Tracey's Turnpike

Something's Come Up...

2011-12-07T20:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't written in here for quite some time. If you find my site and wonder, I have been diagnosed with Breast Cancer this November, 2011. It will be a long hard year coming up and I ask for your prayers. I am now doing a journal on: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/traceybish and you can visit there to know my progress and leave comments in my guestbook. Please pray that there is a CURE for Cancer soon! So many are suffering from this in many ways and it just needs to GO! Praying for all that are suffering and for a CURE!!!!

Nmv vs.chatard 4/20/11...winning!

2011-04-20T23:12:00.000-07:00

Zac's Playing Volleyball!!!

2011-03-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

Here's Zac's Schedule for Noblesville Men's Volleyball From March-May 2011:
NMV Schedule Come and Cheer Him ON!!!!

What A Valentine Gift!

2011-02-15T22:53:00.000-08:00

Mark surprised me by wrapping up the key and giving it to me and making me drive to the clubhouse to see what the key went to. Driving up to the clubhouse I see it...but what he didn't even plan was there was an Impala with a paper tag down there at the same time! I had to push on the key fab to see which car it controlled and it was a dream come true...it went to the CAMARO!...I could never top this one! Thanks honey, you are the best! XO

If you keep this page open you can listen to "Camaro" by Kings of Leon if your browser is updated with the right software. That is my new favorite song since I got this car and I love Kings of Leon...They Rock!

Tubing at Perfect North Slopes...

2010-12-29T19:03:00.001-08:00

Zac and Rachel got to go tubing with their cousins when we went to Cincinnati for Christmas with the Bish Families. Kaitlyn, Kylie, Laura, Zac & Rachel....ready to go down the slopes sledding in the tubes...They had a great time!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2010-12-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

2010 has been a great year for us! We got to have a family vacation in Ft. Myers Florida and enjoy our annual IN Dunes Camping trip this summer. Mark got to travel to Switzerland this Fall for two weeks for work and learn about traveling oversees. Tracey got her passport in case he ever has to go back! Mark and Tracey just celebrated 18 years of marriage and went on a trip to Nashville TN to checkout the country vibes and enjoy a show at the Grand Old Opry! Tracey still continues with her photography and doing some consulting, hoping to find more time to scrapbook in the coming year! Our Colts didn't win the Superbowl this past winter & we're hoping we get there this year!

We got new siding on our house, and new upper windows. It has made a big difference! It was a difficult process to pick the new colors but we think it turned out exactly how we wanted! We also got a new asphalt driveway, since we were about to fall into the old one. Zac won his baseball tournament this summer and made some cash mowing grass this summer. He is also sounding great with his guitar this year! He continues to practice just about every day and loves Rock and Blues! We like when he gives us a concert! Rachel played a great season of Softball! She performed in "Oklahoma" at her School and was a hit playing Gertie with her unique laugh! She still will not repeat it for us and the DVD we bought does not do it justice because the kids were not micro phoned so we will probably never hear it again as it was on stage! We hope you all had a great year and would love to hear from you this Holiday Season!

Have a great Christmas 2010 and a Happy New Year!!!

The Bish Family ~ Mark, Tracey, Zac & Rachel

From Our House to Yours!

2010-12-21T23:11:00.000-08:00

Have yourself a merry little Christmas...let your heart be light! From now on our troubles will be out of sight!...well, we could only hope, right? We do hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!...From Our House to yours! With our new home makeover, we are so appreicative to be Home for the HOLIDAYS!!!

Nashville TN Anniversary Trip

2010-11-14T21:37:00.000-08:00

18 years of marriage 10/17/2010 brought us here! Mark and I traveled to Nashville TN for our anniversary over Fall Break and our neighbors were kind enough to look after our kids while we were gone a couple of days! Thanks to them. That allowed them to be able to look after Simon at home :)

We had a great time going to the speak-easys and the many placed to see live music. The talent down there is amazing and they only work for tips! The bar owners do not pay them, and the ask for tips and will play just about anything you ask of them! We went to the Country Music Hall of Fame and a visit to the Grad Old Opry (Photo taken Here) for a show where we saw some great artists. The Opry is a stage show but they do their own commercials still like a "radio' show which is so quaint and shows the history of Country Music. We got to see Josh Thompson, Laura Bell and Rascal Flatts. I don't think there seems to be a bad seat in the house at that place and the humor is very funny and reminded me of Hee Haw, the old country variety show that I grew up on. I could definitely live down there because it is beautiful country and a wonderful drive of about 5 hours and the Fall leaves were still showing their beauty off! If you care to take a look at all of our photos, click here for my facebook album.

The Bunny Brothers ROCK!

2010-10-03T12:43:00.000-07:00

On our date night last Friday at Moondog Tavern we had a blast watching the Bunny Brothers who we have seen before at Wolfies when they were a three man band ...met Sherman Couch and a couple of them were with The Late Show Band that ALSO ROCKS! I love this band, can you tell? They were playing "Whole Lotta Love" a Led Zeppelin cover, which you gotta head bang too! To view more photos of this night Click Here.

IN Dunes 2o1o

2010-09-07T20:11:00.001-07:00

Our annual camping trip to IN Dunewood Campground and Lake Michigan. We went hiking and to the beach like we always do. The lake was very rough the first day, but gradually calmed down for our day at the beach Sunday which was very peaceful but the waves brought in cold water, so the water wasn't as warm as it has been in the past! View all of our photos and become my friend on facebook by clicking here.

Ft. Myers-Captiva Island

2010-09-07T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great summer Vacation in early August in Ft. Myers, FL. We visited Sanibel and Captiva Islands which is where this photo was taken! It was HOT, but I loved the beaches there. Rachel and I went parasailing and Zac and Mark did two fishing trips! View all of our photos on my facebook by clicking here.

Goodbye 1971...Hello Craftsman Style 2010!

2010-05-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

We finally got our house make over...yes! It's a loan but we had to do it after 10 years of living in a Swiss Chalet, we decided to go ahead and make our dream a reality! Check out my facebook photos which show some of the many looks :) The trim was color matched to match my gutters by Sherwin Williams, and it looks tremendous with the stone. The Cement Siding is Pewter Green by Sherwin Williams, and the shakes were color matched to match my deck stain (My secret!) HAAAAAAA!

Facebook | Tracey Marie Bish

2010-03-28T21:42:00.000-07:00

Facebook Tracey Marie Bish: "Oklahoma Was a success, except for the CD skipping and some of the lighting mishaps tonight...the kids recovered very nicely when it all happened! :) I loved it! Rach has the best laugh every!!!"... Or should I say Gertie! (Check out my photos on facebook!)

Spring is Sprung...

2010-03-12T07:59:00.001-08:00

Spring is in the AIR...it reminds me of green grass and easter egg hunts of long ago. Rachel still enjoys it but my kids are getting so big they don't really do that anymore but last year we went to Bev's house and my kids were so cute helping the other small kids there to hunt.

I miss those days when they were little and everything is so exciting. They are growing up too fast and I know that's the way it's supposed to be but I don't want them to!

Wow, it's been a while since my last post...CHRISTMAS...HAAAA! I have been hybernating and not doing much on here, and facebook is addicting -getting reaquainted with old friends and this Summer I will have a 25th Reunioin for my high school class. We didn't do it last year so the class after us is going to combine with us to have one! It should be very fun! I am just looking forward to Spring, my favorite season of all when everything comes alive again! Maybe I will as well...we have been working out and on May 4th it will be a YEAR since we quit smoking. I do feel better, even though we are now addicted to nicorette gum, it's way better than smoking! I do not wish it on anyone-so NEVER, NEVER start smoking-it's the most addicting thing ever! It's expensive and you are paying to KILL yourself! DON"T DO IT!

Well, enough of that!...HAPPY Spring to everyone and to all a Great DAY!!!!!!!

Our Christmas Card to You...

2009-12-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

Simon Wants to Wish A Merry Christmas!

2009-12-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

Simon (Buba) A Dog Named Christmas

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Lindsey Open House at IN State

2009-10-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

My neice Lindsey had an open house at her sorority this weekend at IN State University and she showed us around and we went to lunch...it was a nice day and great to see where she is during the school year. She is going to be 21 this month and growing up to be such a great young lady. She was my flower girl in our wedding in 1992...so it is hard for me to believe she is going to be 21 this year!!! Here's a photo of her as my flower girl and a photo this past weekend of me next to her, with my mom and her Dad behind and Mark behind me. Thanks Lindz for a special time with you :)

Zac got to pitch

2009-10-04T19:46:00.000-07:00

Zac got to pitch for a bit during his game last week. He did a great job and if he practiced a while he could actually be a good pitcher because he has good form! It's hard to know when to let the ball go...but He looked good doing it! :)

Zac Guitar Lessons

2009-10-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

Zac has been taking guitar lessons for a while now and I am very proud of how he is coming along! He can play several songs now and is having concerts for us occassionally when he has practiced new songs. He is not ready for video taping, but when he is I will post one!!!

Rachel's New LOOK!

2009-10-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

September 12, 2009

Rachel got her hair done and it looks awesome! She had it re-layered and foil highlights and here is her new look :) Beautious!!!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

We spent our Labor Day Weekend camping as we have the past two summers at the Dunewood Campground which is a rustic campsite without electricity. The only thing that saves it for me is there are bathrooms and showers not too far away from the site! The other factor that makes us return is the beach just a couple of miles away from our camp. The kids have a blast playing in the deep sand, skipping rocks, and digging for eternity! The scenery is superb and I look forward to it every year to be with my family and friends.

We go with my friend Linda’s family, which are a boy and girl that are the same age as Zac and Rachel and another friend Jon Brown, who brought his three boys. This year we decided to hike Mount Baldy, which in comparison to last year’s hike up Mount Tom was pretty lame. Although is was a nice short hike, we decided it was not a very hard trail at all but once we arrived there were plenty of dunes for the kids to roll down and climb back up to! The adults were fine with it and didn’t have to exert the energy, so we sat and enjoyed the beautiful sites while making a simple breakfast and watched the kids run full speed down the huge hill. After that a visit to the beach for the rest of the afternoon was on the agenda! It was fun for the kids to dig and play games even though the water was pretty chilly, thoroughly expected from our chilly summer!

The following day we made a train trip into Chicago wanting to explore and get some Gino’s Pizza. That stuff is the best pizza and worth the 25-minute wait in line to get in the restaurant to be seated! We shopped and went on the Magnificent Mile and Water Tower Place Mall before it was pizza time. After Gino’s we headed back to the train station while running into Kayla and her family after seeing the White Sox and Red Sox game. What are the changes that we run into them?...it’s like a needle in a haystack, one-in-a-million change that we left Gino’s at the exact right time to run into them. We said our goodbyes, after chatting and picture taking, it was back to the train station to catch our train at 11:15 getting us back to the campsite at 12:40. Everyone was exhausted!

The next day was for packing up and heading home. This photo was taken at our campsite the first morning that I couldn’t sleep from being chilled. Although, once I saw this site, I knew God was there and I felt at peace and a sense of warmth came over me. I know that He watches over us even though we are not expecting it and consoles us at all times. He has given us a beautiful earth which needs to be explored…

McIntire, Larry R

2009-08-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

My uncle passed away this weekend. I will have to go visit the funeral home Monday (tomorrow) and see the family. Here is his obituary.

Holiday World09

2009-08-29T08:13:00.000-07:00

What a fun trip the Bish Family had at Holiday World! We finally got a group photo of The Bish Family (minus Laura...we wish you could have been here :) We reserved RVs at Camp Rudolph and had a great view of the lake!

We arrived Friday evening, staying until Sunday before noon. Saturday our family went to Holiday World with Katies family. We first rode the Raven and then on to the Scrambler. What is nice is that we could then go back to the campsite to eat lunch. Each family was responsible for preparing a meal, and that worked out nice too! We were to make dinner, so Mark stayed back to prepare the grill and start making dinner and Rachel also stayed back to play with her youner cousins after their naps. Zac and I wanted to get back in the park and ride the Voyage and then get soaked on the Pilgrim's Plunge 2x (Why not, with hardly no line and we were already soaked!) The sun poked out a couple of times in the afternoon, although the weather was chilly so the water park was out! The campfire was warm as we all gathered together around it when we could.

Here are a few photos of our time at Holiday World. Way to go Papa & Grammy for getting the big golf cart, that was a HIT!

Rachel and Zac waiting in line for the Raven!

We also celebrated Bruce & Rachel's August Birthdays! Happy Birthday to you both!

Click Here for all my photos from this trip posted on Facebook.

Happy 12th Birthday Rachel

2009-08-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

I hope Rach had a Happy Birthday...I took her and a couple friends to go-cart, then they came back for a sleepover. We had Taco Pie for dinner, which was her request and then DQ log cake. Grandma Betty came over and brought the cake and she watched the Colts play their pre-season game. I posted tons of photos on my facebook of Rachel's fun day so Click Here if you would like to view them! We are off Sunday to see Journey & Heart as a family at the State Fair and can't wait!!!! We all have been looking forward to this since the beginning of Summer!

Crazy Summer So Far!

2009-07-14T07:45:00.001-07:00

Well it's been a crazy summer so far...some lazy days with the kids but much running around with them as well. The kids have already been to CYO camp the first week after school and had a great time. We finished up Baseball with Zac as he played for two teams in the last tournament games but did not go very far on the bracket. He has fun anyway playing baseball and working this summer cutting grass! He has also started guitar lessons! Even though this year we had to fix his nose from a baseball accident in the outfield... now it's straight again :) Here is a photo of his nose and how crooked it was before his surgery.

Rachel's Softball team did not go on in the tournament but her old coach won, which made us happy because he beat the team that beat us in the tournament! Coach Chris & Chad are her All-Star coaches and that makes her happy to play for them. They have always been encouraging to her as they teach her more than her regular coaches did this past spring. She has also been doing lessons with a college student who teached batting and slapping. She has a bad case of poison ivy now which made her miserable this past weekend as we attended the Decateur Tournament for All-Stars and we got killed! Rach scored the only run stealing home and she walked to first on that one! Pretty CRAZY! Here are photos of her playing and scoring the only run!

"I don't want to GOLF here people! ..can you pitch me a good ball? ... Ok, I'll walk!

"She's SAFE...She scores the only run!"

The kids are now with Mark's mom & dad's in Cinci until Thursday. They are going to Kings Island this evening and I hope they have good weather and tons of FUN! I opted to stay home and get some things accomplished, like writing my blog (since I haven't for about a month & a half!) Here are the kids group photos from CYO Camp - More Summer Fun to come....

Zac is the one in dark blue and Ryan is next to him in grey...aren't they cute???

Rachel is at the top in pink :)

Memorial Weekend in Cincinnati

2009-05-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Mark's family in Cinci this past weekend and had a great camping day at Miami Whitewater Forest Park. We got to do paddle boats and they have a waterpark area for the kids! Here are a few photos of our fun weekend.

Backsplash Grouted!

2009-04-30T08:21:00.000-07:00

This is my backsplash grouted. I still have the rest of the backspash to grout but thought I'd show you how it looks now.

Take me out to the ballgame...

2009-04-30T08:12:00.000-07:00

Zac won his first game last weekend! He looked handsome in his new uniform! He is back in a prep league but one of the oldest on the team. His coach is still in Highschool...He must really love the game to coach these boys! It should be a good team, some are new to the bigger field which makes it challenging! I love to watch my son play baseball. But this weekend they lost. We got sunburnt on our sholders and that HURT! Anyway...I am wishing my son a great Baseball Season and Go #3...I will be rooting for you!

Fun Birthday

2009-04-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

What a fun Birthday! Bev made me dinner and a cheesecake! She is the most awsomest cook. It was nice weather so we hung out and had a great evening.

Stace came in town Saturday and we went to Bazbeaux in Carmel for some pizza. Caitlin and Rhonda came along with Shelbi and Christian to make it a great night. Then we went back to my house and reminiced.

Backsplash

2009-04-21T07:05:00.001-07:00

This is my backsplash that I have finally started on. We have one side done now, but it is not grouted yet. The majority of the backsplash is 4 X 4 Jinshan Carmel Polished Travertine with Reggio Border from the Tileshoppe in Caslteton. This is about a 8 in difficulty on a scale from 1-10.

My grandpa used to make tile tables, maybe it rubbed off on me. I really like tiling...it is a bit tedious, but if you can get through that part, it's fun! I will share more photos once I have the other side of the kitchen completed & grouted! It turned out better than I expected ad looks great with the granite counter tile. Thanks for checking it out! Leave me a comment and tell me what you think!

Countertop Granite Tile Project

2009-04-16T06:42:00.000-07:00

We finally finished with our counterop project and awaiting our backsplash Travertine Tile to make it Complete! The COMPLETED Counter is here at the top. Here is our story of the project... and we would not classify this as a beginner project. On a scale from one to ten, I'd say it's a 10.

We had worked with tile before doing our basement bathroom floor, but this is 24X24 and very HEAVY! First, we had to remove the old formica, then plywood, mortar and place hardibacker board on top and screw it every 6 inches. THIS will not be removeable...! Then dry-fit the tiles, cut and make sure they all fit. Then mortar the tile down and try to get it level. This is tricky because it is hard to get the mortar all consistant throughout when you are putting it on the backer board like icing a cake!

We made up our own system of small shims for our spacers and used UNSANDED grout! You don't want sand to scratch the granite! We got all the tile at the Tileshoppe in Castleton and the corner and outside pieces are expensive, but well worth it to get this look! Here is a closeup of the tile... the color is called Jalor Cafe. They gave us Epoxy construction adhesive for the corners and side trim and said to use strong tape to keep them up!!! HAAAAAAAAA...yea right! As soon as you put them up then drop. You want them to meet up with the tile so we came up with this contraption! The books keep the wood pieces level and then you have to clamp the wood where the tiles meet...otherwise it'd be pretty JICK-JACK! The epoxy sets up overnight so the clamps can be You can see me smiling-but that was much closer to the end of the project!!! Oh, I think it was aftre 5pm too...so it was time for a drinky!!! ;)

Along the way we were delayed and had to buy a new dishwasher because ours stopped working and it would be $400 to repair! Hooking up the sink several times and forget to put a washer in the hose to reconnect it...which left a small drip and now I must repair my drywall ceiling in the basement! But my husband ROCKS! He is the best craftsman that I know and I love to help him. We work well together and it took lots of patience, believe me! But I have to thank him for a great kitchen :) and for taking a week off to do this project.

It took us all week + a couple weekends to complete this. We figured about 60 hours, if you figure going to the store and getting clamps several times!!! Granite is great to set HOT things onto. You have to seal it occassionally, I'd say mainly for the grout...but this really makes the kitchen look great. The next challenge will be our backsplash and then when we save enough $ we will put new floor tile and wood flooring in the living and dining room. I can't wait for that!

Nostalgic Rainbo Roller Rink Memories

2009-04-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Facebook Rainbo Roller Rink Memories: Noblesville, Indiana This is a group on Facebook that I joined to remember Rainbo Memories! I found this article which was published in 2004. This is very "nostalic" for me...I used to frequent Rainbo every saturday night as a teenager and wish the place was still around for me to take my kids! I have many fun memories of this place and it's sad that it is gone...
I wish I would have taken photos back then or that digital photos were available then...I could imagine having so many photos with friends! If anyone has better photos of the place, even inside...that would really be cool! please email them to me :)

Alice In Wonderland Jr.

2009-03-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

What a musical!!! NIS put on a great Alice In Wonderland Musical which I attended last Satuday. My daughter, Rachel was an oyster and a very cute one too! They cast it right on...the Alice was a great Actress/Singer! I didn't want it to end! Lots of work went into these costumes and my daughter and I both participated in many craft-nites to help create them. These were all hand made! If you want to view the rest of the photos from that night, I have posted them on My Facebook, but you have to be my friend to view them! If you are my aren't my friend on Facebook, shame on you! But you can go and get an account at Walgreens.com. Check them out by clicking here!

2009-02-28T14:46:00.000-08:00

Well, We had put our house on FOR SALE BY OWNER because we liked this house in Mill Farm, but just found out that other house sold, so we aren’t sure what we are going to do as of now.
We might put the sign out anyway and see what we get. We were going back and forth thinking of staying and putting $ into this house but liked this other house so much…so I am sad.
I love this neighborhood though and has been great for the kids…just wish we had a bigger lot and more privacy. Well, we will see what spring brings. We’d like to stay in Noblesville, of course but not really many houses fit our bill.

Well, it's time to try to move on...

2009-02-22T21:47:00.000-08:00

We are going to try For Sale By Owner and see what happens! I know it is a bad market, but we are interested in another house that has the things we want...since we have settled for this house back in 2000...although have really fell in love with the neighborhood and it's been great for our kids! We want to venture on to another house with (always) new challenges! I guess you can say we're bored and want new surroundings! Hopefully our house will sell soon enough to put an offer on this other house that we REALLY WANT!...So if you know someone who would like to move to South Harbour and experience Morse Reservoir, this is a great house for the price!!! There is lots of ROOM with a basement for those kids!!! Check out our listing on Owner's.com

Snow Bunny!

2009-01-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Rachel, you are a beautiful girl inside and out! I just love some of these photos that I took of you playing so light-heartedly in the first big snow of 2009...wow! What big flakes!

Agony of Defeat!

2009-01-22T20:17:00.000-08:00

Zac has been training for 7th/8th grade Middle School Wrestling and they had their first meet the other day, Tuesday. They ended up winning against Riverside Middle School in Fishers, but Zac did not win his match :(

Here is Zac ready to start the match. He has a good look of determination in his walk! Slimming down, watching his weight and reaching his goal to get from 144 to 140. He went out there looking great and giving it his all for Jr. Varsity.

His opponent looked a bit bulkier...but he must have had just the experience and the bulk to keep Zac down. I hope that Zac used it as a learning experience and still continues to strive to do his best!

Needless to say Mom & Dad are really proud of him :) Win or Loose...the boy has been giving it his best effort and that is what is most important!

What's New With Tracey...

2009-01-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

Well, we are well on our way at Our Creative Outlet! My design buddies from Scrapbook Corner are now designing all kinds of Valentine Goodies at Logan Village Mall in the heart of Downtown Noblesville! I am posting a photo of my latest creation that is also available on Ebay. I will have this on display at Our Creative Outlet if you would like to see it and purchase it there for $35.00 or if you aren't local and want to buy it on Ebay with only $8 shipping! Here's the link to my "Key 2my Heart Glass Block Lightbox"...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T16:30:00.001-08:00

Bringing in 2009 New Year w/my honey at Wolfie's! We met up with some local friends so we could be close to home and brought in the new year dancing and having a good old time! I even saw an old friend from High School that I recognized (Paula!) WOW...it was a fun night! To see more photos of my night go to my facebook and add me as your friend!

GO Colts!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Before leaving Cincinnati, we had Mark's dad take a picture of us in our Coltswear! On our way back from our Cincinnati Christmas Celebration we got to go straight to the COLTS Game. Mark and I had been to the tour, but this time the kids got to see the Stadium! Before the game we walked over to Hard Rock Cafe for Lunch! I always love going there to see all the Rock N' Roll Memorabilia!

When it was time to get to the game, we walked past the old RCA/Hoosier Dome that had recently been demolished. It's hard to believe this small stadium used to be our house when you see the massive Lucas Oil Stadium next to it. It's also kind of sad to see it be demolished, it could have been a great place to put a Pro Baseball Team or have concerts or something...but I guess that's how progress must go!

Here we are at the Colts game...Colts won the game against the TN Titans! We will both be in the playoffs... GO COLTS!!! I am posting more photos on my facebook page, here's the link to view more photos of our Lucas Oil Stadium Visit! You'll have to join facebook, but it's so much fun! Add me to your friend list & I will accept if you're nice :)

Christmas Travel To Cincinnati

2008-12-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Cincinnati to see Mark's Family for Christmas for three days. Mark's mom always prepares such a beautiful dinner with steak and brocolli rice with all the fixins'. I crafted her Christmas Block by drilling a hole for some white lights with some rub-ons and ribbon as a gift shown in the photograph.

It was great that Laura could be there this year from Texas and we got her a really neat night light that had an equestrian rider on it. I found it on ebay!

The kids had a blast out on the deck playing with the marshmallow guns! Since they live on the golf course, we thought people would come to pick them up thinking the marshmallows are golf balls!!! HAAA!

Had A Happy Christmas!

2008-12-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hoping all of you had a nice Christmas! We sure did as Santa came once again to visit our house. The kids must have been really good to both get guitars and just about everything on their list +++! The kids love how I wrap the doorway to get into the living room, they can run through it to get their glimpse of what santa brought.
They act like they really love each other as they hug after exchanging their own gifts to each other! :)
They are sporting their new robes that mom & dad got for them and staying very warm on this COLD winter's day!

We got to spend time with my side of the family the night before at Grandma Betty's and the kids exchange gifts and we do a white elephant that is always tons of fun! Here's a picture of all of Grandma Betty and her grandkids. They are all getting so big!!!

My dad invited us to a nice dinner at Murphy Steakhouse the Monday prior to Christmas. It was nice to get together and celebrate the season. Here he is with his wife Joanne.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

2008-12-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox postcard

With the hard economic times going on, we hope this finds you all healthy & happy! We are holding our own and trying to stay afloat and this year I will be emailing most of my cards in this format to save on postage! We are still living in Noblesville, IN and Mark is still with Rockwell Automation and going on 10 years now!

Tracey had a great year but it ended on a sad note that her local scrapbook store closed! Since being on the Design Team since the opening in 2004, she will surely miss the store, the people and all the crafting! She still plans to keep up with her paper arts & scrapbooking with some local designers. They have leased a space in Logan Village Mall in Noblesville to sell some of their paper arts! They call it “Our Creative Outlet”.
Check it out online to see what goodies are in store!

Our kids Zac & Rachel continue to keep amazing us with their growth! Zac is 13 now, but already 5-9 in 8th grade at NMS. Rachel is 11 & almost 5ft and in 5th grade at NIS. They participated in Baseball and Softball which kept us at the ball field a lot this Spring-Fall. We got to go to Chicago for Spring Break this year and had a great time sight-seeing!

Keep up to date with our family at http://traceyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/ to see photos & what we have done this past year & in the future. PEACE is our hope for all in the coming year!

– The Bish Family –
Mark, Tracey, Zac & Rachel (Oh, & Simon too...Ruff, Ruff!)

Samantha's Sound of Music

2008-11-18T06:19:00.001-08:00

My neice, Samantha, was is a play and was a NUN in Their rendition of THE SOUND OF MUSIC! It was a great play because I just love that musical. Here, Rachel and Grandma get a pose with the star NUN!
Here we are enjoying the show with Aunt Bobbi :) Thanks!

Goodbye Scrapbook Corner...I will miss you so much!

2008-11-18T06:13:00.000-08:00

My local scrpabook store is closing after 4 great years being on their design team and working there for some time. I will miss everyone and everything about Scrapbook Corner in Noblesville :( Here we are a couple weeks ago bidding farewell to the beautiful place...

In the next photo you will find me making my last purchase with a great discount! I have spent over $1600 at this store over the past 4 years! They looked up my account. Don't tell my husband :) HAAAA!

Biztown

2008-11-18T06:07:00.000-08:00

I went to volunteer today at Biztown put on by Junior Achievement for Rachel's Omega 5th Grade Class! What fun...but hectic! Learning how to run a city in a day can be crazy, even thought they have been preparing for it for a while now in the classroom. I worked with a group in Peyton Mannings Wellness Center and Rachel was the CEO of the Recycle Center. We got to have lunch together even though we didn't work at the same locations and stop by each other's work whenever we could get away from the chaos! Here we are posing in front of Mr. Bones in my workplace. The kids liked him :)

DMB - Dave Matthews Concert

2008-08-25T05:23:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the Dave Matthews concert VIP, Of course!

Avril & Jonas Brothers

2008-08-25T05:07:00.000-07:00

I gave Rachel the option for her birthday to go to the Avril/Jonas Brothers concert and taking two friends. She chose to go and invite her friend Cassidy & take her cousin Kaitlyn. We had loads of fun meeting up with Amy & Tracie and her daughters in the lawn. There was lots of screaming -like "Beatles" SCREAMING for those Jonas Brothers! I had my earplugs ready!

CHA08 Chicago

2008-07-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

My first time at a Craft & Hobby Show: CHA08 Chicago Vendors set up and camp out for three days to show off their new products. Some gave make & takes and some did not, but demos and ideas gallore graced this Donald E. Convention Center.

Lisa Fritz, my co-design team buddy, and I wanted to get a head start and maybe get some eduction in as well, so we started off on Thursday to Chicago. We got there and found a class called Innovative Meets Recycled which is put on by a new "family-owned" company out in Nevada called Piggy Tales. They were all so nice and had great new products! The name of their company is based on bringing back "nostalgia" and all their products are named after Fairy Tales! Our favorite things were the draw-bridge chipboard book, springs and barndoors which open up to envail a photo or journaling! Great Coordinating papers that are all double sided for larger print scrapbooking and smaller prints for card-makers!!!

More of my favorites were Basicgrey, and now for you quilter/sewers they are manufacturing fabric featuring their Urban Coulture paper line!!! They had two new paper lines featured. They had a beautiful quilt hanging up in their area and I did a fun make & take!

But the highlight of my trip was that my two favorite designers were there! Tim Holtz and Ali Edwards made a special appearance at the request of Tim. I was able to watch both of them show their fun sides and give tips and tricks on how they create their masterpieces!

Here is a photo of Tim creating with tags using his inks and paints! He has new clear stamps and MASKS available that he did demos on and they are magnificent! I am sure to buy these masks that are re-useable, just like stamps almost...but you place a thin piece of transparency where you want to mask your ink. It's like stampingin reverse! "It's ingenius"... like one of his many women-admirers said as he showed us how to use them! I wanted to get a sample, but the other ladies grabbed them so quickly...I couldn't get one :(

It was so cool to watch Tim do his thing! He also has new Grunge Alphabets and Cut Outs that look like they are chipboard, however when you get your hands on them they are pliable like leather almost. They take ink and paint, you can rough them up and heat them into dimension!!! I just stood there and watched for a long time.

Then as he was about to take a break, he said Ali Edwards would be standing in for him! People were asking him "how did you get her to come!"...he just stated "I asked her!" Here they are together as he goes to break and she comes to play! She just showed up to play with inks and acrylics as she showed us her mini book created using those items. She has a new book coming out! She says "don't be scared just to play around, you might discover something!!!"

My two favorite designers were there to inspire me so I was a happy camper! Oh, I forgot to mention...http://www.scrapblog.com/ has a contest that I am entering. You can tag your scrapblog as CHA08 and they are looking at them and giving away something. But you have to do layouts on their site...which is FUN and it is a COOL site dedicated to digital scrapping. They are adding lots of exclusive designers, new formats and ways to print at home and into soft & hardbound books! For the exclusive designers art and credits toward printing, you can buy gift cards. A lot of changes will come about in August08 for them!!!

John Mayer Rocks!

2008-07-09T23:17:00.000-07:00

Well a long awaited concert came to pass and it was awsome! Mark and I went to see John Mayer w/Cobie Collant and enjoyed this concert VIP-which is the best way to see a concert! VIP at Verizon BABY!!! It was so awsome. Colbie Colliat opened for him and she was real good and sang Bubbly & Realize which I love, but her others were great too so I will have to get her other songs!

John really can play the blues on that guitar, he's cute in a geeky kind of way, and love his sound!...He must have sang the blues in his past life to be so good at it. We had great weather and great seats, VIP is the way to go!

Almost Champs TOO!

2008-06-21T20:29:00.000-07:00

Rachel's Team "THE STORM" was one point away from the championship on Monday night! They played a rival team sponsored by the same sponsor as ZAC's Baseball Team!...But these girls played their heart out and just about pulled it off this time. Here they are sporting their medals for Babe Ruth Softball! Congrats girls...you are our champions!

Almost The Championship!

2008-06-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well, it's hard to believe these boys almost made it to the Championship after only winning one game during the regular season near the end. Then going into the loser's bracket and winning TWO MORE GAMES...brought them close to the championship game last night -leading the game against Logan Street Signs & Banner TEAM then only loosing by two points was amazing season and something they can be very proud of!
Rock on LAW!!!

CYO Camp FUN!

2008-06-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, after a week of CYO Camp the kids are glad to be back home. Mark and I stayed home for "STAY"cation and pretended like we were in a hotel (but it was our house)...going out each night for dinner (Was NICE!)...but the maid was off duty :(

The kids once again had a blast and probably would have stayed another week if they could. The week was one less day with a 24 hour delay because of all the rain down in Southern Indiana. They did end up having pretty good weather Tuesday & Wednesday. They got all their activities in! Check out Rancho Framasa's CYO Camp.

Here's Rachel's Group:

Rachel was happy to be with the big girls who were 11yrs. old, not like last year she had to be with the little girls!

Here's Zac's Group:

When Zac got there they asked if he was "16 years old!" because of how tall he is. Here you can't tell his height because he is at the bottom of the pyramid! He's the one with the black hat and Ryan, his cousin is in the red hat! Zac is about 5-7 now and GROWING like crazy!!!

School's Out For Summer!

2008-05-24T07:10:00.000-07:00

OMG! I can't believe the school year is almost finished! The kids will be home for summer and what will they be doing? Well, I read a great article on Dave Ramsey's newsletter and thought I would share it with you, it also talks about saving money if you need that money for Gas! The prices have gotten out of control, that's for sure! Read his Newsletter here to get ideas on what you can do to save money and help your kids this summer be more productive!

My kids will start out the Summer with CYO Camp, which is something that they love! I fall into the trap too of letting them do what they want...which could mean lazing around-thank goodness for our neighborhood pool that gets them out and gets them exercise! It opens this weekend! We will spend alot of time there for sure...Here's a photo of me and my kids a couple Summer's ago...Love Ya! XO

Yeah, I'm 42...but all together we are have over 183 years of Experience!!!

2008-04-30T21:27:00.000-07:00

For my birthday I wanted to go to Red Lobster! Then Mary's Family came over and we did a log cake from Dairy Queen showcasing all of our birthdays'...so we totalled up how many years we got (I'm only 42, the youngest!!! HEE HEE)

I just love this pic Mary took of me and my honey at the Lobster :) we had a blast!

Baseball & Softball Opening Day Games!

2008-04-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday To My Mom!

Well it was opening day at Logan Field! Zac had his first game and he made a good hit...but the rain came in and the score ending in a 14-9 loss. I am sure their next game will be better tomorrow. I didn't get to see it, but saw that there had been many improvements to the field and I am anxious to go see the game, but drove up to see a nice new rod iron gate today, so I may have to skip out of my meeting early tomorrow and see him play!

Rachel's team "The Storm" won, something like 12-6! They played their former coaches team and Rachel kept razzing him that "they were going down!"...and they did! Rach got to play catcher, and third base for an inning, which was cool and she did a great job! They are a pretty good team!

Thanks Linda for the pics!

After the game we took a DQ cake over to my mom's and celebrated her 76th Birthday! It was a great day to be alive in America!!! There's nothing better than Baseball and ice cream cake!

Teen Parenting Insight

2008-04-16T21:02:00.000-07:00

A couple blogs ago I mentioned that Zac is a teen now!!! So I thought I had to learn more about the teens now adays. I still remember when I was a teen, however times have changed! So my friend Linda and I venture out to meet my sister at Chatard Parents In Touch to see Dr. Sipes who was the speaker tonight to explain why our teens, called the Millennial Generation, are considered "The New Greatest Generation."

According to Dr. Sipes, this unique generation is characterized as having greater mobility, better and faster communication, and more money than any generation since World War I. Additionally, Millennials are upbeat, optimistic, well-educated, and comfortable with diversity. They typically care about family and friends, and they actually desire a long-term "friendship" relationship with parents.

Dr. Sipes addressed practical concerns we face with these teens, like alcohol and drug abuse, constant cell phone use, texting, inappropriate song lyrics, and when dating should start. Dr. Sipes' new and more powerful way of parenting, Soulful Parenting, promises that we can positively influence our teens in the here and now, as well as preserve a healthy relationship for the future.

Chicago Trip–Spring Break

2008-04-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Tuesday –
Rainy day in high 40s
We set off around 8:30am to head to Chicago. We got to check in early at Best Western River North Hotel. We all walked over to American Girl and Rachel and mom had lunch and shopped at American Girl.
Lunch was a very special experience with Cinnamon Roll Appetizer, Fruit Tic-Tack-Toe Pepperoni Pizza. There were probably about 10 girls celebrating their birthdays and we had to hear the staff sing many times. Dessert was fun getting a special sugar flower cookie, an angel food cake with icing and a flower pot of chocolate mouse and a cute daisy sticking out of the top of it. Marisol, Rachel’s doll got to have a seat with us and a cup & saucer as if she was part of our group!

Rachel decided upon the Hawaii Outfit for her and her doll. Mark and the kids went swimming at Best Western Hotel Pool-it was too cold for Mom! Our room was ok, except for the fitted sheets would not stay on the beds! HAAA We gave it a C. We took cab to Gino’s East, there was one around the corner from us but we went to another one. The pizza is awsome! It was not really the one that we wanted to go to, so we spent $13 each way to take a cab… but I guess you learn!

When we got back to the hotel we watched “I Am Legend Movie”…very good movie!

Wednesday –
Sunny day in the 50s
We ate lunch at The Rainforest Café – VERY COOL PLACE!
The Rainforest Café was right across from our hotel and just like the name says-it’s like a Rainforest! There was a shop, two-story waterfall and salt-water aquariums everywhere, along with Jungle Animals everywhere! Went to Shedd Aquarium and I think we saw every fish known to man. We all liked the saw mouth-looking shark! The very unique sea horses were so fancy; I have never seen anything like them! We checked into Essex Hotel that is right next to Grant Park. It was ok, except for the short beds!

Walked over to Sears Tower and went up to sky deck and we were glad we did we could see for miles-no fog! Ate at the restaurant at Essex Hotel called the Savoy and everyone had different types of food: Mark-Greek, Zac-Chicago-Style Footlong, Rachel-Italian Chicken Parmesan, Tracey-Mexican Chicken Fahita. Went back to our room and Tracey took the kids swimming while Mark went to sleep. The pool was neat with flags hanging from the window-top roof! It was already dark so we couldn’t really see a view. We watched a program on unique McDonald’s in North America on the Travel Channel before bed.

Thursday –
Rainy low 50s
Today we checked out of the hotel and went to the big McDonald’s next to Best Western River North. This McDonald’s is two stories and glass all around, next to the Hard Rock and The Rainforest Café. They had windows back into the past like 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s… it was neat to look into the past. Went to the Museum of Science & Industry. This was a nice place to see how Industry has grown, automation, learned about refining petroleum, farming, electricity, the U505 German Submarine we captured in 1944 WWII. Our feet were so tired, so we left around 3:30 and went on the Skyway back to Indiana. We attempted to stop at a BP Gas station and get drinks but you could not even go into the store. You had to go to a window and ask for what you wanted. Of course there was a guy ordering all kind of snacks ahead of Mark so we just left. –He didn’t get the right Doritos that he asked for LOL HAAAA!
We headed “Back Home Again in Indiana!” - It’s good to be home. We like Chicago and it’s a great place to visit, but it’s expensive having to pay to park everywhere you go! We sure couldn’t live with so many people…we like our more relaxed home in the suburbs of Indiana!

Looking Forward to Chicago...

2008-04-06T20:17:00.000-07:00

Google let's me create my map for our Chicago Trip-how cool, I can mark all the places we want to go! We are so looking forward to a couple days in the Windy City...I will followup here and let you know what fun stuff we did! Of course Rachel will be bringing Marisol along with us to the American Girl Place! She's already been to Kauai, Hawaii, now she gets to go to Chicago!!! What a lucky doll.

Puppy Mills

2008-04-04T13:49:00.000-07:00

I cried when I saw the Investigations into Puppy Mills Show on Oprah. She had mentioned that her dog of 13 years Sophie had died. They had a special memorial video of her and it made me cry because I just lost Nipper. The next time I am looking for a dog I will definitely go to a shelter. If you want to rescue a dog here is a great RESOURCE! It is just not right and should be against the law for doing what these people do to these dogs at Puppy Mills. I am sad that Nipper is gone, however I have Simon to keep me company...and if we ever want to get another dog I will definitely adopt one from a Shelter that rescues them from these MEAN Puppy Mills. -Mean People SUCK!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Easter time again...bringing promise of Spring! I love Spring because everything in nature becomes new again in it's bloom. Trees already have buds on them and the weather will be nice again. Time to take me out to the ballgames!!!

Zac is acting crazy with his Easter basket here. He loves to pose for photos for his mom! He got a can of peas too in his basket and couldn't wait to dig in! Rachel, however wasn't too happy to dig into her basket and find mixed-vegetables. But it was buried under a lot of chocolate. She is my Chocolate Girl!!! How about some Carrots??? No? Give me CHOCOLATE!!!

In Loving Memory of my "Nipper"

2008-03-18T20:10:00.000-07:00

Nipper passed away today in my arms March 18, 2008 at 1:30pm after suffering arthritis for some time and then a stroke. She was the best dog I have ever known. She was very loyal and sweet to everyone she would meet. Everyone will remember her tail wagging and hitting everything like a drum, or the bark at the door to say hello, and never being able to wear black or you'd leave with white hair along! We will miss her soft fur that shed all over our house, but now we miss it. She will be missed by so many hearts she touched. Nipper could leap like a deer when she was a younger dog, as if she had spring in her legs. Now she will be in heaven with springs back in her legs greeting all of her doggie friends who have gone before her. She will have angel wings and will be our guardian angel forever XO -Your Loving Family
NIPPER SCOUT BISH 8/2/94-3/18/08
Visit: Nipper's Memorial Page on Adopt-A-Dal.org

I'm A Parent of a Teenager OMG!

2008-03-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

Zac has officially turned 13 - OMG!

3/3/08 Zac turned 13

He is officially a teenager!
He chose to have a shopping spree
& buy clothes at Castleton Square.
Aeropostale, Hollister, American Eagle
Is the style now!
He is growing up so fast…
He is taller than his mom now @ 5-7
We then had Grandma Betty over
& she brought a Dairy Queen
Ice cream cake!
Rachel placed 13 candles on top!
He made a wish & blew them all out!

Rock-on Buddy!

Back in 1836

2008-03-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Pioneer Days at my daughter's school was too cool! But I am sure these kids are glad they go to school in 2008!

When they had a mock day at school they had to curtsie or bow to their teacher and call her mistress "name"...that's how they had to show respect to all adults. The teachers had pointers and rang a bell as the kids entered the classroom. I made Rachel's dress and hat with my friend Linda's help! She looked like "Little House On The Prarie's" Laura Ingalls and way too cute here:

On anther day the kids got to do activities such as making candles and ornaments out of tin, square dancing and I helped the fourth graders make funnel cakes. They loved those with all the sugar!!! Here is a photo of Rachel & I on that day:

You can view more photos on my Walgreen's Site.

Jen & Nick's Ceremony

2008-02-24T21:13:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to photograph my friend Jen & Nick's wedding ceremony in the chapel at our church. It was a nice ceremony with just family and friends attending. Congrats Jen & Nick!!!

Scrapbook Retreat Weekend

2008-01-24T05:55:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a great place Cornerstone Memories Retreat House is! I met up with my friend Celia to scrapbook all weekend here and met some wonderful ladies, they had great food, snacks and nice accomodations! I actually got 12 layouts completed in 2 days, and I got caught up on scrapping our trip to Key West!

When I did go to sleep, late into the wee hours of the morning, I did have sweet dreams in Celia & I's room called "SWEET DREAMS" on their comfy wood & iron beds. It is decorated so quaint and cozy that you really don't want to leave! The radiators keep it warm and they even give you chenile footies to keep your feet warm!

I would recommend this place up in Tipton, Indiana for anyone who wants to get away for the weekend and catch up on their craft, being scrapbooking, quilting or whatever! We met a lady who brought her quilt and hand stitched the whole weekend. I bet her hand was aching after that!!! Good thing she got her massage, and they also offer manicure services as well! - I will definitely return to this restful place!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T11:20:00.000-08:00

Christmas was very special this year. The kids came up with a great idea for me to put wrapping paper up in the doorway to the Living Room where our Christmas Tree is and they could run through it on Christmas Morning! It was fun! We had a nice dinner celebration with my Dad, a blast at Mark's family Christmas Celebration in Cincinnati, then at Grandma Betty's New Condo, and here at our home on Christmas Day! You can Click Here to view all of our Christmas Photos! and you have to log into Walgreens Photo Gallery.

We Wish you a Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

Happy Anniversay to Mom & Dad!

2007-12-19T06:20:00.001-08:00

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

THANKSGIVING Celebration with Family

2007-12-12T05:38:00.000-08:00

We spent a great Thanksgiving over at Mark's parents' new home in Cinci. The turkey was wonderful, of course... but it's always best to spend time with Family. We stayed the night and then had my family over on Saturday after Thanksgiving... I GIVE THANKS For my families!

{ A }

2007-11-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

I love going to view Ali Edwards Blog! It gives me so much inspiration! I want to figure out how to put quotes on my page and save them so I have records of them and can use them from time to time in my scrapbooks!

Here is here site: { A } she has this quote today 11/18/07 Miles Davis : "I 'm always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life."

Waymo Is Back! He's a Little Confused...

2007-11-11T15:08:00.000-08:00

He thinks he is the Wolf attacking Little Dead Riding Hood! Zac was the Alien "WAYMO" and Rachel was "Little DEAD Riding Hood" for Halloween this year. We got the idea for her costume from FrightCatalog.com and we found stuff around the house and only bought a few things to make up her costume. Zac just recycled his costumes! He is good at that. They enjoyed trick or treating with the neighborhood group of kids and ended up with TONS of candy.

Greenway Giddy Up

2007-10-17T13:16:00.000-07:00

Friday (10/12/07) - We got there around 6:30 to the Greenway Giddy-Up and tried to set up camp before it got too dark. It was freezing so we made a fire and sat and enjoyed some marshmallows and pizzas cooked over the fire with Linda’s Griller for the fire…that thing is awesome! We are camped right behind the main tent and it should be interesting being able to see all the action like a front row seat! They had a movie tonight for the kids “BLACK BEAUTY”. The girls watched some of it but got board, so we sat around the fire and had good conversation looking at all the stars in the sky, until it was time for bed. We sacked out around 11pm and it was so cold (below 40 degrees), But the morning came and brought us warmth!
Saturday (10/13/07) - We got up and the fire was still smoldering so it was easy to start. Linda and I had a leisurely awakening and went to get coffee in the tent, so we didn’t have to make coffee. The day warmed up quite nicely and was approaching 70 degrees. The sun came out and the clouds were few. The girls played in the straw pile with a couple of other kids and played the bean toss game. They also found some hula-hoops and played the game where you hold hands and try to bring the hula-hoop through without letting go.
We went to the Iddy-Bitty Giddy Up where they have small pony rides and carriage rides so Emily got to experience a horse for the first time! Rachel actually got to drive the carriage for a short while and it was fun! Linda and I made Grilled Cheese over the fire for lunch before we were off for our ride on the trail for our reservations at 1pm. It was a great experience to just ride a trail with a guide and see the reservoir with the surroundings and take it all in! Tracey was in front, but behind our guide, so couldn’t see the people behind, then a man, Linda, then the man’s wife, then Rachel & Emily, trailing behind them was the other guide. It was about an hour ride as Tracey rode a horse called ARTI, Rachel rode PATIENCE, Emily rode SNIP and Linda rode a horse named Mr. Chubby. They were all nice horses and very pretty!
We headed back to camp and relaxed a bit, when a man approached with a beautiful horse named CHAMPION. So Tracey had to pet him and the man offered her a ride in our area. She got up on the horse, like she knew what she was doing…HAA! Well, the horse wanted to go flirt with the other horses by the campsite so he didn’t go far…which was fine with her! Later that day a girl got hurt as she rode a horse who went out of control and she fell off and hit her head on a truck tire! Tracey saw part of it until she couldn’t see the rider anymore because of a trailer blocking her view. So, Rachel and Tracey ran over to see what happened to the girl. The Paramedics came and later we found out she was going to be ok, THANK GOODNESS!!!
We met a couple that had their grandson with them. Her name was LuAnn and they had three beautiful horses. We visited with them and watched them saddle their horses. The boy’s horse was pretty and black with a white sock. Her name was LILLY. The night was a fun one…with a local Girl Scout troop coming to organize kid games. Rachel helped do the face painting and Emily assisted with the ring toss. They had cute games set up like a fair! For the ring toss they used the hula-hoops and had a blow up dolphin to try to get the rings over! They got some prizes for helping the Girl Scouts out. We enjoyed a BBQ dinner and then a singer and a band that was really great! The girls met the daughter of the people that we rented the horses from and her name was Shana. They had tons of fun with her! They jumped in the staw pile and danced around with her while the music played! We stayed up til about 11pm and the night wasn’t as cold as the night before, it was still about 50 degrees and chilly.
Sunday (10/14/07) - The girls decided they wanted to do the Scavenger Hunt with Shana (that actually went on yesterday) but just for fun! So they went around trying to find different things in nature. We met a lady named Sue as her husband rode her BLONDE horse! (She had blonde hair too!) We packed up camp and decided to venture back home around 1:00. We made it back to Linda’s home a little after 2pm and home finally around 2:30. All In All, we would definitely go back again. Great People and Great FUN! Zac had a Baseball game and they played Arcadia’s team- The Huskies and led most of the first part of the game until they lost by 2 points in the end. Booooooo!

Jason's Baptism

2007-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

Jason's Baptism was today...we had a long drive and had to get up early but so worth it to see his smiles! Mark was the godfather and we got to have a quick visit with his family. I wish we could have stayed longer but Zac had an early baseball game (which looking back now, we probably could have missed!)...but when you are part of a team you can't let them down!

We went to mass and then the baptism was afterward, so it was LONG...but he was so cute in his little white suit and Mark held him afterwards and he was falling asleep.

He was such a good baby and I got to feed him after we got back to their house. What a cute baby BOY! It was good to visit with everyone but we had to head home and a lot of driving today (about 5 hours in the car, add that to yesterday when we had to drive to the south-side and DJ...that's a long weekend!)

I did enjoy watching Zac's game even though it was another loss. I love watching these boys play baseball because after so many years I know most of them and it's just FUN! Last game they won against Parker's team so they have ONE WIN! This photo was taken tonight as Zac's team-mate came into home and scored and Zac was up to bat and he congratulated him for making a RUN!

These boys are fun to watch and they look GREAT in their uniforms!...so it doesn't matter to me if they win or lose, of course it's more fun when they win...but It's the love of the game that matters and having FUN!...so I hope Zac always remembers that and it's not always about WINNING!...but how you play the game and your attitude! -GO Longhorns!

When You're Gone...

2007-09-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

I miss you when you're gone. Please don't stay away from me too long, k? Come home to me saftely. That's why I have to play this Avril Lavigne song "When You're Gone"...but I hope it won't be too long til I see you're face again -XOXO Love, Me

Indiana & Warren Dunes Camping

2007-09-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time camping with our friends at Indiana Dunes and taking a short trip up to Warren Dunes! This is a family photo taken at Warren Dunes. My favorite things about the trip was spending time with Family & Friends and seeing the look on my children's faces as they play in the sand and beaches! We will definitely go again!

Happy 10th Birthday Rachel

2007-08-16T17:48:00.000-07:00

My daughter is now in the double digits...the big 10! I can't believe it! I love ya girl and I hope you had fun at your Hawaiian Birthday Pool Party Sleepover! -Mom XO

Back to School

2007-08-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well it's that time again... I love it and hate it at the same time! All those school supplies and having to go back and get more on the first day of school if you don't get everything you need! I know the kids are ready to get back on schedule but don't want to have to be alert and quiet all day long to learn...but it is necessary.

We tell our kids that it is their MAIN JOB to go to school and learn to the best of their ability. I love it because they aren't here all day driving me nuts, but I miss them while they are gone at the same time. This does allow me to get some things done without hearing MOM 50million times a day, but I guess I miss it when it's gone. They come home soon enough to start buggin me again, but I wouldn't change it for the world! When the kids go back to school I try to get a photo of them on their first day, with those new shoes and backpacks-and it is so interesting the changes that happen through the year. Dreading all those papers that come home to look over I always like to praise them when they get good grades then tell them they must try harder when they fail or the grade is not up to our standards.

As we teach our kids to keep trying, I think of my own strengths and weeknesses and that I must also KEEP TRYING...to be a better mom and to get more accomplished during the day, however I feel myself fall short most of the time. As a mother, wife, friend, teacher ...etc., there are so many things pulling me in different ways...so I strive to stay organized and keep the important things that I want to remember! Sure I love scrapping those school photos and report cards, but I also want to remember how I feel. Hence my BLOG. it is so much fun to look back on things even though I don't write everyday-I love to go back and see how I felt just a month ago and as you keep doing it when you have time-maybe go back to YEARS!

I have also started journaling when I go on trips. this is a great way to remember all the days and where you went and what you did. I often forget and the days start running into each other and I forget from day to day what we enjoyed. By journaling every day and listing what you did, you can easily go back and Scrapbook your trip with ease. I use my laptop and a WORD document to keep track of all the days!

Scrapbooking is also a way to archive your feelings and for your kids to look back and see what they've accomplished. I am hoping they appreciate it someday more than they do currently. Nobody ever did it for me as a child, and it would have been nice! Scrapbooking is a way to BLOG with visual aspects and all the fun embelishments used to make your feelings important -SO DON'T Forget to journal on your scrapbook pages. Someone in the future might not get it, unless there is a story behind it!

You can start your own BLOG on Yahoo, or http://www.blogger.com/. If you would like to read mine from time to time, it is located at: http://traceyscreativecorner.blogspot.com/

Kids at the Lake

2007-07-08T20:00:00.001-07:00

My kids are too cute here when I asked them to pose for me after the parade. We hung out at the lake and they swam and played in the sand. Thanks kids for being WAY too cute in this photo :)

I love ya! -mom

Happy 4th of July

2007-07-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here we are on the 4th of July taking a boat ride and going up to Cicero for fireworks. It was supposed to rain all day but didn't at all! We had a great afternoon riding and swimming in the lake. When I got off the boat I still felt like I was on the water after being on the waves all day -I was still rocking back and forth!

Rachel's Championship Game

2007-07-03T21:03:00.001-07:00

Rachel’s team played in the Championship game last night and were Runner’s Up. They led the whole game and then we were 10-13 (the tigers were up) we had last bat and we made a couple runs making it 12-13 and then we had two outs and one of our batters was up and made a good hit-bases were loaded and they CAUGHT IT! Rachel was still happy to get a trophy, and happy that Grandma Betty came to see her play! So now we are done with baseball and softball and can take a breather!

Monkeys are Runner's Up!

2007-07-03T14:00:00.001-07:00

In this photo (taken at the Monkey semi-final game that we won) the girls wanted to throw the cooler ice on their coaches but they were too tall. I had to help them a bit!

Nationals finally Win 2 in a row in Playoffs!

2007-06-22T20:27:00.000-07:00

Nationals finally Won after a 0-16 record and loss to put them into the losers bracket. But Wednesday they beat the pants off the Yankees then again on Thursday they won against the Tigers! This is just our Youth Baseball Team, but after those kind of losses to hear people at the field congratulate us, it was FUN and very energizing! Sadly, they ended their two in a row winning streak against the Athletics Friday (Tonight) :(

But we were FIRED Up! Maybe it just took them longer to get their groove on. But it sure was fun while it lasted! Here is Zac getting a run in before they beat the Yankees Wednesday night. I just love watching my son play baseball WIN or LOSE!- love ya Buddy! I am so proud of you XOXO

Having Fun...

2007-06-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the Vest Reception having fun with the Hawaiian Theme. They were married in Maui last month and we watched their slideshow and had some great food! We went via boat on Morse Reservour with the Day's to and from the Reception. It was a lot of Fun! The kids had fun as I jumped on the dance floor with them later :)

Jason Grant Born!

2007-06-17T12:58:00.000-07:00

Our new baby nephew: Jason Grant

Born to Mike & Suzanne Bish
06-09-07 @ 4:01PM

Good Samaritan Hospital

07 lbs 7 oz.; 20.25 in.

Isn't he the sweetest?

Made it to the Southernmost Point of US!

2007-06-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

Well after a lot of driving, we made it to the Southernmost point in the Continental USA! Geographically it is the southernmost point of the United States. Key West is AWSOME and known for the famous Duvall Street with shops, vendors selling souvenirs and conch shells. Believe it or not, standing here you are closer to Cuba than Miami; from here, it is 150 miles north to Miami and only 90 miles south to Cuba. We stayed at the WESTIN hotel & marina thanks to my friend Connie! We hung out at famous places like the Hog's Breath Saloon and Sloppy Joe's and watched the breathtaking sun set! -Before coming back up the Keys we had to stop and put our feet into Anne's Park Beach to just say that we put our feet in the water while we were in Florida!

Yeah, I am a Harley Girl...

2007-03-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Linda, Thanks ;) for coming and having your Harley Dude come and give me a ride! It was a lot of fun! Thanks Jim :)

My mother happened to be here at the time getting the scoop on our Hawaii Vacation and looking at photographs and you stop by with your leather jacket telling me I gotta ride! Well, my mother always told me not to get on motorcycles-they are dangerous! So me being the rebel that I am... I went on a ride! Here I am on a Harley and I have decked my MYSPACE out in Harley duds! Check it out!

Aloha!

2007-03-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

We are back from Hawaii and it was a wonderful, educational and relaxing vacation! Here is the family at Niwiliwili Bay ready to go to Duke's Restaurant on the beach and then off to a luau show! We explored lots of places on Kauai and had a great time with Grammy & Papa. It was hard to leave them and such a lovely place. Maybe we will go back again sometime! You wouldn't have to twist my arm ;) Mahalo~Grammy & Papa!

I'm So Excited... And I Just Can't Hide It

2007-03-01T20:14:00.001-08:00

I am pretty excited! My first trip to Kawai, Hawaii! Even though I have been to many places in Mexico including Cabo San Lucas (which is gorgeous), Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and many places in Florida, Bahamas, and Caribbean...well-those are just a few of my favorites... I know Hawaii will be a whole different culture to experience and the kids will learn so much. Their grandparents are very excited to show them everything! They have been whale watching and I can't wait to see that, experience a luau, a waterfall, snorkeling and hand feeding the fish.

My son wants to learn to Surf....well, let's just say that makes MOTHER a bit nervous...but I am up for it if he is brave and really wants to try it. Rachel says her class will be watching the weather in Hawaii while she gone, and brought home a note about a Luau Picnic they will be having during lunch one day. She thinks it is a celebration of her being in Hawaii...and that is fun for her to think that!

The plane ride will be long, Rachel will have to practice those 7/8 multiplication flash cards. She will be with her Dad who loves Math so he will have to get her into the concept of DIVISION. He is great about that as he was working with my son tonight on how to measure circumferences and how to figure things. I am pretty much clueless on that stuff so I am glad he can help with 6th grade math!!! We will work on some Math Workbooks that Rachel got for Christmas too, and she will be reading books on the plane! I am excited for them to experience travel, even though the plane rides will be long. It sure is an experience and I want them to remember it all so they will have to write it in their journals that I made for them. We will print some photos and put them in the journal after we get back so I will be excited for her to be able to share it with her class...I am sure she will be too!

So we are off to Hawaii... I will be offline most of the time enjoying myself -ALOHA!

Scrapbook Corner Blog

2007-02-26T04:20:00.000-08:00

Scrapbook Corner has a new Blog. Questions or comments about their blog? email martha@scrapbookcorner.us with blog in the subject and they'll repond! This is the store that I work in and have been part of the Design Team since 2004! I am so excited to be designing again and can't wait for the challenges ahead. Happy Scrappin'

Snow & Fog Days!?

2007-02-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

Well not another day of the kids home...yes!!! Because of FOG. It was so foggy today and after a two hour delay, they closed the schools here. Last week they had three days off because of snow, we had a SNOW EMERGECY. I have taken some great photos, however of the kids having a blast in the snow. They haven't wanted to go outside because it's been so cold, but they love to be out in the snow! Here is Rachel after taking the sled down the driveway, she landed and I saw a photo op-so I said "HEY STAY THERE!"...this girl sure can pose!
Last week the kids made a snow fort and it was so cold out,

but I had to venture out and take some photos with my new lense. I just couldn't resist! As I fell through mounds of drifted snow, the kids were building and forming a snow fort and climbing in and out of it! I tried to brace myself...and here are a few photos tha I snapped in the process. I love my lense, it is a good change from getting so up close to my subjects. I like to do that, but not all the time. I like to catch them in action! Here I called out to Madison and Rachel to look over as they were

ready to climb through the tunnel.

Here is a photo of Zac digging through the tunnel

into the middle of it. His face shows how cold he is while he is persistant in getting the tunnel dug out! Snow days are quite interesting as the kids drive you nuts inside the house...I must remember how pleasent looking back on this day is and the special moments life does gives to us!

We Are The Champions!

2007-02-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I believed in BLUE even after that first play of the Bears running that darn ball all the way to a touchdown!

I said..."Shoot...it can't go like this!" Mike, my friend and party host, reasured me that this has happened before in games and not to worry, it was still early. I wasn't worried after that and I believed in the BLUE to take it home...win it all and be CHAMPIONS!!! And they have become what I knew they were all along... Here I am sharing the night with my hubby and sweet daughter and Mike's dog Lacy, the foot warmer!

Colts are #1

2007-02-02T05:36:00.000-08:00

COLTS GONNA WIN THE SUPERBOWL! Mean People SUCK! I had all the Colts Songs on my profile through PROJECT PLAYLIST on myspace and someone has messed with me on there deleting them so they won't work now! Mean People Suck...it must be a Bears Fan...Oh you goin' DOWN now! Or it could be someone messing with my Virtual Files on Virtual Space...well had to go back to the regular boring player and added Mudkids GO BLUE! So now what you got for me???? I'll kick some bootie...GO BLUE! Good thing I have all the songs on a CD and I will be BLARING it so *(*- You, whoever you are! COLTS GONNA WIN THE SUPERBOWL!

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS GOING TO SUPERBOWL!

2007-01-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

I took this photo in December 2006. We were hoping the Colts would keep up their winning streek...but when we saw the blue dalmatian on top of the BLUE COLTS Fire Engine...the kids had to get their picture taken with it. The dog appropriately had a bowl in front of him that says SUPERBOWL, and we have a dalmatian! I said "wouldn't that be great if we made it to the superbowl and we had this photo!"...sure enough! Here we are. What a long road, but WE BELIEVE IN BLUE!....GO COLTS!

Dem Jeans

2007-01-26T19:41:00.000-08:00

Today I got Zac some new jeans because he is growing so much. I got him a couple pair of Levis that were a little distressed and I think they are cool.! Zac liked the Jeans and was so funny when I held them up to show him... He said "I'm THAT BIG???" Then I said "yeah dude, you wear 14s...I know, I do your laundry-STOP GROWING!" It was so funny for him to say that...Maybe he still thinks he's a little tike in his little pants. I hope he remembers he'll always be my little buddy! But would someone find a cure for growing up PLEASE... to keep him little!

Colts Playoffs

2007-01-26T19:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, the Colts played their heart out in the playoffs! We dressed in our Colts gear and Rach & I had Colt Helmet Tatoos on our FACE! We had fun over at Mike's and it was good to see them again last Sunday! Now we have to wait for the Superbowl! We are phyched!...GO COLTS...SUPERBOWL BOUND!!!!

GO COLTS!

2007-01-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

GO COLTS! We are in playoffs and play the Patriots here. WOW, if they can win in Baltimore with all those mean people...they should be able to kick em all! It's our turn to get that superbowl ring. so...everyone get ready for the COLTS!!!

Girl Scout Cookie Time Again

2007-01-12T14:43:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's Girl Scout Cookie time again! Rachel is selling cookies so get your orders into us in the next couple of weeks. Orders will be in probably around the end of February. You can pay at time of delivery, or if you want to send me a check ahead of time, just know that they won't be cashed until probably March. You can make checks payable to GSHC (Girl Scouts of the Hoosier Capital). Here is the website to look at the cookies: http://www.littlebrowniebakers.com/cookies/cookies.html

They cost $3.50 a box.

Thanks! And tell all of your friends you know a Brownie Girl Scout!

You can sent orders to me at my email address: mailto: tbish774@insightbb.com

SCRAPPED-The Movie

2007-01-08T21:19:00.000-08:00

WOW I just got the SCRAPPED movie on DVD and watched it as soon as it arrived! Well, after enjoying it very much...this guy (Wes) really got me at the end and I was choaked up!

I am impressed with Wes and getting other men involved in telling their story. So often it falls on the wife and mother. Why can't the MEN get out there and soul search a bit? No...my husband doesn't scrapbook, he is an automation engineer and liked watching the Creating Memories segment on his DVD, however he is a supportive husband of my addiction to scrapbooking. His addiction is woodworking so I love the photo with him and his layout holding a WRENCH! It is now my background on my computer!!! Ha (He didn't probable ever think he'd be that inspirational!?)

I live in Indiana and have been on a design team at a local scrapbook store www.scrapbookcorner.us and I also teach there and recently had a 60+year old man customer who wanted to document his life in photographs. I consulted with him on a couple of occassions to give him ideas and it is truly great to see men getting into this hobby that I love. I believe Digital Photography has something to do with all of this!

If you are a scrapper you gotta check out: http://www.scrappedmovie.com/ and then you gotta read his blog: http://www.scrappedmovie.blogspot.com/ I commented on his blog and told him that he has inspired me to journal more to compliment my artistic layouts! Since I am getting older my memory is fading and I feel like I need to write more things down...I feel like I am missing out on a lot. I always think I will remember what to say, but can't. WRITE IT DOWN! That is my new resolution! 2007

Anticipation of Hawaii Travel

2007-01-03T13:50:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to announce we are going to Hawaii this year. We will be going March 3rd, 2007 for a full week! We will be staying with Mark's mom & dad and where they vacation every winter in Kauai and part of the Marriott Resort! I made this collage in anticipation of our trip. I can't wait!!! It will be the trip of a lifetime!

To Be A Little Girl Again...

2006-11-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today Rachel went to a friend's American Girl Party to watch "Molly's American Girl Movie" Premiering on The Disney Channel. She had fun and my friend, Emily's Mom Linda...Well she knows how to throw a party for girls. She had crafts and treats that were so fun... and Shirley Temple Drinks. How fun! These girls had a blast and this photo shows them with all their American Girl Dolls. -Oh, to be 9 again! What fun we had and the movie made me cry! I am a big sap!!! Cudo's Linda!-You make it fun to be a mom too!