Remember This....

http://www.kimberlykalil.com/

http://www.yourmemoryconnection.com/

My top Ten

2011-12-31T11:53:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year's Eve! No big plans around here, but to wrap up the year, I thought I'd share my favorite layouts of the year.

So glad I remembered at the last minute to take a quick shot this day.

My first layout published in Creating Keepsakes!

Tomorrow starts my first ever Project Life attempt! I'm excited. And scared!

All dressed up....

2011-12-23T10:56:00.000-06:00

and somewhere to go! She got all fancy yesterday for the neighbor's Christmas party and just had to have a photo shoot in front of the tree.

Project Life here I come....

2011-12-21T23:42:00.001-06:00

I've been wanting to try Project Life for some time now, but I could never commit. I was doing so many layouts, that I didn't think I had time to do anything else. But lately, layouts are few and far between. So I have another plan for 2012.

My Project Life is going to be done on a weekly basis and my week will be from Mondays to Sundays.It will cover the little things that often get forgotten in layouts. The little things that actually make up life.

I will continue to do layouts for each kid and these layouts will go into their own album. The difference that I see happening is that instead of the 2 albums per year that Anna has been getting, there will probably only be one album per year per kid. Because the little things of every day life will be covered in the Project Life album, I won't need to make a layout about them unless they are really special details.

I will print pictures at home and will use my Instax camera and phone for quick pics.

I will attempt to refrain from buying anything for this project other than the page protectors and the one set of grid lined journaling cards. Last night I spent about an hour, start to finish, stamping and splattering some journaling cards to have on hand. The rest of this week will be spent digging through my stash finding other things to add to my Project Life bin. And then the next week will be spent finding this bin so that I can put all of my stuff in it.

It's been raining all day here, so it's a nasty picture.

I want neutral colors with lots of white space. (Sounds a little like my layouts.) I am crazy inspired by Marcy Penner and Liz from Paislee Press. Good thing they are on the Project Life Creative Team.

In 30 years, my kids can fight over who gets the Project Life albums. Because we know that they are going to cherish these albums and want to look through them every single day. ;)

5 months

2011-12-21T14:02:00.002-06:00

At 5 months he
never wears socks that match his outfit
can sit up on soft surfaces
eats bananas, apples, prunes, carrots, and peas
thinks it's hilarious when Anna jumps on the bed or spins around
still loves Adele
loves to suck on MY thumb
has pooped on pretty much all the important people in his life

Blech.

2011-12-19T12:55:00.000-06:00

We've been sickly around here. First Anna and now Blue. I had tried quarantining Anna upstairs, but that lasted all of 5 minutes. So now Anna is getting better and Blue is getting worse. Poor guy. At least he isn't a grouchy sick baby.

Well, well.

2011-12-16T16:21:00.001-06:00

As you can tell, I never found my blog hop post. It's floating around somewhere. Probably with my holiday doily banner I made last year and couldn't find this year. And that thing was so cute, too. Huh.

Anyhow, I do promise to one day get back to regular posting. It's just this no sleeping thing that's killing me.

My plan is to start Project Life bright and shiny on January 1, and since I feel like it's going to be a major undertaking for me, I think I will start working on some journaling cards. Stamping them, printing them. Something. Anything to make me feel like I'm doing something. Because at the moment, I'm doing nothing.

Nothing at all.

So let me leave you with a picture of the missing banner. It was cute, wasn't it?

Technical Problem....

2011-12-12T10:40:00.000-06:00

I had my post for the hop all ready to go, but now that I get on to check it, it's disappeared!!! Oh this technology kills me.

So while I try to figure out where my post is floating around in space, here is the list of other participating blogs. The next stop on the hop is KimberlyKalil, so please make sure to check her out!

So sorry!

http://blog.funmama.net

http://kissandtellscrapbooking.typepad.com/

http://blog.mshanhun.com/

http://xnomads.typepad.com/

http://nickylamarche.typepad.com/

http://www.kimberlykalil.com/

http://www.yourmemoryconnection.com/

Truck Love

2011-12-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

It's amazing how an ordinary thing like eating pizza in the back of a truck can make four girls have "the best day ever."

Rolled Paper Wreath

2011-11-29T06:00:00.000-06:00

The designers at Practical Scrappers are creating some amazing Christmas tutorials and today is my day to put in my two cents. I've seen rolled paper wreaths all over the web and even did a smaller version for Halloween. This time around I went a little larger and added just a touch of bling to it.

Head over to Practical Scrappers to see my step by step tutorial.

At 4

2011-11-22T14:51:00.001-06:00

At 4 years old she:
can read 22 words
loves the color pink
would eat macaroni at every meal
watches Scooby Doo at every chance
asks way too many questions :)

At 4 months old he:
sleeps an average of 6 hours in one stretch at night (still in our room)
tasted of apple sauce and gave us the biggest smile ever
jabbers all the time
nurses every 2-3 hours during the day
can roll from his back to his stomach

Color Hop

2011-11-19T05:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to the color hop! You should have gotten here from Everything Digital Scrapbooking, but if not, no worries. I'll post the list of participants at the end!
I am always thrilled to get a new color combo to inspire me and I was no less thrilled with this combo. I love neutrals. They work with everything and always feel so clean to me. And of course, red is a fun pop of color for anything.
Here is the exact combo we worked with.

And here is the layout I came up with. I'm pretty sure I created this in record time. And it was super easy considering that I didn't have to worry about matching and coordinating colors. It was all done for me.

Next stop on the hop is Scrap your Life so be sure to check out what goodness is over there!

And here is the full list of participants in case you need it.

www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

Party Pics

2011-11-10T14:35:00.000-06:00

I never thought I'd be so glad when this party was over. But it went off without a hitch (almost had a chili disaster!) and Anna had a blast.

There were bounce houses, ring toss, bean bag throw, a pinata, a face painter, and balloon artist. Oh, and a popcorn machine!

And the photo booth! My smarty pants neighbor came up with the idea of the foam board cut to make a polaroid and it turned out great!

And she's already started to think about her 5th party! I think I've created a monster!

Happiness Hop

2011-11-07T06:00:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Anna's fourth birthday this weekend and it really hit me how quickly she is growing up. Every day she changes. Every day she says something funny or does something sweet (or sassy). And every day she grows up just a little more.
Looking at this picture, I am reminded of all the little things I keep forgetting and how much I don't notice because I'm too busy. I am reminded that I need to slow down sometimes and pay attention to exactly how she is right now. Because she won't be like this for very long.

The theme for this month's happiness hop is "pay attention" and it is so very applicable to life right now. Two little kids that change every day and life that just keeps getting more and more busy. I need to remember to slow down and pay attention to the little things.

You should have arrived here from MahSliceofLife and your next stop on the hop is KimberlyKalil. Enjoy!

Here is a list of participating blogs, just in case you get lost!

http://blog.funmama.net

http://kissandtellscrapbooking.typepad.com

http://blog.mshanhun.com

http://xnomads.typepad.com

http://adriennefalzon.blogspot.com

http://nickylamarche.typepad.com

http://www.valerieserfozo.com

http://scrapyourlife.net

http://www.kimberlykalil.com

http://www.1200somemiles.com

www.scrappingmojo.blogspot.com

http://www.yourmemoryconnection.com

Stitching!

2011-11-02T06:00:00.000-06:00

My poor sewing machine never sees actual fabric anymore. Just paper. But that's ok because I happen to like stitching on my layouts.

Check out Practical Scrappers for more stitching inspiration!

Double Duty

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-06:00

I used to do nothing but double page layouts when I started scrapping, so I was happy to accept the challenge from Practical Scrappers to create another one. I haven't done a double 8.5x11 layout in a super long time, so it was a bit of a challenge to get started with, but I'm happy with the results.

Don't forget to head over to Practical Scrappers to see more wonderful double page layouts from this past weekend!

Paperclips!

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

The challenge over at Practical Scrappers this go round was to use paperclips on a project. Easy Peasy!

A no picture day.

2011-10-24T10:58:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure what happened yesterday with my kids and cameras, but they just didn't get along. we had set up a time to have a family pic done Sunday morning, but Anna turned nutso and wouldn't even look at the camera. Then I brought Blue home to take some quick 3 month pics and he refused to smile. Crazy kids.

This is the best picture I got of Mr. Chunky Monkey.

Picked up Creating Keepsakes lately?

2011-10-20T16:28:00.001-05:00

If you have, then you saw my layout! My very first layout in their magazine. So go run, pick up the mag, and turn to the very last page. See that layout that takes up the entire page? Yep, that's mine. And this marks the second time Anna has been in an in-print scrapbooking magazine. She's graced the pages of 3 online magazines as well.
Fancy, huh?

Long time no see....

2011-10-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

I don't know where I've been. Maybe taking care of this very demanding baby? Or dealing with a 3 going on 16 year old? Anyhow, I've been gone. But I'm back. And just in time for the Color Combo Blog Hop!
If you made it here from XNomads, congrats! You are all on track. If not, no fear. I'll list the participants at the end of the post.
We had the option of choosing one of three color schemes this month. The were all so perfectly fall, it was hard. It eventually came down to what paper I had on hand. Here is my color scheme.

Love it, huh? I went a tad off, because that's what I do, but I think it turned out just fine.

Now, head over to Through the Camera Lens to see the greatness over there!

By the way, here is the list of participants if you get lost!

www.abstractsmixedwithextracts.com

http://suealthouse.blogspot.com

http://xnomads.typepad.com

http://michelleroycroft.blogspot.com

http://throughthecameralens.typepad.com/

http://snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com

http://scrapyourlife.net

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com

http://handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

The Circus is Coming!

2011-10-05T12:24:00.002-05:00

Anna decided about a month ago that she wanted a circus themed birthday party this year. I should've started planning this party right when she told me, but I waited. And now I'm paying for it. Clowns are booked, supplies are taking forever to ship, and Halloween is having to be taken care of too!
I did order the cutest personalized invites from Blossom Tree Studio and started printing them today. I have front and back invites that I'm printing on American Crafts 80 lb. textured cardstock, cute little elephants for my envelopes, and ticket stickers to seal the envelopes with. Love it all!

Good thing tonight is a night full of good tv, so I can watch and cut at the same time!

Happiness Blog Hop

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

The happiness blog hop is back again and this month we are focusing on pursuing a passion. If you made it here from Slice of Life, you've come to the right spot.Otherwise, just stick around and the full list of participants will be listed at the end of the post.
One of my passions is obviously scrapbooking, but lately I haven't had much time to do accomplish anything. So I've started to focus more on one of the basics of scrapping - the photography. I've always taken enormous amounts of pictures, but here lately I've really started thinking about the pictures before I click the button. I've known how to use my camera in the manual setting for a while, but I'm actually starting to use that setting more often. I'm starting to figure out the style of photography I like. And while I'm no where near able to accomplish the artistic, stylized photo shoots that I dream of doing, I am able to take less photos to get better pictures. And that gives me more time to put the camera down and live in the moment.

Be sure to stop over at Scraps and Sass to see another take on the theme for the month.!

"http://xnomads.typepad.com/"

"http://kissandtellscrapbooking.typepad.com/"

"http://www.yourmemoryconnection.com/"

"http://mahsliceoflife.blogspot.com"

"http://www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com"

"http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com"

"http://www.valerieserfozo.com/"

"http://www.scrapworthylives.com"

You and Blue

2011-09-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have no patience. That's why I knew that the challenge over at Practical Scrappers was actually going to be a big challenge for me. Fussy cutting isn't something I often do. I've maybe done it 5 times in the ten years I've been scrapping. Like I said, no patience.
But I did it. And I like it. All of the flowers in the corner of the picture are cut from one piece of patterned paper by Crate Paper. I loved that paper, which I believe is from the Random line, but that many flowers on one piece of paper just wouldn't work for me. So, fussy cutting to the rescue!

Finally

2011-09-26T07:00:00.000-05:00

There's 2 finally's for this post.

1. I've finally gotten around to making layouts for Blue's actual album instead of his pregnancy/baby album. It only took 2 months, but it's progress.
2. My album organization project is completed. Well, the part of the project that is for Anna and Blue. I'll post pictures later on this week.

I loved this photo so much that I actually made a page for Anna's album in the same sitting. There's just something about throwing a blanket outside and taking a picture from above that can't be beat!

Come back tomorrow to see the picture used on Anna's layout.

The biggest contest EVER!

2011-09-25T15:13:00.006-05:00

Practical Scrappers is holding their biggest card contest ever. Here are the details.

We're going to be hosting a huge card making contest.

Here's the details:

-Anyone can participate - we're even letting our designers participate

-For the first round you are to create a card with pink on it and send it to us via email by 11:59 pm ET on September 30th. We will pick a number of finalists (we can't give you a specific number because the more people who participate the more finalists we will pick) and announce the finalists on World Cardmaking Day - October 1st.

-You may submit up to three cards for the first round.

-The next topic will be announced and those crafters will continue on. The only major difference is that from this round on readers will get to vote for their favorite cards in an anonymous fashion (American Idol style elimination). The determination of the winner in the final round will either be judged by the PS administrative team or voting - we reserve the right to determine this at a later date.

-The contest will end in early November with the winner receiving a $25 Robin's Nest Gift Certificate, goodies from several of manufacturer sponsors, a kit from Scraptastic, an Ultimate Bundle from The Twinery and maybe even more...we're working to make this one awesome prize worth at least $75.00!

-Are you ready? Go get creating! Send us your card with pink on it to practicalscrapperscards@gmail.com

Get to work and send in those cards!

She will shine

2011-09-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

Before school started we did a little photo shoot in the back yard. It was hot as Hades out there, so we could only take a few pictures before she was covered in sweat, but I'm happy with what we got. And I'm happy with the layout that resulted.

New Baby Love

2011-09-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

So there's new baby love and new Instax camera love. Smush the loves together and you get this!

Album organization

2011-09-19T09:58:00.001-05:00

My house is a mess. My car is a mess. And my scrapbook albums....they are a mess. When I first started scrapping I used the post bound albums. Now I only use the American Crafts 3 ring binders. Well, except that one time I thought I'd buy a different brand. I love those albums, but I can't get them half off at the store every month or so, so they would be too expensive.
And now that I have two kids to make albums for (wait, doesn't that mean I have to actually start Blue's album?), I need to get some organizing going on. So here's the plan.

Anna's albums will be black American Crafts 3 ring binders.
Blue's albums will be brown AC binders.
The Extra album (LO's of other family members, me and Robert, etc..) will be the brown WRMK albums.

Sounds like a wonderful plan, huh? Now I just need to buy more albums and move the old layouts to the new ones. My dining room table will be out of commission for a while.

In the mean time...

2011-09-14T12:24:00.000-05:00

One of these days I will get back to scrapping. In the mean time, here are some cute chunky monkey pictures. He's huge!

From this cute little thing....

To this full figure!

Delivery Day

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

We all had a feeling that this was going to be the day that Blue came along. There were tests my specialist wanted me to have done at the hospital and Robert and I really didn't think we'd get to come home that afternoon. And we were right. We went in that morning to start my tests and the delivery was scheduled for 5:00 that afternoon. Things were a little slow getting started, but Blue was born at 6:04 that night.

I'm glad that I thought about taking a picture of the three of us one last time.

Happiness Blog Hop

2011-09-05T04:00:00.000-05:00

Last month I wasn't able to participate in the Happiness blog hop because of the new addition to the family. He kept me way too busy to think about anything else there for a while.
But this month, I'm back. And what better month to join in than the one where we are contemplating the heavens. If you are following along with the hop, you should have gotten here from ScrapandSass. If you've gotten lost along the way, I'll post a list of participants at the end of this post.

When I was thinking about what to post for this hop, I remembered a layout I did right after Anna was born almost four years ago. I did my journaling in the form of a thank you letter to God. If there is anything that will make you contemplate the heavens, it is the birth of a child.

Don't forget to visit 1200 Some Miles to see her take on this month's theme.

And here's a list of participants in case you get lost!

http://www.valerieserfozo.com/

http://www.yourmemoryconnection.com/

http://kissandtellscrapbooking.typepad.com/

http://xnomads.typepad.com/

http://blog.mshanhun.com/

Well Hello, September

2011-09-01T11:14:00.000-05:00

September always feels more like the new year to me than New Year's does. Maybe it's because we finally have some sort of schedule around here. Maybe it's because of all the new school supplies. It doesn't matter that I no longer go to school, or that Anna doesn't need supplies. I must buy them. Because what's better than new pens and clean, crisp, college ruled notebook paper.
Anna actually started school yesterday and it went wonderfully. She was happy as a lark.

Aliens with Flashlights!

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Anna loves the idea of UFO's. Or as she likes to call them - FOU's. Not sure why, but that's my kid for you.
So one night, while looking at the stars with Robert, a plane flew overhead.
Anna was so excited. She had no idea what it was. Could it be a UFO, Robert asked?
"Nah," she said, "it's just an alien with a flashlight."

Head Bandz

2011-08-29T07:00:00.002-05:00

For at least a year now, Anna has been playing a game she calls "guess what I am." She gives you hints and you guess what she is. We started off where we could only be one of the Disney Princesses. Now we've moved on to other catergories - Thank goodness.
I saw the game Head Bandz and even though it is the reverse of our game, and it says that it's for ages 7 and up, I bought it. It took a round for Anna to understand that it was backwards from how we usually play - you have to guess who you are instead of who someone else is - but after she got it figured out, she couldn't stop playing. She and Robert played 4 nights in a row while I cooked. And believe it or not, I think they are equally good.

I wasn't sure what to do with this layout, so I stuck with a tried and true, and super simple, grid. For more layouts using grid patterns and color blocking, head over to Practical Scrappers today!

A Few Favorites

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

It was hard putting together a baby album without many pictures. So some of the layouts aren't exactly my favorites. But I do have a few that I really like.

My second favorite layout.

This is my favorite from the entire album so far.

Baby Album Papers

2011-08-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I tried to keep everything related to my pregnancy. Doctor appointment cards, receipts, receipts, receipts, sonograms, receipts. I saved pretty much everything. The one thing I didn't save? Any records of how much I weighed!

I'll be posting my favorite layouts from the album and the completed album later this week!

The front of each card has highlights from that month.

Appt. cards are in the back of the highlight cards. Sonogram printouts are in the bottom pocket and receipts in the top.


Still not sure what I'mdoing with this page filled with random papers from the pregnancy. Making a pocket?

I kept all of our arm bands and Blue's hat from the hospital. The next page is paperwork from saving his cord blood.

The Cord Blood certificate and the newsletter from our Mom's Club announcing his birth.

Blue's Baby Album

2011-08-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm not exactly finished with Blue's album. I had hoped I would be, but I've had a kiddo attached to me all weekend, so it just didn't happen. But I did finish the title page while ago, so I thought I'd share. You haven't seen it before unless you subscribe to Scrapbook News and Review. It was featured in the magazine this past May!

I do have enough of the album to tell you to make sure and come back everyday for the rest of the week. I'm going to be posting my favorite layouts and my miscellaneous papers storage ideas later!

Color Combo Blog Hop!

2011-08-20T06:00:00.002-05:00

Here we are again with a great color combo to use for inspiration of any kind.

Hopefully you made it here from Curly Scrapbooker, but if not, that's ok. Just check the bottom of the post for the listing of participants.

I have to admit that when I saw this combo I was stuck. Orange and black scream Halloween to me and I just wasn't wanting to do a Halloween anything. I thought I'd do a set of Halloween cards, but even that wasn't working for me. So I did something I never do. I made every day cards.

I never make cards. And I never use orange. But I'm happy with how these turned out. I used up tons of stash that has been sitting around for way too long and have some cute cards to send to grandparents for the fall.

Next up on the hop is Snaps and Snippets.

Here's a list of all the participating members in case you get lost!

http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

http://www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://suealthouse.blogspot.com/

http://craftygoodies.blogspot.com/

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/

http://www.vsws.typepad.com/

2011-08-19T07:00:00.002-05:00

What is it about an empty box that is so entertaining?

Nu Uh!

2011-08-16T21:51:00.000-05:00

I finished a layout! Two actually! How did I accomplish this, you ask. Well, it took five times as long as normal and was often done with only one hand, but who cares. I'm back in the swing of things. Well, sort of.

I love this picture of Anna at the library. It's her seriously goofy grin, but she's so happy to be surrounded by books, she can't help it.

Brads made with my ITop using scraps from my Crate Paper

October Afternoon, Making Memories, My Mind's Eye, Pebbles, and Martha Stewart butterfly punch

In other good news, Blue's album is almost done! I plan to post pictures of the completed album next week.

It's Here!

2011-08-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

And I'm super excited! The Sassy Lil' Sketches ebook full of sketches is here and ready for purchase! And seriously, it's a great resource for those of you who love sketches.

At Sassy Lil' Sketches, we are happy to announce the first Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook has been released!

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook features about 70 brand new sketches designed by Cherie Averill!

You'll find sketches for layouts with one, two, three & multiple photos! You'll even find double page sketches! Plus, sample layouts from talented designers that will spark your creativity!

Most of the sketches use standard photo sizes (4x6, 5x7, 8x10). To get extra mileage out of the sketches, switch it up! Use the sketches to create cards, double pagers, etc.! If you need ideas for "switching it up", check out the cards in the Sample Layouts section or stop by the Sassy Lil' Sketch blog on Saturdays.

The Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook is available for online viewing or you can easily download and print it. It's your choice!

Visit www.sassylilsketches.com to get the Sassy Lil' Sketches Ebook & get scrapping!

Coming Soon!

2011-08-11T16:07:00.000-05:00

Remember the Ebook full of sketches I mentioned a while ago? The one that I was able to contribute a layout to? The one I'm so excited about?
Well, it's almost here!

One of these days....

2011-08-07T16:26:00.000-05:00

One of these days...
I'll get more than 5 hours of sleep.
I'll not have to feed one of my two children every single hour.
I'll get to eat a meal in one sitting.
I'll remember what day it is.
I'll get back to scrapbooking. (If I even remember how.)

But until then, here 's a cute picture of Blue.

Name that baby!

2011-07-29T08:31:00.000-05:00

Robert and I can't pick names - as illustrated by the fact that we have had animals named such things as:
Mr. Miguel Patters
Ponce deLeon
Trump
Captain Ahab
and the personal favorite

The one and only Midge.

So picking a name for a child doesn't come easy for us. Poor Anna was 3 days old before she had a name. This time around we forced ourselves to come up with something before he got here. And about a week before he arrived we came up with a name. Well, we didn't actually come up with it. Anna did.
I could look at that in two different ways. Either I'm a great mom for letting our daughter be so involved in the naming process. Or I'm a crappy mom for letting his 3 yr old sister name him. I'm going to tell myself it's the first option.

And anyways, no one is ever going to call him anything other than Blue, so what does it really matter what his first name is?

The picture inspiration came straight off of Pinterest. Love that site!

Where have I been?

2011-07-26T16:08:00.000-05:00

Taking care of these two....

Sketches E-Book!

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed that in my sidebar there's a blinkie for the upcoming Sassy Lil' Sketches EBook? Not only am I super excited about more sketches, I'm super excited that I was asked to create a layout for the book! Yay!

I'll keep you guys updated!

2011-07-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Even though things are way too busy around here to participate, I'm loving Shimelle's new class, Explore. It's all about realizing the adventures in every day. And lately, every single day has been an adventure.

It's weird to me.

2011-07-20T07:00:00.004-05:00

When we first moved here, I found it incredibly odd that so many restaurants have sandboxes in them. I mean, sandboxes are full of nastiness, plus the kids are covered in sand before the food ever gets to the table. That's just asking for a mouth full of germs.
Then one day I gave in and realized that she would happily play in the sandbox with other kids the entire time we ate. Which meant that Robert and I got to have an actual conversation.
So now I'm more than happy to get a table on the patio, stick her in the sandbox, and order her food to go. And she's more than happy to play for an hour instead of sitting with us. It's a win-win situation.

Party Time!

2011-07-18T07:00:00.003-05:00

It's been so long since I've done a 2 page layout, which is odd to me considering that when I started scrapping, that's pretty much all I ever did. But I had so many good pictures from the little party that Anna threw for her Pappy, that I had to use them all. I keep thinking that Anna will get over her obsession with planning parties, but it hasn't happened yet. Maybe she'll end up being a party planner one day.

Blog Hop Time

2011-07-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

It's time again for another Color Combo challenge and blog hop. This month we were working with blues, red, and tans and I had so much fun. It fit perfectly with the new Rocket Age line from October Afternoon that I'm so in love with!

If you've come here from CraftyGoodies, you're on track. If you are lost, don't worry, I'll have the complete list of participating blogs at the end of this post.

Anna loves building things with her dad and we are super proud that she can actually follow the instructions pretty much on her own. Of course, Robert's fingers are usually hammered to no end while he holds the nails, but as Anna likes to say "he will survive."

Next in line is Everything Digital Scrapbooking. It's a super cute blog, so make sure to get over there!

http://scribblesstickingstitchingstroking.blogspot.com/

http://www.snapsandsnippets.blogspot.com/

http://scrapyourlife.net/

http://craftygoodies.blogspot.com/

http://www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/

http://www.vsws.typepad.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://throughthecameralens.typepad.com/

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com/

Come Back Friday

2011-07-15T07:00:00.002-05:00

Make sure you stop back tomorrow to check out the Color Combo Blog Hop. Then you can see what everyone is going to do with this color combination.

Crate Paper

2011-07-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

Have I mentioned before that I love Crate Paper? I used their Toy Box line to decorate the printer's tray for Blue's room and to do most of his baby book in. I have a slight obsession wit Crate Paper. So think how happy I was when I saw that Practical Scrappers was having a feature on them today. So I whipped up a cute card using one of their older lines. Simple, easy, and took me less than 5 minutes.

Yum

2011-07-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

I had quite a bit of inspiration for this layout. First there was a challenge over at Practical Scrappers to come up with a fruit project. Then came last month's issue of Scrapbooks, Etc, with a layout that I loved. So I combined the two and came up with this!

This year was our first adventure in fruit growing. Strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries all made it into our backyard. And then the birds (and/or squirrels) found them. So we managed to get 3 strawberries, a handful of blackberries, and maybe 2 very sour blueberries. I do believe the squirrels were what got our strawberries, because we happened upon a half eaten one with distinct bite marks - not pecks. I positioned Anna at the window to see if the culprit would come back for the other half. Of course, she gave up on the mission after 5 minutes. And 10 minutes later? The rest of the strawberry was gone.
Next year we are setting booby traps.

Perfection

2011-07-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Can we go back to the beach, please?

2011-07-08T07:00:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted any pictures of Blue's album lately. Probably because I haven't done much with it. But I'm trying really hard to finish this sucker up before he gets here. I don't want to be behind before I've even started, you know?

Here are a few of the latest pages.

Anna was the first one to buy Blue an outfit so I thought it would be nice to include this little story. Proof that she was very excited about him!

I am so unhappy with this page, it's not even funny. It was so seriously cute in my head. But on paper? Not so much. And did I bother to mention on this page that this is a visit to a specialist, not just the regular OB? Nope. Of course I didn't.

More Mini

2011-07-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures of the inside of my mini album. I never knew how hard it would be to take pictures of layouts inside protectors. Guess I never tried it before. But this is as good as it gets!

Galveston Mini

2011-07-06T07:00:00.004-05:00

The last time we attempted a weekend trip to Galveston was 2 years ago. And we swore we weren't doing it again until she turned 3. We stuck with that promise and decided to try it again this year. Um, not as bad as last time, but after 1 night, we decided to come home. Anna likes her own bed. Anna likes to eat fresh fruit. Anna likes to sleep touching the person she is in the bed with (exactly why I made Robert sleep with her). And Anna thinks a vacation is all about entertaining her for 12 hours straight. Every single minute of those 12 hours. So a vacation for Anna is really a hard job for us.
But she had fun at the beach, the pool, the Rainforest Cafe, and the aquarium. And that's what matters. Well, that and the fact that we got a super nice hotel room for free using Robert's rewards points. Go us!
I made a little mini to remember the quick trip by. Plus, it's fun to pull out the mini from 2 years ago and see how much smaller we ALL were!

Head over to Practical Scrappers for more beach and pool inspired creations today and make sure to come back tomorrow to see the rest of my pages in the mini!

Making Friends

2011-07-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to the Happiness Blog Hop! You should've made it here from Scraps & Sass, but if for some reason you didn't, don't worry. I'll have a list of participants located at the end of my post and you can go back to the beginning!

This month's theme is all about spending time with friends. This is something that I make sure Anna does enough of, but don't really seem to do myself. Moving to Houston has been tough for us all, and one of the toughest parts was leaving behind really good friends. And now that we are here, I really need to finally start focusing on spending time with my own friends. Both the old ones and the new ones.

Working on this layout for Anna made me realize that big people need friends just as much as little people, so it's time to start working on my own friendships!

Anna has always been shy, so it's always been hard for her to go up and talk to new people. In some ways I'm happy about that. Other times I wish I could make her brave. But she's been doing much better lately. She still has days where someone looks at her wrong in McD's and she has a break down, but those are far and few between now. And most of the time she'll actually play with those kids running like hooligans through the playground. I'm so glad she's gaining enough confidence in herself to meet new friends.

Don't forget to keep going through the blog hop! Your next stop should be 1200 Some Miles.

And to enter the giveaway from Scrapworthy Lives, be sure to comment below! You can earn one entry per blog. So that means if you visit everyone’s blog and comment on each of their blogs, you can get 9 entries! All entries must be posted by Friday, June 8 at midnight Central Standard Time (Chicago, IL, USA). Stephanie will ship anywhere in the world. The winner will be announced on Sunday, June 10 on Scrapworthy Lives.

Also, here's the complete list of particpants if you need to back up!

Scrapworthy Lives: http://www.scrapworthylives.com

Scrapping Mojo: www.scrappingmojo.blogspot.com

Pie for Breakfast: http://www.vsws.typepad.com/

iStampScraft&Craft: http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Scraps & Sass: http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Take a Picture and Remember This: www.MichelleRoycroft.blogspot.com

1200 Some Miles: http://1200somemiles.blogspot.com/

Slice of Life: http://mahsliceoflife.blogspot.com

Our Life with Spiky Potatoes: http://nickylamarche.typepad.com/

Pond Week!

2011-07-01T15:12:00.000-05:00

We are keeping up with our summer schooling and last week was pond week. Using printouts from HomeSchool Creations and 1+1+1=1 as well as some letter sheets, mazes, frog lessons and coloring pages from Color Mountain we learned all about a frog's life cycle, the kinds of bugs and wild life at a pond. It was harder to keep her attention this week, but I think that was because we focused a lot on numbers this week. Counting got boring quickly so I threw in some easy adding. I think she likes more of the learning about things, such as a frog's life, than just rehashing numbers and letters, so I'll remember that.

I thought some sparklies might make things more interesting.

Choosing cards for counting lily pads.

I swear she's not depressed! She's hiding her eyes for the find the frog game.

Proving that she can correctly sequence and tell me about a frog's life cycle.

Trying something different by spelling words with tiles. It helped reinforce that letters must go in a certain order to make words.

This week started out as Outer Space week, but quickly became forgotten because babysitter visits, playdates, and a cough that is continuing to drag her down. We've read some books, practiced our R's (for rockets), and matched up words, but that's as good as it got this week. We are going to try to go full force into it next week.

APPsolutely Fun

2011-06-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

I justify letting Anna play on the IPhone by telling myself that I am the one who downloads the games so I know they have some form of educational value. Plus, it's much cheaper to buy 200 dot-to-dots for .99 than it is to buy a book of them for 6.95 and have her use them all up in a day. And those dot-to-dot (which apparently are called connect the dots by others) really did help her with the 15-10 numbers. Of course, she still calls it five-teen, but oh well.

I threw in some buttons for accents, because you know, you push buttons on the games. It's all about the subliminal stuff on my pages. :)

Fashion Show Girl

2011-06-27T07:00:00.000-05:00

What she wants to be when she grows up changes every day. But one thing stays the same.

She refuses to go to college.

Summer Schooling

2011-06-24T07:00:00.000-05:00

I must say that it drives me nuts that Anna's school doesn't go throughout the summer. I mean, it's not real school. More like a playdate for 4 hours on 3 days a week. And a time to get caught up with everything for me.
But no, we're stuck here together. All day. Everyday. So I knew that we had to do something or one of us would be locking ourselves in a closet by 3:00 each day.

Let me just preface this by saying this is not homeschooling. I, in no way, claim to be teaching my child everything she needs to know. We are very laid back. We have no timed schedule. And I don't force anything except finishing what you started and cleaning up afterwards. But Anna loves to learn, so these past two weeks have been really pretty easy. (knock on wood)

While strolling through the internet one day, I came upon two fantastic homeschooling websites - Homeschool Creations and 1+1+1=1. These ladies create printables and make them available for free to everyone. Their Preschool Packs (some created individually and some together) were exactly what I was looking for. Even when I was teaching high school English and Spanish, I wanted a theme. I wanted all of the core classes to get together and pick a theme to base their teaching around. My wish never came true at the school, but now I can make it work at home for Anna. Yay! (I will admit that I am rather dorky.)

So last week began our Preschool Pack adventure and Anna decided she wanted to learn about birds. I didn't know how much Anna would want to do every day or really how fast she could do it, so I planned for that theme to last 2 weeks. I was way off on that one. We covered birds, nests, and worms in a week. Granted, we didn't go into some serious detail, but we learned what classifies something as a bird, all about the different nests, and the body parts of a worm - because that's a bird's favorite food!
Every day included math, reading, writing, and critical thinking. I threw in some arts and crafts, scissor skills, and games to go along with it. She glued birdseed to a big letter B, found hidden eggs, practiced writing her B,b, W,w, N, n and number 4 (that's how many toes most birds have), practiced rhyming, and so much more. Her list of things she did covers 1.5 sheets of college ruled notebook paper.
And she loved it. At the end of the week I was printing off more sheets for her to do because I had run out of ideas.
I really am grateful to have a kid that loves to learn and doesn't mind sitting down to do her work. Hopefully she'll keep these habits up!

Practicing her N, n writing on Nest Day.

Matching words to help her understand that letters make up words.

Friday was Chicken Day because we had gone through everything else so quickly.

Her chicken coop she built all on her own!

This week is all about pond life. It doesn't seem to be as exciting as birds, but she can already tell you all you need to know about a frog's life cycle!

Dollar City!

2011-06-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I took Anna to her first dollar store.
She fell in love.
And now every day she asks to go to Dollar City.
Happiness only costs one dollar!

To The Moon

2011-06-20T07:00:00.001-05:00

Anna has always loved to be thrown in the air. She loves heights and loves falling (which is good since she does that a lot) so of course being thrown in the air is a favorite past time.
Robert, on the other hand, pays for this fun for days afterwards.

I'm in love with OA's Rocket Ship line! I used Mister Huey red mist to drop some splatters, then put Glossy Accents over the drops to give them more dimension.

Color Combo Blog Hop!

2011-06-18T05:00:00.019-05:00

It's that time of the month again. No, not that time, but time for the Color Combo Blog Hop. (A much happier time, if I do say so myself!)
If you made it here from 1200SomeMiles, you're doing great. If you're just here because you ended up here somehow, I'll put the entire list of participants at the bottom of my post so you can start from the beginning.

This months' color inspiration was super summery.

I went a tad more pastel with my colors, but ended up loving the combination after I got started. Not sure why the top pic looks so much darker than the close up, but the second pic is much truer to the actual in person color. I was happy to be able to use up some older Basic Grey paper and alphas on this layout.

Don't forget to go to Craft Goodies for the next stop!

http://alyssephotographs.blogspot.com/

http://helenascreativemaven.blogspot.com/

http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

http:/handmadebykirsty.blogspot.com

http://www.vsws.typepad.com/

http://www.scrapworthylives.com/http://spud-pickle.blogspot.com/

http://www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com/

http://sugarandscrap.blogspot.com/

http://digipage-blog.everything-digital-scrapbooking.com/