some kind of wonderful

2012-01-10T21:44:00.002-05:00

this is my favorite face photo from 2011 and thats why im entering it in the best face photo from 2011 challenge at i heart faces!

it reminds me how i need to get back into shooting regularly!

thanks for stopping by!

boo! guess who!

2012-01-02T16:58:00.005-05:00

yes its me! i took a VERY long break from my dear blog. sometimes it just needs to be done. and i cant guarantee that i will be able to keep it up, but i would really like to.

i am going to attempt to take a picture a day for the year. LOL...i realize i am setting myself up for some major failure, but wow if i actually did it would be fabulous!

so here goes:

JANUARY 1, 2012

JANUARY 2, 2012

in the swing

2011-04-21T15:33:00.007-04:00

attempting to get back into the swing of things. so very glad school is ending soon and we can take a deep breath from that!

also trying to get back into my creative roots so to speak. so keep your fingers crossed!

i HEART faces

2011-04-03T21:32:00.003-04:00

here is an entry for the i HEART faces contest this week:)

thanks for looking!

florabella giveaway

2011-03-25T20:49:00.000-04:00

florabella giveaway!

check out this link to find out more!

i seriously HEART this giveaway!

playing catch up

2011-01-21T12:36:00.005-05:00

sorry for the tons of pics and lack of postings! as most of you know we have just completed moving, so i was catching up some stuff i made over the last couple months that i dont think ever made it on here. thanks for looking and here's hoping to lots of new posts coming soon!!

Fabric Shoppe giveaway!!

2010-11-04T20:05:00.002-04:00

interested in free fabric?? check out the Fabric Shoppe for the giveaway they are having now!

1st day of school

2010-09-09T14:28:00.005-04:00

i cant believe i have a 2 kids in school full time! where have the years gone? oy

my hydrangea

2010-08-28T11:53:00.001-04:00

we have spent a lot of time and energy with landscaping this summer and it is really turning out beautiful. i have always loved hydrangeas and i just adore this one. it is still in its pot since i just can't decide on a location for it yet. but it did not disappoint me, the blooms are amazing!

busy summer

2010-08-15T10:49:00.004-04:00

i am a slacker...i know it. one of these days i hope to be back and blogging regularly.

lots going on right now with job hunting, town hunting, kids home for the summer and projects that never end. but it will all work out and slow down at some point:)

one of my projects this summer was to make the girls dresses. i have never made a dress before in my life. but i was gonna figure it out by golly! and i did! and i even managed to make both of their dolls matching ones too!

they both got haircuts and look just darling!

(sorry the pics aren't the greatest, i rely on my camera phone way too much lately:)

seoul print 2 & 3 now available

2010-07-22T08:32:00.002-04:00

SEOUL PRINT 2:

20 x 20; $50 plus shipping

SEOUL PRINT 3:

20 x 16

$50 plus shipping

Let me know if you are interested!

my niece

2010-07-19T13:36:00.002-04:00

isn't she a doll??

end of school madness

2010-06-13T20:14:00.003-04:00

well sorry i have been a little MIA...its the end of school and its pure madness. everyone that can schedule something in does...so its only going to get worse before it gets better.

we have also made the decision to search for a new job. in the civilian world. and couldn't be happier. after many years of being screwed by the army, we are done. our children aren't aware of any of this yet, so if you happen to be around them, please don't mention it. we want to get a few more things planned out before we tell them. i don't know where we will be in 6 months, but i know matt won't be deploying. and thats the best part. until all the ducks fall into place, we will continue enjoying the gorgeous weather up here, watch our garden and flowers grow, and work on getting rid of stuff we no longer need.

i probably won't be around for the next few weeks...we have family arriving, end of school and all the events in between:) i will be back eventually:)

mine

2010-06-03T21:41:00.003-04:00

i love these guys...

they are my world...

(american crafts craft fair paper, thickers, OA rub ons)

thanks for looking!

growing up

2010-05-20T21:18:00.007-04:00

tonight was abby's class musical, ironically titled get up and grow. i must be feeding my kids too well cause they have been doing a lot of growing lately. (brace yourself mom and dad)

it had been awhile since i got the girls together for pics...and of course there is no better time than when you have a new camera:) so i had to break that baby in right!

can you tell my kids were born and raised with a camera in their face. they are not shy. i actually had to stop shooting them cause they had used up my entire memory card.

take another mommy...just one more....

ok i promise this is the last one mommy...

bwhaaa...boy do we really have her fooled!!

this would be the money shot. thanks kiddos. thanks for growing up on me when i was busy washing dishes and tucking you in at night. thanks for making me wonder where all these past years have gone. thanks for making me feel that much older. thanks for being simply amazing.

this is what happens...

2010-05-15T20:49:00.002-04:00

when your baby grows up and no longer wants her picture taken :(

it ok...i will still take them...she will just look goofy in them:) bwhaaa!

2 can play this game:)

china photos

2010-05-08T22:21:00.008-04:00

just been in the mood lately to catch up on photos i have yet to edit. so i started working on pics from my trip to china. little different editing style with these...but i really like it.

and of course this one is my favorite of all. i think it will be finding a place on my wall very soon :)

(click to enlarge)

yard sale celebrities

2010-05-08T11:16:00.002-04:00

you just never know whose gonna stop by and visit during a yard sale....yesterday we had ella montana drop in...she really worked the customers well, offered to take pics and sold some things too! bwhaaaa!

walking home

2010-05-05T08:50:00.003-04:00

my and my girls walk home from school everyday we can. we live about a mile from the school and its a nice time for them to share their day with me and defuse if needed. the trees on our walk bloomed this week, so here is a shot with one of the trees. sorry its so grainy, i shot it with my phone.

on an exciting front....i ordered a NEW camera last night! woohoo! i am ready to move up and need more capability...so look forward to lots more pics coming soon!

I Spy...with my little eye...

2010-04-27T09:18:00.002-04:00

SNOW FLAKES!! what the heck! spring has already arrived here, my tulips have already bloomed, my lilacs are getting ready to bloom...i spent the weekend staining the pretty deck in the back ground...that is now being covered with snow...yuck.

a little of this and a little of that

2010-04-23T09:33:00.005-04:00

see how bad i am about taking pictures? i couldn't even finish my own challenge! ugh! frustrating. i need a clone!

here is a pic from last week when ella and i took a walk in the woods:

then i decided to ride this sewing roller coaster, so i made some cafe style curtains for my scrapbook area. even lined them...they came out awesome if i do say so myself :)

thats all for today:)

day 3

2010-04-14T20:26:00.002-04:00

i can't even keep up with my own challenge! lol! this is what i spent all day yesterday making for my kiddos. this is just one, ellas has stars and blue and pink colors. they LOVE them. and it was my 1st attempt at sewing a zipper on something. so i am very proud!

day 2

2010-04-12T20:23:00.003-04:00

confession time....i didn't take this picture today. i took it back in march. i actually had my camera outside to take pics of our landscaping project, but between helping move rock and watching a 4 yr old...it didn't happen. so hopefully that will be my pic tomorrow.

enjoy:)

day 1

2010-04-11T17:22:00.003-04:00

i challanged a friend to take a picture a day for the entire week. mainly so it would force me to take pictures.

i have been bad with taking pictures lately.

so here goes the 1st pic of the week. got to spend some great one on one time with ella today making chocolate chip cookies. i even let her crack the eggs:)

sweet chick

2010-04-10T20:33:00.001-04:00

nothing like checking out the merchandise at the tractor supply store :)

i ♥ faces dramatic b&w entry

2010-03-30T10:03:00.002-04:00

here is my entry for the i ♥ faces dramatic b&w contest entry. thanks for looking:)

persistence pays:)

2010-03-23T15:46:00.002-04:00

i joined swag bucks back at the middle of january and just earned my 5th amazon gift card!! thats right...its only march and i have earned $25 towards my christmas spending this year:) thats AWESOME!!! and all i have done is use their search bar for searches!!

interested?? check the link at the right:)

dog sledding

2010-03-16T22:41:00.014-04:00

at the beginning of february the girls brought home flyers from school advertising the chance to win a ride on a dog sled. you could enter everyday that month if you wanted to, you just had to go to the library. well abby had it in her mind that she was riding that dog sled. so most days in february you could find us at the library. she prayed about, talked about it...but it wasn't until we got the call that she was selected that she truly went nuts!

the day came and it turned out ella was an alternate cause someone didn't show. so hey both got to ride the dog sled. a truly once in a lifetime experience. this is at a park within view from my house, so very close. the library just puts on such wonderful programs for the kids. here are some pics. enjoy!

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

memories

2010-03-08T18:56:00.003-05:00

(click to enlarge)

i love this pic of my grandparents and my mom. thanks for looking:)

PRIMA contest

2010-03-03T16:42:00.001-05:00

Prima is having a contest!! click HERE to see how to enter!! hurry, it ends tomorrow!

pagemaps sketch challenge

2010-02-28T08:31:00.005-05:00

pagemaps blog was having a sketch challenge so of course i had to give it a go. i love their sketches! here's the sketch:

and here's my take on it:

the journaling reads: "every morning for 2 weeks we walked the beach as the sun was coming up. thank you for sharing the sunrise with me."

thanks:)

happy friday

2010-02-26T15:00:00.001-05:00

this is from a sketch off the imaginisce blog. love these pics of ella hiding crayons in her shirt. what a little turkey! enjoy!

today's the DAY!!

2010-02-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWAGBUCKS!!!

today they turn 2 and they are rewarding everyone with tons of extra swagbucks!! i have already earned $10 in amazon gift cards JUST FROM SEARCHING FOR STUFF ON THE INTERNET!!

this is a seriously COOL program!! if you are interested and want to learn more...check it out here and sign up! what do you have to lose??

i am planning on having christmas for FREE this year!! there are tons of other prizes, you don't have to get amazon cards!!

you sign up, load their toolbar onto your desktop and start earning!! its that EASY!!

give it a try!!

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP

just a trip down memory lane...

2010-02-22T13:30:00.002-05:00

enjoy:)

My Minds Eye Blog Challenge

2010-02-17T15:51:00.002-05:00

here's a sketch that i had to create a layout from.

and here's my layout:

we had to use 80% MME product. i love this pic of my girl...had a hard time with this sketch cause the picture really moves me...so i wanted it to be perfect.

right now we are all on winter break at home...so its been a crazy busy week...hope to be back blogging more regularly soon!

on a roll...

2010-01-30T13:35:00.004-05:00

been scrapping lots lately...and loving it! here are a few more that i created this weekend so far...

MEGA swag bucks day!

2010-01-29T16:32:00.003-05:00

fridays are mega swag buck days...where you have the chance to win BIG swagbucks...

and today i redeemed my 1st 45 swagbucks for a $5 amazon.com gift card...this is pretty easy stuff! wanna sign up? click the bar to the right--------->

here's to a happy TGIF!!

pagemaps sketch

2010-01-28T16:06:00.003-05:00

here is a layout i did for a pagemaps sketch. love these pics of ella...what a cute kitty!

fighting off winter sleepies

2010-01-27T14:04:00.003-05:00

man i have a bad case of the sleepies today!! i just want to curl up and nap all day...which can't really happen since i pick my kids up from school soon...oh well... i can dream...

anyways, here are some of my latest creations...the sketch was a contest for our local scrapbook store. haven't heard back, but i liked the sketch and wanted to give it a try. i love how this turned out, and i am proud of how well i am becoming at sewing on paper.

the card was another sketch i followed...need some baby cards, so i have been playing around and this is what i came up with...thanks for looking....

becoming a believer

2010-01-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

i am a skeptic by nature. so i half heartedly signed up for the swag bucks (see linky button to the right) to see what it was all about...

in the course of just a couple of days, i now have 22 SWAGBUCKS!! just from using their tool bar to search things. i got 3 this morning alone! so being the skeptic i am...i wanted to investigate a little further...and then i found THIS! the prizes you can redeem your SB for. when i get 45 of these things...i can get a $5 amazon gift card. pretty cool, huh? still not convinced?? well i have been finding story after story of people who have saved all those $5 gift cards and COMPLETELY paid for christmas with it...to the tune of like $800 worth of those cards!!

wowzers!! so i am gonna keep with it...have i convinced you yet? you can also earn SB from shopping at online stores (that you probably already shop at).... wanna give it a try?? its FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

just click on the button to the right and it will tell you what you need to do. if you register and start collecting SB...let me know!! we can compare notes and help find good deals!!!

ok...back off the soap box:) off to shovel snow and fold laundry...joy joy...

slow start

2010-01-22T09:18:00.004-05:00

my new year has been off to a slow start. which i don't mind at all:)

a little bit of snow; a little bit of sickness; a broken finger (abby); the musical Wicked; and a little bit of scrapbooking...plus laundry and all those other boring, mundane parts of life.

here are some of my latest. sorry for the small pics, my computer and camera aren't talking, so i had to take these with my phone.

and last but not least you may notice an ad to the right about Swagbucks. its part of google, and its a search engine that everytime you use it you receive swag bucks. which you can then trade in for amazon gift cards and all sorts of other things! you just click on the ad, it will take you to their page. register (its FREE) and load their toolbar on your computer. then everytime you want to search for something, type it in...its as simple as that.

i am giving it a try and think you should too!! (stepping off my soapbox now:)

a fresh new start

2010-01-01T12:38:00.005-05:00

just some new cards i made a couple days ago...paper crafts sketch for both.

and these were one of the christmas presents my youngest received this year from me. diapers for her doll babies. i am loving my sewing machine!

here's to a great new year and many more fun projects!

snow day part 2

2009-12-12T22:34:00.007-05:00

this is what happens when 2 snow days precede a weekend...

snow day crafting

2009-12-11T12:06:00.005-05:00

we are on our 2nd snow day and i have had lots of time to scrapbook and make cards. here are the cards....layouts to come later (gotta take those pics still)...enjoy!

30 day wrap up

2009-11-30T10:17:00.003-05:00

well today is the last day of november and i figured i would update you on my 30 day shred plan i did for the month. i missed a total of 7 days out of the month. 2 were lazy hormonal days and 5 i was sick and it just wasn't happening. but overall i am proud that i stuck with it and completed 23 days.

i did switch the workouts around. shred 1 actually became too easy and mundane, so i took on shred 2...that kicked my butt good. then i got stupid and did both workouts in 1 day. not something i can do everyday, but it was a nice change. the last few days i have been completing her quick problem areas workout. that has truly been an eye opener. owwiieeeee! is all i have to say!

overall i would recommend this for people to try if they are looking for a change in workout. i did not lose any weight during this time, i actually gained weight. that being said, i am slimmer and much more tone. so that has kept me going. i am also stronger too which feels amazing. i plan on continuing to workout as far into december as possible. we will be traveling for the holidays, so i won't be able to complete these workouts for the entire month...but i will have to wear a swimsuit everyday so i will continue doing something:) and i plan on picking up when we return home.

the best part about this is it was all free on our free exercise on demand channel. so i could change up the workouts whenever i wanted to and not have to buy a new dvd. ok, enough about that!

getting in the spirit...

2009-11-25T15:22:00.002-05:00

been playing in my scrappy hole some more. thought these might make some cute teachers gifts.

thanks for looking!

a little creative play...

2009-11-16T22:36:00.004-05:00

been having fun this past weekend in my scrappy room....made these frames...

and tonight finished up this cake....

big birthday tomorrow....woohoo...(and don't let my trick photography fool you...the cake leans to one side! LOL) but she loves it and thats all that matters!!

more pictures to come!

love

2009-11-13T21:18:00.003-05:00

just having a little creative fun. been wanting to get into my scrappy area for awhile now, but now that the pegboard is hung and everything is truly organized...i had new found inspiration.
so here it is....

(click to enlarge)

as far as my 30 day shred is going....i am proud to say i have completed it every single day so far. i am sore still, but i am really noticing a difference in my tone. i am getting stronger and starting to see some muscle definition. i attempted the 2nd level one day...i don't know what i was thinking, but quickly went back to the 1st level:)....anyways just a quick update!

hard to believe...

2009-11-06T14:20:00.004-05:00

someone will be turning 4 this month...seems like only yesterday...

man i wish i could keep them little forever!

on a side note...day 6 is complete! woohoo! and believe me when i say i did NOT want to workout this morning. i wanted to sleep. be lazy. eat. anything but workout! but i am so proud of myself.

owwwieeee

2009-11-05T09:32:00.002-05:00

just finished day 5 of the 30 day shred. i can honestly say i dread it every morning and am so happy when i am finished with it!

hope to upload some random pics later today...we will see:)

day 2 complete!

2009-11-02T11:13:00.003-05:00

whoop whoop! now i can relax for another 24 hrs...

day 1 complete

2009-11-02T07:07:00.002-05:00

i am always looking for new challenges so i decided to attempt jillian michaels 30 day shread for the entire month of november. we are lucky cause it comes on our free exercise on demand channel. so it costs me nothing. but some sweat and sore muscles:)

i don't usually post these things on here, but i am counting on "you" to help keep me honest. cause lets face it....this next month is gonna down right suck for me. LOL. but if i actually follow thru...DANG the benefits will be worth it!!

so i am proud to say i did complete it yesterday...and plan on updating as often as i can to let you know i am still on track. (or to just put it in writing so i can laugh at myself later)...

here's to a toner me by the end of the month! pass the gatorade!

(halloween costumes to come)

the finished product

2009-10-29T19:48:00.002-04:00

and here they are... this 1st one is abby's choice...

and this next one is ella's choice...

we didn't make it to carving the 3rd one...but that may still happen:)

i heart photoshop

2009-10-28T09:26:00.003-04:00

one of the 1st things that got put on the back burner when we moved back to the states was my photo business. there wasn't time for it and there still really isn't. but that also meant my photoshop skills went downhill fast.

so lately i have been making myself play a little more and experiment...here's the latest...i personally like the 2nd pic best...

still working on those pumpkins...art takes time:)

pumpkin guts

2009-10-27T09:44:00.007-04:00

we waited kinda late this year to start the pumpkin carving. and of course there was no way we could NOT carve pumpkins:)

(click to enlarge)

last night we started out just cleaning the pumpkin guts out.

(click to enlarge)

and this is always a favorite time for the girls, cause they LOVE the feel of slimy pumpkin guts in between their fingers.

(click to enlarge)

and this play time wouldn't be complete without the "pretending" to eat the pumpkin guts photo.

(click to enlarge)

My kids could seriously spend hours playing with the guts. almost wish pumpkins could come around a few more times a year...like the LONG winter when we are out of ideas of things to do...oh well...we will enjoy it nonetheless!

(click to enlarge)

tonight we carve the pumpkins....stay tuned!

proud.

2009-10-15T17:38:00.002-04:00

he's home. thank god!

nothingness

2009-10-08T16:17:00.003-04:00

i haven't completely abandoned my blog...i promise. just been insanely busy with nothing really interesting to write about. been in mommy mode. driving from school to practice to home...then homework, dinner, baths, bed...a few temper tantrums (mine and theirs:).

the good news is that my "relief" will be here in less than a week. very happy about that. then i can start breathing again. at the moment, i am doing a lot of cleaning. not very fun. have been wanting to scrapbook, but don't have time really for that either. been reading lots. such is the cycle of life.

so now that you're bored beyong belief and probably asleep...you don't have to feel like you are really missing out on much:) hopefully i will be back soon with something witty to say or a new pic to post. sadly haven't even picked my camera up in awhile. must do that soon!

almost time...

2009-09-20T19:37:00.005-04:00

the decorations are up...now we need our soldiers home:) not much longer. here are some quick shots of the decorations we made with plastic cups. the lighting wasn't great since i was shooting into the sun, but you get the idea.

cricut contest

2009-09-15T14:25:00.002-04:00

This is contest entry for those crazy folks at TodaysMama and Cricut.

Be sure to check out Cricut's cool new cartridges and the chance at $30,000 in travel for you and your friends at the Great Gypsy Escape site! http://bit.ly/FWcudGreat Escape Meme

1. If you could escape to anywhere in the world where would it be? carribean

2. What song do you play when you are by yourself in the car? some by kelly clarkson

3. If you had a night to yourself, and money was no object, what would you do? scrap shop and then scrap!

4. What is your guilty pleasure? buying scrappy things

5. What is the farthest place you have traveled away from your home? korea

6. Last book that you couldn't put down? the wednesday letters

7. When you want to escape into another time, what movie do you watch? how to lose a guy in 10 days

8. What is your favorite local escape? anywhere quiet

9. How do you escape on a budget? plan for it

Best food you've ever had while on vacation. jerk chicken in guam (YUM)

little fishies

2009-09-14T11:20:00.005-04:00

the kiddos thoroughly enjoyed swim lessons this summer and are getting ready to start them again. when i asked ella if she was a little fishy she said no, she was a mermaid. i agree:)

09-09-09 the special birthday

2009-09-09T19:16:00.006-04:00

(click to enlarge)

here is the dress she BEGGED me for...but i refused to buy it for her. then one day when she wasn't with me, i snuck out to the store, bought it, washed it and had it hanging in her doorway for her to see when her eyes opened this morning. she was very excited!

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

these are the cupcake toppers for abby's birthday cupcakes for school. she loved them. she wanted a girly skull theme and i did find some party supplies, but nothing for the cupcakes, so i pulled out my cricut and made them. the scallop circle is from a punch i have, the skull is from the lifes a beach cart, the bow is from the paper dolls cart and then the eyes and the design on the bow are stickles.

all in all she had a great day, dressed like a princess, was sang lots of happy birthday songs, ate cake, and overall had a fabulous b-day.

and i just can't believe she is already 7. (sniff, sniff)...where did my baby go?

what am i?

2009-09-06T09:46:00.004-04:00

(click to enlarge)

do you know what this is? pretty cool pattern huh? i love bold patterns especially in black and white.

my kiddos start school this week and i am a little sad for summer to be ending and having them go off again. they sure drive me bonkers but we have had a great summer overall and i don't want to see it come to an end. such is life.

more summer recap pics to follow...

tag team terror

2009-09-04T09:17:00.002-04:00

created this layout for a friend. these are her furbabies. this was also the 1st time i have used my sewing machine on a layout. i was a little crooked, but not bad for the 1st time.

we are gearing up for the start of school around here...just in case i am scarce in the coming weeks. lots to look forward to...birthdays and the big homecoming (finally)... so i will be around, some weeks more than others...

lies, hairy melons & weird kids

2009-09-01T18:03:00.008-04:00

ok, ok...you got me...we didn't MOVE. that was one of our local castles that we went exploring thru. lots of fun still, gorgeous weather...and just a hint of fall in the air. (sniff, sniff, whine).

moving onto my real house...here are some updated pics of my garden, mainly for my parents.

one small, hairy little melon...

and then after a little rain...it grew... now the question is whether it matures before the frost hits hard....

and lastly another goofy pic of my girls... while we were storming the castle.

we've moved!

2009-08-31T22:08:00.005-04:00

i know its sudden and all, LOL...but i just fell in love with this place when i saw it and i couldn't pass it up! hahahaha!

gorgeous huh? my own little private castle!

now here's the shocking part:

i have to bring these guys along...but there is LOTS of room (or should i say ROOMS) for them to run thru)

and when i get tired, i can sit out on my ENORMOUS porch. ahhh...the life of being oh so wealthy!

i am booking now for the fall. anyone wanna come visit?

think matt will be surprised? LOL!!

growing up too fast

2009-08-12T19:14:00.003-04:00

(click to enlarge)

here is another challenge. had to use cherry red and teal on a layout and use a quote as well. obviously i haven't figured out my journaling yet...but i am sure it will come to me soon.

hard to believe abby was only like 8 months old in those pics. where has the time gone? there are moments i want to pull my hair out and other ones that bring me to my knees. i guess thats motherhood.

life in august

2009-08-09T15:53:00.004-04:00

i have managed to sneak in some scrappy time since we've had a little rain. i posted a challenge on another forum and i wanted to complete mine, so here it is. i do usually include titles and journaling, but you don't always have to. sometimes the image speaks volumes. at least thats what i feel when i look at this picture of my little one. my challenge was to create a 12x12 layout with cardstock, no patterned paper (but cardstock could be embellished) and it must have a 2"x2" photo. here's my take:

we have been knee deep into summer and really enjoying the weather. wouldn't mind it warmer, but i am not complaining. my garden has produced 4 zucchini so far. i am very happy! the corn, carrots, watermelon, parsley and squash are all still growing. but they look promising as well. the mystery plant by my compost pile still seems to be a mystery, but i am thinking it is pumpkin. guess we'll find out soon enough!

looking forward to another fun filled week!

i scrapped!

2009-08-01T22:57:00.004-04:00

(click to enlarge)

woohoo! lol! its been so long since i actually scrapped a layout for my own books. feels good to be back in the swing of things. enjoy!

800 feet above

2009-07-26T21:03:00.003-04:00

yep! thats how high abby and i were when we went parasailing on our beach vacation. it was a blast (minus the motion sickness i had and all...LOL!!)

woohoo!

2009-07-23T20:01:00.003-04:00

i'm a dork. i am aware of this:) but imagine my surprise and total happiness when i saw this...

and to think i had given up hope that i might EVER be published...well this may be the closest i get, but dang it made me smile:)

this was in the august creating keepsakes magazine (scrapbooking magazine).

the fruits of my labor (or something like that)

2009-07-19T21:48:00.013-04:00

here are some pics of my yard, mainly for my parents. i was very surprised when i got back from vacation to find my garden and yard had like tripled in size. insane. this picture is right after i put these plants and beds in in may.

here's the same shot taken today. looks much better!

here is my garden: the insane plant dead center is zucchini, corn to the right of it and then squash to the right of the corn. sunflowers backing up against the barn.

this is the long shot of the whole garden:

a little baby zucchini:

hard to tell because of the lighting, but the middle 2 rows are carrots, 4 corners are watermelons that are trying to live and then on the left center is parsley.

and last but not least, a baby squash:

so there you have it...my garden is doing much better than anticipated. now onto the things i wasn't TRYING to grow...

my husband sent me sunflowers for our anniversary last fall. very sweet of him since those are my flowers of choice. once they died, i threw them in the compost pile and low and behold...they have come back to life.

then there's the mystery plant growing next too the sunflower, to the left of the black bin (it has the big leaves). i am thinking its pumpkin...but it will just have to be a surprise. and to think i wasn't even trying!

miss me?

2009-07-17T17:39:00.002-04:00

i know i have been gone for awhile. went on vacation and have been unpacking, etc ever since. plus its summer and i have some tending to do to my garden! (thing decided to triple in size overnight!) anyways...here i am...

catching up

2009-06-13T21:28:00.002-04:00

wow i have neglected my poor blog. i FINALLY got the preschool scrapbooks done. they look so cute! i am not gonna know what to do with myself!

so i have been on a huge cleaning binge lately cause the house has really gone to hell in a handbasket since i have focused ONLY on those books. i managed to finally relocate and organize all the toys...clean the kitchen, clean and organize my scrappy area, vacuum...its been awesome! i feel great! now if i can just get all the laundry done and put away!!

here are a few new things. the layout i actually made like a month ago for a challenge, but never posted it. and the card is just a quickie.

choppy, choppy...

2009-06-04T21:41:00.002-04:00

notice anything new? (hint...not related to the banana at all:)

on the home stretch!

2009-05-23T08:42:00.002-04:00

ella has 3 more weeks of school and abby has 5...i don't know if i can last that long! LOL! i am SOOOOOO ready for summer break to start!

i am still working feverishly on those preschool scrapbooks...gonna be pulling some late nights here for the next couple weeks. i did actually get to play with a card yesterday. we have a niece that is graduating from high school...and i needed to keep it simple. but it was fun to play for a short while!

during the past week things have gotten real interesting as i managed to pinch a nerve in my neck and pretty much lost almost all use of my left shoulder. it is getting better...S.L.O.W.L.Y. i start physical therapy next week. i really don't have time for this! LOL, but i don't have a choice. i am no good when i am not running at 100%.

the die cut image is from lyrical letters cricut cartridge.

now back to reality!

happy mothers day mom!

2009-05-10T20:16:00.003-04:00

so i am a bad daughter...i am behind on everything...but especially sending my mother her mothers day card. sorry mom! since i know you read my blog you can see it here! (and in real life when it shows up in your mailbox).

i seriously have the most amazing mother in the world. and i appreciate her more everyday that i am a mother. i apologize to her a lot too. i wasn't the best kid...far from easy. and i am getting some of the pay back for that now...but i wouldn't have anyone else in the world be my mom! she is the craftiest, smartest, most genuine and beautiful person i know. there isn't anything she wouldn't do for me or the rest of my siblings in a heartbeat. (well having her fly to korea to see me was probably stretching it! lol!) she mastered the art of time management with 4 kids and the chaos that goes along with it...and i don't think i will ever figure out her trick.

anyways...i am SO sorry to not get this in the mail...but i love you mom so much and hope you had a very nice mothers day!

i made 2 cards...so you will have to see which one you get:)

papers are all October Afternoon (my fav!!). sketches are theirs too! i can not WAIT to get my hands on all their new papers!! woohoo!

a little sidetracked...

2009-05-05T20:30:00.003-04:00

(click photo to enlarge)
this is what happens when i can't bring myself to work on the preschool scrapbook! lol! actually since the weather was great the last couple days AND my kids needed to go outside, i might as well be productive, right? so this is off my back deck.

it looks so small for the amount of work it was...more to come:)

a little project...

2009-04-27T22:48:00.004-04:00

so i am in the middle of making scrapbooks for all the kids in ellas preschool class. 13 kids. 13 scrapbooks. god help me.

i decided to go about this all digitally trying to keep the lines clean and streamlined and loading them with lots of pics. the patterned paper on the 1st day of school page are the colors used throughout the book to tie them together.

i am a little behind. there are 6 weeks of preschool left...so if you don't see me for the next 6 weeks, you know where i'm at and what i'm doing.

getting back into a groove

2009-04-18T13:19:00.004-04:00

well i have been gone awhile. sick kiddos are now well. grandparents have visited and left. and i am renewed.

i made this a few weeks back in between sick kids...

and this is what my parents and i worked on this past week...some raised planter boxes. one will be for veggies and the other for flowers. it was a lot of work, but i am so pleased with how they came out and glad my parents could help me out with them! they are 8'x8'.

now i just have to wait for it to get warmer...apparently planting season up here kicks off memorial day weekend...geesh! but i will be ready!!

in recovery mode

2009-04-12T22:39:00.004-04:00

well the grandparents are here and i am SOOOO glad to have the extra help!

in the last month we have had 3 cases of pink eye, bronchitis, strep throat (twice), an ear infection...and this past week..just when i thought it couldn't get ANY worse...abby was sent home from school with a rash. after a trip to the docs, we think it is an allergic reaction to her antibiotic. it just didn't show up until she was on day 9 of 10 days.

her rapid mono test came back neg. but the scary thing was that when they restested her for strep after 9 days on antibiotics, it came back positive again. so we are on new drugs...getting over the most horrendous rash i have ever seen...and very, very greatful it is spring break here and she still has time to recover before school starts again.

so thats where i have been, why i have been absent, and why i will be gone a little longer.

yeah! it's not strep!

2009-03-24T10:46:00.002-04:00

ok seriously people...i am so tired of dealing with sick kids! last week they double whammied me with bronchitis and pink eye...and i washed the sheets and everything else religiously to prevent it being spread. then abby starts to cough and sneeze...obviously she had acquired her sisters cold.

fast forward to last night, bedtime and the tears...her throat hurts really bad...ugh.

so back to the doctor we went this morning and the rapid strep test is negative (hallelujah!) they are still culturing it, but no news is good news...right now both kids are at school and i am off to plan some chicken noodle soup for dinner. man i need a nap!

what to do while your kids are sick...

2009-03-19T14:59:00.005-04:00

make cards! lol! both kids have been home sick the last couple days, one with bronchitis and the other with pink eye...

its been well, not fun for me.

so in order to save my sanity (or whats left of it, i have finished up some online card challenges). now i am not wild about making cards. every now and then i can get into the groove, but for the most part they frustrate me to no end...so here they are:

make a card with an umbrella or rain drops:

make a kids birthday card:

make a shaped card:

make a card with a butterfly:

fingers crossed they go back to school tomorrow!!

frisky leprachauns

2009-03-14T12:49:00.006-04:00

we have had some very mischievious leprachaun activity lately. we haven't managed to catch one yet, but so far we have had:

green toilet water (YUCK)

shamrock confetti sprinkled all over the floor

shoes placed on the table

books spread out all over the floor

the leprachaun trap moved

a leprachaun hat that we found (must have run off in a hurry)

a stuffed animal dangling from the cabinet

the baby stroller put in the kitchen sink

dry erase marker drawn all over the bathroom mirror

its getting quite fun to wake up in the morning to see what we will encounter that day. it has been quiet the last couple of days so we are hoping they didn't leave...not much longer till the big green day!

have also been scrapping a little too...thanks for looking!

scrappy time

2009-03-09T22:07:00.006-04:00

got a little scrappy time in this past weekend. i am working on some challenges online. anything to give me the extra push to get layouts done!

was also able to make some cards too!

free concert...

2009-03-08T14:17:00.003-04:00

but you had to just happen to drive down our street yesterday to enjoy it. abby woke up yesterday morning and told me she wanted to be a rockstar and hold a concert outside for all of her fans. i said ok, so we got dressed and bribed little sister to play the guitar (ukelele) cause rockstars can't sing AND play at the same time.

we went outside and she sang her heart out for about 15 min. at that point she was very disappointed the "universe" had not shown up for her concert. so i said we should probably advertise. so with side walk chalk in hand, we made signs on the driveway. she was so excited. she started singing again...but to no avail.

ahh...next time we will have to notify our audience in advance. sorry if you missed the concert. it was entertainment at its finest. here are some highlights (because you KNOW i had to take pics)...

luck and a little good light...

2009-03-02T22:23:00.002-05:00

i love this shot! dd fell asleep on the couch as the sun was setting the light was perfect and soft. my camera wouldn't focus on her, so i actually had to manually focus it. i have never done that on this camera before and i am so glad i did.

i really love this shot.

i love that you can see the little freckle on her lip too...

it is really almost march?

2009-02-28T08:14:00.005-05:00

i don't know about you, but i have been in a time warp for the last month. we had a very nice visit with dh home...and it was very sad to take him back to the airport. and in a few days, the tears will be more infrequent and we will find ourselves back in a routine again.

here are some pics of some of our winter break activities...

we took the girls sledding several times...we all had a blast! of course after i busted my butt on a huge bump in the hill and it reminded me exactly how OLD i am!

then we took them bowling and ella did a victory dance everytime she threw the ball down the lane.

and finally i convinced dh to let me use him as my guinea pig to work on my low light photography. he was such a good sport. and it was so nice to have a subject actually sit still for a photo! lol!

today we are off to gather supplies to make leprechaun traps...the girls are SO excited to do this. if you are interested in getting ideas, pick up this months issue of Family Fun magazine. they have several cute ideas!

the haircut

2009-02-22T18:55:00.003-05:00

(click to enlarge)

journaling reads:

It's called the "dorothy hamill" haircut, and if you were a girl in the late 70's. early 80's you might feel my pain. My mother thought this was a cute look for me.

I have no idea what she was thinking!

There is nothing cute about this haircut...unless its on Dorothy Hamill herself.

And yet this was my haircut for a long, long time. Yes, i hated it. Yes, I felt like I looked like a boy.

This was NOT a good look for me. Not everyone can pull off short hairstyles. Not everyone should either. As a mother of 2 girls, I have taken it as my mission to prevent this tragedy from reoccurring. I'm sure I will have the opportunity to scar my girls in another way. Thats just life i guess!

a spark of creativity

2009-02-20T16:13:00.002-05:00

and some time...and the result is...

October afternoon is the manufacturer of my absolute favorite paper lines. i could work with these papers and products and nothing else ever again. since CHA a few weeks ago, the company has been busy promoting their new lines coming out and having lots of fun contests too. they were holding a sketch contest and when completed your name gets put in the hat for a fun stamp set...just twist my arm! lol!

so here's my take on their sketch. thanks for looking!

i'm still around...

2009-02-19T14:44:00.003-05:00

have been enjoying time with my dh since he's been home. the girls are out of school this week, so we've been having all sorts of fun. took them sledding on the "huge" hill today and it just reminded me how old i am! lol!

i have been finishing up a little gift for my brother so i figured i would share. i'll be back before too long, just wanted to pop in and say hi!

taking some time...

2009-02-10T20:17:00.002-05:00

for my dh...he will be home in less than 24 hrs from now and i will be back when he's gone...

thanks for stopping by:)

some cards and a little purse

2009-01-31T20:58:00.004-05:00

(click photo to enlarge)

this project is my 3rd assignment for out of this funk as a guest design team member. the assignment was to stamp...so i made a one sheet wonder (it uses 1 sheet of 12x12 patterned paper) and then several colors or coordinating cardstock. it makes 10 cards and a purse to hold them in. i plan on giving this to dd's teacher for valentines day!

it just never ends...

2009-01-30T14:42:00.004-05:00

(click to enlarge)

(click to enlarge)

for the month of january we have had 70.1 inches of snow...really now..will it ever end??

a little sprinkle of creativity...

2009-01-28T13:07:00.004-05:00

just a little playing around...creative express held their monthly cyber crop this past weekend and i actually managed to complete 2 of the challenges...this is huge for me since i haven't been able to do this in quite some time...had fun making these!

journaling reads:

This was one of the many photo shoots in your life, but one of my favorite by far. I was so excited to try out the new black velvet background i had just purchased. The set up was a little risky...I had you balanced on the couch in Grandma's house, by myself and trying to make sure you didn't fall off. Then i just started talking to you and you started babbling to me and before you knew it we were done. I was so very excited about most of the shots we got this day. You were the perfect model! These are the originals. As shot. Unedited. Easter 2003

a picture a day

2009-01-25T23:22:00.002-05:00

i was introduced to this website and thought i would pass it along. every now and then there is a really cool one out there. this site allows you to upload a photo a day for however long you want and type a quick note about it...

great way to keep track of those little moments...those little cute sayings...

SHUTTERCAL

cabin fever

2009-01-23T22:25:00.002-05:00

after 5 days home straight (3 for holiday and weekend, 2 for being sick) my oldest was MORE than ready to go back to school this past tuesday!

and here is proof that elvis is still alive!

and apparently he likes to wear lots of barrettes! i really hope he doesn't like to ride his tricycle up and down the halls saying red rum, red rum...or we're all in trouble!!

i {heart} my sister...

2009-01-18T23:42:00.001-05:00

and can't wait to meet my new niece!

enjoy~

my logic

2009-01-17T23:06:00.005-05:00

being snowed in = increased productivity.

got another foot+ today, so i actually took some pictures...mainly for my dad who insists on tormenting me so...i am saving a big old snow ball for you!!

i also opened a box of older photos (the unedited, pre-digital ones) and decided that i HAD to start recording these memories.. the 1st one is when my oldest met dh grandparents for the 1st time. and the 2nd is when she met my in-laws for the 1st time. the chimney on the 2nd one pulls out and there is journaling on the other side.

more snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow...so maybe another day of being productive...

then again. maybe not.

enjoy~

it's true...

2009-01-16T11:42:00.005-05:00

i've been neglecting (avoiding) my blog. my oldest has been sick with a nasty bug and its been pretty much all i've been focused on. getting her better and making sure it does NOT spread to the rest of the household.

that would be very, very bad.

i haven't been crafting, i haven't been taking pics...i've been freezing my booty off to be honest. woke up to -11 the last 3 mornings...

BRRR...

i promise to try and be back up and running this weekend...(try being the operative word! lol)

i also wanted to send a shout out to my aunt kathy...she sent me the sweetest email and i wanted to tell her thank you and i really appreciate it!!

and since i just can't bring myself to post an entry without a pic...here's some funny ones...

color challenge

2009-01-11T22:48:00.003-05:00

this was my 2nd assignment as one of the guest design team members at out of this funk. we had a color challenge and could make a card, layout or altered item.

here's my take:

thanks for looking!!