honeymoon cruise to Alaska. This has been a dream of mine for years, so I can't believe it's actually coming true! Nor can I believe the amount of planning that has to go into it! Thank-God, I found this website that pretty much walks you right through everything, right down to what excursions to book, a packing list... and they're serious about their stuff! They've got the deals right down to the kind of binoculars you should get for optimal wildlife viewing to the 5.11 Tactical pants recommended for hiking in Denali! So things are finally really starting to come together!

Have a great Holiday, folks! Enjoy the outdoors and the BBQs with your family and friends!

The Designer of the Month is Back!

I've been so busy lately that my Designing and Digital Scrapbooking has taken a back seat. In the process I missed 3 Designer of the Month spots! But we're ba-ack! For the month of July, we are honored to have Dede Smith as our Designer of the Month.

There are so many Designers in the business right now, that it's very easy to get lost in the fray. I typically have about 5 favorite Designers and stick to their designs. However, this is why I find the Designer of the Month so fun. I get to "discover" Designers, new and old, with a wide variety of talent and style. Dede's designs are some of the sweetest I have seen in a long time. Cute, cuddly little teddy bears, beautifully coordinating designs, richly textured papers... you're going to love them!

Dede's designs can be found at Digital Scrapbook Pages or at her blog, Designs by Dede. To read Dede's interview, you can visit our Forum, and also be sure to stop by the Download Section of My Digital Addiction to get the coupon she is giving out to her store!

Happy Canada Day!

Just wanted to stop by and wish all of my fellow Canadians a HAPPY CANADA DAY! Hope you all had a wonderful time with your families and friends.

My Quest for a Photographer

Today my big mission is to find a photographer for my wedding ceremony. This is one of the most important parts of planning a wedding, to me, and I'm going to be honest - I feel sorry for whomever I choose. From scanning a multitude of photography sites already today, it seems to me that anyone who buys a nice digital camera suddenly thinks that they are photographers. However, they have absolutely no concept of how to capture light or how to pose people. They photoshop their pictures to death in an attempt to resuscitate them... it's rediculous! I know I'm terribly picky, but at the same time, I find it rather offensive to be offered sub-par snapshots and be charged several thousand dollars!

Ok. That's my whine for today! LOL!

Shutterfly Inside Scoop!

I'm a huge, huge fan of Shutterfly and recommend them to anyone and everybody I can - especially when it comes to putting your Digital Scrapbooking Layouts into a photo book. They are absolutely fabulous. That being said, I just wanted to let you know - if you're not a member yet - they are having a new promotion where they are giving 50 free 4x6 prints and an 11x14 Collage Poster when you sign up! Their ads don't even reflect this awesome offer yet! If you're interested, just click the ad below and sign up. I am also including a link at the top of the page for easy access if you would like to do it later. Enjoy!

Tiger Did It...

Ok, I hate to admit this, but as I approach 40, I am really noticing my eyesight deteriorating! Almost 10 years ago, when it was first becoming popular, I had Lasik done to both eyes. It was one of the best things I ever did for myself! It was painless, a quick recovery and suddenly the trees had leaves and my alarm clock had numbers! It was amazing! Now I'm thinking I'm probably spending too much time on the computer and am going to need it again.

I'm only wishing the whole process was covered by insurance. It's only fair, don't you think, since it's only returning my eyesight to what it should have been in the first place - it's only bringing my eyesight up to par with the rest of the world.

Hey! Tiger Woods did it... not sure if he had Lasik in San Francisco but I'd be willing to bet it improved his game.

Breathtaking Hint

Well, my blogging has been descending downhill fast as wedding and honeymoon planning have taken up the forefront of my life. So sorry, but I'm not even going to promise to get better until this is all over! LOL!

Here's a hint at what I'm in the middle of planning... Doesn't it just catch your breath?!

Blog Templates

I've had several people email me, inquiring as to how I did the design for my blog. My answer: I didn't! I wouldn't have the first clue as to how to go about designing a blog! LOL! I just do an internet search for blog templates. There are some great sites out there full of all kinds of templates you can use. It doesn't matter which blog platform you prefer, whether you are looking for blogger templates or wordpress templates - you're bound to find something you like. Once it's installed you can customize it to your liking just like you would do to the one you currently have. For example, check out this template, blogs can be beautiful too!

We're Pregnant! Part 3

I am huddled inside today - it's pouring rain outside. In fact it's raining so hard with such a strong wind that the rain is going sideways! I figure it's a good opportunity for me to get searching for a wedding dress. Never having done this (getting married!) before, I had no idea as to the time it takes to get a dress!

Here's Part 3 to "We're Pregnant!" It's 2 more papers with an ultrasound frame. Enjoy!

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