Wednesday Hero: 3/26/08

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested by Kathi

Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team
May No Soldier Go Unloved

Living Legends began in May 2005 with a very small team of seven dedicated angels. The team's mission was to let the families and friends of fallen heroes know that we were here to support them and to honor their loved one. At the same time, they had to make sure that they were sensitive to what the family was going through. While this team has grown tremendously, they have worked very hard to maintain that same level of dedication and sensitivity. This team is staffed with trained volunteers who carry out a very difficult mission for Soldiers' Angels. Due to their dedication, Soldiers' Angels is able to honor those heroes who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and to pay their respects and offer their deepest sympathies to the families and loved ones grieving the painful loss of their son or daughter; husband or wife; brother or sister; mom or dad; aunt or uncle; their friend.

For more information on the Soldiers' Angels Living Legends Team, you can visit their site.

TSometimes a hero is one who sacrifices everything in their life to help others. And sometimes a hero is one who sacrifices nothing more than their time.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

April MW Express Kit Speak Peek!

April 2008 Kit Sneak Peek! SPRING GARDEN... Our April kit will have you excited for the beautiful garden to come! Frolic in our elegant garden, with fresh, inviting spring colors, delicate flourishes and garden-inspired florals - your creativity will positively blossom! We're adding just a touch of elegance with new and exciting page enhancements and embellishments that will let your memories bloom. Create your own beautiful bouquet of projects with the April 2008 kit! April 2008 Sneak Peek PDF

Subscribe to MW Express Today - Receive the April 2008 Kit!* Let your creativity bloom with MemoryWorks Express! Each MemoryWorks Express kit features six solid 12x12 textured cardstock; eight sheets of 12x12 designer patterned paper; five 5.5 x 8.5 matching cards and envelopes; and one fabulous altered project. Plus, each kit is brimming with oodles of embellishments, enhancements and page elements to bring your creativity to life! Not only will you enjoy creating your own personalized projects, but our kits are so versatile that it's perfect for anyone who enjoys the paper crafting hobby, whether it's scrapbooking, stamping, card making or altered projects! We invite you to step outside of the scrapbook box to sample new and innovative products, techniques and styles by subscribing to the MemoryWorks Express Scrapbook Kit Club. Subscribe to MemoryWorks Express Customers have until April 3 to subscribe - however there are a limited number of April subscriptions available. If you want to receive a April kit we encourage you to subscribe to MemoryWorks Express as soon as possible! Subscriptions are selling out fast - there are no guarantees that you'll qualify to receive this month's kit. If April subscriptions are already sold out, you will automatically be put on the waiting list for the next month's kit. Please see the MemoryWorks FAQ sheet for more details: MemoryWorks Express FAQ Sheet

Wednesday Hero: 3/19/08

Spc. Monica Lin Brown
19 years old from Lake Jackson, Texas
4th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team


Army Spc. Monica Lin Brown has done something only a very few female soldiers in American history have ever done. She's been awarded the Silver Star.

Brown saved the lives of fellow soldiers after a roadside bomb tore through a convoy of Humvees in the eastern Paktia province of Afghanistan in April 2007. "I did not really think about anything except for getting the guys to a safer location and getting them taken care of and getting them out of there."

"We stopped the convoy. I opened up my door and grabbed my aid bag," Brown said.

She started running toward the burning vehicle as insurgents opened fire. All five wounded soldiers had scrambled out.

"I assessed the patients to see how bad they were. We tried to move them to a safer location because we were still receiving incoming fire," Brown said. "So we dragged them for 100 or 200 meters, got them away from the Humvee a little bit," she said. "I was in a kind of a robot-mode, did not think about much but getting the guys taken care of."

For Brown, who knew all five wounded soldiers, it became a race to get them all to a safer location. Eventually, they moved the wounded some 500 yards away and treated them on site before putting them on a helicopter for evacuation.

"I did not really have time to be scared," Brown said. "Running back to the vehicle, I was nervous (since) I did not know how badly the guys were injured. That was scary."

The military said Brown's "bravery, unselfish actions and medical aid rendered under fire saved the lives of her comrades and represents the finest traditions of heroism in combat."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

So I was reloading Sure Cuts Alot...

You might remember my delight in finding out about Sure Cuts Alot...

Well I had to get a new laptop (my one year old Acer's Motherboard decided to give up on me), and I just reinstalled the program today. Lo and behold.

THE WELDING AND SHADOWING FEATURES HAVE BEEN ADDED!

Woo hoo! This make this piece of software awesome in my opinion. This feature was added on March 7th.

There is also a new forum for help, and support at:

http://forums.surecutsalot.com/

My new laptop is a Vista... Don't let the rumors of Vista incompatibility scare you...

I run this program in Windows XP mode since it runs smoother for me that way.

To do that is easy. Just install the program. Once installed, RIGHT click its icon (not left click as that will start the program).

Click Properties.

Click the Compatibility Tab.

Check the box next to "Run this Program in Compatibility Mode For"

And then choose Windows XP in the list below that.

(NOTE: I have not tried it under different platforms such as Windows 2000, etc.)

Click OK and you are done.

A great little program - I had a question on the install and got an answer a couple hours later. The company has been top notch so far!

They could make the cutting process a little faster and dare I say it, this program would be perfect....

Wednesday Hero: 3/12/08

Sgt. Steve Morin Jr.
34 years old from Arlington, Texas
111th Engineer Battalion, 36th Infantry Division, Texas Army National Guard
September 28, 2005


From the time he finished high school, Sgt. Steve Morin Jr. made serving in the military his career.

"He always stood up for what he thought was right," Gwendolyn Michelle Morin, his wife, said. "He was a fighter. He would never give up." "He had called me to let me know what he was going to do that day," she said. He expected to be able to call her more often because of the missions he was being assigned. Sometimes they would go 11 or 12 days between calls.

Morin enlisted in the Navy after graduating high school in his hometown of Brownfield, Texas at 17. By 34, Morin had devoted 14 years to the Navy, served in the National Guard for two and planned to attend Officers Candidate School. Morin was still in the Navy when he met his wife. At the time, the two were working for a photo company; he was Santa Claus and she was an elf, she said. Both were attending Texas Tech University. "It was funny because we always kept running into each other. He would hang outside my classes and wait for me with a Diet Coke," recalled Gwendolyn. "He knew how to make me really happy."

Sgt. Morin died when an IED went off, overturning the vehicle he was riding in near Umm Qasr, Iraq.

"He's very strong willed, very determined. Humorous, a clown, but he was also very disciplined and very passionate about what he believed in," Gwendolyn Morin said. "He always wanted to serve his country."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

March MemoryWorks Express Kit - Charmed

If you haven't subscribed to the MemoryWorks Express program yet, this is a great month to do it! This month's kit is fresh and new and feels like Spring (even if it doesn't outside!)...

March 2008 - Charmed



I have already done some cute projects with this kit which will be uploaded in my gallery here soon. Click here for more info on MemoryWorks Express - it is a fabulous kit club! :)

Wednesday Hero: 3/5/08

Pictured Left to Right
Chief Warrant Officer Mark O'Steen, 43 years old from Ozark, Alabama
Chief Warrant Officer Thomas Gibbons, 31 years old from Prince Frederick, Maryland
Staff Sgt. Daniel L. Kisling Jr., 31 years old from Neosho, Missouri
SSgt. Gregory M. Frampton, 37 years old from Fresno, California

1st Battalion, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regimen
January 30, 2003


"They succeeded where lesser men failed," said Chaplain Robert Glazener. "They proved themselves in ways that men out there who never served, never volunteered, never sacrificed, would never understand. They sought neither glory nor special recognition, but they gained both by their actions. They are the true American heroes today and deserve more honor than we can humbly bestow on them."

The helicopter carrying the men went down seven miles east of the Bagram Air Base while on a training mission.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Xyron is Going Green...

Xyron has revamped their lineup of adhesive applicators this Spring. Remember those blue Xyron Runner Machines (250, 500, 510, 900)? Well they are now GREEN:


The 500 and 900 are now called "Creative Stations" and come in this cool color. I saw them on QVC last month and they just flew off the shelves there...

Xyron also has a contest running right now as well. They are doing a drawing to give away the whole new lineup of Xyron adhesive products plus $100. You can enter here.

Good luck! :)

Wednesday Hero: 2/27/08

Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Michael E. Koch
29 years old from State College, Pennsylvania
East Coast-based SEAL team
February 4, 2008


"There are only approximately 2,500 SEALs in the Navy and they really are a brotherhood," said Naval Special Warfare spokesman Lt. David Luckett. "This is another unfortunate reminder of the risks and sacrifices these amazing warriors and their families make on a daily basis."

Koch leaves behind his parents and a fiancee. He enlisted in July 1998 and entered SEAL training in January 1999, according to The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. He received the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

Navy SEAL Michael E. Koch died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq alongside fellow SEAL Nathan Hardy, who was profiled last week.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Wednesday Hero: 2/20/08

Navy Chief Special Warfare Operator (SEAL) Nathan H. Hardy
29 years old from Durham, New Hampshire
East Coast-based SEAL team
February 4, 2008


It was Hardy's fourth deployment in Iraq, according to his father, Stephen Hardy, a professor of kinesiology a the University of New Hampshire. His mother, Donna Hardy, is an administrative assistant in UNH's psychology department.

Nathan Hardy grew up in Durham and was a 1997 graduate of Oyster River High School. He joined the Navy after graduation.

Other family members include his wife, Mindy, and their 7-month-old son, Parker; and a brother, Ben, of Middlebury, Vt.

Another brother, Josh, died in 1993 while a senior at Oyster River High School.

"Our hearts go out to Steve and Donna Hardy, and their son, Ben, at this incredibly difficult time," UNH President Mark Huddleston said in a statement. "We know it was Nate's dream to become a U.S. Navy SEAL when he graduated from high school, and he pursued that dream and excelled at it. His death has stunned all who knew him, and all who know his parents, who both are so much a part of the UNH community."

Navy SEAL Nathan Hardy died Feb. 4 after being wounded by small-arms fire during combat operations in Iraq.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Rumored New Cricut Cartridges

So CHA is this weekend, and I can hardly wait to see what new cartridges that Provocraft is coming out with for the Cricut! I have been lurking on the Yahoo groups, and I heard that these are the rumored new Cartridges:

Camping - I am like the ONLY person I know who has never been camping before in her life... LOL Don't think I need this one.

Soccer - My boys are into sports, but do not play soccer - so don't need this one.

Baseball - A MUST. They play every year for the local league.

Indie Art - No idea what this one will be. But will probably be a must have... LOL

Home Accents - Again, no idea what will be on this one, but sounds like one I will want.

Wedding - This one will probably be a very useful one! But I have all the supplies for my wedding album (sitting in my studio with my photos, waiting for me!) and I don't foresee using diecuts other than title fonts (which I am al good on)... This would be great for cards, but I don't make too many wedding cards. So unless there is a an awesome bunch of shapes I want on this, I am going to pass.

Pooh and Friends - How frickin cute does this sound?? Not sure how much I will use this one, but I will probably get it anyway cause I love Pooh. LOL

Pooh Fonts - A maybe - definitely have to see what this looks like...

So it looks like I will probably want half of these. Hmmmm. Better start saving now! :)

Wednesday Hero: 2/6/08

Robert Cone is the second Cousin of Wednesday Hero's partner in crime, Greta.

Robert S. Cone
85 years old from Delray Beach, Florida
506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division


Surrounded by family, feted by a U.S. congressman and a Veterans of Foreign Wars color guard, one of the few surviving members of the "Filthy Thirteen" was honored on October 8, 2006 in a backyard on Massapoag Avenue.

Robert S. Cone, 85, now of Delray Beach, Fla., finally received the 13 military medals he was due for his service on D-Day during World War II, including the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, POW medal and Presidential Unit Citation.

"To tell you the truth, I never expected it. I'm very honored to get it and really feel good about it," Cone said.

"He's finding it an honor, and he's a little embarrassed, to be honest," said Cone's son, Edward R. Cone, 45, who hosted the family barbecue that included a visit from U.S. Rep. Stephen F. Lynch.

Only a few members remain of the 101st Airborne Division's famed "Filthy Thirteen," an elite parachute and demolition unit that volunteered for a suicide mission on June 5, 1944, the eve of the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

The Filthy Thirteen, who shared a Quonset Hut in England, were a group of "pretty bad boys," Edward Cone said, renowned for hard-living and fierce fighting. They are believed to be the inspiration for the 1967 movie "The Dirty Dozen," although none of the Filthy Thirteen was a convict.

The unit's mission was to parachute behind enemy lines on the night before D-Day to blow up bridges and impede the Nazis.

Many were killed on the drop. The survivors found it difficult to reunite on the ground because the pilots had panicked when the Germans opened fire.

Cone said he spent two days in a hedgerow battle and was shot in the right arm. When he escaped to a French farmhouse, the owner turned him over to the Nazis and he became a prisoner of war.

His unit and his family thought he was dead. His mother, in Roxbury, received a telegram from the War Department saying he had been killed in action.

Cone spent 11 months in three POW camps in Germany before being liberated by the Russians near the Polish border. He fought alongside the Russians as they made their escape, his son said.

Cone walked to freedom through Poland, Russia and Romania, journeyed by ship to Egypt and was eventually flow to Italy, finally making his way home.

All the medal ceremonies had taken place without him.

Cone married Ida, now his wife of 61 years; became a postal worker and plumber; raised three children in Hull; and spoke very little about the war, Edward Cone said.

About four years ago, Edward Cone decided to find out whether any of his father's Army colleagues were still alive.

He found the Filthy Thirteen's leader, Jake McNiece, in Oklahoma, and put his father in touch by telephone. Their conversation was recorded by the BBC and played on the anniversary of D-Day.

Later, the History Channel filmed its own segment on the pair, which still airs, Edward Cone said.

The group reunited in Taccoa, Ga., the home of their jump school.

"My Dad and I drove from here to Georgia. I heard everything on that trip," Edward Cone said. "Three were alive from the unit. They talked and drank and told stories for days."

Three years ago, McNiece published a book, "The Filthy Thirteen: From the Dustbowl to Hitler's Eagle's Nest: The 101st Airborne's Most Legendary Squad of Combat Paratroopers."

It was McNiece who mentioned that Cone was due a few medals. Edward Cone and his fiance, Kate Guthrie of Leominster, who works at the Statehouse, gathered documentation and contacted Lynch.

The result was the Sunday party, also attended by Cone's daughters, Ronna Townsend of Monroe Township, N.J., and Natalie Gaudet of Hampton, N.H., and most of his seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Cone admits he never talked much about the war before.

"I really didn't," Cone said. "But they insisted I tell the grandchildren and the great grandchildren. So I talk to them. I tell them stories. I tell them true stories. They all enjoy it."

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

More Sneak Peeks...

Here are some more gorgeous finds that will be coming out soon:

American Crafts is featuring great new, and fun embellishments. There are lots of new ribbons, felt products, albums and so much more...

Cosmo Cricket has some beautiful new paper lines featuring many different themes and a new product called blackboard which looks like black chipboard... I wonder if you can chalk on it like a chalkboard?


And one of my fave companies K&Co is coming out with some BEAUTIFUL paper lines... I am always holding my breath before I see their new stuff - I love the papers they always some out with - this season was no exception...

Can't wait till all these things hit the stores! :)

Softcuts Sharing Blog

I was surfing and discovered this wonderful blog for all those who have a Cricut and the Design Studio Software.

The Softcuts Sharing Blog shows LOTS of ideas and designs using the Cricut Design Studio Software and various cartridges.

You can also download the shared files to be cut on your own machine (as long as you have the necessary cartridges) - genius! I will definitely keep this blog in my faves! :)

So I Took the Plunge...

... and bought Sure Cuts Alot to test it out on my Cricut Expressions... After a few minutes I was up and running!

The program is pretty simple and straightforward. You can see all your installed fonts and cut them. What you see it what you cut. Here were some of my experiences/concerns:

* Before starting you have to be sure your Cricut Firmware is updated (you can do this using Cricut Design Studio (Free Trial, or Full Retail Version). You need Firmware version 1.1 for Cricut, and 2.1 for the Expressions machine.

Here is a link for the Free Trial of Cricut Design Studio.

* You also need a program called libusb for this program to work. You can download it here:
http://craftedge.com/products/libusb.html

* Designing is pretty easy. You just click where you want the application to cut your design, choose your font, and type away. You can resize by dragging.

* NOTE: Welding and Shadowing are not yet available. Disappointing yes, but it is in the works as a future feature that will be available for free upgrade later. Free is good!

* It can also cut shapes and comes with a basic library of shapes. Looks like there may be future shape files available for download - fun!

* It will only cut installed fonts - so be sure they are installed before you open the program, or else they won't show up in the font list.

* You have to have a cartridge inserted for the machine to be able to advance the mat. Doesn't matter which cartridge, but there does need to be a cartridge inserted.

* I did a test cut using my fave basic font - Georgia. It cuts great BUT painfully slow. But a tradeoff I would make if it meant I didn't have to buy any more font cartridges (yeah right, but that's my reasoning anyway... LOL). Maybe this is another thing that will be worked on...

* From my experience, it looks like the pressure is still controlled by the dial itself. I will email customer support though to make sure that is the case... NOTE: I heard back from a VERY QUICK responding customer service. The pressure is controlled by the knob on your machine.

The only worry I have is Provocraft's reaction to this program. There is speculation that they could come out with a Firmware Update that will block this program. Not sure if that is possible (or even legal)... But time will tell I guess.

All in all I think as it is, it is worth the $69.95 special that it is selling for right now. Not sure that it is worth the $90 retail price though - at least not without the welding/shadow features... But it is a solid first effort and freeing all those TTF's that we have on our computers!

I will update this review as I use the program more, and as new features come out...

Cricut Cuts True Type Fonts - Sure Cuts Alot Software

Wow - I was very surprised to hear it, but apparently a company has made software that allows the Cricut to cut fonts on your computer - SCORE!

http://www.craftedge.com/index.html

Looks like someone beat Provocraft to the punch... They really should have released the Design Studio Software with this capability... I am ***this**** close to buying it to try it out! If it works, my Wishblade is going to need a new home...

I wonder what Provocraft is going to do about it? Is there anything they can do? I doubt it right?

Or maybe this company has some sort of deal with Provocraft? Who knows - but I think this will be AWESOME if it works!

Cricut Buy Two Get One Free - WalMart Promo

Provocraft is doing another "Buy Two Get One Free" promo, this time for WalMart only...

You buy the cartridges between Feb 1 - Feb 29 at Wal Mart, fill out the Rebate Request and send it off by March 31st with your $14.95 payment for shipping and handling.

You will get a free cartridge of your choice (from a selected list)...

I did this rebate when they did it in December and got Printing 101 for free - great deal!

Donate to Charity + Win Tim Holtz Art Piece

Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

If you go to Tim Holtz's blog: http://timholtz.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/01/paying-it-forwa.html

He is having a contest to win a beautiful canvas mosaic mixed media piece he did. All you have to do it make a $10.00 donation to "A Place To Bark" www.aplacetobark.com, which is being run by Bernie Berlin. The contest is being based on the number of people who donate at least $10.00, not the amount of money.

To be entered in Tim's contest you have to type "Cooper" in the "dedication or gift" box.

How It Works:

The four charity badges with the most unique donations through America's Giving Challenge will get $50,000 for their cause.

BUT HURRY!

America's Giving Challenge runs only until January 31st.

Donate Via the Badge Below:

New Cherry Arte Lines

As a Mom of boys, I am always excited to see new boy stuff... Cherry Arte has some new lines for both boys and girls - the boy line is too cool! Here are some samples of the "Boy Story" line:

I can't wait to see these in person! You can see the rest of the new lines here.

Lots of fun stuff there! :)

Wednesday Hero: 1/30/08

SSgt. Justing R. Whiting
27 years old from Hancock, New York
3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
January 19, 2008


Staff Sgt. Justin R. Whiting, a Special Forces medical sergeant sustained fatal wounds when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive devise 16 kilometers south of Mosul, Iraq.

He is survived by his mother, Estelline, of Colorado Springs, Colo., father, Randall, of Hancock, N.Y., sister, Amanda, of DuPont, Wash., and brother Nathan of Dover, Tenn.

For more information on SSgt. Justin Whiting, you can download this PDF file.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.